If I were the Baltimore Ravens kicker at this past Sunday’s AFC Championship game and it was at any time but the last year or so, I would have screamed, cried and beat on myself for a long time. 34 million households witnessed his unfortunate gaffe. If I were Mitt Romney I would be completely jumped out by the notion that someone as odd in my mind as Newt Gingrich was taking my steam. If I were the President I would want to write to NY Times columnists who insist I have no fire, passion or vision and just tell them to shut up and see what they could do in the same boat.

Most of my professional life and much of my coaching career has focused on achieving success in a way that looks and feels like an end zone; the winning zone, an accomplishment of something concrete and tangible and approved by the people that count.  The examples above make it clear who counts—fans/team personnel, voting republicans and the high powered media respectively.  My advice tended to be most focused on ‘winning the game’ and for good reasons.  Success at work was, until quite recently, something that could be judged ‘objectively’ by money earned, standards imposed by experts, or just “common—meaning ordinary—sense”.  Today, there are multiple understandings of success and new, more complex, demands at work.  As a coach it has challenged me to think differently about what makes sense and what ‘should’ be done by workers in the new workplace.

This year the theme of this blog will be on changing perspectives and dealing with transitions in life and work.  What Works at Work will explore new perspectives on what works by looking at what is actually changing in terms of expectations and conditions on the job.  It will also consider the other side of the equation—how different ages and stages and needs of individuals make what works at work not something universal, but something “that depends”. 

Not necessarily will all the old rules be upended—quite the contrary—many tried and true approaches at work will be recommended again.  What is changing is my perspective—and I sense—the perspective of many others.  Whether it is my age—62 last week—or the result of the great recession and its slow unwinding—most working people have new concerns and new approaches and ideas about what matters at work and what role a job should play in a person’s life.  Meanwhile the pace of globalization and pressures on performance continues to accelerate; putting more pressures on workers at all levels.  This means more opportunities for disappointment and frustration on both sides of the workplace equation—the workplace and the worker.

My goal is to bring a bit more clarity to What Works at Work by considering what makes sense for people given shifts in different industries and workplace conditions. I’ll also take into account different ages and stages of workers, and what really matters to a person at a given point in their individual journey.  First lesson of the year is this:  This is not the same old workplace and you cannot be the same old worker—the need to more fully understand the landscape while more fully understanding yourself is the only way to prepare and be ready to succeed in 2012. 

The final mistake I want to mention in this series is the mistake of not stepping back and looking at work from a new and broader perspective. This lack of perspective can make any new manager just a harder or more tired worker rather a person in a fundamentally different and supportive role for the work ahead.
In this past week of Thanksgiving I have been touching base with clients, friends, and various family members—-people who work or are looking for work and like most of us here in the US, getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. It has struck me how thankful most people are and yet how utterly frustrated they are by things going on in the world and in our country. This strikes me as a similar issue to the one just stated. Many seem happy when they just focus on what they are doing. They feel clear about their own blessings and good fortune even if the year hasn’t been all of what they had hoped and even if they, like many, are having some genuine struggles. But, these same strong people, when they pull back and look at the bigger picture are dismayed, frustrated, and angry. Most critically, they don’t know what to do about it and in most cases don’t begin to try to volunteer as managers to help change the direction or mood of the country.
Being the manager—or leader—has never been harder for most people living today. This tough time—the worst since the Great Depression which many of us heard more about than we care to remember —requires looking at the tough and real realities, all the hopeful signs too, and making tough decisions to move onward. It requires courage, hope and optimism—as well as clear headedness and strength of character.
No wonder new managers today—and most managers all the time—have a hard time taking a broader perspective and bigger responsibility. It means looking at more than one’s own “pile” but looking at the broader picture. And that is hard. Always has been.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all—managers, would be managers, and all of us who have to try to put a bit more effort into managing the whole—at least some of the time. Maybe we can tap down some of that country wide frustration out here so we don’t need to expect so much of our leaders.

One of the biggest mistakes all managers, not just new ones make is either being too high or too low on people they hire/and/or they work with.

The media culture is not helping.  From hero to villain (or the reverse) is standard operating procedure in our 24/7 “information” filled world.  Steve Jobs wasn’t dead a week when Maureen Dowd thrashed him personally (not professionally) in the New York Times.  Everyone’s old punching bag “back in the day”—Hillary Clinton—who had things said about her that are unprintable in this blog— is now being lauded as the best replacement for the President.  Coach Paterno, hero of Penn State football, won’t coach his last home game as he (likely) rightly is punished for lack of responsibility for not more aggressively trying to stop a series of horrific crimes at Penn State.

