Strategic Serendipity

If you've been on social media the past 24 hours you've seen the infamous page from the April Issue of Self Magazine.  Check them out here .  You may have even seen the half-hearted, tongue-in-cheek apology from the magazine's Editor-in-Chief.  Opinions are flaring and some are siding with the magazine and some are siding with the women pictured in the article and their company Glam Runner.  For the record, I am very strongly on the side of the women pictured and very offended by the article, regardless of whether Ms. Allen was a cancer survivor.  Here's the point the magazine has missed entirely up to this point - sometimes just starting the race or just finishing the race is a major accomplishment.  If people want to put on "armor" to face a challenge like a tutu, face-paint, custom t-shirt, etc. who cares?  Not everything is about being the fastest or being first or being stylish.  Unless you are magazine for marathon winners, you probably want...

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...

Last week my NCIS Season 10 DVDs came in the mail.  Each episode is a treat in and of itself after I got rid of cable last year and became a Netflix-only household.  (As a single mother with a toddler, I was averaging about 30 minutes of quality TV time to myself a day so it seemed a real waste of money.)  Overall I have been pleased, but there are a few shows, like NCIS and Big Bang Theory, that I honestly miss.   Anyway, one of the episodes really struck me the more I thought about it.  The title was Hit and Run and in it, Abby's character flashes back to a childhood "investigation" while working a current hit and run investigation and comes to the conclusion that all her work is for nothing as she doesn't change anything and bad things still happen.  Of course, Gibbs' character shows her what a difference she truly makes by just being herself and the episode closes with her smiling.  His speech is about her "hit and runs" where she does something...

How many times a day do you say "thank you?"  How many times a day do you hear "thank you?"  As I started teaching my toddler son to say "please" and "thank you" I realized that I began saying it more even when he was not around.  Then it occurred to me that I hadn't been saying it enough.  So I started saying it even more around others. And then I had an experience where a simple thank you changed a person's attitude (for the good).  And I realized the power of a simple thank you in a work environment (as a federal employee) where morale seems to be at an all-time low (at least in the fifteen years I've been around) and people seem quick to snap at one another and "say" things (either in person or via e-mail) that you never would have heard in the workplace twenty years ago.  (And no, this is not a generational issue as it is all generations I am hearing it from.) After last Friday, just another day of serving as everyo...

How committed to that leadership development program you signed up for (or were nominated for) are you? Better yet, what does committed mean to you? I will try to attend the whole class except for that phone call I need to take and checking e-mails during the program. I will put my out of office on for the time of the program and attend the whole session.   I will do all the pre-work assigned. I will make notes and incorporate something from the program afterwards. I will work for at least six months to integrate the concepts, reflect on application "experiments," and revise my process. In a world where training professionals are constantly being able to state the return on investment for leadership training, the dirty little secret is that there is often very little return because the participants are not committed to the program.  Honestly, if you are not spending 7-10 hours working with the new concepts outside of the classroom for every hour you are inside th...

I figured out why I am so excited about the Royal Baby Boy. There is an old Anne Murray Song - A Little Good News that says it perfectly and is my song for the day.  I rolled out this morning Kids had the mornin' news show on Bryant Gumbel was talkin' 'bout the fighting in Lebanon Some senator was squawkin' 'bout the bad economy It's gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy There's a local paper rolled up in a rubber band One more sad story's one more than I can stand Just once how I'd like to see the headline say "Not much to print today, can't find nothin' bad to say", because Nobody robbed a liquor store on the lower part of town Nobody OD'ed, nobody burned a single buildin' down Nobody fired a shot in anger, nobody had to die in vain We sure could use a little good news today I'll come home this evenin' I'll bet that the news will be the same Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane How ...

How can one small word strike fear in the hearts of many.  I applied for a independent contractor position teaching yesterday and received an e-mailed rejection today.  At first that little gremlin that lives in my head said "See, I told you so!" But seriously, it is just an e-mail.  From someone who probably knows nothing about me because 10,000 other people probably applied for the same one job.  (Shhh, that is the story I am telling myself tonight.) Mia Hamm said "Failure happens all the time.  It happens every day in practice.  What makes you better is how you react to it." So once I got through the disappointment and the rationalization, I realized how quickly they both passed.  Why, because then I got to the point where I realized I had put myself out there for something I was interested in and now had a contact.  So I wrote another e-mail (one I hope will be answered) about what skills I could enhance to be competitive for future open...

