Bitter Defeat or Sweet Success - Stepping forward into One from the Other

How belief breaks down the imaginary wall between success and bitter defeat

There is no doubt in my mind that I have made as many mistakes as I have made good decisions in my life thus far! In fact, I would argue that ‘the more I learn, the less I know’ as my world view widens and deepens with the years. Needles to say, this is nothing new, which is why I wonder at how folks become irrationally afraid of failure and at times obsessively proud of their successes?

The answer is complex with things like societal attitudes, culture and external circumstances playing an important part in shaping our view of the world but ultimately is outside of our control So, in life’ trials and triumphs why should we:

1. Become overly concerned about what other people may think?
2. Pay homage to a culture that depreciates our contribution by not ensuring we collectively benefit from our efforts in a fair and reasonably distributed manner?
3. Dwell on the actions of others, good and/or bad that we cannot influence or control? 

As a guy with a few life tales to tell, I can say this! If we respond to the above with “I will do it anyway” and not change our outlook to one where we recognise the uncontrollable elements for what they are; then possible success turns into a certain failure.

So, after figuring out that the struggle within is where all enrichment starts and ends, it’s my view that we should change ourselves by:

Understanding the external forces at work in our environment and not dwell on things we truly cannot change. Steve Jobs did not reinvent Apple by obsessing over the poor treatment he received when he was removed from the company. He looked to himself, changed from within before returning to Apple as a ‘hero’ so many years later. In essence, he learned to let it go to a point where he could achieve his goals!

Quiten our minds when making big decisions at big junctures in life. Ever sit back and wonder about what you could have achieved if you had just listened better, remembered something or sought better understanding before deciding friends are enemies and enemies are friends? I know I have some regrets on poor decisions but undeterred by social taboo, I have chosen to learn from them. A good tip is to learn to meditate for 5 to no more than 30 minutes a day for leaner, stronger and a more controlled mind. It remembers more, processes information quicker and provides a better sense of well being. Even if you do not meditate, when you consider your position on an important topic, try to focus on 2-3 good breaths, then focus on the topic at hand excluding all background noise in your mind. Quieten your thought process to a single thread of the matter in front of you only.

When challenged, pure focus must be fuelled by pure belief. If you are right, but don’t assert your beliefs, then you will fail. Those opposed have to by definition play a dirtier game to rewrite the definition of correct... so don’t let them! Firstly, be clear on what is needed, be sure of what you are doing then use your belief to ensure a genuine ‘win’ is realised after finding out what is right for the situation, compelling others in consultation with your belief and stepping past failure to success with a ‘group’ effort. A solid approach like that with pure focus delivered by pure belief cannot be easily derailed.

Too often, folks fall prey to the temptation of bitter recourse for a situation that “may” harm one’s enemies but ultimately will harm themselves. Gandhi once said “If you change yourself you will change the world.” I like to think we can… all we have to do is believe and our journey starts from within illuminating the road ahead.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

www.123rf.com

www.tinybudda.com

https://stocksnap.io/photo/XPNTVEF1SZ

Credits;

Independent Thinking - Making Waves or Just Making Trouble?

Why independent thinking should not be confused with negativity or just plain trouble-making

We all love the thought of an easy life; one where we don’t worry about bills, money in our pocket or why we have to (v ‘want to’) use the bus to work in the morning! Our career journeys are often primed to identify “independent thinkers” that are destined in our eyes to interfere with our plans for a domestic utopia; with us taking remedial action at the earliest possible opportunity. This phenomenon is more common then one might think and in enough numbers can often lead to a malformed clan culture in companies where protectionism rather than visionary insight dominate the company culture and arguably its destiny…

So, in walks the fear of losing one’s job, being relegated in career progression to the guy with deeper insights and/or just not succeeding like one feels they should ‘cos that guy is just doing better…’ It may sound like a case of jealousy, but it is a herald for more serious organisational issues especially in a company(s) where leadership tends to be weak and reactive in nature.  

Needless to say, this if unchecked ends ups a management issue that can often lead to a rounding on the ‘trouble maker’ to suppress his or her “performance” or even expel them from the organisation in the name of employee satisfaction. A direct chase to the finish line of bad management practice is obviously not the way to go, which is why I would recommend to any manager the following:

Is the person in question a balanced independent thinker, a whiner/neigh-sayer or an out and out trouble maker??? You will find such issues always boil down to the initial person of interest been accused of being one or more of the three. So quick definitions of the three and what to do:

Independent thinker: Articulate, outspoken, creatively intelligent, passionate about topics and can exude an air of confidence that at times may intimidate some. Issues often arise due to misunderstandings and/or folks becoming threatened by their willingness to think and step outside of the corporate box on issues. Defying conventions can lead to ‘witch hunts’ so beware of folks trying to manipulate events to paint a person like this in a bad light. If there is ever a need for creative types, it’s in this information era where innovation happens at an ever faster rate. Direct such engagements towards mutual accepting of each other’s value to the organisation and to each other. After all, absent one, the other will be eventually be out of job when the company fails. Creative and process driven employees make a successful company in partnership with well rounded leadership of both!  

