Get Your Dreams Together

Sure there are lots of articles like https://hbr.org/2015/07/stop-trying-to-please-everyone that will tell you things that you already know. 


There are inspiration articles to tell you interesting facts about people who almost never made it, to inspire you to work toward your dreams, such as http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249961.


You can even find statistics that tell you exactly how much time you spend wasting time, if you really want to know... http://www.techinsider.io/what-cities-have-the-worst-traffic-2015-8.

But by taking the time to focus on what's truly important, what gives you the biggest return on investment, you don't have to read through tons of articles to find your best fit.

You know what's best for you.  Stop doubting your instincts and take action. 


Be authentic. Be daring.  Be conscientious.  Be devoted.  Think about your alphabet of the things you want to be - write them down and practice them daily.  It makes you perfect. And remember, everything began with the A, B, Cs!

When You Wake

When you wake from a tough slumber, a nightmare that seemingly won't end, remember there is always tomorrow and a dream.


Here's to all of us who responded to the storm and many other things, and can't wait for this re-living to end so our dreams can begin afresh tomorrow.


See today's sunrise in New Orleans from the Seabrook at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-you-wake-heather-hilliard-cem-mba?trk=hp-feed-article-title-publish

Back to School – Yes, For You, too!

There have been quite a number of articles and posts lately from “experts” that have typos that, as a teacher of writing among other topics.  Common mistakes are everywhere – and then the content of what the author was trying to say (or sell) is lost in the errors of their ways.

Don’t make simple mistakes.  Here are some tips because the homeland security class I teach started yesterday at Tulane and I will be repeating myself – this message cannot be said enough!  And don’t forget you should write professionally as you text; if you practice texting in complete appropriate thought, you won’t screw up that big deal email as you rush to close the deal.

• Your subject and verb must agree.  Don’t have a plural subject and singular verb.  It seems obvious when you look at “they is” “I are”, but when you have complicated sentences, you’d be surprised what you miss. Be especially diligent for “anyone” and “no one” agreements!
• Affect is not the same as effect.  Just ask my students – they’ll tell you what gets circled.
• Further is a time frame, farther is a distance that can be measured.
• Several words are said the same but are not.  They’re; there; their. Don’t confuse them. Makes you appear unprofessional or just sloppy.  Additional words frequent interchanged inappropriately:

accept/except
adapt/adopt
agree with/agree to
all ready/already
all together/altogether
among/between
beside/besides
continual/continuous
emigrate/immigrate
good/well
I/me
imply/infer
in/into
its/it's
later/latter
lay/lie
which/that

And, if you don’t believe me, take it from a master writer, who gives more points in the article here: http://www.businessinsider.com/stephen-king-on-how-to-write-2014-8/ or an article in the Harvard Business Review on how to improve your writing https://hbr.org/2015/07/improve-your-writing-to-improve-your-credibility.

Even if you don’t have kids going back to school, there are basics that will improve your communications (just don’t think of Adam Sandler…)  Stay sharp by refreshing yourself!

Pick A Side

The modern world functions 'best' when people pick sides. Sadly, it's encouraged to have a non-collaborative society. Recent history shows inflammation between races, genders, geographies, political parties, religions, companies - this list goes on and on, feeding the media frenzy. 

Lately, there have been opportunities for people to talk about history but only one side is invited to the table. Even on the eve of the Katrina anniversary (when there are so many other progressive things to discuss), here in New Orleans, Hizzoner (as the press calls him) has a panel of his friends and supportive business colleagues discuss the monuments for confederate soldiers that only distract from the real issues the city faces ten years after the storm – yet the “open public meeting” didn’t have time for “the people” to talk and they still voted the way they wanted, with propaganda that their solution is what the people want.  Real progress is what people want – we could start there J

If two sides could have a calm discussion on any topic, it wouldn't make for hot news.  People forget, but it's NOT good manners to point out the flaws of other people.  As a counter attack to the regular nit-picking, several people in the last few days started pointing out flaws within their own group. 

Two articles in two different publications by two different freelance writers take their own “group” and show them the problems with their own group's behavior. This isn't an outsider telling someone else what they're doing wrong. It's a great way to help shape the conversation from within. It's a great risk, but there's no greater reward than improving the lives around you.  There have been quite a few of these types of stories lately… maybe folks should start paying attention and taking appropriate action.

If you want change in the world, you need to be the change. These two authors should be commended for starting a conversation (as you know they'll feel the heat from within the group of the culprit-types they highlight).

