Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Category: Working Matters

  • American Idol Savvy: My Daughter LOVES Kris Allen

    IdolIt’s a battle for genuine cuteness.

    Yes, it’s a singing competition… on the one hand. But on the other, it’s not merely good vocals that inspire viewers to get on the phone and press ‘redial’ repeatedly.

    My teenage daughter loves Kris Allen. It’s an attraction that extends beyond his vocal capabilities. Far beyond!! I know I’m pointing out the obvious. What’s interesting to me is how little attention the Idol contestants themselves pay to this “attraction” factor.

    There are many aspects of one’s appearance, personality, poise, sense of humor, and personal story that makes them more or less attractive to others. Anoop never came to terms with the simple reality that as infectious and endearing as he was when he smiled, he was a turn-off with his grim-faced nervous scowl while waiting for the results.

    Kris Allen is trying to hold himself more confidently (Thank you, Simon, for that two-edged sword of a gift.) In my house we’re torn as to whether he’s starting to come across as merely arrogant and losing some of his original charm.

    In all relationships we control only how we choose to show up. We do not control how others perceive us. Effective showmanship, leadership and communication use awareness of the second to inform the first.

    Naivety about the importance of others’ perceptions blinds us to the extremely wide array of options available to us for maximizing our approach, our style, our word choice, our manner, etc.

    What do you know about how others perceive you?

  • 100th Episode of Working Matters Podcast!! Join the fun!!!

    In this special 30-minute episode, Karl, Claudia and Jorge celebrate 100 episodes of Working Matters. Join the celebration and enjoy their no-agenda, no-holds barred banter about work, life and, of course, American Idol.

    There’s a place for serious discussion about work, careers, leadership and teams, but not this week!

    Thanks for your part in making Working Matters the insightful and helpful gathering place for talking about healthy working cultures that it is.

    Join the fun and listen in.

  • The Gift of Work -> Chapter 7: The Nucleus of Change

    thought-leadersWe conclude our discussion series on The Gift of Work this week with Heatley’s closing reflection on the powerfully influential, yet carefully boundaried place our jobs have in our lives.

    gift-of-work1Being an enthusiastic proponent of the gargantuan significance there is in the body of believers being scattered throughout the workplace, I’ll begin there. Heatley identifies this potential influence as “informal authority.” I believe this influence lies at the crux of the free and responsible stewardship of our lives. What it means at work is that within the context of our job itself, our profession, our field, we have a creative and redemptive role to play. We participate in the content and direction of medicine, law, education, fashion, entertainment, public safety, architecture, research, art, etc. etc.

    We do not need to avoid immersing ourselves in the issues of our job in order to avoid absorbing the values of the world. If in our efforts not to lose our way by making too large an investment in our jobs, we risk missing our callings by making too little an investment in our jobs.

    Having said that, Heatley wisely warns against searching for aspects of life in one’s job that one’s job can never provide. Hence the boundary. Valuing family, other communities, other forms of service, rest and reflection all build and sustain a healthy, whole human person.

    We want our lights to shine, but we do not want them to burn out. We want to make a difference for God by being one of his in our respective jobs, but we want to do so in a way that makes us and those around us more fully human, not less.

    What was your main take-away from this chapter?

    Thanks Bill for a great contribution to the many believers desiring to show up at work both fully engaged in the task at hand and fully participating in God’s redemptive work in the world.

    Each week I post my reflections from one chapter of The Gift of Work by Bill Heatley. If you are just joining the discussion now, we are concluding our discussion today. Catch up on the entire series here. Next week join us as we begin reading Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality by Henry Cloud.

  • Loving Monday: Interpreting the Clouds

    loving_mondayGloomy Monday morning.

    The clouds are covering not only the sun but most everyone’s attitude as well.

    Not wanting to give in to the foul mood, you give yourself a brief pep talk. Ready to show up differently, what do you do? Determined to lead in a different direction, how do you respond?

    It depends on the clouds.

    A dingy blanket of grey warrants a very different response than gathering storm clouds.

    In the first case, a cheerleader is needed. In the second, a paramedic.