Negativity: Negative, passive aggressively forward in meetings and backbiting anybody they feel like behind closed doors. Such personalities often seek to deflect attention from themselves by targeting an outspoken independent thinker with the traits they actually display. They are arguably the master of ‘dirty politics’ and most difficult to spot as they “seem to be liked” more by the silence of others then by direct compliment. They are socially active in groups spreading gossip and an innuendo in an apparently gleeful manner. They are the proverbial ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing.’ If the person you are informed about is charged with such transgression, I recommend you evaluate the complainant as much as the initial person of interest for signs of deception and follow up for signs of social interactivity that indicate narcissism and a sense of grandiose. Getting them talking about their correctness in an issue at an appropriate time can be revealing in this regard. Be sure that after completing your investigation, the results are impartial and the real narcissist is identified as an issue, which should be symptomatically addressed in a firm manner as they will raise issues due to their inevitable (future) infractions, which affords you remedial reproach. That said, always be impartial but never forget who you are dealing with.

  

Trouble Makers: The need to see how a bad employee behaves can be subtle like the negative employee or down right threatening like the argument makers. I had a crazy guy work for me who at a team meeting in an open space with our team and two senior managers in guest attendance told me to “lay off the drugs” in a loud disrespectful manner when I talking. The counselling session afterwards lead to more verbal abuse on his part where a verbal warning was his prize. If someone makes a claim about someone you know to be like that, then be sure to not jump to conclusions but be ready to follow the prescribed disciplinary process of your company after your initial investigation is complete. The results from the investigation can start the disciplinary process. People like that are not worth the effort and arrogantly detract from a team’s effectiveness and longevity in a real way. They need to be removed and if management don’t support you on it, then find a new job!

So, you can see that independent thinkers are the lifeblood of any company's longevity but if you let bad ones in that carry the traits of negativity and/or trouble maker, then be prepared to act for everybody’s benefit and future. A “good cultural fit” often misses this at selection letting in the bad ones and keeping the good ones out. As a manager, it then becomes your problem to fix it and fix it we must!

About the author: John Mulhall is a Community Manager and newly Minted Software Developer. John is also a committed blogger and from February 2016 onwards, will be publishing blogs every second week on topics around Technology, Leadership and Sustainable Capitalism.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

https://stocksnap.io/photo/VJF8BWGNNW

www.positivethinkingseminars.com

www.123rf.com

Credits:

Career Ambition... Moving with the times

Ensuring Adaptability and Happiness Dance with Passion and Ambition…

Are you loving Life?… So what’s next?? A promotion, a new job, hobby or even a new chapter in your life??? Or maybe none of the above??? Maybe it’s better to wait until a better time economically to think about oneself and reflect on such questions? Maybe status quo is ok?? Maybe it is.. But what is certain is that they are piercing questions, which demand exploration!!!

Too often, good folks move along Maslow’s hierarchy of needs without really thinking about what they are looking for from psychological needs to self actualisation. On that note, I recall a talk with a life coach who talked of a very successful Merchant Banker and self actualisation. He was trained at a young age as a clerk in the bank, which was led and co-owned by his father. His father, the President showed him no favour in his career making him work hard for every promotion, sometimes trying many times to get promoted until he climbed every rung of the ladder to the top of his profession as President of a Merchant Bank many decades later. He lamented to the life coach about how hard he worked and how successful he was, yet when he reached the top of the ladder, he realised the ladder was facing the wrong wall to truly fulfill him as a human being! On paper, his success was incredible yet in his heart, he felt a gap where his true passion was left unfulfilled.

A sad story of enormous success may leave some slightly confused as to why he can be sad at all? He doesn’t have to worry about a roof over his head or food on the table, right? Very true, but his success is testament to the fact that we are all human and at a human level have very similar needs in order to be whole in this life no matter who we are! We need “to be”, not “nearly to be!”, which is about remembering that life’s true bounty is in the journey, not the destination.

