| #200 |
-Richard Dawkins
#200-2. If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.
-Thomas J. Watson
#200-3. Remember where you were when you began. It increases your compassion for people just beginning.
-Anon
_____
Compromise is a valid option but taken too often as an easy way out. Like the classic example of misuse of arithmetic mean: My head is in the freezer, my feet on a hot plate, so on average I am in a comfortable temperature!
The first and second are related. Expressing a view could show us to be wrong but we should be prepared for the better view to surface. Many avoid taking a stand, even on simple issues, using tactics such as, "If this, then that" kind of multiple answers or, "It depends on so many variables" and "I am OK with all alternatives." At best it makes life boring, at worst it propagates dilution of character in ourselves and our teams.
The last is a pet topic, especially in the context of those who deride the inexperience and immaturity of younger folks. I like the word "freshers" since it highlights their new perspectives, bringing enthusiastic energy unburdened by the knowledge of too many "things that will not work".
| #199 |
-Anon
(Thanks to Tejasvini Sajit for sharing this.)
#199-2. Failure is success if we learn from it.
-Malcolm Forbes, publisher (1919–1990)
(Thanks to Chandra Kulkarni for sharing this.)
#199-3. It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.
-John Locke, philosopher (1632-1704)
____
Everybody knows that mistakes are inevitable and that a mistake is an opportunity for course-correction but this knowledge should reflect in steadily reducing the time we spend in:
- justifying why we made an error
-trying to pin blame on others or circumstances
-analysis prior to beginning the next action
Techniques to identify the real cause of any problem (or mistake) have been popularized by the various quality methodologies but it often degenerates into giving the process a label (root cause analysis or RCA), having a template document and filling it. The purpose of RCA is to identify and implement action steps to prevent future recurrence of the problem or mistake.
Lest we forget the human angle, there are useful and not-so-useful (ego-driven) ways to point out mistakes; the best approach is to educate the person(s) such that they themselves see their folly.
| #198: Deadly Sho(r)ts |
-Wendell Berry, farmer, author (b. 1934)
#198-2. One should count each day a separate life.
-Lucius Annaeus Seneca, philosopher (BCE 3-65 CE)
#198-3. The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.
-Elbert Hubbard, author, editor, printer (1856-1915)
____
When we use our basic values, principles and genuine talents as the base, success comes easier. That strong platform enables us to be more resilient to setbacks. Too many people today are hesitant to take a stand, confusing flexibility and open-mindedness with dilly-dallying and political expediency. If there is nothing I stand for, what can I stand on?
We could choose to start every day afresh, as enthusiastically as an interesting journey we embark upon. We should worry if successive days seem like television show reruns.
The third quote is a powerful reminder for those who are not action-oriented, who ponder excessively to take the perfect decision or those who seek advice from many, hoping to avoid all mistakes.
How much can be conveyed in just a few words!
| #197 |
-Bertrand Russell
#197-2. No problem can stand the assault of sustained thinking.
-Voltaire
#197-3. Success is the fruit of action, not of potential or ability. Most plans are really nothing more than a defined set of possibilities. Nothing will ever come of a plan by itself.
-Bob Shuneman
____
People tend to label themselves and others as thinkers or doers, though we all do both. Thought is powerful. Einstein's thinking revolutionized the world. The difference between my daydreaming and his "thought experiments" seems to be one of subject area scope and intensity. I have alluded to "mental laziness" before. Mind control is the key.
At a more practical level for day-to-day effectiveness for most of us, action-orientation is generally superior to mere thinking.
Let us resolve to lead a life of thoughtful actions.
| #196 |
-Peter Vajda
#196-2. You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with.
-Wayne W. Dyer
#196-3. An organization is a network of conversations. People's behavior is a function of conversation - how they see the world and how they talk about it to themselves and others.
-Steve Zaffron
____
Having a few close friends with whom one can share any thoughts and who accept us as we are, is a blessing. The first quote is from a blog post that highlights the importance of real friendship developed in the old-fashioned way, that—ironically—may not necessarily occur in today’s highly connected, online networked world.