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/7/stop-telling-women-how-to-talk.html 

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/fashion/masculinities-studies-stonybrook-michael-kimmel.html?referrer=  

(Though Ms. Bennett writes the article, she merely relays Professor Michael Kimmel's study and resulting program)

Past Present - a Thirst for Knowledge

NCIS: New Orleans started the show last night with "tell me who you love and I'll tell you who you are", saying it was an old creole proverb (being discussed by two white guys in Mobile, but that's neither here nor there).  But now, for the rest of the story...


Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) was a Spanish novelist and playwright, most famous for "Don Quixote", considered to be the first European novel - and he is attributed with the quote "Tell me thy company, and I'll tell thee what thou art."  There was heavy Spanish influence in the beginnings of settling south Louisiana.


Arséne Houssaye (French novelist and poet, who recently came back to the forefront when two years ago, Harvard discovered that one of his original manuscripts from the mid-1880s was bound in human flesh) is likely the closest antecedent that influenced the "creole" quote used last night, given the French connection with Creole culture and the Louisiana Purchase history.  "Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you what you are."


A short time later, Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born in 1900 (French aviator and most famous for the children's book, "Le Petit Prince") wrote "Tell me who admires and loves you, and I will tell you who you are."  He died in a plane crash while collecting information on German troop movements in the Rhone Valley on July 31, 1944.


These two French authors blend together to give the quote used last night.  Over time, stories change. But stories shape who we are and how we react to a crisis or disaster.  In New Orleans and all of the Gulf Coast, everyone here has a story from "that day".  Always remember that someone's story shapes their response to events.


Your story shapes you, and persuades others.  When at work or play, remember a story can change lives.  This storybook would have helped significantly here after Katrina - but it can help millions moving forward.  Here, it's the book that shapes someone's story... the important thing is to share.  While a picture may be worth a thousand words, but how about pages of a book that can filter water in order to make it safe to drink?  Share the word!

http://m.voanews.com/a/2921076.html

Moving at Your Own Pace

Do you move at your own pace… feel like you control your own destiny? 

Or does it feel like you are in a laboratory being studied like a mouse in a cage – or like that mouse that has to navigate some maze in order to get a bit of cheese?

You don’t need the nation’s worst natural disaster (New Orleans’ Hurricane Katrina experience) to change your life, to be a “tinker, thinker, a doer.”

The rest of the nation is taking this anniversary as a push to be top of the headlines.  Looking through a magnifying glass and a satellite to see human nature evolving and changing (or not).  It’s almost like this is another world and people get to watch reality tv, though people here in Louisiana and elsewhere know it’s real.  And tough.  Many in New Orleans and around the Gulf Coast just want to see it as another day, not talk about the experience again and again.

What the media could be discussing are the important things, such as the way community values became center focus in the months after the storm. It wasn’t about blaming and who should live where or why rebuild – it was deeply personal, “where did you go”, “how are you doing”, “where are you at now”… It wasn’t a fascination with morbid curiosity, but a connection to people like yourself.  It was a real time with real people doing what they needed to do inch by inch to pull the family back together, to support friends coming home. 

Don’t wait for a disaster to remind you what you have.  Take time to determine what is important to you.  Remember the real things that are important in life.  It’s not what you accumulate, unless it’s true friends and holding family tightly.

Good article, though not from within but from DC (so some outsider parts, but whatever).  As Kenneth says, “The –ism part ain’t ever going to be over. The –ism is the theory of disaster and struggle.” Here, and everywhere.  Live your life to the fullest, and don’t succumb to living in a “lab.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/08/22/a-resilience-lab/

 

Get Rid of Your Old Shoe

There is so much talk about hurricane anniversaries, New Orleans, rebuilding, recovery, who’s not recovered… it makes many of us who went through it turn a blind eye to the news.  The anniversary is one week away, so the Greater New Orleans region is inundated with stories and images to remind everyone here of how far we have come.

But something interesting about this environmental anniversary article surprised me.  It wasn’t how much land-loss we’ve had on the coastline of Louisiana (I’ve done enough work in marshes and beach clean up to almost know the blades of grass and grains of sand reclaimed by the sea).

If things have changed over one hundred years, why do we keep clinging to something that is one hundred years old?

I’m not talking about nostalgia and traditions, such as your grandmother’s pecan pie recipe.  I mean a FACTUAL document that has turned into a marketing piece – a map.  If you see a road map, you expect it to get you to the place you want to go. You have selected your destination and use the map to plan how to get there.

