Goals » Nonsense At Work

#558: Re-invent forward, not backward

Jan 302012

Here’s what I dislike about the movie industry. Their ability to shout ‘cut!’ to re-do the scene or the script. I’m jealous of that.

Imagine having the power to shout ‘cut!’ to re-do until you get it right. That’s the way to deal with your miss-takes. Did you catch that? Miss takes.

Well, in real life, you mostly have only one take, to get it right. When you miss take, the trick becomes one of how to re-write your story from this point forward.

I wish someone would tell that to this current crop of callous politicians. Re-invent your story forward, not backward. Any fool can rewrite history and only fools will believe him, which is why I’m not jealous of that skill.

How do you create a new story starting now? That takes real skill. It’s called living, not play acting. Why is this so unpopular? Because you must take responsibility for the outcomes.

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#557: On setting nonsense goals

Business, Culture, Goals No Responses »

Jan 262012

When setting goals, be clear and specific. Obvious, isn’t it? Maybe not. Have you seen that ridiculous sticker on the back of big trucks? You know the one. “Safety is my goal.”

For Pete’s sake, if safety is your goal, then stay home. Goal achieved. Simple.

No, sir, Mister Trucker, your goal is to deliver your cargo. How you do so is another matter.

And how you do things does matter. The more your people understand ‘the way we do things around here’, the less direct supervision they need.

‘The way we do things’ should help people ‘get it’ so that they can get on with it. And in your absence, it should help them deal appropriately with unexpected nonsense.

But make sure that The Way never becomes ‘but we’ve always done it this way’, because then you’ve stopped learning. And once learning stops, safety as a goal begins to make sense.

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#556: Tell yourself where to go

Goals, Leadership No Responses »

Jan 232012

Consider this truism: If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will take you there. Well, our modern reliance on GPS and other internet mapping resources have highlighted something that should be equally obvious. If you don’t know where you are, then it is impossible to map a path to somewhere specific.

Think about it. No on-line map can give you directions unless you know where you are. We understand this, don’t we? Then why do so many of us plan our future and our goals without first being clear on where we are today?

Maybe because we have no easy way to describe where we are. Try this – tell your story.

Here’s why it works. To tell it, you must organize your thoughts. In telling it, you will remember what you have already achieved. Best of all, you will realize that you are still writing it, that you are creating your destination today.

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Listen to the radio version of Tell yourself where to go (10 most recent radio files)

#555: Weave with purpose

Goals, Leadership No Responses »

Jan 192012

Have you ever watched a drunk staggering home?

Well, I once watched something similar – a guy with a metal detector combing an early morning beach. I was standing on a balcony which gave me a bird’s eye view of his progress. As I watched I realized something interesting.

Have you ever watched a guy working a metal detector? And have you watched a drunk working a side-walk? Did you notice something interesting? Correct! Both weave, but one zigzags all over the place, while the other one weaves with purpose.

That’s exactly the strategy you should adopt this year – weave with purpose.

Many organizations are punch drunk, zigzagging and stumbling about. The risk is that they will seek stability by developing rigid plans with inflexible strategies. But things are simply too uncertain for that to work.

Better for you to be clear on the outcome you want . . . and then to weave with purpose.

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Listen to the radio version of Weave with purpose (10 most recent radio files)

#554: Give in now or be exhausted

Goals, Success No Responses »

Jan 162012

We are mid-way through January and I’ve finally figured out my strategy for the year.

You might believe that life is a constant struggle, but I commit to success through the Easy Way. Like a river flowing downhill to the sea.

Have you swum across a river? The inexperienced river-crosser aims at a point directly across and struggles against the current. The experienced swimmer merely aims to get across and flows with the current to the other side.

If you aim at a specific spot, then you must ‘tame’ the river. But if you merely aim to cross over, then you can ride the current across and walk to the desired spot.

About midway across the inexperienced river-crosser will find that his struggle has exhausted him. Now he must choose: a final fight against the current or give in to its flow.

Me? I’m giving in now, going with the flow, so I won’t be exhausted by June.

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#551: Less dream, more resolution

Goals, Success No Responses »

Jan 042012

Welcome to Day 2 of 2012. Broken any resolutions lately? If so, this bumper sticker is for you: May your bad luck last as long as your New Year’s resolutions.