An interesting thought experiment: would you like to have you as a friend? This may lead in different directions: whether you are being the kind of friend you would like to be; whether your behavior is likely to attract the kind of friends that you would like to have; whether you are trying to ignore aspects of yourself that could do with change…
Modern theories of employee engagement, such as the view from Gallup, suggest that one needs to have at least one close friend at the workplace. As mentioned before in i-TFTD, we spend most of our waking hours at work so it is useful to build healthy relationships that help us in various ways. Another recurring point in i-TFTD has been the critical importance of how something is articulated and presented. Organizations that neglect this eventually pay a heavy price.
| #195: Epigrams on Programming? |
Those of you who understand software programming would relate to the obvious meaning of the following. I find many of them to be thought-provoking in other contexts, too.
Epigrams on Programming
Alan J. Perlis (Yale University)
ACM’s SIGPLAN Journal, Sep. 1982
31. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
54. Beware of the Turing tar-pit in which everything is possible but nothing of interest is easy.
58. Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.
121. In seeking the unattainable, simplicity only gets in the way.
7. It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.
57. It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
10. Get into a rut early: Do the same processes the same way. Accumulate idioms. Standardize.
15. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.
52. Systems have sub-systems and sub-systems have sub-systems and so on ad finitum - which is why we're always starting over.
102. One can't proceed from the informal to the formal by formal means.
19. A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing.
93. When someone says "I want a programming language in which I need only say what I wish done," give him a lollipop.
40. There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.
48. The best book on programming for the layman is "Alice in Wonderland"; but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman.
116. You think you know when you learn, are more sure when you can write, even more when you can teach, but certain when you can program.
99. In man-machine symbiosis, it is man who must adjust: The machines can't.
112. Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.
If there are epigrams, there must be meta-epigrams.
127. Epigrams scorn detail and make a point: They are a superb high-level documentation.
128. Epigrams are more like vitamins than protein.| #194: Why We Read Ancient Wisdom |
(Depending on your preferences, you can think of The Gita or the Bible or the Koran or a Richard Bach or Ayn Rand or Robert Pirsig book when reading this.)
An old farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading the
The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water." The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house.
The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty.
Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
"Son, that's what happens when you read
_____
My personal experience is that we need periodic doses of good stuff, and they do seem to work on our insides. Maturity of thought cannot be obtained in one "Aha!" moment. What appeals to us changes over time and the same words start to mean different things after some more life experience. This works regardless of our faith or belief in what is being said. Many say belief makes it faster but belief cannot be engineered. I continue to be a proponent of healthy scepticism (different from cynicism).| #193 |
-William Somerset Maugham
#193-2. Faults are thick where love is thin.
-English Proverb
#193-3. When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall—think of it, ALWAYS.
-Mahatma Gandhi
_____
The first is profound, and mostly ignored. We tend to freeze our opinions of others based on an image from the past. It is easy to label but it is one of the most unfair actions especially by a manager. We forget that people can and do change. Could we cultivate the habit of viewing an individual with suspended judgement, letting their present actions decide our opinion?
The second is applicable in any relationship including professional ones. My favourite subordinate's mistakes are "okay", to be kindly indulged as "learning opportunities". Other subordinates who make me uncomfortable, who I dislike for some reason—their mistakes appear intolerable.
| #192 |
#192-1. People cannot be managed. Inventories can be managed, but people must be led.
-H. Ross Perot
#192-2. We are not donkeys, and some of us do not eat carrots and we don't like sticks.
-Peter Block
#192-3. The finest leadership advice in the world: ask questions and listen!
-James Lundy
_____
Even in this day and age the simplistic carrot-stick approach is widely mentioned, necessitating the plethora of books and seminars on inspirational leadership.
The third sounds simple, but do we ask the right questions to the right people often enough? And to ask and then listen... no wonder true leaders are so few.
| #191 |
#191-1. You can make buffalo go anywhere, just so long as they want to go there.
-Gerald Weinberg
#191-2. It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.
-Jerome K. Jerome
#191-3. I can trick you into learning with a laugh;
Oh winnow all my folly and you'll find
A grain or two of truth among the chaff.
-W.S. Gilbert
_____
Jerry Weinberg is a pioneer of the psychology of software development and has written many interesting books. His quote above is an antidote to any illusions we may have about motivating others.
The second one is so true. Our enjoyment of a thing is sometimes relative/conditional in a negative way.
