Are those you are tasked with leading acting like people or sheeple? That is to say are they energized, thinking on their own, engaged and leading as well, or just blindly following.
Want big results, quit ‘bossing’ and start leading. Change the sheeple atmosphere into a people atmosphere and you will see positive results in engagement and outcomes.
In the past couple of years I’ve had the interesting opportunity to do some work for very different entities. A couple have been grassroots, focusing on attacking ‘big food’ or big industry. They have been excellent examples of how easy it is to manage people’s thoughts and behaviors by providing information, some for the good and some for the not so good. It is extremely interesting to me in a world that can leave us all fairly jaded on occasion how easy it is to still manipulate us.
Now I’m not passing judgment on anything, simply sharing that when we take others’ words as truth we may or may not be led down the primrose path. All this is to say, it is not enough to believe what your reading or watching as truth…do your own research. Simple solution, is the source credible? Is the source balanced?
For example, Benjamin Lorr in his book ‘Hell Bent’ takes a look at his and others practice of Bikram (hot) yoga. Interestingly he notes the man responsible for it’s creation is an insult hurling, narcissistic, Rolls Royce driving man. He talks of folks having strokes possibly as a result of hot yoga, etc. He also speaks of his own practice of Bikram. Interesting isn’t it? The developer of hot yoga, which may or may not be beneficial and/or harmful, only needed to popularize it.
Same line of thinking goes along with many other popular ‘movements.’ They don’t necessarily need to be truth or fact based, merely properly marketed and/or popular. That is both a sad and scary proposition. I know of folks who have made it onto national t.v. and who have done so through pure manipulation of information. Suffice to say, I too should have done my homework rather than buying into the hype.
I’ve learned my lesson, quite a valuable one at that. My advice to you is twofold. Just because someone is attacking big business does not mean their intent is necessarily good or necessarily truthful. There are a lot of opportunistic folks out there waiting to prey upon you. We all love an easy answer. We all love the idea of altruism, someone fighting the system. But more often than not if you look into the source and look up some additional credible research you will find, unfortunately, you’ve been led down the primrose path.
Do your homework. Get the facts. Go from there.
What is your truth? Hint, I asked for “your truth” not someone’s version of what you should be or think or feel. Not how you feel you should respond to others or how you feel pressured to respond to others.
Defining “your truth” serves you and the world in two ways. One, it helps you weed out what and who really doesn’t fit into and/or on your path/in your orbit. For example if your boss’s belief system and reality is different than yours, that is okay, respect it, but begin to find a place that fits you and your beliefs. This may mean making some sacrifices in other areas, etc., but if it is your truth and path, I promise you that you won’t mind.
Secondly, defining your truth is a reality check. If you say you believe the best type of person or situation, place or thing that is great, but it is also a reminder that “your truth” is not the truth of everyone around you, around the world and it certainly isn’t universal.
All this is to say, when you speak and walk the walk of your truth you will end up among others like you making your life a pleasant journey. To do otherwise equates to the simple analogy of a square peg in a round hole. Management alert…if you are a manager, or leader you must be very cognizant that while you are leading others, your truth must be for the good of the many, not the few (as in you and your opinions alone.) Your truth must be in line with the organization’s mission.
Of course it isn’t as easy as it sounds. To truly live fully you need to remain open to others and their thoughts, feelings, etc. While you have your own belief system, perhaps you may still learn some great new things along the way.
I’m not crazy about end of the year review lists, etc. I believe regardless of the day the level of importance you give it the level of importance it will have. Unfortunately we don’t always feel we are making a positive impact. Here is the good news, if you are trying, you most likely are. Even better you are most likely impacting people in ways you will never know about. So pay attention every day and do your best to provide some good.
I love the fact that people in 95 countries have viewed my blog. Countries I may never go to and people I may never know. I love even more that they have had a positive impact on me by merely viewing my work.
You don’t have to change the world to make an impact. You just have to try to contribute something positive, be it in the form of writing, art, speech, etc. It doesn’t need to be perfect to be appreciated.
I’m not sure who the person/source at laughitout-v on tumblr is who created/posted the picture I’m including. I am sure however that it has made a difference to me.
Asking vs Telling… Which do you believe will receive the more cooperative response?
When you ask you are pulling knowledge from another. When you tell you are pushing knowledge at another. So again, take a wild guess on which creates the better dynamic, especially if you are trying to work with others and build relationships. And here is one last helpful hint if you haven’t landed the answer… When was the last time you thought it would be awesome to have some shove their knowledge in your face?
We have the propensity to want to take control of things. The important thing to remember is there is a difference in between control and contribution. Taking control can often lead to stagnation of a project. Letting go of control allows a project to move further faster as there is more energy and input. If the project fails to move without you controlling it the next question becomes ‘is it your priority, or do you need to lay it down and walk away’.
Just a side note…controlling and leadership most certainly are not the same thing. If you are a leader, you most likely are contributing and not controlling.
You are not perfect, but you are in good company as no one is. Trying to project perfection in an imperfect world is a fool’s errand. It will exhaust you and confuse others. People benefit from being able to relate and/or learn from your challenges. You make yourself more accessible to others empowering their growth by being authentic rather than projecting false perfection.
You are not perfect. And that is what makes you great!
The phrase “go with the flow” is so over used it is useless. But the meaning is still relevant. How often do you find yourself ‘forcing’ behavior rather than just being who your are? We all do it on some scale. The question is why do we do it? Some of it may be based in imposter syndrome.
Dr. Joan Harvey wrote a book back in the mid 1980s about imposter syndrome. I believe she estimated 70% of people have some experience with it. Dr. Kate Clancy wrote and interesting article about it in Scientific America this past August with a brilliant point that is most relevant, “privileges perceived legitimacy from attitude and pedigree over actual ability.” I feel that translates outside of the field of science as well. We don’t feel we have the legitimacy we need to be who we want.
Ironically what provides us credibility are our actions and our results, which are less likely to come to light if we fear we may not be ‘qualified.’ Unless you are in a field that requires accreditation to practice, such as medical or legal, who is to say who is qualified and who is not?
What this all comes down to is in the majority of circumstances we are the ones limiting ourselves, no one else. The opportunity in knowing this is choosing not to do so anymore.
Multitasking is something so many of us are proud of being able to do. We live in a culture that creates environments that are not sustainable. So rather than demanding more realistic environments we are predisposed to believe it must be our failing that all is not possible.
The following is a great article on a media multitasking study done at The Ohio State University. It aptly conveys that there is a difference in the emotional boost we get from multitasking and the actual productivity that comes from it. Spoiler alert…no productivity comes from it. http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/multitask.htm
Whether it is Monday, or any other day. The choices you make are yours and yours alone. We have a propensity to want to say things like “I have to because…” This is not the truth. It is an excuse. You always have options. Always.
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes … and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
