Take Your Goals from SMART to SMART as Hell!

• Are you frustrated by misalignment during performance reviews or evaluations?
• Do you wast time and energy trying to understand what's expected of you?
• Do you struggle to create alignment between you and your employees, clients, managers, customers, vendors, teachers, or family?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to attend our SMART as Hell: Goals session in Rochester, NY on August 2nd, 2012.

In this one-day training, conducted by Glenn Hughes, you'll learn the four types of evaluation, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. You'll use the SMARTometer - the first tool that allows you to accurately measure the quality of your goals. You'll create a SMART as Hell goal for a task or 'soft skill' that's difficult to measure. Finally, you'll apply the SMART 6-step process to align evaluation expectations with those who measure you.

This program has been approved for 6.5 recertification credit hours through the HR Certification Institute. We guarantee that you will improve the score of your goal during this session, or you'll receive free coaching until your goal is improved.

Get control of your work, your life, or your team with goals that are SMART as Hell.

This event will be held at the beautiful Inn on Broadway in Rochester. 

Click here to enroll or obtain more information.

Lessons from the Martial Arts

Previously, I mentioned a Bruce Lee quotation book that contained some excellent reflections on teaching. Anyone who knows me knows that I will now have to pull on that thread and see where it takes me (or what cloth I pull apart).

So, I went to my other favorite used book store and scoured the martial arts section, looking for any teaching wisdom that I could find. Two books caught my eye - "Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching" by Carol A. Wiley, and "Martial Arts Teaching Tales of Power and Paradox" by Pascal Fauliot.

When I opened "Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching", the first quote I saw said,

"If you follow the present-day world, you will turn your back on the Way; if you would not turn your back on the Way, do not follow the world" - Takuan.

The quote immediately resonated with me, as - according to the reactions I get - I'm the last man on earth without a cell phone. I'm not sure what 'the Way' is, but I'm pretty sure that cell phones are not...

Studies of 'flow' conclude that uninterrupted time is a prerequisite to reaching a flow state in any activity. Surely, it is possible to own a cell phone while maintaining uninterrupted time, but no one I know has succeeding, and it's an experiment I'm uninterested in pursuing.

So, I will 'not follow the world' (with regards to cell phones) anytime soon.

In what ways do you 'not follow the world', in order to find 'the way'?

Learning Moments: Empty Nest Syndrome

Our empty nest

Well, we had a baby hummingbird that we named summer.

We watched mom build the nest and tend the eggs.

Then we watched our little hummer grow up.

Sunday night, Summer flew the coop. We went outside around 6pm and found the nest empty. Summer was sitting about 3 feet above the nest on a small branch. We watched her for the next two hours as she tested her wings. She seemed unable or unwilling to fly downwards. She just kept going higher and higher - sometimes grabbing branches that were too big for her feet, and then slipping and grabbing another branch.

When mom came for Summer's nightly feeding, she also found the nest empty. That kind of freaked her out. Summer was about 30 feet above the nest at this point, on the other side of the tree. As mom flitted madly about, Summer did something we had been waiting over a week for... she made her first noise. She called and called, but mom seemed to have very poor echo-location skills.

It was painful for us, to say the least. We could see summer, we could see the mom, but they couldn't find each other. This went on for about 30 minutes, until mom finally found summer and was able to feed her. We watched mom feed her until the sun went down and then we left them, hoping that summer makes it through her first night out of the nest.

I looked around on Monday morning. Mom was to be flying around, but no sight of Summer.

I climbed up and took a photo of the nest this morning. If you click on the image above, you'll see what I saw - another egg! Hummingbirds lay eggs in pairs. I'm assuming this one will not hatch, but I'll keep an eye on it over the next week to make sure.

Monday night, we saw Summer again. She made it through her first night, which was a relief to both of us. We look forward to watching her grow up.

Make Work Great (one person at a time)

Last week I received my copy of Ed Muzio's new book, "Make Work Great".

I'm a big fan of Ed's work (writings, videos, and presentations), because he's one of the few thinkers out there who is trying help individuals build a bridge between great tools and productive relationships.

Also, because he's a great guy who happens to be a friend. Full disclosure: I acted as one of the 'peer reviewers' for "Make Work Great" last summer. I'm also the instructional designer for the companion one-day workshop.

Ed's 'Overtness' framework - which combines overtness of task (purpose, impact, incentive, progress, resources, and capability) with overtness of relationships (clarity, questions, approach, and agreement) - is a powerful tool. This framework helped me look at what I do and how I interact in a new light.

Ed's goal is to increase output - while reducing stress - in the workplace. This book points us in the right direction. I highly recommend you check it out.

Learning Moments:

Baby Hummingbird

How cool is this? We've got a baby hummingbird in our backyard. With the help of a stepladder, I took some photos.

We've named him/her Summer (the hummer) because, well, it's summer! We've been watching Summer for the past week, as he/she grows quickly from a little hummer with a tiny beak to the point where it's positively bursting out of its' nest.

Today, Summer is moving a lot. I expect that he/she will be flying off within the next few days. Until, we plan to enjoy the process (and then clean all the 'residue' off of our back patio.

Learning Moments:

So... you wanted to get close to nature, huh?

We spent the fourth of July weekend at Point Reyes National Seashore, where we ate a lot of oysters, drank a little wine, did some reading, and fit in a couple of 8-mile hikes.