The last is a favourite theme of mine. Just because something seems fun or funny does not make it less useful or less profound. Learning is especially aided by humour.
| #190 |
-Nadia Ballas-Ruta
#190-2. Trying to "fix" the people in your life that cause you pain is like massaging your shoes because your feet ache.
-Guy Finley
#190-3. The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with great care.
-Hugh McLeod
____
We have discussed here (and online here) earlier about the danger of trying to rigidly compartmentalize our professional and personal lives. Modern career gurus (including yours truly, I daresay) point out at the blurring of this boundary in today’s always-connected, internetworked society. Passion speaks and passion makes us fluent. My favorite advice to the young is: "Even if you are arguing or complaining, do it with gusto. Not half-heartedly. Whatever you choose to do, do it with life."
The only person we can hope to change is ourselves. Even that is difficult. But we try to delude ourselves that the problem lies outside, with other people or "in the system". And keep massaging the shoes. Sometimes you throw away and buy new shoes but can you always do that with people in your life? Analogies should not be stretched beyond their utility!
This is a profound bit of advice for anyone in the context of career, leadership, promotion and creativity. But this was topped by the comment from my 13-year-old nephew, who heard this and said: "I am like a dog. I like to be friendly with people but also know how to manage the sheep!"
| #189: Back with a Bang After a Break |
(Your favourite Inspiring Thoughts for the Day mailer series is back with this bonus edition after an unplanned break of two months. Reason? Explained below. It’s not what you think!)
#189-1. Every decision you make—every decision—is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes.
-Neale Donald Walsch
#189-2. If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room.
-Anita Roddick
#189-3. Once failure leads to change... Change will then lead toward success.
-Stefan Rudolph
#189-4. If your life has become root-bound and you have stopped growing, it is time to re-pot.
-Lucy MacDonald
#189-5. Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
-Oprah Winfrey
____
Profound advice. Periodically thinking about who I am as a person improves my decision making ability in future situations because I begin accepting myself, my limitations. That makes it easier to seek help. With this self-understanding, every situation becomes an opportunity to change, learn and grow or to re-affirm who I am.
Funny remark from a great lady entrepreneur (founder of The Body Shop), but a reminder that each of us is significant and can initiate change.
We know change is necessary but we seem to need setbacks to highlight it sometimes.
Changing our environment could be the remedy for enabling inner changes.
True friends can be identified by their presence and support during adverse times. Success and power attract a lot of companions that one should be wary of.
Your questions were: Has i-TFTD stopped? Have I run out of good quotes to share? Is it because of my taking on additional responsibilities? The answer is No, No, and Not really. This is a passion that I wish to continue as long as I can. There are hundreds of wonderful gems in the kitty waiting to reach you in healthy doses. The silly roadblock I encountered was this: there was no easy way to get all the new Oracle email IDs of the 900+ subscribers despite useful help from FMG and ideas from some of you! Anyway now i-TFTD is back in action and shall resume its once or twice a week appearance in your Inbox and on the blogs. Next week we will make it up with a higher frequency. If, in spite of all this, this has reached your email ID by mistake, apologies—notify me to remove your ID. Thanks for your continued patience and interest.
| #188 |
-Soren Kierkegaard
#188-2. There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.
-Bern Williams
#188-3. While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.
-Angela Schwindt
_____
We all know many quotes on hope, future, potential and optimism as captured in the famous Hindi phrase, "Ummeed pe duniya kaayam hai" but we forget it when we need it most--when faced with a difficult problem. Experts say that "possibility thinking" can be an acquired habit and that it actually helps generate more solutions.
I have always admired and tried to emulate people who keep looking to move ahead from what seems to be an impossibly stuck situation. It is much easier to moan about fate.
Once we open ourselves to learning from children, they teach us a lot—including possibility thinking.
| #187 |
#187-1. I claim to be no more than an average man with less than average abilities. I have not the shadow of a doubt that any man or woman can achieve what I have, if he or she would make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith.
-Mahatma Gandhi
#187-2. My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.
