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

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:

http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich

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

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

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:

Rob Machado

Temple Grandin

Tracy Porter

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

http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich

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

A Story to Tell

I spent the better part of the weekend watching Wes Anderson films with my kids. Mr. Anderson has written films about an unrequited school boy crush, adventures by sea and rail, and a family who has discovered their humility. What would these seemingly unrelated tales have in common...well written characters. You see, Wes Anderson's films are not so much about the story but the people these stories envelope.

As an HR Consultant, I preach the develop of organizational culture and employee engagement. One thing Wes Anderson has taught me is that people are infinitely too complex to categorize.


So I ask you, Dear Reader, What is Your Story?


I attend countless networking events. Many people jump up to introduce themselves with an elevator pitch; usually involving the number of employees in his/her company and their profit margin over the last year.....Booooooring!

What makes people compelling to work with is their story: Who they are as a person, the conquests they choose to accept every day, the inspiration behind their professional mission and the place they want to end up when they make their first billion. It is not simple, but those who can 'tell a story' will be forever be entrenched in our minds. To the contrary, statistics are commonly forgotten as soon as they leave our lips.

Stories are lost through swinging lobby doors, elevator stops, waiting on the bus or for coffee and in face to face meetings that ignore humanity. Meaningful connections are more commonly formed over a concert performance that moved us to tears or a baseball game that caused us to hug a stranger. Are you bold enough to share these stories at first encounter?

The untimely death of Buckley the Dog caused Chaz Tenebaum to take down his guard and admit, "It's been a tough year, Dad"! Like so many others, Chaz did not allow himself to be human because he feared his vulnerability would expose him as a weakling. We must remember the advising of the Great Keith Ferrazzi - Those who choose not be be Vulnerable are, in fact, the cowards.

Tell Your Story!

Maybe if we ALL worried less about proving our professional merit and admitted that we were human we might eliminate the very thing that keeps us apart.


Don't Forget to Remember,

Dave

References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich

6 Social Media Tips

This could be referred to as 'the idiots guide to social media'. But I would not dare to refer to anyone brave enough to try something new as an 'idiot'.

By the time I write this entry my advice will be outdated. I am certainly not an expert in social media. But, for all my friends who are brave enough to embrace this new world of communication, here are a few simple tips:
1. Never use negativity in any group forum, post or blog entry
2. Post less than 20 times a day
3. Update your status daily
4. Be a Resource not a Sales Person
5. Share your charitable cause
6. Don't be afraid to share your personal interests

(1) We post something in a group discussion, someone misunderstands it, insults us and our natural reaction is to 'crack back'. Don't! There are people with too much free time who patrol the Internet looking to project their self dissatisfaction. By responding to their bullying nature you empower their discontent and enter their world of self pitty.

People go to Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, etc...to escape the stress of their current worklife for a few minutes. They are looking for opinions (not expertise). Give them something that inspires them and they will look for you again.

(2) If I am following you on Twitter and you post more than 20 times a day I will unfollow you (with the rare exception of Laurie Ruettimann & Guy Kawasaki). There is no way there is that much to say. Be concise and informative. Don't waste your followers time with 'dribble'. Learn to use the 'Direct Message' feature...no one wants to read personal comments between you and your podiatrist.

(3) Linked-In users: Update your status daily. Use this feature to let your professional network know the slightest strategy improvement you made today......David is finalizing organizational strategy with a major financial organization. My way of saying I am presenting a proposal to Charles Schwab.

(4) Pushing products is death in the social media forum. There are tons of people with large networks that can discredit you as a 'hack' with one post. Help people with strategy rather than dumping product. It will enhance your sales approach and build trust among your network.

(5) We all have a charitable foundation that we support. Show people you are human by promoting your cause and use your network to promote their efforts. People feel less obligated when not contacted directly and will support to said charity if the cause effects them personally. This may also build additional personal attachment.

(6) You love Brett Favre - let your network know on a Sunday. In any meeting you can convey your expertise. Your personality can be a key determinant in building a mutually beneficial long term partnership. Don't be afraid to put the consulting aside and let people know you have a life. What if the person is a Green Bay Fan you ask. Ask yourself, do you really want to partner with a Green Bay Fan??? Sometimes disqualifying partnerships before they begin can save you years worth of stress.