    If the primary dynamic is one of low spirits, dreary (more…)

  • 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.

  • Loving Monday: Mirror Mirror on the Wall

    loving_mondaySome situations seem so clear.

    The obstructionist assistant who is resisting any new projects… again. The abrupt, if not rude, manner in which the sales manager walked off while you were mid-sentence. The tendency of the production team to cover up mistakes until it is too late.

    Another Monday for you to step in and address what you see in order to get the week off to a good start.

    But what if you were looking in the wrong place? What if, before looking at everyone else, you looked at yourself?

    Would it make a difference?

    What if the assistant resisted new projects because you were overloading him without providing any additional resources?

    What if the sales manager walked off because you weren’t listening to anything she had to say?

    What if the production team covers up their mistakes because it isn’t safe to make mistakes on your team, and they felt their jobs were at risk?

    What if you looked in the mirror first thing every Monday?

    What if others showed up at work the way they do in partial reaction to how you are showing up?

    The good news is that you have direct control over how you choose to show up at work, making change immediately possible.

    Mirror, mirror on the wall… Who might serve as a safe and trustworthy mirror for you to get some information about the impact you have on others?

    On your side,

    – Karl

  • American Idol Savvy: Content Loses to Commercials

    IdolInteresting decision, isn’t it?!

    The judges are giving feedback in pairs in order to save time.

    It’s an interesting decision because there are still as many commercial breaks.

    In other words, to solve the problem of the show exceeding its time slot, the producers cut back on the content instead of the commercials.

    Is it pure greed?

    The biggest implication is that not every contestant is at risk of experiencing Simon’s withering critique. (Or his highly coveted praise, as was the case with Kris Allen, whose feedback time this week was dominated by Randy’s negative comments.)

    Here’s the rub. The content that has become so valuable as to attract top advertising dollar is being compromised, which in turn risks reducing its advertising value.

    Obviously the producers are supremely confident that nothing they do will lose a single viewer, which may be true. But I’m disappointed nonetheless. I want each contestant to hear from each judge. It’s more fair. It’s better entertainment.

    I already get up and complete a week’s worth of chores during the marathon commercial breaks, so I can’t protest by boycotting the commercials.

    I guess I’ll just have to redirect my frustration toward my campaign to replace Ryan Seacrest as the show’s host.

  • 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.

  • Loving Monday: Splash of Cold Water

    loving_mondayEver had one of those Mondays where all of the positive self-talk in the world can’t get you out of your funk?

    You’ve got too much to do. The people around you are dragging you down. Life at home is rough. Nothing works like it’s supposed to. The week hasn’t even started and you feel behind the eight ball.

    Instead of psyching yourself up, beating yourself up or simply giving up, try a splash of cold water in the face. (Your own face, that is. (As rewarding as dousing that turkey down the hall would be.))

    You might call it a tangible if startling way to push the “reset” button.

    A way to start over yourself while acknowledging that all around you remains awful. A way to grab your own attention.

    Resistence, struggle and panic simply exasperate the situation when one is mired in quicksand. When about to be dragged under, we need to be alert, perceptive and clever. We need to awake to the possibilities that we cannot currently see. Alternatives that offer unexpected, unanticipated, or not yet envisioned options.

    Hence, a startling reset. A choice to to step away. A choice to do something simple. A choice to do something that awakens your senses.

    A splash of cold water.

  • The Gift of Work -> Chapter 6: Training as a Disciple of Christ

    thought-leadersPrepare and tend the soil.

    The metaphor cuts across my tendency to complicate and over think my views on work and faith.

    gift-of-work1My best bet for contributing to a healthy and bountiful crop is to prepare and tend the soil. My best bet for contributing to a meaningful and productive workplace is to become a certain sort of person. Instead of attempting to control the production process (which by definition in this metaphor is out of my control), I should focus on becoming the sort of character who can participate well whatever the process. Becoming a certain kind of person is in my control.

    What sort of person? A learning person. An engaged person. An attentive person. A healthy person. A grounded person. A God-connected person. A maturing person.

    Instead of asking what sort of decisions does God want me to make, I’d be better off asking (more…)