Post 336 - According to Abraham Lincoln, “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Acts of daring are needed to make progress in today’s world. So, don’t be afraid to take a risk and go out on a limb - that’s where the fruit is. Townes Duncan, the former CEO of Compronix, remembers, “Seymour Cray was a friend of my dad’s. I asked him what it was like to know the genius who’d built the world’s first supercomputer company. My dad said ‘Well, actually, he wasn’t so much smarter than me. He just made mistakes a hundred times faster.’” People who are afraid of making mistakes may avoid stubbing their toes, but they won’t make much progress.
It’s important to learn from the mistakes of others - you can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself. Although many managers today find themselves lacking the new skills and knowledge required to tackle their ever more demanding responsibilities, there’s also a relentless drive to make mid-career instruction more practical, meaningful and efficient. Companies now demand that executive education achieve specific, real-world goals and provide an immediate payoff. The business doesn’t come to a halt allowing people to go off and take training classes. Short-duration long-distance schooling using internet conferencing, with courses custom designed for employees of a single company, is clearly more efficient than losing managers for weeks and months at off-site executive education courses.
While these new technologies are quite effective for knowledge dissemination, they’re less so for leadership development. This usually involves changing people’s perspective as well as giving them additional skills. At senior levels, executives learn best through direct interaction with their peers. People learn when their emotions are tapped, when they connect with others and hear their stories. The emotional part of the brain is the gateway to the learning part of the brain. The deepest learning comes from trial, failure, reflection and feedback. Without reflection, you can’t articulate your experience so you lack the concepts you need to understand your situation. You need this awareness before you’re motivated to change. You need an idea of why the change is necessary.
Westerners tend to think of knowledge as an individual matter - “it’s what I know” - but in practice, the Eastern perspective, which is essentially a group perspective, is more relevant for today because it builds the collective capacity to take effective action. Learning isn’t about transferring information from one person to another. Human beings are not very good at information transfer - machines are much better at this. Learning is about enhancing the capacity for effective action and is different from information transfer in that way. However, we don’t usually distinguish one from the other. Training is something that’s done to people; learning is what people are genetically designed to do for themselves.
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young," according to Henry Ford.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The pros and cons of working at home.
Post 335 - One way to get more balance in your life is to work from home. I’ve worked at home now for 30-years and I highly recommend it. Many others are now "telecommuting" from home, either full or part-time, or are leaving their corporate jobs behind and starting their own home-based businesses. If you can figure out how to make a living at home, or shift much of what you do to a home office, here are some of the advantages:
To begin with, there’s no commute. Think of all the time and money spent getting to work: it’s stressful as well as costly. No gas, no parking, no rushing to make the bus or train. Your 30-second commute can save you a whole extra day each week! And this also reduces your bills by saving on gas and car expenses and lunch expenses. If a tank of gas costs $50 and lasts a week, cutting that in half gets you another $100 a month. Typically, lunch in the corporate cafeteria will run you around $7. At home, you can get a tasty lunch for $2 - another $100 a month in savings.
There’s no dress code in my office. I have colleagues who even admit to working some of the time in their pajamas. Most people save money on clothes.
A typical office environment is noisy, with people talking, phones ringing, co-workers constantly dropping by to chat. At home, these distractions aren’t going to bother you so you actually end up getting more work done than you would at the office.
People who work from home are able to write off their business expenses and home-office space on their income taxes. Telephone, stationary and other overhead expenses can be shared between the house and the office.
One of the biggest advantages of working at home is flexibility. You can take breaks during the day and get errands done faster because stores, banks, and health clubs are very quiet during the daytime. You can go to the doctor, to your child’s sports event or school performance, visit a sick friend in hospital, or anything else you like without asking anyone’s permission. You have much more control over how you structure your time.
Of course, there are potential disadvantages as well:
When people communicate, a lot of information is conveyed by body language. You lose that when all your communication takes place over the phone or by email. Once in a while, it’s important to go to the office and talk to your co-workers in person.
Human interaction brings with it an opportunity for creative thought and innovation. When working at home, these stimuli won’t be there and you may feel isolated. From better brainstorming tools to virtual team software to video conferencing, there are an increasing number of ways to lessen isolation and make virtual collaboration with others smooth and painless.
