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SMALL—FAST—and WRITTEN WHEN THE MOOD STRIKES.
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Update From Eileen
On the second day of Spring, furrows of farmland beckon on either side of the dirt road. The pungent manure from a nearby barn throws heady aroma in the cold dawn air. Leafless limbs let me watch cardinals chase each other across branches. Fat robins pull hapless worms from turned dirt clods and a flicker pecks away on brown bark. Green mounds butt against the cold ground, promising a pending display of daffodils, crocus and a wayward hyacinth. The moon still hangs in the west while a wild mixture of geese and sea gulls cuts patterns against the daybreak sky. By what mysterious scent do sea gulls find their way to the Amish country?
The wisps of clouds on the eastern horizon began to melt into soft peach as I steadily walk the empty road. By what mysterious scent do I find myself pulled, like the sea gulls, breathing in the utter peace of a new morning?
Perhaps it is the fact that I am mentally preparing to conduct the last day’s facilitation of a two-day woman’s retreat at a nearby center. Perhaps it is the yearning to see the magical change of season that does not happen in my home town of Dana Point, CA. Perhaps it is the pain in my heart that cries over the war in Iraq and comes into the countryside for some message of hope.
In truth, I am pulled for all these reasons.
The retreat is over. The women are remarkable, courageous women of great strength and determination. In the end, it is they who minister to me. The mental image of Spring in the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside flies home with me. As for the message for my heart, the farmland gives me a small clue: if I want peace and love to grow, these must be the seeds I sow.
Ok. Not a huge ah-hah. But for today, it’s the only one I can work on.
Be gentle to yourself and the life around you.
Eileen
Adaptability Skills Promote Resilience
Security rests in adaptability. Our current uncertain times can either freeze us from action, or create a space where we strengthen our ability to adapt. Remember, survival is based on “requisite variety”. That’s a fancy biological term that basically means the organism that has the greatest number of responses to a situation has the greater chance of surviving.
Watts Wacker, a noted futurist, offers six things we can do to gain more options for ourselves:
- Learn to be a better listener. You don’t learn when you are talking.
- Read a trade magazine from a different industry. Find two things in every issue that relate to your business.
- Let your kids tutor you in a subject they know more about than you do.
- Volunteer, and see the world through a different window.
- Read what has stood the test of time. Read Aristotle, Shakespeare, Adam Smith.
- Reading the great books helps frame your thinking.
Energize Yourself With Spring Cleaning
Pitch out and clean up! Nothing feels better than removing clutter from your life. Who likes opening a closet and then ducking to avoid the tumbling stuff? Or staring in dismay at a desk piled high with papers. Or despairing about ever remembering under what name you filed that VERY important paper.
Start small if the task seems overwhelming. Go for one drawer or one closet at a time. Make a pile for your favorite charity. Donate usable but rarely worn clothes to places like Working Wardrobes. Take the books you KNOW you will never reference or read again and give them to a local library. Hire a professional organizer. You can find them at http://www.napo.net
You’ll be amazed at how a fresh start creates a fresh YOU.
Must Read Books
Zapping Conflict in the Healthcare Workplace by Dr. Judith Briles. Mile High Press, 400 pp., $29.00, ISBN 1-885-33108-8.
This is not a book for the weak that want fluff and stuff. Briles, in her characteristic “take-no-prisoners” style uses the case studies of over 1,600 men and women to identify conflict and sabotage examples within the health care setting. She then systematically offers “zaps” for handling such situations.
P.S. You do not have to be in healthcare to learn from this book.
Off The Chart Results… Get Them Now
What do folks like leadership gurus Dr. Warren Bennis and Dr. James Kouzas have in common with Dr. Margaret Wheatley of chaos theory fame, Dr. Bob Nelson (1001 Ways to Reward Performance), Lorna Riley and ME?
Answer: we are all individual chapters in a new book, Off the Chart Results. Using an interview format, each expert relays their perspective on what can generate (or hamper) getting off-the-chart results. My interview centers on the resilient organization and resilient managers.
Energize Others Through Different Rewards
Looking for ways to encourage performance and commitment? Think about adapting some of these best practices:
Starbucks gives “The Mug” for uncommon greatness. Its Bravo Award is for outstanding achievement, and the Spirit of Starbucks honors passion and spirit.
MBNA provides limos on employees’ wedding days and gives them a $500 bonus and a week of vacation.
Merck offers four major awards: Excellent Performance, Sustained Excellent Performance Beyond What is Expected, Strategic Contributions, and Outstanding SCIENTIFIC Achievements.
CDW celebrates employees’ birthdays by flashing their names on a huge electric sign on a major highway.
Compuware practices the unexpected. When an employee failed a key company exam, they sent him a box of cookies and a note of encouragement. When he passed, the employee got 500 shares of stock.
Funny Stuff To Ponder
A backward poet writes inverse.
Dijon vu—the same mustard as before.
Practice safe eating—always use condiments.
Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Welcome To The McDargh Clan
American Pharmacy Association
Glaxo Smith Kline
MPI of Minnesota
Mayo Clinic Women’s Conference
Procter & Gamble
Wisconsin Lions
U.S. Senate Directors
Women’s Food Service Forum
WellPoint Network
Overview and Contact Information
Is life leading you instead of you leading a life?
Is work working you instead of you doing the work?
You’re not alone! It’s the challenge of our times.
From business leaders to rank-and-file workers, the competitive 24/7 world of heart-stopping change has left many feeling in need of new tools to answer these questions:
- How do I engage more of my talent and that of the folks around me in meaningful work?
- Why is it that resiliency is a word I think of only with rubber bands?
- Why does it seem that we compete more with each other than the competition?
It’s tough when the rate and pace of work leaves you feeling disconnected, unheard, and certainly not aligned to produce results that matter in the long run.
Then there’s the issue of joy. Flat out joy. You don’t want “work” to become exclusive of play. Leave your spirit and heart at the door, and it’s hard to be creative and productive. You want to be connected with people who respect you and visa versa. You want to do good work— no, make that GREAT work–in the bargain. You want to spend your time in a place that lets your spirit soar and your talent shine. My joy is in helping individuals and organizations rediscover the joy of living and the joy of satisfying work.
If you want results that go well beyond the bottom line—contact us. Since 1980, we’ve been engaging the human spirits of individuals and organizations. Now—it’s your turn.
Call 949-496-8640 or send email eileen@eileenmcdargh.com
