Strategic Serendipity

I am not a purist when it comes to reading. I count books I listen to on audible.com as books I have read.  I encourage my child to listen to books on audible.  We often get the paperback so he can follow along, but it is not required.  In my house reading is for fun and learning. We listen to books together as a family in the car and many nights when we come home, he asks to keep listening to his book instead of turning on the tv.  It is a constant challenge to find books we will both love. We just finished one such book together on audible.   Ben Garrod’s A Grown-Up Guide to Dinosaurs is an amazing family listen!  Don’t be fooled by the title, my seven year-old was completely engaged.  It was easy to listen to in small 15-minute drives and the production quality was good!  The author includes pop-culture references to Jurassic Park for those who only know dinosaurs from there.  We even learned a few things the movie got wrong! If y...

Did you put together a list of New Year's Resolutions?  When you were putting it together, did you think "if I can just achieve this, I will be happy?"  Have you felt that enthusiasm start to fade as "life" takes over and those resolutions get pushed to the bottom of your to do list?  Already thinking about doing a New Year's Reboot (no, really, from here on out I will do X.)?  Are you willing to consider a slightly different approach? Here's my recommendation to you… Download the unabridged Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh from iTunes or Audible.com, order the book from Amazon.com or BN.com, or pick it up from your favorite books store.  Whatever you do, don't put getting the book on your list of things to do later.  Do it and check it off as an item complete.  Print this article and keep it with you while you are reading.  For extra credit - grab a notebook and start your professional development journal with your reflections.  (Discl...

"Purpose and passion are the internal drivers that determine employees' performance and their commitment to the organization, factors that ultimately have a very real impact on business results. ... Without [individual purpose, an employee's] journey meanders, their actions lack meaning, and their passion is left unexpressed in their work - a combination likely to leave them disengaged, dispirited, restless, ... or worse."  The Purpose Linked Organization:  How Passionate Leaders Inspire Winning Teams and Great Results by Alaina Love and Marc Cugnon. We all know people who don't seem to have their heart in their work.  And it shows.  Some may not actively try to let everyone know how unhappy they are, but it doesn't work.  No matter where you work, when you are passionate about what you do...it shows.  And if you aren't...that shows too.  How you got there doesn't matter, but it is how you are going to get out that is the key.  The most i...

Have you ever seen someone actually light up when they discuss something?  You probably notice it most often when you ask someone about their child.  Their eyes sparkle and you are engaged whether you've met the child or not.  It is because the person is speaking about their passion and they are more persuasive and engaging because of it. I attended a program last night with Robin Gerber, author of Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way, and I was struck at once by two separate instances of how following one's passion can guide your work. The first example was in the story of how Eleanor found her passion working to improve the lot of others.  The second was in how Robin found her passion writing about Eleanor. I learned to respect Eleanor Roosevelt's life and work, because she was an amazing woman with every opportunity and excuse to live it up without regard to consequences.  And yet, through it all, she found a way to contribute to the world and to give h...