-Indira Gandhi
#187-3. (Q: Any message for Indian children?) It is humbling to be asked. Material interests are not the only guiding light. It is, something that you'd enjoy doing in the long run. Take the time to figure out how to get there. The quickest way may not necessarily be the best. The journey matters as much as the goal. Listen to the sounds of nature. Wishing you the best on your trek towards your dreams. Take good care of our fragile planet.
-Kalpana Chawla, astronaut, in an interview given just before she took off on the fatal Columbia mission, India Today magazine, Feb. 17, 2003
_____
"The Gandhi" can say anything and we can only hope to fully understand and implement.
Making sure one gets credit is a skill in today's world. It is better to first focus on doing many creditable things and then worry about developing this skill.
Many who have attained outstanding success, have concerns beyond their domain of materialistic achievement.
| #186: Planned Opportunism |
Planned opportunism is about responding to chance events
Prof Vijay Govindarajan on how chance events have shaped his career, not least his latest assignment at GE as chief innovation consultant
by D. Murali and N.S. Vageesh
Excerpts from http://www.blonnet.com/manager/2008/02/11/stories/2008021150311000.htm (highlights mine)
Look at your careers! Fundamental changes have happened because of chance events. Life always changes because of chance events. But how you respond to a chance event is anything but chance. That's the planned part.
The planned part is about self-knowledge. In Hinduism, that is the highest form of knowledge. Most of us don't understand who we are, what our passions are, what our capabilities and competencies and skill sets are, what we want to achieve in life. If we understand ourselves, then we are confident when taking a risk on a chance event. We see thousands of chance events every day – but we don't act on every one of them. The ones we act on are related to our self-knowledge.
I'll give an example of planned opportunism in my life. I did my CA – one of the reference texts was a book by a Professor Anthony of Harvard Business School. The first line in that book on accounting was, "Accounting is not a technical subject. Accounting influences human behaviour!" I thought, "Wow! I always thought accounting was boring – debits and credits." It had a profound impact on me. I still remember, I decided that day – I must go to HBS – do an MBA, study under professors like this.
That was a chance event – but it fundamentally changed who I am. Many times, there are things you create indirectly. It's a combination of chance events and intentional choices that shapes one's life. That is why you can never plan fully. But unless you invest in capabilities, and unless you build skills that shape your life, you won't be ready for the random events that you come across.
Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE had come to Dartmouth to give a talk at our commencement a couple of years ago. When he came, I requested half-an-hour with him – I always do that to find what I can learn from these personalities. In the course of the conversation, I told him about what I was working on – the three-box approach to strategy. Something I said then must have clicked in his mind. About two years ago, when I wrote the "10 rules for strategy innovators", I sent him a manuscript and asked him if he would care to endorse the book. I never thought I would get a response because he could be getting millions of requests for favours. To my great surprise, I got a handwritten note saying, "I would be happy to do it after I read it." Probably something about our earlier conversation triggered this response.
Now I'll come to the interesting part. Jeff wants to leave a legacy of innovation as his stamp on the organisation. The focus is going to be on organic growth. You can imagine, if a company that is $175 billion grows at 10 per cent, they would be adding something like a Nike every year. Jeff decided that he would place bets on six areas. When GE places bets, it places big bets. The six areas he identified were: Environment, demographics, digital technologies, infrastructure, emerging markets, and liquidity.
If you take environment, the biggest challenges are water scarcity and global warming. If you take demographics, the biggest challenge is an ageing population and rising healthcare costs. GE is now looking at how it can use its competencies to build breakthrough models to address these mega trends.
GE decided to invite an academic to push their thinking. Only a great company wants to do even better – and has self-confidence to say – 'I can listen to others. I don't have all the answers'. I am not there to tell them what to do. It is more to accelerate their thought process. Sometimes it is good to bring an outsider and get his perspective to just question the logic and push their thinking. Hopefully, I'll create a teachable set of lessons, which they can disseminate to others.
When I got a call six months ago, I asked for two seconds to think about it. I jumped at it. It is a great honour. The sheer symbolism – GE is a big company with big resources and they can go after anybody they want – was good. The takeaways are phenomenal.
First, the opportunity to learn. I am getting a front-row seat in a company that is solving a lot of basic problems. And because I am embedded in the company, I'll see things which I'll not see even if I go there as a researcher or educator. I had been to Boca Raton, Florida for four days (January 2 to 6). It is a tradition at GE, where the top 600 executives get their heads together and plan for the future. There were 40 business presentations. It was extremely confidential. I was part of it. These guys were laying out the big issues and challenges and giving you distilled wisdom. I took 30 pages of things I learned in four days.
