Friday, March 29, 2013

Be here. Now.

Ever been in a meeting and a couple folks bring their laptops? Then they spend the entire meeting typing away and half listening to what's going on? I don't get this.

First, it is definitely not quiet. Second, what good is half listening? Half good in my eyes.

Nothing says "I'm really much busier than all of you and being in this 30-minute meeting is a cramp to my style" then bringing a laptop, phone, ipad and doing something else while you should be listening.

Be here. Now.

Not half here. Not half digesting what is said. Not half participating. Half contributing. Half everything.

Physical presence is one thing. Intellectual presence is another. When you attend a meeting, participate. And to fully participate you must be paying attention. Replying back to emails can wait. Seriously, I wonder who the heck is that important that their emails must be returned right that second.

Not to mention, it is rude.

When you are somewhere with someone, be there now. Physically, mentally, emotionally. Half there is half good.

Friday, March 22, 2013

God Bless the A**Hole

Could have sworn double pinkies that I have written on this topic before, but for the life of me I cannot find it in my blog history.

Bear with me if I am repeating, this topic is worth it.

God Bless the A**Hole. Yes my friends, bless that jerk that sits next to you or the one who's currently your boss. God Bless everything about them and every shitty thing they say and do.

Here's why.

The jerks of the world are teaching you. Skills like tact. Grace. Diplomacy. Patience. Self-control (hopefully, self-control). The jerks of the world are put in your life for a reason. To teach you how to deal with the jerks of the world. And that business skill is essential.

People who work with lovely co-workers -- ones who are kind, courteous, and easy to get along with -- may have less migraines, but folks, they also are NOT learning coping and conflict resolution skills.

Bless too the A**hole Situations. Like having to fire someone; or deal with a bawling employee; or needing to layoff a group of 10. These too are tough situations, not ones I would wish for daily but certainly ones I have had to deal with and I am thankful for the experience.

You want them in your life. Trust me. Grab a hold of every difficult challenge and let it teach you what it must. I read this somewhere; "You can gauge the measure of leader by the number of difficult conversations they are willing to have." Amen.