But if you change your destination, you change your plan.  Then why haven’t we, as a society, changed things (such as maps) when facts show they should be different?

Italy is a boot.  It’s still a boot.  Louisiana was a shoe.  It’s not still a shoe.  So why do we represent it as still a shoe?  If we used the new picture in this article, it should make a lot of sense how we need to adjust emergency planning and response tactics for the disasters ahead.  This article explains other less discussed issues for the New Orleans region as we approach this catastrophe’s anniversary; it’s long but well worth reading for the insights presented.

If you change your plan, make sure you adjust your facts.  And if the facts change – throw out the old shoe and get a new one that represents the new plan!

http://www.nola.com/futureofneworleans/2015/08/will_the_time_ever_be_right_fo.html

A Calling, and a Deeply Emotional One

I am "giving in" to the Hurricane Katrina anniversary/New Orleans/Jefferson Parish hype because the author's point of view in this article is fascinating for a variety of reasons.

One week to go, hoping we can all get through it without major snaps.

http://www.vox.com/2015/8/20/9176225/hurricane-katrina-government

It Takes One To Know One

Education is wonderful.  When discussing education, however, most people only give “credit” for formally-earned credits at a University or college.  There isn’t a way to recognize the power of ingenuity or innovation as there is a successful completion of curriculum (unless it’s an honorary degree that most Universities bestow to those who haven’t completed official courses).

As professional educators begin to realize the inherent benefits in less structure that will encourage more collaboration and creativity in problem solving, we may see America rise to the top of the invention mountain again.  Teachers and professors, myself included, are beginning to recognize and reward answers that come to a solution outside the “typical” path – sometimes, we even give bonus points for it! 

In an earlier post, I talked about exercising your mind and strengthening the creative muscles every day – to untrain your uncreativity.  Children historically have been discouraged and the “create” is trained out of them.  Let’s train in back into our everyday lives.

In our personal and professional lives, we need to start making efforts to recognize the traits we find valuable.   Think about the Harry Potter school environment.  There are some teams, and the leader can reward unique approaches to problems with the waiving of a wand (or awarding points).  How about we start positive reinforcement rather than focusing all the time on the negative attributes around us? How much more pleasant the world would be!

Take the first step and with the people around you, focus on the positive.  You can’t always ignore the negative, but good golly, give it the limited attention it’s due – when you spend more time on positive things, more positive things will happen!

 http://www.nais.org/Magazines-Newsletters/ISMagazine/Pages/It-Takes-One-to-Know-One.aspx

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish

"Penny Wise and Pound Foolish" was commonly used as a "backhanded compliment" about "not so smart" folks worrying about pennies but missing pounds. It mixes modern coinage with the colonial system - yet still makes sense.

 

What doesn't make sense is what's described in the attached article: You would think the United States Government would have better things to do than argue SINCE 2009 about buying forks.

 

What about your workplace - Are your team members missing the big picture?  How can you lead them to better analytical thinking?

 

Maybe a "field trip" to clear heads is in order. Many executives would like to have the ban on evening and weekend emails, but have no authority to shut it down, per se.  If workers - including yourself - don't have a break from the office, things start to get sloppy.  This virtual field trip is free. You could even say anyone sending email between certain times has to treat everyone to coffee the following week (a non-pricey but very visible reminder to take a positive time-out).

 

There are other ways to refresh a team. Perhaps a weekly "cake for breakfast" is in order.  One of my best teams ever met in my office and did a check-up Monday mornings. We would start about 30 minutes after regular starting time and they had permission to be a little late that day. We shared coffee cake, but if it was a birthday, I would do the extravagant breakfast purchase (and yes, by request of the birthday employees, it frequently was actually cake) for a small celebration.

 

This easing back into the workweek allowed us to get together and know it was ok to chat for a while about trips and family gatherings, books we read or a movie we watched with friends. It was management approved and "required" relaxed time as a team. We all enjoyed it. Our great and busy boss would even pop in to say hello - and respected it was NOT the time to drop a project bomb, so he reinforced the positive team behavior.

 

Then again, it required forks... But no one complained about bringing our own.  Think of how to promote smart thinking, fresh minds and a respectful place for sharing fun things so it's not all about the grindstone.

 

http://m.govexec.com/management/2015/08/sorry-feds-you-have-bring-your-own-plates-and-forks-work/119037/?google_editors_picks=true&oref=ge-iphone-interstitial-continue

The Missing Ingredient to Your Success

Many people look to others and try to reverse engineer someone else’s career recipe for their own success.  That doesn’t usually work out so well, when you just copycat anything.

