NonsenseAtWork

I have been aiming too low to hit my far-out goals. And then, in frustration, I have chosen new targets, ones too close to matter, too below the mark to make a real impact.

Speaking too fast is a common mistake. Here's why.

Sometimes we are tempted to stick to the letter and to ignore the spirit of the contract between workers and management.

Here's the thing about positions. Some people more than fill the position they are in and are soon promoted to something bigger.

We count on hope for a better future and we ignore bliss in the present. Then we act surprised when we land in the mud of the moment.

Nothing happens until you make a move. Your choice of first move is often limited. Yet, it sets in motion a series of actions that in looking back seem so obvious.

If you want your team to lose mind control, then ask them to begin by conjuring up good ideas. No brain can weave and swerve and speed up and brake unless properly warmed up.

Motivational gurus have conned us into believing that shouting a goal (the dream) in public or on social media will make us achieve it. Or risk being embarrassed. I think the concept is called "public commitment."

I wish that leaders will learn the really, really critical skill of knowing when to decide and when to delay deciding.

This is not a trivial question. This explains how we often attempt to make change happen.

Power corrupts. Or so we believe. And yet, it is feeling powerless which truly corrupts. Why? Because people who feel powerless often become dysfunctional.

Yes, I agree, we must often begin problem solving by making assumptions because we seldom have all the information we need. But we will create a more effective work environment if we start with constructive assumptions.

Now that I am wise to the burden of freedom, I see how freedom fathers too many dreams, which time relentlessly kills. In my case, I once wanted to be a yachtsman. Maybe a pilot. Or an engineer. Why not an architect? An artist! The list goes on.

Do you do things mainly to impress others? Or do you do things to accomplish something of consequence?

You cannot build a sustainable, competitive strategy based on what is wrong and what you are against. If you tried, the strategy you design would be to react to what-is or what-was.

Without mutual respect, mutual trust is dead in the water. And without trust, we are so f... flawed at collaborating that we might as well dust off our spears and aim for the caves.

Why do we react without thinking to gossip in groups, catty comments from colleagues, and prophecies spouted by political opposites? Because we don't apply the Law of Two Feet. We don't walk away.

Pay attention, because I am going to help you spot unreasonable people at work. What do you mean you don't need my help? You think you know unreasonable when you see it?

We set goals because we think we know what outcomes we want. We think we must do “this” because we want “that.” Yet, we don't always think deeply about *why* we want what we want. Not deep enough to get clear on what we want it FOR.

Every day is the start of a new year. But we like to forget that, don't we? We prefer to wait 300-and-something days for a ritual that will energize us to kick off a few grand resolutions.

If you know what you stand for and what your organization stands for, then it is easy to design your One Rule to Rule Them All. And if you get it right, then people in your organization will know exactly what is expected of them.

When don't we suffer fools gladly? When we know best, when we have made up our minds, when we don't need more ideas, when we want to get things done. When we believe our own nonsense.

Do you realize if you are not remembered for something, then you will be forgotten for everything? Well, maybe not forgotten, just ignored.

I assume you already know that it's risky to make assumptions. But I bet you don't realize that when you assume, you own it. And any consequences.

Clearly, lazy people are the ones who create efficiencies and stimulate inventions.

I am always perplexed when people tell me they don't get feedback at work, so they can't always tell how they are doing. Excuse me? Are you telling me that you wait for feedback?

When I became a boss, I had to choose. Should I punish or praise? Should I protest or pat? And is there a right time to do one or the other?

We drool over the latest gadget instead of over the results of using the gadget. We personalize the latest productivity system instead of being personally productive.

Because common sense is based on our past, on our history, it doesn't always make sense today. (Look around you, does the present really resemble the past?)

Reality is for people who cannot handle video games, texting, social media, streaming, virtual meetings, ...

They will blame you if you are you so in love with your own strengths that you can't capitalize on the strengths of others on your team or in your organization.

People develop faith in you through your actions, not through your words of hope. Funny thing is, though, when others have faith in you, then your faith in yourself will grow.

The ability to say *yes* clearly or *no* firmly matters equally in your management role. Every day.

Decisions must be made. And because you must decide, even before all the perfect, pertinent information is available to you, you go with your gut. Big mistake.

What happens if you spend more than you earn? Sooner or later, you go broke. There is no magic to it.

Do you know what older people, like me, often say about life? That they are more likely to feel sorry for what they did not do. And less sorry for what they did. Or, as some kids would say, "Sorry, not sorry."

Apparently… I feel obliged to use the word “apparently,” because I struggle to believe that this report is true. Apparently, younger generations believe that punctuation is hostile. Specifically, they find full-stops intimidating.

Be wise with your knowing and with your not knowing. Occasionally say “I don't know.” Even when you know. Then wait and listen.

Does what you learn change you? If your behavior does not change, then you learned nothing. It was not learning. It was just information gathering.

At this time of year, we wonder whether we've been good enough to expect a reward from the jolly fat man in the corner office. Which is why it's a good time to remind you that expectations can influence behavior.

When you keep to your kind, you are excluding many people. You are being unkind to those who are not your kind.

Here's what still worries me. When is it dung and when is it something useful? When is it nonsense and when is it sense? And who decides which is which?

Often we hesitate to answer because we fear. This fear is understandable when we are young and inexperienced. But it makes less sense when we are older and wiser.

If your attitude is to choose to be your anger, then you will react in anger. Which seldom ends well. But if you look at the situation differently so that you can choose your attitude to be "I feel angry," then you can choose how to direct that feeling of anger.

Before you judge someone for breaking your rules, make sure you understand *why* they broke your rules. Because if they broke your rules properly, then it is probably time for you to judge your rules instead.

The problem is two-fold. First, you can probably do it faster and smarter. And second, you are itching to jump in and get it done. Because you're a manager. It's your nature to get things done.

I am never surprised when leaders use we-talk when things go badly, and I-talk when things go well. Disappointed, yes. But never surprised.

We still discourage diversity. Why? Because uniformity is easier to manage. Because diversity is discomforting, hence inconvenient.

You will be ineffective if you ignore details that matter. And you will squander resources if you focus on issues that will fade away without your help.

Sometimes, in life and in business, setting a compass bearing can be more effective than relying on specific directions. Because when you seek security in detailed directions, then every obstacle will frustrate you and every detour will intimidate you into losing your way.

What was dung to me was doing it for these beetles. What I try to side-step, they actively seek. That's when I first meditated on the nature of dung. Today, I don't assume that nonsense is simply nonsense. I always wonder why it exists.