Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

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  • Loving Monday: Back in the Saddle. Back in Touch.

    loving_mondayReality occasionally feels like a cold slap across the face.

    Returning from vacation can be one of those occasions. Returning from my vacation is currently that sort of occasion.

    Between the email, voice mail, and snail mail alone, there is more to catch up on than hours in the day. There are projects to resume, events to prepare, articles to write.

    The priorities shouting for attention can be overwhelming.

    But I begin with reconnecting. Getting back in touch.

    Acknowledging messages, letting people know I am back, reestablishing my presence.

    I am effective to the extent that those around me believe that I am available and on their side. After an absence like a vacation, reconnecting lets people know I’m back, I’m available, I care.

    Been out of town? Out of touch? Difficult to contact?

    Spend the best part of your day getting back in touch. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how it helps everyone involved.

  • Question of the Week

    What is your optimum attention span for focused effort? For reading? For listening? For conversation?

    The Question of the Week is offered to increase awareness of one’s personal leadership practices and encourage experimentation with creative alternatives.

  • If The Future Hung on a Word

    self-talkWhat feelings does this picture stir?

    Reflect for a moment before reading on.

    Words matter.

    Even words to ourselves.

    Especially words to ourselves.

    We tend to underestimate the power of words. We casually throw out phrases like, “I’m a klutz” or “I’m bad with names” or “I’m just an average Joe or a plain Jane.” We aren’t totally serious in one sense, but in another we are expressing some inner dis-ease we are feeling.

    Before going into how such talk might not be serving us well, I want to affirm that the feelings, experiences, and beliefs about ourselves that underlie much of our negative self-talk are very real. I do not want to minimize or invalidate the reality of those feelings, experiences or beliefs in the least.

    We do ourselves two disservices, though, when we are not gracious with our self-talk. We buy into a lie, and we let ourselves off the hook.

    First, we buy into a lie—a false frame of reference that is (more…)

  • Loving Monday: Renewable Energy Source… a Vacation

    loving_mondayIt doesn’t seem fair to write about loving Mondays while on vacation.

    On the other hand, it is because of these occasional breaks that I come back to Monday refreshed and renewed enough to keep making a contribution.

    Vacation is not merely is not merely an act of getting away. It is a movement toward.

    Yes, it can seem enough to get away from work. Away from the pressure, the complaining co-workers, the blaming boss, the tight schedules, the scarce resources, etc. Our step feels lighter and unconsciously we’re doing a fist pump on the way out of the building.

    But an additional and important gift we can give ourselves on vacation is to take a step toward something that renews us.

    The key is intention. Being intentional about knowing what refreshes us and taking action to get ourselves into that place.

    Some vacations are more work than rest. Our bodies may cry out for quiet, rest, or no agenda; and instead we might choose to race between tourist attractions. We got away from work, but we didn’t go toward what would renew.

    Task one is to take a regular vacation and get away from work. Task two is to make that vacation something that will replenish and renew our energies.

    Toward what renewable energy source will you be heading on this year’s vacation?

  • Question of the Week

    Who have you been overlooking as a valuable source of feedback?

    The Question of the Week is offered to increase awareness of one’s personal leadership practices and encourage experimentation with creative alternatives.

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked -> Integrity #7: In Touch With Reality

    thought-leaders“Reality is always your friend,” asserts Henry Cloud in this week’s chapter.

    Reality can feel like an enemy intruder, though, when it is difficult. Complicated. Painful. Embarrassing. When it means facing up to a mistake, starting over, making amends, reversing direction, etc.

    Somewhere in all that mess—but not uncommon to such messes—some of us come to believe, maybe come to hope, that all those consequences can be avoided if only the truth didn’t come out.

    Integrity, by Henry CloudThe challenge in this chapter comes from Cloud’s conviction that it’s the leaders who face reality (whatever its implications) rather than those who finesse reality who are most effective in the long run. We aren’t necessarily bad people for playing light and fast with the truth. But we are going to find that our efforts are not addressing that which is core to what is actually happening on the ground. We may feel less stress, fear or frustration, but we won’t be moving to a sounder, safer, more smooth functioning place.

