Foto Finish Friday

First Amendment Rally (Union Square, New York City), originally uploaded by Luke Redmond.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

Wake Up

IMG_2970
Originally uploaded by John Rozier| Photographer

Are you going through the motions? Are you sleepwalking? Are you thinking about all the things you're going to do one day?

Wake up.
Get ready.
Get moving.
Work hard.
Accomplish something.
Finish.
Repeat.

Notice that talking about what you are going to do doesn’t really fit. Sometimes I need this reminder as much as the next person. So many like to talk about what they are going to do, what their dreams are, or what they wish they could do. There's nothing inherently wrong with discussing future plans, but at some point you must act.

You must wake up.

That's Not My Job

Everyone Knows It's Windy
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

Aside from my neighborhood lawn mowing service as a kid, the first job I ever had was through a Retail & Marketing class I took my senior year in high school. We had various options in a retail environment that we could take as part of the month long job program. It was a temp job, but often led to summer jobs for seniors who liked making the cash. For some reason I chose Pizza Hut. Don't ask me why.

Because of the hours of the program and my classes I actually ended up opening for them as the cook. I made pizzas all morning for their buffet and then would wash dishes before heading back to classes for the afternoon.

One morning I finished a few minutes early. I didn't feel like standing around with the cook who was training, nay, using me as he sat at the desk in the back listening to music. So I went to the dining area and started putting the place mats and silverware on the tables. I only finished one table before the cook came up and asked me what I was doing. When I explained he said, "No. That's the waitress's job. They'll be in later."

You've heard it before. Hopefully you've never said it before.

The "That's not my job" (TNMJ) attitude, is one of the most dangerous diseases that can infect the work place. It discourages teamwork and is the source of useless animosity. Sure, there are times when someone isn't carrying their weight and you may have to pick up the slack, but is that reason to sour the whole apple cart?

The thing about TNMJ disease is it can come in many forms and can spread quickly. It can be passed on very casually. As in my case at Pizza Hut. I didn't finish preparing the tables even though I didn't think the cook's attitude was right. In the remaining days of my job, I never did attempt to do more than my job again. I had been infected.

Some examples of TNMJ.

• "Someone else will do it."
• "Someone else will speak up."
• "I'm not responsible for that."
• "I can't make a change."
• "I'm not any good at that."
• "I don't want to learn that."
• "I'm already swamped."
• "I don't have time."
• "I don't know anything about that job."

I hope you are never caught repeating some of these. If so, decide today to rid yourself of TNMJ and work to change the attitude of your team or office.

Foto Finish Friday

Trafalgar square, originally uploaded by buckaroo kid.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

You Don't Need To Read This

Eli
Originally uploaded by Emma Werderman

You probably don't need to read this. It's just a reminder.

Continuing the thought from yesterday's post. Most excuses are commonly used over and over. These excuses are used in many circumstances. They are not exclusive to any one area of life.

• I don't know enough.
• I don't know how.
• I have no confidence.
  
• I am shy.
  
• I have nothing to say.
• I will do it someday.
  
• I am too busy.
  
• I have no time.
  
• I haven't done that before.
  
• I have always done it this way.
  
• I don't like change.
  
• I like things the way they are.
  
• I tried it once.
  
• I don't think it will work.
  
• I don't think it's worth the risk.
• I am not smart enough.
• I don't live in the right city.
• I don't have enough money.
• I don't believe it's my problem.
  

Of course, you didn't need to see this list. You don't use excuses. Right?

Excuse Me?

The Many Faces of Jodi
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

An excuse is more difficult to defend than a mistake.

A few weeks ago my wife and I went out to dinner with a friend of ours. We took her to one of our favorite restaurants. Usually the service is great. This time they had a new waiter who was working our table. It didn’t bother us that he was new and made some mistakes. What did bother us was he had a knack for making a mistake and then blaming it on the cook or someone else who wasn’t around.

We all mistakes from time to time. No matter the degree of the mistake, many times the temptation is to come up with some excuse for why. That temptation should be resisted.

When faced with the realization that you've made a mistake, the best medicine is always to take your medicine. Acknowledge the mistake. Say you are sorry or ask for forgiveness if necessary. Correct it. Learn from it. Move forward.

It's not easy, I know. In the heat of the moment it can seem the easiest way out is to give an excuse. But an excuse is always harder to defend than a mistake.

Excuses are never easier, despite what it may seem. An excuse will make matters worse. An excuse reveals a desire to cover up, not repair damage done or change direction. An excuse will make you memorable, but for reasons you don't desire. An excuse can damage trust. That's just naming a few things.

So what if you've made a mistake? It's pretty clear to me that the easiest route is to simply say you are sorry, learn your lesson, and move forward.

" Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody expects of you. Never excuse yourself." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Foto Finish Friday

Shadows on the bridge v2 19492, originally uploaded by MerlinsMan.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

Include Your Listeners

Disappointed
Originally uploaded by Carlo Nicora

One time I went on a date that I thought was going well. The dinner was nice. The conversation during dinner had been good. We had a lot in common, or so I thought. As I was driving her home I suddenly realized she was responding to me with one word answers such as, "Yes.", "No.", and so on. She was staring straight ahead and her eyes were glazed over. She was no longer interested in our conversation. No matter what I brought up, I couldn't get much more of a response from her. I was essentially talking to myself. Needless to say the night ended without a second date in my future.

Looking back, part of the problem was that I wasn't considering my listener. We had made decent conversation about the couple of things we had in common earlier in the night, but I had run out of things to talk about and I was starting to talk about things that didn't involve my listener. As a result, she had nothing to add.

What do you talk about? Do you include your listeners? Whether it's your blog, casual conversation, or any other area of your life it's important to include people in your conversation. After all, who wants to have conversations with themselves?

No one likes being around someone who likes to hear themselves talk.

If you're not asking questions, you're not including your listener. If you're asking questions, but thinking of what to say next while they answer, you're not including your listener. If you're only talking about the mundane things in your life, you're not including your listener. When you don't include your listener, they will have nothing to add, and you may never get another chance.

In short, if you don't include your listener, don't expect to get a second date.

The Best Blog Posts

Photo taken by Alisha Hurt

Short, concise posts are best. I like them when they are to the point. I like them when they leave the rest to your imagination. I like them better when the comments make the post. I'm going to wager you think so too.

A pretty photo doesn't hurt either.

Foto Finish Friday

Times Square at Dusk, originally uploaded by Stuck in Customs.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.

They Say

Walk the Line
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

I was thumbing through some old notebooks the other day (I keep all of my Moleskines) to see what I could see. I came across the following entry:

• In 124 B.C. a Greek philosopher wrote that there was, "no more knowledge to be gained".

Throughout history we can see example after example of people making some pretty ridiculous proclamations. They said the Titanic was unsinkable. They said man was not meant to fly. They said no one would have a need for a personal computer. They said the eight-track was the future of music.

The point is sometimes they are wrong. Just like you or I can be wrong.

When you have a project you are working on, a goal you want to accomplish, or an organization you are trying to lead who do you listen to? From whom do you seek advice? These are very important questions your could stand to ask yourself from time to time. Are you just taking what they are saying and running with it? Are you not questioning what they have to say when it is needed?

Maybe you shouldn't be listening to them as much. Because sometimes they are wrong.

Foto Finish Friday

, originally uploaded by Breath of Life.

*Each Friday an interesting photo is selected to end the week on.