Friday Reflections

What Is This Life If Full of Care

WHAT is this life if, full of care,

 

 

We have no time to stand and stare?

  

 

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

 

And stare as long as sheep and cows:

 

No time to see, when woods we pass,

 

 

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

 

No time to see, in broad daylight,

 

 

Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

 

 

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

 

And watch her feet, how they can dance

 

 

No time to wait till her mouth can

 

Enrich that smile her eyes began?

  

A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

Pictures are from my recent visit to Yellowstone.

The poem to describe these pictures is :Leisure by W.H. Davies

Reflection: Many a times a picture looks more beautiful than the place but when the place looks more beautiful than it’s picture than one experiences nature at it’s ultimate.

The Merry Go Round

POINT TO PONDER

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. 

                                                - Wayne Dyer

STORY LINE

Early on in my time here in the US I met a man, let's call him Sonny, that offered me a job working at his convenience store during the graveyard shift. We had mutual friends so I thought this would be an ideal situation and I trusted Sonny as he was also an immigrant to this country, though he had been here longer.

    When I arrived for my first day of work, I was excited, but it seemed Sonny was in a rush. There was a party he was intent on making and when I arrived he handed me the keys to the store. I asked him what I was supposed to do and he told me to figure it out as he needed to get going. Something struck me as a bit odd but I was determined to roll with the punches. But before I took over I asked a simple question we hadn't addressed - how payment was being made for the work. 

    Sonny mentioned that there was a "trial" period in the US where people work for no money for the first three weeks and then are evaluated based on their performance. If I did a satisfactory job, then my pay would kick in. This was a huge red flag to me. I may have been new to the country but I knew that the wonderful thing about the US was that you got paid for the work you did. There was no "trial" period that Sonny was claiming. 

    When I pointed this out, Sonny became angry. I, in turn, decided to leave. Sonny said he needed to make his party, which was at a mutual friend's house, and I told him that I'd go over to the party and let them know he wouldn't be able to make it. 

    Fast forward years later and I was working at a high tech company where I was a part of the hiring process. One day we were waiting to interview a potential candidate and guess who walks in? Yes, Sonny. I look at him and his face sinks. And for a second, I have the fleeting thought of giving him some grief, making the interview as difficult and embarrassing for him as I can. 

    My boss picks up on the change in my demeanor and in Sonny's visage. My boss observes that it seems that Sonny and I know each other. I say I do. Sonny shrinks further. I take a moment to just stare at him, at this odd twist of fate that has brought us together again. Finally, I tell my boss that it might not be the best idea for me to be involved in the interview and that someone else should take over for me. In the end, I didn't want to extend someone else any heartache. What was done was done and it was on Sonny to own up to his mistakes. It wasn't my place to enforce punishment. 

 

REFLECTION

    That was not the last time I saw Sonny either. I would periodically run into him at my daughter's high school cologuard team events. It turns out by some odd twist of fate, that Sonny's daughter went to the same high school and was on the same colorguard team. I would smile and wave from the bleachers to him and he would wave back sheepishly and find a new place to sit, far away from me. I would see him at parties thrown by mutual friends years later.  

    What you do to people, even on the smallest scale, resonates. Even in small ripples, there is a cause and effect. And those feelings you leave with people are as strong as diamonds. And like a diamond, they are often forever. People don't forget. 

    This isn't a cautionary tale meant to point out an unpleasant experience but as an encouragement to treat others kindly, regardless of position or finanacial status. Maybe a little good can go a long way on this merry go round we call life. 

It's Gonna Take Time

POINT TO PONDER

“Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown”

                                                                – Soren Kierkegaard

 

STORY LINE by David Hightower

This week the world witnessed the end of an era. After 27 seasons at the helm of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, the most legendary manager of all time, decided to hang up his boots and call it quits. And he did so in style by going out on top, raising the Premier League Trophy for the 13th and final time. He had, in fact, accomplished “the impossible dream."

When Ferguson was appointed manager for Manchester United in 1986 no one could have foreseen how much he would accomplish in his illustrious career. In fact, his time as manager for United was almost over before it ever began. It is widely acknowledged that Fergie was about to be fired before he won his first trophy in 1990, the FA Cup. Fortunately the club had the foresight and the patience to let him work his magic, because that trophy was only the beginning… Sir Alex would go on to become the most decorated manager in sports history.

