melbournesnapshots

Making work a thing of passion

Tony Goodson has constructed a recent post that articulates the absolute secret to facilitating people to give their best... This really works... and what Tony has posted I know to be true - we people give our "all" and more when we feel that our work is a passion performed in an environment of trust, freedom, respect and honour  ...rather than just a "job" where we hang our heart, soul and initiative at the front door and unwillingly subjugate ourselves to the corporate norms of "keeping up appearances" for appearances sake and feeding the pathetic unsatiable apetites of power hungry patheticos who think that a successful business is one where people suck up to the boss and keep up appearances.

Teamwork - A Parable

Thank you to the writer of this parable... this came to me in an email from colleague Janene (thank you Janene!)- not sure of the identity of the original author... however WELL SAID whoever you are!! Actually, who does write so much of the stuff that we get in our emails - some of it is really, really good!

What's a mouse got to do with teamwork?    Here's a very brief story about teamwork…

 A little mouse living on a farm was looking through a crack in the wall one day and saw the farmer and his wife opening a package. The mouse was intrigued by what food the package may contain. He was aghast to discover that it was a mousetrap. The mouse ran to the farmyard warning everyone "there is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house".

The chicken raised his head and said "Mr Mouse, I can tell you this trap is a grave concern to you, but it has no consequence to me and I cannot be bothered with it."

The mouse turned to the pig, "I am so very sorry Mr Mouse, but the trap is no concern of mine either."

The mouse then turned to the bull. "Sounds like you have a problem, Mr Mouse," the bull said, "but not one that concerns me."

The mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected that no one would help him or was concerned about his dilemma. He knew he had to face that trap on his own.

That night the sound of a trap catching its prey was heard throughout the house. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness she could not see that it was a venomous snake who's tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife.

The wife developed a bad fever and the farmer knew the best way to treat a fever was with chicken soup. He took his hatchet to the farmyard to get the soup's main ingredient.

The wife got sicker and friends and neighbours came by to take turns sitting with her round the clock.   The farmer knew he had to feed them, so he butchered the pig.    

The farmer's wife did not get better, however.   In fact she died. So many friends and family came to her funeral that the farmer had to slaughter the bull to feed them all.

So - the next time you hear that one of your team-mates is facing a problem and think it does not concern or affect you, remember that when anyone of your team is in trouble, we are all at risk!

A Thought For Life

First They Came for the Jews

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Is this poem not relevant today? Are there not situations in the workplace where one person is being "persecuted" and others stand by and either passively watch or mildly support the persecution to somehow appear to be "complying" with the persecutor? Is this not a ver relevant reflection for those Australians who claim that our alignment with the US and other countries in the "War against Terror" only serves to elevate Australia's exposure as a terrororist target? 

Some Inspiring Thoughts!!

The following two quotations were on the signature section of an EMAIL which I received this evening from a very senior Sydney based candidate. Thank you Paul.  You know, when I read these quotations, they really resonate with my philosophical approach and I felt an instant rapport with this candidate - even though we have not yet met. It is great to see that there are others out there who appreciate these thoughts and ideas enough to step out of the "blandness" of  being reserved and "normal" and put them out there to give others an insight to what is important to them.

Quotation 1

"Minds are like parachutes, they only work when they are open" James Dewar

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Quotation 2

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

to earn the

appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

IF - My Favourite Poem

I was introduced to this poem many years ago; I am not sure exactly when or by whom but it has been a source of constant inspiration to me ... and for many years I had lost contact with it until one of my candidates, Patrick Dockhorn, sent me a copy a few months ago. Thank you Patrick; it is great to have this poem back again!

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming
it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make
allowance for their doubting too, If you can wait and not be tired by
waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give
way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master, If you can think--and not
make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat
those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've
spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you
gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of
pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never
breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and
sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there
is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings--nor
lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If
all men count with you, but none too much, If you can fill the unforgiving
minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and
everything that's in it, And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Peak Personal Performance

I had an absolutely exceptional day today in terms of my own personal performance - so I decided to look at what was present and what was operating for me in having such a uniquely high performance day.

Now, if you knew me personally, you would know that I was not trying to "talk myself up" in any way - and you would notice the slightly surprised  and almost incredulous demeanour that I have right now as I unfold this little piece of self examination. 