As workplace managers, we can let this intense cultural phenomenon affect our management of people and ideas in foolish and unproductive ways.  For example, a manager can get so excited about the newest person on the team they are overly effusive with over the top praise—often alienating the rest of the team who may have been knocking themselves out since 2008 helping keep things afloat.  Shortly thereafter when this newest person isn’t the savior to the business as hoped, he or she is quickly condemned or more likely in today’s cool culture,  added to the dust heap—once lauded now ignored.

People, as most of us know, including the stars and celebrities in the news cycle, are never all good nor all bad.  All human beings come with baggage and some bad character traits as well as strong skill sets and weaker ones.  This is an important fact we need to really embrace and value as colleagues and managers.  Understanding human nature is key to success in all aspects of work.  Maybe we should all stop being surprised at the quiet good guy gone haywire or the woman gone mad after years of abuse.  We are complex, us human beings.

Let’s all take a deep breath and do the unexciting, but necessary work of management—focus on the best in people and praise and reward their good performance.  On the other hand, also understand and accept their limitations and accept that the brightest might make a bad mistake too.  Give people their due—and praise for the gifts and exceptional contributions they make.  When something isn’t quite as positive, seek to support correction, improve processes and accept apologies rather than overreact.  Not exciting or dramatic—not good TV or Internet—-just the right thing to do at work as well as in our homes in 99% of situations.

As for the cultural media machine?  Well they have to entertain us, not nurture us, for us to watch (ie pay them)—that’s why they are doing what they are doing.  As managers new, or seasoned, get out of the business of over or under appreciating people and get into the business of helping people perform at their best and work on the rest.  Steady work toward excellence wins the race in business as in most of what’s really important in life.   But I have to admit being slightly curious about who’s up and who’s down in the press so I am going to get back to the Internet. . . .Sorry—I am not perfect either.

This is the third in a series of blogs on the topic of what not to do as a new manager.

Another common mistake for new managers is thinking one’s experience should be the main or only thing to consider when making decisions moving forward.

All people are influenced by their own experience. Often people are promoted or hired due to specific experiences where their actions led to success. So the sales woman who had the best international sales is made the head of international sales, or the executive who turned around the IT department in an organization is brought in to the do the same thing at another. Although clearly “self evident” that this use of a person’s pass successes makes sense, it actually does not—completely.

Experience counts. Of course it does. But it should not and cannot be the only criteria because things change–and NO, it is not true that “there is nothing new under the sun”. Perhaps in love—but not in business. Things have changed, situations never faced before are right before us.  Further, experience and rational thinking without imagination is likely not going to yield great results.   See Einstein.  See Steve Jobs.

A new manager must use h/h experiences and past successes, but h/s also has to look at issues in a fresh way and question and challenge assumptions.  Here is a concrete tip to open any manager’s eyes—share with your team or mentor or boss what your experience has been and what that is leading you to conclude and execute as a certain strategy to solve a new challenge.  Then, ask simply—”what am I missing?”  This question stimulates key others to share perspectives never considered before.  Ask, listen, be newly open.

Smart new managers understand the balance between being self confident and using what they know, and knowing that they are new and need more input and other’s views before making decisions. The best managers use history and future scenario thinking to have more and better data.  And data plus imagination yields new successes or at the least important learning.

This is the second in a series of blogs about what NOT to do as a new manager.

The first mistake to avoid?  Not knowing  why you were chosen/promoted.  Knowing this vital information will allow you to play to those strenghts while developing new ones.  See previous blog for much more detail on this issue.

The second thing not to do is to assume being on a team or in a department is the same thing as being the manager.  The mistake to avoid is essentially NOT changing your act.

You are in a different role.  People will treat you differently and expect different things from you.  Accept that as a given.  When you become a manager—like it or not, you are in a different position—not higher, maybe not better, not superior—but absolutely different.

Here are a few suggestions that will help you avoid this common mistake of not changing your approach and role in the group.

Start humble but strong.  Tell your new team you are new at management, but you plan to become an excellent one.  Tell your team you understand that your new job is to make each of them and all of them more productive.  That’s it.  Ask for reactions and listen carefully.  Your first goals at this point is gain a clear shared understanding of what your role as a manager is and is not.  If you and your team are on the same sheet of music about what your role is and is not, working together effectively is simpler and better.

