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The Value of Boredom

October 24, 2011 in Leadership with 0 Comments

Phil Cooke had an interesting post this weekend in which he asked the question,

Is the lack of boredom killing our productivity?

It made me think about my own pre-technology laden days I had as a kid and how I used to spend that time. Times spent riding 40 minutes on the bus, each way, to and from school. Hours spent riding the mower over 4 acres of grass. Summer afternoons spent working in the hot sun on a next door farm. Hours spent driving to and from State College, PA during my university days.

I have to agree with Phil, I believe there is value in boredom as it spurs our creative thinking processes. Granted, boredom isn’t much fun at the time, which is why our brains look for anything and everything to fill the void.  It’s just that now we have found easy electronic devices to fill that void.  Is that now interfering with our natural creative energies?

Many people don’t like to be alone with their own thoughts. Just the idea of it scares some.  I think by growing up with older parents, in a more rural setting without any brothers or sisters living at home, I kind of got used to it.  I would make up games that I would play by myself, take my dog and go horseback riding in the woods near by my house or ride a mini-bike.  During those times, there was no iPod to listen to or smartphone to tweet from.  It was just me and my thoughts – pretty boring by today’s standards.

I think even now, while I enjoy technology and learning about new uses for it, I still look for opportunities to get away.  Some days I will turn the radio off in the car so it can be totally silent. Other times I enjoy a walk or run in outside without technology distractions.  I find it gives my head a chance to “breathe”; a much needed time to get perspective and reflect.

How about you? When was the last time you had a good idea or a creative thought? Was it during the middle doing other things or when you had time just to think and ponder?  Will the next generation loose the ability to value boredom?

 

 

Ignite Wilmington Lights Up The Queen

April 8, 2011 in Leadership with 3 Comments

Ignite Wilmington Last night Mary and I got to experience our first Ignite Wilmington event. These “Ignite” events are happening in various cities across the country. This was the 5th event in Wilmington area but the first time we had a chance to go. Thanks to a strong social media networking effort across Delaware, Ignite Wilmington is becoming very popular and a great networking event which quickly sells out the venues where it is hosted.

The idea is simple but unique:

A night of presentations with a twist. Presenting on a subject of their choice, speakers have exactly five minutes to teach something, enlighten us, or simply inspire—backed by twenty slides auto-advancing every fifteen seconds.

The presentations were very well done and especially creative – not your typical “business meeting” PowerPoint slides by a long shot! They are not sales pitches but rather opportunities for local leaders to share things that they are passionate about.  A sampling of what who we heard from included:

  • Joseph Masiello – Delaware’s Teacher of the Year will speak about the Power of Teachers!
  • Patrick Callahan – How a tweet turned into a trip for him to Pakistan (which he returned safely from!)
  • Kati Driscoll – AAA – How to decide if your social program is successful
  • Sam Hobbs – Twin Lakes Brewing
  • J. Anthony Miguez – Putting Wilmington on the map
  • Maiza Hixson – DCCA
  • Bill Swezey- What is “The Cloud” Anyway and Why Should I Care?
  • Scott Spencer – The potential of High Speed Rail for Delaware and our nation
  • Mike Schwartz – 2nd & LOMA- One year later
  • Julie MacWilliams and Erin Sicuranza – Jumping the Mommy Track

Historic Queen Theater

This one was especially well timed as they held it in the recently renovated Queen Theater on Market Street. The Queen was once a vibrant place that was a vital part of the downtown community in the late 19th and first half of the 20th century.  I was amazed to recently learn of the history and the significance that the Queen played in the life of Wilmington, which makes its return all the more special as the city revitalizes itself especially in the LoMa (Life On Market) area.

I definitely look forward to attending future Ignite Wilmington events as well as seeing performances at the World Cafe Live at the Queen!

 

 

Expectations

April 3, 2011 in Leadership, Sports, Worklife with 0 Comments

The expectations for the Phillies have never been higher than they are for 2011 season.

The 2011 Phillies

Ben Francisco scores winning run in bottom of 9th in first game of 2011. Rob Carr - Getty Images

High Hopes
With the off-season return of Cliff Lee, the Phils have 4 starting aces to throw at their NL foes and an offense that even with the loss of Jason Werth, has potential to score runs in bunches. They have been an exciting team to watch for the past 3 seasons and 2011 looks like it could be magical year for the players, fans, the city of Philadelphia and even for Major League Baseball. The club has been fortunate to have the senior leadership of Charlie Manuel and Ruben Armaro who have made some bold and surprising moves. They seem to know what they are doing and have earned the respect of players and fans alike.