Country music fans will recognize the title of this post as a line from Sugarland's "Something More."  (If you don't recognize it, it is definitely worth a download.)  What I love about the song is that it is about finding and following your passion.  Living up to everything there is in store for you.  But not in a "fate" type of way, but in a proactive - create your own happiness type of way.   Another song I love for this is "Firework" by Katy Perry.  It challenges you to open the door to the perfect road.   These are just two of the songs I regularly listen to in the morning to get ready for the day.  Consider it a pre-game ritual.   Does music boost your spirit and energy level?  What songs do you listen to to get you inspired?  Do you make it a routine? Something More by Sugarland Firework by Katy Perry Monday, hard to wake up Fill my coffee cup, I'm out the door Yeah, the freeway's standin...

I received this e-mail from Change.org in the mail today...talk about one simple act - way to go Henry! My name is Henry. As you may not know, after considerable expense of my time and money and at some cost to the peace in our home, I planted over a thousand flowers at Washington DC's Dupont Circle Metro North Station. Metro ordered me to stop. If I stop, the flowers could die before they bloom. I was stunned and saddened that I would face “arrest, fines and imprisonment” if I continued to tend to the thousand flowers I planted at the Dupont Circle Metro North Station. Out of the goodness of my heart, last Fall I planted over 100 bulbs in the very same neglected garden squares. Months later they bloomed, sharing their joy and beauty with fellow Metro Riders. This Spring I returned. I weeded and two trash bags were filled with more than 300 discarded cigarette butts, shards of glass, wads of gum, tree branches and assorted fast food restaurant garbage. But Metro do...

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day, someone might do the same for you."  Princess Diana A few months ago I wrote about how  One Simple Act  can create a ripple around you and effect people you may never know.  The responsibility that comes with this knowledge is to try to make those acts positive, proactive, and uplifting. Under the premise that acting as a group we can create more positive change than we could alone, I encourage you to take the One Simple Act Ten-Day Ripple Challenge. Each day, tweet and/or facebook post your simple act with the hastag #onesimpleactripple.  The tweets will scroll on this blog for everyone to see.  Share the challenge with your friends and family and see what collective change we can make in the next ten days. Join me in this moving endeavor.  Comment below on how you feel when you complete your daily challenge.  Not enough of a challenge ...

Every Monday morning that old 80's song "Manic Monday" runs through my head - even when it is a good Monday.  Why?  The same reason that Friday night is exciting even if you stay at home and go to bed early.  Because we've created a cycle where Monday's are bad and Fridays are fun. Call it the beauty of a four-day weekend or all the positive proactive thinking I've been doing lately, but I am ready to buck the trend.  Mondays are the days you get to start over.  It is like New Year's Day every week!  Which of course makes every Sunday night like New Year's Eve.  So as you finish up your laundry and get ready for the week, think about what resolutions you will make this week.  Don't get overwhelmed trying to change everything at once.  Pick one thing you are willing to commit to for a whole week.  Here are a few ideas to try if you need a little inspiration... Read a professional journal for 20 minutes each day. Mediate for 20 min...

My cousin's 14-year old daughter, Lizzi, is spending time with me this summer and we are having a blast.  My son Jackson loves his "ZZ" and I am loving having her here.  We visited Nando's because that is where One Direction eats and I was feeling so "with it."  (Yes, I know, just typing with it in quotes makes me old.)  But then today I really started feeling my age.  She found a toy shop I had never been in and it was the cutest place ever.  Of course Jackson loved it because it had train tables (score five minutes of sitting down in peace and quiet!).  When she had looked all around the store she sat with Jackson and I looked around.  I felt 14 myself when I found Shrinky Dinks.  You know, those plastic things you color and then bake, they shrink down and get thicker?  I loved these when I was younger.  I got so excited I grabbed some and took them back and said "Do you like Shrinky Dinks?"  "What are Shrinky Dinks?"  O...

