Feedback: Key to Continuous Learning

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 list my strengths and the steps I’m taking to improve them. One of my strengths is that I get along with people really well. I have such a varied background that I usually can connect with a person on something. Not always. Most of the time. Even though I consider this a strength I still read books in that arena because there’s always something to learn or improve.

Right now I’m reading Chris Hadnagy’s new book Human Hacking: Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You. It’s a book on how to better interact with others using social engineering. This involves all sorts of things from the way I dress to body language to the things I say. It’s a good book and further helping me learn how to maximize my impressions on people.

I’d say another strength is adaptability. I’m able to come into a situation and adjust to it. Look for solutions to problems and address issues. Other than reading I’m not really doing a lot to improve that.

Another one is that I am a learner. I strive to continue to learn. I have to in the IT security space. I listen to podcasts, read blogs, I recently picked up the Wall Street Journal, and read books. I’ll go to several conferences throughout the year to connect with people and learn something new.

Prepare For The Storm

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

This past weekend at golf I realized I had the expectation that I should be hitting the ball better. There was a lot of chatter in my head. Overthinking and rethinking things. There was also this underlying unconfidence in my hitting. As soon as I let go of these feelings and got back to enjoying the game the round went much better. I still hit below my overall average, so there’s improvement in that.

Private Virtue and the Commonweal

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 list of three new products or services that have failed and will fail because the organization ignored the public good. This is an interesting exercise. The company I work at is in healthcare so our focus is on helping others get well. From a products and services perspective I don’t have a ton of insight. From a managing people and inter-company workings I am very opinionated about things.

Within IT I think we’re too wrapped up in planning and paperwork. It’s very close to my experience working in local government for several years. To get anything done is over-engineered or questioned into oblivion. It makes it hard to get things in place.

The pandemic has impacted everyone. A lot of companies are going to a remote workforce. I see this as an issue for managers, because distance makes it harder to manage people. I don’t think a majority of managers are prepared for what this will take. I think over the next two to three years we’ll start seeing cracks in productivity and efficiency.

The third one I’ll have to think about.

The Enemy Of Happiness

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

Happiness is available in the now. Looking towards the future brings excitement and anticipation but not happiness. I learned this fairly early in life. I would get excited about something that would happen in the future only to find it either canceled or not what I expected. I’ve learned to temper my excitement because I don’t know what that future event will bring either good or bad. Instead I try to focus on the here and now. Those small little moments in life that bring joy.

The Daily Drucker

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

Thursday - Nature of Man and Society

The action point is to identify the socially supreme sphere in the US and how it affects me. I’m assuming this is Capitalism. I’m sure it impacts me, I just don’t know from a technical and studied perspective. I have been given opportunities to make my own money and others have taken my money for services or goods.

Yesterday - Profit’s Function

The action point is to insure we are investing in innovation to prepare for the day when profitable business becomes obsolete. Out with the old and in with the new. I feel I’ve always operated in a way that pushes the boundaries on things. I’ve done that in my career and I’m now doing it in management. I am pushing the status quo and trying to discover what’s effective and what is not.

Today - Economics as a Social Dimension

The action point is to take time to identify how strategic or budget decisions being made are going to impact the people in an organization. I have neither of these responsibilities. Maybe I have some strategic decisions. Otherwise my area of influence is my team. I’d like to think that I take their impact into account.