Threenager indeed.

So it's not just my three year old!

1. You live in constant fear of how to cut the shape of their sandwich or toast. Do they want triangles today, rectangles, squares? And when they do tell you, they change their mind right after you cut it.
2. They say things like (with hands firmly placed on hips), "I don't want to clean up, I want to do what I want to do!"
3. You go through three or more wardrobe changes a day. Please just pick a princess already!
4. Your child goes boneless the second you remind them that a transition is coming, especially when they are asked to stop playing. By the way, when was this ability given to children? You know, lay limp and double your body weight so mom can't move you. It's a talent reminiscent of a possum playing dead...
5. They run away from you when it's time to get dressed, or leave a play place, or do anything they deem unnecessary. In fact running away from you is their favorite activity. (Cardio workout?)
6. To nap or not to nap, that is the question. A threenager's answer will always be emphatically "NO!" Unless of course it's time for school, and they crawl into bed because they're "tired."
7. They want three of everything because they are three.
8. At red lights they yell, "Go... GOOO!" Threenagers do not possess patience.
9. peaking of the car, you have to leave 10 minutes earlier so they can buckle their own car seat by their "OWN SELF!"
10. You realize they'll be a great trial lawyer one day when they've just negotiated their way out of a timeout.

Bad CEOs, bad boards, bad investors, or what?

As I read this article about bad CEOs I noted a repeating theme of the CEO being let go "too late" to save the company.

I have no reason to doubt the CEO quality level assertion. What I don't understand is where were the boards of directors? If a CEO is driving a company off the rails, toward a cliff for years and years, one would hope the board-- even one hand picked by the CEO-- would step up and do something about it.

Where were these board members? Shouldn't they have acted sooner to save these companies? Did they implicitly endorse the behaviours and actions of the CEO by not providing boundaries or feedback on direction?

Of course, then you have the other end of the spectrum where activist investors who push their own short term perspective. This guy might be good for shareholder ROI but he probably terrible for users and employees. Dude, I get that you want an ROI but there are people behind those numbers in your ROI spreadsheets. If an activist investor like this elects a board that then shreds the company, I guess then it's the fault of the owners who elected the board in the first place, no?

Job Searches

There's a sizzle in the air. If you pay attention to the news, you know the economy has made a turn for the better. We're not at full employment by any means but there are jobs to be had.

If I were looking for a corporate job, I'd be going one by one through a list to top employers in my area.

Leadership and Management

Someone asked me what kind of leader-- tactical, strategic, a few other options I don't recall-- I thought I might be. I'm a little ashamed to say I tanked the question.

I am adept at ignoring the premise(s) of a question. But in this case I really wanted to answer the question because I'm struggling to build a relationship after an involuntary re-org. That requires being genuine. I'm trying here.

I think I stumbled because the question made no sense from my point of view.

First off, I am a leader now. I don't need authority to lead. The question sort of conflated leadership and management which are two different but related things.

Second, I can't imagine being just one kind of leader. A team is made up of a leaders and team-mates and the relationships between them different people have different needs and motivations. Every relationship is different so managing that person is different and specific to that relationship. There is also an unrelated diplomatic function a leader must carry out when interfacing with outsiders as well as a somewhat related role of being the face of the team up the direct chain of command.

If I had the chance to answer the question again I'd say, "I think a good leader has to have and utilize all the tools you listed and more. The trick is to know which to use when. Even when making a tactical decision one must keep strategic implications in mind and vice-versa."

Name Dropping is Cheating

This Name Dropping is Cheating article strongly resonated with me.

"<insert big wig name here> wants this." is something everyone in a large hierarchical organization has heard. And you know what? It really is a lazy short cut. The command and control management style that seems to go hand in hand with this method of getting things done doesn't really doesn't allow for collaboration or improvement on an idea. This method also seems to be frequently utilized by those who take credit for getting stuff done but somehow forget to share that credit with those who actually did the work.

Look, there will always be exceptions because emergencies happen and that's OK. In that case tell me what got screwed up and how my getting task X done ASAP will bail us all out. I will do my best to make that happen.

But if you want my best in the normal course of work, I need to know the goals of the mission as well as the task requested. If you project command and control power at me to get a task done I will get that task done. However, if you work with me on developing an idea or goal I promise the final result will be superior. Even if you work with me just a little bit and put the requirement in context. Building something in a vacuum results in an inferior product or service and I resent people who prevent me from doing my best work. I like to exceed expectations.

But how to respond as an individual contributor in a way that doesn't offend but does nudge the name dropper in a more productive direction... how about something along the lines of, "That's great! We are happy to help meet <exec>'s goals if we can. Can you share the vision for this project?" I welcome other ideas.

Maybe I'm being a self important prima donna here but I don't think so. I think most managers and executives would want an idea understood, examined and improved at every step of the process.

Besides, do you think the big wigs want people running around using their names? It reminds me of this line from Charlie Wilson's War, "...I'd appreciate it if you didn't throw my name around quite so much, because from time to time I use it myself and I need it in good condition."

Full of Crap

Headline reads, "Dick Cheney blasts interrogation report, says it's 'full of crap'". I can't help but feel there's a good joke in there-- something along the lines of "takes one to know one"... I just can't seem to pull it together.

Happiness and Health

My takeaway? Happiness through service to others makes you healthier. Gene expression is different in a way that literally makes for improved health if the source of happiness is a deep sense of purpose and well being. The presser identifies inflammation and the immune system specifically.

It seems to me this is something many folks instinctively believe but I think the world would be a better place if more consciously understood. Want to be healthier? Do something nice or needed for someone else. Even if it doesn't work, what's the down side?

It caught my eye that "The research was supported by National Institutes of Health grants R01NR012899, R01CA116778 and P30AG107265." So, thank you USA tax payers for funding this research in Psychoneuroimmunology.

Also thanks to LinkedIn influencer Deepak Chopra for passing this along. But dude, how fulfilling would it be if you include a link to the original press release from which you or, more likely, your staff apparently cribbed?