Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Blog

  • Loving Monday: Knowing What You Want

    What do you want out of this week?

    Anything at all. Do you know?

    Don’t filter. Take five and brainstorm freely.

    Do you want to finish a project? Do you want to broach an awkward subject? Do you want to hear someone say, “Thank you?” Do you want to design something new? Do you want to approach a problem differently? Do you want to have a clean desk? Do you want an uninterrupted afternoon? Do you want to go home early? Do you want to work more collaboratively? Do you want to avoid a boring meeting? Do you want to tell someone they’re special to you? Do you want to fire a client?

    Anything. Get it out. Write it down. Carry it with you discreetly or post it where everyone can see it.

    And then go for it. Aim for it. Make it happen. Do it. Try it. Take a step toward it.

    Let something… let just one thing you want inspire you this week.

    Post a comment letting us know what you want out of this week.

    On your side,

    – Karl

  • Question of the Week

    How often to you review procedures to evaluate for continued relevance or effectiveness?

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

  • Writing Encouragement

    My buddy reminds me to write a little bit each day. Even if only for five minutes.

    The finish line is reached by taking every step, not by trying to sprout wings.

    – Karl Edwards

  • When Playing By the Rules Backfires #5: The Rule Keeper

    Does you boss love your team spirit? Count on you to keep things running smoothly? Never make waves?

    In this week’s podcast conversation, Claudia and I discuss The Rule Keeper. This cooperative, team player is a great asset in any company. Leaders have enough to do without arguing the merits of every decision with every team member; or coming in to find that their instructions were ignored and each person proceeded along their own courses of action.

    The question we want you Rule Keepers to ask yourselves is, “Might I be withholding valuable insight, knowledge or experience in the name of playing by the rules? Might I be holding back?”

    Could the cooperative spirit you’ve been so proud of be working against you and the team’s best interests?

    Listen in.


  • 25 Words That Connect Us: Group Writing Project

    I see you.

    Not for what you might do for me…

    or to me.

    I see you…

    want to know you…

    change the world together.

    This post is part of Liz Strauss’ 25 Words That Connect Us Project. Thanks Liz for another inspirational project.


  • Don’t Let Their Meltdown Become Your Meltdown

    It’s certainly not fun to watch the stock market fall, taking your long term savings and possibly a dream or two with it.

    It’s certainly not comforting to watch entire companies close their doors, creating instant unemployment for not just a few skilled workers.

    And no one likes hearing about anyone losing their home, even in the maddening case when the initial mortgage commitment was irresponsible.

    My question for you is, “Are you letting their meltdown become your meltdown?”

    It’s easy to start worrying about our own job security, financial well-being, and credit issues. But there is a big difference between the sort of reality check some of us need to make us face the facts about our money practices and the sort of shared anxiety based, not on facts, but on the broader climate of uneasiness, fear and panic.

    One question you might want to ask yourself is, “Am I making this decision to make myself feel less anxious today, or is this the best possible choice to help me achieve my short and long term financial goals and commitments?”

    In times of economic stress, it is easy to slip into making decisions in order to make us feel better. This is where we risk allowing their meltdown to become our meltdown.

    What we are looking for is a sense of poise instead of panic. Perspective instead of overwhelm. Strategy instead of fear.

    Poise is both an interior and exterior posture that is steady, balanced and paying attention. Poise is not easily knocked over or thrown off course by the unexpected earthquakes and/or hurricanes of life. Poise involves maintaining one’s composure to better assess the situation, distinguish between fact and fear, and think more clearly.

    Perspective is a vantage point. Perspective involves being able to step back and look at issues from more than one angle. Perspective rejects isolation and consults with safe and experienced friends, associates and professionals.

    Strategy is wisdom committed to action. Strategy discerns urgent issues requiring immediate decisions. Strategy recognizes longer term possibilities and holds or adjusts course accordingly. Strategy does not recoil from difficult decisions, because its validation does not come from needing to feel better right away.

    Validation is the peace that is available from a posture of poise, a vantage point with perspective, and a thoughtful strategy of next steps.

    What are you doing to prevent their meltdown from becoming your meltdown?

  • Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

    Clay Shirky, The Penguin Press, New York, 2008.

    By now you are well aware of my penchant for writers who affirm, confirm and otherwise provide research to back up my own assertions.

    As we at Bold Enterprises help you empower all people in your company, regardless of power, titles or places on the organizational chart, Clay Shirky examines the impact of the social dynamics taking place on the web on power and getting things done. With interesting results.

    Interesting because it is not merely people who are already in a working relationship who are experiencing new effectiveness with the power of the web behind them. That’s old news.

    But people who would never have had opportunity to meet much less collaborate are finding each other and making a difference in matters that are important to them.

    Who’s choosing these matters of importance? No longer the bosses and others with positional power. They don’t even figure into the equation, except maybe as a source of resistance.

    You and I are choosing these issues of personal and corporate importance and connecting with those who can help us and whom we can help as well.

    You need to check out Here Comes Everybody and get acquainted with our world of change, chaos, unlimited relationships, and the strange and wonderful forms of effectiveness that are being created moment by moment.

  • Mitchell’s Third Law of Committology

    After the solution screws up the project, all those who initially endorsed it will say, “I wish I had voiced my reservations at the time.”

    I found this unattributed quote on a calendar so old that the white paper is now brown and fragile. Still relevant, wouldn’t you say?!

  • Loving Monday: Do It Today

    What’s the one thing that, more than any other, you want to get done this week?

    I know there are many candidates all shouting for your attention. But which one do you want to see completed most of all?

    Do it today.

    Yeah, go ahead and do it this morning. Get it done. Start the week off with a success that is important to you.

    Give yourself the gift of diving into and polishing off a significant task right off the bat. It’ll feel great.

    If it’s not a one-day project, then break it into three parts and complete the first part now.

    You’ll give yourself a great Monday and set yourself up for a week of making and acting on choices.

    On your side,

    – Karl


  • Question of the Week

    Who on the team steps in and covers for others’ unfinished work, poor quality, mistakes, and failures? How might you reward and/or cover for them?

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