    My second take-away from this chapter has to do with avoiding blind spots. Or, more to the point, becoming the type of person who doesn’t easily develop blind spots. I don’t know about you, but this is a super attractive image to me.

    There is a certain courage involved in being willing to see that which is difficult. There is a certain centeredness about one’s own well-being that isn’t threatened by information that could be painful. It’s a health that is attractive to me, a strength that draws, a peace which is inviting.

    I guess that makes the question of the hour for me, can I face honestly how far away from this aspect of leadership health I currently stand?

    Where do you find yourself finessing reality instead of facing it squarely?

    Each Friday I post my reflections from one chapter of Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality by Henry Cloud. If you are just joining the discussion now, welcome! Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Listen In -> Self Care. A Smart Career Move #5: Keeping Yourself Centered and Attentive

    We conclude our series on self-care as a smart career move with a look at being attentive to how centered (or not) we are.

    The more true we can be to our true selves, the better we can show up at work. If it’s not okay to be who I am, then one of my tasks becomes to pretend to be someone else… to change into someone different than myself. That’s an enormous pressure.

    It’s pressure without poise.

    Poise comes from getting comfortable in your own skin: your own working style, your personal values, your supervision preferences, your areas of interest, your goals and aspirations, your particular skills, etc.

    How centered do you feel as you face the pressures of your working day?

    Listen in.

  • Loving Monday: A Gift To Myself

    loving_mondayToday is full of people.

    I like it that way.

    I could have spread out the appointments more evenly throughout the week. But I didn’t.

    On purpose.

    I‘m giving myself a gift. The gift of a delightful day full of people. Renewing an old connection, exploring a new connection, and enjoying a deepening connection are all part of the mix.

    In the midst of the challenges, the craziness, the musts and the shoulds that I face on an ordinary basis, I arranged things so that I could enjoy a full day of people.

    What sort of work-based gift could you give to yourself?

    For some it might be a day to set aside all distractions, send the phone to voice mail, close the door and focus on a single project. Maybe dedicating an afternoon to getting organized and clearing away clutter would infuse new life into your work-weary soul.

    We don’t have to do things the same way every day. We don’t have to make room for everything all of the time.

    What if we structured our work in such a way that we gave ourselves an occasional day where our only responsibility was to enjoy our favorite part of our job? We might find that we have more energy to face the less enjoyable parts of our job.

    Today is a people day for me. I organized it that way. What might it be for you?

  • Question of the Week

    What might you learn about your own leadership style from observing how people react to you?

    The Question of the Week is offered to increase awareness of one’s personal leadership practices and encourage experimentation with creative alternatives.

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked -> Integrity #6: Building Trust Through Vulnerability

    thought-leadersLeaders are people too.

    Sounds obvious, but many of us come across as if we have it all together, know everything and are always more competent that everyone who is unfortunate enough to be below us on the organizational chart.

    But that facade has two problems. One is that it is, in fact, not true. The other is that everyone who works for you knows it.

    Integrity, by Henry Cloud

    Being too strong is as much a credibility destroyer as being too weak.

    What do you think about Cloud’s assertion this week? Is there power in being real?

    His main example, though effective, came from childhood. I would have appreciated something from the workplace. I’m already a believer in vulnerable leadership models, but only up to a point.

    There’s a risk in undermining one’s effectiveness with “too much information” sorts of personal revelation. Knowing what’s appropriate and relevant to share about oneself is key to vulnerability serving as a trust builder rather than a trust buster.

    Vulnerability is a risk worth taking. Remember, the goal is for your team to come alive and voluntarily choose to invest deeply and energetically in their work. You cannot command or force that sort of effort.

    Cloud is pointing out that when people believe that you can relate to their challenges, they will be far more responsive to how you challenge them.

    Have you ever had a supervisor for whom you would try to move mountains if you could? What were characteristics of that person that we might learn from?

    Each Friday I post my reflections from one chapter of Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality by Henry Cloud. If you are just joining the discussion now, welcome! Catch up on the entire series here.