Thursday, April 26, 2012

Starting Again


“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently”.

– Henry Ford
With the changes in our economy over the past several years many people have found themselves starting again.  They are not starting over exactly but are placed in a situation where they must reinvent themselves or their company.  What worked before does not work today and what works today may not work tomorrow.  We are operating in a global economy where media connects us in ways it never did before.  While there are many positives to this hyper connectivity it also means that change is occurring on a scale like never before and quickly.  This requires business leaders to be more creative and nimble.  New ideas and strategies have less time to develop and be tested which means failure is bound to occur from time to time.  The important thing to remember is that failure is an opportunity for growth.  As leaders we often learn the most during difficult times because it causes us to stop and evaluate the mistakes that were made along the way, determine how to not repeat those same mistakes and analyze what would have worked better.  If you have experienced a failure recently do not be discouraged.  Value the lessons learned, shake the dust off your feet and start again.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Culture of Funny People

Forbes had an interesting article out regarding humor in the workplace.  A lot of people are afraid that using humor will offend the HR gods... while that may be true humor correctly used can positively impact company culture.  Employees that enjoy coming to work every day will perform better, stay through challenging times and work with you to build a positive culture.  Your company will develop one whether you like it or not.  As we say in the book if you don't actively create your culture the one that develops will likely be exactly what you do not want.

To read more about the positive impact of humor in the workplace read the article, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/02/21/funny-people-more-successful-in-business-humor-workplace/

To purchase a copy of Back to Basics management book and learn how to create the company culture you want go to http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-Becoming-Fundamentals-ebook/dp/B007DCEAY0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330467512&sr=1-1

Thursday, February 23, 2012

When I grow up....


It is impossible to go back to the beginning without looking at our past, without reflecting on our childhood.  We start our lives full of promise, of dreams, of ambitions unhindered by the reality of adulthood.  As we get older and more mature we realize that life is not so simple, that life takes hard work and too often we lose the dreams that we once had. 

The thing about dreams is that they are our hearts desire in the purist form.  They speak to our character, who we are as individuals, the core of what it means to be us.  Dreams do not have to be practical or founded in the “real world” so they are often more truthful.  Our dreams remind us of who we are.  In the Back to Basics book Donald spends a chapter taking us back to our initial hopes and dreams, to what started us on our journey in life.  Where you are in your life and career today started somewhere and identifying the things that make you who you are, the things that are important to you, and the strengths that you naturally have will make you more successful and help you refocus on what makes you happy.

This video reminded me of the innocence of the dream and helped me to remember my own.  I hope it does the same for you… 


By Bethany Wood