In an interview yesterday I was asked what was the best Tweet I ever saw.
Here it is:
@benjaminmccall - If I personally belived all statistics, then I wouldn't have accomplished anything! Break the mold.
Ben, like me, seems to be a guy who believes that convention is what got us in this mess in the first place. I am concerned that organizations are using this down time not to re-invent but to scale back. I am continually concerned that when things get better organizations will go back to the same old thing and hope it works this time.
In my consulting efforts I am always asked for 3 things:
References
Case Studies
Best Practices
People thirst for defendable statistics to take the guess work out of decision making. Essentially, "tell me what other companies are doing and we'll do that because if they decided it will work, it must".
If there is no where to go but up why not take a chance......if the other stuff didn't work why try it again....if everyone else is doing something and failing, does that make it right?...if Jack Welch jumped off a bridge.......(you get the idea)!
I know we're freaked out but FEAR will not move us forward, in fact, it will drag us back.
Be Bold, Be Couragious, Take a Chance.....Break the Mold!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
Monday Motivation
It's Monday......
I remember a time in a my life when I dreaded this day. Not Any More!
I have made many changes in my life but my renewed joy for Monday is the result of two things:
PERCEPTION
ATTITUDE
My climb out of Monday Morning Misery has produced one undeniable truth:
If you think today will suck, it will!
I left my headphones off this morning and listened to a group of retirees complain for 1.5 hours: the economy, mislead young people, a directionless country and Toyota's inability.
Their day will suck...and it might stand to reason that 70 years of unlimited potential has been wasted on these human beings. At what point did they give up, at what point did they stop pursuing their dreams and become 'the victim', at what point did they stop living and start dieing?
The effort you put into negative thought does less for the mind than uplifting thought. Uplifting thought requires no more effort but produces results.
Nothing has Ever Been Achieved as the Result of a Complaint!
How will you spend today, this week, this year? What will you do with the results? If you keep frowning not only will you fail but you will fail alone.
TODAY IS THE DAY!
Let go of that which you cannot change and accept it!
Strive toward that which will ensure your happiness!
Use that which people most admire about YOU to differentiate YOU in the workplace!
It is as easy and as hard as that!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
references:
Friday, March 5, 2010
Best Picture
The Big Awards show is Sunday....all the stars will come out to get hammered because their campaign of kissing pundit ass to receive a coveted award is over and they can get back to living their abnormal lives.
To me, these awards shows are as much about who you are and who you know as they are about the art you make. James Cameron dedicated many years of his life and millions of dollars to making a film that will change the action film genre....so if it wins best picture it will confirm that technological advances and innovative film scaping have taken the place of a good script and good acting. Avatar has 'captured the imagination' of the world through production and special effects. But the flying dragon fiasco failed to create a dreamscape anywhere near what Spike Jonze and Company conceptualized!
So, my vote for Best Picture was cast for Where the Wild Things Are. This film is nothing short of a Masterpiece. For the imagination put into it and the recreation of the boundless ideas behind my favorite book as a child. The critics were not kind to this movie, which shows how very little THEY know. Have we become so jaded as a society that 3D is what drives our entertainment perspective? That we are now so lazy even in the lazy practice of cinematic observation that we need the characters in the room with us....?
Last night, I sat with my son and daughter and watched Where the Wild Things Are. We laughed and cried; they asked me questions regarding Max's frustration (empathetic to his plight). It was not an easy watch for them at times and they ran upstairs to pretend they where monsters during a fair part of the films mid-section. But when Max boarded his boat and returned home to his Mom, we smiled universally.
Where the Wild Things Are is a conveyance of the difficulty of childhood and parenting alike. It is a tribute to our imagination and where it can take us when times are tough. This film makes kids want to be grown ups and grown ups want to be kids. There is an empowerment of imagination and warning in the danger of worshiping to false idols.
I love books because they allow us to create a world in our minds that is not convertible to any type of media....except in this case. Spike Jonze, David Eggers, Tom Hanks and crew may have actually found a way to take a child's mind and throw it into the universe of the silver screen. A tribute to the great minds of our time....worked for not bought!
As the Monsters howled in blissful unison sending Max back home, my thoughts were strong: That being a kid can suck and that parents are as scared shitless as a kid in the forest. But moreso, that I was happy to see my old friend Brett this week, that I love to get emails from my friend Bob, that I am so grateful to have had a mother to read Where the Wild Things are to me and that I am happy to pass along the story to my kids.
