The idea of being an innovator may sound very nice or appealing, but what does it really take to be an innovator and how do we know if we are on the right track?
One way of testing whether or not your ideas are truly penetrating is to, obviously share them with others. Some people will probably find them 'interesting', some will become converts almost immediately, but the real test is whether or not your ideas seem to cause offence among the 'business as usual' thinkers that carry on their lives as if the answer to everything is obvious and plain common sense! You'll know if you are onto something interesting when these types not only oppose your ideas, but seem to take them as personal affronts. In time, you'll come to recognise the peculiar quality of this type of resistance because it has a particularly nasty undertone. When you first start to innovate freely and experience this phenomenon, you may find it disturbing and want to retreat or even feel as if you should apologise. You may even decide that innovation is simply too much grief and go back to doing things 'their' way or continue your work in secret. On the other hand, if you persist, you'll come to understand that such reactions are a sure sign that you've hit on something meaningful and that they are just part of the package. I'm not talking here about trying to offend people by making gratuitously extreme statements.I mean that when you start asking certain questions about how things are done, and why they are done this way, you will see how threatened some people apparently feel by the implications of your sincere desire to push forward into new territory. The solution? Just understand, and appreciate what you're getting yourself into.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Be a Professional
What is professionalism?
What does it mean?
Professionalism means you can do a better job than an amateur. It means you can do it better than I can at home. That's what I expect when I go to a professional. You've got the professional equipment and facilities. This is what you DO, right? You should be able to do it better than me,
So, if I go and buy a coffee from a professional barista, I expect a better coffee than I could make at home.
If I go to a mechanic, I expect them to fix my car better than I could do at home.
If I go to a teacher, I expect them to tell me (or show me) something I don't know already.
If I go to a restaurant, I expect a better quality meal than I could make at home.
If I take a taxi, I expect a better driver than I am to be up front at the wheel.
You get the point. Of course there can be exceptions. But in general this is what we should expect from a professional.
Frequently, of course this is not the case. In London, this is often not the case in restaurants, for example.
What about you? Do you consistently offer a better service/ product than your clients could get at home or by themselves or from a friend? If not, it may be time to step up your game.
What is professionalism?
What does it mean?
Professionalism means you can do a better job than an amateur. It means you can do it better than I can at home. That's what I expect when I go to a professional. You've got the professional equipment and facilities. This is what you DO, right? You should be able to do it better than me,
So, if I go and buy a coffee from a professional barista, I expect a better coffee than I could make at home.
If I go to a mechanic, I expect them to fix my car better than I could do at home.
If I go to a teacher, I expect them to tell me (or show me) something I don't know already.
If I go to a restaurant, I expect a better quality meal than I could make at home.
If I take a taxi, I expect a better driver than I am to be up front at the wheel.
You get the point. Of course there can be exceptions. But in general this is what we should expect from a professional.
Frequently, of course this is not the case. In London, this is often not the case in restaurants, for example.
What about you? Do you consistently offer a better service/ product than your clients could get at home or by themselves or from a friend? If not, it may be time to step up your game.
Friday, 16 January 2015
The 'You're New Here' Syndrome
By Michael Brooman
Have you ever changed your job and started at a new company? Personally I have done this many many times. If you have you are probably familiar with the 'you're new here' syndrome.
This is how it works:
You get a new job and show up at a new place of work. Some or perhaps most of the new colleagues are nice to your face and appear to welcome you. After a few days though you notice that other colleagues are not treating you.......well....as a human being. In effect what they are saying is this:
Because you haven't worked here long you are not worthy of my respect. You are basically an inferior being.
Unfortunately it doesn't end there with a few negative individuals being a bit (or very) unpleasant. It may extend into your professional status and career where you find that your skills, ideas and contribution are not valued as much as the more established staff members that have had plenty of time to cosy-up to the management. You might be the most skilled person in the world in your field, but this won't make any difference if the organisation is running a 'You're New Here' kind of racket.
