Tag Archives: work

Quote of the Week: Are We Ever Done Working?

I was out at dinner tonight and overheard another table. Maybe you’ve heard something similar before. It goes something like this, “He made how much? from that? If only I’d thought of that, I could cash out. Call it a day and be done.” The truth is though, we are never done. I mean really, what is done?

So, as you wrap up your week, ask yourself: What am I working for? Are you working for retirement or are you working with a purpose? Clayton Christensen, over at the Harvard Business Review, offers some great insight into work, meaning and our purpose in life. In his words:

For me, having a clear purpose in my life has been essential. But it was something I had to think long and hard about before I understood it. When I was a Rhodes scholar, I was in a very demanding academic program, trying to cram an extra year’s worth of work into my time at Oxford. I decided to spend an hour every night reading, thinking, and praying about why God put me on this earth. That was a very challenging commitment to keep, because every hour I spent doing that, I wasn’t studying applied econometrics. I was conflicted about whether I could really afford to take that time away from my studies, but I stuck with it—and ultimately figured out the purpose of my life.

Had I instead spent that hour each day learning the latest techniques for mastering the problems of auto correlation in regression analysis, I would have badly misspent my life. I apply the tools of econometrics a few times a year, but I apply my knowledge of the purpose of my life every day. It’s the single most useful thing I’ve ever learned.

Working with a purpose–no matter what that purpose is–whether it be to put dinner on the table, to provide opportunity for your family to doing what you love, matters. And we are never done. Call it an end-of-the-week rant, but what do you think–are we ever done working?

flickr credit: markbarky

PS: Christensen’s HBR article is quite possibly the best article I’ve read to date. It’s worth the read.

A Single Thought for 2010

This thought actually echoed across the channels in 2006 when Randall Pinkett won Donald Trump’s Apprentice. I’m passing it on to you as a mentor shared the thought with me–with a bit of a twist.

“Would

you

rather

make

the

news

or

report

the

news?”

Chew on it–and go. How’s that for a typical “Ode to 2009/New Year’s Post?” I hope not typical.

Expert versus Asset: Which One are You?

I’m going to warn you. Some people are going to view this article as radical. In recent weeks, there’s been lots of articles and conversations that denounce the expert, calling them carpetbaggers or government gadget gurus or what have you.

In my humble opinion, those that are experts are only referred to as “experts” by other people. This is one reason why they are experts….because they denounce their own “expert-ism.”

These are the people we love. The people that are life-long learners, not in a cliché way, but by role-modeling through action. They aren’t afraid to try new ideas or to spend extra time stretching an already vetoed idea. They experiment.  They are not in a leather chair with shiny Italian shoes, but they are in the jungle of the marketplace navigating knowledge, ideas and society for applications of thought. True experts, also fail at times. But they learn from it, tweak it and make it better.

Last week on Twitter, I had a thought and shared it: “Don’t be an expert. Instead, become an industry-valued asset. The difference? One works for himself and his own knowledge base, the other, wants to be valuable and enjoys collaborative efforts.

Now I don’t know about you, but I would much rather work with someone who wants to be valuable. These are the people that do any task just because it needs to get done, even if it’s not in their official job description. These are the people:

  • that will admit when they don’t know something. But come to your office the next day sharing what they learned from doing some extra research the night before.
  • that know that everyone can teach them something, from the doorman to the man with his name on the door.
  • that first listen and observe in the meeting, rather than interrupt and share their ideas first.
  • that ignore their job description and take initiative whether its making copies, to binding the reports to adding in two-cents on a proposal, to in effect, get the job done.
  • that puts themselves second and the client, task, job, person first. They avoid inter-office politics/chatter to make sure that the client doesn’t suffer.
  • that recognize that they don’t deserve anything, but they earn everything.

People who want to be valuable don’t wait for people to come to them; instead, they roll up their sleeves and say, I’m ready. What do we need? In fact, my family has the saying that if you even have to ask: How can I help? Then you aren’t helping, because helping=doing. Perhaps once we separate those who want to be experts and those who want to be assets, the value of that employee and the work given will shine.

