Wisdom

Long-term Growth

The current concerns over the economy, brought to mind a heated discussion I had when I was in a meeting with the CEO and CFO. I was advocating for my department and defending marketing expenses when the CEO shouted, “What’s the most important thing this company has?” It seemed like a softball question.

I replied, “It’s people!” 

Both men (in unison) corrected me. “ROI.”

“But you don’t have any ROI without people!”

“Well, they won’t have jobs if we don’t have a good ROI!”

I understood their logic, but not their long-term vision. The company had gone public and they were focused on short-term performance and their personal wealth. After all, it had taken ten years for Amazon to break even. If I had any doubt, they had succinctly revealed the company’s ethos. Profits over people. Flowers cut off from their roots don’t last too long.

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3 Good Uses for a Coaching Session

3 Good Uses for a Coaching Session

  1. Use a coaching session to get something out of your head so that you can see it without all your filters on.
  2. Use a coaching session to get some fresh eyes on a situation (someone who is not invested in the outcome.)
  3. Use a coaching session to have someone critique your strategy and test your ideas before you employ them.

The most helpful thing I can do for you is point you back to your innate wisdom. It’s like a shaft of light when you see it for yourself.

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Easiest Way to Change

To change, you have to LET GO of an old belief or habit of thought. But how? I’ve found that the easiest way is to look at something else. We distract toddlers when they fall down and start crying, rather than dwell on the startling event which has disrupted their activities. We try to engage them with a toy or a new goal. Soon, they are happily on their way again. It works for adults as well. You can dwell on what’s not working for you, or you can change it up. Distract yourself. Stir your coffee in the opposite direction or head up the stairs leading with the opposite of your usual foot. Any conscious choice will alter your trajectory.

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This Is A Warning


One day I noticed a piece of black electrical tape over one of the warning lights on the dashboard of Dad’s old Bronco. He explained that the problem could not be diagnosed by himself, nor the dealer, and he was sick of looking at it. Confident that the light did not indicate an actual problem, he blacked it out with a piece of tape. Dashboard lights are like people’s opinions. Don’t let them distract you. If the experts, gurus, doctors, pundits, or anyone else is telling you how you should live your life, listen to them with full awareness of their agenda. Better yet, notice how you feel when you listen to them. This is a warning.

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The First Question You Ask In A Crisis

 

Things move quickly in high tech. The competitors never sleep, the clients need it yesterday, and the platform you’re working on is often shifting. We hired a new salesman who used to be a firefighter. He watched us running around, super stressed out and offered a piece of wisdom from his former job. “When we arrived at the site of a call, the first thing we asked was, ‘Will there be a loss of life here?’”


It gave us perspective. What we were doing was important to us and our clients, but likely no one would die if we didn’t deliver ASAP. Besides, if you ratchet back the tension, people work better and creativity flows more easily. We hung our salesman’s old fire helmet in the hall to remind us that when things get hot, it’s good to keep a cool head.

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