Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Category: Audio Downloads

  • Listen In -> Tangible Accountability #5: Criteria That Builds In Measurement

    Did anything bad happen?

    Sometimes the question of accountability gets reduced to just such vague speculation.

    Unclear about what results we intended in the first place, no outcome seems good enough. With no agreed upon markers for measuring progress, many of us plug along until disaster strikes.

    In this week’s show, Claudia and I discuss the importance of having criteria for measuring success. Criteria markers provide agreed upon discussion points for evaluating communication, production efforts, schedules, budgets as well as other outcomes.

    How specific, straightforward, and measurable are your accountability targets?

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Tangible Accountability #4: Motivators That Build In Lifelong Learning

    Tangible accountability transforms failures into learning opportunities.

    Now that you have structures that build in results and relationships that build in support, you are aware of missed deadlines, errors in judgment, miscalculated budgets, etc. right when they happen.

    For accountability to serve a positive purpose (ensure that your stated intentions are accomplished), these problems need to become possibilities. Instead of failures being the end of the story, they need to be the beginning of a new story from which your team emerges smarter, quicker, and more skilled than they were before.

    In this week’s show, Claudia and I discuss the third component of tangible accountability: Intentionally using problems to create learning opportunities.

    Imagine entire teams and processes improving in real time simply because your accountability structure provided a mechanism for learning.

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Tangible Accountability #3: Relationships That Build In Support

    What if accountability were a means of support instead of a means of blame?

    What if leadership meant ensuring the success of your team instead of punishing the failures of your team?

    This week Claudia and I discuss how accountability can be a powerful means to build in the support relationships that check in occasionally, provide needed resources, are available for questions, and are committed to the project’s success.

    Isolation can be a real danger when a lot is going on and people are busy with multiple priorities. Situations can change in ways that affect others or have implications to the schedule or budget. The sooner such changes are communicated, the sooner appropriate and timely adjustments can be made.

    That’s when we’d be better off if those relationships were already in place and built right into the system.

    Listen in.

    If you are joining the conversation mid-topic, you can find the entire series on Tangible Accountability here.

  • Listen In -> Tangible Accountability #2: Structures That Build In Results

    Accountability is not the police force that comes in after the fact to point out everything we did wrong, accountability is the structures along the way that we put in place to make sure all that we intend in fact continues to take place.

    In motion, real time meetings, check-in points, deadlines, and specific plans that provide opportunities for issues to be addressed, problems to be anticipated, and changes to be coordinated.

    What are these accountability structures that get us where we’re going and help us adjust before it’s too late?

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Tangible Accountability #1: How Politicians and CEO’s Have It Backwards

    Accountability has gotten a bad reputation.

    It’s associated either with finding people to blame after a huge mess has been made, or used as an excuse to micromanage and second-guess along the way.

    Accountability is an important, positive, constructive component of healthy working cultures.

    But it is neither the public shaming that the President promises for any who misspend the economic stimulus funds, nor the power-grabbing oversight that so many executives and politicians want in order to countermand anything they disagree with.

    What then is “Tangible Accountability?” How does accountability become a positive, constructive force for accomplishing what a company intends?

    Over the next five weeks Claudia and I will be discussing:

    Tangible Accountability

    Week 1: How CEO’s and Politicians Have It Backwards

    Week 2: Structures That Build In Actual Results

    Week 3: Relationships That Build In Constructive Support

    Week 4: Motivators That Build In Lifelong Learning

    Week 5: Criteria That Builds In Meaningful Measurement

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Making Peace With Work #5: Replacing Resentment with Engagement

    Are there any options between loving your job and hating it?

    Is there a way to pause and take notice when resentment starts building?

    What’s my alternative if I’m not in a position to quit and move to a different company?

    Engage. To show up and take responsibility for my choices.

    How do I distinguish between the anger I feel for my low pay and the choices I need to make in order to demonstrate value?

    How is resentment a choice that I am making and therefore a choice I can make differently?

    Claudia and I discuss these difficult and real aspects of resenting work in this week’s show.

    Listen in.


  • Listen In -> Making Peace with Work #4: Replacing Excuses with Intention

    What’s the difference between a difficulty and an excuse?

    We are making excuses when we use the difficult realities we face at work as reasons to let ourselves off the hook for doing what we can to find alternatives.

    Difficult people, changing deadlines, and stifling policies are facts of life in many workplaces.

    We find peace when we own our responsibility to do what we can in the midst of these realities. We exasperate our stress when we passively hope things will change.

    Join the conversation! After listening to this week’s show, leave your thoughts in the comment section of this blog post.

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Making Peace with Work #3: Replacing Isolation with Collaboration

    It’s easier to do some things ourselves.

    The quality is better, we’re finished sooner, and the worry is eliminated.

    But it’s never easier to do everything ourselves.

    How did we end up all alone in the midst of a sea of people?

    This week Claudia and I discuss how we inadvertently isolate ourselves at work. We also suggest collaboration as a practical and achievable alternative.

    Don’t miss this episode! Listen in now.

  • Listen In -> Making Peace with Work #2: Replacing Busyness with Rhythm

    Busyness is a reality we face.

    There’s always something to do. Some new priority shouting for our attention. The piles seem to build more quickly than we can work through them.

    We may wish it were otherwise. We may wish for means to make it go away.

    In this week’s show, Claudia and I suggest that hope lies in developing your own rhythm.

    Rhythm.

    Something that works for you. Especially for you.

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Making Peace with Work #1: Reality Can Be Difficult

    We talk a lot here about finding work that we love.

    But reality intrudes and we more often than not find ourselves in complex, imperfect, difficult work situations. It’s not helpful to be encouraged to thrive when we’re doing all we can merely to survive.

    We begin a new audio discussion series this week titled, “Making Peace with Work.”

    Join us as we take a look at four difficult work realities and suggest healthier alternatives:

    Making Peace with Work

    Week #1: Reality Can Be Difficult

    Week #2: Replacing Busyness with Rhythm

    Week #3: Replacing Isolation with Collaboration

    Week #4: Replacing Excuses with Intention

    Week #5: Replacing Resentment with Engagement

    Listen in.