Write down the things you liked and disliked in managers you worked with.  Put that list somewhere you can see it.  Sometimes we tend to do things we have seen modeled—even if we didn’t like them when done to us.  Remind yourself not to commit the same mistakes your bad bosses did.  And remember that very likely what you didn’t like—or did, is similar to what your colleagues are expecting of you. 

Realize you can’t be “friends” or “enemies” or “indifferent” in the same ways you might have been able to relate to people prior to being their  boss or manager.  Your new job is to support others—and to do that fairly.  Friends deserve and should get special  or different levels of attention and support—and breaks—but that is not appropriate  if you are the manager of many.  Sometimes friendships end when one becomes a boss—or have to move to “only out of the office”—but that can be tough.  The bottom line is as a manager you need to be as fair and measured as you can be—so make sure if you have friends on the team you now manage they understand your new and different role.

An enemy might be scorned, frosted out or undermined—but you can’t manage a person you scorn—get over it.  Being indifferent to others is a popular new style with many people.  Most experts have noticed a reduced interest in others and less emotional connection than in previous times.  It doesn’t work in management.  People want, need and deserve your attention, respect, and support if you are their manager.  It is not cool to be an indifferent boss.  It is unacceptable.

Finally, don’t be cute or silly about your role.  It is an important and serious one—though never take yourself too seriously—that really is uncool and unproductive.  The point is to realize that when you are asked to serve as a manager or boss it is comes with the responsibility to focus on a bigger picture—to focus on the good of the whole, the entire team as well as to connect to people one on one.  Don’t get a swagger, get serious about helping others succeed and grow.  If people that work for you never get promoted you are not doing your job.  Set an example, set a high standard and always start from a place of your responsibility for outcomes.

Nobody said being a manager is easy.  It isn’t.   Avoid his common mistake—not shifting gears and not taking on a new role or you will greatly lesson your chances of success.

What are the worse things a new boss or manager can do?  In this and my next 4 blogs I am going to share some common negative patterns coaches like me see all the time. If you know a new manager or are one yourself let me know if you find this and the next 4 blogs on what not to do when promoted helpful and insightful.  Better yet, tell me what book or article you would share with any new manager or boss.  At the end of the series I will share several of my favorites on the subject.

Number ONE thing not to do:
Do not assume you know why you are the new manager or team leader unless your mother owns the company. And, DO assume you need this information to earn the right to continue to be a boss and succeed. You may think it is “obvious”. You are simply the best performer. But maybe not so. Maybe someone sees in you something we in the world of talent management or human resources call “management potential”. Simply put, those that promoted you  think you have the most important skill any new manager can have—that is the ability to help OTHERS perform best.  Being the best can sometimes PREVENT someone from being a great leader.   This is a reason why many new managers fail—they can DO the job—but help someone else do it? Not so much.

People love working for great bosses—and everyone is different. What they have in common is the ability to inspire, support, or otherwise help people excel. From your own best  boss, to the late brilliant Steve Jobs, political leaders like President Obama, master chef Thomas Keller or unique entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, these people make others strive for excellence.

So find out why you got selected, and ask for guidance about what your new boss thinks are your key strengths—technology, listening, making sales, getting to the heart of things, problem solving, and remind yourself daily to grow and continue to excel there.

Then if the reason is NOT due to your ability to bring out the best in others, or to put it another way—a way to use insight into people to help them be great, and it is even not clear to you that matters where you work, accept that in fact, that is what makes a great manager. People want to be inspired and supported. They want help and guidance. They want to know they count. Do those things the best you can and make it your permanent mission in life to keep trying to figure out how to do that better.

New bosses and managers have a unique opportunity to start their journey focused on the right things, or become another casuality of our under supported and led organizations who rarely do enough

The beginning of this post is a continuation of my previous entry entitled “Halftime over. Start up for the rest of 2011”. After the intro, this entry contains the third and final part of my three part strategy.

If you need some help thinking through what to do next or for the rest of 2011 in terms of your work, your job search, or your efforts to stay employed, this three part blog should help.

What Works at Work is always about improving workplace performance—my own, my/our clients, friends, and of course the larger group of strangers who are seeking support and ideas on how to achieve better work.  This revised approach to looking ahead, goal clarification and refocusing effort is one I have been using myself to change my plans for the remainder of 2011.  It is working—not perfectly, but better than the old linear approaches. I’m hopeful it will support you as you move forward too.

