what would you do? February 15, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: actions, attitude, heart, trust
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A bag with a laptop and expensive pair of headphones is on the floor next to a table in a busy coffee shop, no-one around seems to be aware of it, what do you do? Guard it whilst you have a drink and see if anyone comes for it, then claim it as your own? Hand it in, leaving it to the store owner to make the right call? Claim it for yourself and walk away? There are plenty of options but what will you do?
If it was your bag that had been forgotten, you would hope that someone would do the right thing so that it could be reclaimed. You have to make a snap decision, no time to think? Quick, what would you do?
Your answer will indicate something about you? I trust that you are not disappointed.
Lonely at the Top? February 14, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: leader, leadership, loneliness, styles
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Two conversations in the last week and watching the One Show interview of Michael Portillo regarding the recent film about Margaret Thatcher, have all referred to loneliness in leadership. In all 3 conversations people claimed that being in the place of authority meant that you were alone in making decisions and therefore carried the weight of responsibility alone. Poppycock!!
If you are a leader with responsibility, there is no need to carry the burden of that responsibility alone. If you do, you are not including others, misunderstanding the role of teamwork and, if I may be so bold, leading through selfishness and arrogance. The final call may be yours but that does not have to equate to loneliness unless you have isolated yourself from others. This style of leadership belongs to a bygone era from the industrial age and thankfully disappearing – it may take time to filter through some organisations but it must do so.
Lonely at the Top should be reserved for the history books!
anger and aggression – is it ever a good thing today? February 13, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: people, time, anger, aggression, good, bad
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Is there ever a good time to be angry? Is there a good time to be aggressive?
Was your answer the same for each of the above questions? In 2012, there are different views expressed to previous generations and whilst there may be good reasons for change, I wonder if we are becoming less tolerant. Should we allow a healthy dose of each and, if so, what is ‘healthy?
words and actions February 8, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: acceptability, actions, truth, words
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If we are to be truthful, is it necessary for our words and actions to match up? Is it ever acceptable for them to be different?
Don’t take your immediate response, think about it and carefully consider – you may surprise yourself!
best meeting times February 2, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: decision making, fruitful, meetings, productivity
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Have you ever wondered when the most productive moments are in meetings? What if the most productive points are the coffee breaks in the middle or the 15minutes as the meeting ends?
It seems to me, the best business, decisions, challenges are addressed most productively, in increasing measure, in the ‘non-formal’ parts of meetings. It is a little like the ‘door-post’ conversations in offices or the coffee machine conversation. Looking back on the most productive meetings, this seems to be the place where the most encouraging things happen and often the times that yield the most fruitfulness.
At what points in and around meetings do you feel that you are most productive?
the need for dress to impress February 1, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: clothes, culture, dress code, impressions, norm, value
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The cultural norm is that we have a dress code for certain events or activities. The older generations would usually point to a decline in ‘standards’ for the way people dress, what they really mean is that people dress in a different way.
In one office, the staff normally dress ‘smart but casual’, so it is shirts and open collars. However, one day many staff members came in with ties and jackets leaving just one person in the usual attire. He was feeling put out when he recognised that he was the only one who had not dressed up for a senior management meeting but that changed when one of the staff said;
“you can think of it another way, you have no need to dress to impress, you are confident in your own skin and more certain of who you are.“
What wise and powerful words. Whilst I do not advocate scruffy dressing (whatever that may be!), hearing this story helped me realise that it is not my dress code that will help me to impress others, it is the confidence in who I am, in my words and actions.
the curse of ‘busy’ January 31, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: busy, leadership, priorities, truth
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If, as leaders, we ever use the excuse that ‘we are too busy’ or apologise and then add a refrain that qualifies the apology because of ‘busy’ issues then we need to be aware of what that says to those that we lead.
‘I found other things more important’, ‘I have different priorities’, ‘your issues are not valuable enough to me’…… these things may be true and if they are, we need to admit them and be straight with people, rather than issuing a curse by saying that we were just ‘too busy’.
living in the real world January 30, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings, Uncategorized.Tags: challenge, failure, life, success, triumph
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One of the dangers of the internet world is that we see things in extreme – things are either brilliant or dreadful. We can look at friends facebook profiles and can ponder in jealousy at the amazing lives that people have whilst getting upset that we are unable to match their levels. Problems can then befall and our false assumptions may make us wonder why it ‘always happens to us’ but for others life is seemingly a smooth journey of constant rejoicing.
The truth of life is somewhat different – we all face times of difficulty, struggle, pain, triumph and success. Admittedly, they may be in different measure but we all face them, the challenge comes from how we address them.
presence when it matters January 27, 2012
Posted by thehutch in ponderings.Tags: people, presence, relationships, time
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So often we take our pithy comments or our attending of events lightly. They matter more than we would believe……it matters more to people when the chips are down and are likely never to be forgotten.
A young person, with whom I had a special privilege of working with, brought this truth to home in my own life. He was a ‘star’ youth group member when his closest friend was killed in a road traffic accident, it was a tough time that hit us all hard. This youngster in particular removed himself from people and his grief took a heavy toll. A long time later he went missing and I was asked to help find him. In a moment of inspiration, I went straight to where he was, said nothing, and sat near him until he was ready to leave the gravestone by which he sat. We said very little and as I left him at his front door, he said, “Thank you, I knew you would understand.”
Sometimes, our presence matters above all else. Where do we find ourselves when it really matters?
