Colleague Talk - Change

Last week was one of those weeks that have two days; Monday and before you realize it, it’s Friday! Nothing spectacular, I was a shadow of the energetic me. I woke up today very early in the morning and once again visited the sacred chambers of my soul and discovered a number of things. There are so many things I had hoped for in life that never worked out, so many things in life looking bleak, unfulfilled promises, un-achieved dreams but hey, that’s life. I tell you what; Life is stranger than fiction, that’s what I realized. My pastors did wonders on Sunday though, he drew my attention to Proverbs 3:.. says “Trust the lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” I prayed to God for 4giveness and asked him to guide my actions and thoughts.
It’s the same week I realized that change is elusive, and as someone said change cannot occur until something changes. And something, whatever it is, isn’t going to change on its own.

Action Point: Change
I work in a section where one part of my TOR’s is to bring positive change in my section. I have and still am doing everything within my powers. Change is a challenging task but one that, if approached with a positive attitude, determination, courage and commitment, can bring desirable results. Simply put, change requires commitment to commencement and commitment to continuity. Change is the small things we do differently and better. I have strived to bring about positive change in all the stations I have been deployed in my organization. Little recognition has come my way, nevertheless as Abraham Lincoln (16th US president) said “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition”
I was going through some change literature and came across the writing below. Source is unknown. Read on….
Too often, changes are stifled by people who cling to familiar turf and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won’t challenge old comfortable ways of doing things. But real leaders understand that nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does.
Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually re-inventing their jobs.
The most important question in performance evaluation becomes NOT “How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?” but “How much did you change it?”

What positive change, however small, have you brought in your work station? None? No worry, I’m sure there is something you can improve now. Go for it, however small.

Quote:

Conflict is inevitable in a team ... in fact, to achieve synergistic solutions, a variety of ideas and approaches are needed. These are the ingredients for conflict.

Susan Gerke, IBM, Leadership Development

Have an energetic and thoughtful week.

Colleague Talk - Journey To the Sacred Chamber of your Soul 18th Feb 2008

Last week was a very energetic week, my colleagues in office were all in a very jovial mood and so were our clients, work flowed and volumes moved. It was the LOVE week!! Valentine’s Day was on Thursday and boy, how Love changes life!! If Valentine’s Day was every week, then we would double our corporate target, Kenya would be a developed country, women would be the happiest living beings and all men would be flat broke!

I spent most of my Valentine’s day evening taking a moonlight walk. My selected location was peaceful and serene. It reminded me of a year and half ago, when I found myself at the heart of Mt. Kenya, where my colleagues and I had gone for an experiential training on Leadership. An experience that stands out is one night called “Solo night”. Each of us had to spend 24hrs alone in the forest, with only basic items, Bible/Koran, a pen and foolscap. It was a time to reflect on how far you have come, what you have, what you intend to accomplish, who you want to be in life and how to get there. I had a chance to take a journey to the sacred chambers of my soul. Whatever I wrote in that Foolscap remains my road map up-to-date; the only thing that changes is depth of my view points.

Action Point: Journey to the sacred chamber of your soul

I came across one of Carol Mandi’s articles, she encourages creating more of ‘Me’ time and taking time to look within ourselves. If you would like to add meaning to your life, I suggest you read the article below.

Quote:

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. –
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Have an energetic week and purpose to live inside-out, not outside-in!

Journey to the sacred chamber of your soul
There is a place, a sacred chamber inside each one of us that most of us don’t even know exists because we rarely go there. If you thought of your life a s a house, this room would probably be your bedroom.
This private place is what author Gordon MacDonald calls, one’s private world. The reason we ignore, neglect or are simply unaware of our private world is because the public world is more enticing, visible and demanding.
Our public world is what everyone sees and where we are heavily rewarded. It is in this domain where we engage in work, play, network with acquaintances, acquire property, and so on.
According to McDonald, our public world is the part of our existence that is easiest to evaluate in terms of success, popularity, wealth and beauty. It is here where the titles like Ms Got-it-all-together or Mr Self-made count. But when the layers are peeled down and we proceed into our secret chambers, our private world is where we see the truth about ourselves, if we have the courage to be honest.
It is in this place where the wealthy, the famous and the beautiful finally admit, “I’ve failed with my children,” and “I have a problem with drugs/alcohol/smoking” or “I want to add meaning to my life.” It is here where the crucial life issues are weighed and evaluated, adopted or shunned. It is here where the essence of a person is seen, where men and women are made or destroyed.
MacDonald writes ”Our inner world is more spiritual in nature. Here is a centre in which choices and values can be determined, where solitude and reflections might be pursued. It is a place for conducting worship and confession, a quiet spot where the moral and spiritual pollution of the times need not penetrate”

