Sins and Sweetness

Rosa Say offered a great post yesterday called, the 3 Sins of Management.

Here’s how she tees it up:

”In the coaching I do with managers, I’ve found that there are three different pitfalls that constantly rear their ugly heads. I’ve come to call them the 3 Mortal Sins of Management.“

Here’s two of the three sins she shares: Tacit Approval and Lies of Omission. That’s a teaser, so go check out the post and discover the 3rd sin yourself.

Good stuff.

I agree with Rosa that these three sins are common and damaging. Here’s a couple more sins of management I have seen a lot:

Discombobulation - the “not with it” manager. Not prepared, poorly planned, disorganized, and tardy. These managers don’t fully understand that they are expected to be on top of things - not digging their way out all the time.

The Negative Force - Our manager has a big impact on how we experience our jobs. Negative managers ought to be defenestrated straight away because their foul moods and demeanor infects the entire workplace.

OK - It’s Friday and I am not going to end the week with a negative post (although it is sometime fun to explore the darker side of things - the reason why most of my poems are dark).

Sweetness and light coming right up!

Thanks to all the folks that volunteered for an interview for an article I am writing about managers who love their work. I received great responses and am uplifted by hearing about so many managers having fun at work. I will let everyone know when the article is coming out.

Snap your fingers.

How much time did that take - 2 seconds?

That’s how long it can take to shake off the grumpy or foul mood. Really. Just like that. Here’s what I say to myself when I am bummed by something (quoted from my More Space Essay):

“Woe is me, pity parties, and whining is for losers! I cannot possibly turn this day around with this crappy attitude – snap out of it and grow up!“

This works for me and will want to have your own mantra for facilitating a finger snap change in mood. Does this mean I roll over and let people walk all over me? No siree. If something needs to be changed, instead of fretting about it for a long time, I fret about it for a little time, then communicate clearly and directly and move on.

Mosquitoes, alligators, thorns, loneliness, or humidity?

Peace, nature, birdsong, forward movement, or leisure?

You choose.

A great day is just 2 seconds away. TGIF!

Comments

[Johnnie Moore]

Good post and thanks for raising the question.

What works for me is a bit paradoxical: Radical Acceptance. If I'm feeling down, what makes it worse is berating myself for feeling down. If I just allow myself to really feel it - and that means stopping everything, including analysis and focus on really feeling the feeling, not making up tales about it - I find my mood shifts and hope returns.

Takes a bit longer than 2 seconds.

And you know what, it's horses for courses. It works for me, may not for others!

[Lisa Haneberg]

Johnnie - It's funny, I think we are all different in what will work, but it is great that you figured it out for you - so many people never do. For me, positively pitched "snap out of it" message works best. Thanks for sharing your technique.