When Catherine Keener fell asleep, her son safe in the kitchen, so did Marley Bobbie Kovacovich in my arms. My son looked up at me and asked for a chocolate sandwich. All of us back in our kingdom together, safe from all the monsters out there, but sympathetic to their need to just be part of the world.
Avatar can SUCK IT! Where the Wild Things Are is the Best picture released in 2009!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
Monday, March 1, 2010
Real American Heroes
The United States and Canadian Hockey teams engaged in a classic Gold Medal match on Sunday...and I didn't watch a play.
I had more important things to do. My nephew was playing in the Catholic League 4th Grade Basketball Championship.
My son and I entered the arena to see this kid levitate above the court he played upon. Graceful in his dribbling, elegant in his shot taking and calculated in his defensive coordination. He and the boys from his block walked in to a gym across town and handed the home team a beat down!
As the game dramatically unfolded, one thing became evident: unapologetic effort! At times the dribbling was out of control, elbows were thrown and screens moved inappropriately. But the drive to succeed in these boys (and a girl) was flabbergasting. At no point did the energy run out. there was always a kid on the floor for a loose ball and fear of injury was unthinkable. It was just some kids from neighboring towns throwing down for their block in an effort to put a trophy on their bedroom shelf.
When the final whistle blew the team of marry pranksters celebrated with high fives, accepted their trophies and thanked their competitors. The smallest boy on the team carried the pride of his family on his shoulders getting knocked down and bouncing back up as his Father has; having just lost his job!
How much we can learn from these little people:
To determine our goals and drive toward them without compromise
To dedicate ourselves to our challenges
To be Humble in Victory and Accountable in Defeat
There are those who say Sunday's gold medal game saved Hockey. But, a rink filled with pros is far from Lake Placid. Give me the amateurs...those who play for the sake of achieving prizes no one will ever take from them: A trophy, some pride for a neighborhood that has seen it's share of heart break and a little more confidence to carry with them onto this marry-go-round called life.
ST JOAN OF ARK 4th GRADE BASKETBALL RULES!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
I had more important things to do. My nephew was playing in the Catholic League 4th Grade Basketball Championship.
My son and I entered the arena to see this kid levitate above the court he played upon. Graceful in his dribbling, elegant in his shot taking and calculated in his defensive coordination. He and the boys from his block walked in to a gym across town and handed the home team a beat down!
As the game dramatically unfolded, one thing became evident: unapologetic effort! At times the dribbling was out of control, elbows were thrown and screens moved inappropriately. But the drive to succeed in these boys (and a girl) was flabbergasting. At no point did the energy run out. there was always a kid on the floor for a loose ball and fear of injury was unthinkable. It was just some kids from neighboring towns throwing down for their block in an effort to put a trophy on their bedroom shelf.
When the final whistle blew the team of marry pranksters celebrated with high fives, accepted their trophies and thanked their competitors. The smallest boy on the team carried the pride of his family on his shoulders getting knocked down and bouncing back up as his Father has; having just lost his job!
How much we can learn from these little people:
To determine our goals and drive toward them without compromise
To dedicate ourselves to our challenges
To be Humble in Victory and Accountable in Defeat
There are those who say Sunday's gold medal game saved Hockey. But, a rink filled with pros is far from Lake Placid. Give me the amateurs...those who play for the sake of achieving prizes no one will ever take from them: A trophy, some pride for a neighborhood that has seen it's share of heart break and a little more confidence to carry with them onto this marry-go-round called life.
ST JOAN OF ARK 4th GRADE BASKETBALL RULES!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Journey
In his film, The Drifter, Rob Machado escapes society to exercise his dislike for people. Buzzing cell phones, flashing lights, mass consumption and insensitivity at the cost of genuine Human Connection have warn him out.
Rob escapes to Indonesia and in his time of evading people he is discovered by people. A local tribe invades Rob's solitude and encourages him to interact again. In doing so, Rob re-discovers the simple beauty of human compassion and comes to understand that people are not the problem but the solution. All the stuff we put between us is what's wrong and ignoring everyone is just as libelous as spreading the insensitivity of Big City living.
