Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
There were a few reactions to a piece last week called New Traditions that merit sharing:
Willamette University classmate and SAE fraternity brother Ron Yan noted that beyond my nickname of “Right On Smitty” due to my unrelenting pursuit of relevance, that “As I recall, we had many more, but certainly less publishable nick names for you.”… Read the rest
Sometimes the best (and hardest) lessons you learn are when you’re a child. They can also happen when you’re a parent of a child.
In both situations the best you hope for is that everyone comes out learning something from which they can grow. Your wish, in effect, is that it’s the silver lining that gets explored, not just the hard edges and rough lessons of the dark cloud that envelopes it.… Read the rest
The art of the good, strong start is something that many of us should master, but few of us seldom do.
Why? Probably because it’s a little like that set of occasions (weddings, funerals, baptisms and bar/bas mitzvahs etc.) that happen enough to notice but seldom enough to avoid generating a best practice mindset.
Many schools – like my son’s grade school Marin Country Day School in Corte Madera – have the practice down to a fine art, in part because the start happens on a regular basis, they believe it’s important to do it right, and if you’re smart enough to do it well it can form a foundation for a host of activities and programs to follow.… Read the rest
You work hard, try to do the right thing, and frequently put the interests of others ahead of your own. You’re a good guy. But does that mean you’ll be a success?
“Nice guys finish last” is an adage we all know, and it suggests that not only do nice people do poorly in the competitive world of things sports and corporations, but apparently can even finish badly in the dating game.… Read the rest
There are at least two ways to view the people with whom you work, live, and associate. One end of that spectrum is to think that every engagement point with somebody is a transaction, which may, or more likely may not, be repeated. Think of it as the one-off date mindset. The other end of the spectrum is to think that each engagement is merely one step of many, and that how things work at Step A informs and influences what happens at Step B – the relationship mindset.… Read the rest
The title is a crib is from the 1960’s film Dr. Strangelove (“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Stopped Worry and Learned to Live with the Bomb” but the sentiment is the same. Sometimes you just have to “get over it” and move on – learn to let go and stop thinking about whatever preoccupies you.
“Get over it.” Now that’s a peach of phrase – as if mammals – including humans – can automatically switch things on or off at a moment’s choice.… Read the rest