The other day, one of my daughters provided me with some wisdom she said she overheard, "Friends are like potatoes. If you eat them, they die." That aphorism was brought to mind because I've recently had some people try to bite my head off.
I live my life in a way that forces me to always try to be better than I was the day before. A better dad, better husband, better boss and a better person in general. Over the course of the day and in the evening, or just driving in the car I do a lot of personal self-reflection. I run through the events of the day and wonder if I could have handled certain situations differently. If they would have had a better outcome had I done X rather than Z.
On the train on my way home from the airport, I was sitting across from one of those guys talking on his cell phone. You know, the kind talking REALLY LOUD about absolutely nothing—just killing time—but forcing us to listen to it all. But I started to laugh when I saw that my talkative buddy was sitting under one of those anti-terrorist signs that say, "If you see something, say something." I felt like telling him, "And if you don't see anything, shut up."
Finding good employees can often be difficult, especially in an "employees market". Currently it seems it's harder for employers to fill a job than it is for job seekers to find one. That means it's incumbent upon us business owners and managers to get a bit more creative in how we find candidates for open positions. And then, like any good marketer, you've got to persuade your top candidates that you not only want them, they want you too.
It wasn't long ago that small businesses didn't talk much about marketing. Taking out an ad in the Yellow Pages or printing a few brochures for the trade show was about it. But the Web has changed everything. Not only can small businesses use the Web to do more marketing than they ever dreamed of, but the Web actually creates an environment that allows small businesses to succeed, even against larger competitors. Don't believe me? Read on.
What do you spend most of your (work) time doing? Things you're good at? Things you're terrible at? Or do you just spin your wheels doing things that just don't matter?
Developing yourself personally and professionally means that you have to do things with a purpose. You can't just let life carry you forward, blowing you wherever it leads. There is no virtue in doing whatever comes your way. You need to take control of your actions and move forward with a purpose.
It's been said that only the most egotistical of people could ever run for U.S. President. I believe that. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing either. It takes thick skin and a very strong desire to succeed to run a legitimate presidential campaign. There has to be something truly special about a presidential candidate. Not so much in doing what it takes to get enough votes to win, but simply in thinking one has the strength to succeed in run the country effectively.
Running a successful presidential campaign and running a successful company and running a successful personal life are all very much the same. They all take someone with great personal strength. Weak people need not apply to a successful, satisfying life.
Creating a great office environment isn't the sole responsibility of the PIC - person in charge. While the business owner, managers and/or supervisors certainly have an effect based on their style of management, they are only half the the total equation. The other half are the employees themselves.
I recently came across several points outlining how to be happy. I realized that these can easily be applied to the work environment from an employee's perspective. I fully believe that every person is solely responsible for their own happiness. Life is not about what happens but what you do with what happens. Similarly, working in a happy and productive (both in terms work completed and personal development) is, in part, each person's own responsibility. Here are a few pointers to maintain a productive environment where you work.
We often hear about overnight success stories, certain companies or individuals thrown into the limelight, having made millions from something or another. What we fail to realize, or rather the people calling them an "overnight success" fail to realize, is that there is usually a pretty substantial history building up to that success. Long hours, lots of money invested, family, goals or desires sacrificed, etc.
Sure, that "overnight" success might have come from an abnormal popularity surge, but that surge stemmed from a lot of hard work that few every truly understand.
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