Born, not made

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I’ve been thinking about work place dynamics a lot lately. Managers, employees, bosses, leadership, morale. For most of the past 30 years I was part of “the management team.” A couple of years ago I worked my way back down the corporate ladder so that I have several bosses (instead of one) and nobody calls me boss. The two most significant results of this devolution are I don’t get invited to lunch as often as I used to and life is much sweeter.

During the peak of my Management Years I read books and attended workshops and seminars and took it all very seriously. Most of it was bull shit. I stopped all that after reading my first Dilbert book. Scott Adams describes The Boss this way:

“His top priorities are the bottom line and looking good in front of his subordinates and superiors (not necessarily in that order). Of absolutely no concern to him is the professional or personal well-being of his employees. The Boss is technologically challenged but he stays current on all the latest business trends, even though he rarely understands them.”

Most managers don’t have any idea how they’re doing because they look to their boss for feedback instead of the people reporting to them. Looking back (and maybe a little ahead, too), I think the difference between good companies and great companies is that good companies have good leaders…and great companies have great leaders. Nothing wrong with being a good leader or working for a good company…but it’s a little harder if you’ve ever worked for a great leader at a great company. And don’t let anybody shit you…great leaders are born. They’re not made. And the men and women down in the trenches can tell the difference in an instant.

Older than I feel.

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I started an excercise program about 14 months ago. Membership at fitness center, personal trainer, the whole deal. I can do 50 pretty good push-ups now and feel great. Last week Traci (the trainer) suggested I let them do a series of tests to determine my physical age (compared to my chronological age). The clock says I’m 54 and I slid in at a cool 48. And, if I’m willing to live like Lance Armstrong, I can take that down to about 30. Call me skeptical. I think we’ll shoot for 45.

The only safe place.

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Brother Blane writes from Indonesia: “Just wanted to let you know we are all OK here. Seems like Indonesia just can’t stay out of the news. We don’t feel at all threatened here, but then I guess you never do until the terrorists strike. It is total madness. As I read about the sniper in the D.C. area I am reminded that the only safe place is to be where God wants you to be.”

The Curse of Competence

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“People with more of an attitude of “whatever it takes” wind up taking on more and more of the jobs no one wants and thus have less and less time for the jobs they really want to do. I call this the “curse of competence.” … Oddly, in a time of real resource constraints, it is not good to become known as the person who can get things done no matter what. If you did it with “x”, the organization doesn’t say, “well, I’ll bet he could be spectacular with ‘2x’.” Instead it says, “He did so well with ‘x,’ we bet he can get it done with ‘3/4x’ too.”

— From blog called Middle Monkey, via Halley Suitt

A blank and flat canvas

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“It’s no secret that Kennett is Sheryl’s home town. In all my previous visits I had stared in wonder at the place and wondered how a personality like Sheryl could come from somewhere that is essentially a blank (and flat) canvas.”

From the September 12, 2002 entry in Chris Hudson’s Tour Diary. Not quite sure who Chris Hudson is but he (she?) made the trip to Kennett when Sheryl Crow went home to recognize the efforts of some local first graders who won a contest with their book about September 11.

Couldn’t find any bio on Hundson, so I don’t know if he’s part of Sheryl’s band, her web guy or just someone that travels with her. But it was interesting to get his take on the old home town. I’m guessing that –like Sheryl– he rubs elbows with the glitterati. Unlike her, he ain’t from Kennett and it’s a long way from L.A. and N.Y. to Kennett, MO.