The problem is that most of us live outside-in, where this public world takes ninety percent of our life’s energies and attention. MacDonald adds: “our public world are filed with a seeming infinity of demand upon our time, our loyalities, our money and our energies. And because these public worlds of ours are so visible, so real, we have to struggle to ignore all their seductions and demands”
“They scream for our attention and action. The result is that our private world is often cheated, neglected because it does not shout quiet so loudly. It can be effectively ignored for larger periods of time before it gives way to a sinkhole-like cave-in”
The more fulfilling way, of course, would be to live inside-out. However, by living outside-in, we are effectively choosing breadth over the deeper issues of life. Eventually, the disorder in our private world begins to show up on our work places in the form of clutter or missed deadlines.

In our relationships, we bemoan the lack of time for pursuing friendships. We begin to sense the chaos in our lives due to promises we are unable to meet to others or ourselves. We know that our lives are spiralling out of our control.

Consider the words of Oscar Wilde, quoted by William Barclay in the letters to the Galatians and Ephisians. Wilde confessed, “the gods had given me almost everything. But I let myself be lured into long spells of senseless and sensual ease Tired of being on the heights, I deliberately went to the depths in search of thought, perversity became to me in the sphere of passion. I grew careless of the lives of others.
“I took pleasure where it pleased me, and passed on. I forgot that every little action of the common day makes or unmakes character, and that, therefore, what one has done in the secret chamber, one has some day to cry aloud from the house-top. I ceased to be lord over myself. I was no longer the captain of my soul, and did not know it. “

But how do we avoid this disintegration? By taking time-out to order and evaluate our day? By working smart instead of harder? There is an answer for each one of us but we must seek it by going into the secret chamber and asking the question.

(Journey to the sacred Chamber of your soul is an article by Carol Mandi)

Colleague Talk - Is It all about our MINDSET? 11th Feb 2008

It was a very interesting week for my colleagues n I in office, we made headways and came up with new ways of strengthening our controls to cut on losses in our organization.
It’s true that there is and will always be room for improvement, but the improvement is like a puzzle you have to unravel. I believe there is room for improvement even at your workplace. All you need to do is pay little more attention to your work process, and think how to improve each step or seal the existing loops holes. It also pays to put yourself in your opponents shoes, you get tips to counter his moves.

Action Point: Is it all about our mindset?
It’s interesting how much we can achieve if we push back our boundaries…. Read on…

It is difficult to swim in shallow water. It is impossible to learn to swim by attending classroom lectures. Learning to swim is all about pushing back the boundaries of your experience, being submerged, getting our head wet. It is also about eliminating some fairly deep-rooted fears and proving to yourself that most things are possible. The limits on achievement are mostly the limits that we artificially construct in our minds in order to protect ourselves.

We should not allow ourselves to paddle in shallow water every day. It is pleasant for a while but it will ultimately become boring. Meanwhile the competition has leant to swim in the deep sea and has reached the other side of the bay. Also many people are happy to paddle through life and achieve little other than a degree of comfort – which can lead to complacency

Dropping ourselves in the deep end from time to time means that we are more likely to survive than if we remained protected in the shallow end. We will have a deeper experience of a wider range of issues and will be more able to cope with the pressures of intensifying competition. The deep-end experience provides many more valuable lessons than the shallow end.

Inevitably there is a high degree of risk in this deep-end experience. To learn effectively people must take risks and gain from pushing back boundaries. When risk is minimized the experience and learning are minimal – and consequently motivation erodes as people become entrenched in their attitudes and set in their ways. In contrast, dropping ourselves in the deep end can prove highly motivational, as it send a clear signal that we believe in ourselves and trust our abilities and strengths.

Effectively it is pushing ourselves to our limits – so that we can exceed them and become much more effective as a result.

Question: Is it all about our mindset?

Quote:

"if money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability"

Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Company

Have an energetic week

Colleague Talk - Optimize Your Relationship with Your Boss - 4th Feb 2008

Last week was an interesting week for me. Business is picking up. My colleagues and I have been studying the workflow in our office to see how we can improve on our processes. Having carried out our local simple SWOT analysis, we realized there is always room to improve on our weaknesses as well as strengthen our controls. Of course we have experienced resistant from our clients who are used to doing things in a certain way, we realized that Change, however small, will always be resisted. Nevertheless, we had the backing of the law and the law had to be followed (don’t you love it when you are explaining a point and you have to make reference to the law.. you know “according to the LOK Sec..blah blah.. it is your obligation to.. blah…and failure to which will be a contravention of Sec blah of …blah” ). It pays to know your job, I love it.

