The art of reframing any type of work
Read moreWhen we have a certain framework running around in our heads, it tends to shape the way we look at just about everything. As will come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading this blog, one of the frameworks in my mind these days has to do with seeing the work of the entire world on three levels. When I watch someone
Crafting stories of purpose
Read moreIn the last post, we ended with the thought that any kind of work can be reframed, placed in a context that helps participants view it with a heightened sense of importance and purpose. Of course, it would be naive to think that every type of job can be turned into a “save the world” or even a “building a cathedral” type of
Stories of purpose
Read moreWe ended last time with the notion that managers should take the time to think about “building their own cathedral stories”. My work and study of the past two decades have shown me that the most effective managers are able to create narratives that inspire their team members—even those who perform the most mundane and tedious of tasks, such as breaking
Narratives of engagement
Read moreIn the mid 1980s, I read Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue, the book that started me thinking about the power of narrative and how one could use it in a business context. What struck me most was MacIntyre’s assertion that an individual’s views of self, sense of worth, and sense of what matters in life comes above all else from answering the question,
Engagement changes everything
Read moreWherever I have worked or consulted in organizations, I have made something of a habit of telling everyone in a management position that their number one job is engaging the people around them. My reason for focusing so keenly on engagement is simple. As we have seen before on this blog, the Gallup Organization’s statistics about engagement are somewhat shocking. Only 30 per
How middle managers can expand their influence
Read moreAfter my two-week Super Bowl interlude, I’d like to go back and focus just a bit more on our previous ongoing topic: How can middle managers, these most miserable people in our organizations, find meaning and happiness in their work? So, here is my plan for this blog (which of course may change, as a function of the things I come across