Not to be on a soapbox (okay, maybe a ramp), but perhaps you are an expert. But are you sensitive to how your colleagues and those in your industry react to the word “expert.” Perhaps, we need a new word for you, or perhaps you can angle yourself to be an “industry valued-asset.” Call it a game of the tongue, but words have meaning, as does action. What are your words saying and your actions doing?

In your eyes, what are some ways you differentiate between an expert and an industry-valued asset? What are other ways people can make themselves “valuable” in your eyes?

photo credit: jeannie86

What Coffee Has to Teach Us about Adversity

 

 

With the economic hardships–both current and foretold–upon us, the coffee we drink every morning offers up a daily reminder of the hope we can find. The following is an email my mother sent to me, that offers the following challenge: In times of adversity, how do you respond? Are you a carrot? An egg? Or coffee?  I promise, you will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

 

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        A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up, She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
 
        Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first, she placed carrots; in the second, she  placed eggs; and in the last, she placed ground coffee beans . She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

         In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the  coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see.”

        “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied.

         Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.  The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

          Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The  ground coffee beans were unique, however.  After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

          “Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”

 ***********

Activity.  Think and reflect. In times of adversity? How do you react?

  • Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
  • Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes  with the heat?  Did I have a fluid spirit,  but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial,  have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff  spirit and hardened heart?
  • Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot  water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.  If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is th e darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle  adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.”

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Your Facebook Professionalism Policy: Balancing Your Relationships On and Off the Clock

For many Gen-Yers and young professionals, Facebook started out as a social network. Then, high-schoolers were allowed in. Now, understandably, more and more people are joining that range in age – and in relationship to you. Point in case:

  • My friend recently helped her mom create a Facebook account.
  • Another commented that all her co-workers want her to become a Facebook friend.
  • According to Quantcast, in July 208, 46% of Facebook users are 18-34.
  • in July 2007, ComScore reported a 181% growth of users ages 25-34, and a 98% growth in users 35+.

Thus, with Facebook going from social status —> professional network, it begs the question, what are the new the rules of thumb for one’s Facebook account? So I asked followers on Twitter. The results:

  1. All or nothing. One of the most popular answers was to go all access with everyone. This route shows to your co-workers and professional network that you own who you are. Nothing to hide. Some also responded that this helps increase the office culture and camaraderie.
  2. Oil and water don’t mix. It gets murky. Best to keep Facebook separate. One person commented that you can come to know too much about someone and that can distract from business.
  3. Go Half and Half. Others answered saying they prefer to keep professional work colleagues and co-workers at bay by using the ‘limited profile’ feature on Facebook. Or, setting privacy settings so only certain friends or groups can see certain applications, photos or the wall.
  4. Work It. Lee Aase, on his blog, Social Media University, suggest a shortcut. While waiting for Facebook to devise a way to better differentiate relationships with a system more sophisticated than the limited profile graph, Aase suggest creating a group for your professional contacts and name it “FirstName LastName Professional Contacts.” Aase explains further on his blog. Or, use Facebook’s friend lists to differentiate Aase also suggests.

No matter what you prefer, it’s best to adopt a strategy early, be wise, cautious and careful. Even those that believed in full access agreed that in the past year, they’ve tweaked their their own personal guidelines. i.e. Adopting the self-policy that one must meet someone in their professional network in person before they cozy up on Facebook.

For me, currently, I adopt a mix between the full access and the limited profile. This is largely for one reasons:

  • I want you to get to know me. I have nothing to hide. But, I’d prefer someone get to know me in person, before just reading my profile and making assumptions or place me into some category or description of who they think I might be. It’s one thing to know someone in the office, but it’s another to befriend a person.