Action Point: Optimize Your Relationship with Your Boss

The other day I went to the Head office and walked into one of our senior officers’ office. After greetings and a simple chat, he asked me “what can I do for you?” I said, “I dropped in to say hello”. For a sec he looked perplexed, then his face lit up and he smiled. I had caught him off guard, I had taken his mind away from routine work and the smile said a lot. (I hope next time he offers me tea!)

Find below an article on how to optimize your relationship with your boss. Works for me, it will work for you.

Quote:
“The strongest Oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun”
Napoleon Hill, 1883-1970, Author of Think and Grow Rich

Have a productive week

How to Optimize Your Relationship with Your Boss
Make your relationship with your manager a winning one!

Your relationship with your boss can be a wellspring of growth possibilities if nurtured properly or a career minefield if left to go sour. Maintaining a good professional relationship with your manager can make all the difference in the type and quality of projects that get sent your way, in your career advancement, in your relationship with others in the firm and in your overall reputation in the industry even after you leave the firm. Take the time to work on this relationship and follow this simple checklist to keep you on the right track.

1. Perfect Your Role
   Your relationship with your manager will to a very large extent be determined by your overall professional skills, attributes and success at the job you are doing. A manager will take far more pride in the employee who constantly produces quality work, meets deadlines and is pleasant to work with. Perfect your job by knowing exactly what your manager's objectives for the position are and then exceeding his expectations. Always aim to go the extra mile to show that you are truly dedicated to the position and that you take your career very seriously. This can include volunteering to help others when you have time, taking on additional projects when you can afford to, cultivating unique skills and coming up with new ideas to improve performance, win clients or cut costs. Building a reputation for yourself as someone who does the job extremely well, is professional, pleasant and always goes the extra mile will reflect just as positively on your boss.
   
2. Communication
   The importance of building an open dialogue with your manager cannot be overemphasized. Maintaining an open channel of communication with your boss is one of the key ingredients of a successful long-term relationship. The goal of these communications is to build a professional rapport, gain visibility and ensure an unhampered flow of information about the firm, the unit, your own performance and any problems, concerns, issues, accomplishments on either side.
   
   
   
   • Invest in building an open channel of communication early on. Get your boss accustomed to your wandering into his office for a chat or scheduling a meeting for yourself in his diary on a periodic basis. Do not wait for him to schedule these meetings! Do them often and as casually as you can so that your meetings with him become a routine part of his day, week or month. This will ensure you do not end up piling up grievances, complaints and unanswered questions simply because you don't have the guts to face your boss or have never taken the time to build an open dialogue. Always go to these meetings prepared. Try to include the casual and comical occasionally in these meetings to break the ice. Your boss will appreciate it if, in addition to your professional issues, you keep him casually informed of what is going on in the firm at your level, eg. the marketing unit ae going away on a brainstorming weekend, the new temp appears to be running a business of her own from her desk, the traders downstairs smashed a phone at the coffee machine the day before etc. AVOID gossip; the goal of these meetings is not trivialties, it is to build a comfort level and flow of career-related information that promotes your PROFESSIONAL growth.
     
   • Learn to listen to your boss. Listening to your boss means understanding the tone as well as the content. Make sure you really understand both your manager's directions and where he is coming from. Ask questions if you don't. Your boss will generally set the objectives and vision for the unit and you will only understand his philosophy and general business style if you really listen.
     
   • Learn to cope with constructive criticism. Some bosses are psychological bullies and criticism from such manager types is far more difficult to take. However, most managers role out criticism with the territory and you should be prepared to handle the criticism in a professional manner and learn from it. Constructive criticism should be used as a means to steer your professional development and should help you avoid career pitfalls.
     
   
   
3. Manage His Expectations
   Once you have a good grip on the job requirements and have a solid relationship with your boss in place that is built on trust and mutual respect, you can begin to manage your boss's expectations regarding the quality and quantity of your work. This is an essential damage-control tactic if you are to avoid many of the pitfalls that are essentially the result of poor assertiveness skills. Learn to tell your manager that you are overburdened (only when you are of course). Use words like 'we need an additional resource', 'I have to prioritize', 'I have a more urgent deadline', ' I don't want to compromise the quality of the project' to communicate your own time schedule and your existing workload. Always have a list ready of projects you are engaged in and their priority so your manager can more easily plan the projects he sends your way. You should focus on being 'productive' rather than merely 'busy' so your manager learns to respect your prioritization skills and general work aptitude.
   