I mentioned yesterday that I taught Franklin Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Signature program this week. I love the concept of shifting your paradigm and behavior to get different results.  After all, Albert Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Covey's first habit is "Be Proactive" and the underlying assumption is that "I am free to choose and am responsible for my choices."  Obviously, this idea of choice has been on my mind a lot lately. When we get stuck in a constant reactive pattern, we feel like a victim of our circumstances.  And let's face it, no one wants to follow a victim. So how do we make the shift to proactive leader?  We choose to.  For those out there saying "you don't understand, in my job I have no authority to be proactive."  Actually, I do understand (as I sit here writing this on a furlough day).  And while I understand th...

I spent the first three days of the week teaching Franklin Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Signature Program) for the first time.  As with any content, I swear I learned from the class.  I had an amazing group of senior leaders and it was one of those experiences that you wish you could meet with that group of people over and over in a think tank because you just know the world would be a better place if you did. As they all go back to their lives and jobs, I am still struck by one particular point in the class when we simply asked the question..."I am at my best when..."  I even saved the flip chart paper with the answers we came up with.  This is not my independent work, but the work of some brilliant leaders I had the honor of teaching.  I dare to say, there isn't a work environment in the world that wouldn't benefit from these qualities. I have a sense of pride and accomplishment in our work. I am healthy. I am busy but not stressed....

As part of the 31-day blogging challenge I am participating in during July, we are asked to comment on other participants' blogs.  Which means, I am reading the blogs of people I might never have found.  Today I chose to read Lisa Friedt's  A Pocket Full of Rocks .  I loved what she said in her post today about not taking yourself too seriously and being able to laugh at yourself (read the post if you need a good laugh!).  But what struck panic in me was when she said that we are now in the second half of the year.  Yes, I know, it is simple math.  I just hadn't done the math yet. So here we are on July 2, 2013.  How did that happen?  Seriously, how???? As years go, this has been a positive one.  I love my chosen career even if my current job doesn't have the security I would prefer.  I work with caring and amazing people who are weathering the uncertainty better than I am (and more than I give them credit for).  We focu...

There is a song on my playlist that can instantly slow me down and center me, wherever I am.  Ironically, it is the acoustic version of "Wherever You Are" by Jack Ingram.  I like the acoustic version because it reminds me of a USO Visit I participated in where he and his band sang to a soldier with cancer and her husband who were in DC without their four children fighting against everything to get through their challenge. This song means something completely different to me than it means to most.  It reminds me of how lucky I really am.  How generous some people are with their time and talent.  How strong some people are (the soldier).  What true love (the husband's) really looks like.  What a few minutes of your time can do for other people.  How challenges can be met head on.  And to never, ever, ever give up. Today I needed that centering.  It was a great day.  I taught two new classes and I was really pleased with the way th...

As I dropped my toddler off at daycare today one classmate was already crying, another was literally on the verge, and two more (including mine) started before I left.  I left with a guilty relief thinking "I am so glad I don't have their job today" and "those gift cards do not even cut it for what they put up with."  You've seen it, one child is crying because he fell and the others cry not necessarily because they are hurt but seemingly out of a type of empathy. It goes the other way, too!  Watch any group of people (male or female) of any age get started laughing and once it gets going it is almost impossible to stop.  There isn't one leader, it is just a ripple of feeling that touches everyone in it's path. It may be a funny story when it happens in a pre-school room, but it happens in the office, too.  Whether you are the CEO or a front-line contributor, your attitude directly impacts every person with whom you come into contact.  And each p...

I am struck by the number of amazing leaders I hear lately saying "there is nothing I can do to make things better for my team given the climate in which we work today."  Times are difficult, particularly in the federal sector where employees are facing furloughs, an increased workload, or both.  But how can you expect to maintain or increase employee engagement when you yourself are slowly disengaging either through burn-out or personal advancement disappointments? Albert Einstein said, "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means." If you expect your team to weather the storm, you better be the first one in line with an umbrella and a raincoat.  Seriously. When leaders say there is nothing that can be done, they convey that they have given up.  Why would an employee keep pushing forward when their leader has given up? Does this mean that you should start pumping the soundtrack from the broadway musical Annie through...