So how does that translate into career ambition and choice? In my view, there is a direct correlation between our work and our lives as the former is such a dominant feature in the latter. If we just follow the societal viewpoint, we will select role and compensation that reflects on what standing we think we deserve in society. In all this focus and decision making, where does happiness and passion fit? Do we dismiss it as folly or embrace it on equal terms with ambition and adaptability in a world that is changing every faster than it did before! I think it would be wise at every career juncture to map out choices in the following areas and rank them from negative to positive as one sees fit!

• Passion: Is my passion stirring great interest in the role description and/or proposition?
• Purpose: Do I see purpose in what is been done at the company and/or industry and/or profession? Also, does this purpose give me a “feel good” feeling that I cannot fully describe when things go well? Do we make a difference?
• Culture: Does the company and/or industry have a culture that relates to my core values or at least does not offend nor challenge them at a core level?
• Adaptability: Am I prepared to be adaptable to my circumstances whilst maintaining my core values as a human being? Will I think outside of the box when it comes to planning my future in a structured manner allowing me to see threats and opportunities in a clearer and more structured way?
• Ambition: Does my ambition align to my passion, purpose, (company) culture and/or adaptability? Will it override who I am as a person or develop who I am into a better version of myself?
• Self-Actualisation: Will all my efforts from this point on lead to me becoming successful, happy or both in life?

If your answer to the self-actualisation question is “both”, then you are truly lucky to have gained the vision to see what you want to become as a whole package and the courage to see it so! If like so many, you are effectively asked to trade happiness for success, then I leave you with a quote from Steve Jobs in his Stanford 2005 graduation speech: “If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.” When we look back on our life, we just want to see a full heart that was made whole by our decisions in the here and now. We are the culmination of these decisions and who we are should ultimately reconcile with who we want to be. When they reconcile, we take our place in this world as we have seen ergo our legacy is not an echo of what could have been!

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

www.en.wikipedia.org

https://stocksnap.io/photo/NVEEDW9B33

www.zengardner.com

Credits:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs by Simply Psychology at http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Steve Jobs quote from Standard Speech in 2005 by Goodreads.com at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/445070-if-you-haven-t-found-it-yet-keep-looking-don-t-settle

Employee Churn - Finding the Curve

How relationships can help you find the curve drivers for employee churn

The old saying “employee's leave a bad manager, not a bad company” may have allot of truth to it but it’s not the full story.  A leave decision by an employee is often made after considering a wider set of criteria internal and external to the company including points of a more personal nature.

Did you ever note that exit interviews often provide a “nice” picture of the company by the exiting employee with a less flattering account on Glassdoor? This begs the question, what drives an employee to leave the company? Bad Manager? Sure.. this is a regular reason but not the only one… What about role, environment, organisational structure, peers, subordinates, other “silos” in the organisation, customers, 3rd parties, under use of talent, over use of talent and of course compatibility with company culture??? Do they factor in the decision to leave?

Forbes ran an article producing employee survey results where 31% of chronically overworked employees thought of leaving the company for another job and 15% of employees who ranked company culture poorly were of the same mindset. So, spinning up the correlation engine, what element has a strong correlation with everything else in the decision for an employee to leave? “Relationships” is the answer. How they are structured is critical to understanding and addressing the reasons for employees leaving, which range from small issues to structural issues within the organisation.

Does the fix sounds like a big task? It sure does but if you approach it from an angle of starting with the end in mind, you will see how your organisational structure, management style, business process management infrastructure, leadership styles, environmental management (Facilities & HR) and resulting company culture impact the employee’s ability to conduct and maintain relationships in the workplace. Contrary to popular belief, a normal person does not want to be a millionaire at all costs, they want to be happy by making a positive impact on their company and society in general. In order to be happy, an employee needs to be reasonably able to maintain relationships in support of this overall disposition within their company’s paradigm of existence. This is where relationships come in with peers creating a good atmosphere and managers/leaders supporting this through consultative leadership. This includes tactical delegation of the appropriate amount of tasks that are framed in a genuine manner as meaningful and important to the company. Many overlook this due to “been busy”, which is counter productive as a valuable employee moving on will make the leader even more busy coping with the loss of the employee and filling their shoes in an unplanned manner! Good leaders count as does a good company.