If you get bored from time to time, work from a local coffee shop that has wifi. Other activities that create connection include lunch dates, continuing education, seminars, getting out of the house for some fresh air, exercise or errands, or daytime volunteer work.
Since there’s no pressure to begin working at a given time, it’s very easy to be late starting up in the morning. Productivity can seriously decrease unless you maintain considerable self-discipline. Housework, supervising people who are working on your house, and talking on the phone are all occupational hazards. If you can't focus on work with these kind of home distractions (plus kids, the lure of TV, etc.), you may want to rethink working at home in the first place. I’ve learned to be disciplined because if I don’t get any work done, I don’t make any money.
You need a separate office space to get away from distractions but also to get away from work. When your office space is so easily accessible, you’ll be tempted to check your phone messages or fax or email at all hours and to work whenever you have a chance. This isn’t necessarily because you’re a workaholic, but there’s always something to do and when it’s right there, you’re tempted to do it. Remember that the work will always be always there. You have to have the discipline to leave it alone.
You may need to install more phone lines, buy computer and copying equipment, and set up additional lighting in your home to create a workable office space. This can be a major expense if you’re just starting out. You’ll also need to train others in the house not to answer the "business phone" when it rings. The dog will invariably bark each time you make a business call, so put the dog outside during the day while you’re working. Since I don’t want clients trailing though my home to get to my office, I usually go to their offices to meet with them.
As virtual offices are now being set up all across the world, working from home is no longer unusual. Following a few simple tips and maintaining discipline in your work habits can overshadow the cons and let you reap the benefits of this splendid arrangement.
To begin with, there’s no commute. Think of all the time and money spent getting to work: it’s stressful as well as costly. No gas, no parking, no rushing to make the bus or train. Your 30-second commute can save you a whole extra day each week! And this also reduces your bills by saving on gas and car expenses and lunch expenses. If a tank of gas costs $50 and lasts a week, cutting that in half gets you another $100 a month. Typically, lunch in the corporate cafeteria will run you around $7. At home, you can get a tasty lunch for $2 - another $100 a month in savings.
There’s no dress code in my office. I have colleagues who even admit to working some of the time in their pajamas. Most people save money on clothes.
A typical office environment is noisy, with people talking, phones ringing, co-workers constantly dropping by to chat. At home, these distractions aren’t going to bother you so you actually end up getting more work done than you would at the office.
People who work from home are able to write off their business expenses and home-office space on their income taxes. Telephone, stationary and other overhead expenses can be shared between the house and the office.
One of the biggest advantages of working at home is flexibility. You can take breaks during the day and get errands done faster because stores, banks, and health clubs are very quiet during the daytime. You can go to the doctor, to your child’s sports event or school performance, visit a sick friend in hospital, or anything else you like without asking anyone’s permission. You have much more control over how you structure your time.
Of course, there are potential disadvantages as well:
When people communicate, a lot of information is conveyed by body language. You lose that when all your communication takes place over the phone or by email. Once in a while, it’s important to go to the office and talk to your co-workers in person.
Human interaction brings with it an opportunity for creative thought and innovation. When working at home, these stimuli won’t be there and you may feel isolated. From better brainstorming tools to virtual team software to video conferencing, there are an increasing number of ways to lessen isolation and make virtual collaboration with others smooth and painless.
If you get bored from time to time, work from a local coffee shop that has wifi. Other activities that create connection include lunch dates, continuing education, seminars, getting out of the house for some fresh air, exercise or errands, or daytime volunteer work.
Since there’s no pressure to begin working at a given time, it’s very easy to be late starting up in the morning. Productivity can seriously decrease unless you maintain considerable self-discipline. Housework, supervising people who are working on your house, and talking on the phone are all occupational hazards. If you can't focus on work with these kind of home distractions (plus kids, the lure of TV, etc.), you may want to rethink working at home in the first place. I’ve learned to be disciplined because if I don’t get any work done, I don’t make any money.
You need a separate office space to get away from distractions but also to get away from work. When your office space is so easily accessible, you’ll be tempted to check your phone messages or fax or email at all hours and to work whenever you have a chance. This isn’t necessarily because you’re a workaholic, but there’s always something to do and when it’s right there, you’re tempted to do it. Remember that the work will always be always there. You have to have the discipline to leave it alone.
