Pause Blog On Overload, Overwhelm & Life In General

REFLECTION: Love Leadership. It’s an odd juxtaposition of words not commonly paired together. And, no, it doesn’t describe how to take the lead in improving life with your significant other. Love Leadership – What The World Needs Now is the title of a book on organizational leadership authored by Gregg Cochlan. 

In short, Gregg’s message is that in contrast to the old-style command and control style of leadership, letting colleagues know they are loved and cared for is a major step towards driving fearfulness out of the workplace. When fearfulness ‘leaves the building’, people no longer tremble in the corner or cower in their boots, preoccupied with assuring their own safety. Instead, they face challenges and step forward with confidence. As a result, performance, engagement, and satisfaction grow significantly. Read More…

Posted under Life in General, Pause E-zines

These snow men and women sprang to life many miles from each other. Still, they share the same DNA and an indefatigable spirit of playfulness.

We encountered this Snow Siren in Vancouver in January. She was just barely hanging on to her dignity in the face of the rising west coast temperatures.

This couple proudly greets passersby here on Saskatoon’s Seventh Avenue.

Clearly a couple of characters out for a good time!

Posted under Life in General, Miscellaneous, Travel

REFLECTION: A recent survey of 956 employed Canadians commissioned by ADP and conducted by Environics found that one in five Canadians are working harder than ever, skipping lunch, and putting in longer hours just to keep up. 

The survey also found that four in ten employees, who are putting in extra hours but not being compensated, are finding creative ways to reward themselves: leaving early, working at a more leisurely pace, faking being sick, taking longer lunch breaks, arriving late, etc. The survey calls these behaviors self-remuneration. 

I firmly believe that finding ways to take care of ourselves in the midst of the busyness is a healthy approach at any time. I call that self-preservation. That said, I’m neither a supporter nor advocate of lies and deception – like faking illness or taking advantage. 

Still, sometimes all may not be as it seems. Read More…

Posted under Life Balance, Overload & Overwhelm, Pause E-zines

A large number of readers replied to last week’s Pause message titled, Risky Business. There were many thoughtful comments on how to handle the situation between the ‘reluctant to speak up’ employee and the procrastinating boss. Read on for a sampling of the replies, and feel free to add your own comments in response.

***

D writes: I wish more people would speak up! Working in HR, I see that so many situations could be made better if the person with a concern/issue/problem would put away the fears (often unnecessary fears) and talk to the ‘offender’. I am outspoken about being outspoken – it has served me well!

***

J writes:  I believe there may be another issue here. It sounds as though the boss is a bully and deliberately leaves things until the last minute and because the employee is too fearful of losing her job, says nothing and does the work.

I too work with an individual who has “bully-like” qualities. I have found that standing up to that person and saying that I am not taking it any more has worked. This individual is far from being the boss, but because no one wants to do her job and previous bosses have let her get away with things she has turned into to a bully whom most co-workers tiptoe around so as not to arouse her ire. Read More…

Posted under Life Balance, Overload & Overwhelm

REFLECTION: In a recent discussion about the ins and outs of working with colleagues, one individual described her frustration with the delegation habits of her boss. 

The boss is a bona-fide procrastinator who seems spurred into action only by an imminent deadline, or the end of the week. When 3:00 on Friday afternoon rolls around, he is suddenly inspired to churn his way through the paperwork before the weekend arrives. And, of course, the fallout from his frenzy of activity lands on his assistant’s desk just minutes before closing time – often accompanied by urgent requests that things go out before the weekend. As a result she ends up staying late on Fridays to handle these last minute tasks.

To say the assistant is growing tired of the game is an understatement. Her frustration level is high, but apparently not quite as high as her level of fearfulness. Read More…

Posted under Life Balance, Overload & Overwhelm, Pause E-zines

A few weeks ago, I posted to the blog a painting of the gondolas in the Grand Canal of Venice, inspired by a photo that I took from the vaporetto on the day of our arrival in the magic city.

If you’re interested in art, yourself, you might enjoy the backstory in the process of transforming the inspiration into a final product.

So, here are three images that tell the tale.

Firstly, the original photo snapped from the vaporetto as we floated our way towards our hotel.

Secondly, the pencil values sketch in black and white and shades of grey that I used to rough out a more edited composition and to work out the relative values of the darks and lights.

Thirdly, the final product – which of course contains a few surprises and diversions that unfolded as the paint went on the paper.

Posted under Artwork, Travel

REFLECTION: Andrew Cawood, the CIO at Neilsen (the multinational marketing, trend tracking company) started the new year with a burr under his saddle (or a bug in his bonnet) over the efficiency-sapping impact of the Reply All email function. So determined is Cawood to shape up the email misbehaviour of Neilsen employees that he has order the Reply All function to be eliminated from the company’s Outlook software.

Now, most of us have been victims at one time or another of the over zealous copying of messages –  reluctant recipients of missives in which we had little or no interest whatsoever. Still, as tempted as I am to cheer Cawood’s decisive declaration, I doubt whether it will be all that effective.

After all, even without the Reply All option, misguided thoughtless souls can easily continue to torment others by adding them to Distribution Lists and popping the group addresses into the cc or bcc line of the message. For better or for worse, there are always fixes and work-arounds. Read More…

Posted under Overload & Overwhelm, Pause E-zines

This will be the fourth year that I’ve contributed a painting to the Women’s Mid-Life Health Centre fund raising art auction. Dr. Vicki Holmes and her colleagues do a wonderful job of delivering mid-life women’s health services all year round; and the art auction committee delivers a lively annual event and an incredible selection of art.

This year’s auction is scheduled for Saturday, April 4th. If you’re in the Saskatoon area, be sure to check it out.

What you see here is a preview of my 2009 contribution: The Sun Seekers. It’s a bit of a departure from my usual style. Read on for the backstory to the painting…. Read More…

Posted under Artwork, Life in General, Miscellaneous