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Archive for July, 2012
English: Stephen Covey at the FMI Show, Palestrante on June 22, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
On Monday, July 16, 2012, Stephen Covey succumbed to injuries he had received in a prior biking accident that had caused bleeding in his brain and unconsciousness. Today, millions are thinking of him and posthumously thanking him for the positive contributions he has made to their lives.
Stephen Covey was the author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People a book that sparked a movement away from pure list making for time management. With Stephen Covey’s principles of time management transformed vision, to quest, and, finally, to journey along a well defined yet flexible path that encompassed a person’s whole life (social-emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental). His principles struck the hearts of many as they transcended boundaries of business and personal belief. No one could deny the applicability or importance of the seven habits nor of the need for roles and attention to sharpening the saw.
Thank you Stephen Covey for sharing your thoughts, wisdom, and inspiration. You lived up to your word. Your eulogy will be great. May you rest in peace and may your family be at peace with your new journey.
It is the end result that matters when it comes to work and work styles. Isn’t it? If so, then why do people become highly concerned over whether a person does the work their way or not if there is no true good reason for it?
I’ve always questioned why people require that a person produces something in a specific way when the real and only concern is that it gets done. I know that some people will respond that their way is much faster or their way is more complete but really that is relative. Some people may not be as fast at your way of doing things but they produce, in the end, a good product. Some people can skip steps and come out in the end with a good product while others have to go about things the long way. Again, I question whether or not it really matters how they get there as to that they do get there when it needs to be done?
Some will attribute this phenomena to fear of change in the workplace. It is the old attitude that if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. People find a way to do things that work for them. Because their system works for them, they assume it must work for everyone and they require everyone to do it that way. They become comfortable in their work style 
and defensive when someone has a different way of doing things or suggests a different way. You’ll know when you hear “We’ve always done it this way.” What you may not hear is “and you should to” but that is what they are implying.
I’m asking people to consider these types of issues. Become an agent of change. The next time you are working with someone and you find that they have a different system than you do but can get the work done just as well or better by the time that it is required to be done, ask yourself why it has to be your way. Are you afraid of change? Does it threaten you? Is there some true advantage of doing it your way? Is it worth it to make others do it your way if they produce sub-par work when they do it your way?
Maybe you’ll find an answer that surprises you. Maybe you’ll learn a little more about yourself. Maybe you’ll find a new degree of tolerance. Maybe you will also find a way to ease into something new and worthwhile.
I promised that I would post on a few topics but I am electing to put those topics on the back burner at the moment. For now, they are still on my “to write” list but you may not see them for some time.
Instead, I want to post about something that is a current issue and is more important than a couple of opinion pieces. This particular current issue is for those who are self-employed. If you are providing services to individuals or companies of any size, please remember that verbal agreements are only hopeful agreements that work will come your way. There is no guaranty that the work will actually come and that you will actually get paid. Your best bet is to make sure that everything is in writing, everything is agreed upon, and that the agreements for deliverable work are indicated on a document signed by both parties. Until you have that document in hand don’t waste much time working on something that isn’t guaranteed to occur. Time is valuable so plan and act wisely (where you know it counts and you’ll be compensated for it).
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