Stop Praising Steve Jobs
If you think that productivity means getting the most out of your employees, you're not wrong.If you think that berating, intimidating, or insulting employees is the best way to motivate them to achieve their highest output, you're just a jerk.Steve Jobs is hailed as a visionary, (saw an amazing future of technology) a martyr, (he was booted from his own company) and an innovator (he invented the smartphone as we know it).What we fail to ask is: could he have been these things AND courteous to others?It's really up to you if you believe one precludes the other.
2 Minute Action
- Write a card for an employee whose partner was just in a car accident.
- Send a text message to a teammate who is off-site, about to give a big presentation.
- Leave a post-it note on a colleague's desk to let them know you saw their sales report and that it was killer.
The more we are randomly kind to each other, the more we create the kind of community that can do great things.It's not just Steve Jobs who innovated, it was Wozniak and their entire team.Don't forget that.Go forth and do good, today.
Can You Guess Which Of These Are In Your Control?
I didn't know there were so many advantages for a first time home-buyer.I didn't know that if I had started investing at age 18, I would have 10 times as much saved as I do now.I didn't know that I could have just asked for a raise.I didn't know that there were so many grants available for my project.I didn't know that the market wouldn't want to buy my product.I didn't know that my kids were being bullied at school.I didn't know that my employees were unhappy.I didn't know that primary elections were so important.I didn't know that my health was my choice.I didn't know that too much red meat can cause heart disease.I didn't know that I could forgive myself.I didn't know that I would be put in that situation.
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Regardless of what you know and don't know, the outcome is usually your fault.It's painful to hear, but there's no other way to look at it.Think about it this way:If you deflect ownership, you choose to live your life under someone else's control.If you choose to own each element, you are at fault more, but you give yourself the power to improve.So, until the education system improves (really, until we improve the system,) your education is your responsibility.Not everything is in your control, but your reaction to circumstance absolutely is.Ownership of the outcome, regardless of adversity, is paramount.
2 Minute Action
What's something you've been dwelling on? Ruminating on? Sulking about?What might happen if you gave yourself permission to let it go?What might happen if you gave yourself permission to think about the future?What might happen if you gave yourself permission to feel the sadness of failure and also the optimism of the future?What might happen if you did this all the time?Your productive output will not change until your patterns of thought change.
How To Predict The Future
It's not as hard as you think.
Human beings are actually notoriously bad at predicting what they would and wouldn't do in future situations.We say we'd do the right thing, but don't consider social pressure, politics, or real-world consequences.It's easy to talk the talk when your amygdala is quiet and well-behaved.So, let's get serious.The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.Whether you're evaluating a new hire or predicting the success of your new diet, the rule is the same.It's that simple.Not easy, but simple.
2 Minute Action
What's something you want to improve in your life or career?Have you had this thought before?Assuming you still want to improve this, what might you do differently than before?Quick reminder: if you want to be an anomaly, you need to act like one.