BlessingBoomerang

Blessings come our way in a multitude of forms: kindness extended, forgiveness offered, assistance, deference, prayers, time given, a listening and nonjudgmental ear, a simple smile, an encouraging word, .......... the list goes on and on. Most (and some of the most meaningful) cost not one penny.

Blessings have a boomerang effect. The more we choose to serve and bless others, the more blessings come our way.

It's not hard to find those who need a word, a hand, a little help.

Go ahead. Give it a try. 

But only if you like to be blessed in return.

BrakeTrouble

Little children, pets, and visionaries often share a similar trait. They see a person, object, or objective of great desire. They accelerate quickly in the direction of that person, object, or objective, gaining unbridled enthusiasm and speed in the pursuit. 

Then.....they crash -- either into the apple of their eye (the teacher? the wall? the organizational resistance?) or some other unnoticed barrier along the way. 

The effect, late realized: Their brakes did not work as well as their accelerator.

Wisdom and good judgment are key in our ability to make optimal decisions about how much accelerator pressure and how much brake application helps us achieve our goals (whether personal or organizational). 

Surrounding ourselves with strong teams of diverse, wise, and outcome-focused folks helps us make sound(er) accelerator-brake application decisions. 

For leaders, two questions burn:

1) How well have we shaped a culture that attracts such a talented team?

2) Why in the world would such talent choose (because they can) to work with us?

If we're not paying very close attention, there is ZERO chance we can approach answers to those two questions.

Proceed? Yes. 

How? Judiciously.

Gotta have good help to make it happen.

CultureHealth

Organizations are actually living, breathing organisms. They have health markers, just like us humans.

Leaders are in particular need of being able to assess and address organizational un-health.

Consider the following graphic conception for viewing, thinking about, and discussing the health of your organization. 

   Healthy <<------------------- Blah ------------------->> Toxic   -

Transparency <<------------------------------------------------------>> Secrecy

Trust <<---------------------------------------------------------------->> Distrust

Collaboration <<----------------------------------------------------->> Isolation

Service <<--------------------------------------------------------->> Self-Interest

Equality <<---------------------------------------------------------->> Hierarchy

Support <<-------------------------------------------------------->> Destruction

Macro-focused <<-------------------------------------------->> Micro-focused

Freeing <<---------------------------------------------------------->> Oppressive

LEARNING <<----------------------------------------->> Imposed Ignorance

How can we better affect healthy and robust organizational culture? Just as with our personal health, knowing how to do better means very little………unless we actually choose to do better.

The burning question: Whatcha gonna do about it?

Talent-ized

My thoughts were drawn this morning to the need and importance of adding talented folks to our teams.

It seems I've touched on this topic with you multiple times over the last decade. 

If talented others are who you want to add to your network and/or your team, consider reading TalentScouts or TalentBoosters or Perturburances.

FasterLearners

As a school principal, and as a school superintendent, and as a teacher of those who aspire to the same, I have often said the following:

"School" is a sanctuary of learning. It exists for the sole and sacred purpose of LEARNING. If the leaders of the school -- teachers, administrators, school board members -- are not learning at a faster clip than the students, I think we have a problem.

I continue to believe that assertion to my very core.

As I consider other kinds of organizations, perhaps the truth of that assertion transfers...

ProgressImpediments

Getting better is a tough slog. It doesn't matter if we're talking about our personal "state" or that of our organization. Why? Because getting better always means a change in the current state. Change is hard even if we agree that it's needed. It's particularly hard if we don't.

There are three common and powerful Impediments to betterness efforts: 

• Recalcitrance -- Either through laziness or fear, resistance seems baked into our DNA. Even if our current state ain't all that great, we lean into the safety of the "known."
• Distraction -- Magicians, con artists, and resistors play this card on us all the time. By taking our attention off of what's really happening, they divert us from facing current realities.
• Whining -- Playing the victim is a common ploy. It's the commiseration party. Whiners attempt to absolve themselves of all responsibility, for both current or future states.

An absolute indisputable fact about the current state is that it IS going to change. 

We can either affect the shape of that change, or we can engage in Recalcitrance, Distraction, and Whining.

Progress, anyone?