4. Reverse Feedback
   Your boss has a boss and deadlines too, so learn to make his life a bit easier by sending some reverse positive feedback his way when you can. Avoid the false superficial kind of schmoozing but DO compliment or thank your boss whenever you can - on something he taught you, a course he sent you to, a project he sent your way, a project he didn't send your way, a tip he gave you or some other form of constructive criticism he made, a resource he assigned you, a deal he landed, a client he made happy, a new idea, a presentation he made etc. He will appreciate the flattery if it is genuine and delivered professionally. He will also be more inclined to help you in the future if you are appreciative of the steps he takes to guide and promote you.
   
   

Colleague Talk - Team building Tips - 28st Jan 2008

I had a productive week last week. Work has picked up and I hope and pray this continues.
I work in an office with a team of six. Last week we held our second office meeting this year (we cultivated the culture of a weekly meeting last year, it works!). It was like a family re-union! Office meetings have a way of rejuvenating our energies.

We deliberated on a number of exciting things. In order to improve efficiency and exceed our customers expectations, we decided to make the office meeting regular (we eventually hope to have it daily) to plan our week as well as work modalities of resolving arising issues. To foster closeness and hence teamwork, we shall be having a joint lunch fortnightly. We shared out responsibilities in our office by having a Stationary Champion, Communications Champion, Community Service Champion and a Team Leader. The champions were given specific responsibilities. This has worked wonders, everyone is in high spirits (I have never seen my boss-our Team Leader-this happy!!), we plan to increase efficiency by reducing our turn around time for serving our clients by ½ (half) this year. Any suggestions on how to improve our relations with our clients are welcome.

Action Point: Team Building Tips
Allow me to share with you insightful team building tips I came across on the internet, especially suited for Team Leaders. Positive office dynamics add great strength to an organization, while strained ones create strife. Team Leaders simply can't afford to leave such an important aspect of the organization to chance.
There are many ways for Team Leaders to bring a team together and foster their ability to work together as a whole. These 10 tips can help unite even the most disparate group of people.
1. Communicate goals clearly
2. Define responsibilities
3. Provide equal training
4. Encourage relationships
5. Empower
6. Provide feedback
7. Reward
8. Set reasonable deadlines
9. Meet regularly
10. Discourage “backdoor” reports
Below is a more detailed extract expounding on the above 10 tips.
(Extracted from www.teambuilding123.com)

We shall be re-visiting team building and teamwork in a later ‘Talk’. If you have any thoughts or tips to add regarding team building, kindly do so.

Quote:
“The difference between two equally talented teams is leadership” Anonymous

Have a very productive week

TEAM BUILDING TIPS FOR TEAM LEADERS

1. Communicate goals clearly. Employees look to management for basic company goals. When those goals are not clear, disagreements will erupt as employees try to define goals themselves. By clearly laying out goals, everyone begins in the same place and understands where the organization is going.
   
2. Define responsibilities. Offices run best when everyone clearly understands their responsibilities. Provide each employee with a distinct definition of his or her own responsibilities, both individually and as it relates to group projects. This eliminates confusion over who is accountable for what and allows employees to relate without struggling over responsibilities.
   
3. Provide equal training. Make sure that each member of your staff is trained and equipped to complete the tasks at hand; divisions surface when one member is unable to perform necessary duties. Provide ongoing training -- if additional time is needed, pair two employees to learn from one another. Make sure, though, that it is an equal teaching relationship, where both employees are gaining new skills.
   
4. Encourage relationships. Most offices are busy places with many demanding deadlines. But allowing employees an occasional extended lunch to go out together and relax outside of the work environment can build understanding that will transfer back into the office and improve working relationships.
   
5. Empower. Give decision-making power to the people working on the project. Give them with the authority necessary to get their jobs done, but observe the process to make sure they are rising to the challenge. Trusted employees can make decisions without fearing consequence, and good employees will value that trust and seek to make the best decisions.
   
6. Provide feedback. Don’t make a group second-guess your opinion of their work. Be clear not only in your initial expectations and assignments, but also in your opinion of the work. Open communication, where employees are clear on where they stand, will help them feel more secure and willing to work together.
   
