You Don'ty Have To Have An Opinion

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

I don’t have to have an opinion. The example used is someone talking about us behind our back. If we don’t hear it we can’t get upset about it. I find this stoic interesting because the author just wrote a blog post about our civic duty. Essentially, if we don’t do something we’re in the wrong. That’s essentially asking me to have an opinion about the matter.

This line of thinking has been applied other scenarios over the past year. If I don’t say something that says something and I should be ashamed. I’ve always disagreed with that idea, because there’s lots of wrong and unjust things in this world. Am I to speak up about that one or just this one that someone else is interested in. In that regard I think the other person is frustrated with the current volume of their issue and they want it amplified others. It’s a bit ironic in that regard.

The Managerial Attitude

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done.

The action point is to reflect on what action I can take to impact a sense of managerial responsibility into my workforce. This one is a bit vague. I think I understand it because it talks about using human resources efficiently. A lot of companies don’t and that’s because they don’t know how to manage or do so poorly. What I’ve learned over the years is that to get the most out of people is to provide actionable feedback. Sports teams do this. When a player does something right or wrong it’s reviewed by the coaches. They encourage positive behaviors and look to fix negative behaviors.

In the corporate world that doesn’t happen. At least not the organizations I’ve been in. I’ve had negative feedback and very little positive feedback. I’ve often wondered if I’m doing my job well. This is why I strive to do the opposite with my team. I want to give feedback. It’s hard though and I haven’t done a good job of giving it. That’s something I’m hoping to improve this year.

Did That Make You Feel Better?

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

This is a question to recenter my emotions. When I hit a bad shot in golf does it make me feel better to get angry or frustrated? It’s a game that gives and takes. I still get frustrated on the course. Each time I try to refocus because it doesn’t help me to get angry or upset. That is wasted energy. Energy is a finite resource for golf. 3-4 hours of swinging a club or walking to a ball takes up a lot of my energy. I played 18 holes today and practiced for 40 mins prior. My allowed calorie count for today is over 3000. That’s a lot of energy. Getting angry will sap some of that and led to poorer shots later in the round.

Management and the Liberal Arts

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Drucker: 366 Days of Insight and Motivation for Getting the Right Things Done.

The action point is to make a plan to develop my humanities and social sciences. The reason is because management is a liberal art. It takes into so many aspects of study. Ethics, psychology, philosophy, leadership, etc. All of these are applicable because we’re managing humans. It’s the reason why I wanted to get into management. Technology operates in a specific way. It can get complicated and ultimately lacking in an unknown factor. Even the toughest problem can be broken down to a 1 and 0 answer.

People have so many more inputs. We’ve only really started to understand the brain. My plan is this. Studying the art of management. Doing this daily journal to improve myself. To continue to learn and try to get the best out of the people whom I manage. I read all sorts of books too. I spend one hour a night reading psychology, management, sports, biographies, fiction, and a variety of other genres. I can take lessons from each of these books (even fiction) and apply it to my day-to-day interactions with the people who report to me.

Fear is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Fear is a powerful motivator. It can be both good and bad. The stoic focuses on the bad side, paranoia. I grew up with a t-shirt company that said no fear. My mom wouldn’t let me get any of the shirts because she feared I’d be beat up at school. I eventually did get one and I am happy to report I didn’t get beat up. Fear has controlled me in other avenues. I’ve missed out on opportunities because I let fear overcome me. I went out for a soccer team once in Minnesota. On the first day of tryouts I backed out after the first person showed up. I was afraid of not making the team or more importantly having people hate me. I later got to know some of the people on the team and learned they were hurting for players. It was too late in the season to join.

Since that time I’ve read one of the most important books in my life. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers. The book changed my thinking about letting fear control me. I learned to accept it and head into situations with that fear. Often times those situations work out to be positive experiences and opportunities.