Category: Blog
Separation: It’s good for problem solving
It turns out that the advice Dr. Leo Marvin (Richard Dreyfuss) gave Bob Wiley (Bill Murray) in the 1991 hit movie “What about Bob?” was more than the premise of a funny movie. In the comedy, therapist Dr. Marvin tells patient Bob Wiley to “take a vacation from his problems”.
And sure enough while on vacation Wiley finds the answers to his greatest problems.
We have all been stumped by a problem at work that seemingly has no answer to it. In that moment we conclude that we have approached it from every angle, and yet there is no apparent solution.
During those pressure cooker moments, we find ourselves in the weeds – no longer seeing the forest through the trees. Our minds become hyper focused on what’s in front of us and begin to shut down. We tell ourselves, “I will just work longer nights at the office…or…I can cut out my morning walks and come in earlier.”
More often than not, this is the wrong approach.
Our professional lives are routinely interrupted by extraordinary challenges; those by which we no longer see light at the end of the tunnel. It seems counter-intuitive but this is when you should create space and distance yourself from the problem. Don’t take it from me, take it from NASA.
In 1993 NASA suffered extra pressure and great stress when the Hubble Space Telescope broke down. They faced a daunting task of figuring out how to go up in space and fix the distorted mirror inside the telescope. For months the brightest minds in NASA couldn’t identify a solution.
Then one day NASA engineer, Jim Crocker, was taking a shower in a hotel and noticed how the shower head was mounted on adjustable rods with folding arms. Eureka! The answer did not appear while working late hours in the lab. It occurred when Jim was in the shower on vacation, when he created space (no pun intended) from the perplexity of his problem.
Why does creating space work?
Your brain is like any muscle in your body. Imagine lifting weights multiple times per week but only on biceps. Doing so will surely strain and fatigue those muscles. Thus, when you are consumed by constantly tackling the same challenge at work, you actually lose mental energy needed to identify solutions. This is when it’s time to create space!
Let me be perfectly clear. I am not suggesting you kick the can down the road and embrace avoidance. That will simply create additional problems. But like Bob Wiley, or Jim Crocker, you may find answers to your greatest problem when you take a vacation from the problem.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
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What Really is Professional Development?
This month’s blog was written by Will Richard of the JFC family. A little about his military service: 4 years in the Army with a year tour in Iraq, Rank: Sergeant, Company: 756th EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), MOS/Job: EOD/Bomb Squad
The term “professional development” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. In its simplest form, it is the continual process of acquiring new skills and knowledge as it applies to their career. It requires turning your focus inward to self-reflect and take an honest appraisal of yourself.
How will you pursue your better self?
So many of us are not deliberate or intentional about our own professional development. Maybe it’s fear, maybe its complacency, or a little of both. No matter what the reason(s), all are unacceptable. Rather than go with the flow we should routinely stretch our boundaries and push out of our comfort zone.
Legendary leadership guru, John Maxwell, said it best, “The smallest crowd you will ever lead is you – but it’s the most important one. The first person we must examine is ourselves. If you don’t look at yourself realistically, you will never understand where your personal difficulties lie. And if you can’t see them, you won’t be able to lead yourself effectively.”
My personal advice…focus on the present. Don’t put off today what you should have started yesterday. Do something today that your future self will thank you for. When you’re constantly focused on the future you’re actually much less productive in the current moment. No one can control the future BUT what you do today will influence it.
My personal request…take action and repeat. When was the last time you read a book about professional development? When was the last time you listened to a Podcast for learning? When was the last time you sought out a mentor? How about video TedTalks?
Discover untapped abilities by working toward your full potential; never stop growing into your better self. Be a driving force that contributes to your future self!
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
The greatest compliment I can receive is a referral from readers. Please SHARE my blog with your network. Thanks for not keeping us a secret!
Follow me on Twitter @JimCarchidi
@ Work, How Do You Create Space?
In 1993 NASA suffered extra pressure and great stress when the Hubble Space Telescope broke down. They faced a daunting task of figuring out how to go up in space and fix the distorted mirror inside the telescope. For months the brightest minds in NASA couldn’t identify a solution.
Then one day NASA engineer, Jim Crocker, was taking a shower in a hotel and noticed how the shower head was mounted on adjustable rods with folding arms. Eureka! The answer did not appear while working late hours in the lab. It occurred when Jim was in the shower on vacation, when he created space (no pun intended) from the perplexity of his problem.
Creating space allows our minds to process thoughts more freely and creatively. Heck, Newton discovered gravity when sitting under an apple tree. It requires purposeful separation from the typical problem solving environment in order to let your thoughts move more freely. It happens when thinking on a problem while out for a stroll, riding a bike, or sitting out in nature (under an apple tree).
Why does creating space work? Your brain is like any muscle in your body. Imagine lifting weights multiple times per week but only on biceps. Doing so will surely strain and fatigue those muscles. Thus, when you are consumed by constantly tackling the same challenge at work, you actually lose mental energy needed to identify solutions. This is when it’s time to create space!