World Series or bust. That seems to be the growing expectation among the fans of Philadelphia and even in the club house. They believe they have what it takes to win it all. Over confident? Maybe. There are a lot of games to be played and there are a lot of hurdles to get by, including the injury bug, but there is no reason to doubt their chances are as good if not better than the rest of the league.

Is it fair to have such high expectations of a sports team or any organization? Should we be disappointed when a team “only” makes it to the first round of the playoff then looses? Most teams would just love to make it that far. Many players never get to taste the playoffs, not to mention wear a championship ring on their finger.  Does the pressure of having higher expectations in yourself and by your fans help you do perform better? It seems that the best athletes are those that rise to the occasion and rather than crumble under the pressure they soar. Conversely, it seems without high expectations (or with too low of expectations), many will fail or only reach mediocrity.

What About the Real World?
It seems to make sense to have these hopes and expectations for sports teams that have the right chemistry and talent, but what about the “real world” where we work and live? Should we have high expectations of our leaders at work, church or government? What about our families and our relationships? If our expectations are low are we just setting them (and ourselves) up for failure? Some of us would rather play it safe and not risk being hurt or disappointed and in so doing, miss out on the opportunity to ever taste the thrill or experience the excitement that comes from achieving something that seems impossible.

Do we cheer for our friends and coworkers or do we insult them or try to bring them down. Do we encourage our kids and be there biggest fans or do we point out what they are doing wrong and constantly have to ‘show them’ how it should be done? Do we support our spouses, church leaders and workplace bosses or do we spend our time finding their faults and pointing them out to others?  How much better would they be if we had high expectations and cheered them on?

I believe sports are so popular because we all want to experience what winning is like. We want to be the hero and the one people cheer for. What we often overlook though is the number of times the star players have struck out, the amount of practice they have put in and the sacrifices they have made along the way.

Maybe it’s time we spent as much enthusiasm cheering those around us as we do our favorite sports team. I wonder how many more champions we would produce if we did?

[Leave your comments here]

 

Hidden Flaws

March 29, 2011 in Family Life, Leadership with 0 Comments

Flaws. We all have them. The question is what do we do about them? On the outside things might be looking just fine, but what if there is a problem lurking beneath the surface?

Flaws can be ugly and embarrassing so we often want to hide them from those around us. We think they wouldn’t understand or fear they may treat us differently if they knew about our defects. So we try to hide them with a smile or a positive attitude meanwhile beneath the surface, trouble is brewing.

Sometimes we are simply unaware of a problem we have. Maybe nobody has ever pointed it out and we simply lack the ability or willingness to look at ourselves critically or carefully enough to discover it. Despite our ignorance of the problem, however, it is still there, lurking beneath the surface causing damage that we are unaware of.

In either situation, the damage is taking place.

We just had a situation in our home where we discovered that a water pipe in the ceiling had a small pin prick hole and had been slowly leaking and spraying out water. It was a tiny small hole and it was hidden behind the drywall of the ceiling. Small enough and hidden enough that there was no visible damage,  at least not until yesterday.

Eventually that small, hidden problem causes enough damage that it starts to become visible on the surface and to those around you. Eventually there is no more hiding or no more denying that the problem is there. The damage is done. It is time for repair and to address the root cause of the problem.

Maybe you lack a key professional skill in your job that is limiting your career. If you haven’t learned anything new in the industry of your profession since school, chances are you are falling behind and won’t have the skills required to perform well in the future. Your lack of learning might be a serious flaw that you try to cover up by pointing out the mistakes of others.

Maybe you have an issue with gambling, or alcohol, or drugs, or pornography, or other addictive behavior. Maybe it’s a control problem or an anger management issue that plagues you.

It could be a health problem that you know nothing about until one day you are hit with reality of a heart attack or a stroke or mental breakdown.

We all have flaws. Pretending that we don’t or focusing on the flaws of others is self-defeating.  Some flaws are easier to fix than others, but they are better and cheaper to fix before they cause damage. The process can be intimidating and often requires help from others but the key is to recognize the problem and take the first step to addressing it.

What is that first step you need to take?

  • A honest conversation with a family member or coworker?
  • Schedule an appointment with a doctor or councilor?
  • Do you need to make a life style change to improve your health?
  • Could a coach or personal trainer help you?
  • Do you need to go back to school and get that degree?
  • Make time to take a class or get training in an area that you are less knowledgeable about but needed in your career?

 

SAP Projects

March 14, 2011 in Just for Fun, Leadership, Worklife with 0 Comments

SAP projects are often large, complex and very expensive endevours for most companies. The value they provide if done right (on time and budget) can be tremendous. For many organizations, and integrated system like SAP will help them realize new levels of efficiency and savings when looked at over the course of many years.

