Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: reflection

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked -> The Answer to How is Yes #6: Enduring the Depth of Philosophy

    thought-leadersWe have lost both the interest and the ability to go deep.

    We simply do not know how to reflect deeply about what is most important to us. In addition, we aren’t even sure that doing so would make any difference.

    So Peter Block asserts, and I concur.

    Instead of exploring the value of and means toward becoming people of depth, though, Block focuses on one of the enemies of depth… speed.

    Maybe these chapter titles are throwing me off. The titles point to a positive attribute, but the content elaborates on the negative forces that work against the titled attribute.

    I find myself anticipating an exposition of the positive attribute (e.g. “depth” in this chapter, “intimacy” in the previous), and come away disappointed when the emphasis is on all that works against intimacy and depth.

    With that off my chest, let me think about the problem of speed in my life.

    The first insight that caught my attention was how legitimate needs for quick action, immediate decisions and demanding schedules can expand without my (more…)

  • Complicit In My Own Diminishment?

    Bold Question MarkTo what extent might I be selling out my own dreams, ideals and unique capabilities in order to impress prospective employers?

    “Part of the price of becoming a transaction is that we allow our value to be defined by others: an organization, a boss, a recruiter, a partner, a lover.” Peter Block

  • Thought Leaders Unpacked -> The Answer to How is Yes #3: Defenses Against Acting

    thought-leadersFreedom is a funny thing. While a vocational aspiration for many of us, the implication that when free we bear full responsibility for our lives is often too much to bear.

    Hence chapter three. Chapter three is where we get the opportunity to check our spoken aspirations against our actual behavior.

    I often have myself convinced that I want one thing, and then find that I am acting in such a way that sabotages or contradicts my own desires.

    Block does a nice job of pulling out several of these behaviors that work against our dreams.

    When swimming around in my own head, it is easy for me to convince myself about the sincerity and passion of my desires.

    When confronted with a behavior, like seeking the approval of those in power or collecting “enough” data to make an informed decision, I have a tool for reconnecting myself to reality.

    I have a tool to help me shift my focus away from those things that are outside of my control back to my own choices which are in my control.

    I have a tool help me notice when I am giving away my power or shifting responsibility off of myself. I don’t need to beat myself up for doing so, as much I need to celebrate catching myself in the act, so to speak, earlier than later.

    The good news of chapter three is that I don’t have to stay blind to the subtle means I employ to avoid what I want. The sooner I can spot a fear, an escape, a defense, an excuse, or a weakness, the sooner I can address it.

    The sooner I address my “defenses against action” the sooner I’m back to taking action and on the way to being, living and making the unique contribution that I have to offer the world.

    Which of Block’s defenses against action do you relate most closely with? How can you reframe an excuse you’ve been making to avoid responsibility into an opportunity to embrace responsibility?

    What was your main take-away from this chapter?

    Each week I post my reflections from one chapter of The Answer to How is Yes by Peter Block. My reflections are my own and are intended to generate conversation, catalyze additional thinking and encourage mutual learning.
    If you are just joining the discussion now, welcome! Catch up on the entire series here.

  • Memorial Day Reflection: In the Mean Time <-> Until Now

    This is the day when we Americans remember that we enjoy peace at home, not because we have eschewed violence, but because we have been willing to stand up to those who would use violence against us and our children.

    This is the day that we remember that protecting most of our children has resulted in the loss of many of our children.

    While world peace is a goal worthy of sincere and dedicated efforts, in the mean time there will be those who hate, those who insist on wielding power at any cost, and those who are too proud, too narrow, too scared, or with too much at stake to put down the sword.

    All of human history until now has been, “in the mean time.”

    We will not close our eyes to this tragic reality, however tempting it might be to believe that we could merely will it away if only we opposed war or the military or governments or defense contractors loudly enough.

    All of human history… until now.

    Yes, we must strive for different, more peaceful, more accepting, more collaborative, more respectful, and more creative ways to share the planet. In the mean time, though, we will not under any circumstance allow anyone to harm our children.

    Thank you to our service men and women whose task it is to stand in harm’s way so that we can work and play and love and live… in the mean time.

    – Karl Edwards

  • Question of the Week #13

    What is the difference between having a distinct working style and not being a team player?

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

  • Question of the Week #9

    What is the difference between providing an explanation and making an excuse?

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

  • Question of the Week #7

    How can you create three opportunities to redeem a recent failure?

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

  • Listen In -> Good Leaders in Bad Times #2: The Issues Behind the Problems

    The problem can seem so straightforward. A runaway complainer. A mounting cost overrun. A slipping schedule.

    What if the problem, though, were merely a symptom of something deeper needing attention?

    What if addressing the problem on the table was actually preventing you from looking deeper, asking more probing questions, exploring what values and practices were creating the breeding grounds for the issue at stake?

    In this week’s show, Claudia and I discuss just this dynamic. Good leaders in bad times don’t settle for relieving symptoms. They dig deeper than the presenting issue and solve for underlying causes and confront systemic dysfunction.

    Listen in.

  • Listen In -> Good Leaders in Bad Times #1: The Solution Begins in the Mirror

    After a blistering five weeks of criticizing business and political leadership for the arrogant, blind, brainless, fear-based, power-obsessed, insecure excuse for leadership they have provided in response to our economic crisis, we turn our attention in this next series to proposing a constructive alternative.

    Hence our title, Good Leaders in Bad Times. It’s difficult to discern quality leadership in good times, because almost anything everyone does seems to work out okay when the economy is cycling upward.

    But when the economy slows down, declines, or collapses, we discover who is all smoke and mirrors, and who is substance.

    Here in week one, Claudia and I suggest that effective leadership in bad times begins with a good look in the mirror.

    How might you be a part of the problem? Have you considered the question before?

    Good leaders in bad times know that what others do and how others show up flows out from who they are and how they show up. In other words, if there is going to be change, it must begin with you.

    Listen in and tell us what you think.

    Then come back each week for what promises to be a thought-provoking and challenging series!

    Good Leaders in Bad Times
    Week 1: The Solution Begins in the Mirror
    Week 2: The Issues Behind the Problems
    Week 3: Training People to be Better Than You
    Week 4: Reporting To Your Team
    Week 5: Creating a Culture That Get Results

    Listen in.

  • Loving Monday: Holiday Hangover

    loving_mondayBack at it after a long holiday weekend.

    Remind me where my desk is, please. What was I working on? And you are…?

    It’s so nice to have a four-day weekend. (I hope you got one!)

    Getting back into the swing of things can be a challenge. The key is to bring the benefits of any rest and relaxation you experienced over the holiday back to the office.

    When we leave the good feelings at home, we end up resenting the return to work.

    In other words we want a holiday hangover.

    But only if the break is a blessing that propels us forward and not an escape whose inevitable end depresses us.

    There’s another break coming up this week. If the Christmas break didn’t work well for you, is there something different you can do to make the New Year’s holiday different?

    What are three benefits you want to experience from the time off this week? Maybe reconnect with an old friend. Get some time to yourself. Read a book. Throw a party. Reflect on the lessons learned this last year.

    Next give yourself permission to pursue those three outcomes. Be intentional. Pick up the phone today. Make them happen. If an initial idea doesn’t pan out, then adjust it and try a modification.

    Finally, go back to work next week with a holiday hangover! Bring the blessings of the break back to work with you. Let the rest, reflections, and relationships spill over into the energy and enthusiasm that makes work rich and meaningful.

    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!