TIP #13 - Be Built for Change
In an article in the November issue of Fast Company Was Built to Last Built to Last? there's a quote from Jim Collins, author of best selling book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies:
"Theee e most important part of the book is chapter four!" Collins declares, stretching his words for unmistakable emphasis. "Preserve the core! And! Stimulate progress! To be built to last, you have to be built for change!"
Now here's the thing. That is as true for successful companies as it is for people who are winning at working. Want to be winning at working? Be built for change. That means you need to preserve your core and stimulate your progress.
As Charles Darwin reminds us, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
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Posted by Nan Russell at 08:46 AM
November 19, 2004How many minds have you read today?
None I'd imagine.
Yet, if you're like me, sometimes I'm waiting for people to read my mine ... waiting for my boss to read my mind and know I want that new assignment; or my colleague to know I was irritated about his statement in the meeting and I'd like an apology; or my assistant to know I'd like her to answer my phone before the third ring ... or ... you get the point.
Waiting for someone to read your mind is like waiting for the goose to lay a golden egg. It only happens in fairy tales.
If you want someone to know what you're thinking, tell them. If getting the assignment is important to you, say so. If you're irritated with a colleague invite him for coffee and discuss it. If you want a different performance standard from a staff member, tell her. Mind reading is not a winning at working strategy, nor is waiting for someone to read yours.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 06:38 PM
November 14, 2004Inspiration Is Everywhere
As a columnist and life-student, I'm always on the look-out for things that touch me or interest me or get me thinking. I find bits of inspiration everything. Last week I was in Pennsylvania and went shopping with an old friend. I came across this thought on a candle by Philosophy :
"grace. how you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and, so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson. in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light.
Posted by Nan Russell at 04:50 PM
November 11, 2004TIP #12: Schedule Self-Appointments
One of the first things I do with any new idea or project is schedule time on my calendar, setting aside two hour blocks one to three days a week, or perhaps a half day a week. I consider this appointment with myself as critical as any other on my schedule.
Scheduling dedicated time to think, plan, analyze, and move ideas and projects ahead positively impacts both my productivity and my results.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 03:02 PM
November 04, 2004TIP #11: One Idea a Day
One idea a day is all it takes to develop a creative thinking habit with big paybacks. You have hundreds of ideas passing through your head on any given day. The key is to recognize them and note them down. These are not world changing ideas I'm talking about, but the everyday type. Think of it more like idea-singles vs. idea-home runs, knowing that overtime singles can add up and be a winning strategy.
I keep online logs of ideas and add to them throughout the day, when something pops to mind or I come across something I find interesting. It may just be an idea snippet, but I still note it down. These lists are about all sorts of things: potential column topics, enhancements for my website, marketing ideas for my book, personal development areas, or even fun weekend get-aways.
Often I have no idea what I'm going to do with the idea, but I find if I note it down I can come back to the list and cherry pick the best ideas, or evolve a snippet of an idea into something bigger and better.
Sometimes ideas are borrowed from others, or built on from other ones. Maybe I read something interesting that someone else is doing that's helped them, and that leads to an idea on how I might do something similar.
Ideas are everywhere. But, developing a discipline to capture, develop and use them can dramatically impact your results.
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Posted by Nan Russell at 01:47 PM
