Archives for October 2014

Thou Shalt Not Hit SEND in Anger

October 24, 2014 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

A Wall Street Journal article (October 21, 2014) discusses how to recover when you break the eleventh commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Send Email in Anger“. It is all too easy to hit SEND when you are angry. Don’t!

No “Recall Email” Button Available

OK, so it still happens and now you regret it. Can you recover? Yes. You need to grovel; truly apologize with no qualifiers. Own your mistake 100%. If you can do it in person immediately that is best. If not, the phone is the second best option. A short apology email followed by a promised phone call is the minimum. The WSJ article has several examples.

Group Emails in Anger

Sending an email to a group that sounds angry (even if unintended) is MUCH harder to recover from, yet you need to try. Know that an angry group email is like standing on stage and yelling at someone when there is an audience. The audience will almost always side with the person being attacked … even if you are right and they agree with your criticism. The short, sincere apology to all — ASAP — is essential. Know that you will probably never fully recover with everyone.

Email is not a good medium for communicating emotions or complex ideas. Use email wisely and you will have few regrets.

Painful Consequences

You are right … recovery is very painful. Thinking about the consequences beforehand may help you keep the eleventh commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Send Email in Anger“.

In four minutes – can you deliver a persuasive message with three points?

October 10, 2014 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

Do you want to change the world … or your part of it? There is nothing like a strong persuasive message. In presentations, we ask people to engage the audience, establish the need for action, provide compelling reasons for actions, be concise, and call people to action. Did I mention keeping it short? I ran across a video that is a great example.

One more thing – MAKE IT INTERESTING! Take a look at this example:

September – October 2014 – Change Masters President’s Letter

October 2, 2014 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

Thank you again for all the well wishes after my surgery. I am recovering well and very grateful for modern surgery techniques.

I have renewed my 25 year warranty on life. We have many exciting things to look forward in 2015. I mentioned that The Sport of Business was in editing for release early next year. I have a preview example for you to view called Marshmallows Wrapped in Barbed Wire. I would love to hear your feedback after you watch it.

Some Blog entries this month of interest are:

His morale dropped with an enormous thud.

Justin’s morale dropped with an enormous thud. Justin is a very high performing technology expert leading a team that often works nights and weekends. He needs to take his computer on vacation because there is almost always a crises where they need his help. When he is not on vacation, a call at 2:00 AM that requires his help is not unusual. In other words, he is expected to be on call 24/7.

The enormous thud of morale smashing to the ground came in the form of an announcement from the CIO (Chief Information Officer) that all technology professionals …[MORE]

You saved my marriage

We feel blessed at Change Masters to be able to make a real difference in the world by our day-to-day work. We hear often how people’s lives are changed at work and at home, but there are times when we get a message that really stands out. A recent example is:

“You saved our marriage – neither of us was in a place we wanted to be, and we didn’t know how to get to the next step on how to communicate better to break through the place we had gotten to. That first night I was home (after Change Masters Discovery Session) I tried asking more questions about where my wife was at, and my wife blushed! When I asked her why, she said, “It’s been so long since … [MORE]

An hour of sleep is worth 16% more in earnings

Those who get an additional hour of sleep make 16% more than those who do not. That is one of the results of a recent UCSD government study. Sleep has a bigger impact than another year of college. The Wall Street Journal sorted out some of the myths about sleep and performance. They also cited multiple studies that including one that said missing a night of sleep has the neurobehavioral impact of being legally drunk … [MORE]

Build your Return on Life (ROL)

I went to a reunion of a group from my IBM days … long, long ago. Many of my peers were retired and talking a lot about golf. When asked when I am retiring, the honest answer is “Probably never” unless I lose my health. Truth is, most days, I love what I do more than I love golf. I like making a difference in the world and spending time with really smart and competent people.

I listened to a dinner speaker yesterday who talked about “Retirementality” that really resonated with me … and many others in the room.

Doing something you love to do rather than “retire at a certain age” is an option worth considering. …[MORE]

TIP: Stop children from purchasing Apps on your iPhone

Do you let you children or others use your iPhone or iPad? It is like handing them your credit card when it comes to purchasing Apps …[MORE]

Thanks to those of you who have replied with comments. I appreciate all comments. More information is always available at www.ChangeMasters.com

Build your Return on Life (ROL)

October 2, 2014 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

I listened to a dinner speaker yesterday who talked about “Retirementality” that really resonated with me … and many others in the room.

Doing something you love to do rather than “retiring at a certain age” is an option worth considering. It may be the work you do now or the work you choose to do next. It may be part-time and it may not create a pay check. That is OK. If you enjoy the work you do, why stop?

I recently started working on my 25 year plan. My wife smiled and said “That’s Tom”. The fact that I need to live to age 95 to complete the plan is of only small note. It will take that long to do all the things I know I want to do today. Mitch Anthony is author of “The New Retirementality” that challenges the concept of a retirement age as a left over concept from the Industrial Revolution.

He asked:
“If you are engaged in things that bring value to others and is meaningful to you – why stop?”

Most competent people I know flunk retirement. In 12 to 18 months of leisure, they are looking for a way to make a contribution again. Anthony suggests looking at what you don’t like and eliminating it from your “work” and spend time on what you do like. He provides many examples and approaches to thinking about what you choose to do.

The five “C’s” of aging:

However you spend your time … Anthony shows that health and happiness has vitamin “C” in the form of:

Connectivity – Stay connected to people you love, enjoy, and who value you. Result is being happier and healthier.

Challenge – Dementia is delayed by actively challenging yourself mentally – doing more than crossword puzzles.

Curiosity – There is so much to learn and do. Embrace it for happiness and vigor.

Creativity – Many artists do their best work in the 80’s and 90’s. Embrace creativity to build on your history.

Charity – Many studies have shown that generous people live longer and are more healthy.

If golf or other activities are what make like meaningful for you … by all means … do it with gusto. For me, I want to continue to work hard at what I love to do and play hard for the foreseeable future. I want the world to be a better place when it is time for me to exit this world. There is still much to be done.

Anthony calls it Return on Life (ROL) rather than the financial ROI. He calls it making the best life on the money you have.