#232: Don’t waste my time

Every week tells of another CEO failure and another corporate disaster. Every day more people say ‘I lost my job’; ‘I lost my money’.

To date the American-dream response has been ‘find another job’; ‘make more money’.

But I’m beginning to hear a different refrain: ‘I wasted a part of my life’. What should you do about that? Reincarnate?

I have seen people so angry that their time has been wasted at work that nothing can sweeten the bitterness with which they remember those they hold responsible for a loss they cannot recover.

This is a growing problem, one that will ultimately affect your organization, because sooner or later, you will inherit one of these angry people.

In my third decade of working with CEOs I know this much: a good CEO does not waste your time; a bad CEO does not even notice when time is being wasted.

I wonder, what sort are you?



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#231: Change your mind not your truth

Have you changed your mind lately? Good!

When things change as fast as they do currently, we should all update our thinking and understanding. But that does not mean we should change our values and who we are.

Here’s an example of what I mean. A woman in an Indian court was rebuked by a judge for giving false testimony because it differed from what she told the court the previous week. She replied that this week she is a different person and that if she had given the same testimony again, then she would have been false.

The problem, of course, is that being a different person today is not the way to build trust. To build trust requires that you constantly and consistently present who you really are, your truth, so that everybody knows what to expect of you.

Alignment between what you say and what you do over time is the basis of trust. By all means, change your mind, but not your truth.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#230: Don’t own ideas

Here’s a question. Can you own an idea?

Before you answer, consider the number of people you interact with daily, the clouds of information on the Internet and the number of books published to date (who knows; more than 70 million).

So, where does your latest idea really come from? Something you heard as a kid? Something you read yesterday?

Once you have thought a thought it is ‘out there’ beyond your control, even before you have expressed it aloud. As you know, people pick up on thoughts. According to quantum physics, it’s simply the interconnectedness of all things.

That’s why you cannot own ideas. You just don’t know where they came from nor where they are going next.

And here’s why you should not lock up your ideas. The more you share ideas, the more they come back to you, much improved. Like love, some things are simply not diminished when given away.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#229: Open-handed leadership

Do you practice hands-on mothering or open-handed parenting?

A couple of Saturdays ago I suggested that the reason why so many adults struggle to succeed is because so many parents shout ‘don’t fall!’

To illustrate, here’s another story. Once upon a time a mother saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. She immediately wanted to help the butterfly. Without hesitation, she gently opened the cocoon to free the butterfly. But when the butterfly emerged, it fluttered to the ground. It could not fly.

The mother did not realize the importance of the struggle. It is the struggle to escape the cocoon that develops and strengthens the butterfly’s wings enough to enable it to fly. Instead of freeing the butterfly, she condemned it to a life on the ground.

Renowned psychologist Ruth Sanford called it “love with an open hand”.

Now answer this: At work, do you practice hands-on management or open-handed leadership?



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#228: The donkeys of change

When people refuse to change, how should you lead them? To find out, listen to this true story.

A family owned two donkeys, but the donkeys had outgrown their pasture. A neighbor across the road offered them his bigger pasture where the grass is always greener. The donkeys went willingly to their new pasture until they reached the white line painted in the middle of the road.

Then they froze. No amount of pulling or pushing could get them to move forward. The next day the same thing happened. They dug in their hooves and refused to budge.

They finally crossed over when their owner allowed them to step between the lines, two steps at a time, past the painted barrier.

Now you know what to do when you have people who freeze like donkeys in the face of imaginary obstacles: Lead them between the lines of change, two steps at a time, past the barriers in their mind.


I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#227: To make a difference, be like candles

We’ve all heard that change is coming. So what can we do? Be like candles.

I have never heard a candle say: "I cannot light up the whole world for I am not as big and strong as Mr. Sun. Therefore, I might as well not light at all."

Candles don’t try to compete with the Sun. They don’t try to light the universe, or the world, or a country. They light their immediate surroundings whether anyone is watching or not.

How unlike people. Most people argue that as they cannot change the world, they might as well not try. Any comment about changing their immediate surroundings is rewarded with a look that could melt a candle.

Tonight, go light a candle. Switch off the lights and leave the room. Sneak back. You will find that the candle is still burning.

I hope that this silly experiment will convince you to make a difference even if no one is watching.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#226: Control your span

One of the reasons the typical organization hierarchy looks like a pyramid is because of a concept called the span of control.

The span of control is the number of subordinates who report directly to you. The greater the number who report to you, the wider your span of control.

According to traditional dogma, the higher up the organization you are, the fewer the number of people who should directly report to you. In other words, a senior executive should have a narrow span of control, whereas a junior supervisor should have a wide span of control.

This makes no sense. Here’s why. It implies that low level supervisors are far better managers, capable of supervising more people than senior executives can manage. Or it implies that the higher up you go, the less competent people become and the less mature they are, thus requiring more direct supervision.

Now tell me, which one applies in your organization?



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#225: Fear of loud falling

I recently suggested that training wheels on a bicycle actually stop you learning how to ride. Why? Because they create the illusion of balance.

I learned very quickly how to ride a bicycle because I did not have training wheels. I learned quickly because I learned not to be afraid of falling.

I don’t see many kids riding bicycles today, never mind falling down. This worries me because kids do need to learn to overcome their fear of falling.

Did you know that we are born with only two natural fears? The fear of falling is one. All other fears are learned, mainly through our ability to imagine negative outcomes.

I did learn two things about falling off a bicycle. Every time it scared me less and every time I got better at getting up.

By the way, our other natural fear is the fear of loud noises. Like someone shouting ‘don’t fall!’, which is why so many of us struggle to succeed.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA

#224: Success depends on ‘why?’

Summer is over, at least as far as work goes. Time to be serious again about work.

Here’s a question that might help you get serious about the rest of the year. Imagine that today is the thirty first of December and that you are looking back. How will you know that it was a successful year for you?

Most people tend to list all the things that should have happened and all the things that they should have done to make it a success. These are ‘what’ questions. What happened? What should have happened? What did I achieve?

When it comes to success, the right questions to ask starts with ‘why’? Why should that have happened? Why should I have achieved that?

Do yourself and your colleagues a favor. Ask ‘why?’ questions. Do this often and you will succeed in irritating them.

But the chances are that you will also be more successful. And that’s worth a little irritation.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio: Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA | 89.1 FM WCNV, Heathsville VA | 90.1 FM WMVE, Chase City VA