To archive those results, however, organizations have to be willing to let go of the way they currently do things and approach not only the system but also their business practices with a new paradigm. This is more often then not where companies fall down in their SAP journey. They want the benefits that the standardization and integration that SAP provides but they don’t want to let go of their familiar way of doing business.

The clip below is a humors look at the serious implications of not managing a SAP project well!  Enjoy!

See Through or See Into People?

January 20, 2011 in Leadership with 0 Comments

I enjoyed this post on Michael Hyatt’s blog yesterday. It was actually a guest post by Dan Foster, a Branch Manager for Prudential Northwest Properties in the Portland Metropolitan Area in which he reflects on a question Max Lucado asks in his book, Outlive Your Life, “Do you see through people or into people?”

I appreciated Dan’s honesty and I think many of us would agree that we are often guilty of seeing right through people and staying focused on our world, our problems, our issues.  How do you see people? I know personally, that many who are involved in the world of technology for their career can often have a greater love for software and shiny gadgets than they do the people who use them.  Before you answer the question of how you see people, read Dan’s 5 characteristics of someone who sees through people.  How many can you relate to?

If you have ever known someone who truly sees into people, who saw into your life, you know the power that person has to not only encourage and lift you up, but the influence and difference they can make in your future.

To be a leader that sees into people is no easy task. It requires courage, self-sacrifice, and the desire to engage people no matter where they are in life. When you see into people, you are not looking for what you are going to get out of that interaction, but, instead, how you can bless the person you are engaging.

This may require that you get your hands dirty. You may find yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Your wallet may not be as fat as it was before, and you may need to create margin in your calendar for opportunities to serve.

My hope and prayer is that in increasingly technology-driven world, that we would not be seduced into self-centeredness but try instead to look beyond tools and into the people they connect you with. Do you try to get to actually know them and step into their world?   As Dan point’s out, it is work and requires your time, but you just might find in makes a world of difference not only to them but to as well.

Tweaking Does Not Create Momentum

January 13, 2011 in Leadership with 0 Comments

In this month’s episode of the Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast, Andy talks about how things that are new will most often lead to sustaining or building momentum in an organization.  However “new” isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap.  Our tendency is often to settle for the cheaper and the easier – just tweaking things and making minor improvements, but these never generate momentum nor cause much impact.

New leadership, programs, or directions will cause disruptions.  New requires learning. New requires never being satisfied with the status-quo.  Good enough is never okay.

While Andy is talking about organizations, I think this is also why people get excited about technology and gadgets.  While people like to complain about the constant change that is always happening in the industry, it is also why there are such fans. New is what has made the most innovative people and companies successful. Just look at Apple.  How many thousands of people wait in lines for the next new shiny iThing that comes out every year.

Organizations with momentum can get much accomplished and go further in reaching their goals.  Does your organization have it?  Have you ever been a part of one that did?  What excited you about being part of it?

Listen here or check out the podcast page.

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Feeling Unmotivated?

January 8, 2011 in Leadership with 2 Comments

Have a case of winter depression?  Need some motivation?  Watch this!

The Most Special Gift

December 19, 2010 in Leadership with 0 Comments

As exciting as he has been to watch and as great has his performance on the field has been this season, the most impressive performance about Michael Vick has been the turn around of his personal life.  No one is perfect, but EVERYONE deserves a second chance.  At this time of year where we stop to share the love that God gave us in the gift of his son we should not forget that the sometimes the best gift we can often give is simply forgiveness and another chance.


If you can’t see the embedded video above [click here].  Wait for the interview after the commercial.

Tension

December 15, 2010 in Leadership with 0 Comments


photo by Chris Willis on Flickr

At Catalyst this past October, the theme was “Tension is Good“. They explored the notion that not all conflicts are problems to solve and that some are simply tensions that should be managed – despite our nature to try to get rid of all conflict in our lives.  I was reminded of this again while listening to the December episode of Andy Stanley’s leadership podcast where Andy talks about maintaining a healthy dose of tension in our organizations.

The paradox is that some tension is actually good and if you try to solve those, instead of managing them, not only will you be more frustrated, you will actually not be acting in the best interest of your organization.  Have you ever stopped to think about how much effort and time you might be wasting trying to fix or solve problems that you shouldn’t be?  As any civil engineer knows, the right amount and right kind of tension is essential to achieve things that otherwise simply couldn’t be done.  What tensions in your work, personal, family, church life should be managed and not solved?

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