*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.
winter.
Originally uploaded by ingrid0411
So you say you want change. You say you want to make a difference in the workplace.
Do you really?
Here’s the truth of the matter: If you want to really make a difference in the office or any other endeavor in life – start with you. Make positive changes in you – then lead others.
It may take time. It may take some soul searching. It may take an attitude adjustment. It may take you gaining a new perspective. It may take some serious changes in your life overall. It may take a lot, but it will be worth it for you personally – even if the change you thought you were going to make in others never takes hold.
DSC_0176
Originally uploaded by J.D.B. photographs
When your management style is reactionary, there are some specific ways we will be able to recognize you.
- Your core beliefs on how to lead will be shaky.
- Your vision for your team will be murky at best.
- Your goals will either be non-existent or unattainable.
- Your operations will be in a constant state of emergency.
- Your ideas to improve the team will rarely improve the team long term.
- Your standard operating procedure for a crisis will be to apply the SMTP method.
It’s not surprising. It’s not rocket science. It’s not revolutionary. It’s just what happens when you’re managing by the seat of your pants.
Arthur’s Seat, Holyrood Park
Originally uploaded by tstadler
We arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland late in the afternoon. Tired from jet lag, but still wide-eyed because we were visiting a different country, we unpacked at the dorm rooms we were staying in at the First at the University of Edinburgh. In the distance my two friends and I could see King Arthur’s Seat. We decided we’d make an attempt at climbing it before it sunset.
Once at the top we could see the old city on one side and the bay on the other. The sun was slowly fading behind the city as the three of us sat down and just silently looked on. I cannot explain in words the visual scene of that first evening in Scotland, but it’s firmly embedded in my memory.
That event occurred nearly 11 years ago. We spent 9 days traveling all over Scotland and England. We saw and experienced many things. Yet, when I think of that trip the memory bank always goes back to that first, quiet evening there.
Often your best memories in life are not the most hyped up or drama filled moments. They probably won’t involve that all important project you’re striving to finish before deadline. It’s those moments where you just sit down and silently watch the sunset or sunrise. It’s those moments where nothing else really matters that we take away some of our best memories. It’s those moments where you are unplugged and breathing. That is all.
If you’re so caught up with the rat race you can’t seem to find time to breathe, then maybe it’s time to take a moment and do something you’ll actually remember 11, 15, or 20 years from now.
“The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” ~ Lily Tomlin
Staci and Zhenia
Originally uploaded by nlupus
I know you’re shocked. I am too.
The lovely, Sarah Robinson asked me to take part in her 30 Days to Changing Your Game blog series a while back and I said “YES!” without having a clue what I was going to write about. Well, I finally got over that hump and today it’s my turn to interact with her very active tribe.
The post is called Break Your Stalemate. I hope you will go read it, join in the conversation if you like, and if you aren’t already following Sarah on Twitter or subscribed to her blog – change your game and do it.
Thanks so much Sarah for asking me to participate!
*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.
In the beginning…
What a long, strange trip it has been. I started Leave It To Weaver over a year and a half ago. Time has flown by and it has most certainly been fun. When I set out to start a blog, I wasn’t sure what path I was going to take. I just started. It was raw, random, and usually not worth reading. In fact, very few people were reading it thankfully.
Thanks to each and every one of you. Over time I fine tuned the message and the blog itself has evolved. It has always been my goal to produce solid content and as I grew along with the blog, I believe I have done that. I’ve tried to provide you with inspiration and usefulness while being as direct as I can. I hope you have benefited. One thing that began to happen is you began to read, comment, and even share my posts with others. Your participation and feedback makes the blog. Thank you for sharing your time with me here.
The photography slant. I have always loved great photography and have slowly started to dabble in professional photography myself. From the beginning of Leave It To Weaver, I wanted to be able to share great photos with my posts (mine and others). Foto Finish Friday was started very early on and is still one of my personal favorites to post each week. The search for a great photo to feature makes it fun. I hope you have enjoyed all of the photos that have been featured on all the posts. I try to select only the most interesting photos. I want the blog to be a sort of visual candy.
It’s time for a makeover. I’m no Danny Brown. I don’t give my site a makeover every other month, but it’s high time I made some improvements. In the coming weeks I will be bringing some exciting changes to Leave It To Weaver. I hope you will find the changes to be a big improvement. I look forward to sharing them with you very soon.
One final thing. As I was working behind the scenes on rolling out some of these changes, it occurred to me that I have never provided a resource post with links featuring some of the top posts (other than the rarely updated list to the right). So, that’s exactly what the following list is – some of the top posts over the past year and a half. I hope you find them inspiring and useful in some way.
31 Flavors of Posts
- Comfort of Average – There’s a certain comfort that comes from being average. Try to resist the temptation to simply be comfortable.
- Your Employees Are Your First Customers – When you value your employees, especially your best, you are in essence creating a ripple effect that will extend to your customers. What are you doing to ensure your most loyal employees are taken care of?
- Maybe – It’s short. It’s to the point. Maybe you should take a moment and read.
- Are You Depressing Excellence? – Are you inviting mediocrity into your life or business by depressing excellence?
- No Time Crowd – Always too busy? Odds are you’re a part of the no time crowd. It’s probably time to change things up.