Social Media is about bravery. You may let your temper get the best of you, post something that your company frowns upon or 'friend' someone who annoys you. The key is to try. Your confidence will be boosted when you enter a community, share an idea and have it adopted by a stranger across the world. In sharing we grow and in growing we influence. Be brave enough to put yourself out there and develop a Rock Star fan base. There is more to professional development than the four walls of your office. Is there someone you want to be professionally but your job title or company prohibits you from being that person?

You can be a Superhero in the virtual world and no one will ever know you wear a pocket protector.

Go Bravely and Fear Not the Mistakes you Might Make!

Don't Forget to Remember,

Dave

References:
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich

Exploration not Expertise

It is documented somewhere that 10,000 hours of work make you an 'expert' in any given field. I have also heard it said that if you read 5 books on any topic you become an 'expert' in your researched topical landscape. The problem I have with expertise is the seeming finality to the title. In a constantly developing world how can your proficiency in any given profession assure a timeline of 'end all, be all' knowledge. As if to insinuate there is a cap on knowledge acquisition.


In the world of Employee Rewards, tenure celebration has become synonymous with 'entitlement'. While I cannot envision a time when loyalty to an organization would not be celebrated, I do understand the sensitivity of human boundaries.

We All Want to Share!

Having spent nearly 10 years at a company I elected myself a voluntary mentor to every new recruit that walked through the door. I told him/her the unwritten rules of the company, industry and our operation....guess what? Nobody asked me. I thought because I had endured a highly competitive position for a long time that I knew the 'secret sauce' to success. However, by touting my tenure I came across two realizations:

* The Newbies saw my advice as regulation and no one likes to be tied down.
* Having been in the same position for 10 years without vertical movement was not exactly looked upon favorably.

In Unzip Your Soul, I have proposed to keep your head down in your first 6 months of employment at any given company. This advice has been met with a fair amount of criticism by the 'kick down the door' impact players. I understand the need to make a steady first impression but Bravado diminishes your accomplishments. Get in, be pleasant, take advice and let your results speak for themselves.

This entry level advise can also be conveyed to the elder statesmen (and women) in any given organization. A few things to consider:

* New Hires have a set of personal goals that may include surpassing your achievements.
* When you convey limitations you simply set the bar for New Hires to surpass.
* New Hires share your sentiment to ease into a relationship...
* If you know everything, they will respect that and reach out in due time.
* Wait to be consulted!

I don't believe there is such thing as 'entitlement' nor do I believe in the need to make a lasting first impression. The key to successful professional partnerships is ease of navigation. If you are receptive to new opinions without opposition you will be admired...whether it's your first day or your 10,000th hour on the job.

Be Graceful in your Interaction and people will come knocking for Advice.

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave

www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich

Without Category

In Human Resources we are research heavy: white papers, surveys, references....."show me what other organizations are doing". While 'proof' is always great to defend your decisions it also detracts from your need to be original in your design process. How would 'what works across the street', work in your halls of sacred organizational interaction?

Dare to Know Your People!....and design something completely unique to your company culture.

We live in a time where insecurity has created a need for metrics. New hires must have certification, qualified experience and the test results to prove it. New vendors will require 28 references and a 20 year business prospectus. It is understandable that the need to protect one's position would require some hard facts.

How does hiring safe differentiate you as a thought leader?
What critical organizational differentiator does fact checking serve?

What if we lived in a place where there were no presupposed metrics for success...if the organizational function we performed was completely unique...if every company had their own identity? What if every CEO knew what her people wanted and was able to create a culture around the aspirations of those in the trenches?

Further, what if we lived in a world where gender, race, professional position were not preconceived fuel for our insecurities? Hard to Imagine? It's not so hard if you TRY!

Creativity is killed by standards and regulation....how can companies celebrate the unique people in their cubicles without cultivating an organizational culture.

Create and Differentiate don't Copy and Check the Box!

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave

http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich