Poets and Engineers

A dear and trusted friend recently remarked that, as a society, we should have at least as many poets as engineers.

This is true in the workplace as well.

In the past decade, an incredible amount of conversation has placed emphasis on STEM programs. . .and that's great. . .but I fear that it has done so at the unnecessary expense of liberal arts.   We need people with well-rounded educations.

In life. . .in work we need people who can build. . .but we also need people who can dream what needs to be built.

At the office, we need someone who can maintain tight controls. . .and we need that other person who can explore beyond the current realms.

On our teams, we need that player who has all the facts and can make strong decisions on those foundations. . .and we need that other player who can see the multiple dimensions  of the decision.

This is a plea then, not so much to our educators who I admire eternally and who are often put under immense public pressure by a misunderstanding public;  but an appeal to all of us to realize the value of well-rounded educations that are not merely just the right answers on a standardized test.   Yes, we need graduates who can find the right answers. . .but the surest way for that to happen is to enable them to be curious and ask the right questions.

A satisfying outcome would be indeed to have as many poets as engineers. . .an excellent outcome would be to have engineers with the souls of poets.


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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle for PCs, tablets and e-readers.

Let Us Praise the True Heroes of Charleston

The most extraordinary and heroic thing happened today.

As Dylann Roof, the Charleston shooter who took the lives of 9 people attending a church meeting on Wednesday was being charged, the families of the victims had the opportunity to speak to him.

They did what I believe most of America is unable to do at this moment. . .they forgave him.  Here is a quote from a granddaughter of one of the victims:

"Hate won’t win,” she said. "My grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate. Everyone’s plea for your soul is proof that they lived in love and their legacies live in love."

All evidence indicates that this was a crime of racial hatred, yet the families forgave him.

Unlike sentencing hearings in which victim's families get to face the accused. . .which may be up to two years after a crime has occurred. . . this is two days after the murders.   There hasn't even been time to have funerals for the victims. . .yet the families forgave him.

Authorities say that Roof almost didn't go through with this plan because all of the people at the Bible study were so nice to him.  Roof shows no remorse;  he certainly has not asked for forgiveness.   Still, the families forgave him.

We are in an age that is often marked by divisiveness.   Non-Christians and those who claim to be Christians often spew hate and promote unequal treatment and even violence in the name of their beliefs.  Some  promote a justice system that can be best be described as  "shoot first before they shoot you" and "let 'em rot in hell."   There are those who believe they hold on to power by holding on to a grudge or vindictiveness.

But, where is the real power?    The real power belongs to those who forgive.   Through their forgiveness, they move on and grow. . . and they enable the rest of us to do the same.

What happened to the victims and their families in Charleston is unspeakable and makes most of what we face in our daily lives. . .political posturing, relational spats, business war games. . trivial in comparison.  The families embraced their beliefs and rose above the horror they and the nation faced on Wednesday. . .and inspired us with true, everlasting power.

Certainly we will remember the victims;   let us always praise their families.    Today, they have shown the world the power of forgiveness.

What to Do When an Employee Smells

One of the first readers of my book quickly asked for a consultation over coffee.   I anticipated a spirited discussion  regarding the finer points of teamwork.  Or perhaps the world view and local actions of the leader?  Or, minimally, motivation for the work team?

Nope.  Instead, "One of my team members smells really bad and I don't know what to do about it."

Why is it worth talking about?    Because as valuable as philosophical leadership discussions are. . . some of the things that are most vexing in the work place are things like "One of my team members smells really bad and I don't know what to do."

You talk about it.

And it sounds something like this.  "Your work performance is really good and your team members really enjoy your company. . and I want you to take that to heart because I hate to bring this up.  Some people have observed you don't always smell like you just stepped out of the shower. . .and I really need you to address it."

"My right hand person is so great. . .but he just won't shut up.  .  . and I don't know what to do about it."

Ironically. . .you talk about it.

And it sounds something like this.  "You know you are incredibly valuable both to me and the remainder of the team, so I hate to bring this up.    Work styles can be very different.   Some people can be very productive being very quiet.   Some people like you can be very productive and talk all of the time.     The problem is that the latter disrupts the former. . .and I need you to tone it down a little bit."
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"Francine  is constantly whistling. . .and she's whistling off-key. . .and I don't know what to do about it."

You have to talk about it.

And it sounds something like this.  "Francine, I love the joy and energy you bring to the workplace, but I need to ask you a favor. . .would you please whistle a little less. . .some people don't have your same energy and they find it distracting."

All of these talks share these things in common:     they recognize the strength of the team member, they name the challenge and they make a request for change.

So, those things that you really don't want to talk about?     What you really need to do is talk about 'em.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for e-readers, tablets and PCs from Amazon Kindle.

Nightmare at Work? Wake Up!

Last night was one of those nights.  My sound sleep was punctuated by one hellish nightmare:   in this case, I had to write three short stories in less than two hours. . .but couldn't find a typewriter (yes, typewriter!?). . .and then when I found the typewriter I had to figure out how to re-set the margins. . .and the clock was ticking and now I only had an hour and a half. . .and then there wasn't any paper. . .so I had to go to the store for paper. . .but they didn't have any paper because they typically don't sell paper on this specific day. . .and then I had only a little more than an hour left to WRITE THREE SHORT STORIES. . .

And you know how this goes. . .at a certain point, you become aware that this is indeed a nightmare and not real life. . .but, you're warm and toasty in bed. . .and despite the nightmare you're kind of comfortable. . .so you're kind of reluctant to do this, but the only way to make the nightmare stop is to WAKE UP!

That is also so true of the workplace.    I have been in that kind of nightmare, too.   The work was starting to make less and less sense. . .the pressure was building. . .some of the people were (trust me, scary). . .but it was kind of comfortable because I was making a decent living and paying the bills.   Ultimately, though,  the only way I could stop the work nightmare was to wake up and make some changes (in that case - leaving the company).

The nightmares at work can come from many different directions and come in many different forms.  Sometimes the onset is insidious - it slowly builds and before you know it, you're in the middle of a situation in which you are severely compromised.    Very seldom will anyone stop this for you;  you need to wake up and stop it yourself.

This means you need to step out of the "comfortable" routine and do something different:   re-engage the team in a different manner, re-shape the team, get HR involved in a difficult situation, re-direct work. . .or yes, even do what I had to do - quit - and seek happiness elsewhere.

This reminder comes because sometimes in the middle of a nightmare, be it real or a nightmare at work, it's difficult to remember that we do, in fact, need to wake up to make it quit.

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My book, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for e-readers, tablets and PCs on Amazon Kindle.