One of those hikes was the trail out to Tomales Point. Now, I know that it's been a rainy year in California and that the wildflowers did quite well. This was a little over-the-top, though, don't you think?

There is a trail that ran straight between me and Angie in the photo above. You just can't see it through the growth. While that may look spectacular (and it was even better in real life), it wasn't so spectacular on our legs.

We've walked this trail a bunch of times before and even debated taking a different trail this trip. Once again, however, we learned that, 'one can never step in the same river twice', because everything changes. As long as you're open to it, even seemingly repetitive events can create a brand new experience.

Four Lessons for Teachers from Bruce Lee

Last week, at one of my favorite used book stores, I picked up a book of quotes by Bruce Lee, called "Striking Thoughts".

I knew Bruce was a bit of a philosopher and definitely a sharp guy, otherwise I wouldn't have looked at the book. But, I didn't expect to find so many great thoughts about teaching and training:

• "Remember, I am no teacher; I can merely be a signpost for a traveler who is lost"
• "The ideal teacher - not 'what' to think, but 'how' to think"
• "Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing it is a path to success and truth"
• "Where method is, freedom is not"

I have often said that facilitation is more like zen than any other activity I can think of - Bruce's words confirmed that for me.

Can there be four better lessons for teachers and students than:

1. Take my words and do with them what you will. Your milage may vary...
2. Observe and explore my process, not my content.
3. Failure is not only to be expected, but welcomed and even celebrated.
4. If you didn't hear me the first time, reread 1, 2, & 3!!

Quote of the week

"I wasted time, and now doth time waste me"
- Shakespeare, Richard II

I haven't decided what I want to appear on my gravestone, but that's certainly one line I don't want on it!

Quote of the week

"Adventure is just bad planning".
- Roald Amudsen

As a frequent 'accidental adventurer', I can only nod and laugh at this brilliant quote.

Quote of the week

"The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing"
- Larry James

Sometimes the simplest advice is the best advice.

Learning Moments:

Quail Chicks at Carmel Mission, CA

It's the time of year when you need to keep your eyes open. Warm weather brings bare skin, ice cream trucks, fresh blooms, and babies of all types.

I was taking photos at beautiful Carmel Mission this afternoon, when a little bird sprinted across the courtyard in front of me. My first thought was, 'uh oh... someone fell out of a nest'. After watching the little bugger do three hundred-yard dashes, however, I realized that he didn't fall anywhere. This was a ground bird.

Soon, a couple of his family joined him. They zipped back and forth maniacally, like the Keystone Cops. I just sat back and watched, snapping photos on the few occasions that they stood still. The groundskeeper and I had a short conversation about them. He hadn't seen them, so he just stood, smiling with me.

Quote of the week

"Ain't got no distractions, can't hear no buzzers or bells. Don't see no lights a flashin', plays by sense of smell."
- The Who, Pinball Wizard

What a great description of focus, or the 'flow state'. There's a reason why that boy 'sure plays a mean pinball'.
What can you do to reach a similar state of focus this week?

Learning Moments:

Hummingbird Nest in our backyard

This is cool. We've got a hummingbird nest in the tree behind our condo. The nest is about 5 feet outside our back door, and about 10 feet up. Mama, pictured above, has been flitting about - putting the nest together and sitting (I assume) on a couple of eggs.

Hummingbirds are one of my three favorite birds (pelicans and kingfishers are the other two), so I'm psyched about watching a little hummer grow up in our backyard. I know nothing about hummingbird life cycles, so I'll be doing some research on that over the next few weeks. What I do know is that the next is about the size of a sake cup, so that's got to be one small egg...

Quote of the week

"Objectives are not fate; they are directions. They are not commands; they are commitments. They do not determine the future, they are a means to mobilize the resources and energies of the business for the making of the future."
- Peter Drucker

This is a brilliant response (like there's any other kind from Mr. Drucker?) to the tired complaint, "I can't make goals, my work changes too much".
Well, duh, says Drucker. You can change them!

Quote of the week

"Focus on eliminating anyting that doesn't serve the fulfillment of your goals".
- Michael J. Gelb & Sarah Miller Caldicott, Innovate Like Edison

I can't say it any more clearly than that...

Quote of the week

"Become a milestone activitist"
- Tom Peters, The little BIG Things

Tom gets it. Do you?
Milestones = targets.
Milestones = feedback.
Milestones = momentum.

Do you think you can be successful without any of those? I don't, and neither does Tom.

Quote of the week

"I believe in starting each project with a stated goal"
- Twyla Tharp, The Creative Habit

I find it interesting that all successful people - even creatives - use goals (in some form) to achieve their aims. Twyla Tharp is a world-famous dance choreography, and goals are just as important to her as to any CEO.

Quote of the week

"If you want to make a stand, help others make a stand, and if you want to reach your goal, help others reach their goal."
- Confucius

Wow, there's a lesson for managers. You want employees to push towards organizational goals? Show them how it meets their goals as well.

And there's an additional lesson for all of us - you cannot do it alone. Help others and you'll find the help you need.

Do you know the goals of those closest to you?

Quote of the week

"If you start me up, if you start me up I'll never stop."

- The Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger on the art of management? Probably not, but there is a lesson in there for all managers. It doesn't take a lot to get your employees going (unless, of course, you already sucked all the life out of them... we'll pretend you haven't done that).

The key is just get them started and then get out of the way. And then they'll 'never stop, never stop, never stop, never stop'...

Quote of the week

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity!"
- Henry David Thoreau