Friday, November 17, 2006
WORK ETHIC - Qoutes
“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.”
~ Sam Ewing
“Work is not a curse; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood, and the measure of civilization.”
~ Calvin Coolidge
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
~ Donald Kendall
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
~ Sam Ewing
“Work is not a curse; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood, and the measure of civilization.”
~ Calvin Coolidge
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
~ Donald Kendall
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Drained
As the clock strikes three, you mentally pat yourself on the back for a productive day. You’ve successfully orchestrated morning meetings and have benefited significantly from a late lunch appointment. Despite a packed schedule, the past hour of emails has put you on track for two important hours you’ve guarded at the end of the day. At long last, you have uninterrupted time for strategic thinking and future planning.
Unfortunately, upon reaching the peak hours of your day, you’re hopelessly drained. Your thoughts won’t focus, and you can’t seem to concentrate on anything remotely productive. You know you should press on for a couple of hours, but your energy feels sapped. You’re zapped, and you want to call it a day. You surf the net for a few minutes, respond to some nonessential emails, and pack your bags for home.
Energy Management
No matter how flawlessly you organize your schedule, an energy deficiency will undermine your efficiency. You can master the art of time management, but if your tank of energy is empty, then all of your prioritizing and scheduling wizardry will be for naught.
In her column for Entrepreneur.com, Patty Vogan focuses on energy management as opposed to time management. As Vogan writes, “Unlike time, your energy capacity is something you can increase and renew in order to meet the challenges you face on a daily basis.” Whereas time is finite, energy can be almost limitless. Hours upon hours of free time are useless when you’re burnt-out, but even a few spare moments can be packed with productivity when you’re full of vim and vigor.
Vogan paints four pictures to describe the energy levels of leaders: a shark, dolphin, whale, and jellyfish.
Shark:
While having spark, the bulk of a shark’s energy is negative, and such a person is moments away from biting off someone’s head.
Dolphin:
The energy reserves of dolphins are plentiful, giving them the ability to inspire others and effectively confront challenges.
Whale:
The energy of a whale is positive but at dangerously low levels. Even simple tasks tax whales, and they are sluggish in all activities.
Jellyfish:
What little energy a jellyfish possesses is negative. When acting like a jellyfish, Vogan writes, “You have such a negative attitude that you'll sting anything in your way.”
DOLPHIN ENERGY
Clearly, we’d all like to harness the energy of a dolphin. But what are the keys to sustaining high levels of positive energy?
1. Seek awareness of how various activities affect your energy levels.
2. Consciously counteract negative emotions, and ride the momentum of good feelings
3. Strategically operate amidst your strengths and passions, avoid your weaknesses when possible, and delegate depleting tasks.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
As the clock strikes three, you mentally pat yourself on the back for a productive day. You’ve successfully orchestrated morning meetings and have benefited significantly from a late lunch appointment. Despite a packed schedule, the past hour of emails has put you on track for two important hours you’ve guarded at the end of the day. At long last, you have uninterrupted time for strategic thinking and future planning.
Unfortunately, upon reaching the peak hours of your day, you’re hopelessly drained. Your thoughts won’t focus, and you can’t seem to concentrate on anything remotely productive. You know you should press on for a couple of hours, but your energy feels sapped. You’re zapped, and you want to call it a day. You surf the net for a few minutes, respond to some nonessential emails, and pack your bags for home.
Energy Management
No matter how flawlessly you organize your schedule, an energy deficiency will undermine your efficiency. You can master the art of time management, but if your tank of energy is empty, then all of your prioritizing and scheduling wizardry will be for naught.
In her column for Entrepreneur.com, Patty Vogan focuses on energy management as opposed to time management. As Vogan writes, “Unlike time, your energy capacity is something you can increase and renew in order to meet the challenges you face on a daily basis.” Whereas time is finite, energy can be almost limitless. Hours upon hours of free time are useless when you’re burnt-out, but even a few spare moments can be packed with productivity when you’re full of vim and vigor.
Vogan paints four pictures to describe the energy levels of leaders: a shark, dolphin, whale, and jellyfish.
Shark:
While having spark, the bulk of a shark’s energy is negative, and such a person is moments away from biting off someone’s head.
Dolphin:
The energy reserves of dolphins are plentiful, giving them the ability to inspire others and effectively confront challenges.
Whale:
The energy of a whale is positive but at dangerously low levels. Even simple tasks tax whales, and they are sluggish in all activities.