Many of us had bad luck last year and so hopefully this bumper sticker applies to us as well. But then again, some of us had bad luck because we did not stick to our resolutions.

Why do resolutions seldom hang around longer than the hangover created at the same time? I think it is because making the resolution has more significance than the resolution itself. We put too much emphasis on symbolic intention and not enough on serious action.

Day 2 of the New Year holds less ritualistic pressure. So, rework your intentions soberly. Put less dream into your resolutions and more resolution into your actions.

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Listen to the radio version of Less dream, more resolution (10 most recent radio files)

#550: Experience is hindsight with bite

Goals, Success No Responses »

Jan 022012

Well, well, well, that was twenty eleven. It was supposed to be so much better than twenty ten. I guess we just did not learn from twenty nine, from history. Once again George Bernard Shaw was right when he said that ‘We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.’

So, play it safe in twenty twelve. Learn from history. Look back, but look back carefully. Looking back is hindsight. Hindsight might be interesting, but is useless at changing history. Yet, it can be used to create a better future.

How? By showing you how your life tends to unfold. If you understand how life happens to you, then hindsight can help you create better future outcomes. But you must act on this understanding, because it is only through doing, through action, that you gain experience.

And what is experience? Experience is hindsight with enough bite to influence the future.

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#544: The 4th Way to beat the Joneses

Goals, Nonsense, Success No Responses »

Dec 122011

T’s the season to leave the Joneses in the dust. The whole point of modern life is to know your ABC – how to Acquire it, how to Boast about it, and how to Closet it.

We have indulged in this uniquely human behavior since agriculture was invented. That’s when we finally had more than enough in one place. We called it surplus and built a place to store it. Gone was the need to be a member of a roving band of foraging foodies.

But why do some people keep up with the Joneses better than others? The answer, according to heavy thinkers, seems to be the Three-fold Path: luck, intelligence and/or aggression.

With the advent of the predictable discount season, I propose a Fourth Way – Timing. Or, to give it its scientific name, deferred gratification.

The trick is to wait patiently until you are rewarded with an even bigger discount than the Joneses.

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Listen to the radio version of The 4th Way to beat the Joneses (10 most recent radio files)

#519: From to-do list to surge list

Goals No Responses »

Sep 012011

Photo Source: US Navy

It’s Monday morning. You have much to do. Where to begin! With a to-do list. What’s the nicest thing about a to-do list? Checking items off the list.

So, what should be the first item on your to-do list? Make a to-do list, of course. This way you start the day with a rush of pleasure as you check off the first item.

Talking about checking your to-dos, here’s what I don’t like. What, what, what. No mention of why or how. Surely, it’s not only what you do, it’s also why and how you do it. Why and how form your attitude, your mind-set, to what you do.

The word ‘check’ means ‘to hold back’. Is that what you want?

For real zing, create a surge list instead. Begin your ‘what’s to be done’ with ‘why’ and ‘how’ to create ‘wow’. This will turn your check list into a surge list and your to-dos done.

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Listen to the radio version of From to-do list to surge list (10 most recent radio files)

#505: Downhill to sticky resolutions

Goals, Motivation, Success No Responses »

Jul 112011

Here is an important message from Nonsense At Work. The name of the month is July and the number of the month is seven.

Do you know what that means? From here it’s downhill all the way to December 31st. And do you know what happens after December 31st? You will once again be making the same resolutions that did not stick this year.

But wait! You still have 5 months and a bit. So try this trick to make them stick. Imagine it is already December and you are looking back on a successful year. Describe in detail what that success looks like.

Now, look back in time and note what you did to create that success. What steps do you think you had to take? Write them down. Now get back to July, to today, and start doing those very things.

That’s how you create success on the downhill to December.

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Listen to the radio version of Downhill to sticky resolutions (10 most recent radio files)

Older Entries

#558: Re-invent forward, not backward

#557: On setting nonsense goals

#556: Tell yourself where to go

#555: Weave with purpose

#554: Give in now or be exhausted

#551: Less dream, more resolution

#550: Experience is hindsight with bite

#544: The 4th Way to beat the Joneses

#519: From to-do list to surge list

#505: Downhill to sticky resolutions

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