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I’ve noticed that people are quite uncomfortable with complicated situations: we’re always looking for a single root cause.
Or a straightforward categorization.
This has ultimately led to huge polarization in our society, where people are pulling apart into camps.
Read the rest of this entry »It’s straightforward to fight AGAINST something – injustice, your competition, even government regulation. In fact, we often use that as the first definition of “fight.”
My observation is that fighting FOR something is actually more powerful, more motivating, and attracts more helpers. But it’s a bit harder, because you have to have a compelling view of that positive thing you’re fighting for.
Fighting against something is based on fear. But the first response to fear is simply to run away in whatever direction occurs to you at that moment.
Read the rest of this entry »Humans, like all animals, have survived because we look for signals of danger.
This is a deep-seated tendency. It helps survival, but it’s not so good for rational thinking and empathy. It’s part of that lizard brain back there.
What’s the problem? Well, a sense of fear pushes you toward reactive thinking rather than thoughtful planning. Which is great when you have just seconds to respond, but not so great in most situations in modern life.
Read the rest of this entry »I recently had the opportunity to chat with Paul Kirby, author of The FUSE Pathway: How to Find and Live a Fulfilling Life.
Paul has discovered that his joy comes from combining his interests in art, engineering, and even philosophy into what he does as an artist and author.
He even built a robot which creates its own art. So I feel a kinship because I also have many diverse interests.
Read the rest of this entry »I recently had a chance to talk with my friend Chris Hutchinson, who authored the book Ripple : A Field Manual for Leadership That Works.
It reminded me of how much I rely on the side-effects of actions I take in any group of people. Often I’ll be interacting with just one person, but my impact will extend to those they work with, and those THEY touch. And so on and so on.
I suppose it’s inherent in the kind of leadership coaching that I do. I almost never meet or even see my clients’ co-workers or family. Yet those people are affected by the changes my client is is making.
Read the rest of this entry »When I do something, paid or volunteer, I want to do it well.
And when I do that, people become dependent on me. Especially if I’m playing a unique role.
I become a single point of failure for the organization. Which means that if something happens to me, things will fall apart. So it can be a trap.
Read the rest of this entry »I was talking with a friend the other day who mentioned her deep concern about what the future looks like.
For whatever reason, humans are wired to pay extra attention when someone communicates worry. No doubt it’s similar to animals communicating danger to others in their group.
I was noticing the effect her concerns had on my own mental state. I empathized with her worries. I sympathized with the impact it was having on her. But then I internalized it and started being worried myself.
Read the rest of this entry »When you have a relationship with someone, you tend to cut them some slack.
After all, you know that your kids, siblings, friends, and longtime colleagues have other things going on in their life which means they’ll make mistakes at times. Or come across as brittle when they’re under stress.
We’re only human. So why don’t we do that for people we don’t know so well?
Read the rest of this entry »Work sure feels like a burden many times.
But you have a lot more control over this than you might think. You see, the pressure you’re feeling comes not from the many demands on your time, but on how you respond to those demands.
I’ve learned this lesson when I suddenly had a big life disruption and hand to “check out” from my work tasks. And you know what? The world didn’t fall apart.
Read the rest of this entry »A crucial part of management is solid planning.
But of course, reality rarely goes according to plan. Customer needs shift, people get sick, technical challenges arise, machines break, weather changes, … and on and on.
So the challenge becomes how you adapt to this ever-changing path.
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The Values-Based Business 