Some other guidelines friends mentioned through my Twitter survey. Don’t post:

  • Inappropriate pictures (nudity, over-drinking, kissing, dancing, etc.)
  • Clean up those pictures from college frat days
  • Represent who you are, but be keen to what information sparks controversy
  • Don’t use foul language
  • Review your privacy settings
  • Understand what happens to your profile when you add an application
  • When you ‘become a fan’ or join a group, understand some may not get your inner circle’s inside jokes or may think you are endorsing certain ideas/services/products
  • If you wouldn’t show it to your mom, you probably don’t want your boss to see.
  • Don’t make your profiles busy or hard to read if you want to use it for networking.

What’s your Facebook Professionalism Policy? or, what do you think of mine?

photo credit: Flickr, Amit Gupta (from Newsweek article)

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Hey! Get to know the Social Media Blogger Neighbor: HeyStephanie.com

Hey, hey, you, you…ok, enough with the Avril Lavigne lyrics. I just couldn’t help it.

Our blogger neighbors are usually nonprofit and social marketing wonder do-gooders who are doing some amazing and needed work. To switch it up some, this week we have Stephanie Gulley over at HeyStephanie.com.

Stephanie writes about social media and how it can make work (ya know, your full-time gig) more efficient and easier to handle.

(Note: Look out for the newly developed members of the ‘hood badge for our esteemed blogger neighbors!)

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Blog/Site Name: HeyStephanie.com

Blog Topics: social media, web2.0, social networking, online collaboration

About the Author: Stephanie Gulley’s background in fast paced start-ups made her realize that on the job demands change frequently and requires lots of flexibility. To avoid being overwhelmed by multiple projects, Stephanie knew that in order to stay ahead, it’s better to work smarter not just harder. This experience coupled with her passion for social media have contributed to her frequent posts to HeyStephanie, where she offers insight on social media tools that make it possible to work efficiently in a Web 2.0 world.

Currently, Stephanie is a Program Analyst at Brickfish, a social media advertising platform, in San Diego, California. As a Program Analyst, she develops and coordinates social media marketing strategies to drive consumer engagement with brands.

If you could live on any street, what would that street be named and why?

Tao Tree Lane. One of my favorite books is “The Art of War for Women,” by Chin-Ning Chu. I’ve always been a fan of Sun Tzu’s work and Chin-Ning Chu’s interpretation takes the teachings of Sun Tzu and applies it to women in the workforce. Her book opened my eyes to the Taoist philosophy and helps me to better understand the world and my surroundings. With that said, I could live on any street that follows the teaching of Taoism and relax under a forest of trees.

Who would be your dream real-life neighbor?

Oprah Winfrey. Success goes hand in hand with hardship and challenges, and Oprah’s success inspires me to work hard and to overcome obstacles that come my way. If Oprah was my neighbor, I know I could learn a lot from her.

What first prompted you to blog?

I first started blogging in 2002 because I wanted to write my goals down and make it public. I wanted people to know what my goals were so that I could be held accountable and people could ask me how I was progressing. I pretty much wanted to start a conversation about my future goals and get input from others so I could make informed decisions. I was a college student and the first person in my family to obtain an education beyond high school so I wanted to find a community that I could relate to and blogging helped me with that.

If you customized your own license plate, what would it say and why?

Husband#1. I have the best husband in the world and I just want to share it with everyone.

What would you gift to a new neighbor as the perfect welcoming gift?

Freshly baked oatmeal cookies.

What’s your favorite blog post and why?

My favorite blog post at HeyStephanie.com is, “The Unveiling.” Although I’ve been blogging online for the past six years, my previous blogs were always anonymous. I would start them, fall behind, and eventually delete them. The Unveiling post is a mission statement for HeyStephanie.com and reminds me of why I’m blogging. I simply want to share my thoughts on social media with individuals who share the same interest.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned from blogging?

As a blogger you can say whatever you want to say because it’s your blog, but if you want to build a relationship with your readers, you have to listen as well.

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Past Blogger Neighbors Include:

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This continuous weekly series highlights different blogs and their respective bloggers in the blogosphere neighborhood. Following the great Mr. Rogers, who tells us to ‘Get to know your neighbor,’ this series introduces us to our blogger neighbors, making for a more unified, collaborative voice for the social sector. Like to nominate someone or be featured yourself? Contact me @ socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.

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