Emotional Intelligence
Posted: May 13, 2015 Filed under: Leadership, Technology | Tags: emotional intelligence Leave a comment
I’ve touched on the subject of emotional intelligence a couple of times in this blog (here and here), but it’s such a fascinating topic that it bears addition discussion. Why You Need Emotional Intelligence to Succeed includes excellent graphics that capture the highlights. A large part of being effective has to do with what you see in yourself and in interactions with others. If we believe this, how do we incorporate it into our daily and weekly practices?
We are so busy and constantly wired in, filling every little bit of time with interactions on our mobile devices, that sometimes person-to-person connections get the short shrift. Recently I did an experiment to test how invested I am in the relationship with my cell phone. I challenge you to do the same.
- Set the timer on your phone for 30 minutes.
- Do not touch your phone until the timer goes off.
What happened? Did you feel anxious (as I did) to not be in possession of your phone for more than a few minutes?
I love the productivity and convenience of mobile devices, and they are crucial to my work. However, I also think there is a balance. To be truly effective, we also need to be self-aware and socially aware. We need to make space (time and place) in our lives to think and to engage with others and the world around us. Let’s regain the ability to be away from our devices and not experience withdrawal symptoms. I’m working on it!
A Paradigm Shift in Management
Posted: March 27, 2015 Filed under: Business, Leadership | Tags: Agile, Gary Hamel, Management 2.0, Steve Denning Leave a comment
In the 16th century, Copernicus shifted our world by postulating that Earth revolved around the Sun. Prior to the publication of this model in On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres in 1543, EVERYONE understood that the Sun revolved around the Earth. It was just the way it worked. More than astronomy was impacted by his scientific work—we began to revisit many things in our culture when this shift occurred.
I believe something similar is happening in organizations today as we are moving to Management 2.0. For background, read Inventing Management 2.0 and watch Reinventing the Technology of Human Accomplishment.
Management 2.0 is customer-centric and employee-centric. According to noted business thinker Gary Hamel, Management 2.0 challenges, “…the fundamental conventions of Management 1.0—the notion that authority trickles down, that tasks are assigned, that strategy gets created at the top, that control must be imposed and so on.” It addresses the question: How do we satisfy customer needs with service-oriented employees within a sustainable business model that provides returns to shareholders?
It’s a shift—a really big shift.
Steve Denning does an excellent job of outlining this (and hitting home with IT professionals) in Why Do Managers Hate Agile? He offers this definition, “For those managers who don’t know what the Agile is (itself a part of the problem), the horizontal world of Agile involves self-organizing teams that work in an iterative fashion and deliver continuous additional value directly to customers.”
Part two, More On Why Managers Hate Agile, also hits home (hard), given some of the current projects I’m involved in. On one hand, traditional organizations are built for predictability. Initiating “agile projects” flies in the face of this predictability, requiring a focus on the customer and allowing the team to innovate with the product owner representing the customer.
Am I part of the problem? Part of the solution? Or a mix of both? Life is all a transition…I’m feeling this one.
The Journey
Posted: March 12, 2015 Filed under: Leadership | Tags: Robert Hastings, The Station 1 Comment
Things won are done, joy’s soul lies in the doing.—William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, I.ii.287
“The journey” is a common theme in literature. I distinctly recall reading the essay The Station by Robert Hastings some 30+ years ago in high school. This was my first exposure to the idea that there is more to life than where you’re going—how you get there matters, too.
I recently stumbled upon a chapter in the book The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom that further examines this subject. It discussed that human emotion tied to making progress toward a goal (the journey) has a much stronger effect than any short-lived contentment from goal achievement (the destination). The author makes a clear distinction between “gratification” and “delight.” Gratification may be thought of as deeper and longer lasting, gained from learning, feeling progress, self-motivated improvement and building strengths. This is from the journey. Delight is more like listening to a new song or eating a bowl of ice cream—short-lived or ephemeral. It’s that rush of pleasure when you arrive at a destination.
Gratification versus delight is a new twist on the importance of focusing on the journey. While delight may seem like a stronger emotion, unfortunately, it doesn’t last. By comparison, gratification stays with you and can nourish your soul. Learn how to put this insight into practice with How to Become Happier.
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