photo credit: rickilevy69
I’m an unrepentant Bear Grylls fan. His show on Discovery Channel, “Man vs. Wild,†always inspires and encourages me. Most of us will never encounter the challenges and outright risks and dangers Grylls does, but this weekend’s show got me thinking about how we may not be so far apart after all. He used the phrase, “a proper wilderness,†and that feels like a great metaphor for so many people striking out to find their new best careers and goals.
Grylls served three years with a special forces unit of the British army. One can really only officially be on active duty in the army for so many years before one has to start thinking about other things; particular if one has broken one’s back in three places during service! But what if what you do, what you love, what you were meant to pursue and prove and teach, is the very thing you feel required to depart?
Today’s economy and the dramatic shifts in the work place have required many of us to take a step back and start thinking about how to answer this question. If you find yourself required to make a change, don’t be too hasty to assume that all of what you loved about what you used to do is now out of reach. Spend some time in self-analysis, identifying not only your hard skills but your favorite pursuits and activities. Think not only about yourself as an individual, but about your skills on a team, and within an organization.
Grylls left the special forces, and one might think he would never skin a rattlesnake barehanded and eat it raw for a living again; yet here he is, still doing what he does better than anyone, and doing that in which he finds the most personal and professional satisfaction. (He earns a nice paycheck as well. Coincidence? Probably not!)
Give yourself a taste of something new and off-the-charts innovative this week, but bring your favorite existing skills. You might just find yourself rethinking what is and is not possible for your own next adventure.
photo credit: Refracted Momentsâ„¢
Since I’m sick today but sitting at my home office desk struggling to think clearly enough to write, I’ve got presenteeism on my mind. Presenteeism — the notion of showing up for work when you probably should be absent — has been an increasingly hot topic in workplace research. A Harvard Business Review article called Presenteeism: At Work — But Out of It by Paul Hemp addressses the workplace productivity costs associated with employees who show up but don’t perform. From the article’s description:
By some estimates, the phenomenon costs U.S. companies over $150 billion a year–much more than absenteeism does.
And yet, presenteeism has always been a loaded concept to me. Certainly it’s best that people stay home when they have illnesses that may be contagious. Everyone hates the office cold or flu. But it’s also been my experience that there’s a certain cowboy attitude amongst top managers (male or female) when they get sick. It’s as if they must prove that they don’t need time off to recover from illness like normal humans do. And that sends a very clear message to the middle managers who are striving for promotion into top management ranks, which of course sends a message to their direct reports and so on. It’s not difficult to see where corporate culture reinforces this idea that it’s better to show up than rest up.
So what’s the solution, then? I can’t say I know, but it should probably start at the top, with leaders setting the example of taking the time they need when they’re sick to be away from the office (hey, they’re doing wonderful things with the internet these days; you don’t have to be onsite all the time). Perhaps the rest will follow over time.
Easier said than done, I’m sure — as I sit here in my pajamas and bathrobe pondering climbing back into bed. And you know what? For the good of corporate culture, I think I’ll do it.
What are your thoughts on presenteeism? How have you seen it addressed? Tell us in the comments.
photo credit: nDevilTV
For many of us in the U.S., this will be a short week: since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday, many offices will get Friday the 3rd off in observance. Undoubtedly, this will be a tremendous relief to most people.
But in some cases (hey, I’m not admitting anything here), the relief will only come on the heels of anxiety about accomplishing all that we have on our schedules for the week ahead.
Last week, I talked about using a planning session on Monday morning to prioritize the week ahead. That kind of planning becomes even more important when your usual time available for tasks is reduced by 20%.
My challenge to you (and, OK, to me as well) is: be extra ruthless this week in determining your priorities. Stay focused on the 2 or 3 things you’ll be able to get done each day.
Having done this, you should find the long weekend a lot easier to enjoy. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for myself.
What are your tricks for getting yourself to focus when you have more tasks than time?
photo credit: Ed Yourdon
Yesterday, while jogging through downtown Nashville, I noticed something. I noticed lots of things, actually. I noticed the people who were busy and in a hurry making their way from the train to their office buildings. I saw buildings that were being renovated to make way for condos and new retail stores. I also saw how dead an entertainment district can be at the crack of dawn.
When I run on my urban route, there’s a lot I pick up. There’s a lot that I see that most people don’t when they invade downtown for the day to make a living. I notice more things about my city that seem to be missed by tourists and bar hoppers and restaurant goers.
Seeing the city on foot each morning gives me a deeper appreciation and concern for my hometown. While I can be vocal about its shortcomings, knowing this place a bit more intimately means that I can also see its great potential. And that’s what leads me to declare that this is a great place to call home.
Feeling at home somewhere may just mean that we can feel a bit more balanced. Being happy where we are and enjoying where we live can make us stomach work a bit more and love life in a whole new way.
Do you enjoy where you live? Are their particular quirks to your neck of the woods? What is it you appreciate about your city? Knowing what you love will help you feel at home, which will add to your overall happiness about work and life.
