Tag Archives: ownership

¿A que juegan?

papacaliente¿Te acuerdas del juego “la papa caliente”?  Aquel que usualmente jugabas en fiestas de cumpleaños cuando fuiste niño – después de que se le había puesto la cola al burro, roto la piñata y jugado al escondite y a las tinieblas.  Ese que se juega sentado en un círculo y la regla principal es no quedarse con la pelota en la mano.  ¿Te acuerdas?

Para mi total sorpresa, he notado que ese juego trasciende el jardín infantil.   Si observas bien, te darás cuenta que en el mundo laboral hay quienes en su día a día juegan a la papa caliente.  Las reglas son las mismas.  Lo que cambia es que ya no es una pelota la que se pasa de mano en mano – y ya no son niños sentados en el círculo.  Hay un número significativo de empleados en el sector gubernamental, corporativo y PYME, que se pasan de mano en mano la responsabilidad sobre situaciones, clientes y proyectos.   Algunos lo hacen como si responsabilizarse y buscar soluciones fuera un mal terminal. Y lo único que lo previene es pasarle “la papa caliente” a otro colega – y correr en la dirección contraria.

Después de meses de observar este comportamiento generalizado – y en ocasiones perder toda cordura frente a aquellos que le huyen a la responsabilidad – he decidido buscar como cambiar este modus operandi.  Que si se propaga en organizaciones, seria un mal terminal ya que imposibilita la resolución de retos y problemas y tranca toda posibilidad de innovación.

Buscando cambiar el chip de aquellos sentados en el círculo, propongo que compares que pasa cuando evades responsabilidad versus que pasa cuando la asumes.  Entre lo primordial, al evadir responsabilidad pierdes la oportunidad de sentir la satisfacción que se siente al producir resultados, encontrar respuestas a retos e innovar.  También pierdes la oportunidad de aprender, y progresar profesionalmente.  Claro, admito que al pasarle la responsabilidad a otros te queda más tiempo en horas laborales para chatear con amigos, surfear el Internet y chismosear con colegas.  Siendo que tu carrera es la suma de tu educación y experiencias laborales, ¿que crees que tendrá mayor resonancia en tu vida laboral?

Mientras eso marina en tu mente,  miremos por que tantos tienden a pasarle la papa caliente a otros.  ¿Sera que no saben que  hacer con ella?  Posiblemente.  La falta de entrenamiento, información, y herramientas para responder a situaciones es una de las causas.  Reversar esa causa es una de las razones de ser de los departamentos de gestión humana. 

Otro factor dominante es el miedo y la inseguridad.  En posts pasados hablo de algunos de los disfraces del miedo.  Súmale a la lista la evasión de responsabilidad – que muchos, erróneamente tildan como flojera.

¿Y a que temen tantos? Simplemente a que se les caiga la papa y que eso tenga consecuencias desagradables, como ganarse un regaño de su jefe o un grito de un cliente o una burla de un colega.  Guiados por el miedo, en vez de buscar experiencias emocionantes en sus carreras, buscan prevenir experiencias negativas.  Indudablemente que huyendo y evadiendo, muchos logran disminuir el numero de experiencias desagradables – pero al (alto) costo de  las positivas.  ¿Son realmente esas consecuencias negativas el fin del mundo en comparación a lo que ganaras profesionalmente cuando decides arriesgarte y tomar responsabilidad?  Por supuesto que no.

Si trabajas como jefe, te invito a que la próxima vez que vayas a tildar a un empleado “flojo” – resistas la tentación.  En vez analiza si ese empleado esta paralizado por falta de entrenamiento o porque cada vez que se equivoca lo regañas – en vez de felicitarlo por su iniciativa, creatividad y compromiso.

Indudablemente, seguir pasando la papa caliente solo hace que el sentimiento de miedo e inseguridad perdure en tu dia a dia.  Así que si lo que buscas es sentir un piso estable y una vida laboral emocionante, acepta responsabilidad.  Y veras como aumentan tus conocimientos y el numero de herramientas para responder a retos en tu carrera. Emocionante ¿verdad? Mucho mas que correr en la dirección contraria.

You’re invited to a private celebration

Although I’ve been writing since I was seven – I was the kid who was writing while most others were drawing – fifty-two weeks ago I took my passion for writing to the next level by embarking on a book project.

