“And did you get what you wanted out of life, even so?”
This wonderful quote used in the ‘2016 Commencement Speech’ at Harvard Graduate School of Education, is poetic, poignant and prophetic. Derived from a poem by Raymond Carver, it captures our imagination, in particular as it is one the major questions in life that we all must answer, according to Professor James Ryan, Dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Watching the NHL Stanley Cup finals, I am marveling at the success of the first-year expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights. But I probably shouldn’t be.
In my work with clients around the globe, I hear about team members’ frustrations with their leaders all the time. These frustrations are often based on the leader’s lack of consistent authenticity.
These days, I regularly find myself carrying out a review of each day. In a busy life, it appears to be a little mechanism that has evolved to help me keep some kind of check on progress, or otherwise. A daily instrument to help me impose some order on an often hectic schedule.
I’m a psychologist by training. I was trained to be the expert and provide advice to my patients. I’m also a professional trainer, which means I usually bring a predetermined set of learning goals and desired outcomes. Both of these relationships are quite different from coaching.
Each year on April 25, the countries of Australia and New Zealand hold a public holiday to commemorate ANZAC Day. The day remembers the day that the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landed on the shores of Gallipoli (modern day Turkey) in 1915.
There are a great many industries in which individuals who have successfully completed a career track in one area will often seek and find a like opportunity in another line of work, often for a nearly-identical job. Here are just a few of the many examples we may be more familiar with
One thing most leaders can agree on is that organizations need rules; how else can fairness and consistency be ensured across the organization? But when rules devolve they can inhibit efficiency, effectiveness, sanity, well-being, and more.
Even if you think your team SHOULD know the why behind your what, it’s worth quick check to be sure they really understand. Doing work without knowing why, is the shortest path to disengagement.
It’s often tempting in life to do what’s easiest and in front of us rather than stepping back to take a wider and more considered view. Doing something, anything, can feel better than nothing at all. Although tactics may get you somewhere, however, is it where you want to be?