Learning

I focus more on learning than on teaching.

I believe it is my responsibility to learn.

The organizations I work for may help me:
a) by telling me what I need to learn to be more valuable.
b) by creating an environment that makes learning easier for me.
c) by allowing access to organizational knowledge (people and documents).

But at the end of the day, like I said ...
It is my responsibility to learn.

Fungus

Esteem

Lets suppose that...
1. My self esteem is an indicator of how well I am doing.
2. I am doing well if I add value to my community.

My self esteem can be expressed as the quotient of the value I have added to the community divided by the value that I reckon I should have added. If I am as good as I can be, my self esteem is 1.00 (or 100%). If I did not make my best effort to prepare my class, then my self esteem is hurt, and I may get 0.95.

Self esteem (aka conscience) is the measure of what I do compared with what I should do.
Subjective? You bet!

If my Project-to-Live includes respecting others, and I don't respect them, my self esteem lowers.

The late Mr. Alphonse Capone's Plan-to-Live included zero tolerance for people who did not pay on time. Late payments would have affected his Plan to Live, and his self respect (and his self esteem) would have lowered.

Fungus

Kindly refrain

In a recent conversation, a good friend suggested that if we carried one random act of kindness, the result would be wonderful, and it set me going ...

Somehow, this idea of kindness seems to me to be less than it takes. Also, the idea of acting randomly, when we are equipped to act intelligently does not make much sense.

Kindness does not happen among equals.
It's done towards the weak, the poor, the lower chastes. The lord may be kind to the serf, but the serf cannot be kind to the lord.

I suggest that we should carry all our actions with respect. And be consistently kind to our pets, baby seals and whales.
That would not bring Heaven on Earth, but would make for healthier communities. Which is the reward I would expect.

Fungus

Loyalty

My problem with loyalty, as with so many other grand words is that I don't know what it means.

I wouldn't know loyalty if you brought it to me on a silver plate with watercress around it. Is it the same as self sacrifice? Is it being able to keep one's word without Big Brother watching? Is it the will to take care of your master's property as if it was your own?

You are not loyal in a vacuum, you are loyal to your master because that is the best way to promote your own interest. (And since you cannot serve two masters, sometimes you have to decide.)

If I understood A Man for All Seasons, loyalty is a word invented by the feudal lords (including kings) to exert control over their vassals. Loyalty had to be sworn, and the violation of loyalty (treason) was severely punished.

If I understood the Da Vinci Code, loyalty is a word adopted by the medieval guilds (including Templars and Masons) to exert control over their members. Loyalty had to be sworn, and the violation of loyalty (defection) was severely punished.

I also saw The Godfather...

Loyalty is not something that you can see, weigh or measure. It is a way you act towards something... for your own reasons.

If your organization's vision and mission are reasonably aligned with your own purpose in life, then you are loyal to your organization, and a good thing too.

Others, go through the motions of work motivated by spurs, reins, carrots and sticks.

Fungus

Management

I am a dreamer and an optimist.

I believe that people get organized to accomplish more together, than what they could do by working alone.

Under the old rule, there were overlords and underlings. The ones told the others what to do, and if the underlings did not produce enough output, they applied motivation with carrots and sticks.

The Lord of Human Resources (one of the minor lords) was responsible for the acquisition of new vassals (recruiting), to keep them motivated (frightened and hungry) and to make sure that Human Rights were not noticeably violated.

Under the new way, people get organized to accomplish more together than what they could do by working alone. Their shared goal is to serve the customer and the community. Their way is based on collaboration, synergy, truth and trust.

It is still early to say what the role of "Human Resources" will be in the new order. In any case, it is clear that humans are not resources or goods to be used by a boss.

I suggest that the Lords of HR should foster an environment where humans can develop their competencies and take their responsibilities for the common good.

Thomas More, Douglas McGregor, Abraham Maslow, Joseph Juran and W. Edwards Deming have said it before, and much better than I can say it.

Fungus

Purpose (shared)

Let's suppose that you want to help an individual to self-develop in a multi-task technical environment (program or portfolio oriented), while he gets the results you want. Let's also suppose that the results you want are productivity, quality and volume. Now try this question: Why would the individual want to produce more volume with higher quality? In case he wants to do it, it will probably not be for your reasons, but for his reasons. So... telling him what you want may not be enough. You know what you want, why don't you ask him what he wants? Ask him about his own goals. And in doing so, show him that you care and you want to help him meet his goals, as they are consistent with yours. (win win) Fungus

Motivation

Long term vision keeps me up when I feel down.

I know what I want, and I know I'll never reach it. I like to feel that I am moving forward. "The wind in my face".

That's why I keep going. I try to laugh at my mistakes. That way I change my mind to a different level (as in Einstein's famous quote) and perceive the obvious opportunities.

After that, it's a "Just do it".

Fungus