Could you do better than these children in NOT giving into temptation?
All that stands between them and success is their thoughts and desire for immediate gratification, specifically the sumptuous morsel of marshmallow. For the purposes of the video we could pass it off as cute and noddingly smile for a brief break in our day. However, the sad reality is that many react this way in their private and professional life. The only difference is that the undoing is not a sugar fill puff, it is more life- altering. Whether it be misappropriations in your business, choosing work over your child’s soccer game and thereby securing their notion that you care less about them than your work, or the devastation of marital infidelity, our decisions ALWAYS start with a choice.
Today, let me encourage you to make good choices. Make choices that you will be proud of tomorrow. Make choices that serve something larger than yourself. Good, honest, moral choices make for a good life. And that is worth something not measured by stock portfolios and newspaper clippings. Fight the good fight today, and make good choices.
Forbes magazine published an article last week talking about how so many millennial women are experiencing professional burnout by age 30. The author chalks it up to not taking as many breaks, or being able to simply relax. I think there is more to it than that. But, then again I am not a woman. So take a gander at the article and you let me know your thoughts. Be sure to read the comments at the end of the article, some are very interesting.
A great article came out on Fast Company this past Tuesday, November 8, 2011, focused on what strategies you should incorporate while making hiring decisions. For some who read this blog you will think that it doesn’t pertain to you. Don’t be foolish. It does pertain to you if you are a leader is any size business or non-profit organization. Take a moment and read it.
Here is a section of the article.
Because people represent the potential of the business, high-growth companies need high-growth employees. Employee development is the key ingredient in breaking through to the next level of growth. Employees have to develop new skills that allow them to perform at higher levels so that they can quickly deliver on the potential of the strategy and the company itself.
While it’s certainly possible to hire for new capabilities, there are tremendous benefits of promoting from within. Just a few benefits include: retaining technical knowledge; honoring the informal, social fabric of the organization; and fostering the culture of the company.
Employee development needs to be included in both strategy creation and execution. There are two main ways to assess people and their development: skills and spirit.
Skills are things that can be trained. A leader can be coached on how to become more influential and engage their team to achieve great results. An employee can be trained technical skills such as engineering, accounting, and marketing that they need to do their jobs really, really well.
Spirit refers to the “soft” skills that can’t be trained effectively. You have to hire for them. These are hard to find but are necessary for a company to function smoothly.
One of these skills is teamwork–the ability to put the needs of the group ahead of personal desires. Another is heart, as in “put your heart into it.” This describes true commitment and passionate engagement. Employees with heart take ownership of their jobs and go the extra mile.
….Too often, companies hire for skills without enough consideration for spirit. When that happens, you end up with a bunch of wonks who can’t work together. There needs to be a balance between skills and spirit across the entire company………….Integrating strategy and people accelerates the potential growth of any organization and is critical for high-growth companies.
If you have been in the non-profit sector for any sustained length of time you fully understand the ongoing struggle involved in financing your vision and programs. Have you considered how you are treating your donors?
1. Treat your donors with the dignity they deserve. People who donate to your cause understand you need money to run. They understand that you will call on them from time to time to donate funds to fulfill your mission. However, they are people, not bank accounts. As an friend of mine has said on multiple occasions, “People don’t mind being a servant until they are treated like one.”
2. Find creative ways to subsidize your fundraising. Let’s face it, it is hard work having to rely on the generosity of others to fulfill 100% of your mission. Employ market based solutions as much as possible to help fund your cause (known as earned income). One instance of this is Stardust Building Supply in Phoenix, AZ who are focused on sustainable recycling efforts and supporting practical repair needs of the poor in their community. Supplementing their fundraising efforts are two full service outlets retailing donated and used construction materials. The more you can use market-based solutions to help subsidize the development efforts, the better you will be able to weather the hills and valleys of philanthropy. Here is some more info on creating earned income.
3. Find a way to show ROI. Much like investors in the marketplace, more and more donors are asking about their ‘return on investment’. Can you measure the effectiveness of their giving and your programs? The more data the better and the more personal stories of direct benefit the more donors see a worthwhile investment. Those who decided to write you a check are investing in the leadership and the effectiveness of the organization as a whole. The Board of Directors and Executive Leadership is accountable to the donors to steward the resources. Don’t poo-poo the mindset a business person has toward studying the ROI before investing in you. The same instinct that make them successful in the marketplace is the very reason you are asking them to invest in you – they have made money by successfully measuring their risk. Embrace the process. Without this effort don’t be surprised if you have difficulty funding your mission.