Research has shown that a frequently overlooked ingredient is one that not many people understand.  They think they know what it means.  They pretend they know what it means.  They tell other people that they know what it means.  But they have no idea what it really means.

Humility.  It’s not low self-esteem (which is frequently what those missing humility say when defining it).  It’s not self-doubt (which is denigrated as a slower, more thoughtful deliberative process by those missing humility). It’s not an analogy for poor or peasant or preacher or poser.

Thinking less ABOUT yourself is actually more empowering FOR yourself.  It gives you the ability to reflect and actually consider another person’s situation.  It is a person that has confidence without conceit; a leader that investigates without blaming; a partner that shows grace when admitting errors.  It makes sense – using less brain power to think about yourself gives you greater ability to think about other things!

Some people think business leaders – or those in charge of decision-making at any organization – are failures when they show humility.  No doubt these are the same people that say they are humble (when they are absolutely not) or they say they trust someone (and show every way possible that they really don’t trust anyone but themselves).  If a person who pretends to be humble and having humility doesn’t listen to others or test other’s suggestions, then he or she will miss a lot of opportunity to open doors and gain that missing and coveted success and respect.

Be HONEST with yourself.  If you can’t be honest with yourself, you will never be honest with anyone else.  Open your toolbox and see what you have, and start working toward getting those missing pieces to make a better you.  You will find people like you more and are also willing to listen to you more as you show you are really listening to them, considering them equals rather than “lesser” people.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249412

When Your Message Isn't Getting Through

Have you ever felt like you are telling clients – or potential clients – something over and over and over? Feels like you are almost a broken record, doesn’t it?

We work hard and use our skills to develop concise messages, informative content, and interesting visuals.  How can you be sure to be heard?

Perhaps you need to change the delivery of the message or location.  In marketing and strategy, there are a few “Ps” we always consider – and placement is definitely one of them.  Even one of the most well-loved bands of all times needed some placement adjustments to get heard.  If The Beatles needed to make a change, you should consider changes, too.

Marc Cenedella (Chairman of The Ladders) notes that at the height of their career (1969), there were some issues with the group – after they had their argument, went away, and came back together,  they could make music: and did it on a rooftop in London for 42 minutes!!!

There were some unhappy people caught in the video, ones that didn’t like the change or didn’t appreciate the commotion and disruption of their schedules. There will always be negative comments, even for The Beatles.  But that didn’t stop them.

Don’t let some disruptions on your team or negative feedback push you off your path to success.  The second song they play is “Don’t Get Me Down” – don’t let yourself down.

Listen to that 42 minutes of greatness as The Beatles are belting it from the rooftops - get inspired!

https://vimeo.com/95681569#t=0m60s

Your Real Talents Explained

In job interviews, we’ve all been asked (or asked the candidate) “what’s your greatest strength” – and we know this question is inevitable.  Interview candidates try to use mainstream answers and corresponding explanations, to give the interviewer what they want to hear, please them and hopefully get the job.

Ugh. Why do you want to make yourself look common??? Why not show people what a superstar you really are!!!  It just takes a few simple steps.

Think of the things you do best, or ask your true friends or peers what they perceive as your best traits.

Ask them what they think needs improving or note what you know yourself you need to improve.

Explain what this trait helps you accomplish! Voila! A unique way to portray something that may seem to be a weakness, but usually means that the person outside the circle of close friends and trusted peers uses it as a ‘slam’ against you, to put you down, because of their shortcomings or faults.  Many people do this when they project their weaknesses onto you – so don’t fall for that foolishness.

Be true to yourself, and take a huge grain of salt with the insults people throw your way (you may need to do some adjusting, but on your own terms not at someone else’s dictation).  Steve Jobs said it very well, (it can be found at the end of this article with nine examples of traits commonly portrayed as undesirable but are wicked great for success  http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249568):

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.

What's In Your Risk Basket?

Perception is very important. In graduate school, where we had a lot of international students in the program, one of our first non-credit "personal enhancement" sessions was a cultural education class. Here, we learned which classmates' cultures may have been offended by a wave hello (surprise!) or what country's business person would expect presentation of our business card in a very formal manner when first meeting (good to know). 

Considering the "place where you are" is important. Even if you are in a city where you've spent a lot of time, you should consider that it's always changing. We kindly joke that Pittsburgh doesn't change because the road work signs just move around the city, but how many people living outside the western Pennsylvania region realize that Google has a huge base here and Apple's newest offices are located here, too? Not the steel mill image that first comes to mind, huh? Second only to Silicon Valley for technology innovations, it's not the Smoky City any longer. 

