My husband and I went this past weekend to watch the latest Julia Roberts’ movie Mirror Mirror. In this story Julia Roberts played the role of an evil queen who was out to steal the throne from her stepdaughter. When the evil queen looked into the mirror and recited the famous line “mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” she saw an idealized version of herself. In her eyes she was the epitome of perfection and excellence. It was the king … the stepdaughter … the prince … and those bandits who were the imperfect ones and the nagging source of her problems.
This story line reminded me of a lot of managers I have known and worked with over the years. They were quick to pass blame and took little (if any) ownership to the dysfunction of their team.
A couple days ago at a training event, a manager at my table was complaining about her team and how they drained her mental energy and kept her from doing her work. I asked her what could she do differently to influence a more positive outcome? Her response … “Nothing.”
Here are a few common excuses I’ve heard managers (and non-managers) use to rationalize doing “Nothing.”
- I’m too busy
- I’ve done everything I can [click to continue…]
The following story was written by George Reavis, Assistant Superintendent of the Cincinnati Public Schools, back in the 1940s! This story is humorous but has a clear message. I thought you might enjoy. This content is in the public domain.
The Animal School – A Fable
Once upon a time the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a “new world” so they organized a school. They had adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.
The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, better than his instructor. But he made only passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. Since he was slow in running, he had to stay after school and also drop swimming in order to practice running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school so nobody worried about that, except the duck.
The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup work in swimming.
The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustration in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of the treetop down. He also developed a “charlie horse” from overexertion and then got a C in climbing and D in running.
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Welcome to my new website and Strong Leader Blog!
For those of you who know me, you know that I am passionate about a strengths-based approach to career and performance management. When I first took my StrengthsFinder assessment back in 2005, I had no idea of the professional and personal impact it would have on my life. Over the past seven years I have gained a level of understanding, clarity and direction that has literally changed the trajectory of my career! Aside from all the positive nuances and benefits from knowing my strengths, the following are three critical outcomes that are still beneficial to me today!
- It changed my view of myself. I gained clarity about the way God fearfully and wonderfully designed me for work. Things that once frustrated me about myself are now clear and I am affirmed and confident in my abilities as a strong leader to make valuable contributions.
- I became equipped. Now that I understand my strengths, I purposefully leverage my strengths every day. Whether it is a simple task or a complex project, a strengths-based approach to performance managementis highly energizing and motivating. I am capable of creating unique, strengths-based plans to help me deal with challenging situations or people. This natural approach to solving problems keeps me engaged so I can see the project through to completion. And then I celebrate because that’s what Achievers and Competitors do! [click to continue…]