My three part strategy includes:

1. Refocusing on what is important now versus January and changing or shifting goals and targets based on new information and changed realities.
2. Re-framing our current situation in a way that does not bring us down further but rather energizes and motivates us to move forward without foolish guilt, recriminations, or unnecessary upset. OR put another way, there is another way to get where we want/need/could be.
3. Re-committing to ourselves to create more/better/different/more appropriate and functional work to the extent possible.  Not to work harder but to be different.  We are all working hard – achieving the results we want? Maybe not.

Halftime Over – Part Three: Re-commit to what is truly important to you and your work/potential work and success

There are still uncertainties and always have been.  But the worst of times, for now, appear behind us if we see what has bubbled up.  There is a new appreciation of balance in all things.

There is a renewed belief in innovation and technology that can solve genuine problems rather than in “innovation” that is nothing more than smoke and mirrors and creation of products and services that serve no need except enriching some people at others expense.

There is a renewed commitment to family, service, and making tough choices that are clearly the right thing to do.  The financial industry has a long road back to earn credibility, people are going to have a hard time believing things that are too good to be true, and genuine value is newly respected.  These are all good things.

Processes and culture that were thrown aside in the earlier part of the first decade of the 21st century were mistakes that many good companies are now paying for.  Focus on being an excellent worker, if you are a manager look to hire the best, but do not forget that efforts to build the organization as well as focus on the select few is critical to long term success.

Our goals for the second half of the year should reflect what is balanced and true.  The second half of 2011 is going to be great—if you let it be and contribute to the positive flow and lessons learned in this our great recession.  Our parents/grandparents who were forever scarred by the great depression weren’t all wrong—but they stayed scared too long. Let’s not make the same mistake.

Ever onward.  IBM used it in their article celebrating their 100th year and it has been my partners and my new catch phrase for about a year—it just means keep going and trying and doing it again—not giving up and staying strong.

Quick tip:  Buy an egg timer.  It has been my number one time management tool of 2011.  I use it to push myself to finish a blog, or write a report, to research something or keep my emails short.  Like checklists, egg timers work.  The idea is simple, clear and inexpensive—track yourself and get yourself on track and focused.

Quick tip. Reflect on the best book you read in the first half of the year—and send a link to the book to two people you work with, for or would like to work with or for.  Tell them in one sentence what it meant to you and why you think they would like it.  Here is a sample. ”Bill—read–The Long Tail— It is all about internet opportunity—like the Zen of Social Media Marketing it will get you thinking. Call me to catch up. Pat”

3. Change the route you take to work. Change the time you download news. Change the days you exercise or go to the gym.  Make a simple change in your routine.  Fresh thoughts derive from new perspectives—any of these will make a minor difference and may get you thinking about something else that needs changing in your closet or your life.

See more at www.e-coachonline.com

Again, EO—or ever onward.  Can’t think of a better ending to anything geared to making you think. Fondly, Pat

The beginning of this post is a continuation of my previous entry entitled “Halftime over. Start up for the rest of 2011”. After the intro, this entry contains part two of my three part strategy.

If you need some help thinking through what to do next or for the rest of 2011 in terms of your work, your job search, or your efforts to stay employed, this three part blog should help.

What Works at Work is always about improving workplace performance—my own, my/our clients, friends, and of course the larger group of strangers who are seeking support and ideas on how to achieve better work.  This revised approach to looking ahead, goal clarification and refocusing effort is one I have been using myself to change my plans for the remainder of 2011.  It is working—not perfectly, but better than the old linear approaches. I’m hopeful it will support you as you move forward too.

My three part strategy includes:

1. Refocusing on what is important now versus January and changing or shifting goals and targets based on new information and changed realities.
2. Re-framing our current situation in a way that does not bring us down further but rather energizes and motivates us to move forward without foolish guilt, recriminations, or unnecessary upset. OR put another way, there is another way to get where we want/need/could be.
3. Re-committing to ourselves to create more/better/different/more appropriate and functional work to the extent possible.  Not to work harder but to be different.  We are all working hard – achieving the results we want? Maybe not.

Part Two: Reframe your situation to motivate yourself

The financial crisis and its lingering aftermath of prolonged recession and slow growth are eating away at our excitement and positive feelings about what is possible and what is impossible.  By now, if you have been reading carefully you are aware that this bust is following others in history—it typically takes 5 years to recover from these panics for a number of reasons that essentially boil down to the time it takes for people to recover their equilibrium and not over react with fear. This is news that is not joyful, but it helps put things into a certain perspective.

