I find that there are many ways to learn. I hope to provide some insight on the ways that I learn, share knowledge, and be a great community citizen to the web.

LIVING A TRANSFORMATIONAL LIFE

Recently, I have tried to take a step back and look at the transformations that are occurring all around me. I am seeing my seventeen year old now as a young adult making choices for herself, that used to be part of our role as parents. At work, I see the decisions of last years organizational shifts starting to solidify. I look in the mirror and see the grey hairs of wisdom where youthful ignorance used to be. My pastor described transformation as a deep changing of the mind, body, and soul to be more like Christ. The more I dwell upon that definition, the more I think about some of the core elements of our metamorphosis as individuals.

SPRING CLEANING AT WORK

Spring is upon us. The sun is shining, my wife saw a hummingbird at the feeder the other day, and the tulip fields are in full bloom. Now is the time for that annual endeavor called Spring Cleaning. You know what I am talking about. Look around for the “junk” that is building up, open the windows to let fresh air in, and scrub away the dreariness that was winter. Everyone understands this routine when it comes to your personal abode. But how about when it comes to work? Whether your spring, is April or August, here are three Spring Cleaning tips that you can use as leaders in the workplace.

THE COST OF PERFECTION IS HIGHER THAN YOU THINK

Yesterday I was in a conversation about the cost of getting a specification to a “perfect” state. I made a bold statement that most times perfection has too high of a cost and that I just need good enough. After stating that I started to consider what “good enough” really means. What is “Good Enough” Good enough has the appropriate quality that meets the needs of the task. For NASA, it may be down to the micrometer Good enough enables the customer/individual to do the task with a high level of satisfaction that doesn’t frustrate them Good enough drives higher throughput Good enough can be iterated on What Perfection Costs Time to market - Perfection may have you missing the train Stress - Perfection always has complications that add tension Strategic thinking - Perfection gets to deep tactical execution which distracts from strategic initiatives Resources Michael Hyatt just posted a fantastic article about “Perfectionism” that covers a lot of this same theme.

BUILDING A PERSONAL SCORECARD

A local radio show this morning was having a conversation about using a scorecard for children’s behavior for parents. 

DANGER IN ISOLATION

Some call it JOB SECURITY. Others call protecting intellectual property. Many want to just have the end result perfect before sharing out. There is danger in these ideas and thoughts as they lead to isolationist principles. When we break down isolation in the workplace, many times this is due to self-serving / self-preserving attitudes. Individuals see benefits to this as it provides a perception of worth and security that sometimes is lacking in their jobs. I personally remember thinking it was awesome that I had the “keys” to the source and that only I could make changes. Thankfully, I learned a lesson about being expendable. To that point, workplaces are really starting to frown upon these attitudes because they:

WATCH YOUR TONE WHEN LISTENING

My face said it all. I wasn’t paying attention. How soon can they be finished with their monologue of discontent and discouragement. Lately, I have been observing characteristics of others as they listen or attempt to. Whether it is a meeting or a 1:1 conversation, we all may need to do a little self reflection or at least pretend that someone is recording us. Here are some of the latest visual queues of poor listening that I have seen:

WORK IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT - 10 OBSERVATIONS

I was really looking forward to a breakfast talk about work and worship in downtown Seattle. The cogs of the work engine were grinding and a pleasant change of pace where I could soak in information was just what I needed. I am glad I wasn’t disappointed. Here are 10 key notes in no particular order from that talk: Very few people ever get to work in what they are truly passionate about. Since this is the case, make sure that your motivation is not based upon your passion, but rather values and ethics. Setting a proper context in any conversation is crucial. It is also very difficult. Become practiced in storytelling and the art of setting a stage presence. This will lead to much better communication. Develop your creative practice. It is important that you are open minded and can take in the collective opinions from culture. This will help you to innovate and thrive. Do everything you do as an offering. Do not work for selfish reasons as this work will leave you with a deficit Don’t retreat from your creativity in work. As you retreat, you may leave something very valuable behind. Leaders, commit to your employees. It is your obligation to go to the mountaintop or charge the fortress with them. Don’t be passive. Change happens from the inside. The key thought here is it is a change in personal perspective. When you don’t feel like changing look inward and discover why not. Make sure your work is a slow - steady - obedient practice. This will help to avoid the “short term” gains for the long term sacrifice. Our goal is to find the highest impact work for others. It raises quality, respect and appreciation across the whole team. There is a healthy tension between work and motivation. Motivation should win most of the time, when it doesn’t find something to be motivated about.

THE CALL IS NOT PRIVATE

I am in hot water with my conscience. Don’t ever think that you are just talking to a single person over Skype, Lync, or other online meeting communications and that the conversation is private. As a matter of fact don’t even think that an email is private. I am doing a lot of reflecting on this today, as I participated as a listener in a call without being announced. My conscience bothered me all night and honestly, I didn’t measure up to the ethics and morals that I strongly believe in. Here is some of the damage that listening in did for me:

EMPOWERMENT DURING CHANGE SERIES: LEADING BY SERVING

Everyone must serve somebody, even if it is yourself. As employees, we server our managers or company. As a husband I serve my family.

EMPOWERMENT DURING CHANGE SERIES: LEADING BY LIBERATING

It is almost a certainty that you and the company that you work for will go through a major change. With every change comes fear, doubt, tension, uncertainty, and anxiety.