Our discontent with the Path we are on is sometimes an effect of that path and not the shoes we wear.
You can walk into a wall or run into a wall!
Can it not be said then that discontent, lack of productivity, effort without results, a lack of happiness or the struggle to compete; may be a measure of the structure we have allowed ourselves to plug in to.
If the path you are walking starts to hurt your feet, try a different path!
This doesn't mean you have to quit your job, leave your family and take up surfing in Indonesia. But you might consider a new way of solving problems by embracing those around you instead of opposing them.
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
Rob escapes to Indonesia and in his time of evading people he is discovered by people. A local tribe invades Rob's solitude and encourages him to interact again. In doing so, Rob re-discovers the simple beauty of human compassion and comes to understand that people are not the problem but the solution. All the stuff we put between us is what's wrong and ignoring everyone is just as libelous as spreading the insensitivity of Big City living.
Our discontent with the Path we are on is sometimes an effect of that path and not the shoes we wear.
You can walk into a wall or run into a wall!
Can it not be said then that discontent, lack of productivity, effort without results, a lack of happiness or the struggle to compete; may be a measure of the structure we have allowed ourselves to plug in to.
If the path you are walking starts to hurt your feet, try a different path!
This doesn't mean you have to quit your job, leave your family and take up surfing in Indonesia. But you might consider a new way of solving problems by embracing those around you instead of opposing them.
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
Monday, February 22, 2010
What's Your Theme Song?
In the film (500) days of Summer, the great Joseph Gordon-Levitt walks out of his apartment into a Bollywood sketch in celebration of his discovery of love to the music of Daryl Hall & John Oates.
The greatest invention of the last Decade is certainly the I-pod because it can transport you to any given montage in celebration of the day ahead of you. There is music that you can put on the headphones that prohibits any type of negativity and ensures a great morning. This is a priceless (if unfathomable) jewel to enhance one's perception. Put on the headphones and go!
There are those who say this generation of I-poders are unaware of the world around them, plugged-in to a universe of fantasy....and that's a bad thing?
Why not make today extraordinary by putting an uplifting soundtrack on your headphones?
Here are 5 albums that will ensure your mood is positive:
1. Aim and Ignite by fun.
2. Old Blood by Yeasayer
3. Troubadour by K'naan
4. Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State
5. Let me Introduce My Friends by I'm From Barcelona
Get Up, Get Out and Get Going!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
Thursday, February 18, 2010
4 Reasons for Success
I used to document the Challenges I stood to face going into each week. At the end of the week, I would cross off all challenges I had conquered. On one reflective Friday evening I realized that the challenges I listed were actually complaints. On that day, I ripped up my list of challenges and never wrote it again.
Why?
Four distinct reasons:
* One Must Accept that which is Out of His/Her Control
* All Complaints can be Re-Directed into Action Items
* Two Things Matter Most in Life
* Life's One True Certainty
Accept That Which is Out of Your Control
There are rules, standards, & quotas...they are etched in stone! They will not change, your inability to recognize them will jeopardize your reputation and no one will care why you failed to comply. Complaining will not change your quota, Bitching will not negate standards and the rules will not change because you missed the bus. There is no exception: You HAVE TO accept rules, standards and a quota and go forward (or around) accordingly.
*Self-Condemnation: If you throw up your hand in a meeting and propose why you can't - you are on a fast track to FIRESVILLE!
RE-DIRECT
You have a co-worker that is not a team player - Re-Direct
* Try questions instead of instructions
You are at odds with a team member - Re-Direct
* Hear them out. Offer a few goals for moving forward instead of dissecting their complaints
You are working with a team of incompetents - Re-Direct
* Before you Judge; Accept that the fault might be yours!
* Reliance on 'rules' to hold people accountable is a sign of poor leadership!
The Two Things That Matter Most in Life:
* PERCEPTION
* ATTITUDE
Any job can be as good or as bad as you make it!
Life's One True Certainty:
If you think today will suck; It Will!
Document your goals daily, weekly, monthly & annually:
* Do so in terms of what you can do, not what you can't
* There is no challenge without an accordingly goal and a process for achievement!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
Why?