Jellyfish:
What little energy a jellyfish possesses is negative. When acting like a jellyfish, Vogan writes, “You have such a negative attitude that you'll sting anything in your way.”
DOLPHIN ENERGY
Clearly, we’d all like to harness the energy of a dolphin. But what are the keys to sustaining high levels of positive energy?
1. Seek awareness of how various activities affect your energy levels.
2. Consciously counteract negative emotions, and ride the momentum of good feelings
3. Strategically operate amidst your strengths and passions, avoid your weaknesses when possible, and delegate depleting tasks.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
Things That Do Not Require Talent
Talent grips us. We are overtaken by the beauty of Michelangelo’s sculpture, riveted by Mariah Carey’s angelic voice, doubled over in laughter by the comedy of Robin Williams, and captivated by the on screen performances of Denzel Washington.
However, we live in a world of upsets. The most talented do not always end up as celebrities, and those with less talent often do. Upsets are written into our history and occur around us every day. A ragtag army of revolutionaries defeated the British Empire to free the American colonies and to found a new nation. As a startup company, Google outwitted and outperformed entrenched search engines which had far more capital and name recognition.
Why are the most talented not always the best? What enables the less skilled to be, at times, far more successful?
The goal of this edition of LW is not to minimize talent, but to emphasize qualities independent of talent which, when practiced, add value to others and ourselves. While the four traits I’ve highlighted in this lesson are not comprehensive, they are among the most prominent qualities that do not rely upon talent.
Teachability
The desire to listen, learn, and apply is not innate, but when cultivated, it aids the growth and development of a leader. In the words of Henry Brooks Adams “They know enough who know how to learn.”
Look for and plan your teachable moments. Intentionally ask questions to draw out the depth of experience and knowledge in those around you. My best friends are my best teachers. I love to learn, and I am fascinated by individuals who have a wealth of wisdom to share. As Beltasar Gracian said, “Make your friends your teachers and mingle the pleasures of conversation with the advantages of instruction.” Find teachable moments, and make them count. Live to learn and you will really learn to live.
Successful people view learning differently than those who are less successful. For successful leaders, learning is as necessary as breathing. They crave knowledge and seek it out through books, conferences, conversations, and evaluated experiences. The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.
Initiative
Initiative is the inner drive that propels leaders to achieve great dreams. American founding father, Benjamin Franklin, held to the following maxim about initiative: “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” Leaders with initiative have an eagerness to make things happen. They have a positive restlessness that prevents them from being content with average.
A person with initiative accepts responsibility for his or her own life. Such a person authors their own history. As Elbert Hubbard says, “The world bestows its prizes, both its money and honors, on one thing and that’s initiative. What is initiative? I will tell you. It is doing the right thing without being told.” Initiators incline themselves toward action.
Passion
Passion is a faultless predictor of success. How many high achievers lack enthusiasm? How many great leaders do you admire who are indifferent? A dispassionate person will not go far before they give up hope of achieving big dreams. On the other hand, a person of passion will move mountains to see their dream come to fruition. Passion long outlasts talent for a leader in pursuit of a vision.
When it comes to passion, there are two kinds of people: fire lighters and fire fighters. Fire fighters focus on what’s wrong with an idea rather than what’s right. They possess a doubting spirit, and they resist change. Fire fighters love the words “Yes, but.” They are always finding flaws, and they dampen the fire inside of those around them.
Avoid fire fighters at all costs, and instead, seek out fire lighters. Fire lighters are encouragers. They uplift and sustain others through tough times. They share in triumphs, and spur others toward bigger and better performances.
Successful individuals prioritize their commitments according to their passion. They refuse to be dissuaded from living out the dream inside of them. When troubles come, they don’t have to artificially generate perseverance—it sweeps over them like an ocean wave.
Courage
Courage is an every day test. We often think of courage as a quality required only in times of great danger or stress, but courage is an everyday virtue, needed to live a life without regrets. In the words of James Harvey Robinson, “Greatness, in the last analysis, is largely bravery. Courage is escaping from old ideas and old standards and respectable ways of doing things.”
Plentiful reasons add courage to the list of admirable qualities that exist apart from talent. We need courage to seek the truth when we know it may be painful. We need courage to change when it’s easier to remain comfortable. We need courage to express our convictions when others challenge us. We need courage to learn and grow, especially when doing so exposes our weaknesses. We need courage to take the high road when others treat us badly, and lastly, we need courage to lead when being in front makes us an easy target for criticism.
Perhaps Miguel Cervantes best summarizes courage: “He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses friends loses more; but he who loses his courage loses all.”
