Thought of the Week - 2/23/09

“If we want to produce people who share the values of a democratic culture, they must be taught those values and not be left to acquire them by chance.” -- Cal Thomas

You probably see it every day, but when was the last time that you actually read your organization’s mission statement and reflected on each word? When was the last time you read your organization’s vision statement or statement of shared values? How well do you know what your organization stands for? How committed are you to seeing the mission and vision carried out? How clear are you as to how your role in the organization affects the mission and vision?

Equally important, how well do those you lead understand how their individual roles and responsibilities affect the mission and vision of the organization? How well do those you lead contribute to other areas in the organization? What are you doing to enhance your team’s understanding of the organization’s mission, vision and shared values? What are you doing to ensure collaboration across departments?

Thought of the Week - 2/16/09

“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” -- Bertold Brecht

One of the most challenging issues in organizations and business today is change. Some people love it and others hate it. But one thing is for sure, change takes time. We either make change happen so quickly that people don’t have time to get on board and make it happen effectively or we’re not given enough time to do what it takes to see change occur when it needs to.

Whenever change occurs, transition goes with it. In order to be effective, we need to involve the people affected by the change in the change process. We need to allow a process to occur which deals with people’s emotions.

The last time you experience a planned change, what intentional efforts were made to allow people to experience their losses and deal with their emotions?

What did you do to purposefully involve those who were not on board?

What did you do to engage them and support them through their feelings?

If you take the time to support those most affected by the change, you may find that some of your greatest advocates of the change you desire will be those who struggled the most with the change in the beginning.

Thought of the Week - 2/02/09

“Self-esteem is a huge piece of my work. You have to believe it's possible and believe in yourself. Because after you've decided what you want, you have to believe it's possible, and possible for you, not just for other people. Then you need to seek out models, mentors, and coaches.” -- Jack Canfield

Do you believe you are capable of being the best at what you do?

Do you evaluate yourself on a regular basis to identify the caps in your skills?

Do you have someone other than yourself (i.e., coach mentor, friend, partner, etc.) that you hold yourself accountable to?

What have you done lately to congratulate or reward yourself for a job well done?