Jokes around New Orleans, Louisiana are that even if it changed, most tourists don't get past Bourbon Street so wouldn't remember if there were any changes. Southern California droughts typically bring wildfires and conservation warnings - but El Niño is about to bring some major changes, the first of their kind since 1950... Get out your rain boots!

You change as a person, too, and you have risk-shift. When younger, you may have been willing to "take more risks" when playing sports than you are now. But, maybe now your risks include traveling to new places or meeting new people when your younger years were not as adventurous outside the friends you knew from school. What risks are you willing to take now - either for fun or by educating yourself and venturing in a new direction?

You can't just lump things together with your old glasses anymore. In the article below, there are some very interesting changes to the world maps when looking at data in new ways. Slice and dice new information for your old ways of thinking - you may be pleasantly surprised and more prepared for the community around you. 

http://www.businessinsider.com/eiu-global-risks-maps-2015-8 

Overcome Your Rock

Daunting. Emotionless. Segregated. 

There are all ways we isolate ourselves. Many people blame others for everything, right down to nit-pickin little things. The poem, "Invictus," states there are pits as black from pole to pole that can surround even the strongest of fighters. 

Alcatraz was created to hold the most violent of all criminals or those of highest escape attempt. It was a natural island in the bay, yet transformed to something useful for as a way to isolate risks to society. 

The tour of "The Rock" is fascinating and educational. However, as the survivors - staff and criminals - note in this article, time and other motivations changed fact into fiction. It's not only the media that can do this - our minds change memories, too. 

In many ways, this is good. If you have experienced something painful, your mind doesn't remember the pain of your broken arm, for instance, only the experiences around your medical emergency. If you have a traumatic event, frequently your mind renders you nearly incapable of speaking the horrors of that time, such as being trapped on your roof in New Orleans ten years ago while waiting and praying for evacuation after Hurricane Katrina. 

The resiliency of a community depends on the strength and cooperative abilities of its people.  Each person is a link in a chain - from the smallest things (pride in a well-kept lawn and shrubbery) to the larger interactions (mentoring at an after-school program for disadvantaged youth). 

As the infamous criminal even realizes in this article, "everything I realized I’d done was by my own choice." You may have taken fourteen steps toward a literal isolation like Luke, or erected a mental separation from the community by not interacting with neighbors and opportunities around you. 

Your rock, however it formed, can also be chiseled away so that you aren't an outsider, so that you aren't the end of the song, "The Farmer In The Dell"... The cheese stands alone. If you wake up to realize one day it's just you and your cheese all alone, you better start making changes in your life. Transform your barrier into something productive. Reach out sincerely to people and ask how you can help them - it will be the best improvement for you and pay dividends immediately. 

And, you will realize that cheese is much better when shared with wine and real friends. 

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/confessions-of-alcatraz-former-inmates-and-126515796702.html

Realistic Threats, Imaginary Predators?

“More people are killed each year by bee stings than by bears.”  But when asked, people are more frightened of bears. 

When you are considering threats, take that same approach that we do in homeland security disaster planning - even if it's when considering a competitors products for your company or personal planning. Facets of disaster planning are helping in getting to the heart of a matter and efficiently handling it. 

First, consider the hazard. In New Orleans, we don't have a history of bear attacks but we do (incredulously) have a history of snow. Snow in a city that has no means of pushing it off roadways or melting it is extremely dangerous - especially with the terrible drivers already there so you hear a morning accident report on the news instead of a morning traffic report. In the neighboring suburbs of Jefferson Parish when it snowed Christmas one year after Katrina, they used sand distributed in bulldozer buckets bouncing down it onto the ground for the emergency room ramp at East Jefferson General Hospital. (Great ingenuity until cleanup a few days later...)  In a region of elevated highways, snow and freezing temperatures are extreme hazards. 

However, the second basic part of disaster planning is risk - how often is hazard you've identified likely to happen. Snow in New Orleans is a very rare occurrence. And when it does happen, everyone is so conditioned to think of cataclysmic events that they automatically imagine a "snowmageddon" incident.  That's fair from a human perspective when you consider the bad events befallen the region. You need to look at facts - such as the last three snow events put barely a dusting on the ground though the ice in January/February of 2014 (where there were several days of freezing temps after rain) knocked out power to many families and has only happened once in half a century or more. 