Whenever I see information about “what’s trending now” it strikes me that this information is some of what is undermining our ability to move forward.  We are stuck reacting to the latest bad news—and bad news is always in fashion.

By reframing I mean to step back and view our situations and the results of our actions in a revised light.  Results do speak for themselves.  You either did or did not get the project done.  You either did or did not reach your sales quota.  You either did or did not get traction on your approach to change at work. Yes, but that is not the only point.  Sometimes results also are giving a new and fresh type of feedback that can help us to understand we need to go in a new or different direction and have to stop telling ourselves we are failures—what may be the case is the actions we are taking are failures because the world is different and we are not up to speed with it.  That is what I mean by a reframe.

If you re-frame your view of your success in light of how much you have allowed dark thoughts, depressing statistics, or just openness to too much random non productive information, you may find that you are doing better than you realized and actually accelerating your pace of knowledge and building that most key success ingredient—more resilience.

The thing you need to do to reframe is to analyze your openness to productive rather than unproductive information and ”reality”.

One thing all of us can do is stop watching and listening to trash.  Probably you already know the results of research examining what watching too much nonsense like Jersey Shore does to our brains.  Yes, it does make us stupid.  So look for good reads, balanced approaches, sensible dialogue and steady work. This will help you and others become more successful in the second half of the year.

Quick tip: Only do emails twice a day.  Limit access to stars and fashion, politics, news, sports, porn – whatever your little weakness is - to less than once/twice a day.  Within two weeks, reframe your view of what you are accomplishing and achieving.  You will likely find that your relentless sense of not accomplishing enough/the right things is being undermined by your own distraction from what is important to know.  This new time you have available can now be used to reframe.

Stop by next time for final installment of this three part strategy.

OE – or ever onward. Fondly, Pat

If you need some help thinking through what to do next or for the rest of 2011 in terms of your work, your job search, or your efforts to stay employed, this three part blog should help.

What Works at Work is always about improving workplace performance—my own, my/our clients, friends, and of course the larger group of strangers who are seeking support and ideas on how to achieve better work.  This revised approach to looking ahead, goal clarification and refocusing effort is one I have been using myself to change my plans for the remainder of 2011.  It is working—not perfectly, but better than the old linear approaches. I’m hopeful it will support you as you move forward too.

My three part strategy includes:

1. Refocusing on what is important now versus January and changing or shifting goals and targets based on new information and changed realities.
2. Re-framing our current situation in a way that does not bring us down further but rather energizes and motivates us to move forward without foolish guilt, recriminations, or unnecessary upset. OR put another way, there is another way to get where we want/need/could be.
3. Re-committing to ourselves to create more/better/different/more appropriate and functional work to the extent possible.  Not to work harder but to be different.  We are all working hard – achieving the results we want? Maybe not.

Part One: Refocus

Focus has always been key to success in any endeavor.  False ideas like “multi-tasking is possible and good” have now been substantially debunked as bunk.  When anyone wants to accomplish something, having a narrow focus and consistent discipline remains the most important strategy move.  However, it doesn’t have to be all linear and push—you can refocus and be disciplined by letting things flow.

Things are changing rapidly (a constant cry for at least 2 or 3 decades but the speed of change is definitely continuing to become more rapid) – new technology, mini-trends or paradigm shifts are happening so quickly that we now can be off track in a matter of weeks or months due to a change or shift in our industry.  While we may have been able to set new goals midyear based on some unexpected events/shifts, we were generally able to rework them in some fashion and move ahead.

We now need to upend this assumption and realize that goals are continually in need of attention because things change so rapidly.

Spending too much time adjusting goals without actually analyzing if the assumptions behind the goals have changed is unproductive.   Do review and reshape your goals.  But rather than spending the bulk of your time crafting the goals themselves and analyzing how much of your first goals can be kept, spend more time thinking about the assumptions behind your goals and then adjusting the goals based on those new or changed assumptions.  Simply put – use critical thinking to change goals and make them accurately reflect changes in the economic situation, or your industry, or new technologies/strategies that now make conditions different. Rewording goals or making them less difficult does not take into consideration changed assumptions – and that is what is important.

Its refocus – but on assumptions, not just linear planning lines.

My biggest assumption shift? Realizing that some of my assumptions about the speed of adoption of our new product were flawed.  New focus? Changed strategy and longer horizon for our social media strategy to gain traction.

My quick tip – review the concept of critical thinking.  Just look it up and spend some time thinking about thinking. That is the most important step you will take to refocusing and reworking goals and targets for the second half of the year.

