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Category Archives: Business


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Learning to Fly

“I’m a Zen Buddhist if I would describe myself. I don’t think
about what I do. I do it. That’s Buddhism. I jump off the cliff and
build my wings on the way down.” -Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury’s approach is one based on faith, based on you gut, based on what you don’t know you don’t know. This is not something they teach us growing up, in formal education or in continued education courses for our career. Whether it be your personal life or your professional career, there comes a point when what you know will only get you so far and you have to trust that along they way you will learn anything else you need to know.

One way to look at it is that life is a journey and often you have to take risks and learn as you go – you just hope when you jump, you have learned enough to keep you airborne long enough to learn how to fly before you hit the ground.

In your current life . . .
Where are you at with different areas of your life – are you safe on land or standing on the edge of the cliff or on your way down or even flying?

For the future . . .
What in your life has brought your to a cliff? (this “cliff” maybe a relationship with a friend, family member or significant other or the path for your professional career or learning a new skill set or trade or taking on a new hobby?) What would it take for you to jump?


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Managing with Recognition

Ever wondered the secrets to great leadership? I mean anyone can learn leadership skill, but how do you become proficient in producing amazing results? According to The Carrot Principle, written by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, assuming basic management practices are being engaged (goal setting, communication, trust and accountability), “when recognition is applied . . . It serves as an accelerator of employee performance and engagement.”

One way to look at how recognition works is similar to growing a vegetable- the process for growing the vegetable is as follows:

1. You pick a seed (set a clear goal)

2. You plant your seed (communicate openly)

3. You nurture the seedling (build trust)

4. You weed the soil (hold everyone accountable)

5. Harvest your vegetable (employee enfacement, employee satisfaction, higher profitability, higher customer loyalty)

However, without sunlight, nutrients and water (recognition), the growing will never occur.

Does your organization recognition based? What types of acknowledgement systems do you have? Who in your organization is driving these efforts?


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Get Busy Living

There is a great quote in the movie Shawshank Redemption that says “Get busy living or get busy dying.” Those six words form a very powerful statement that may be a little confrontational to some people when they hear it. Those six words are not about death or mortality, rather they stand for a call to action to each of us!

This call to action is for each of us to be in action in the game if life.

Each one of us posses special skills and talents that we can use in this game called life. Those talents can be in our business/ industry, our friendships or personal relationships. These talents tend to be in the form of a natural skill set, a unique creative ability or a physical attribute. These talents can show up in everyday life as us being good with children or the ability to speak in front of crowds, the natural ability to cook or even the agility to perform challenging physical feats.

Regardless of the talent, many believe we have an obligation to get in the game of life and use these talents. This is based on the belief that if everyone is putting their best effort forward, ultimately the group/ community or society will achieve maximum results.

Within this obligation is the assumption that each of us will use our talents to attempt to win each time we step on the court and ultimately benefit ourselves and the others. It is also assumed that it is ok to sit on the bench at times and even watch from the stands, however when the time come, each of us need to be ready to get into the game and excel based on these skills we have been given.

What skills do you have? Come on we all have skills, maybe we haw never taken the time to recognize those skills.

When do you know it is time to get in the game and utilize those skills? Maybe the ability to recognize this will cone with practice?

How do you use your talents to win? What is a win for you in your life?


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Experiences VS. Possessions

This month the New York Times did some interesting research in regards to the science of money, spending, and happiness. While we have all heard about people who are better off with less, the research went on to show how spending on experience instead of pissessions leads to longer happiness:

(Researchers) have found that our types of purchases, their size and frequency, and even the timing of the spending all affect long-term happiness. One major finding is that spending money for an experience — concert tickets, French lessons, sushi-rolling classes, a hotel room in Monaco — produces longer-lasting satisfaction than spending money on plain old stuff.
“It’s better to go on a vacation than buy a new couch’ is basically the idea,” says Professor Dunn, summing up research by two fellow psychologists, Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich.
… Thomas DeLeire, an associate professor of public affairs, population, health and economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, recently published research examining nine major categories of consumption. He discovered that the only category to be positively related to happiness was leisure: vacations, entertainment, sports and equipment like golf clubs and fishing poles.

When was the last time a device or mode of transportation make you as happy as your last vacation? And would you rather show your friends a picture of your newest piece of furniture or the sunset on the last road trip you took?

So next time you are hot on the trail of your next purchase, stop and ask yourself what will really make you happy.


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Conscious Quote – Follow your heart

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

– Steve Jobs, CEO Apple

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