Four distinct reasons:
* One Must Accept that which is Out of His/Her Control
* All Complaints can be Re-Directed into Action Items
* Two Things Matter Most in Life
* Life's One True Certainty
Accept That Which is Out of Your Control
There are rules, standards, & quotas...they are etched in stone! They will not change, your inability to recognize them will jeopardize your reputation and no one will care why you failed to comply. Complaining will not change your quota, Bitching will not negate standards and the rules will not change because you missed the bus. There is no exception: You HAVE TO accept rules, standards and a quota and go forward (or around) accordingly.
*Self-Condemnation: If you throw up your hand in a meeting and propose why you can't - you are on a fast track to FIRESVILLE!
RE-DIRECT
You have a co-worker that is not a team player - Re-Direct
* Try questions instead of instructions
You are at odds with a team member - Re-Direct
* Hear them out. Offer a few goals for moving forward instead of dissecting their complaints
You are working with a team of incompetents - Re-Direct
* Before you Judge; Accept that the fault might be yours!
* Reliance on 'rules' to hold people accountable is a sign of poor leadership!
The Two Things That Matter Most in Life:
* PERCEPTION
* ATTITUDE
Any job can be as good or as bad as you make it!
Life's One True Certainty:
If you think today will suck; It Will!
Document your goals daily, weekly, monthly & annually:
* Do so in terms of what you can do, not what you can't
* There is no challenge without an accordingly goal and a process for achievement!
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Day After Valentine's Day
I heard a show on Sirius Radio that was dedicated to the superficiality of Valentine's Day. During this program a person who worked at a florist called in and commented that she was appalled by the number of people coming in to buy flowers. (I think we calls these customers...) The sentiment being that you should Love someone every day and that February 14 was an arbitrary date upon which those who have an inability to express their Love have a default of flowers and chocolates.
On the pages of Twitter, I saw countless posts by people condemning the 'holiday' or apologizing for celebrating it.
My dance card has been filled for a while but even before my ship found it's port I remember enjoying Valentines Day. It was indeed a superficial excuse to invite someone you admired on a date....what's wrong with that?
When did we get so angry? When did seeing Love in others make us mad? Are those who post anti-Valentines wishes suffering broken hearts or do they not feel like putting the effort into Love?
I would propose 3 distinct realities on Valentines Day:
* LOVE is Awesome
* Pessimism of any sort Sucks!
* Ones influence should be used only for Good!
I have heard it said that Love was admitting you cared about someone else more than yourself. I Love that idea!
For many years, I lived with a negativity fueled determination. Eye on the prize with no one to distract me from my goals. Every time I crossed the finish line I was alone. My life was easy at that point. It was not until I decided to give of myself that life got significantly more challenging and much, much more rewarding. The simple (if unfair) fact of life is that all rewards come at the cost of dedicating yourself to others. Put your determination aside, let someone in and achieve together for the mutual benefit of something good. Taking this into account it stands to reason that the primary element of PROGRESS is LOVE!
Next Valentine's Day when you go to air your hate mail for the world to see consider this:
Until we realize that the acts that propel us forward are driven by Love and continue to ignore Love we will only halt progress. Let not the acts of the self-centered bring us to similar actions.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO LOVE AND BE LOVED!
* To give of yourself is not easy but nothing worth achieving comes without sacrifice.
"Without Love in a Dream it will never come true"
- Jerry Garcia
"One man is no man"
- Robert Morrison
Don't Forget to Remember,
Dave
On the pages of Twitter, I saw countless posts by people condemning the 'holiday' or apologizing for celebrating it.
My dance card has been filled for a while but even before my ship found it's port I remember enjoying Valentines Day. It was indeed a superficial excuse to invite someone you admired on a date....what's wrong with that?
When did we get so angry? When did seeing Love in others make us mad? Are those who post anti-Valentines wishes suffering broken hearts or do they not feel like putting the effort into Love?
I would propose 3 distinct realities on Valentines Day:
* LOVE is Awesome
* Pessimism of any sort Sucks!
* Ones influence should be used only for Good!
I have heard it said that Love was admitting you cared about someone else more than yourself. I Love that idea!
For many years, I lived with a negativity fueled determination. Eye on the prize with no one to distract me from my goals. Every time I crossed the finish line I was alone. My life was easy at that point. It was not until I decided to give of myself that life got significantly more challenging and much, much more rewarding. The simple (if unfair) fact of life is that all rewards come at the cost of dedicating yourself to others. Put your determination aside, let someone in and achieve together for the mutual benefit of something good. Taking this into account it stands to reason that the primary element of PROGRESS is LOVE!
