An Uneven Playing Field

We've probably all experienced this on a micro and macro level.  We are trying to play our very best game:  we are being fair,  truthful and candid, conciliatory and collaborative.  Our goal is to be the best people we can be and through that process, produce the best workplaces and product for the long-term.

And then someone comes along, very 1980's greed-is-good-and-winning-justifies-anything,and just blows it up by being nasty or messy or untruthful. . .they are playing their own game and it doesn't match our own.

So, we have an uneven playing field.   A segment, or even most of the workplace may be trying to do what is right - but there is that one lone wolf who isn't playing by what is right and ethical.

It is challenging to do what is right. . .when co-workers aren't playing by the same rules - or, for that matter, playing by any rules at all.    Truth is - it isn't fair.   And we can bemoan the inequity of it, but it is what it is.   Here is what we must guard against: strong workplaces get dragged down by those who don't play by the rules, who have no regard for others.  And how workplaces get dragged down is if we abandon what we believe is right by lowering ourselves to the renegade's level and try to beat them at their own game.

Here's what we must do:  stay the course.  Do what's right.  Play by the rules.   If we don't, ultimately chaos will prevail.   While it may seem that those who don't have any regard are winning - it is a short-term victory - we must have faith that what we are doing is right and good and will ultimately prevail - because it will.

One other note:    leaders of workplaces own the responsibility to make the playing field as level as possible.  The only people who can bring lone wolves and renegades into line (or exit them from the workplace) are those who sign the paychecks.

Consistently we must work for a better workplace. . .a better world.  Even if there are those who are not playing by the rules and the playing field is (temporarily) uneven - we must persist.  This, also, is part of the work we do.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle. 

One Way Street to a Dead End

If life is a highway, there are those who think that it should be a one way street.   The thought is that there is only way to achieve a goal.   That there is only one way to think.   That there is only one way to be.

Life, however, is much more than that.   What makes life is that it is full of options.  

Timing comes to my mind.   If I have a goal, does it have to be done right now?  Or, if I'm in the middle of achieving a goal, is it okay if I take a diversion?   Or, if I change my approach, can I get to my goal sooner than expected?

Methodology.  Do I have the belief (and is it warranted?) that I have to do this all by myself?   Are there others that can/should help?   If I seem to be getting stuck, what other approaches can I take to get "unstuck?"

People.  Who is important?  Is my current roster of friends/business associates/acquaintances what I desire?  If not, how do I find the right people?

Am I in the right job?  If I am in the right job - what's next?  If I'm not in the right job - am I in the right career?   Where do I find work that I love?

Often "one way," without options, leads to a dead end.  If we recognize, and embrace, that there are other ways and options, we will live abundant lives.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.

Dead Crow in the Middle of the Road

I spotted it while driving to work this morning;   there was a dead crow in the middle of the road.

Based on experience, I know what happened.  Too often I need to slow down to avoid hitting a foul that is singularly focused on whatever the food source may be in the center of the asphalt.  They seem completely oblivious to all of the cars going in all directions.  They barely get out of the way of destruction. . .sometimes.   It is hard, however, because they are focused on just one thing.

I suspect the same dynamic comes into play with individuals who are so focused on just one facet that they cannot see, or will not recognize whatever danger comes their way.  In fact, the danger is that singular focus.

When we become so obsessed with something or someone. . .so righteously devoted to a singular concept. . .we are then unable to recognize whatever danger may be headed our way.  That danger, when revealed, will minimally throw us off-center and disorient us;  at the extreme, it will threaten our existence.    We are convinced that whatever our singular pursuit is will be worth the risk.

Until it isn't;  until it's too late.

The political parallel was in this week's news.  A "person-on-the-street" was interviewed about the candidate to whom they were fully and singularly committed.   When presented with the case that said politician regularly ignores the truth and lies, the individual said it didn't matter, she would vote for the individual anyway.    They obviously thought it was worth the risk; until it isn't.  Until it's too late.

What I love about life is the diversity that surrounds us.  It is those options, those multitudes of opportunities that afford us not only safety, but an abundant existence.  If we become obsessed with just one entity - we lose that.  If we embrace many facets, if we recognize and are good stewards of the resources available to us, we will have good lives.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.

The Sanctity of Your Story

 We all have stories;  they are one of our greatest resources.    The stories of  how we got to where we are today.  The stories of lessons learned and challenges overcome.  The stories of why we are who we are and why we do what we do.

These stories are far beyond narratives;  they are culture.   They are our soul.

They are us.

And there are those who wish to subjugate our stories.  For no rational reason they wish to change or twist that which is so innately us.   This is often done through innuendo or gossip or lies.   Make no mistake - the intent is not pure.   They wish to change our stories to suit their own needs.

We cannot let that happen.

Workplaces, companies, enterprises, families and teams also have their own stories, their own souls.  And again there are those, often within those entities (and also outside of those entities) who actively work to take control the narrative and distort it to suit their own needs.

We cannot let that happen.

Our stories, the "who" and "how" and "why" are sacred;   if individuals start altering these we lose our mission and soul.   So we must constantly be vigilant that our stories, both individual and collective, are heard and received.   And we must be persistently corrective if someone tries to twist the truth.

Because our truth is our story; the very embodiment of who we are.

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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.