I am so honored and appreciative that these amazing, busy people took the time to read my newest book and provide an endorsement!
If you were striving to walk 10,000 steps, what happened to your motivation when it was reported that the 10,000 step goal was arbitrary, that women who walk 4,000 steps were 40% less likely to die, and that longevity benefits maxed our around 7,500? Did you reduce your goals?
Wisteria is a climbing vine that drapes big, gorgeous clusters of lilac-colored flowers like a cascading waterfall. It is fairly easy to grow, so much so that it can get out of control and spread wildly. However, did you know that Chinese wisteria twines counterclockwise as it climbs and Japanese wisteria climbs clockwise? If you try to train these two plants in the same direction, you will succeed brilliantly with one and fail dismally with the other. The same is true of people. Your employees are as individual as the multitude of plants that thrive in widely varying conditions. Techniques that help one person thrive drive another person crazy. I think you know this as well as I do.
There are five population areas around the world where people live longer than the average US citizen by almost 25 years. They don’t just live long, they live well, remaining vibrant and healthy as they age. They are called Blue Zones and researchers study them to find commonalities.
The purpose of annual reviews is ostensibly to improve performance, right? Then why don’t they? Why do managers and employees alike dread them? And why on earth do they happen only once a year? I can think of only one performance review I ever had in decades working in Corporate America that actually helped me improve. That taught me something about myself that I didn’t know. That accomplished something other than:
For those of you in the northern hemisphere, I hope you are ready for a rip, roaring summer! Whether you are or not, your employees definitely are. Now’s a good time to clarify expectations so that the work gets done along with the fun. Be flexible, but firm. While work always expands to fill the available time, the opposite is true as well. When people are motivated to finish and leave early, productivity soars. I enjoyed my first paddle of the season last night. The thought of sailing tonight is great motivation for being ultra focused and swift through out the day. Harness the power of that enthusiasm! Happy summer to you!
When I graduated from college, I was not even sort of ready for a full-time job. I saw “real jobs” as a prison sentence that would end my flexibility and steal my chances to travel. Friends proved me right by getting hired and then promptly saying no to every opportunity while they just worked every day and awaited that first week of vacation six months down the pike. So I latched on to seasonal and temporary employment for a year or so instead. I worked at a resort, drove school buses, pumped gas, sold minnows, substituted at the local high school, and tutored the truant officer’s son who refused to go to school. Between times, I moved around, mostly by bicycle. I always made enough to get by.
The Patriots lost last night for the first time this season. But that is the least of their problems. Gronkowski was carted off the field and he now joins Amendola, Edelman, Lewis, Dobson, Jones – more players than I can list – who are injured. Brady looked crestfallen when Gronk went down. But this morning, what are they saying? “Just wasn’t our night.” In true Patriots fashion, they refuse to contemplate what Gronk’s injury means for the next game or the rest of the season. “It was a very hard loss” and “players gave a tremendous effort” are all that we will hear. Their job is to get it done. One game at a time. No matter what comes at them. Whether they will get it done remains to be seen, but we all know Tom Brady is special because of his uncanny ability to get it done by focusing on that and nothing else. Everyone has problems. Most people spend far more time agonizing, talking, and worrying about those problems than actually doing something about them. Save that energy. Channel Tom Brady. Your job is to get it done. One step at a time. No matter what comes at you.
The first ever Clarity Award goes to the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Westford, Massachusetts. Congratulations, Chipotle! After standing in line to get the burrito I was craving, I needed to ask if it was possible to get the rice without cilantro. The placard above the counter made a big deal about their lime-cilantro rice and I am no cilantro fan! “Yes,” was the quick answer. And he turned to grab a large pan of brown rice free of the little green shreds. Eyeing the other potential components of my burrito, I detected suspicious greenery everywhere. “Does the guacamole have cilantro in it?” I love guacamole. Why would they ruin it with cilantro!?!? “Yes, but I could give you an avocado!”