Archive for January, 2007
Noisy Story Tellers - STOP IT!
**This is a rather frank, bold entry. Let me know your thoughts after reading it. I’m particularly interested in what ways you see yourself reflected in the experience I wrote about.**
We’re now one month into the new year. Almost 8.5% of the calendar year is behind us. How are you doing on that New Year Resolution?
Have you kept up the good and challenging work of creating the new, effective habits necessary to get better results this year than last? Or are you back to eating cake, talking smack, procrastinating, avoiding learning that critical new skill, playing your same old tunes being the same old partner, coworker or friend?
By this time most people have settled and slipped back into their comfy old-ways. Habits die hard. Last year’s goal-setters and resolution-makers are…
Information Overload = Decision Underload
Jeez! I’ve had it! I am positively and permanently done with feeling overwhelmed by “information.” I get too many emails and too much physical junk mail. I get too many industry publications. I subscribe to too many e-zines and e-newsletters. I surf too many websites.
Now, I can’t control people making requests for my time. I can’t control getting five pieces of direct mail from my insurance company this week alone. I can’t control San Diego Chamber of Commerce members putting me on their company direct mail lists.
I I could feel a bit out of control, given all I can’t control. But, not anymore. I can control the most important thing that governs whether I feel overwhelmed by information overload: Where I invest my attention.
So, to all you wonderful businesspeople…
Lack of Poise Costs Charges Superbowl Hopes
Successful execution of most plays in Sunday’s playoff game against the New England Patriots could not save the Chargers from the underminining effects of poor decisions at crucial moments. Immaturity and poor critical-moment decisions cost San Diego the game, and a big dream.
It is time for the Charger leadership to put an end to the silly and immature, self-centered and aggressive behavior after great plays are made. Those childish in-your-face who’s-yo-mamma antics contributed to the organization’s failure to meet its goals. Are the players on the gradeschool playground or are they professionals responsible for consistent high-level execution in a high-stakes professional sport? Those antics are selfish and individualistic when the welfare of the whole should be a player’s top concern.
A head butt after a great play, unsportsmanlike conduct, and…
Read Less and Do More
I received a monthly book offer for summaries of 32 business books. Each year they promise overviews of 24 of the latest titles plus eight classics. That’s 32 book summaries for the year. They encourage me to listen to them all before deciding what book to buy.
There is some wisdom in their offer. They want me to be an educated book buyer. But the thing is, I already have enough to read. I have unread management classics on my shelf right now. Why do I need the latest and greatest?
One answer might be that the lastest is fashionable and to be relevant in current conversations I have to know what it says. Maybe. To be relevant I need to contribute something that helps the company execute better. That doesn’t have…