You may find that your opinion is undervalued and your work is not recognised too, which is a very undermining and uncomfortable feeling if you are a serious player.
In any case you should NEVER, NEVER accept this kind of attitude or behaviour from colleagues. If people are treating you in this way they are deluded and scared and should be recognised as such. They are exploiting the distorted power relationships of the microcosm in which they are working to defend themselves from the truth that they are corrupted and frightened individuals, living fearfully in a very limited reality. Do NOT under any circumstances accept their behaviour or attitude towards your work! Nor do they deserve your sympathy or understanding. They are not helping anyone, including themselves with their behaviour.
What should you do under these circumstances? Almost impossible to confront people and 'out' them. it's unlikely they'll accept the truth of the situation and if one of them is your boss, you definitely risk losing your job. Probably the only option you have is to make your work even better so at least you can be sure that you are not going insane. One day, sooner or later you will benefit from giving more value and being an even better professional. Ultimately you will either move on or no longer be the 'New Around Here' employee and who knows, you may even win the respect of the ones that treated you badly, for what it's worth!
Corruption of which this is just one example, is an insidious and damaging virus because it so often lurks unacknowledged, kept hidden by a conspiracy of silence. It is the type of human behaviour that caused the 2008 global economic meltdown and worse throughout history. It will cause many companies to go out of business, and many worthy people to be unhappy in one way or another.
The first thing you can do is to recognise corruption and cronyism when you see it. Look around for allies. Probably you are not the only one that has noticed the glaringly obvious. If you break the silence you are a courageous person but understand that you'll be the first in the firing line when you do.
By Michael Brooman
Have you ever changed your job and started at a new company? Personally I have done this many many times. If you have you are probably familiar with the 'you're new here' syndrome.
This is how it works:
You get a new job and show up at a new place of work. Some or perhaps most of the new colleagues are nice to your face and appear to welcome you. After a few days though you notice that other colleagues are not treating you.......well....as a human being. In effect what they are saying is this:
Because you haven't worked here long you are not worthy of my respect. You are basically an inferior being.
Unfortunately it doesn't end there with a few negative individuals being a bit (or very) unpleasant. It may extend into your professional status and career where you find that your skills, ideas and contribution are not valued as much as the more established staff members that have had plenty of time to cosy-up to the management. You might be the most skilled person in the world in your field, but this won't make any difference if the organisation is running a 'You're New Here' kind of racket.
You may find that your opinion is undervalued and your work is not recognised too, which is a very undermining and uncomfortable feeling if you are a serious player.
In any case you should NEVER, NEVER accept this kind of attitude or behaviour from colleagues. If people are treating you in this way they are deluded and scared and should be recognised as such. They are exploiting the distorted power relationships of the microcosm in which they are working to defend themselves from the truth that they are corrupted and frightened individuals, living fearfully in a very limited reality. Do NOT under any circumstances accept their behaviour or attitude towards your work! Nor do they deserve your sympathy or understanding. They are not helping anyone, including themselves with their behaviour.
What should you do under these circumstances? Almost impossible to confront people and 'out' them. it's unlikely they'll accept the truth of the situation and if one of them is your boss, you definitely risk losing your job. Probably the only option you have is to make your work even better so at least you can be sure that you are not going insane. One day, sooner or later you will benefit from giving more value and being an even better professional. Ultimately you will either move on or no longer be the 'New Around Here' employee and who knows, you may even win the respect of the ones that treated you badly, for what it's worth!
Corruption of which this is just one example, is an insidious and damaging virus because it so often lurks unacknowledged, kept hidden by a conspiracy of silence. It is the type of human behaviour that caused the 2008 global economic meltdown and worse throughout history. It will cause many companies to go out of business, and many worthy people to be unhappy in one way or another.
The first thing you can do is to recognise corruption and cronyism when you see it. Look around for allies. Probably you are not the only one that has noticed the glaringly obvious. If you break the silence you are a courageous person but understand that you'll be the first in the firing line when you do.
