Tag Archives: Demp Coaching

In The Long Run a Shortcut Never Is

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“In the long run, a short cut seldom is.”

—Malcolm Forbes, Founder of Forbes Magazine

Image of a "shortcut" sign

Image from wordher

In the never-ending battle between efficiency and effectiveness, the shorter “Road to Hell” may be paved with good intentions, but often results in unexpected problems.

I’m not referring to organizational initiatives such as Six Sigma or Lean, but to more common, daily occurrences, such as handling e-mail.

How often do you overlook or delete emails with the intent of greater speed, efficiency, and overall productivity, then have them come back to haunt you?

How often have you sent an important message to a client, colleague, or your boss, with one or more significant spelling or grammatical errors, and wish you could have a “do-over”?

EXERCISE:

Where and on what issues is it the wise call to slow down and not take a short cut, to assure the result you desire?

I Want People Who Have to Dance

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“I don’t want people who want to dance. I want people who have to dance.”

—George Balanchine, Founder of the New York City Ballet

Image of a Ballerina on a City Street

Photo by Kevin Lee on Unsplash

It is an unfortunate fact that some 70% of the working population doesn’t care much for the work they do.

Many would actually say they dread the thought of Monday morning, and rejoice in the “TGIF” theme song.

I consider this a tragedy for both employee and employer. A vast amount of time is spent in a spirit of boredom, apathy, regret, or just plain indifference. The accompanying lack of commitment, enthusiasm, and genuine passion for our work sometimes puts a dark cloud over our co-workers, and the organization as a whole.

EXERCISE:

What would be possible for you and your organization if you insisted on attracting people who absolutely have to dance?

Trying to Impress Others

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“The time men spend in trying to impress others, they could spend in doing the things by which others would be impressed.”

—Frank Romer, History Professor

Image of 80/20 rule

Image from Social Media Today

If we were to apply the 80/20 rule to today’s quote, it might go something like this:

“80 percent of the effort we put into impressing others creates 20 percent of the value we hope to produce.”

Although it seems pretty wasteful, many people put far too much effort in dressing for success than they should. Perhaps it is because these surface-only pursuits take less time and effort to make us look good. Unfortunately, they rarely produce the deep and significant outcomes we desire.

Consider shopping for a major purchase such as a home or a vehicle as a metaphor. Without a doubt, you would surely get a complete home inspection, or definitely look under the hood before making this kind of investment.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you flip the 80/20 rule to your benefit by taking more substantive actions to provide the valuable outcomes you desire, and likely impress others as a side benefit?

Friday Review: Failure

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FRIDAY REVIEW: FAILURE

How do you define failure? Here are a few failure-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever face in life is choosing whether to walk away or try harder.”

 

 

 

 

“Don’t think of it as failure. Think of it as time-released success.”

 

 

 

“Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.”

 

 

 

 

When a Dog Runs at You

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“When a dog runs at you, whistle for him.”

—Henry David Thoreau, 19th Century American essayist and historian

Image of a rowing team

Image from Flickr by Andrew Blight

If you have ever swum in a river, rowed a boat, or hit a golf ball, you have experienced the concept of going with the flow, and the underlying phenomenon of momentum.

When we put forth our efforts in the same direction, we discover the synergy and compounding benefits of the forces of wind and current.

Where in either your personal or professional worlds are you in the flow of success, with the wind at your back, or going with the current?

EXERCISE:

What additional encouraging efforts can you apply to these situations to more fully realize extraordinary levels of achievement?

Expect the Sting of Bees

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“In seeking honey, expect the sting of bees.”

—Saudi Arabian Proverb

Close-up image of a bee's stinger

Image from almanac.com

Who doesn’t want all the sweetness life has to offer?

Unfortunately, many are fueled by the media and seek short cuts or the path of least resistance. They expect a magic pill or believe a stroke of luck will provide their heart’s desire.

To say life just doesn’t work like that is an understatement. All we need do is dig the tiniest bit beneath the surface of virtually any sweet success to discover many a bee sting.

EXERCISE:

What sweet success are you striving for, personally or professionally, that is without question worth the stings of setbacks and potential failure?

What strategies could you employ to negate or become immune to such irritations and pains?

Creativity is Inventing

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“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, risk-taking, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

—Mary Lou Cook, late Peace Activist

During the Personal Excellence Workshop that begins each of my coaching programs, my clients list their personal strengths. I am somewhat surprised that less than half of them include creativity in their list.

When prompted about their level of creativity, they humbly deflect, stating things like, “On Occasion / Not Really,” or “That is why I do _____ for a living.”

I suggest that we all are far more creative than we believe and that we all create our lives each and every day, for better or for worse.

EXERCISE:

How can you take Mary Lou Cook’s coaching to increase your daily level of inventing, experimenting, risk-taking, rule breaking, and mistake making to expand your creative capacity and make your life a lot more fun?

When You Run Away

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“It’s when you run away that you’re most liable to stumble.”

—Casey Robinson, Screenwriter/Producer

Image from findapsychologist

I’m not completely sure if today’s quote is always true, but watching action films and TV shows, I see the main characters often fall when they run away from their pursuers. Perhaps in film and TV land this is to create more suspense. Invariably, though, they stop, turn around, and summons the courage to take on the bad guys and win the day.

EXERCISE:

Where are you currently in retreat mode? What is causing you to stumble? What attitude shift or other resources are required to turn things around so you can move forward professionally or personally?

 

Friday Review: Mistakes

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FRIDAY REVIEW: MISTAKES

How do you view the mistakes you have made? Here are a few mistake-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

“We should learn from the mistakes of others. We don’t have time to make them all ourselves.”

 

 

 

 

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”

 

 

 

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

 

 

 

 

Small Joys versus Big Happiness

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“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.”

—Pearl S. Buck, 20th Century American Novelist

Happiness is big business. Whether it’s that new home, new car, or new body we want – or even that deal on Amazon Prime – we are bombarded with what the world suggests will make us happy.

Deep down, we all know the temporary boost we experience with these “happiness events” quickly fade, and it is more often the simple pleasures that make our lives far more joyful.

EXERCISE:

Please consider sending me a list of 5-10 of your simple pleasures, and do your best to incorporate them into your days.

If you would like a bit of prompting, consider review Andrea Reiser’s Huffington Post article titled 101 Simple Pleasures to Boost Happiness.