Hazard times risk (with the history factor) is the probability of the disaster. No bears so far in New Orleans. Not a lot of bees. But Bourbon Street has seen its share o casualties of a different sort of hurricane.  Humans are resilient and the residents of this area bounce back pretty well. It's understandable how people are tired and still trying to come back from the last round of hits. 

Tomorrow, Hurricane Katrina's ten year landfall will be just two weeks away. She was a predator that The Big Easy actually considered the year before in an exercise because the hazard is high and risk is annual, with the history factor of "100 year storm". The Hurricane Pam scenario was actually slightly a worse case scenario because the storm was a direct hit and if you can imagine the Mighty Mississippi overflowing into the bowl of the French Quarter, it's surreal. 

It's an appropriate time to consider your personal plans for emergency reserve finances, illness, or even home issues. The thing to remember for planning is lessons learned - AND applying what you've learned so that you are better prepared for an incident, that you know how to counter bad press if your organization is rated for bad service, or if your competitor seems to be hitting the sweet spot with their new widget.  Go on facts; just as this article says, the media hypes up a lot of things. Do you own due diligence so you can plan ahead. 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150810-grizzly-bears-attack-yellowstone-animals/

Unlearn Your Uncreativity

Autonomy is pretty clear - it is self-determination. Google is doing it big time, though some have raised questions about how well thought-out their bigger company name actually is: Alphabet actually has existed for some time at BMW. So how creative is their new creative company really?

When you plan, it's not only important to figure out where you want to go but why. Many people forget to ask why. 

Not the fearless six year olds! Ever been asked "why is the sky blue/could ostriches ever fly/can penguins feel the cold/who made pasta like the first time" all in one breath? If you have ever been around kids, you smile when someone says that kids say the darnedest things. 

That's because we are born to be creative. Sadly, it's been taught out of us. Truly, as Dr. George Lund's research in 1968 shockingly discovered, children unlearn their creativity. Children aged 3-5 in Headstart programs tested at 98% for creative genius, but ten years later (all at 15 years old), just 12% remained in that creative genius category. 

Let's stop this really bad behavior: the assimilation to conformity. We need to get back to being the American Innovators and we can through positive reinforcement that it's ok to solve problems differently. After 3D printers and hover boards coming to life, who knows what's next if we encourage our imaginations!

If you want to know more about the strange new autonomous Alphabet, go here: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/12/technology/autonomy-seen-as-goal-of-restructured-google.html?_r=1&referrer=

But, if you want to learn more about children's natural creativity - not really that philosophical blank slate - and how you can help encourage their imagination, you should go here: https://people.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/11-13-01/Effects-of-Stereotypes.html

And if you want to know what to do as an adult to unlearn your boring analytical side, listen to Dr. Lund tell you how you CAN be: http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/05/03/innovation-essentials-unlearning/

Find Your Confluence

Confluence, according to Oxford's second definition, is an act or the process of merging. While some people think of confluence in terms of merging as getting into a flow of traffic from an on-ramp, anyone living around water thinks of the blending of bodies of water and formation of new waterway.

In Pittsburgh, there is a great history of the confluence - the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers form the Ohio River. But if you visit "The Burgh" particularly in the springtime, you will see the Mon hold onto its old identity a while - in the Iroquois language (the native tribe of my hometown), one interpretations of Monongahela means muddy waters.

Muddy isn't bad - those fresh nutrients that seem on the surface as simple mid are carried to floodplain and help create a fertile soil for something new to grow. Even hundreds of miles down the new Ohio River, there are traits particular to the Mon but come from the life of the Ohio River.

That's the beauty of confluence! Traits are taken from both rivers and form something new heading in a new direction - neither one holds dominance over the other. A merger means something goes first. Someone "wins". A confluence is a natural adaptation of the best parts to create something new.

If you have a junction in life, it could be a merger or confluence. You could go along with the flow and merge into mainstream. You could do what school has taught you, what other people say is the thing to do, perhaps stay where you're at (in Pittsburghese) and just live where you are planted.

Or, approach that confluence with the decision to make a new path and carry your identity forward. Take your good things downstream into your future, leave other attributes in the old "river", with that old definition of you.

If you think you have passed that time when you can do something new or the confluence was a few exits back, think of the Mon taking the good parts forward. It takes a little bit to come out in your Rebirth. Just find your good parts and create that new path. Water constantly moves and your can "move" anytime for a new you, taking your best with you.

