Featured Blog Posts – July 2008 Archive (7)

With most participants for the upcoming SCU SNW having weighed in, here's what people are saying they are hoping to gain from taking the course.



We work in very demanding customer facing environment and i am looking for ways in which my team can perform effectively and enjoy the experience as well.



I guess I would hope to have my work experience, what ever I may be doing, be more fulfilling and satisfying upon completion of this course. I often feel like I have to go to… Continue

Am in the midst of reading the above, and am liking the arguments put forth. Basically, Pink identifies 3 factors - Asia, Automation, and Abundance - that result in three questions that all individuals and organizations in a system (my word) should be asking.



Can what I/we do be done more cheaply by knowledge workers in Asia (e.g., software development, basic legal documents) or automated (e.g., many medical diagnoses, software… Continue

The Wall Street Journal had an article last Thursday that profiled how some companies have both encouraged employee wellness and saved money, which of course good economic thinking would encourage anyway. Seems like a no-brainer!



Key ideas include team (not individual) competitions to lose weight, limit tobacco intake, exercise, and so on.



Tonya Vyhlidal, wellness and life enhancement director at Lincoln Industries, sums it up well when she says their program "encourages… Continue

That's a question I just heard, from a barista to a customer in reference to special "brews of the day" at one of my alterna-work spots.



His answer was "why not?", which is indeed a fine response. But it got me thinking metaphorically about daily excellence, and leads to today's question.



"How could you enjoy a cup of excellence today?"



It could be that you seek out and appreciate excellence in something mundane...it could be that you yourself make it a priority… Continue

In today's Washington Post, Vickie Elmer reports that "almost three-quarters of people who eat a healthy diet report being highly productive on the job vs. one-quarter of those who say their diet is poor or unbalanced, a new report from ComPsych says." ComPsych's survey of 1,000 U.S. employees also found that active workers had much higher energy levels and morale than the sedentary ones and that workers… Continue

Guy walks into a psychiatrist's office and says "I'm a wigwam, I'm a tepee...I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee..."

The doc says "Calm down, you're two tents."

(Just overheard from a barista who is happy to be at her job...what a difference.

I was struck this morning by the arrival of one of the baristas at my favorite internet coffee shop, and she just didn't look happy to be there. She was a minute late, and perhaps fearing the wrath of the owner, but it made me think about the converse...being happy at work, or more aptly, perhaps, being happily at work.



So, the question for today is "when, if ever, are you happily at work?"



For me, I like to deal with things that aren't urgent (though I have a tremendous… Continue