- Promoting Mediocrity – Are you watering down the reward for excellence within the workplace? If so, you’re promoting mediocrity instead.
- Visionary Leaders vs. Functional Leaders – Which style are you and what fits best within your organization?
- Panic! – Don’t be a reactionary leader who waits until the siren is sounding to lead your people through the panic.
- Be The Exception To The Rule – When everyone else is content to be mediocre, be the exception to the rule.
- Bailout For Newspapers? Why? – My thoughts on the possibility of of a newspaper bailout and why the newspaper industry is suffering in the first place. The comments here are great.
- 12 Reasons You Didn’t Get That Promotion – Passed up for that promotion? Maybe one of these reasons is why.
- Already A Leader – The thing about true leaders is they will lead whether their in a position of authority or not.
- Talking Change – Anyone can talk change and nearly anyone does. What action are you taking to actually bring about change?
- Yesterday’s Home Runs – Are you reveling in the successes of yesterday? Don’t let your home runs from yesterday keep you from hitting more today.
- Building Your Friend Base – Those who are best at networking don’t network. They make friends.
- What Game Are You Playing? – Does your team know what game you’re playing? Or is everyone playing their own game by their own rules?
- Remaining Silent – Realize that sometimes you’re better off remaining silent and simply listening.
- What If You Had The Best Employee Service? – Focus on your first customers, your employees and practice the best employee service.
- 4 Things Social Media Won’t (GASP!) Do For You – They’re tools, not miracle workers.
- Who Will Promote You? – Stop waiting for something to happen and start making things happen. If you don’t promote yourself, who will?
- The Best Leaders – Some characteristics that the very best leaders will have.
- When Leadership Erodes – Some tips on what to do when you find yourself in an environment where leadership has eroded.
- 3 Reasons You Should Be Reading – If you aren’t reading on a regular basis, here’s 3 reasons you should be. Get started now.
- That’s Not My Job – The “That’s not my job” (TNMJ) attitude, is one of the most dangerous diseases that can infect the work place. It discourages teamwork and is the source of useless animosity.
- Do, Re, Mi – “We all do ‘do, re, mi,’ but you have got to find the other notes yourself.” ~ Louis Armstrong
- 7 Things To Do If You’re NOT Laid Off – In short, prepare. Don’t take your job for granted, but as Charlie Hoehn points out, you need to force yourself to swim.
- Graveyard Of Good Ideas – Often good ideas go to the graveyard of good ideas in large corporations. Make sure your good ideas aren’t getting buried.
- You’re Still Just Cutting The Grass – Social media may be changing how we do business and interact with one another, but in the end you’re still just performing good old fashioned business.
- They Say – The point is sometimes they are wrong. Just like you or I can be wrong. Just because they say you can’t or shouldn’t, doesn’t mean it is so.
- Waiting To Die – You know who they are. They are those people you can look around the workplace and see are simply going through the motions.
- The SMTP Method – Shuffle this. Move that. Talk change. Proclaim success. Have you really accomplished anything when you use this method?
Originally uploaded by razorbern
That little voice inside your head likes myths when it comes to your career.
It tries to convince you that you can’t even before you’ve tried. It wants you to know you’re crazy for taking the risk. It is going to try and instill enough fear in you to keep you comfortable with average. It will tell you you’re weird for considering a different, or unorthodox path. It tries to convince you that in order to succeed you must color within the lines at all times.
I understand that sometimes that little voice may be right, but I’d rather prove it wrong. How about you?
Pump 66
Originally uploaded by Pete Zarria
” There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.” ~ Johnny Unitas
When I was just a kid, there was a boy my brothers and I knew named Patrick and he was known throughout our very small land for one thing: being a braggart.
Patrick had better and shinier toys than we. Patrick had better parents than we. Patrick knew more than we did. Patrick was stronger than we were. Patrick was faster than we were. Patrick had more promise than we did. Patrick was better looking than we were. How did we know this? Well, he told us of course. I used to get very annoyed when Patrick would come around because of this personality flaw.
I think all of us probably knew someone like Patrick. I’m hoping as we’ve grown older we know fewer people like Patrick. For that matter, I’m hoping Patrick has grown out of his need for boasting.
Sometimes we come across Patrick and he hasn’t grown out of it, don’t we? The self professed expert who just wants your money. The self professed guru who will show you how to get thousands of followers in no time on Twitter. The self professed successful businessman who, well, is more than happy to let you know he is more successful than you will ever be.
Here’s the point: Don’t be like Patrick. Ever.
A few tips on making sure you never turn into Patrick.
- Help others.
- Compliment others (genuinely of course) when you see the opportunity.
- Learn to be genuinely happy for the success of others.
- Lay aside your pride.
- Learn to share and share often.
- Avoid comparing yourself to others in an effort to look good.
- Realize you can do wrong. You do make mistakes.
- Abstain from an exaggerated self-esteem.
- When in conversation with someone else, keep the conversation about them as much as possible. Ask questions and genuinely listen to the answers. It will be hard to focus on yourself when you’re doing this.
- Give as often as you can. In other words, be selfless, not selfish.
If you’re truly as great as you think you are, others will do the talking for you. There will be no need to tell everyone.
“When boasting ends, there dignity begins.” ~ Owen D. Young
*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.
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Leave It To Weaver by Andrew Weaver is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at drewmaniac.com.
