Editors Note: I received an e-mail from my friend Glenn Brooke that I felt should be broadcast more widely.
I have copied it here and included links for you to check out his stuff.
Any of my readers would benefit from his "Leadership Craft," a somewhat regular newsletter about thoughts on leadership.
The graphic was taken from a different blog. You can click on the picture to access that blog.
I have copied it here and included links for you to check out his stuff.
Any of my readers would benefit from his "Leadership Craft," a somewhat regular newsletter about thoughts on leadership.
The graphic was taken from a different blog. You can click on the picture to access that blog.
I came down to my den (the "man cave" where Glenn does some of his best
writing and worst goofing off) this morning and sighed when I flipped the
light switch. Sometime during the night my heaps of unsorted papers and
magazines had slid off the desk in the night and were now spread across the
floor like a Jackson Pollack painting.
My first thought was "Ugh, I really need to get this place organized."
And then I remembered this quote from Albert Einstein: "If a cluttered desk
is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?"
<Insert smile of satisfaction here>
What matters is what gets delivered, shipped, produced. Some people need
neat and organized to get stuff accomplished, and others don't. There are
professional contexts for workplaces where your preferences don't weigh
much (e.g., no clutter or tripping hazards in a factory, every tool is
carefully cleaned and in its place in the auto repair shop, or your company
has a clean desk policy to limit the loss of intellectual property). What
counts is the output. We should get paid for what we produce.
Some of us work in organizations where far too many rewards and promotions
go to individuals who didn't produce anything useful, but they followed all
the rules and fill out all the forms on time and didn't offend anyone.
They didn't advance the business in any positive sense, but also didn't
show up on any critic's radar, so hey, 3% raise and yeah, they're in line
for a promotion because it's been 3 years since their last one.
Don't be that person. (What a boring life!)
As a leader, don't create culture that supports those people.
Message ends. Until next time, keep working on your craft,
Glenn
http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=Szl9g&mc=BF&s=JR4xX&u=yU&y=M& (blog)
http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=SzlRL&mc=BF&s=JR4xX&u=yU&y=s& (Facebook)Brooke Associates, PO Box 677, Johnston, Iowa 50131, United States
writing and worst goofing off) this morning and sighed when I flipped the
light switch. Sometime during the night my heaps of unsorted papers and
magazines had slid off the desk in the night and were now spread across the
floor like a Jackson Pollack painting.
My first thought was "Ugh, I really need to get this place organized."
And then I remembered this quote from Albert Einstein: "If a cluttered desk
is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?"
<Insert smile of satisfaction here>
What matters is what gets delivered, shipped, produced. Some people need
neat and organized to get stuff accomplished, and others don't. There are
professional contexts for workplaces where your preferences don't weigh
much (e.g., no clutter or tripping hazards in a factory, every tool is
carefully cleaned and in its place in the auto repair shop, or your company
has a clean desk policy to limit the loss of intellectual property). What
counts is the output. We should get paid for what we produce.
Some of us work in organizations where far too many rewards and promotions
go to individuals who didn't produce anything useful, but they followed all
the rules and fill out all the forms on time and didn't offend anyone.
They didn't advance the business in any positive sense, but also didn't
show up on any critic's radar, so hey, 3% raise and yeah, they're in line
for a promotion because it's been 3 years since their last one.
Don't be that person. (What a boring life!)
As a leader, don't create culture that supports those people.
Message ends. Until next time, keep working on your craft,
Glenn
http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=Szl9g&mc=BF&s=JR4xX&u=yU&y=M& (blog)
http://app.getresponse.com/click.html?x=a62b&lc=SzlRL&mc=BF&s=JR4xX&u=yU&y=s& (Facebook)Brooke Associates, PO Box 677, Johnston, Iowa 50131, United States
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