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Well, it's the last day of 2004. Let's end it on a high note by contributing to someone or society. Cuz' nothing feels better. Consider:
Spending extra time with your kids or pets
Donating to the tsunami relief efforts
Baking cookies for an elderly neighbor
Offering canned goods to the local food bank
Conserving energy and resources
Or anything else that make a positive difference
And please do not drink and drive.
See you next year! Lisa
I am proud to be the host of the first Carnival of the Capitalists for 2005. Stay tuned right here next Monday for a wonderful array of posts from the best business bloggers!
The Monster Blog had an interesting bit on resolutions yesterday. I particularaly like this one:
"2. Perfect your handshake: In this article, also cited above, Pamela Holland, coauthor of Help! Was That a Career Limiting Move? suggests that employers are much more likely to overlook body piercing and tattoos than wimpy handshakes. She offers valuable tips to improving your shake at the bottom of the article."
I could not agree more! And ladies - pleeaasse do not do the whimpy lady-like shake. When a businesswoman shakes my hand like a limp fish, I don't know whether to talk business or offer her tea. And fellas, please do not change your shake when greeting women. I am not saying that a handshake should turn into a strength competition. Confident business people will offer a confident shake, nothing extreme, just straight on, firm, and friendly.
This, of course, applies to Western culture. I different set of rules may apply in other cultures and we should all be cognizant of these practices when doing business internationally.
Last week I shared that my book, H.I.M.M. (High Impact Middle Management): Solutions for Today’s Busy Managers, is now out and available. I will not kid you, what follows is a pitch. I would love and appreciate it if you bought my book and told your closest 10,000 friends to do the same. It ‘s my first book and means a lot to me.
I’d like to offer you a few behind the scenes thoughts about the book. Even if you do not buy the book, I hope you find these thoughts helpful!
1. What was the inspiration behind the book? I have been coaching and training managers for 2 decades (makes me seem so old, but I was 5 when I started). During this time, I frankly got sick and tired of hearing from middle managers who felt unappreciated, overworked, and unsatisfied. They had some legitimate beefs, but they could not see that they were their biggest problem. I had the pleasure and good fortune to work with several such middle managers and help them move from a life of drudgery to a job that made a difference and that they loved. Working with these middle managers was a blast and very satisfying for me and the book highlights many of the changes and techniques that worked for them.
The second part of the inspiration came from being a management trainer. I have had the privilege to attend some of the best training programs in the world. Each program had its strengths, but none addressed the typical challenges of the middle manager. I was inspired to write the book because I could not find what I wanted to offer the managers I was working with.
2. Who should read the book? A. All middle managers. B. All Senior Executives. C. All Management Trainers. I think it is a great book, with a lot to offer for improving middle management capacity. Sounds cocky perhaps, but I really like my book! Middle managers should ask their trainers and presidents to read the book, it will make their lives easier.
3. Who is a middle manager? My definition of a middle manager is broader than most. I think that anyone who has supervisor or manager direct reports and is NOT the president is a middle manager. My definition includes most managers, directors, and vice presidents. While there are many levels represented in this group, their responsibilities to translate strategy, goals, and plans into results are common. I think that being a middle manager can be a lot of fun - like being at the crossroads of the action. Middle managers are in the thick of things. I have been a middle manager and loved it.
4. What’s different about my approach? I think my approach for helping middle managers be insanely successful differs in a couple ways:
A. I focus more on the facilitation of things. I take a decidedly more OD (organization development) approach because I think the best middle managers do a lot of OD type stuff. I am thinking about writing a book about OD just for managers.
B. I focus a lot on role. Many struggling middle managers are looking at their jobs all wrong. Most seniors executives haven’t a clue what to ask their middle managers to do. Getting the role right goes a long way toward fixing other problems.
C. I focus a lot on how to build a rockin’ team of talented and jazzed folks. And I buck convention in these areas.
5. What’s my favorite part of the book? I love chapter one as it gets at the crux of the challenge and offers a huge opportunity for middle managers who want to love their work. I am also very fond of the chapter on mucky muck. And I just like saying mucky muck......
Okay, that’s my pitch!
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Appendix A
Would you be interested in being a member of my feedback (guinea pig) team? I would like to gather a group of folks who have ordered my book and are willing to provide open and honest feedback about my book and also about future book, blog, and e-book topics. Members of the team will get advance copies of future work and get to steer the direction of some of my work. I would ask that you participant in approximately one email inquiry a month and periodic conference calls (don’t worry I won’t ask for too much of your time). You can always back out and you will NEVER be spammed. I would love the hear from you! If you are interested, please send me an email lisa -at- haneberg-management.com.
