The Stranded Starfish | Looking for ways to make a difference.

Creating Heroes

joe — Sat 1-Nov-14

Lollipup Guild Halloween is a mixed bag for me. I’m not wild about the door to door stuff, but I absolutely love watching dads and moms turning their kids into superheroes. Seeing parents’ incredible passion for brainstorming creative ideas is only surpassed by the bright beam that comes from the smile of a proud Superman or Elsa.

It’s so much fun turning our kids into heroes. It’s a practice we do with great ease when it comes to our own kids, yet we seldom do it anywhere else. What if we were to try and make heroes of others at work?

What if we were to come to the office every single day with the intent of trying to help someone on their journey to superherodom? What if every conversation we held became an opportunity to lift someone else up? Could we truly be happy watching someone else succeed? Continue Reading…

In Higher Ground creating heroes, hero, Higher Ground

I Landed Where???

joe — Fri 17-Oct-14

Columbus holiday The U.S. should have a national holiday in my honor. On several occasions I have led a large group of cyclists over long distances, become lost, and then tried to convince the others that I was right where I expected to be. I am the Christopher Columbus of bicycling.

The United States celebrated a national holiday this past week that honored Christopher Columbus. By honored, I mean we pretty much ignored the holiday.

Many of us older folks were taught that Columbus discovered North America in 1492. The fact that millions of people were already living in North America didn’t diminish his legacy. Neither did the fact that Columbus landed in Bermuda thinking it was India, saw Cuba and thought it was China, and made a trip to Hispaniola convinced it was Japan. He had no clue that there was a giant landmass and another ocean between Spain and Asia.
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In Uncategorized hero worship, innovation

Two Simple Things

joe — Sun 13-Apr-14

How do you do a space It’s ironic that the more we connect, the less we connect. We have built a technological juggernaut of interwoven personal network connections yet have lost some of the basic skills required to make these relationships meaningful. It’s the analog of knowing how to slam dunk a basketball but forgetting how to dribble.

I’m very thankful that I grew up in an era where the majority of our relationships were face-to-face. It taught me how to dribble. If I made someone feel bad, their facial expressions gave it away. When I did something nice for them, they said thank you. Our face and body were our emoticons – they were immediate and they were not optional. If I forgot to say thank you, it was noticed.

In Higher Ground appreciation, thank you

The Trouble With SMEs

joe — Sat 8-Mar-14

Roses are gray They say that ignorance is bliss. I’m guessing that is until you realize that you are ignorant. But is it possible that you may be hurting your opportunities for promotion by knowing too much?

I never would have thought that until I had a chance to talk with a friend that had announced he was leaving his company.

Alan was known by what many call a SME – a subject matter expert. He is an incredibly smart man that knew his business inside and out. His knowledge and insight of all things related to his customers and the inner workings of the product made him the guru that everyone sought out for advice.
Continue Reading…

In Learning corporate, Learning, SME, subject matter expert

The Insider

joe — Sat 22-Feb-14

Cat Penguin The one practice that I thought was most helpful in my early career became something that I now avoid – the insider.

An insider is a member of your team that seems to have his finger on the pulse of what others are doing, thinking, and feeling. He is a great way to test your ideas before taking them to a larger audience. He is connected to everyone and has a great capacity to help you understand what your team is thinking. Most importantly, an insider brings you insights about your team that you may not have otherwise understood. Team members often feel uncomfortable telling you something because you are the boss. An insider helps bridge that gap. He fully believes that he is helping both you and the team connect. Continue Reading…

In Leadership information, insider, Leadership, sources

Because I Said So

joe — Sat 1-Feb-14

Luke and Pop I realized that I had officially become “that” parent when I first uttered the words, “because I said so” to my kids. Growing up, I promised that I would never repeat my mother’s words. I did it anyway.

I don’t recall the event. It was probably one of the kids asking why they had to take a bath. But, I do remember the emotional tension of feeling both ultimately powerful and a total sell-out.

“Because I said so” is almost always preceded by “Why?” A person asks “why” when they are seeking meaning. They are trying to bridge what they know with something they don’t understand. It usually has an implied counterpoint. “Dad, why is it important that I take my bath right now instead of finishing My Little Pony?” As parents, we should applaud the “why” as it indicates they are seeking understanding.

Unfortunately, the question most likely comes after we have suffered the slings and arrows of work life and a brutal commute home. We know it is going to take time to explain why and in all likelihood they may not agree with our adult logic when we finish. It would be more efficient to tell them, “Because I said so.” The result is going to be the same, regardless. They will take their bath. Why not just cut to the chase?

In Leadership effectiveness, efficiency, Leadership, why

Burn Bright, My Friend

joe — Tue 24-Dec-13

Eight years ago I made one of the best decisions of my life. That was the year I stopped putting up outdoor Christmas lights.

What first started out as a few multi-colored lights around our shrubs, progressed to lighting all the trees, the eaves, and visions of interactive audio and video dancing in my head. I had to – the neighbors were keeping up.

Every year I had to keep adding more lights so that I wasn’t the lamest looking display in the neighborhood. Each ensuing year became more stressful than the previous year. The setup time went from hours, to days, to weekends. The dread of having the post Christmas blues combined with the increasing manual labor required to take the decorations down became too much. For such a happy time of the year, I was miserable Continue Reading…

In Higher Ground christmas, competition, jealousy, lights