The second benefit is the potential for converting this experience into articles and books – of course after clearance from GE. The third is reputation. I believe that the institution you are part of always casts a shadow – good or bad. I have a brand. That will get strengthened.
This is almost the same feeling I had when I went to Harvard to do an MBA. I didn't know what good things would happen after that – but I knew good things would happen. It would open up a whole set of possibilities. I am a student – a learner. That's the posture I am taking. The experience has been fabulous.
(Thanks to Aasish Mathew for sharing this.)
____
Like CK Prahalad, Ram Charan, Bala Balachandran and the late Sumantra Ghoshal, Vijay Govindarajan is one of many modern management gurus who easily blend their Indian origin with a global perspective. I loved his self-confidence in making a big career decision after taking "two seconds to think about it" and his humility in taking the posture of a student.
I have had the privilege of conducting over 45 sessions of something I call Strengths Workshop in the past 12 months. The audience is usually a mixture of software developers, project managers, staff from diverse functions and senior managers with over 20 years of work experience. The younger participants start off with an eager mind to learn when I say that the strengths-based approach is a foundation tool for your entire work life. Some of the experienced folk start off in a slightly sceptical mode but by the end of the workshop, all of them assure me that this is an energizing tool. The essence of the strengths-based approach is that our innate talents (traits) have to be identified and channelized into strengths, thereby leading to excellence and career success. Regardless of your role and organization, your strengths and talents can and should be utilized for progress.
| #185 |
#185-1. He who praises me on all occasions is a fool who despises me or a knave who wishes to cheat me.
-Chinese Proverb
#185-2. Continual cheerfulness is a sign of wisdom.
-Irish Proverb
#185-3. Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
-African Proverb
_____
Anyone who has subordinates should guard against "yes-men" and ever-appreciative ones. Healthy difference of opinion is a sign of intelligence.
Continuous cheerfulness, especially in adverse times, requires a level of maturity and wisdom. Interestingly continuous smiling or laughing is not—it is likely to be seen as a sign of cluelessness or lack of confidence.
Many times we act as though we want to be labelled as skillful sailors without tackling rough waters. Either give up the desire for the label—accepting the reality of risk aversion—or venture out boldly. Often we surprise ourselves discovering what we are capable of.
| #184 |
#184-1. Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, and most fools do.
-Benjamin Franklin
#184-2. The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.
-Winston Churchill
#184-3. Action is the antidote to despair.
-Joan Baez
____
Criticism is constructive if its aim is to solve/improve and it is accordingly presented, preferably with suggested solutions wherever possible. Sometimes a criticism is countered with, "Why don't you try doing it?" but that is not a valid answer in all cases.
In a lighter vein, I would like to say, "Even Churchill is right sometimes!"
The third is good to remember in any "stuck" situation when further pondering is not useful. That is probably why Nike's tagline has endured so long: Just Do It.
| #183: The Gift of Risk (What Would Your Life Look Like If) |
Two excellent snippets from fastcompany.com on taking risks (highlights mine). After reading them, think about your own behaviour. Remember that this need not apply only to major decisions but it could even be applied when hesitating in simple situations like asking help or raising a query to clarify a doubt.
____
Leading Ideas: The Gift of Risk
By Doug Sundheim
"Do you think the people who were trying to reach the top of Everest were not full of doubts? For a hundred years, people tried and lost their lives. Not even their dead bodies came back. But still, more people tried... risking... knowing that they may never come back. Why? Because it was worth it. Because in the very risk something is born inside you: the center. It is born only in the risk. That's the beauty of risk, the gift of risk."
-Paraphrased from Osho
Six years ago, while coaching a client, I stumbled upon a very important question. We were talking about the idea of living with "no regrets" when I asked him, "When in your life did you feel most alive?" He reflected for a moment and told me about the summer he overcame his fear of water and learned to sail. When he finished he was grinning ear-to-ear. Subsequently, I have asked hundreds of people the same question and have been struck by the similarity of their answers. In particular I've noticed 3 themes. (1) Nearly everyone describes a scenario in which they pushed themselves out of their comfort zone and took risks. (2) The OUTCOME of taking the risk is rarely the main thrust of the story - it's usually the process of taking them that they remember most fondly. (3) When people finish their story, they've often got a big smile on their face.