Next Valentine's Day when you go to air your hate mail for the world to see consider this:
Until we realize that the acts that propel us forward are driven by Love and continue to ignore Love we will only halt progress. Let not the acts of the self-centered bring us to similar actions.
ALLOW YOURSELF TO LOVE AND BE LOVED!
* To give of yourself is not easy but nothing worth achieving comes without sacrifice.
"Without Love in a Dream it will never come true"
- Jerry Garcia
"One man is no man"
- Robert Morrison
Don't Forget to Remember,
Dave
Monday, February 8, 2010
3 People
I am a fan of 'feel good' stories. There is nothing I enjoy more than the triumph of the human spirit. Stories of Redemption are to me: Religion.There are those who believe tear jerking moments of divine inspiration to be cheesy. I doubt these folks have ever been champions. When you know what it means to redefine yourself by evolving your purpose, you know the anguish of success and the all more important grace of achieving the impossible.
So this weekend I met 3 people:
In a modern day version of 'Into The Wild', Rob Machado throws his cell phone in a ditch, grabs a motorbike and travels undiscovered Indonesia. In solitude, Rob searches for perfect surf and a secret spot to share it with God (or whoever). He remarks that in these moments detached from society he feels completely alone and yet totally in sync with the world. Paddling the ocean alone between islands Rob loses his physical capabilities and realizes that he could sink to the bottom of the sea without being found...a discovery of the insignificance of each of us. At which point, he decides that if it all means nothing why not live life to the fullest.
Dr. Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism and condemned in a time when solutions for this 'mental illness' were lobotomy or institutionalization. With a spirit like Rob Machado's, her mother decided that if her daughter was to be dammed she would allow her to live life without apology. Temple ultimate went on to achieve accolades as a cattle engineer, journalist and activist for autism; but her true elegance lies in her acute understanding of the boundless condition of her disease. Instead of allowing her differences to defeat her, she used them as a tool to evolve her thought transmission far beyond controlled thinking. Her ability to articulate her passion for life by living without fear makes her a visionary. "I don't want to die with my thoughts" - a mission of courage from Temple Grandin.
Yesterday's Super Bowl was about more than football. The state of Louisiana, ignored and torn-us-under by Hurricane Katrina still lies in rubble. Many 'residents' are still homeless, many have lost family members and political apologies for American negligence have been sparse. So on Sundays their team began to rebuild a city in the dome that once served as a refugee camp. The nature of human triumph becoming the only thing a city had to hang on to. With each touchdown a sense of achievement, with each kick another reason to keep fighting, with every tackle a little less anger. On February 7th the New Orleans Saints won the World's Championship, finally telling the city it was OK to move on. Demons put to rest, achievements to prove their worth and a little more energy to keep fighting. When Tracy Porter intercepted League MVP Peyton Manning's pass and ran 70 yards in the other direction he ascended into heaven for but a brief moment.
My cheeks were not dry this weekend. Rob, Temple and Tracy helped me remember how precious these moments in time can be. Where did we lose our faith in the glory of humanity? Why do we let the mundane side track us? How could we ever give up faith seeing the achievements of these people?
If all is lost, we have nowhere to go but up, why not charge without condition in determined pursuit of glory.
Don't Forget to Remember!
Dave
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Difficult People are People Too
I work as a Consultant, Corporate Trainer and Mentor to many. The most popular question that comes up in our one-to-one sessions is...
How Do I Use Empathy in Communicating With Someone who refuses to Meet Me Half Way?
In essence, why would you want to waste time building bridges to someone who has a gas can in their hand?
Great Question....No Simple Answer!
But, then if Human Relations were simple why would we wake up every day. Human Beings are infinitely complex and undefinable but here are two tips that might help you "be the bigger person":
* Questions not Instructions
* Action Items not Complaints
Our temper knows not rules of engagement. It rises in us like a phoenix on crystal meth. You have done everything you should: put in extra hours, researched, gathered resources and woke up 3 hours early to complete the task. Now, your progress has been halted by someone who had one simple task and fouled it up. Your temper will drive you to attack. Take a breath, think to yourself of a personal issue that derailed your professional progress in the past and put yourself in the other person's shoes.