You may need to install more phone lines, buy computer and copying equipment, and set up additional lighting in your home to create a workable office space. This can be a major expense if you’re just starting out. You’ll also need to train others in the house not to answer the "business phone" when it rings. The dog will invariably bark each time you make a business call, so put the dog outside during the day while you’re working. Since I don’t want clients trailing though my home to get to my office, I usually go to their offices to meet with them.
As virtual offices are now being set up all across the world, working from home is no longer unusual. Following a few simple tips and maintaining discipline in your work habits can overshadow the cons and let you reap the benefits of this splendid arrangement.
Monday, September 28, 2009
How to get a good night's sleep.
Post 334 - Several of the people who are dear to me have trouble sleeping. I've also discovered that as many as 70-million Americans (about one-quarter of the population) have difficulty sleeping, and half this group have chronic sleep problems. A good night's sleep is as important to survival as food and water. With too little, we don't function well. We run a higher risk of accidents, we sometimes perform poorly at work, and our moods can turn sour.
Some of the reasons that people can't sleep:
* Because of lifestyles or work schedules, sleep just isn't a priority for some people. Stress from hectic schedules can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep.
* The body's internal clock programs people to feel sleepy at night and to be active during the day. When that clock is upset, sleeping becomes difficult. For example, travelers who fly across multiple time zones often get "jet lag" because they can’t maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule.
* People who work at night and try to sleep during the day are constantly fighting their internal clocks. Without adequate rest, they’re more likely to make errors or have accidents at work.
* Sleep disorders often occur in people who have a chronic disease that involves pain or infection, a neurological or psychiatric disorder, or an alcohol or substance abuse disorder. For these individuals, as sleep becomes difficult, it potentially worsens their medical conditions.
Here are some of the more common recommendations for dealing with sleeplessness:
* Go to sleep and wake up at the same times as much as possible, even on weekends.
* Exercise at a regular time each day, at least 3-hours before bedtime.
* Get some natural, outdoor light each day.
* Avoid caffeine late in the day and don't drink alcohol to help you sleep.
* Create a quiet, dark, warm, and well ventilated place to sleep.
* Develop a nighttime routine that helps you slow down and relax before you go to bed.
* If you're having trouble falling asleep after about 15 minutes, get up, do a quiet activity, and return to bed when you’re sleepy.
In addition, I recommend you also try the following:
Learn to separate the majors from the minors. A lot of people can't quiet their mind to sleep simply because they major in minor things. Every evening, write down the three or four most important things you want to accomplish the next day. Then, while you sleep, your subconscious will work on finding the best ways for you to accomplish them. The following day should go much more smoothly as a result.
Say your affirmations as soon as you go to bed. This is a good practice because while you sleep, your brain will work on how to make your affirmations come true.
A Good Night Affirmation – "I’m the master of my mind. I have a powerful plan that will let me sleep peacefully every night."
A Goal-Setting Affirmation - "I’ve written down an important three-year goal and I’m taking steps to get started."
A Focusing Affirmation - "I’m paying attention to the opportunities that surround me every day."
If you're not sleeping because you have a problem related to work - the "XYZ issue," ask yourself, in your mind, the following question: "How can I resolve the XYZ issue?" Keep asking that question, in your mind, until you fall asleep. If your mind wanders, get back to the question and keep focusing on it.
Each morning when you wake up, while you’re still lying in bed, mentally start going through a list of things you’re grateful for and I’ll bet you’ll soon begin to feel blessed and appreciative! That way, you’ll start each day from a much better perspective.
And remind yourself how special and unique you are. If you believe in yourself, you’re destined for greatness. When you’re one of the few who get things done, you’re the envy of the many who only watch.
Have a powerful day! Make it a really great week...and sleep well.
Some of the reasons that people can't sleep:
* Because of lifestyles or work schedules, sleep just isn't a priority for some people. Stress from hectic schedules can make it difficult to relax and fall asleep.
* The body's internal clock programs people to feel sleepy at night and to be active during the day. When that clock is upset, sleeping becomes difficult. For example, travelers who fly across multiple time zones often get "jet lag" because they can’t maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule.
