One person says, "I know he said he didn't like the assignment but all of his other behavior indicated that he didn't have that big of a problem with it."
The other person says, "I told her in a straight-forward manner that I didn't like the assignment. How much clearer do I have to be?"
One person is reading overall context while the other is emphasizing the precise message.
If I only had a dollar for how often this occurs.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Relationship Maintenance
I suspect that the single greatest assumption we make concerns the stability of our relationships. We busy ourselves with those things that cannot speak because we fear they'll go astray without warning whereas we fully expect that the people in our lives will voice their concerns and do so before matters sink into a crisis.
That is a major mistake. Fail to communicate frequently and in detail with your close associates and an unpleasant surprise can be practically guaranteed. What you may see as trust they may regard as neglect or indifference.
Overcommunication has its downsides but it tends to smoke out problems. Someone in your life probably needs your attention right now. No news is not always good news.
Book Tag
I'm embarrassed to say that I just learned of the fact that Political Calculations put me on a tag list querying what is on some bloggers' book shelves.
Aside from a stack of books for review, here are some of the books that I'm currently reading or about to read:
Five That I'm Currently Reading
Beat the 2008 Recession by Nicholas Bate
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Conquest of Apacheria by Dan L. Thrapp
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
The Tracker by Tom Brown, Jr.
Seven That I'm About to Read
Mastering Change by Ichak Adizes
The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Aside from a stack of books for review, here are some of the books that I'm currently reading or about to read:
Five That I'm Currently Reading
Beat the 2008 Recession by Nicholas Bate
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Conquest of Apacheria by Dan L. Thrapp
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
The Tracker by Tom Brown, Jr.
Seven That I'm About to Read
World on Fire by Amy Chua
Reclaiming Higher Ground by Lance H.K. Secretan
Results-Based Leadership by Dave Ulrich, Jack Zenger, and Norm SmallwoodMastering Change by Ichak Adizes
The Force of Reason by Oriana Fallaci
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Quote of the Day
All the influences were lined up waiting for me. I was born and there they were to form me, which is why I tell you more of them than of myself.
- Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March
- Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Absolut Bad Move
It always amazes me when an advertising firm makes an elementary mistake.
Did they really believe that this ad wouldn't reach the United States?
Did they really believe that this ad wouldn't reach the United States?
Book Review: Awakening the Entrepreneur Within
Michael E. Gerber wrote one of the truly essential books, The E-Myth Revisited, in which he warned of entrepreneurial seizures that cause people with specialized skills to rush into creating a business, only later to find that they have not created a business but have simply switched to another, even more demanding, job working for a lunatic.
Later, Gerber elaborated on his concepts in a collection of sequels such as The E-Myth Manager, The E-Myth Physician, and The E-Myth Contractor. [Can The E-Myth Bus Driver be far behind?]
Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies is Gerber's latest and it has much to like and much that may irritate. The irritating part will probably jab those who've read his earlier books. He travels down old roads and meanders into the story of a company start-up that lacks the excitement and insight of the analysis of the pie company in his original book. He even reveals the old secret that there is no secret. Aargh. But then, when those of us who are long-term Gerber fans are about to despair, he gives "The Golden Pyramid Strategy" which neatly condenses his advice on how to start a company or, for many of his readers, re-start one.
If you are looking for one good idea from a business book, Gerber will more than satisfy you. He always gives several. He has become a management icon for small entrepreneurs and well deserves that status. Bear with him in Awakening the Entrepreneur Within. He'll give you much to think about. But be sure to read The E-Myth Revisited. That one is a core requirement.
Later, Gerber elaborated on his concepts in a collection of sequels such as The E-Myth Manager, The E-Myth Physician, and The E-Myth Contractor. [Can The E-Myth Bus Driver be far behind?]
Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies is Gerber's latest and it has much to like and much that may irritate. The irritating part will probably jab those who've read his earlier books. He travels down old roads and meanders into the story of a company start-up that lacks the excitement and insight of the analysis of the pie company in his original book. He even reveals the old secret that there is no secret. Aargh. But then, when those of us who are long-term Gerber fans are about to despair, he gives "The Golden Pyramid Strategy" which neatly condenses his advice on how to start a company or, for many of his readers, re-start one.
If you are looking for one good idea from a business book, Gerber will more than satisfy you. He always gives several. He has become a management icon for small entrepreneurs and well deserves that status. Bear with him in Awakening the Entrepreneur Within. He'll give you much to think about. But be sure to read The E-Myth Revisited. That one is a core requirement.
Discussing Values
Ethicist Michael Josephson once asked, "How many times do you need to lie to be a liar?"
That's not a bad topic for a staff meeting.
Many organizations and teams would benefit from a discussion of basic values. We are immersed in techniques - how to do this or that - but seldom visit the values that should drive the techniques.
What does it mean to be fair, honest, trustworthy, loyal, compassionate, or courageous? What are the types of behavior that would exemplify or detract from those virtues and when have we seen such behavior in the workplace?
In my experience, people don't dismiss such discussions as too theoretical; they hunger for them. More than ever, we are encountering workers who are operating from different standards. You have people in your workplace who've never participated in a serious discussion of what it means to be an ethical person. Some came from horrific or chaotic households. Others are products of a mindset that shuns anything remotely judgmental. They've been cast adrift in a world without a map.
Many of them are also strangers to logic. They exult feeling over reason and operate strictly in the short-term. Pop them into a discussion of ethics and you'll be amazed at what emerges. Some of it can be frightening. [I met one student who thought I was a little too tough on the Nazis.]
The good news is you may also be surprised by the benefits. Following ethical virtues is neither natural nor easy, especially in a world that scoffs at such behavior, but you can bet a sizable chunk of your workforce won't find doing so to be easier if such virtues are never discussed.
That's not a bad topic for a staff meeting.
Many organizations and teams would benefit from a discussion of basic values. We are immersed in techniques - how to do this or that - but seldom visit the values that should drive the techniques.
What does it mean to be fair, honest, trustworthy, loyal, compassionate, or courageous? What are the types of behavior that would exemplify or detract from those virtues and when have we seen such behavior in the workplace?
In my experience, people don't dismiss such discussions as too theoretical; they hunger for them. More than ever, we are encountering workers who are operating from different standards. You have people in your workplace who've never participated in a serious discussion of what it means to be an ethical person. Some came from horrific or chaotic households. Others are products of a mindset that shuns anything remotely judgmental. They've been cast adrift in a world without a map.
Many of them are also strangers to logic. They exult feeling over reason and operate strictly in the short-term. Pop them into a discussion of ethics and you'll be amazed at what emerges. Some of it can be frightening. [I met one student who thought I was a little too tough on the Nazis.]
The good news is you may also be surprised by the benefits. Following ethical virtues is neither natural nor easy, especially in a world that scoffs at such behavior, but you can bet a sizable chunk of your workforce won't find doing so to be easier if such virtues are never discussed.
Quote of the Day
Rome fell because of a leaching away of meaning and a loss of faith.
- Lewis Mumford
- Lewis Mumford
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Odd Couples
Obama-Clinton?
Clinton-Obama?
McCain-Romney?
To get a sense of how such tickets come to be, take a quick trip back to 1960 when JFK wooed LBJ. David Shribman gives an interesting account.
Clinton-Obama?
McCain-Romney?
To get a sense of how such tickets come to be, take a quick trip back to 1960 when JFK wooed LBJ. David Shribman gives an interesting account.
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