Is the Golden Rule Tarnished?

I was just watching a few minutes of a political talk show. As the host and his guests did verbal battle, their voices grew louder and louder as they tried to be heard over their opponents. The lines were drawn. None of them had any interest in hearing the others' views until it became a jumble of voices that sounded like a pack of barking dogs. There was certainly no chance that any of them were going to influence the others to rethink their stance. I turned the channel in search of something more intelligent. Deal or No Deal?

Are you too busy to read this?

"It's not enough to be busy... the question is: what are we busy about?"

-- Henry David Thoreau

This week, the topic of busyness has arisen numerous times – my pastor mentioned it in his sermon on Sunday; I received a paper from a colleague addressing how it has impacted business and society; friends and co-workers have also introduced the subject into conversation. Then this morning, my email quote of the day delivered this gem of Thoreau’s. Evidently the universe has something to day on the topic. So, I’m going to throw in my two cents worth.

When I worked in a large corporation, I had a co-worker who was the very picture of busyness. One would see her scurrying from place to place across the large campus – much like the White Rabbit in Wonderland, ever late for that very important date. She complained (with a certain gleam in her eyes) that her workload prevented her from joining the rest of us for lunch. Not only did she burn the proverbial midnight oil working, she actually spent a fair number of nights at work frantically trying to get all of her work accomplished. For quite some time, management pointed to her as a role model of dedication and hard work. However, like another literary icon, eventually the curtain was ripped away revealing not a wizard, but a fraud. She was so busy being busy, it seems that she never quite accomplished anything. When tough times hit, and the company was faced with the need to reduce over head, she was one of the first to be shown the door.

Why is it that in our society being busy a hallmark of importance? As my colleague mentioned, leaders are in part to blame. They see the person working frantically, and they assume that somehow translates to productivity. The boss sees that one employee is always at his desk before anyone else arrives in the morning, and is still there as the others are leaving at the end of the day. The boss interprets this as a measure of dedication and productivity and rewards his diligence accordingly without any concrete evidence that this is anything more than a ploy to be noticed and rewarded.

When I started this blog, I was curious what the dictionary had to say about busyness, so I looked it up on Dictionary.com. Here is how they define it:

1. the quality or condition of being busy.
2. lively but meaningless activity.

Hmmm….that’s food for thought, don’t you think?

Busyness is almost a status symbol in our culture. Have you noticed how many people claim that they are simply too busy to watch TV? It makes you wonder how the television companies stay in business! Friends are too busy to find time to socialize with one another. Families are too busy to sit down and have a meal together. Individuals are too busy to take care of their own physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
I recently mentioned to a colleague that we enjoy early morning hikes – that being in nature rejuvenates the spirit as well as the body. He proudly responded that he didn’t have time in his schedule for such activities…He is far too busy. From my personal experience, I find that my mind is cleared of the cobwebs that accumulate when I’m overly focused on the business at hand, and that I am much more creative when I am on the trail. In fact, some of our best ideas have been generated in this way.

The experts say that we should strive for a balance in life that includes work, nature, friends and family, exercise, and personal renewal. What do we sacrifice if we are too busy to achieve this balance? There is a quote by Pat Clifford that says, “The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.” Do you ever wonder what rainbows we aren’t seeing because we are too busy? I look forward to your thoughts. I promise that I’m not too busy to read them and respond.

Top 10 List of High Performance Teams

We were recently working with a client and someone on the team said, “I know a company that could really use your help. My friend works there and they have lots of problems.”

Receiving a suggestion such as that is a huge compliment. It means that we have made a difference and that they are seeing the benefits of the work that they are doing with us. It also means that they trust us, which, for a trainer, coach or consultant is very gratifying. It truly makes us feel good when someone wishes to share the positive benefits that we have assisted them to realize with their friends and family members.

The sad thing is that many of those companies with terrible work environments, dysfunctional teams and a lack of productivity are the least likely to be open to making any changes in order to improve the situation. They are in that position for a reason.

Typically organizations that invest in enhancing their teams meet one of two criteria:

• The first type of company willing to invest in enhancing their team is those that are failing and are desperate for a solution that will help them to survive. These companies are typically interested in short-term fixes, but still maintain the basic philosophies that are the root cause of the problems.

• The second type of organization willing to invest in enhancing their team is that which appreciates the value of employees. They aspire to have full-team engagement with a dedicated focus on the organization’s mission and vision. They are typically committed to continuously improving individual and team performance in order to improve the company and better serve their customers.

Obviously, those that meet the second criteria are the ones that are truly successful at developing fully engaged teams, and as research shows, they are also the companies that are the most resilient and profitable.
Over the years we have studied companies to learn about why they have the type of culture that they do. Specifically we wanted to understand why some organizations are so successful at creating high performance teams while others are not. What we found is that there are a number of attributes that they have in common.

Top 10 List of High Performance Teams

1. Creating a High Performance Team is not an accident. The companies that have achieved this have done so as part of their overall strategic plan.

2. They place a high value on individual and team contributions. When the going gets tough, they invest in their greatest resource – their people. This is accomplished in a variety of ways including training, coaching, and mentoring.

3. Leaders are self-confident. They strive to surround themselves with the best employees and assist them to continue to grow and develop.