* People who work at night and try to sleep during the day are constantly fighting their internal clocks. Without adequate rest, they’re more likely to make errors or have accidents at work.
* Sleep disorders often occur in people who have a chronic disease that involves pain or infection, a neurological or psychiatric disorder, or an alcohol or substance abuse disorder. For these individuals, as sleep becomes difficult, it potentially worsens their medical conditions.
Here are some of the more common recommendations for dealing with sleeplessness:
* Go to sleep and wake up at the same times as much as possible, even on weekends.
* Exercise at a regular time each day, at least 3-hours before bedtime.
* Get some natural, outdoor light each day.
* Avoid caffeine late in the day and don't drink alcohol to help you sleep.
* Create a quiet, dark, warm, and well ventilated place to sleep.
* Develop a nighttime routine that helps you slow down and relax before you go to bed.
* If you're having trouble falling asleep after about 15 minutes, get up, do a quiet activity, and return to bed when you’re sleepy.
In addition, I recommend you also try the following:
Learn to separate the majors from the minors. A lot of people can't quiet their mind to sleep simply because they major in minor things. Every evening, write down the three or four most important things you want to accomplish the next day. Then, while you sleep, your subconscious will work on finding the best ways for you to accomplish them. The following day should go much more smoothly as a result.
Say your affirmations as soon as you go to bed. This is a good practice because while you sleep, your brain will work on how to make your affirmations come true.
A Good Night Affirmation – "I’m the master of my mind. I have a powerful plan that will let me sleep peacefully every night."
A Goal-Setting Affirmation - "I’ve written down an important three-year goal and I’m taking steps to get started."
A Focusing Affirmation - "I’m paying attention to the opportunities that surround me every day."
If you're not sleeping because you have a problem related to work - the "XYZ issue," ask yourself, in your mind, the following question: "How can I resolve the XYZ issue?" Keep asking that question, in your mind, until you fall asleep. If your mind wanders, get back to the question and keep focusing on it.
Each morning when you wake up, while you’re still lying in bed, mentally start going through a list of things you’re grateful for and I’ll bet you’ll soon begin to feel blessed and appreciative! That way, you’ll start each day from a much better perspective.
And remind yourself how special and unique you are. If you believe in yourself, you’re destined for greatness. When you’re one of the few who get things done, you’re the envy of the many who only watch.
Have a powerful day! Make it a really great week...and sleep well.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Suburban, a poem by John Ciardi.
Post 333 - This one is for Jon & Emily.
The son of Italian immigrants, John Ciardi was born in 1916 in Boston's North End and grew up in Medford, Massachusetts. He studied at Tufts University, before receiving his M.A. from the University of Michigan in 1939. After years of teaching English, at Harvard (1946-1953) and Rutgers (1953-1961), Ciardi resigned his tenured faculty position for an independent career. When he left Rutgers, he famously quipped that teaching was "planned poverty." He wrote 21 books of poetry and served as a highly popular poetry editor of the Saturday Review from 1956 to 1972. His occasional public television broadcasts were supplemented by his weekly National Public Radio series begun in 1980 as A Word in Your Ear. He was presented with a National Teachers Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1982. Ciardi died of a heart attack on Easter Sunday, 1986.
He once observed, "You don't have to suffer to be a poet; adolescence is enough suffering for anyone."
Suburban by John Ciardi
Yesterday Mrs. Friar phoned."Mr. Ciardi,
how do you do?" she said. "I am sorry to say
this isn't exactly a social call. The fact is
your dog has just deposited-forgive me-
a large repulsive object in my petunias."
I thought to ask, "Have you checked the rectal grooving
for a positive I.D.?" My dog, as it happened,
was in Vermont with my son, who had gone fishing-
if that's what one does with a girl, two cases of beer,
and a borrowed camper. I guessed I'd get no trout.
But why lose out on organic gold for a wise crack
"Yes, Mrs. Friar," l said, "I understand."
"Most kind of you," she said. "Not at all," I said.
I went with a spade. She pointed, looking away.
"I always have loved dogs," she said, "but really!"
I scooped it up and bowed. "The animal of it.
I hope this hasn't upset you, Mrs. Friar."