Stop by next time for part two of this three part post.

OE – or ever onward. Fondly, Pat

Gretchen Morgenson produced another chilling column about the incompetence and ethical slips of the mortgage industry. In the same issue, a New York Times article was adapted from Adam Bryant’s new book The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed. Is this another case of many top companies are from some recognizable planet and financial institutions are from planet Z? Or another book that extols virtues of some highly unusual CEOs but when we look at the real world of work there is incompetence and dishonesty everywhere?

Actually, what these two articles do if you synthesize them (and those CEOs tell us that is very key), is present clear lessons for all of us–CEO or staff member– that want to perform better and be more successful, personally and professionally.  So with a tip of my professional coaching hat to both Ms. Morgenson and Mr. Bryant, here are some key lessons from both of these winning pieces of work.

Point one: Do what is right, have and demonstrate integrity in all your business efforts.  Some financial companies simply forgot their way.  They no longer worked with a moral compass and paid a high price.  The worst outcome was hurting millions of innocent people which included every tax payer and too many mortgage holders.  Doing what is right is not just a goody two shoes suggestion for some non-profit or fluffy business group.  It is a clear imperative in a complex and interrelated world.  Every one of our actions matter—more than ever.  And taking risks and shortcuts for profit rather than balancing needs of multiple constituencies is simply unacceptable.  To synthesize: To be a better performer, be a better person.

Point two: Learn all the time. Just because you are young and very tech savvy does not mean you know it all.  If you are old, rich–say a hedge fund manager and also wildly well known in your world—you still don’t know it all.  On top of your game with 28,000 followers on twitter?   Sorry no pass on this truth. No one of substance stops learning.  That is the secret and the obvious point.  If you are at the top of your game or the bottom rung of the corporate ladder—you need to know more and keep questioning your assumptions. The financial executives described by Morgenson stopped listening and learning from people all around them warning and suggesting change.  None had a lack of warning and none had 100% blind compliance.

The successful CEOs in Bryant’s book make it clear that constant learning and true curiosity brings success—just the opposite of what was going on in these failed organizations. The most successful people are consistently asking questions, doing research, using credible coaches and reading voraciously for insights and ideas.  They use experts to tell them what is proven (they don’t keep reinventing the wheel)—and keep a very open mind on everything else as knowledge evolves.  To Synthesize–emulate continuous learners.

Point three: Be confident—but with good reason.  Experiences that show one can handle tough challenges are key.  People don’t need to just act confident (a start but nothing more) but rather they need to become confident by dealing with challenges successfully and then internalizing that success.  Covering up mistakes, taking short cuts, refusing to learn from lesson, or not being fully engaged in a continual process of  solving problems and improving quality – these all lead to  less confidence (and for good reason) as well as low performance. To synthesize—confidence is earned and must be continually earned.

Performance improvement is hard work and requires discipline.  The secrets of successful performance improvement in the 21st century are not that different from earlier ages—seek knowledge, have genuine integrity and demonstrate it consistently, and keep trying to synthesize and pull out the gems—the new ideas, the sensible application of knowledge, the point of the message.  Having a coach helps—online or off, having a community of interested and interesting colleagues and friends helps too, and having the courage and discipline to keep on getting better helps the most–you never are “done” performing although the challenge may change.

New feature of my blog entries: As a consultant and coach with many interests and passionate about performance and personal and organizational development I LOVE the world of ideas and sharing those ideas with others.  This is the focus of my blog—to generate thought and reflection on issues related to performance at work.  But I have found that people need both these “theoretical” or thought blogs/articles, and also PRACTICAL help—-we all do.  We might want to dine at the French Laundry and read one of Thomas Keller’s books, but when in the kitchen we may just need to know how long to boil the eggs.

From here on my blog will have TWO sections:  One a thought piece, followed by some new tips and practical ideas for high performance at work. Take them as free advice—but only if you think they truly are worth something.

Tip One: Have an issue with gaining consensus?  See the film Of Gods and Men. Watch the first voting scene and then the later voting scene and analyze the processes and what worked and why. What can you use in your next team encounter?

Tip Two: Have an issue with how to use facebook in your next marketing campaign? Try The Zen of Social Media Marketing and the companion website.  Great and practical.

Tip Three: Looking for a new way to organize documents?  Check out a simple application called Dropbox. It’s free and is quite handy—simple and easy to use too.

As always my best wishes on your continuing success.  Pat