Middlefocus

18 August 2011: A level results were issued today and brought with them delight in some quarters and disappointment in others. This morning I was travelling by bus and I could not help but overhear the disappointment of two family members, seated near me, who were concerned that one of their loved ones had not achieved his expected grades. Their shared disappointment was palpable and was coupled with anxiety over what future the young man now faced. Where would he find work? Would he go back to school? What were his options? It struck me that these family members had strong aspirations and education was a key element in their fulfilment. In reflecting on the student's performance both held to the view that he could have applied himself more. Applied. There's a word. In today's squeezed workplaces we often hear of attitude and aptitude. The adage goes "your aptitude gets you hired, your attitude gets you fired!" It seems to me that being able to apply oneself ...

I heard a vexed and interesting account recently of how managers in one organisation have been closing down office conversations. They have ruled no talking at the water cooler and have gone as far as discouraging staff from showing around photographs of their holidays and children. There we go with that control mindset again.  It seems to  take the view that if a workplace encourages socialising then there mustn't be enough work being done. I guess social media in that environment would be a no go. A while back, I was visiting an organisation in another city. There the office was open plan and the meeting with managers took place in a glass panelled room, along one side of the office.  Transparency.  During the meeting the senior executive present asked if we would mind taking a break for a few minutes. A comfort stop?  No. He had noticed that one of the staff had come into the office with her new baby and wanted to go over to wish her congratulations. The gre...

Doing the weeding of some computer files, I came across an old folder containing several eMindMaps.  They were created using a program of the same name that came as part of a cover disc for a computer magazine. Although I use mostly hand drawn maps I loved using the software which has now evolved into the famous MindManager brand. Going through the old maps I came across one I had saved as Breaking through!  I think it is still useful for considering goals and objectives and so I post it here for readers to judge for themselves.  As you can see write-in spaces are provided to help the user focus on aspects of achieving an objective. Breaking through! brings to mind the comment from Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.   Using one of the social media platforms, he wrote: "Every truly great breakthrough is a break-with an old way of thinking. What's your latest breakthrough?" I suppose my rediscovered files map old ways of thinking o...

Browsing the pages of Management Issues recently I came across an old but still relevant post from Max McKeown entitled, A is for Apathy . You can access it here . It's worth a read and it prompted the following thoughts: Someone once defined the opposite of love, not as hate but as apathy or indifference.  Apathy is a "state". In my view many working practices create conditions in which apathy can take hold, sometimes contrary to the best intentions of those in charge. Think of those stories we hear more and more of where adults are  treated like children, told that they can't do this and that. The stories depict a world of control and creativity curtailed.  Come to think of it, why would we want such a world for our children either? High control workplaces may be appropriate in some sectors but in others may have more to do with a culture of low trust. Low trust environments may mean people learn to leave their creative selves at home and switch off their ingenu...

At a working lunch today, we discussed motivation and engagement. We also discussed the role of environment. In so many areas of life WHERE we do what we do exerts a strong influence. My fellow luncher referred to this as the gravitational pull of the organisation. It takes a great deal of energy to get free from its hold. Yet if the organisational gravity is positive and value-rich it can help nourish motivation and engagement. If the plant is nourished in that way then it should grow tall and strong - high engagement. An over emphasis on control of performance produces a different kind of gravitational pull - One that is harder to break free from and less likely to encourage flourishing. A phrase of Steven Covey's comes to mind when he said that this is a bit like pulling up the plant to see how the roots are doing. Although middlefocus is concerned to help people be resourceful in workplace squeeze situations, I am also mindful of the 100s of companies that are great places...

Today differs from most other Mondays I have had over these past 25 years. I've taken a severance package from work and enter the world of freelance, turning my hobby into something more enterprising. I'm taking a new direction. Leaving work and especially my colleagues was an emotional transition. I had timed it to coincide with a significant birthday and I had wanted to leave with a message to people I had worked closely with over the years. Here's what I wrote: Hi there! - You will have heard the saying that one door never shuts but another opens. That happens for me today when after close on 25 years I leave our organisation, closing this book and opening another. One of my favourite actors is Alan Alda. He played Hawkeye Pierce in the television series M*A*S*H* and said this about doorways: “Deep in our hearts we know that the best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come...

The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge is a popular visitor attraction on our Causeway coastline. It is now open all year round as its steel ropes mean that it is much more secure than the previous temporary version. Nonetheless for some  who make the journey across its planks it represents a personal victory. Those who, for example, are challenged by heights and choose to cross have two victories. The journey over leads to some fantastic views but with nowhere else to go there remains the journey back. As the rope bridge sways gently with the crossing it brings to mind a list of balancing acts: Public - Private / Control - Trust / Relaxed - Restricted / In - Out / On - Off / For - Against. Carrick-a-Rede can be translated from Gaelic as Rock in the Road. You know how it is with rocks in the road. If you stumble onto one you can easily lose your balance. The steel-roped bridge on the Causeway coast is an effective way of dealing with its Carrick-a-Rede. What can we hold ...