Guess It’s Time To Get In Shape

by on November 11, 2004 in Work

A new perk for employees could be a week-long European corporate bicycling trip. DuVine Adventures is wooing Fortune 500 companies to dump the staid old corporate retreat in favor of a luxurious biking trek through Europe.

The press release continues:

Traveling Europe by bicycle is the most exciting of all corporate incentives. Earning a deluxe bike trip based on performance is a visible symbol of achievement, prestige, and recognition. Corporate trips are also a great way to create powerful alliances between top employees, and help foster cooperation while breaking a sweat.

Sounds interesting, but I have a hard enough time peddling my bike a few miles around my home. Not that I would knock a trip through Europe. I just hope the companies give their employees at least 6 months of prep time in order to train for their “reward.”

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from FC blog…Leadership Lessons from a Greyhound Bus Trip

by on November 10, 2004 in Work

Lucas Conley at Fast Company posted an entry chronicling his recent experience of getting lost on a greyhound bus somewhere around NYC. When the driver finally admitted to his passengers that he was lost, a number of suggestions came from the backseats that helped the group find their way into Manhattan. As a man who has a difficult time admitting that I’m lost, I’m highly impressed with the driver’s lack of ego in that circumstance. For leaders, it’s a trap to believe that it’s weak to let others know we’re lost and unsure which direction to go and then allow others to help make decisions.

Lucas concludes with: "Teamwork, a common mission, a flexible leader who’s willing to listen, a sense of humor… all from a Greyhound lost in Queens." Just goes to show that lessons in life and the workplace can be gained almost everywhere.

Categories: c.Leadership

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The Struggle of the Moth – Are You Ready to Take Flight?

by on November 9, 2004 in Career, Media

Isaac Cheifetz poses the following question: Can the principles of evolutionary biology be used to guide our careers?

In his article, he compares the “stop and go” path that some middle managers find in their journey to executive management to the evolutionary development theory of Punctuated Equalibrium popularized by Stephen jay Gould. In Gould’s theory, evolution tends to be characterized by long periods of inactivity that are “punctuated” by environmental forces leading to rapid, revolutionary development. Further in the article, Cheifetz clarifies what differentiates punctuated career development from a stagnant career path.

It reminds me of a recent episode of Lost where Locke talks to Charlie about the moth’s transformation and struggle to change. While he could help the moth escape from its cocoon with a slight cut of the knife, he would be doing it a disservice by robbing it of one of nature’s essential lessons. Struggle is what nature imposes in order to make things stronger. Without getting too Darwinian, there seems to be something there about our careers. Sometimes, there are lessons to be gained from struggle and if we give in and move on too quickly, we’ll rob ourselves of those necessary learnings.

When our careers seem like they’re stuck in low gear, maybe we need to be there for a reason. And maybe there is a rapid, revolutionary development on the near horizon if we’re open enough to look for it.

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I’m Back – Global Work/Life Comparisons (Not What You Might Think)

by on November 9, 2004 in Career, Life

I’m back after a short hiatus to fancy up the blog design. For those few souls out there who read this blog, any thoughts?

NOP World just launched its Culture Score ™ Index, an interesting statistical survey of work/life balance throughout the world. Not surprisingly, Sweden came out on top as the most “balanced” with China right below it. Also, not surprising are the countries most focused on the “work” end of the equation: Korea, Hong Kong, Turkey, India, and Singapore round out the top five.

What is surprising is the fact that the employed respondents in the US spent more time at “play” (41.7 hours per week) than at “work” (38.3 hours per week). Perhaps I’m not interpreting the data correctly, but this seems to contradict some of the anecdotal data that makes it into our popular culture and media. Are those of us in the States living toward a better way of integrating our various work and personal roles?

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Work and Life and Success: Room For All?

by on October 13, 2004 in Career

I’ve found two very different perspectives on the work/life experience in the media.

The first comes from Fortune Magazine and takes the view that organizations must see a flexible workplace as a benefit for their employees and a key business initiative that positively affects the bottom-line. While the article is sponsored by an association that promotes work/life initiatives, AWLP has worked hard over the past few years to make solid business cases for why taking care of your people makes good business sense.

Read the article (pdf): http://www.awlp.org/pub/fortune-section-04.pdf

The second is the lead story for the October issue of Fast Company which argues that work/life balance is bunk and that it’s bad for business and making all of us crazy. I think there might be a kernal of truth to the article in this way: balance is impossible. Consider your life like a pie and each wedge represents a different role. If you work so hard to stay in the center of the pie and balance it all, you’ll spend more time and effort in the act of balancing than you will in actually living. So on that point, I would agree that the attempt to balance will drive us mad. Yet, my major criticism of the piece is that it continues to advocate a zero-sum game where you have to constantly give up something to remain successful in your life. If your kids need you, then you have to sacrifice your work; if you’re working on an important project, then your family might just have to give you up for a while.

Read the article: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/87/balance-1.html

Maybe what’s really needed from all of us now is a reconceptualization of what success truly is. My own definition of success is when our roles are integrated in a meaningful and intentional way. I’m curious about what success looks like for others. Is it possible to live a successful personal and professional life all at once?

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