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Spring 2006 Newsletter (Newsletter Archives)     Download Adobe Acrobat Version

Update From Eileen

It's March 21. The Vernal Equinox occurred on March 20, 2006 at 1:26 p.m. EST. Who ever figured that timing, I'll never know, but spring-that glorious season of new beginnings-is here.

"I love the heady cruelty of spring. The cloud shows
in the first weeks of the season are wonderfully adolescent:
"I'm happy." "I'm mad, I'm brooding." "I'm happy-now I'm going
to cry..." The skies and weather toy with us, refusing to let us
settle back down into the steady sleepy days and nights of winter."
—Anne Lamot

Ummm. Heady cruelty? Adolescent clouds? Lamot's right, you know. Look around. One minute, the soft promise of warm days and lime-tipped trees kisses my face. And then, that night, thunderheads billow across the horizon and hail pounds the backs of my daffodils that crouch over in the mud.

Promise given. Promise withheld. Start new? Stay old? Spring can't quite settle in, and neither can I. It's all because of "new." But I'm not alone. You've been there too.

We've all experienced "heady cruelty" if we're willing to get out of the sleepy, comfortable, slow movement of our personal winter. One minute, you're excited about a new venture and you're sailing. The next minute you want a life raft! One minute you're thrilled at what you see growing, and the next minute, some event seems just to stunt the growth.

Can't wait to see what summer brings! Until then,

Disengaged Employees Need a WHY; It IS a BIG Deal!

A recent survey by Right Management Consultants found that two-thirds of employees are "... unsure of or disengaged from their employers' missions and business strategies. The consequences: lower productivity, more customer complaints and higher turnover."

How does this happen? In a word: NO WORDS. That's right-a failure to competently communicate. Amazingly, almost 30% of the 336 organizations surveyed limit communication to leadership teams. And there it stops. Perhaps managers are waiting for HR to come up with the latest PowerPoint explanation.

How bogus! Is there any wonder folks are thinking, "What am I doing here? Where are we going?" What a waste of the single most expensive resource a company has: the human mind and spirit.

Start now-wherever you find yourself-to correct what you can in your sphere of influence. What is the REAL vision you have for the organization, and how do the various jobs contribute to that? Does this vision foresee something bigger than a bottom line? Is it something people can get behind because it captures their imagination?

Throw away the charts and graphs. Look people in the eye. Tell stories. Seek input. Recognize and reward people who ask the difficult questions... even if you can't answer them. It means there's just more work to be done.

And lastly-walk your talk. Make sure that your actions open the door for inviting more contribution at work. Oh yes, don't forget to say "Thank you."

P.S. If you have trouble with communication behaviors or skills, contact me. Catalyzing conversations and creating connections is my forte.
 

Must Read Books

Brilliance Unbridled by Kendall Summerhawk (2006, Heart of Success Publishers)

Kendall is a shaman, a magic woman, and a horse whisperer who also put together the team that created my totally redone web site. Her new book takes all the lessons she has learned as an expert equestrian and turns them into powerful metaphors for discovering the brilliance that will lead to business success. Get it. And tell her I sent you: Kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com.

Get Unstuck & Get Going... On The Stuff That Matters by Michael Bungay Stanier (2006, Self Published, ASIN B000EYXF2W)

Michael is a Rhodes scholar and author of this best selling coaching tool. He believes that everyone is capable of Great Work, and this amazing book is actually a three-part questioning process that gets into the heart of an issue. If you work with teams or coach, you've just got to have the book. Go to my web site to find this gem of a tool: http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/shop.html.

SHHHH—-the baby's not here but...

I'm birthing one-soon! And when you're my age, it's not the obstetrician you seek but the book publisher. Take a Hike-Footnotes for Walking Through Life should be out this summer. E-mail me and I'll put you on the list for the first edition!

Democracy at Work:

Jury Duty

I've never had the privilege of serving. Seems like there's always a contracted date for me to work and I get excused. Not so this past February. Along with at least 300 other folks, I groused about "wasting a day." Friends and clients commiserated about the misfortune of having been selected.

A presiding judge welcomed us and talked about the value of what we were doing. Something happened. People actually sat up and listened. As I looked around the room, I realized the meaning of jury duty. How can one get a jury of their peers if so many professionals-like me-find a way to get OUT of jury duty, perhaps enabling the wrong people to stay OUT of jail?

I'd love to tell you that I sat on a fascinating case. Not so. My number was never selected. Yet it was OK. With few exceptions, I was most impressed with how seriously people took this obligation. The Superior Court personnel tried everything to make us comfortable: wireless access, books to read, adjacent to a lunchroom, menus for restaurants at lunch, even study carrels.

Here's my point: Jury duty, I now realize, is as much a privilege as voting. Too bad I didn't get the full experience.

SAS Institute Ranks in Top 30 Workplaces

This computer software firm stays in the forefront of creating workplaces where employees feel valued as whole individuals. It's something to consider:

. There is no limit on how many sick days employees can take, and they can even stay home to care for sick family members.
. It has the largest on-site day-care operation in North Carolina.
. To encourage families to eat lunch together, the cafeteria supplies baby seats and high chairs.
. To encourage families to eat dinner together, the company has adopted a seven-hour workday, with most people at SAS leaving the office by 5:00 p.m.
. For the health of it, there is 36,000 square feet of gym space, including workout areas segregated by gender-for people too shy to ride an exercise bike in front of coworkers of the opposite sex.
. SAS launders employees' workout clothes and returns them, fresh and fluffy, the next day.

Although it's obvious that SAS respects its employees, SAS expects the same respect in return. As one of the co-owners states it, "If you're out sick for six months, you'll get cards and flowers, and people will come to cook dinner for you. If you're out sick for six Mondays in a row, you'll get fired. We expect adult behavior."

Mission Statement

Energizing The Human Spirit Since 1980

Our mission is to transform the life of work and the work of your life.

We work with and speak for organizations that want people to create meaningful relationships with all their stakeholders and to develop a resilient leadership capacity for living a life of balance, engagement, productivity, and meaning in a changing world. We value laughter, life-long learning, and leadership through service.

Welcome to the McDargh Clan

Not a client this time but a REAL person: Francesca Esposito. She's heading up our East Coast office. You'll adore her happy Italian laugh and her can-do-anything attitude. I'm just thrilled. E-mail her at Francesca@eileenmcdargh.com.