4. Leaders are selected for their ability to lead people rather than strictly for their technical skills.

5. Leaders believe that they went through the hiring process to find the best person for the job. Thus, they want to capitalize on those skills, knowledge and insights. They provide an environment for their employees to shine, which in turn, allows the organization to shine.

6. There is a very clear and compelling mission and vision. Each member of the team understands his/her role in successfully achieving that mission and vision. This ensures that the team is aligned to a common goal.

7. Open communication and trust is valued and cultivated. This creates a safe environment for continuous improvement and innovation.

8. The leaders have a high level of achievement drive and they realize that the best way to achieve high performance and improve the bottom-line is to invest in developing their teams. This is backed up by decades of research performed globally at organizations of all descriptions.

9. The organizations are led by individuals with a high degree of emotional intelligence, and they strive to develop the competencies at all levels of the company.

10. They realize that no matter how much the world changes, people still do business with people. Customers are attracted to companies with happy employees. They know that they will get great service, and most everyone wants to associate with happy people.

High performance teams are achievable, and are what differentiates a world-class company from the competition. The only question is whether or not executives are willing to make the investment needed to reap the rewards. For additional information about how we can assist you to develop your High Performance Team, contact us at ral@pmginternational.net or visit our web site at www.pmginternational.net.

The Gift of Failure

When the fateful events aboard Apollo 13 threatened the crew and made the success of the mission highly questionable, the team on the ground needed a motivating rally to spur them on to accomplish the near-impossible. Lead Flight Director, Gene Kranz, declared that “Failure is not an option!”

While those words were the battle cry that rallied Mission Control to do what was needed to bring the craft and crew safely back to earth, the phrase has become an unfortunate hallmark of our culture. “Failure is not an option.”

We see it in the ruthless business practices that have been so visible over the past several years. We see it in pop culture. We see it in the faces of parents who come to blows over their children’s sporting events where the joy of playing has been replaced by the need to win at all costs.

What we seem to have forgotten in our quest to succeed is that those bumps in the road are all a part of the big picture. We learn far more from our failures than from our successes. And let’s face it, when things come too easily for us, we tend to take them for granted and forget what is truly important. In our race to succeed, in a society where failure is a terrible sin, we have forgotten that the road to success is paved with the failures of others. Those failures are the foundation upon which the future is built.

Failure is a gift even though we may protest that fact when we are the one in the midst of failure. The opportunity to learn from failure makes us stronger, better individuals. At age 67, Thomas Edison’s facilities were burned in a horrific fire. More than $2 million in assets were destroyed, and some feared that this devastating loss would be more than the inventor would be able to endure. Rather than slowing him down, however, he looked at the incident as an opportunity. As he stood looking at the remnants of the fire he stated, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up.” Three weeks later Edison delivered the first phonograph.

Theodore Roosevelt stated “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” Many of our great social and cultural leaders have suffered terrible failures. For example Abraham Lincoln had two businesses that were bankrupt, a nervous breakdown, and was defeated in 8 elections. One might wonder if he would have had the strength needed as president if he had not experienced so much failure earlier in his life.

Even Christ would be considered a dismal failure by today’s standards. He amassed no wealth, no possessions. Sure he had many faithful followers, but what real value would that hold today if there is no political or financial gain to be made?

How do we judge others? Is it by the car they drive? By the house they live in? Do we judge them according to the positions that they hold in our community? Or is it by the way that they live their lives? Can we look past the exterior to see the individual? Do we appreciate the mistakes and failures that others have endured and how those failures have made the individual a better person?

One man stated “I climbed the ladder of success only to find it was leaning against the wrong wall.” Personally, failure has helped me to know that my ladder is leaning against the right wall.

What if?

A lot has been written about how the current economic recession is hurting businesses both large and small (including our company) globally. The evening news shows seemingly constant images of the damage being done to the lives of people everywhere. There is no shortage of the doom and gloom on the internet either. Really, it's no wonder that the pharmacutical companies are marketing their anti-depressants so aggressively. Let's face it the news is depressing! It's enough to make one reluctant to get up in the morning

But isn't there another side to the coin? I think that there is. I spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about this. I had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful weather and working in the yard and I couldn't wait for Monday to come around to see what the new week would bring.

I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. We have already had some wonderful opportunities, and it's only Tuesday! In the midst of all the turmoil, we have had more opportunities than at any other time since we went into business 12 years ago. I have found that I and others are more creative as they look at problems and possible solutions, and are more willing to form strategic partnerships. In my humble opinion, that is the opening of not one, but many windows.

In the BR - Before Recession - days, I secretly harbored the idea that I could jump ship if the going got too rough and head back to a well-paying job in corporate America. That was my lifeboat. The economic situation has pretty well sunk that idea, which has made me fight harder for my company's success. It has helped me to stretch my wings and to mix my metaphores much more effectively.

What would happen if we all looked at the current situation not as a crisis but as a brief window of opportunity to plant the seeds of a better future? What if we started publicizing the postive outcomes - the opportunities - the personal growth - the new relationships - the creativity - that the recession has spawned? What if this is God's gift to us - His challenge to us - to ask "What if"?

What good things have you experienced as a result of the current economic situation?


Please visit our website at www.pmginternational.net