In the spirit of Rebirth, the link today is a listen, not a look: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X_AOwrXev60

Protect Your Best Warriors

Many children's games teach valuable skills. Some focus on math strategy (Monopoly), some show things aren't always predictable (Shoots and Ladders), while others encourage spelling skills (Scrabble). 

Those are grossly simplified and not all-inclusive explanations of those games. But one game tries to explain to middle school children (and older) about the complications of life - Life itself. I don't recall offhand that it incorporates struggles like divorce, major medical surgery, or stock market crashes... There are always lessons to be learned in the home, and how families stick together to overcome adversity. 

Family is a term also used by members of the military to describe their units. In time of trouble (combat for them), they also become closer. They can quickly identify when things aren't right with other soldiers. They also know when one group is treated differently, just like children in a home. The difference is that a member of the military can choose to leave the family unit if things don't improve. 

And that's what we are seeing today with the military, as the author of the attached article examines. It is also happening to large corporations that have been known to push employees in an unreasonable quest for unrealistic profits or market share. It's a very apt parallel of workers not having "stickiness", or longevity, at companies as did generations of the past.  

There are many choices where employees can turn, just as with members of our armed forces. If you don't treat employees with respect, don't give them the equipment they need, and don't deliver on earlier promises - votes happen. Problems might not be a "millennial apathy" or lack of worth ethic; maybe the bosses need to realize that the rewards aren't the same for new generations of workers and the family needs to adjust. 

Don't let your top talent vote with their feet. Invest in the middle of the ladder however your industry would deem appropriate. Use creativity to meet the needs of workers. It likely means older workers have to adjust to hearing about student loans, younger workers adjust to realizing the books don't give all the information, and capitalize on things all employees actually do (or can do).

It's about building on similarities. For instance, maybe everyone vacations or perhaps reads books. Build on commonalities rather than focusing on differences - and you'll find the bottom line increases and the exit interviews will decrease. 

http://www.stripes.com/opinion/army-is-breaking-let-down-by-washington-1.361011

Here kitty, kitty

Remember the kids' song, "head, shoulders, knees and toes"? Well I'm thinking in addition to eye shape that teeth shape could be quite revealing, too. 

Pay attention to the person on the other side of the conference table. Their eyes and teeth may not reveal if they are a predictor, but other cues will probably be clear if you just sit quietly and watch. 

There's something to be said for attention to detail. 

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/07/eye-shape-reveals-whether-an-animal-is-predator-or-prey-new-study-shows

It's Not About Ego

My friend told me - as she was struggling through a horrid job, repaving on the commuter route, dealing with absurdly incompetent agency contractors as well as a "deer in the headlights" boss - that she did hot yoga to get out the toxins and relax.


She's in Pittsburgh. She walks outside to grey skies and 80% chance of cold rain.  I can understand a wee bit that you may need to pay for warmth to workout. But, I'm in New Orleans.  I walk outside to bazillion percent humidity year-round and temps varying from 70-116. No joke.  It makes more sense to pay for cool air here than more hot funky air.

I question why anyone would pay for privilege to have Big Easy humidity in a class where you stand on one leg, hum to yourself, and hope your crouching tiger doesn't look like a dog going to the potty.  She knows this, and laughs.  But go for it if that's what you really like, if it gives you what you need to get rid of the work toxins or spouse stress. Just know why you're doing it.

Because what it really is "all about" isn't the hokey pokey.  You should march right on out of a yoga class or painting lesson or even an art museum if the proverbial drummer isn't hitting your beat. It really isn't cool to do something because everyone else is doing it.  Given a lineup of Yogis, I prefer bear and Berra before Bikram.

And that's ok. This really isn't about yoga; it's about being perfectly content, not just comfortable, in your own skin. Apparently, humidity doesn't bother me since I live in Nola - but that doesn't mean I'm going to pay somebody to contort me all ways from Monday if its not my style.

If you aren't at peace with yourself, imagine the turmoil your wake creates as you blow through a room. More to the point, if your boss or coworkers aren't confident in their own abilities, you need to have the flexibility of a yogi to deal with the turmoil created by insecure people - but it doesn't mean you need to follow the crowd to hot yoga.

If the instructor of your 'attempt at something new' doesn't have good manners, as in the attached story, let him yell essentially at himself as you walk out. It's not poor manners to subtly leave; it is rude to try to embarrass a student. Their issue, not yours - they aren't leading you in a good workout so they need to coach themselves not try to embarrass you. And certainly, there is no need for the instructor to take inadequacy fears out on you as you leave because he or she isn't "doing it" for you. Leave.