Consider This:
The gift of risk-taking doesn't lie in what you achieve by risking -- it lies in who you become as a result of the process. Confident. Engaged. Alive. Furthermore, it isn't something you do once in a while -- it's an approach to life. Open. Exploratory. Daring. You know it when you let it slip out of your life. You feel stagnant, lethargic, bored. Risks have no shelf life -- yesterday's risks are today's ego trip. Today is new. RE-ENGAGE. RE-RISK.
Try This:
1. Ask yourself the same question, "When in your life did you feel most alive?"
2. What were you doing? Why did it feel so good? Which of your core values were you living?
3. It's likely you were taking some risks at the time.
4. If you've haven't felt that alive in a while, what could you do to re-engage, to push past your comfort zone?
5. Remember, the gift of risk lies not in what you achieve, but in who you become by taking them.
-----
What Would Your Life Look Like If?
By Donna Karlin
When reading Doug Sundheim’s excellent post on "The Gift of Risk" I was looking at the other half of the equation as how we inspire someone to take that leap of faith outside their comfort zone and attempt taking that risk.
Often, when working with clients, we'll go to the future and work backwards. Some would call it doing a visualization, however this is different... subtle, but different. It takes what you might visualize as far as an experience or place to be in life and looking at the impact it would have in your life. So the question I ask clients is "What would your life look like if... ?" and end the question with what would complete a lifelong goal for them. For example "What would your life look like if you got that promotion? What would your life look like if you started your own company rather than work for someone else? What would your life look like if you gave up your current lifestyle as you know it and jumped into a new career with both feet?"
For some it spurs them on to push themselves just that little bit more and to take that chance or risk, and for others, once they can see it, taste it, and feel it, they decide not to go ahead as that's not the lifestyle they want for themselves. Either way it's a reality check and alters their lives in a profound way.
The same goes for leaders who are taking the organization through unknown territory. "What would the state of the organization look like if...?"
It's jumping into the deep end of each day.
| #182 |
#182-1. Don't tell God how big your problem is, tell the problem how big your God is!
-Anon
#182-2. I never give them hell. I just tell the truth, and they think it is hell.
-Harry S. Truman
#182-3. The best things in life aren't things.
-Art Buchwald
_____
We all remember how things that seemed so critically important when we were younger now appear to be trivial, or some of the biggest difficulties we faced long ago now seem easy. We should often tell ourselves that big issues on hand today are likely to look simple stuff in our revised assessment tomorrow. So a better version of the first quote above could be, "Tell the problem how big you are!"
One situation where the second quote could be observed in action: a meeting where the discussion is a bit superficial and someone utters a well-known but somewhat unpalatable truth.
The third should be obvious to anyone who has shared a laugh with a small child or helped someone spontaneously and received a kind word in return.
| #181 |
#181-1. The void created by the failure to communicate is soon filled with poison, drivel, and misrepresentation.
-C. Northcote Parkinson
#181-2. The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
but they, while their companions slept
were toiling upward in the night.
-Henry W. Longfellow
#181-3. The real question is, once you know the right thing, do you have the discipline to do the right thing, and, equally important, to stop doing the wrong things?
-Jim Collins, author of Good To Great
____
Any communication is an attempt to influence beliefs and consequent action. We should remember the risk of not trying to do it, whether it is at home or at work. Parkinson is famous for his Parkinson’s Law (work expands to fill the time available for its creation) and wrote many books. In India he co-authored, with MK Rustomji, many short books on management illustrated with cartoons.
Significant achievements require the sacrifice of comfort and rest, plus consistency and perseverance.
His research on enduring companies and their management styles has been summarized in two bestselling management books by Jim Collins, “Built to Last” and “Good to Great”. In the corporate environment whenever anyone (typically someone new to the organization) points out some deficiency, a typical response is, “That’s the way it is. What could anybody do?” Even at an individual level most of us know most of the right things we must do or wrong things that we must stop doing.
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