"Not really," she said, "but really!" I bore the turd
across the line to my own petunias
and buried it till the glorious resurrection
when even these suburbs shall give up their dead.
The son of Italian immigrants, John Ciardi was born in 1916 in Boston's North End and grew up in Medford, Massachusetts. He studied at Tufts University, before receiving his M.A. from the University of Michigan in 1939. After years of teaching English, at Harvard (1946-1953) and Rutgers (1953-1961), Ciardi resigned his tenured faculty position for an independent career. When he left Rutgers, he famously quipped that teaching was "planned poverty." He wrote 21 books of poetry and served as a highly popular poetry editor of the Saturday Review from 1956 to 1972. His occasional public television broadcasts were supplemented by his weekly National Public Radio series begun in 1980 as A Word in Your Ear. He was presented with a National Teachers Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1982. Ciardi died of a heart attack on Easter Sunday, 1986.
He once observed, "You don't have to suffer to be a poet; adolescence is enough suffering for anyone."
Suburban by John Ciardi
Yesterday Mrs. Friar phoned."Mr. Ciardi,
how do you do?" she said. "I am sorry to say
this isn't exactly a social call. The fact is
your dog has just deposited-forgive me-
a large repulsive object in my petunias."
I thought to ask, "Have you checked the rectal grooving
for a positive I.D.?" My dog, as it happened,
was in Vermont with my son, who had gone fishing-
if that's what one does with a girl, two cases of beer,
and a borrowed camper. I guessed I'd get no trout.
But why lose out on organic gold for a wise crack
"Yes, Mrs. Friar," l said, "I understand."
"Most kind of you," she said. "Not at all," I said.
I went with a spade. She pointed, looking away.
"I always have loved dogs," she said, "but really!"
I scooped it up and bowed. "The animal of it.
I hope this hasn't upset you, Mrs. Friar."
"Not really," she said, "but really!" I bore the turd
across the line to my own petunias
and buried it till the glorious resurrection
when even these suburbs shall give up their dead.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Creating good jobs.
Post 332 - Most people want time in their life for work, family, friends and themselves. They want an interesting job, one that will provide financial security and a chance to get ahead. Sometimes, they want all these things equally, at once; more often, they want different things at different points in their lives. As the poet Maya Angelou says, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."
Every employee brings unique needs, capabilities, desires and aspirations with them when they go to work every day. People who feel they’re productively developing and applying their capabilities and who feel their company is committed to their welfare invariably commit themselves to helping the business succeed. Frustrated and unfulfilled workers seldom give the company their all.
I’ve found that people’s needs and expectations at work generally center around the three Cs:
• Competence - having the skills and capabilities it takes to perform their work well
• Contribution – knowing how what they do adds value for the business and its customers
• Centrality – knowing that what they do is important and makes a difference.
In addition, employees consistently report the following 'top ten' as job characteristics that generate commitment. They say that a well-designed job:
• Uses their skills and abilities
• Provides opportunities for learning and development
• Specifies a well-defined area of responsibility
• Poses reasonable demands and challenges
• Provides opportunities for social interactions with colleagues
• Contributes to the product the company makes or the service it provides
• Incorporates some variety in the tasks being performed
• Allows for making a worthwhile and meaningful contribution
• Leads to some sort of a desirable future
• Provides opportunities to influence decisions about their work
Different people value these characteristics differently but, taken as a whole, they describe jobs that fulfill people’s needs, keep them productive and don’t stress them out.
Sometime back I bought a raffle ticket and on the ticket it said: You Must Be Present to Win. And I thought, ‘That’s it! That’s the ticket to success in life!’ To be fully present with whatever you’re doing while you’re doing it. Fully awake – fully aware and focused on the person or the situation that’s right there in front of you. So, don't wait for someone else to come and rescue you from an unsatisfactory situation. Success in life is not a random event. Each of us will be as successful as we choose to be.
Every employee brings unique needs, capabilities, desires and aspirations with them when they go to work every day. People who feel they’re productively developing and applying their capabilities and who feel their company is committed to their welfare invariably commit themselves to helping the business succeed. Frustrated and unfulfilled workers seldom give the company their all.