During the eight-thousand seven-hundred and sixty-six hours that have gone by since that day, aside from completing a manuscript, I learned many lessons which stand to benefit aspiring authors and anyone else who has been dreaming about taking on a major project in their life.

Sharing those lessons with you is my own private celebration. Welcome!

The right time is when you decide the time is right.  There never really is a right time to start a major project.  Particularly one in which a. the end is not clearly in sight and b. the return on investment is uncertain.  To make it happen, you must carve out a time for yourself. No one else will if you don’t. 

Prioritize.  I’ve heard from so many people who I tell that I’ve written a book things like: “I also want to write a book…but I’ve so many other things going on.”  Stop, I say.  Ask yourself: “How important are all those ‘other’ things in comparison to writing a book – or completing a major project?”  If you had six months to live would you regret not being able to complete your book or major project? Or would you regret not completing all those ‘other’ things?  To find out, right now, take time to figure out what is most important for you.  I guarantee that when you know the answer to: “what will lead me to a meaningful life?” it will become quite difficult to focus on things which do not lead to that, and ignore those that do.

It’s an investment in you.  Completing a major project is certainly an investment in you.  Even when the return is not in sight, investing in you will pay back one way or another – even if your bank account does not show it right after your project is complete.  It could be that an opportunity will arise because of a skill you acquired, or a connection you made along the way.  It’s key to stay open to possibilities.

Only listen to those who support you.  Block out all others who don’t. Imagine that you decide to run a marathon.  For most of us, that’s a gigantic undertaking – I should know, I ran the Disney World Marathon in 1998. Now imagine it’s race day and that you’re running alongside your best friend.  All along the way, your friend is saying something along the lines of: “You won’t make it. What where you thinking when you signed up for this?  You’ll never make it since you’ve never run a major race before and your parents never ran a marathon. You just don’t have what it takes.  Even if you make it to the finish line – which I doubt that you will – you won’t amount to much.”  (Take a few deep breaths)

Now imagine that you’re running and instead your best friend is saying something along the lines of: “I know you can do this.  Even if you haven’t before, there’s always a first time for everything.  Even Olympic athletes have their first event.  Trust me, deciding to sign up was the hardest part.  All you need to do now is place one foot in front of the other.  You’ll make it a step at a time.  Guaranteed. Besides, you have all the time in the world. I’m right here besides you if you need me.  I’m so proud of you.”

The former is how my accountant sounded when I called to ask him on day four of my writing career how I should track my expenses.  My book would not be complete had I paid attention to his words of warning.  The latter is how my husband, family and close friends sounded.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I made it to the finish line in large part because of your support. Namaste.

Start with the end in mind.  For those of you who have participated in a race, be it a 5k, a 10k or a marathon, you know how it’s possible to visualize the finish line.  It’ll take more creativity when you’re engaging in a project.  Even so, it’s vital that you take time to visualize your completed project, that’s your finish line.  When you do, aim to include as much of your senses to your visualization exercise.  If you can, draw a picture of your end result. Then keep your drawing near your work station.  I guarantee that’s what will keep you going – even when times get tough.

Be methodical.  It’s likely that there will be uncertainty while you’re undertaking a major project.  For that reason, it’s vital that you have a degree of control over the process.  To achieve that I suggest that you approach your project methodically.  Doing so will help you stay on track and be productive. 

During the year that I spent writing, I followed a ritual.  My main aim was to give my book the best version of me every day.  Just like an athlete aims to be in the best shape possible for a major event, I treated every day of this past year as a major event.  First, to make sure that I was alert and energetic every day, I did not drink alcohol during the week and went to sleep between 10pm and 10:30pm every night.  Without fail I woke up at 5:10am every weekday to meditate for 20 minutes.  Then I read for 30, and had a 60-minute work out.   Every day I made sure I ate a balanced breakfast and that I was writing by 8:30am.  Finally, I closed every day with what I call a ‘wrap up and psych up’ session.  I took five to ten minutes to evaluate what I had accomplished, and to develop a to-do list for the next day.  Every Thursday morning I would take twenty minutes to evaluate my progress for the week and to set goals for the coming week.  Each time I completed a task, I would cross it off my to-do list. Task by task, my book came to be.

