Colleagues,
As you reflect this Friday, think about creating connections. If you missed yesterday’s email on connecting, you can find it here.
Have a great weekend! Do good and be well, Frederick
0 Comments
Colleagues,
Today we will revisit Mara’s list of questions, specifically, “How can we think of leadership outside of organizations – in communities and society?” If we think of leadership as being intentional, then I’m not sure that there is a huge difference between leading inside or outside your work. Be fully present, help people grow, help things get better. I’ve let this email sit for a couple of hours to see if other thoughts would arise, but I think it really is simple. One thing to add is that leading outside of work can be facilitated by being a connector. Connect people with each other, or with groups or organizations. Connect groups and organizations with each other. This is a way of achieving wu-wei, doing without doing. By connecting the right people/groups/organizations, you set things in motion without directly intervening. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Yesterday, I challenged you to make some small memories with special people this week. Following are five simple ways to create small memories at work. All of them require you to be fully present.
If you create a memory this week, please consider sharing it with me. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Yesterday I suggested that juggling different aspects of your life might be more beneficial than trying to find balance. Let’s elaborate on that today. Juggling allows (and requires) you to focus on one specific thing. This relates to being intentional and fully present. Way back when my children were very young, I was struggling mightily with the whole work/family balance thing. My mentor, friend, and superintendent, Dr. Jan Osborn, worked a lot of hours and I asked him how he spent enough time with his own children. Jan asserted that volume of time wasn’t the important measure, that it was about the quality time. He said he focused on “making memories” with his children, and he is right. Try something different this week. Identify someone from your work, your family, and your social circle. Take a very intentional moment in which you are fully present and create a memory with each of them. It doesn’t have to be big; the intention and presence is what will make the moment special. Jan is a regular reader, so I want to just say to you (Jan) directly, thank you for creating so many memories with me, and for helping me learn how to create them with others. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Kenny Parmenter is a long time reader, but also a wonderful human being working with our most vulnerable youth as a social worker with HIGHTS, located in Jackson County, North Carolina (my home). Last week Kenny shared, “I have been working a lot. I think this was needed to catch up, but I would like to put more time and energy into my home life, life/work balance.” We have probably all said something like this, and volumes have been written on work/life balance. But what if achieving balance is the wrong goal? There was a moment in time where I truly achieved a balance between work, family, and social life. Despite having achieved this mythical state, I wasn’t any happier. A big problem was that I was mediocre in everything. Instead of bringing me peace, balance left me feeling empty and inadequate. I can’t speak for you, but I thrive on peak performance, intensity, creativity, and collaboration. It is hard to achieve any of those when you are balanced. Instead of trying to find balance, consider trying to juggle. Focus intensely on one aspect of your life. When you have achieved something, toss that aspect into the air and focus on a different aspect. This strategy allows you to enjoy focus, but to rotate that focus onto different areas of your life. You’ll never be balanced, but you might be more satisfied and have a bigger impact at work and with family and friends. Do good and be well, Frederick |
Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|