June is the halfway mark. You are six months into 2016. Are you where you should be? Are you where you want to be? Take time, create space, and allow deep thought to happen. The goal is not to be perfect – it is just to be better than before.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
The greatest compliment I can receive is a referral from readers. Please SHARE my blog with your network. Thanks for not keeping us a secret!
Follow me on Twitter @JimCarchidi
Vulnerability & Professional Development
What does Professional Development mean to me…
By Jen Silvetti, JFC Workforce Branch Manager
Honestly- I didn’t know what it was until I started working at JFC. Every other job previously was just that, a job. I showed up on time every day and worked to the best of my ability. Not until I joined the JFC work family did my professional and personal worlds collide so drastically.
The World Needs Less Managers: More Coaches
The Coaching Management Philosophy:
In this new edition of the Vistage podcast series, Vistage member Dave Nelsen interviews Jim Carchidi, the CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of JFC Staffing Companies, a direct hire and temporary placement company. JFC Staffing Companies was originally started by Jim’s parents, who built it from the ground up, and passed it onto Jim. In this discussion, they talk about what makes a good leader and a positive work environment during a time when there are high levels of employee dissatisfaction.
WWII POW & Choice: Lesson Learned
How did you reflect on memorial day?
Thanks to the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country, we are granted freedom. Unfortunately, far too many of us never fully appreciate and leverage our single greatest freedom: choice.
Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor says, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Now imagine it is World War II and you survived a horrific plane crash, followed by a seven-week journey across the Pacific in a raft only to face near starvation and unspeakable torture in Japanese POW camps. This is the true story of Louis “Louie” Zamperini. His tale is one of those that would be dismissed as fiction if it was not known to be true.
When all of his extrinsic freedoms were taken away he relied on his greatest intrinsic one, choice of mindset. Rather than choose victimhood, and of all circumstances this would seem acceptable, he focused on a future of possibilities. His positive mindset not only saved his own life but that of countless other POW’s.
You might recognize this story. Angelina Jolie did a movie on his remarkable survival called, “Unbroken.”
As you enjoy the start of your summer, remember our armed servicemen/women, and your freedom of choice in mindset. It is the most powerful of all our freedoms.
Silly Jimmy
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPoEuaztHVs?rel=0&wmode=transparent]
Lesson Learned: Pivotal Life Moment
What are you waiting for?
I will never forget the date – Tuesday April 26th. It was 6:30am and we are at Pinnacle surgery center. Our six-year-old daughter lays on a gurney with wires all over her little body. The doctor enters our room and says, “we’re ready.”
We placed a kiss on her little forehead before they rolled her out of the room and down the hall. Back out to the lobby. There we sat, among other anxious parents, awaiting our names to be called, signifying the procedure was over.
I’ve never, ever experienced such a tense feeling; seconds passed more like hours. Things were in slow motion but for the million thoughts racing through my head. You could hear a pin drop in the waiting room. It’s as if my mind had hit a pause button, freezing the moment in time.
Then an epiphany hit me like a freight train. A quote from John Maxwell consumed my thought process – “Time is an equal opportunity employer; everybody gets 24 hours a day, no more, no less – but not everybody gets the same return on their 24 hours.” How true this is.
Fortunately for us, our daughter’s surgery was minor and her results came back clear. The experience however, put us in deep reflection – for our own little family and the other families at the surgery center. We ought to be, must be, more mindful of how we prioritize (not manage) the precious gift of time.
Reflecting on this experience I realized how minor setbacks seemingly are big deals. Then a “real” setback hits and reality sinks in. Never wait for a low point to remind you of the great life you routinely live. Always be grateful. Savor the regular days – don’t wait for the irregular ones to reveal how lucky you have it.
Make today and everyday your masterpiece!
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
The greatest compliment I can receive is a referral from readers. Please SHARE my blog with your network. Thanks for not keeping us a secret!
Follow me on Twitter @JimCarchidi
OSHA doesn’t enforce psychological safety…
OSHA may not audit your organization’s psychological safety but you most definitely should!
This is 
what makes teams succeed or fail. It’s not member intellect, commonalities or diversity. The dynamics of a team and the environment will vary but everyone must feel a sense of psychological safety.
What is this?
It is whether members feel they can trust each other, that honest conversations can take place without fear of retribution.
Each teammate must have a seat at the table and an equal voice. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to be decision by consensus – each person does not have an equal vote. An equal voice means that each teammate has opportunity to shape the greater team’s decisions and outcomes.
While this typically begins with the team leader, any teammate can take the reigns of psychological safety. After all, as John C Maxwell once said, “The smallest crowd you will ever lead is YOU…but it’s the most important one.” By demonstrating the above mentioned behaviors you can influence others on the team. No matter your rank/title, think about what message your behavior might send.
Practice active listening…demonstrate sensitivity to what others think and feel…and harness self-awareness. Pretty soon you will begin to witness psychological safety in action and the success of your team blossom!
Disclaimer: Psychological safety might be less efficient in the
short run (allowing everyone to weigh in) but it is far more productive in the long run (members will be committed to the group). Remember, few worthwhile things in life come quickly.
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.
The greatest compliment I can receive is a referral from readers. Please SHARE my blog with your network. Thanks for not keeping us a secret!
Follow me on Twitter @JimCarchidi
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