I’ve found that people’s needs and expectations at work generally center around the three Cs:
• Competence - having the skills and capabilities it takes to perform their work well
• Contribution – knowing how what they do adds value for the business and its customers
• Centrality – knowing that what they do is important and makes a difference.
In addition, employees consistently report the following 'top ten' as job characteristics that generate commitment. They say that a well-designed job:
• Uses their skills and abilities
• Provides opportunities for learning and development
• Specifies a well-defined area of responsibility
• Poses reasonable demands and challenges
• Provides opportunities for social interactions with colleagues
• Contributes to the product the company makes or the service it provides
• Incorporates some variety in the tasks being performed
• Allows for making a worthwhile and meaningful contribution
• Leads to some sort of a desirable future
• Provides opportunities to influence decisions about their work
Different people value these characteristics differently but, taken as a whole, they describe jobs that fulfill people’s needs, keep them productive and don’t stress them out.
Sometime back I bought a raffle ticket and on the ticket it said: You Must Be Present to Win. And I thought, ‘That’s it! That’s the ticket to success in life!’ To be fully present with whatever you’re doing while you’re doing it. Fully awake – fully aware and focused on the person or the situation that’s right there in front of you. So, don't wait for someone else to come and rescue you from an unsatisfactory situation. Success in life is not a random event. Each of us will be as successful as we choose to be.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
How to work less and produce more.
Post 331 - 80-plus hour work weeks are common in large law firms, where most associates are expected to bill 2200 hours a month minimum! Investment bankers also spend prodigious hours at work, as do many other professionals. A survey of 605 U.S. workers last spring by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 70% of employees work beyond their scheduled time and on weekends; more than half blame "self-imposed pressure." Now, new research suggests some have reached the point where to get more done, they need to stop working as much.
A four-year study, reported in the October issue of the Harvard Business Review, confirms that getting away from work can yield unexpected on-the-job benefits. When members of twelve consulting teams at Boston Consulting Group were each required to take a block of "predictable time off" every week, "we had to practically force some professionals" to get away, says Professor Leslie Perlow who headed the study. But working together to make sure each consultant got some time off forced teams to communicate better, share more personal information and forge closer relationships. They also had to do a better job at planning ahead and streamlining work, which often resulted in improved customer service. After five months of predictable time off, internal surveys showed consultants were more satisfied with their jobs and their work-life balance, and were more likely to stay with the firm, compared with consultants who weren't part of the experiment. As word spread, other consultants began asking to join the study. Boston Consulting is so pleased with the outcome that it's introducing a similar teaming strategy over the next year to many new U.S. projects.
Other companies have introduced similar initiatives. At KPMG, managers use "wellness scorecards" to track whether employees are working too much overtime or skipping vacation. At Fenwick & West, a Silicon Valley law firm, "workflow coordinators" review attorneys' hours to avert overload. And at Bobrick Washroom Equipment, in North Hollywood, CA, its 500 employees are expected to leave in time for dinner. Mark Louchheim, Bobrick's president, believes family dinners together are important to the well-being of employees and their children. He also believes that setting limits on work motivates people to work smarter.
My own experience managing a Sterling Electronics plant some years ago indicated that employees who habitually stayed late often had poor work habits. They were frequently unable to delegate properly and to prioritize their work. Initially, engineers worked lots of unpaid overtime and the plant was always full of people on Saturdays. However, paying everyone overtime focused attention on the cost of this inefficiency. As a result, working after hours or on weekends was seen as a bad thing that cost us money rather than an indicator of employee motivation and commitment. Within a few months, everyone learned how to get their tasks done during regular hours, and overtime and weekend work on a regular basis went away. In addition, we estimated that productivity improved by an estimated 20%.
Many people think they're actively managing their work-life fit effectively. However, they don't consistently keep track of their work and personal goals and responsibilities in one place, they don't take time to check in with themselves regularly to see if their "fit" matches reality, they don't make ongoing small adjustments, or put self-imposed boundaries around the technology they use. And as Hakim Bey (the American political writer, essayist and poet, Peter Wilson) reminds us, "In a society that enforces a schizoid split between work and leisure, we've all experienced the trivialization of our 'free time,' time which is organized neither as work nor as leisure." The creative and rewarding use of leisure should be at least as central a concern in our society as the need for meaningful work.