If you are involved in a the management or Board of a non-profit and are not taking advantage of online giving, you may want to change your stance on this issue.
I have heard it said, as I am sure you have, that the reason more people don’t write books is because it is hard work. And after scribbling notes and punching away at the keyboard for more than a year now trying to get my thoughts organized, I can attest to you that it is indeed hard work. But that shouldn’t stop us, should it?
Everyone has a story. Everyone has reasons they have made the life choices they have. Everyone goes through trauma at some point. Everyone experiences joy. But still, each story is different. Why? Because we have all made choices in similar circumstances. And those choices shape us, whether we like the outcome or not. If your house is dirty it is because you have chosen not to clean it. If you are out of underwear, choose to do laundry. If you…..well, you get the idea, right?! And reality is, the bad choices are also the lingering choices. So the next time you have decisions to make, and you always have decisions to make, keep a couple of things in the back of your mind before you make yours:
1. All decisions have consequences. Briefly ask yourself, “What are the potential consequences of this choice?” Will it hurt another person? Will it cause me angst in the coming hours or days or weeks? Will I be proud of myself or regretful? These simple questions go a long way.
2. Good decisions are value-based. When my wife, otherwise known as BRHWSBE (beautiful redhead with sexy brown eyes), and I were going through pre-marital counseling we were introduced to a concept called ‘value-based decision making’. And I am glad to say, although there have been hiccups, we have held fast to this rule for our lives. In a nutshell, the principle is that we establish our values in the major areas of life first. You can personally choose them according to what is of high value to you (our areas were Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, and Professional). Then when a decision has to be made, we can measure that decision against our stated values. If it doesn’t align, the answer is “no”. In the marketplace you would call this ’organizational alignment’, and it is necessary in making good decisions.
3. Bad decisions need correcting. Occasionally you will make a bad decision. Perhaps not on purpose, but a bad decision nonetheless. When this happens, correct it – immediately. Whether it be personal or professional, bad decision making can and will eat away trust. If you customers cannot trust your decision making, they will find a new business to patron. If your family cannot trust your decision making, well, the fall out is way bigger that your balance sheet. A humble corrective action, by owning your mistake, can make a bad decision much less bitter in the long run.
Remember, every person has a story. And those stories are wrapped in choices. Below is a video illustration of that from Dan Cathy of Chick-fil-a.
About a year ago my wife and I were introduced to an organization called Streetlight. Although small, it is growing and doing incredible work in helping bring awareness and finality to the issue of child sex slavery (human trafficking). If you follow me on twitter (@dougleslie), you have seen several tweets about @streetlightphx over the past couple of days. They use an effective three-tier strategy of Awareness, Prevention and Aftercare.
Here is their list of 10 Quick Facts About Child Sex Slavery:
1. 90% of all children and youth trafficked for sexual purposes in the US are citizens of our own country.
2. Human trafficking is now considered the 2nd largest and fastest growing illegal trafficking activity in the world.
3. Sexual exploitation is a $28Billion a year industry.
4. 80% of victims are women; 50& are children
5. Each child prostitute serves between 1,000 and 1,500 ‘clients’ per year.
6. One million children are forced to work in the sex industry every year. Between 100,000 and 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking every year.
7. Among the millions trafficked each year, hundreds of thousands are teenage girls and others as young as 5 who fall victim to the sex trade.
8. Approximately 55% if street girls engage in formal prostitution.
9. Of the girls engaged in formal prostitution, about 75% work for a pimp.
10. The average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. is 13 years old.
I was thinking this mornng about how difficult it is to be unemployed in the current economy. For those like me, who have been without employment now for more that 10 months, with no real hope in sight, there are multiple, simultaneous battles that must be fought. Whether financial, marital, family, personal worth – just to name a few – the biggest one might be ATTITUDE. The right attitude breeds hope and hope is a very powerful ally.
So, before we decide to have an okay day, a mediocre day, a so-so day, or even a good day – let’s choose to have a great day. And stand on the shoulders of hope.
“…Wait with hope. Hope now; hope always!” – David, King of Israel in Psalm 131
