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Archives for April 2017

Frozen Windows

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black_smartphone_frontfacing_19706It was a very cold Minnesota morning.

A women texted her husband: WINDOWS FROZEN ~ WON’T OPEN.

Her husband texted back:
GENTLY POUR SOME LUKEWARM WATER OVER THE EDGES AND THEN TAP EDGES SHARPLY WITH HAMMER

The woman texted back 5 minutes later:
THE LAPTOP IS REALLY MESSED UP NOW.

Context

It is amazing we are able to communicate at all when you look at all the ways we can misunderstand each other. We always communicate from a perspective that includes our picture of reality. We put what we hear and say in that context. This is an example where the misunderstanding was clear at the end. It was easy for both husband and wife to think it was the other person’s mistake.  Many communications we have every day have similar errors in context, and thus misunderstandings that never surface in such a clear way.

Giving even one line of context at the beginning of an email, for example, can often dramatically improve the quality of the communication and the relationship.  Text messages provide even more opportunity for misunderstanding … and we have all had that experience.  An example of context for the example is “I need your help with my computer.” The answer would probably have been more helpful and the relationship less strained.

Habits of Happy People

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african office worker with arms crossedWe want to be happy. Most of us know happiness is a choice and not a goal. It is interesting to observe happy people to see how they view the world.  Generally, you can say that happy people …

  1. Are grateful for what they have in life.
  2. Are respectful of others and themselves.
  3. Spend time with others who are generally happy.
  4. Work at maintaining good relationships.
  5. Make healthy choices physically and emotionally.
  6. Feel they have a purpose that is greater than themselves.
  7. Are interested in learning new things.
  8. Are self-aware of how others see them.
  9. Tend to watch less television than their peers.
  10. They are aware of others’ emotions, and their own.
  11. Are resilient in the face of challenges.
  12. Forgive themselves and others.

The biggest unhappiness trap is believing something outside of ourselves will make us happy. The list is long; including promotions, more money, that new house or car, the right life partner, recognition, or a new job. It’s good to enjoy these things in our life when they come to us. They do not make us happy for very long, unless it’s part of our gratitude in life.

 

 

Governed by Your Inferiors

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Politics_IMG_1921Many people have negative views of politics, based on a misunderstanding of how it works, and the consequences of pretending it is not important.

  • “Power” is the ability to get things done.
  • “Politics” is based on the power of relationships that allow you to get things done.

Politics is neutral. Good or bad politics is based on how it is used and for what purpose. Many people only apply the negative attributes of politics to behavior they see as self-serving. Viewing self-serving as negative is certainly justified. Those who use politics well, and for the good of the organization, are just as political, but are often not seen as political. They are viewed as people who are able to get things done with the cooperation of many others. They are often seen as leaders that others want to work with, and for, in the organization.

We have seen good and bad politics impact many decisions. Larger organizations, and those organization under stress, often see the most impact from politics (good and bad). One of the most noticeable is seeing who gets promoted and who does not get the key job. Even in Plato’s time … refusing to participate in politics had consequences. You have the choice to ignore politics and suffer the consequences … just don’t blame others for being wiser.