Post from: MAPpingCompanySuccess Anyone who’s been around even one block knows that the road to success is paved with people who know more and are smarter than you. But knowing isn’t accepting.
Dan McCarthy did a great post called Captain Kirk and Leadership that spells this out. It’s too good to paraphrase, so click on over and read it.
He also pointed me to a video that I’m posting here for you. Take the time to watch, it could change your life.
If you’re the worrying kind, there’s a lot of serious stuff going on in the world to worry you and much of it involves people dying. But in spite of all that, people still find time to fret over the idiotic.
And there’s plenty of idiocy around for the fretting.
According to Dimitris Lambrou, “…international dominance of the word in its sexual context violates the human rights of the islanders, and disgraces them around the world.”
Seems that there’s a small Greek Island named Lesbos and the inhabitants are called Lesbians.
“The term lesbian originated from the poet Sappho, who was a native of Lesbos.
Sappho expressed her love of other women in poetry written during the 7th Century BC.
But according to Mr Lambrou, new historical research has discovered that Sappho had a family, and committed suicide for the love of a man.”
Now, over the years I’ve had friends of every possible gender proclivity and I’m here to tell you that the suicide proves nothing.
Obviously, the only course open to Lambrou and his followers was to sue for an “…injunction against the Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece and to order it to change its name,” which they did this spring.
“The court ruled that the word lesbian in its adopted Greek and international sexual context does not offend or threaten the individual, collective or human rights of the island’s residents.”
That didn’t please Lambrou, who has promised to keep fighting.
“It is a misguided ruling, so we have decided to take the matter to the highest courts both in Greece and Europe.”
Amazing, isn’t it? In a world facing wars, famine, global climate change, and all kinds of human-induced nastiness, people still have the time, interest and energy to pursue the ridiculous.
How time flies. I may be slow, but eventually I get there.
My good buddy KG Charles-Harris sent this to me last spring, he found the information both useful and amusing and thought I should pass it on. As I’m finally doing.
When hiring a manager, the author says to “chuck out all the psychometric tests and references that reveal so little and go for the “nanny test” instead,” adding the caveat that the test only works on people who had/have nannies.
“Managing a nanny is management at its most extreme. The stakes are gigantic: getting someone else to look after our children is the biggest act of delegation that any of us ever does. You need to find someone good, you need to get them to stay, and you need to keep them happy. This isn’t easy in a job that is poorly paid, has no career progression and involves much wiping of bottoms.”
Sadly, the description in the last sentence describes many jobs in industry. Sometimes it’s actually the job, but more often it’s the way you end up feeling after doing it for a while.
So the writer called the nanny she had employed for 15 years and asked for a review.
“I had hoped she would mention my skills as a mentor, friend, team player,” instead, the nanny said, “I think the reason I stayed with you all those years was your total lack of involvement.”
First reaction were hurt feelings, “But then I thought about it and realised she was quite right. Indeed, in a couple of seconds, my nanny test had told me something about myself as a leader. Not only do I not micro-manage, I don’t macro-manage either. I recruited someone I trusted with my children’s lives and I let her get on with it.”
Since technical difficulties (don’t ask) are why this post is so late, I thought I’d offer up something on technology.
There are many of us old enough to remember calling 411 information, giving a real live person a name and location and receiving the desired phone number all at no cost.
That’s right, the service was totally free.
But that was then and this is now.
Few people call 411 information these days, since the cost ranges from $1-2 dollars and (probably) up.
Enter stage left our good friends at Google.
I don’t know if the service is new, but it’s new to me—cutting-edge I’m not.
It’s for business listings only and seems to be designed primarily for cell phones, since you can enter information with the keypad.
The service uses voice recognition and connects the call for free.
It does save your requests associated with your phone number, however, it doesn’t read blocked numbers, so if you block your phone as I do it won’t track you.
I know I’ll use it. I get really sick of looking businesses up in the phonebook; and for those who are out and about it would be really useful.
How many times have you heard/read about the actions/decisions of a corporate head, manager, politician, clergyperson, neighbor, spouse/partner, kid, etc., and thought, “What was s/he thinking?!”
How many times have one of the above looked at your actions/decisions and thought, “What was s/he thinking?!”
Henry Ford said, “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.”
Based on what’s going on in the world, from micro to macro, we all need to start working a hell of a lot harder!
I wrote the following post way back when I started writing MAPping Company Success and I felt it was important enough to repost. It’s full of great ideas with which to start your week!
It never ceases to amaze me how often managers state strong views from positions of extreme ignorance—and consider their positions/comments invincible.
Minor details such as facts, documentation, surveys, articles, etc., in no way sway them from the stand they’ve taken. They seem to thing that any change they make in a public statement will be taken as a sign of weakness by those around them, especially subordinates.
How wrong they are.
Excellent managers don’t just listen, but also truly hear what is said; and they are totally comfortable using phrases such as:
I don’t know.
Tell me more.
Educate me.
Please explain.
What do you think?
Let’s discuss it.
I was wrong.
None of us knows everything about any given topic, no matter how narrowly defined, nor creative enough to think of every possible shading, tangent, ramification or repercussion applicable to, or stemming from, it.
It’s an old saw that the way to managerial success is to hire people smarter than yourself, but once they are hired you need to create a culture where they will be heard.
Today is the inaugural post of a new feature here at MAPping Company Success. For the foreseeable future (at least until I’m bored) Saturday will be political commentary day.
Not a day to push a particular agenda, but rather one to comment on or poke fun at whatever happens to catch my eye.
We’re barely into election season and I’m already sick of the ads. Most are a mix of the five main political ingredients,
inflexible ideology;
rhetoric;
illogic;
promises that can’t/won’t be kept; and, of course,
out and out lies.
OK, I’m used to all that and try and take it in stride. But what I’m finding outrageous this year are the statements into which a contortionist couldn’t read any meaning, such as this one from Jonathan Fant, who is running for State Rep in my district.
And before you think this is an anti-Fant post, it isn’t, since I don’t particularly care for his incumbent opposition, either.
So here, for your erudition and amusement, is the blurb from my official Washington State Voter’s Pamphlet:
Candidate Statement
“Now more than ever, we must unite our community. The new challenges we face require a strong voice to represent the people. We can no longer afford to follow the same business structure that is in place. We need to make these changes now, before it is too late.
I am running for State Representative because I want to ensure prosperity for us now and set the foundation for future generations. I want to see positive changes for our community and make sure that everyone’s needs finally get addressed. A vote for me is a choice for a positive change.”
That’s it. 98 words that are so generic that they could be used by any candidate, for any office, at any time, representing any ideology, anywhere in the world.
At least the normal five effect???if only the dubious benefit of raised blood pressure.
Have a quick question or just want to chat? Feel free to write or call me at 866.265.7267. Up to a point it's free, beyond that point it's business. Not sure? No problem:) I'll say something if the line's crossed.
There are many of us old enough to remember calling 411 information, giving a real live person a name and location and receiving the desired phone number all at no cost.
It never ceases to amaze me how often managers state strong views from positions of extreme ignorance—and consider their positions/comments invincible.
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