Summary
There is no substitute for talent, but there are several supplements that can transform even modest talent into greatness. Teachability, initiative, passion, and courage are a sampling of qualities that endow talent with effectiveness and spur average skills sets into extraordinary success stories. Don’t minimize talent, but magnify the qualities that can accompany it, and build them day by day.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
However, we live in a world of upsets. The most talented do not always end up as celebrities, and those with less talent often do. Upsets are written into our history and occur around us every day. A ragtag army of revolutionaries defeated the British Empire to free the American colonies and to found a new nation. As a startup company, Google outwitted and outperformed entrenched search engines which had far more capital and name recognition.
Why are the most talented not always the best? What enables the less skilled to be, at times, far more successful?
The goal of this edition of LW is not to minimize talent, but to emphasize qualities independent of talent which, when practiced, add value to others and ourselves. While the four traits I’ve highlighted in this lesson are not comprehensive, they are among the most prominent qualities that do not rely upon talent.
Teachability
The desire to listen, learn, and apply is not innate, but when cultivated, it aids the growth and development of a leader. In the words of Henry Brooks Adams “They know enough who know how to learn.”
Look for and plan your teachable moments. Intentionally ask questions to draw out the depth of experience and knowledge in those around you. My best friends are my best teachers. I love to learn, and I am fascinated by individuals who have a wealth of wisdom to share. As Beltasar Gracian said, “Make your friends your teachers and mingle the pleasures of conversation with the advantages of instruction.” Find teachable moments, and make them count. Live to learn and you will really learn to live.
Successful people view learning differently than those who are less successful. For successful leaders, learning is as necessary as breathing. They crave knowledge and seek it out through books, conferences, conversations, and evaluated experiences. The unsuccessful person is burdened by learning, and prefers to walk down familiar paths. Their distaste for learning stunts their growth and limits their influence.
Initiative
Initiative is the inner drive that propels leaders to achieve great dreams. American founding father, Benjamin Franklin, held to the following maxim about initiative: “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” Leaders with initiative have an eagerness to make things happen. They have a positive restlessness that prevents them from being content with average.
A person with initiative accepts responsibility for his or her own life. Such a person authors their own history. As Elbert Hubbard says, “The world bestows its prizes, both its money and honors, on one thing and that’s initiative. What is initiative? I will tell you. It is doing the right thing without being told.” Initiators incline themselves toward action.
Passion
Passion is a faultless predictor of success. How many high achievers lack enthusiasm? How many great leaders do you admire who are indifferent? A dispassionate person will not go far before they give up hope of achieving big dreams. On the other hand, a person of passion will move mountains to see their dream come to fruition. Passion long outlasts talent for a leader in pursuit of a vision.
When it comes to passion, there are two kinds of people: fire lighters and fire fighters. Fire fighters focus on what’s wrong with an idea rather than what’s right. They possess a doubting spirit, and they resist change. Fire fighters love the words “Yes, but.” They are always finding flaws, and they dampen the fire inside of those around them.
Avoid fire fighters at all costs, and instead, seek out fire lighters. Fire lighters are encouragers. They uplift and sustain others through tough times. They share in triumphs, and spur others toward bigger and better performances.
Successful individuals prioritize their commitments according to their passion. They refuse to be dissuaded from living out the dream inside of them. When troubles come, they don’t have to artificially generate perseverance—it sweeps over them like an ocean wave.
Courage
Courage is an every day test. We often think of courage as a quality required only in times of great danger or stress, but courage is an everyday virtue, needed to live a life without regrets. In the words of James Harvey Robinson, “Greatness, in the last analysis, is largely bravery. Courage is escaping from old ideas and old standards and respectable ways of doing things.”
Plentiful reasons add courage to the list of admirable qualities that exist apart from talent. We need courage to seek the truth when we know it may be painful. We need courage to change when it’s easier to remain comfortable. We need courage to express our convictions when others challenge us. We need courage to learn and grow, especially when doing so exposes our weaknesses. We need courage to take the high road when others treat us badly, and lastly, we need courage to lead when being in front makes us an easy target for criticism.
Perhaps Miguel Cervantes best summarizes courage: “He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses friends loses more; but he who loses his courage loses all.”
Summary
There is no substitute for talent, but there are several supplements that can transform even modest talent into greatness. Teachability, initiative, passion, and courage are a sampling of qualities that endow talent with effectiveness and spur average skills sets into extraordinary success stories. Don’t minimize talent, but magnify the qualities that can accompany it, and build them day by day.
Any Comments or Inputs are welcome