Do you. And be glad when they figure out them because it makes your space so much more pleasant.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/08/leaving-hot-yoga-before-its-over/400532/

There are Leaders, and then there are Those Who Lead

If you've been in business for a while, you have heard people describe themselves as leaders.  They talk about their successful projects, how many staff they've managed, what products they launched, the top companies that hired them, blah blah blah.


They sure do talk a lot, huh?


The best examples of success and leadership are easily the ones you hear from someone who isn't talking about himself or herself.  Former co-workers, contractors, other people's staff, customers... it's rarely about the thing they were doing - it's about their beliefs, how they treated people, what they did to inspire people.  They just landed at place X or Y and that company benefited from their mere presence - as did the people around them.


If you want (to use leader-speak, yawn) and shift your paradigm, you can.  If you would rather lead, check out this older TED talk to hear how people really interpret actions and will follow you.


http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en

Who Are Your Employees?

"Who do you think you are" is the antecedent to the often gossipy "who do they think they are?"  But the most important business question in this unstable economy is quite possibly "who do we think we are?"  Brand, product, pricing, placement, target market... great things that need identification and strategy as well as metrics to see where the company fares against the competition.  But if you don't have the right workers, does it really matter what you try to sell or where you promote it if the wrong people are doing the talking or manufacturing?

An especially tough group to "know" are the newest to the game - millennials. While some anecdotal observations may prove true, rarely do we do anything about it. Adjustments aren't made to capture the social savvy-ness of the millennial employee, but as everyone looks to lure them as cheaper labor and possibly employable longer, that's not what their thinking. So much money is spent on customer identification... What about worker identification?  It costs more to get a customer (or employee) than keep one - so if you keep picking the wrong one, that's a lot of onboarding money wasted.

"Physician, heal thyself" works. "Corporations, reinvent yourself" must work or there will be a whole lotta shaking going on.  Remember, you are known by the company you keep...

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2015/07/26/WorkZone-Millennials-less-loyal-to-companies/stories/201507260019

Too Busy Being Busy?

Sooooo many cutsie phrases trying to show people just how busy one worker bee is over another... but there's no meat on the bone.  "The hamster wheel of email" - does this describe your feelings about the device on your hip? Ha!

This nine minute video is worth your valuable time, especially if you don't work in the actual "mother ship" of your company (or "Death Star" as one senior leader called his headquarters recently).  The Digital Revolution has rocked our world... but some people are too busy being busy rather than being efficient, losing their work/life balance and reacting to "over-exposure" in the process.  However, by opening your eyes and taking control of technology, you can be happier again at work.

I use the RSA videos for my graduate students; they are excellent tools for adult learners as they both entertain AND get the point across the first time.  The discussion raises a good point - that we should be working on creativity rather than sheer productivity.  Competitive advantage will best be generated by employees being encouraged to think, to imagine, and to create a better future.


On an inside note to some of my connections linked through Milwaukee - I also laughed and must disclose that to my knowledge RSA has no affiliation and is not influenced by "the meatball".


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G11t6XAIce0

You Are Someone To Know

In the nineties, it was very popular to take the Myers Briggs and know your traits.  The test was developed in the 40s, but corporations looked in the 80s and 90s for ways to type-cast workers and products to accelerate growth.  Later, developments were made in how those ESTPs and INFJs interacted, which work relationships were best for you, and how you can succeed based on your traits.


If you've ever felt like a square peg in a round hole, maybe you've been put into a position at work or in a social setting that isn't in line with your natural strengths.  While sometimes this is good, it can be a push by your boss to get to the elusive perfect, the higher profit margin - and forgets about how to mentor staff members, using team strengths to achieve better results.  Managers focus on tasks and lists, leaders focus on people as well as development of talent.


Did you realize that you can change and mature through your career, your attributes actually may develop strengths where you previously may have been very heavily dominant on one attribute? I know my traits have adjusted, and I am one of the group that comprises two percent of the population.  (Don't confuse this with the infamous "1%" in the U.S. - not that group!!!)

Renew your type by taking the Myers Briggs instrument again, and see how you've grown over the years.  You may be surprised how what you've learned, where you've been, how you've lived has changed who you are.  Maybe it will help you see the new direction that's best for you.  As the assessment says, you are someone you should get to know better.


Visit www.meyersbriggs.org or for a free version with a new additional attribute, you can check out http://www.16personalities.com; for stats on your style and to see more details on the types, check out https://assets.entrepreneur.com/static/1438278400-personality-career-destiny-iG-truity-972.jpg.