7. Reward. Provide rewards to the office as a group. Whether it is an award, a luncheon, or some other treat, providing the whole office with an encouraging reward for hard work will build team spirit and bring your employees back in with renewed enthusiasm for their job.
   
8. Set reasonable deadlines. Reasonable deadlines are often subjective, and timelines vary based on need. But you can build a spirit of teamwork by dividing assignments equally, providing compensation to employees who are working additional hours, and reworking less important deadlines to allow for a little more time.
   
9. Meet regularly. The best way to understand your employees and to let them know they are not alone is to meet regularly with them. Whether it’s a monthly lunch meeting or an organized meeting with specific agenda items, it is critical to keep the lines of communication open. This allows you to gauge not only their needs and productivity, but will also help you assess if there are team building concerns that need to be addressed.
   
10. Discourage “backdoor” reports. Inevitably, there will be at least one employee who will attempt to report to you after every meeting -- giving a play-by-play slanted to their favor. Don't encourage this behavior, and resist the temptation to use them as a fly on the wall. Backdoor tactics can severely undermine an otherwise positive office environment.
    

Colleague Talk - Passionate Appeal - 21st Jan 2008

With the current crisis in the country, families have been displaced, children are suffering No food, No shelter and scarce clothing. These are the three basic human needs. Our status in our lives is a blessing; let us extend a hand of giving to our brothers and sisters who are affected.
“The hand that gives is the hand that receives”.
My colleagues in office and I are contributing 2 bundles of Unga, 20kg of beans, 1 box cooking fat, 50pcs sanitary pads and 20kg rice. Please join us and lets help our fellow country men.

Action Point: Passionate appeal
These are the last words of Dr. Geoffrey William Griffin, founder of Starehe Boys Center, to his boys

My dear boys,

I have had a fruitful and happy life, and I have leant one great lesson that I would like to share with you. I hope Starehe will always teach this lesson – for as long as it does so, it will remain a great school.
This world is full of people who do their duty half-heartedly, grudgingly and poorly, DON’T BE LIKE THEM.
Whatever is your duty, do it as fully and perfectly as you possibly can. And, when you have finished your duty, go on to spare sometime and talent in service to less fortunate people, not for any reward at all, but because it is, the right thing to do.

Follow my advice in this and I promise you that your lives will be happy and successful.
May God bless you all..

My dear colleagues, I echo the same words of a man I greatly admire. Let’s focus on the less fortunate this week; I know you know the right thing to do. Will you do it?

Quote:
“Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things” Peter F. Ducker, management consultant and social science university professor.

Have a productive week ahead

Colleague Talk - Happy New Year 14th Jan 2008

It’s a new year, I’m glad to have made it this far. What with the festive accidents and post-election violence...phew! May God bless Kenya. I join our other Kenyans to give my heart out to all the families and individuals affected.
Last year was a challenging year for me and most of us in many ways. I sat down to review my last year’s resolutions and realized that I had achieved 50%! That’s a fail even in my organizations training college!! I had done better previous years. I had failed, but that’s good, because failure motivates me, it bruises my male ego and that is intolerable. That aggravated me to put my best foot forward this year and I have started doing exactly that.
I intend to begin a course that I have always wanted to do,
I intend to inject new ideas at my work place to improve work-flow, efficiency and increase customer-focus,
I intend to make my workplaces as enjoyable as possible and also enjoy what I do
I have put down my personal Vision and Mission statement (I will share it with you later),
I intend to learn new skills,
I intend to cultivate a number of virtues this year (Assertiveness, Time-keeping, Self-respect, Self-confidence, Courage, Determination and Going the extra mile)
I intend to improve my job acumen
Last but not least, I intend to PUSH in everything I do (PUSH – Pray Until Something Happens

Action Point:
I came across the following calculation and thought I should share it with you;

THE TIME OF MY LIFE CALCULATION
No. of weeks in a year 52
No. of working weeks 48
No. of days in a year 365
No. of working days 240
No. of days that are YOURS 125
So, what does this tell you? Yes, you spend more time with the people in the office, who you DIDN’T choose to be with, vs. the time you spend with your family & friends, people who you DID choose!! So, we need to make our workplaces as enjoyable as possible and also enjoy what we do. So, what are the dreams and aspirations of the people you work with? Do you know? We need to be passionate about people. If we are all happy, we are all working together and doing what we enjoy, then our organization will always exceed expectations.

Quote:
“Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful” (Samuel Johnson 1709 – 1784)

I wish you all the very best in 2008. God bless you all