Trust Patience Persistance

Have you ever had a boss that didn’t trust you?  What about a co-worker that just can’t seem to cut you some slack?  I know I sure have.  I guess it’s pretty normal when you start a new job.  But what about after you’ve been in a position for 6 months or a year or more?  By that time, you’re probably hoping that the ‘cuffs will come off, right?

Well, they don’t always come off.  And that’s a real bummer!  Even if they do, you may still feel like there’s a lack of transparency holding you back.  You know, like the boss closes his door to talk to other people in the department, but you’re left in the dark.  Or what about the dinner meeting that you didn’t get invited to?  Maybe you just feel like you are always the last to know what’s going on.

So, what’s the deal?  How do you overcome this situation?  First, let’s identify the root of the problem…

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DEFEAT CAN BE A GREAT TEACHER

Sometimes we make decisions to move in a direction that we later regret. Unfortunately, pride can sometimes keep us from admitting a mistake has even been made. Worse yet, that delay in admitting our mistake can actually rob us from the opportunity to rectify the situation.

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Good morning!  Friday is a good day for talking about self control, right?

Check out this short video on this topic.  Is self control really like a gas tank; that can easily run out?  I can only speak from experience here, but this research actually seems very logical to me.  Maybe that’s why taking small steps is really the best way to make lasting change…let me know what you think:

A girl quits her job with a video?  The video get’s 17 million views????  The company she quits responds with a video???

Ok, so today I don’t have some lofty, high level analysis of the video’s I’m sharing this morning.  I just think the whole situation is interesting and kind of crazy.  And for any of you that have already seen the quitting video, you probably haven’t seen the response video, so I’m sharing that too.  I hope you enjoy!

Question: How many of you dream of quitting your job in some crazy way?  Please share…

GOAL SETTING FATIGUE IMAGE

If you read that headline, you probably thought that I was being a jerk. Well, I agree! 😉  However, I was also being honest and sometimes those two things just go hand in hand.  I promised myself one thing when I started this site…that I would always be honest, even if it was painful.  And honestly, I’m truly sick of hearing about goal setting!

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Do you ever struggle to understand what motivates some people?  I know I sure do.  Motivation is one of the topics that I get asked about the most when I speak with leaders.  Much like culture, there seems to be a mystery to this topic; probably because we are dealing with the biggest mystery of them all…people.

Here’s a quick video from the “Harvard Business Review” that may be able to help you understand more about yourself, your co-workers, your boss, or even the people you lead:

LEADERSHIP SETTING THE CULTURE TONE

Culture is tough.  It’s not easy to explain.  It can be elusive and subjective.  It can always be better and it can always be worse.  Just in case you think yours can’t get any worse, try working for CEO Oliver Queen at Queen Industries.  I’m pretty sure that his leadership style is the poster child for absentee landlord.

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Organizational culture is something that just exists.  It’s not something that many of us want to try and change.  It does change, but it’s not usually in our control.  Over time…rules change, people change, and boom, culture changes.  However, there is a magic that can happen when groups of people are determined to make something happen.  In the case of automaker Ford’s turn around, that’s exactly how they did it.

Check out the short video below of an interview with VP of Marketing James Farley, where he talks about this decision:

Question:  Does an organization have to be desperate in order to change?

Resistance to change image

“People are set in their ways, closed minded, and are mostly unwilling to listen new ideas.  You just have to accept that and prove them wrong.”

These are the words that a consultant recently spoke to me.  Personally, I struggle with believing this.  I don’t like to pigeon hole people and make those kind of dangerous judgments.  I’d rather believe that people are smart, innovative, and unlimited in their approach, and mostly determined to be successful.

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Let’s face it, no matter what you do for a living, there are probably aspects of your job that are just plain monotonous and all out boring!  As a matter of fact, your entire job may be boring (hopefully not)…

Either way, the video I’m sharing below showcases something and someone that is very unique.  This person is turning his job (and a very boring part of it) into something special – art.  Watching this makes me ask myself how I could turn my less exciting activities into art.  Why settle for boring??  Check it out:

Question:  What about you; how can you turn your job into art?