Over his 27 seasons in charge of the Red Devils SAF won a total of 38 trophies:

• 13 Premier League Titles
• 5 FA Cups
• 4 League Cups
• 10 Community Shields
• 2 Champions League Titles
• 1 European Cup Winners Cup
• 1 European Super Cup
• 1 Intercontinental Cup
• 1 FIFA Club World Cup

 

REFLECTION

Unfortunately, the modern era has witnessed the trend toward short term thinking where managers, CEO’s, and politicians seem to be tossed by the wayside if they don’t achieve immediate results. What people fail to grasp is that it takes time to sow the seeds of success. And sometimes, things have to become more difficult before they become easier. That is exactly what made Sir Alex such a brilliant manager. He understood the importance of long-term preparation and planning. Instead of focusing on winning in the immediate future, Ferguson concentrated on developing the youth program for the long haul. And boy did it pay dividends. Year after year. He obviously shared the philosophy of the late great Beatle George Harrison, “It’s gonna take time, a whole lot of patience and time… to do it right!”

"I Make the Difference" Happy Administrative Assistants Day

Remember the people who are instrumental in your and your organization’s success. A sincere and timely appreciation goes a long way. 

POINT TO PONDER

Arnold Bennett, the British novelist, had a publisher who boasted about the extraordinary efficiency of his secretary. One day while visiting the publisher's office, Bennett asked her: "Your boss claims you're extremely efficient. What's your secret?" 

"It's not my secret," said the secretary, "it's his." Each time she did something for him, no matter how insignificant, she explained, he never failed to acknowledge and appreciate it. Because of this, she took infinite pains with her work.

STORY LINE: I MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

In the early 1990s, while looking for a source of supply for our new design, I visited a potential supplier in Mountain View, California. As I entered the lobby and went to the receptionist to announce my arrival and register for entry inside the building, something on her desk caught my eye. It was a plaque that stated, “I make the difference.”

Soon after, when our host escorted us into the building, I noticed again that the secretary of a CEO also had the plaque on her desk stating, “I make the difference.” Somehow, I could not get those images out of my mind and spent the drive back thinking, “Do they really make the difference?”

Secretaries, receptionists and many other administrative employees are the first line of defense or offense, whichever way one wants to call it, when external people call or visit your company. In many cases, they create the first impression about your company, your organization and your team.

Administrative assistants keep office logistics in order and keep things organized. This allows other people to focus on their core jobs without interruptions.

I remembered what one great leader had told me in my early age, “They are the backbones of your organization. Having a good administrative assistant is having a big asset in your portfolio.” 
 

So remember these people behind the scene. What they do makes the big difference.

REFLECTION
 

In the first year in Industry in 1983, during one emergency need, my boss asked me to hand carry a purchase order all the way through management ranks for signatures. That was my first exposure to the hierarchy of organizations.

My curious nature caught on to two interesting learnings through that expedition…. The higher up I went in the chain, I noticed that the offices looked very organized. Further research revealed that the higher-ups had very good administrative assistants and they relied, or in other words, depended, heavily on them to manage daily office logistics. Yes, they do make the difference.

What Do You See?

POINT TO PONDER

If the doors to perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. 

                                - William Blake

STORY LINE by Rajiv Shah

I'm currently reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven J. Covey. The early chapters outline a test that was conducted involving the picture below that I found interesting:

The chosen subjects were asked what they saw. Half argued that they saw an old woman in her last days. Asked if they saw anything else, their response was overwhelming "no."

Much in the same way the other half of the group concluded that they saw a beautiful young lady, possibly a cabaret performer in the prime of her life. Asked again if they could see anything besides the young lady, their response was also a resolute "no." 

Both sides were sure as to what they saw in the picture and believed there was nothing else to the drawing. Which group was right? 

In fact, if you look closely, both groups are correct. An old woman and young lady both do exist in the same image. 

REFLECTION

How many times do we look at a problem or situation in life and accept our view as the only one? Perhaps there is often more than one answer? And maybe we can find that there is more than one point of view that is correct.