Thanks so much for your support!
Here are the links to pick up a copy of my book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
1800CEOREAD
Indigo (for the Canucks like me)
Yesterday I had some fun dreaming up New Year’s Resolutions for others. Now here’s why I think it is important we all have New Year’s Resolutions - and then implement them (adapted from my e-book New Year’s Resolutions for Leaders):
1. New Year’s Resolutions are really just goals that we adopt at the beginning of the year. We should all have goals related to our career and work.
2. Most people suffer a productivity plunge around the holidays. All the food, time off, draining relatives, driving, and football games siphon our resources. The only people not permitted to slow down during the holidays are the poor souls working at retailers and in law enforcement. A New Year’s Resolution can be just the kick in the pants we need come January.
3. New Year’s Resolutions can be more fun to set than goals. You can propose a toast, declare them over leftover fruitcake, or get a new Franklin Planner to commemorate your fresh start. This year, I am going to buy a cool fountain pen from Levenger (a blue beauty called Verona) to record my resolution.
4. A New Year’s Resolution - when acted on - can improve your life and career.
The Two Keys to Successful Implementation of Your New Year’s Resolution:
1. Focus like a Laser Beam!
2. Be Unstoppable!
Here’s the 2X2 Matrix I created:
The Resolutions Matrix illustrates what happens when people adopt resolutions. The optimal position within the matrix is the top right, where “focused like a laser beam” and “unstoppable” meet.
Focus occurs when a resolution is well defined and targeted on solving important problems (not symptoms) or seizing exciting opportunities. The desired outcome is clear, challenging, but attainable. Ownership is a focus. Actions are selected based on how well they support the goal and the tendency to get sidetracked is rejected.
The Action component of the matrix measures activity level. Activity can include doing something, conversations (verbal or written), idea generation, problem solving, and learning.
Low Focus, Low Action: Stuck - no progress, or going backwards. In a rut, uninspired, apathetic, or distracted.
High Focus, Low Action: Stargazer – all dreams and intent with no or little execution. All talk, no action.
Low Focus, High Action: Victim – moving fast in the wrong direction. Often leads to excuses and victim conversations.
High Focus, High Action: P2 – Peak Performance – moving with velocity, with speed and direction. Producing breakthroughs. Results are high and leading to success.
Here’s my resolution: By the end of the year, I am going to write something that strikes a unique and positive chord in the business community such that my story/article/book ends up on the front cover of a major business publication! I’m not sure what I will write yet, but that’s my resolution and I’m sticking to it. The point is not that I want to be on a front cover, but that I want to create something WORTHY of being on a front cover.
The Path to Success
1. Embrace the opportunity to change your life.
2. New Year’s Resolutions can be fun - let yours kickstart your year.
3. Select a resolution that you find exciting and meaningful.
4. Share your resolution with everyone!
5. Create a plan for success.
6. Get into action.
7. Adjust the plan as needed.
8. Stay in action.
9. Celebrate your successes!
I think everyone should have one (maybe two) really powerful New Year's Resolutions. I feel pretty strongly about it and have written a little e-book on the topic just for fun.
I know that many of you think resolutions are not worthy of your precious time. So before I get heavy into the techniques for creating and implementing a resolution, I thought we could have a little fun and pretend we can create them for other people. Sometimes it is easier to moan and complain a bit before getting down to work, don’t you think? Here are a few of my ideas, won’t you share yours?
A New Year’s Resolution For All Politicians - “I will GROW UP. I will recognize that I am in a very important position that can help or harm many people. I resolve to be more responsible and more REAL. It is time to be worthy of being a world leader again! Oh, and I will stop wasting money on stupid advertising campaigns.”
A New Year’s Resolution For Reality TV Producers and TV Stations that air shows about people being stupid - “I will GROW UP. I know that I can provide entertainment that adds to the human experience or garbage shows that detract from it. I resolve to be more responsible with this powerful voice. If Oprah can take the high road and make a gazillion bucks, so can we.”
A New Year’s Resolution For Failing Airline Companies - “I will step back and reinvent this company and business. There must be a way to make money providing a good service and value to people who need to get from A to B. Treating people like cattle and providing crummy service is not working.”
A New Year’s Resolution For Business Magazines - “I will value, look for, and share more stories of truly great work and leadership. It is easy to continue writing about the same old stuff, but much more difficult and meaningful to search high and low to bring new and fresh ideas to readers. Oh, and I will look beyond the US borders for these stories of talent and innovation.”
Tomorrow we will get started on our resolutions! Are you ready?
