Karl Edwards presents Working Matters

Tag: wisdom

  • Quote to Consider: Hit Me Again

    quote-to-consider“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive, but do not forget.”

    Thomas Szasz

  • Quote to Consider: Youth is But Half of Life

    quote-to-consider“Grow old with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made: Our times are in his hands Who sayeth ‘a whole I plant, Youth shows but half; Trust God; see all nor be afraid.’”

    Robert Browning

  • Quote to Consider: Practice Makes Perfect

    quote-to-consider“We are what we repeatedly do.
    Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

    Aristotle

  • 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

  • Quote to Consider: On Speaking Up

    quote-to-consider“Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can’t and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it.”

    Robert Frost

  • Loving Monday: Holiday Madness

    loving_mondayThere’s still another week or so before we get some time off for the holidays.

    BUT…

    But it’s in the air. The spirit. The anticipation. The preparations. The madness.

    And you and I are supposed to remain productive at work! That’s funny.

    We need to change our definition of “productive” during the holiday season. I’m convinced it’s a losing battle to police productivity levels according to ordinary standards. There’s just too much going on. The wise leader recognizes the seasonal dynamic and adjusts.

    Both you and your team have people coming to town to visit or are planning to travel away. There is shopping to do and preparations to make. Some of us decorate. Some of us host parties. All of us are affected by the holiday madness.

    Having said that it is unrealistic to demand ordinary productivity during the holidays, neither do we have to throw out any expectations of job effectiveness altogether.

    Once we recognize that people are distracted by the holidays, we can adjust in ways that make room for the accompanying realities of these distractions. Providing some space during the day to take care of holiday business frees people to focus back on their jobs sooner and in higher spirits.

    Allowing longer lunch breaks, permitting some online shopping during work hours, relaxing about personal calls, and/or allowing people to use one of their sick days for personal use—are all ways to make room for the realities of the holiday season.

    Not only would you be building goodwill with your team, but with the holiday chores and accompanying stresses removed from the situation, everyone will be back to work with one less distraction.

    Choose the holiday spirit you want in your office! Holiday joy or holiday madness.

  • Listen In -> Strategic Planning #3: Learning From The Past

    Assess. Adjust. Assess. Adjust. Assess. Adjust.

    In this week’s podcast conversation, we find ourselves hungry to benefit from our past decisions. Instead of a black and white, right or wrong, success or failure, credit or blame mindset, we adopt a stance of attentiveness and action.

    Crucial to effective strategic planning is the capacity to learn from the past.

    We pay attention to what is and is not working and adjust continually. In smaller, more frequent increments, it is easier to learn, change course, recover from mistakes, seize new opportunities, etc.

    But only if the past is a source of rich learning. It’s the difference between knowing more and knowing better, capacity versus capability, facts or wisdom.

    Listen in.

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