February 20, 2010

What does it mean to be indispensable

A quick spiel on what it means to truly bring value to an organization and in return ... be indispensable.

February 15, 2010

Dan Pink on the surprise science of motivation

Recently, here in Seattle, I had the opportunity to sit and listen to Dan Pink in person talk about his new book Drive. Key takeaway? There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does:
- Incentives work but only in a narrow slice of circumstances (motor work)
- "If then" rewards, destroy creativity
- The secret to high performance is tapping into the intrinsic drive - to do things better because they matter
- Science confirms what we know in our hearts
- Compare what science knows and what business does
- Bring notions of motivation into the 21st century
- Get beyond lazy ideology of carrots and sticks
- Strengthen businesses and empower people to solve more complex problems ... and maybe, maybe change the world

Dan's excellent TED talk elaborates further:

February 1, 2010

We can't do everything always, but we can do something now

"Any task in life is easier if we approach it with the one at a time attitude. ... To cite a whimsical saying; 'If you chase two rabbits, both of them will escape.' No one is adequate to do everything all at once. We have to select what is important, what is possible, and begin where we are, with what we have. And if we begin and if we keep going, the weight, the worry, the doubt, the depression will begin to lift .... We can't do everything always, but we can do something now, and doing something will help to lift the weight and lessen the worry, 'The beginning,' said Plato, 'is the most important part.'" Richard L. Evans