Be clear; I am not talking about "things going my way" or "people were really nice today" or "all my deals came in today" - No, I am talking about achieving a level of personal productivity, efficiency and effectiveness together with a sense of ease and grace that I have not experienced in recent memory; or very often at all. Yes, we all have good and bad days and we have great days BUT; today was way beyond a GREAT day in terms of my own performance... to the extent that I feel absolutely compelled to examine what contributed to this result.

So what was present for me? I think the best way to explain is to jot down a "check-list" of what I noticed about how I felt today;

Confident
Motivated
Free
Unattached
Aware
Strong
Passionate
Clear
Competent
Energetic
Resourceful
Compassionate
Perceptive

Another major contributing factor for me today was that I was incredibly well prepared and "ahead of the game" in terms of what I had to do today. This preparation included the writing and distributing the night before,  of a very effective written communication to create alignment, direction and clarity with a number of colleagues.

So the above describes my state today. Imagine if I could harness this personal power every day at work.. Imagine if I could harness this power for every day of my life whether it be work or  in my personal and family life. I will definitely be looking at how I can dramatically and deliberately increase the incidences of really great days.

This brings up the question of how to measure one's performanc in the workplace. How do you measure how well you perform each day? - athletes measure themselves by, for example, by their times, top speeds and their recovery "stats" - how does, for example,  a recruitment consultant measure his or her performance - yes, we all know about KPI's and placements and fees generated but I believe that is only one dimension of performance measurement - how do we know if we are doing work of real QUALITY - work worthy of being described as art - work that we look at and admire for the sheer brilliance of the actual work performed and how inspired we feel as a result.

 

Bullying in the Workplace

How many of you have experienced blatant bullying in the workplace? It is December 2004, the new millenium is not so new any more (remember 1999?)... "new age thinking" is a term that progressive people tend not to use anymore  - a phrase that is to current leadership lexicon as fluffy dice balls are to "hotting up" your car! My point is that at least ten (10) years after we started talking about empowerment, enlightenment, Steven Covey, Principle Centred Leadership, and more recently Emotional Intelligence, bullying is still alive and thriving in the workforce. Now I am not just talking about "harmless ragging" of the new boy or girl on the production line, I am talking about belligerent, intimidating "stand over" tactics employed in so-called professional office environments.

What is workplace bullying?

The Victorian Workcover Authority define workplace bullying as;

Workplace bullying is repeated, unreasonable behaviour¹ directed toward an employee, or group of employees, that creates a risk to health and safety.²

The following types of behaviour, where repeated or occurring as part of a pattern of behaviour, could be considered bullying:

• verbal abuse
• excluding or isolating employees
• psychological harassment
• intimidation
• assigning meaningless tasks unrelated to the job
• giving employees impossible assignments
• deliberately changed work rosters to inconvenience particular employees
• deliberately withholding information vital for effective work performance

This list is not exhaustive.  Other types of behaviour may also constitute bullying.

¹"Unreasonable behaviour" means behaviour that a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would expect to victimise, humiliate, undermine or threaten; and "behaviour" includes actions of individuals or a group, and may involve using a system of work as a means of victimising, humiliating, undermining or threatening.

²"Risk to health and safety" includes risk to the mental or physical health of the employee.

How many of you have experienced bullying? Do you know of "bullies" that are in management or leadership positions? What form of bullying have you experienced. How many people find themselves often being the "butt" of jokes at meetings or in group gatherings? Is this not victimisation and humiliation? Have you ever found it impossible to calmly present your perspective to a paticular individualor manager  in the workplace because they react to things that they do not want to hear with anger or derision? Is that not intimidating and to an extent threatening?
How many people in the workplace "lead their work lives in quiet desparation" because it is too intimidating or threatening to risk the emotional stand-over tactics of others who get their way through intimidation and sheer emotional violence. What is the effect of "putting up" with this treatment on your daily experience, your productivity and your soul.

Have you seen or are you aware of a workplace where one person is unjustifiably accused of fault or short-comings, and undermined by constant covert gossip amongst the "in group" regardless of the facts of the matter. Is this not psychological harrassment?

I think that this problem is a lot bigger than what we realise or what we like to admit. Does the definition that is provided by Workcover enable us to actually relate the day to day events which take place in the workplace to the terms such as "psychological harassment ", "intimidation", "excluding or isolating employees".

I say there is no place for the Kray brothers in the modern workplace - next blog I will explore some of the group dynmamics that I have noticed exist where bullies ply their trade.