Category: Blog
Don’t be an elephant!
I recently heard an excellent story told by Dave Ramsey on his podcast, EntreLeadership. The message sparked a profound awakening in me and my hope is that it does the same for you. It went something like this…
You know how circuses tame a baby elephant?
They drive a “giant” metal stake deep into the ground with an “enormous” chain from it tied to the elephant’s ankle. The infant mammal fights with all her might until eventually coming to an understanding that she cannot free herself. Soon enough a mindset formulates, she accepts the situation, and no longer attempts moving the stake.
You know how they restrain her years later as a full grown, mighty adult?
They drive a “little” steak into the ground with a “tiny” rope from it tied to the elephant’s ankle. Ironically, she chooses not to move. Why? The only thing holding this 10,000-pound mammal back is her belief in the past.
The reality is that many of us err on the side of perceived limitations, those that aren’t necessarily real. Like the elephant in the story, we become immobile by past beliefs or at least they constrain us in some way. By believing them, of what we can and cannot do, we become blind to future possibilities. In doing so we impoverish our full potential.
Ask yourself, “What confines am I imposing on myself at work…are they real or just made up?”
Evaluate the story you might be telling yourself about goals. Then shatter any limited beliefs that are holding you back. The story of the elephant reminded me, and hopefully you, that we are confined only by the walls we build ourselves.
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
You don’t know what you’re missing!
Written by Cindy M., Recruiter & Assistant Team Manager – JFC Workforce
Prior to my current work family I spent six years in the insurance industry as a case manager. In that period of time I learned many things but was never ‘formally’ introduced to the concept of professional development. After my time in the insurance industry I was hired by JFC Workforce. It was a foreign world and industry to me however I was excited to embark on a different path. That was three years ago and “wow” was I in for an awakening.
It was at JFC where I was propelled into being a student of deliberate learning; not just about the industry but also about myself. It was a pivotal moment where professional development was infused into my mindset.
From the very first day, heck the very first hour, it was apparent that my employer genuinely cared about my personal and professional growth. Several of the VP’s spent one on one time with me and welcomed me to the team. The CEO even spent time to learn about me and explain the vision and culture. It was quite surreal. It was also during those first few encounters that it sunk in…”I had gained a second family, my JFC family.”
I was dedicated to their philosophy of pursuing my better self and it was noticed. Most recently I was selected for JFC’s Professional Development program – when each year a select few team members are entrenched in executive mentoring, consultation, coaching, as well as lesson study, and of course, team building activities.
So what did I learn?
I was introduced to the topic of Emotional Intelligence and the “why” behind it. If you have never heard of this, I urge you to look it up. Emotional Intelligence, or EQ, is critical to self development.
Here is the essence of EQ:
- Self-awareness – Your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen. This includes keeping you on top of how you ten to respond to specific situations and certain people.
- Self-Management – Your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behavior. This means managing your emotional reactions to all situations and people.
- Social Competence – The combination of your social awareness and relationship management skills. It’s more about how you are with other people.
- Social Awareness – Your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and get what is really going on. This often means understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, even if you don’t feel the same way.
- Relationship Management – Your ability to use aware of your emotions and the emotions of others to manage interactions successfully. Letting emotional awareness guide clear communication and effective handling of conflict.
Now I know what professional development really means…
Throughout my tenure at JFC I have been pushed to grow, to develop myself as a person. Most surprising to me was that learning doesn’t have to feel like work. When done right, it is very energizing!
It also does not need to be in a formal setting, like a classroom. Sometimes it is as simple as getting together with a group of colleagues to share experiences and provide support .
I imagine not many employees of other organizations can say the same. After all, what have you learned this past month, week, day?
“Big Brother” meets “Undercover Boss”
Imagine if a reality TV crew followed us around for an entire work week. Think “Big Brother” meets “Undercover Boss.” What would they see?
While many of us think that we are 100% effective at work, the truth is that we allow distractions to creep into our routines. We create busyness such as checking our handheld devices, checking Facebook, browsing websites for irrelevant articles, and so on. Busyness is not effectiveness; and it certainly will not bring us closer to achieving our best.
Effectiveness is about managing your priorities, not time, so to work smarter rather than harder. It is finding methods to be more productive in less time. It is how much you get out of an hour as opposed to how many hours you spend. As business guru John C. Maxwell says, “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.”
But what about all the unplanned interruptions? Admittedly you cannot eliminate interruptions. On the contrary, you do get a say on how much time you will spend on them. It is in your power to decide what gets your time and attention and how much of it.
I think it safe to say that all of us could benefit from tweaking at least a few of our daily activities to become more effective. It’s time to remove any self-sabotage or self-limitation you have around “not having enough time.” Prioritize and schedule your work week for maximum impact, develop and maintain focus, and motivate yourself to achieve extraordinary things!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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