Instead of telling said person how they f-ed up and what needs to be done immediately...ease in with patience and ask a few questions. People just want to be heard and understood, not criticised and instructed.
The easiest question to ask would be: Why didn't you have your portion of the project to me by the deadline? This will put the already paranoid malcontent on the defensive and bring greater distance between you. Try to get past the obvious question and dig a little deeper:
Jim, it's been a heck of a week, you must have a lot on your plate. Let's review your task list and I will see what I can delegate on your behalf.
* Jim is off the defensive, ready to open up and willing to ask for help!
In this day and age of struggle and strife one thing rings true in every area of social intercourse: COMPLAINING.....there is no single human element I have less tolerance for than complaining.
* FACT: Never in the history of humanity has a complaint produced a result!
We have learned to redirect our instructions into questions. Now let's use the same measure of patience in redirecting our complaints into action items.
Complaint: These TPS reports suck!
Supplemental Action Item: Ms. VP - it seems these TPS reports are taking up a lot of time that is distracting us from revenue producing opportunities. I have run some preliminary numbers and it appears the time put into reporting is costing us about $1,200 in weekly labor hours. Can this time be better spent? I wondered if we might entertain the option of implementing a new software system that would streamline our reporting process. The front end implementation would be costly but based on the numbers provided above we would see a Return on Investment in just 7 months.
Here are two ways to put patience to work, gain results by winning people to your way of thinking and eliminating the unnecessary stress of internal conflict.
People just want to be loved! They want to know that we understand and empathise with their struggle. Let them speak, make suggestions for progress and help them develop your instructions for themselves.
In the next installment of this blog series we will learn:
* How to build rules of engagement for every relationship
* How to win one little battle at a time (without being transparent)
Don't Forget to Remember!
- Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
How Do I Use Empathy in Communicating With Someone who refuses to Meet Me Half Way?
In essence, why would you want to waste time building bridges to someone who has a gas can in their hand?
Great Question....No Simple Answer!
But, then if Human Relations were simple why would we wake up every day. Human Beings are infinitely complex and undefinable but here are two tips that might help you "be the bigger person":
* Questions not Instructions
* Action Items not Complaints
Our temper knows not rules of engagement. It rises in us like a phoenix on crystal meth. You have done everything you should: put in extra hours, researched, gathered resources and woke up 3 hours early to complete the task. Now, your progress has been halted by someone who had one simple task and fouled it up. Your temper will drive you to attack. Take a breath, think to yourself of a personal issue that derailed your professional progress in the past and put yourself in the other person's shoes.
Instead of telling said person how they f-ed up and what needs to be done immediately...ease in with patience and ask a few questions. People just want to be heard and understood, not criticised and instructed.
The easiest question to ask would be: Why didn't you have your portion of the project to me by the deadline? This will put the already paranoid malcontent on the defensive and bring greater distance between you. Try to get past the obvious question and dig a little deeper:
Jim, it's been a heck of a week, you must have a lot on your plate. Let's review your task list and I will see what I can delegate on your behalf.
* Jim is off the defensive, ready to open up and willing to ask for help!
In this day and age of struggle and strife one thing rings true in every area of social intercourse: COMPLAINING.....there is no single human element I have less tolerance for than complaining.
* FACT: Never in the history of humanity has a complaint produced a result!
We have learned to redirect our instructions into questions. Now let's use the same measure of patience in redirecting our complaints into action items.
Complaint: These TPS reports suck!
Supplemental Action Item: Ms. VP - it seems these TPS reports are taking up a lot of time that is distracting us from revenue producing opportunities. I have run some preliminary numbers and it appears the time put into reporting is costing us about $1,200 in weekly labor hours. Can this time be better spent? I wondered if we might entertain the option of implementing a new software system that would streamline our reporting process. The front end implementation would be costly but based on the numbers provided above we would see a Return on Investment in just 7 months.
Here are two ways to put patience to work, gain results by winning people to your way of thinking and eliminating the unnecessary stress of internal conflict.
People just want to be loved! They want to know that we understand and empathise with their struggle. Let them speak, make suggestions for progress and help them develop your instructions for themselves.
In the next installment of this blog series we will learn:
* How to build rules of engagement for every relationship
* How to win one little battle at a time (without being transparent)
Don't Forget to Remember!
- Dave
References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
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