Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: self-improvement

  • If You Could Change One Thing About Yourself

    If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

    Given our focus here on Working Matters, let’s forego the things that are not related to work like our appearance; things that are beyond our scope like our personality; or things that our out of our control like our popularity.

    I know, I just eliminated the best categories. I’m sorry.

    I realize there are many good reasons to avoid change. I realize that muddling through with the status quo is often preferable to risking the unknowns that come with change.

    But, for the sake of argument, let me ask again… If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

    Is there a skill you want to learn? A capacity you would like to develop? An aspect of your working style that you would like to expand? An unhelpful (more…)

  • Quote to Consider: Self-Competition

    quote-to-consider“Put yourself in competition with yourself each day. Each morning look back upon your work of yesterday and then try to beat it.”

    Charles M. Sheldon

  • Acting Up Brings Everyone Down by Nick McCormick

    Many years ago I managed a firm where I began calling my colleagues, “my kids.” This moniker was descriptive of both my affection for them and their childish behavior toward work and each other.

    Now Nick McCormick has captured a wonderful collection of the childish things people do at work. Or… I should say… the clever and common things people do at work, which are, in fact, quite childish.

    It’s called, Acting Up Brings Everyone Down: The Impacts of Childish Behavior in the Workplace.

    From the introduction”

    “The purpose of this book is to point out the silliness that we engage in at work in hopes that readers will acknowledge their actions, realize there are better and more constructive ways to act, and make the necessary changes to improve the work environment.”

    It takes a great sense of humor to get us insecure leader-types to let down our guards and see our imperfections without feeling attacked.

    McCormick, though, instead of attacking us for our petty and counter-productive behaviors, laughs at them with us.

    He takes on maddening workplace dynamics like making excuses, blaming (more…)

  • Quote to Consider: Always Learning

    quote-to-consider“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for.”

    Socrates