Friday 7 October 2011

Never in jest....?

I recently re-discovered this little gem in 'The Little Book of Management Bollocks' by Alistair Beaton (Pub. Pocket Books):

"The core values of an effective manager always reflect the core values of his or her employer.  Should your own core values be different from your employer's, ask yourself, 'whose core values are more important, mine or my employer's?'  If your answer is, 'well mine of course', then you urgently need to upgrade your core values."

Although obviously written to make us smile, do find an element of truth in this?  Have you ever worked in a company where you were required to do things that didn't 'sit well' or 'feel right' with you?  Much of the coaching work we do, when people are experiencing stress, has at its core a mis-match between personal and organisational values.  It never ceases to amaze me how something so intangible and invisible can have such an effect on behaviour.  Of course, the opposite is also true - getting a complementary match between organisational and individual values can lead to real engagement.

Thursday 6 October 2011

Steve Jobs

A friend sent me this today and it captures how this great innovator led his life - an inspiration to us all.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."