In my quest for understanding in new leadership roles over the years, my high level approach implementing the above in a functional role has been the following:

• Know Your Team -   Know your team, what frustrates them, what makes them happy and what creates obstacles in getting the job done (start with the end in mind)
• Know Who Interacts with your Team - Introduce yourself to management and leadership peers, find out what makes them happy, excited, frustrated and sad. Find out how they interact with your team
• Understand the process - understanding the business processes around what your team does and how it interacts with the company internal and external to customers and 3rd parties noting bottlenecks, inefficiencies and pain points for your team
• Research the Company culture and organisational structure - from experience there is no real point in creating an adhocracy sub culture in a company that has a dominant dictatorial culture. You will only be targeted at best by other “silos” if you succeed and it could send your team into even more disarray if you fail. Loosely align best practice to culture before you start to make changes as this factors into the happiness (& productivity) of your employees.
• Be a genuine leader - I have met many pretend leaders who care only for their own interests and come across as fake leaders out for themselves. Don’t be that guy, your employees cannot have a genuine relationship with a fake leader!
• Build together - as a believer in consultative leadership, I can tell you from experience that sustainable processes which work are built when collaboration (versus coercion) happens within a team in developing a process from the ground up. Its acceptance and deployment are far more successful then when a process is designed and deployed by force upon a team. We need to feel important in our roles and employees feel the same way, which is why inclusion not imposition needs to underpin any new team venture. After all, we need to know that what we do matters!

It’s a hard sell to some and an easy sell to others based on belief and leadership orientation. Even if you reject the above approach, just be consistent with your approach knowing that relationships are key to employee retention. If you do, you become more effective from the get-go leaving rest up to you…

About the author: John Mulhall is a Community Manager and newly Minted Software Developer. John is also a committed blogger and from February 2016 onwards, will be publishing blogs every second week on topics around Technology, Leadership and Sustainable Capitalism.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

www.insperity.com

www.blog.hubspot.com

Credits;

http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/10/10/why-do-employees-leave-their-jobs-new-survey-offers-answers/#66ed2d0956a9

What is Essential in a Great Consultant...

Good consultants in today’s world are plentiful so why are great ones hard to find?

Given today’s world and the commercial realities of supply and demand, I think it is reasonable for us to proceed with the following working assumptions:

• Bad Consultants do not exist in the marketplace as most bad consultants burn more bridges then they build making themselves ultimately redundant. The few well connected exceptions should be set aside for purposes of this article.
• Consultants are defined as primarily working for an agency and/or for themselves with purpose to offer consulting expertise in business areas and/or areas of IT like software, big data and infrastructure. That said, most of the below article applies globally to the consulting industry in my view.

So, a good consultant, how can he or she be defined?  Business Dictionary defines the term “Consultant” as follows:

Experienced professional who provides expert knowledge (often packaged under a catchy name) for a fee. He or she works in an advisory capacity only and is usually not accountable for the outcome of a consulting exercise.

I think this definition is a traditionally accurate and encompassing one, which has given rise to a generation of good consultants. In my view, they have the following key traits which are pointers to personality and professional standing in terms of motivation, modus operandi and cultural propensity.  A good consultant today is expert at reading any person or situation (i.e. High EQ), a prolific networker, technically savvy in their chosen area along with been expert at protecting their own interests and that of their company/agency in a tripartite situation. These impressive traits make for a good consultant but is it enough?

I don’t think so, which is why it’s so hard to find a great consultant who has that X factor trait. Personally, I think a great consultant understands and possesses the traits of a good consultant but refuses to be defined by them. He or she will balance these elements against the higher traits of strategic awareness with view to true value creation (not just “on paper gains”) , sustainable design practices and a good level of ethics. Sometimes it’s better to shake a prospective client’s hand and say goodbye rather than accept a high earning fee for a job that is setup to fail. Picture a prospective client who is convinced a problem lies in x part of their organisation whereas the problem really lies in y and z areas. This client won’t entertain the notion of been wrong; would you accept his money or just walk away? Good consultants may accept his money and find a way to mitigate the risk posed by the intrenched position, whereas great ones would care to share the reality and then walk away. Such a stance may not be good for the bottom line in the shorter term, but karma is still king and great reputations in consulting rely more on the higher strategic suite of traits when on the lower level of tactical traits every good consultant has.

So leaving what is often the easy way to one side, maybe more great consultants will rise with new motivational drivers found in these higher strategic traits rather than been purely tactical in their careers and accordingly, how they professionally define themselves. Unlocking such potential with a different view and approach to consulting would have a seriously good return for all involved in my view. What do you think? Leave your opinion today...

About the author: John Mulhall is a newly Minted Software Developer and Community Manager. John is also a committed blogger and from February 2016 onwards, will be publishing blogs every second week on topics around Technology, Leadership and Sustainable Capitalism.

Sources/Credits:

Pics;

https://stocksnap.io/photo/KCIU8RWM09

www.quantifye.co

Credits;

Definition of consulting:

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/consultant.html#ixzz46HEjQpIk