Manage your expectations.  Even that I was committed to following a process – and those who know me, know I’m quite disciplined – there were times when my creativity was not there.  At the beginning, when I experienced this, I would get anxious.  With time I learned that letting go, and not resisting my feelings, helped get me back on track much faster than those times when I insisted on fighting the feeling.  Some times it helped when I got up from my chair and did a 20 to 30 minute meditation.  Believe me, for an ambitious, methodical, control-freak like me, initially lying down in the middle of the day to ‘do nothing’ was not easy.  But I found that doing so helped me get back on track. I learned to see those 20 to 30 minutes as an investment.  If I stopped for 30 minutes, in return I would receive hours of productivity. If I insisted on squeezing material out of my tired mind, I would at most get frustrated. 

Be thankful.  Every single day I took time to acknowledge how lucky I am for having the opportunity to focus on one of my dreams.  To remind myself to say ‘thanks’ I carried a gratitude rock in my pocket and one in my bag. Seeing it made me stop to say: ”thanks for this opportunity”.  This exercise kept me focused, and reminded me to not take a single day for granted – that means I gave my writing the best of me every single day.

Right now ask yourself what can you do to get closer to your goals.  Drop what you’re doing and go do that one thing right now. 

How response-able are you?

During a time when people are being laid-off from high paying jobs.  When others are taking pay cuts to keep their jobs. Some have lost a big portion of their dividend producing assets.  And others have had their dividend producing portfolios frozen.  Re-prioritizing expenditures is an all too common scenario across kitchen and dinner tables around the world.

As a firm believer in the power that words have, it’s imperative that we pay extra attention to how we use labels.  Are we labelling our situation in terms of poverty and scarcity?  Or are we describing these times as an opportunity to re-prioritize and re-consider what is important in our life? 

If you’re sitting there thinking that I’m out of touch with reality – and maybe even labelling me an over optimist – go right ahead.  I rather be labelled that than a ‘pessimist’ or as some love to throw the term around a ‘realist’.

I’m well aware that however you describe your situation will surely not reverse your employer’s cost cutting initiatives, add dollars to your bank account or miraculously increase the value of your portfolio. That said, how you perceive your situation will have a very strong influence in how you feel and consequently respond.  And in these times, your ability to respond (response-ability) is worth gold.

Are you labelling yourself poor? And have become embarrassed of your present situation (and dwindling bank account)? And for that reason are feeling a bit depressed – and maybe have been unable to go to work? Which could put you at risk of loosing your job…

Or are you seeing this as a great opportunity to go back to basics and discover all those things that the comforts that money afforded you were not letting you enjoy?  For example the simple things in life.  Like turning on the water sprinkler and running across it with friends on a hot Sydney summer day.  Or sitting at your kitchen table with your life partner and sharing your dreams over a home made cup of tea that’s worth $0 and comes with smile from a loved one.  Or making paper mache with your kids – with old flour and water.  And doing all those things has brought a new sense of energy and vitality into your life…

During a time when uncertainty and change are the law of the land, minding the power of words will place you in the seat of power.  Those who know this will come out stronger.

How will you mind your words today?

 

Like the photo? Pasotraspaso’s 

‘Tis the Season for Buying Local*

The current unemployment rate in the US is 6.7%.1

That means that there are close to 20 million people unemployed.  To help you put that number in perspective, that’s the same as the entire population of Australia – from where I’m writing this post.

The Solution?

Americans need to buy local. 

Get this.  If starting on Monday every American spends one more dollar a day on locally manufactured goods and services – as opposed to buying Chinese goods and Indian services – close to $2.1 billion dollars would be injected into the economy by Sunday.  And that’s just a start. 

What if every American would spend the average US$431 that they’re planning to spend in 08 for holiday gifts on locally manufactured goods and services? 

(drum roll please..)

US$129 billion would remain in US industry this holiday season!

While buying local will not create 20 million jobs over night – there are no quick fixes for the current situation – it‘s part of what needs to happen.  Outsourcing has been part of the problem.  Part of the solution is reversing that trend. 

While the government also has an important role to play in the solution, the fact is that every individual citizen is responsible.  And each dollar counts.

Keep the above numbers on your mind as you do your holiday shopping or next time you buy a foreign-made car or outsource a PA to India.

And may the universe provide you with all the good, health, wealth, success, prosperity and abundance that it has in store for you in 2009.

 

*Post inspired while trying to save the world over brunch on Saturday morning with my husband.

Like the photo? http://www.flickr.com/photos/idletype/320089605/