A four-year study, reported in the October issue of the Harvard Business Review, confirms that getting away from work can yield unexpected on-the-job benefits. When members of twelve consulting teams at Boston Consulting Group were each required to take a block of "predictable time off" every week, "we had to practically force some professionals" to get away, says Professor Leslie Perlow who headed the study. But working together to make sure each consultant got some time off forced teams to communicate better, share more personal information and forge closer relationships. They also had to do a better job at planning ahead and streamlining work, which often resulted in improved customer service. After five months of predictable time off, internal surveys showed consultants were more satisfied with their jobs and their work-life balance, and were more likely to stay with the firm, compared with consultants who weren't part of the experiment. As word spread, other consultants began asking to join the study. Boston Consulting is so pleased with the outcome that it's introducing a similar teaming strategy over the next year to many new U.S. projects.
Other companies have introduced similar initiatives. At KPMG, managers use "wellness scorecards" to track whether employees are working too much overtime or skipping vacation. At Fenwick & West, a Silicon Valley law firm, "workflow coordinators" review attorneys' hours to avert overload. And at Bobrick Washroom Equipment, in North Hollywood, CA, its 500 employees are expected to leave in time for dinner. Mark Louchheim, Bobrick's president, believes family dinners together are important to the well-being of employees and their children. He also believes that setting limits on work motivates people to work smarter.
My own experience managing a Sterling Electronics plant some years ago indicated that employees who habitually stayed late often had poor work habits. They were frequently unable to delegate properly and to prioritize their work. Initially, engineers worked lots of unpaid overtime and the plant was always full of people on Saturdays. However, paying everyone overtime focused attention on the cost of this inefficiency. As a result, working after hours or on weekends was seen as a bad thing that cost us money rather than an indicator of employee motivation and commitment. Within a few months, everyone learned how to get their tasks done during regular hours, and overtime and weekend work on a regular basis went away. In addition, we estimated that productivity improved by an estimated 20%.
Many people think they're actively managing their work-life fit effectively. However, they don't consistently keep track of their work and personal goals and responsibilities in one place, they don't take time to check in with themselves regularly to see if their "fit" matches reality, they don't make ongoing small adjustments, or put self-imposed boundaries around the technology they use. And as Hakim Bey (the American political writer, essayist and poet, Peter Wilson) reminds us, "In a society that enforces a schizoid split between work and leisure, we've all experienced the trivialization of our 'free time,' time which is organized neither as work nor as leisure." The creative and rewarding use of leisure should be at least as central a concern in our society as the need for meaningful work.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
How to cultivate silence, stillness, and solitude.
Post 330 - Richard Mahler is a freelance writer in Santa Fe, NM. His book, Stillness: Daily Gifts of Solitude is about the steady loss of silence, solitude, and simplicity in modern life, and why overscheduled Americans need them back. Here are some of his observations:
"Busy" is more than a buzzword these days. It's shorthand for, "My schedule is a nightmare, my phone won't stop ringing, and my e-mail box is overflowing. I have a mile-long list of obligations to my spouse, boss, kids, friends, pets, car, and houseplants. I'm so swamped that I can't afford to give you more than a one-word answer." What's wrong with being busy? Plenty. Americans have become the most anxious, time-stressed people in the world, thanks in part to all the high-tech devices at our fingertips that are meant to make life easier. The white noise of trivia and the thrill of consumption fill our heads and guide our behaviors.
Within the last 20 years, we've backed away from heavy smoking, hard drinking, and recreational sex as permissible indulgences; yet working our fingers to the bone-and our brains to jelly-is still perfectly okay. In fact, it's given approval at every turn. Walk into any airport and you're surrounded by people at work: on the phone, at the keyboard, in the briefcase. Hotels compete to see who can offer travelers the greatest number of work-related amenities, such as high-speed Internet access, fax machines, office-style desks, and overnight courier services. Sit down at a restaurant, drive down an interstate, ride a commuter train, or take a walk: half the folks around you are lost to a cel phone or a laptop.