The holidays are done so let’s take time to relax
The preparations and visits can leave one exhausted
Shopping and wrapping, parting with greenbacks
Getting more harried and stressed than we intended.
But wait, do I hear you say there is more to come?
Now we face a barrage of ads by hungry merchants
Their messages so ridiculous, are we really that dumb?
Pay now, pay later, pay ten times as much on payments.
Our thoughts turn to what the New Year will offer
We hope for greater prosperity and smaller jeans
Since we bought too much and gorged on pie and liquor
To get caught up we must buy fancy exercise machines
Here’s to beginning a New Year with more baggage
Bills, broken promises and expanding love handles
We can prevail over even this with conviction and courage
If we just focus on goals, count pennies, and skip the noodles
Here's a brief preview of a couple things I will share with you next week, the last week of 2004.
1. A conversation about New Year's Resolutions. Here's an idea, let's make some up for other people - won't that be fun?
2. I've got a "thank god the holidays are over" poem to share with you.
3. I will be sharing more about my brand new baby. It's 240 pages long and named H.I.M.M.(High Impact Middle Management):Solutions for Today's Busy Managers. I know, I know, the title is long, but it is a cool book, I promise you. It's now available online at Amazon and bn.com and should be working it's way onto bookstore shelves next week. I'm very excited about it and I will give a few sneak peaks and some behind the scenes scoop next week.
4. Also, I will write about the concept of exuberance.
So stay tuned for a great week coming up!
Here are a few great posts I have been meaning to share with you:
Lori over at Salesprocessdiva offer this interesting post about evaluating how 2004 went.
My favorite is: "4. What lessons have you learned?" I think it is a good practice to take stock in how we have grown and matured (you have matured, right?).
Here are two great posts by Slacker Manager. Not only is the name of his blog cool, I find his posts (except the techy ones that go way over my head) fresh and interesting. He finds good stuff, too.
This post is about proactively managing your career.
This one is about the virtues of slowness.
This post, from Small Business Trends is about top trends for 2005. The one that struck me as interesting is, "A Third Place," home and work being the first two places.
Enjoy!
On this, the last full week of 2004, I am posting about the book The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
The Zanders offer up 12 practices. Each practice is represented by a short memorable mantra with several stories and examples for illustration and clarification of the distinctions.
Today I will continue discussion of the 12 Practices offered in the Art of Possibility. Here are the next three practices with a my thoughts and a few juicy quotes from the book:
10. Being the Board
When I first read this practice, I thought it referred to the Board of Directors, but I was wrong. The board in Being the Board is a game board.
“So the first part of the practice is to declare: “I am the framework for everything that happens in my life.”
“This is perhaps the most radical and elusive of all the practices in this book, and it is also one of the most powerful. Here is another way of saying it:
“If I cannot be present without resistance to the way things are and act effectively, if I feel myself to be wronged, a loser, or a victim, I will tell myself that some assumption I have made is the source of my difficulty.”
I agree with the Zanders that addressing assumptions and beliefs can be a powerful way to open our lives up to more possibilities.
“Then, in this game, you take your practice one step further: You ask yourself, in regard to the unwanted circumstances, “Well, how did this get on the board that I am?” or, “Now, how it is that I have become a context for that to occur?”
In other words, the authors are asking us to see ourselves as the context for what’s going on and to take ownership of how our beliefs and assumptions have shaped today’s reality and will impact the possibilities we will see in the future.
11. Creating Frameworks for Possibility
I love this paragraph and it speaks for itself.
“The foremost challenge for leaders today, we suggest, is to maintain the clarity to stand confidently in the abundant universe of possibility, no matter how fierce the competition, no matter how stark the necessity to go for the short-term goal, no matter how fearful people we are, and no matter how urgently the wolf may appear to howl at the door. It is to have the courage and persistence to distinguish the downward spiral from the radiant realm of possibility in the face of any challenge.”
This chapter offers several suggestions and examples for inventing and bringing forth possibility.
12. Telling the WE Story
Here how the Zanders bring together the possibilities for the 12 practices. They write:
“The steps to the WE practice are these:
1. Tell the WE story - the story of the unseen threads that connect us all, the story of possibility.
2. Listen and look for the emerging entity.
3. Ask: “What do WE want to have happen here?” “What’s best for US?” - all of each of us, and all of all of us. “What’s OUR next step?”
So that’s the 12 practices! I’ve given you a few snippets, just enough to give you a flavor of the book. The Art of Possibility is a unique and intelligent book. I highly recommend it. This is a great book to help ignite or re-ignite the New Year.
What kind of life do you want to create?
Here’s the link to buy the book at:
Lisa Haneberg
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