You are Just as Powerful

When I saw the Dalai Lama in Seattle at Seeds of Compassion in 2008, what struck me as quite astonishing is when he said, "I want to introduce myself to you as just a human being, you and I are the same" I thought huh? How's this possible, he's the Dalai Lama, why am I here? It got me thinking about the difference between an average citizen who has something to say and someone 'established within the public network' who has something to say.

With close to 7 billion people in the world, the ratio of public figures, political, governmental, and through pop culture is miniscule. Why then do we put so much stake in people who have made a lifestyle out of being in the public eye? In fact, when you dissect the list of public figures down to those with legitimacy, the percentage is infinitesimal.

I often joke that I'm going to market little dolls with the likeness of my daughter Dorothy, why not? Barbie isn't even modeled after a real person, and look at her success.

If you are hesitating to share your thoughts, ideas and goals, remind yourself of the small population we listen to on a daily basis (whether we like it or not). Go ahead, create your platform and speak, be known, this world needs more people like you. There's really not much competition.

Work Life Balance Needs a New Approach

Another resuscitation of the work life balance debate is on with the latest results from the Bloomberg Discrimination Suit. This debate needs a new approach, how about…... balance is the result of many actions, most of which should come from the employee. It's time employees took stock of their own situation. Because frontline employees are "in the weeds" it's their responsibility to communicate up where the issues are, suggestions for improvement, and requests for additional resources. All of this upward communication is required to improve process and working conditions so employees can work smarter. It is managements responsibility to review, interpret, assess, and respond back to these suggestions. Once the employees have been heard, they can assess the results and determine if they are in the right job/organization. It's a two way street, balance should not be the focal point of the discussion, as it is really just the result of many other actions.

Positive Attitude

A positive attitude in the office is critical to keeping the morale up; however, the opposite typically takes place around the water cooler. Instead of joining forces and approaching the problems in a positive light, negativity breeds. I’ll be the first to admit it, the conversation can be pretty entertaining resulting in a few laughs, but this only creates a false sense of acceptance over the situation, the problems are still there, just humorous.

People want to be around positive attitudes; it really does create a much more productive environment. Attached are a few links to some sites with best practices to review and put into action. One of these actions includes taking the negative thoughts, writing them down, and then re-writing with a positive perspective. Go ahead and try this, then respond to this post with the results.

The Powers of a Positive Attitude

How to Keep a Positive Attitude