What's missing? The three things many of us long for: silence, stillness, and solitude. Unnatural sound has invaded virtually all of our public spaces, including otherwise pristine national parks. In 1998, wilderness sound recordist, Gordon Hempton, toured 15 states and found only two areas - remote parts of Colorado and Minnesota - that were free of sounds made by motors, airplanes, guns, and other human-operated devices for more than 15 minutes during daylight hours. Noise is everywhere once we walk out the door, but somehow we also feel compelled to introduce it to our inner-sanctums: flicking on TV sets, computers, or stereos; playing back answering machines; encouraging our children to play video games; and installing gadgets in every room of the house. As columnist Anna Quindlen notes, the static in the collective national psyche "threatens to drown out the small voices of cosmic questioning or contentment."
Both clinical research and personal experience confirm that self-reflection is a valuable tool for reducing stress, expanding insight, and increasing happiness. The benefits of devoting even ten quiet minutes a day to ourselves include mental clarity, greater efficiency, and a sense of well-being. The negative consequences of constant interaction are obvious. We get irritable and short-tempered, restless and tired, without seeming to know why. Silence is accessible to each of us and costs nothing. Stillness is as soothing as a bubble bath, as illuminating as a bright idea, and as thrilling as a new romance. Solitude allows us, as 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau observed at Walden Pond, to "be completely true to ourselves." The ability to mold a healthful and life-affirming environment remains within our grasp, even though human-made sound and activity continue to encroach on public and private space. And as we continue filling the world with distractions, often unbidden, we will keep craving the serenity that inevitably shrinks with their arrival.
"Busy" is more than a buzzword these days. It's shorthand for, "My schedule is a nightmare, my phone won't stop ringing, and my e-mail box is overflowing. I have a mile-long list of obligations to my spouse, boss, kids, friends, pets, car, and houseplants. I'm so swamped that I can't afford to give you more than a one-word answer." What's wrong with being busy? Plenty. Americans have become the most anxious, time-stressed people in the world, thanks in part to all the high-tech devices at our fingertips that are meant to make life easier. The white noise of trivia and the thrill of consumption fill our heads and guide our behaviors.
Within the last 20 years, we've backed away from heavy smoking, hard drinking, and recreational sex as permissible indulgences; yet working our fingers to the bone-and our brains to jelly-is still perfectly okay. In fact, it's given approval at every turn. Walk into any airport and you're surrounded by people at work: on the phone, at the keyboard, in the briefcase. Hotels compete to see who can offer travelers the greatest number of work-related amenities, such as high-speed Internet access, fax machines, office-style desks, and overnight courier services. Sit down at a restaurant, drive down an interstate, ride a commuter train, or take a walk: half the folks around you are lost to a cel phone or a laptop.
What's missing? The three things many of us long for: silence, stillness, and solitude. Unnatural sound has invaded virtually all of our public spaces, including otherwise pristine national parks. In 1998, wilderness sound recordist, Gordon Hempton, toured 15 states and found only two areas - remote parts of Colorado and Minnesota - that were free of sounds made by motors, airplanes, guns, and other human-operated devices for more than 15 minutes during daylight hours. Noise is everywhere once we walk out the door, but somehow we also feel compelled to introduce it to our inner-sanctums: flicking on TV sets, computers, or stereos; playing back answering machines; encouraging our children to play video games; and installing gadgets in every room of the house. As columnist Anna Quindlen notes, the static in the collective national psyche "threatens to drown out the small voices of cosmic questioning or contentment."
Both clinical research and personal experience confirm that self-reflection is a valuable tool for reducing stress, expanding insight, and increasing happiness. The benefits of devoting even ten quiet minutes a day to ourselves include mental clarity, greater efficiency, and a sense of well-being. The negative consequences of constant interaction are obvious. We get irritable and short-tempered, restless and tired, without seeming to know why. Silence is accessible to each of us and costs nothing. Stillness is as soothing as a bubble bath, as illuminating as a bright idea, and as thrilling as a new romance. Solitude allows us, as 19th-century writer Henry David Thoreau observed at Walden Pond, to "be completely true to ourselves." The ability to mold a healthful and life-affirming environment remains within our grasp, even though human-made sound and activity continue to encroach on public and private space. And as we continue filling the world with distractions, often unbidden, we will keep craving the serenity that inevitably shrinks with their arrival.
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