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
Disruption
A recent quote from international prosperity coach Randy Gage really caught my attention. It said something like; You are not here to fit in but to disrupt.
The process of disruption begins with a new idea or innovation. It may start at the bottom but builds momentum until whole industries are transformed. Witness how mp3 files changed the music industry, or how online travel agencies and airlines have changed how we buy air tickets and holidays. The list goes on and on.
When we think about it, the whole of evolution is based on disruption. Without it nothing would change and the world would stagnate.
Despite this, almost everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in our traditional education teaches and encourages us to fit in rather than disrupt. "Don't rock the boat". "You need to fit in." "Keep in with the right people." "Don't step out of line" because if you do there will be consequences.
This is the reality. Companies establish consequences for people that dare to step out of line and do things differently. These consequences can be acknowledged or not, hidden or revealed.
The media bombards us with messages that suggest that life is getting tougher, more competitive, less easy to deal with. Less jobs, more suffering. This has been going on as long as I can remember, whether there is an 'economic crisis' or not. Such memes compound the message that we shouldn't take risks, that we should fit in and go with the crowd. People become more scared, more cowed and more likely to conform. They may join in with deriding the ones that take risks, hoping that it will shore up their professional status, which in many cases it does, sadly.
This is a form of corruption. Very insidious and hidden but there nevertheless. Ultimately it does nobody any favours because companies need to change and develop as society naturally changes. When they don't, they tend to disappear.
The lesson rarely gets learned. The fear of being ostrasized from the group remains much more powerful for most that the motivation to go out on a limb and say what needs to be said or take a step in the dark.
But life is for living. In the end there will be little satisfaction in saying: I played it safe, kept my nose clean and didn't rock the boat. It may work in the short term but in the bigger picture it does not contribute to a fulfilling life.
We are here to disrupt, to contribute and make change, to make the world a better place. Playing safe does not do this. So the message here is: join with the disruptors. If you can't be one of them, give them your support and energy because....we are the future!
A recent quote from international prosperity coach Randy Gage really caught my attention. It said something like; You are not here to fit in but to disrupt.
The process of disruption begins with a new idea or innovation. It may start at the bottom but builds momentum until whole industries are transformed. Witness how mp3 files changed the music industry, or how online travel agencies and airlines have changed how we buy air tickets and holidays. The list goes on and on.
When we think about it, the whole of evolution is based on disruption. Without it nothing would change and the world would stagnate.
Despite this, almost everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in our traditional education teaches and encourages us to fit in rather than disrupt. "Don't rock the boat". "You need to fit in." "Keep in with the right people." "Don't step out of line" because if you do there will be consequences.
This is the reality. Companies establish consequences for people that dare to step out of line and do things differently. These consequences can be acknowledged or not, hidden or revealed.
The media bombards us with messages that suggest that life is getting tougher, more competitive, less easy to deal with. Less jobs, more suffering. This has been going on as long as I can remember, whether there is an 'economic crisis' or not. Such memes compound the message that we shouldn't take risks, that we should fit in and go with the crowd. People become more scared, more cowed and more likely to conform. They may join in with deriding the ones that take risks, hoping that it will shore up their professional status, which in many cases it does, sadly.
This is a form of corruption. Very insidious and hidden but there nevertheless. Ultimately it does nobody any favours because companies need to change and develop as society naturally changes. When they don't, they tend to disappear.
The lesson rarely gets learned. The fear of being ostrasized from the group remains much more powerful for most that the motivation to go out on a limb and say what needs to be said or take a step in the dark.
But life is for living. In the end there will be little satisfaction in saying: I played it safe, kept my nose clean and didn't rock the boat. It may work in the short term but in the bigger picture it does not contribute to a fulfilling life.
We are here to disrupt, to contribute and make change, to make the world a better place. Playing safe does not do this. So the message here is: join with the disruptors. If you can't be one of them, give them your support and energy because....we are the future!
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