One heading this week for all the posts.
Please share your successes in doing what you love and finding unique ways to love what you do (the less pleasant tasks).
Also feel free to discuss the reading on organizational culture annd/or the case about Southwest Airlines.
Enjoy,
Hal
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12 comments:
I wrote this earlier today, but placed it in the wrong spot..
must admit that when I read the 'Do Only What YOu Love' Live-with for this week, I was doubtful that this was possible. Julie's suggestion about approaching the things we "must do" from a new perspective helped.
Last night, I applied it to running. I haven't been running regularly for the last month and my body has forgotten why I might ever like to do so again. Yesterday, I decided to skip over the doing part and focus on how great it would feel once I was finished. As I put on my shoes, I made a list of all the positive things I would feel when I returned - accomplishment, invigoration, healthiness. Believe it or not, it worked. The new perspective didn't just make the run go by faster, it made the experience of doing it, more enjoyable. It has even made me look forward to running again this week. Who knew???
Just to add to this thought...
I tried this approach again today and it didn't take nearly as much of a pep talk. It has really changed the way I think about running again. A perspective that just this weekend I didn't think was possible.
I really enjoyed reading the Southwest story. The company started so small then grew by staying true to it's core business/beliefs/culture, even when those practices went against "normal business practices." One aspect I really enjoyed reading about was the desire to win as a team. The stories of pilots cleaning up the plane or flight attendants loading luggage really demonstrate the mentality of the organization. Contrast this with the examples from the book "Car" about the design process of 1994 Ford Taurus, which ultimately became a market failure. In one example, while the power-train engineers were having trouble getting the car to run reliably the author observed the car-body engineers amusingly observe their counterparts struggle during the corporate presentation. The willingness to cross job-titles at Southwest appears to be a huge advantage and something the culture/management readily encourage.
The question I have now is…how can a Ford become more like a Southwest?
A wonderful realization - Loving what you do is a principle indication of happiness and general fulfillment in life.This week reaffirmed that if you do not love what you do - - it shows through at the end of the day. People can start to see it in your work, no matter what it is.Therefore, people need to cultivate interests and explore their own skills and talents to really find out what they love. But it doesn’t end there. People interested in happiness (and who isn’t?) must also discover or create outlets to enhance and sustain their passions.
I did pick up a brush after so many months and just played with colours…no intention of drawing , just doing………….loved it, enjoyed it and above all was at peace!
Thanks Julie and Hal for the resurfacing the thought in our lives……was truly relaxing.
Regards
Ruchi.
I am doing what I love. But I have the VOJ in my ears so that I am unable to fully feel the joy of that and it is suppressing me from living in the moment and pay attention.
I am worrying about the future and about my career....
I don't want to miss what my inner voice is telling me -- I want to love every moment and this is the first time in my life that I am realizing that I always been listening way too much to other people -- how they think one should live one's life. What could be more wrong, And how can the VOJ lure you in to that corner?
Anyway I am going to enjoy being a stay at home mom for some more time and have faith in that I can always get my professional life rolling when it is time for that.
I have been spoiling myself a little this past week. Paid attention to me, which I usually don't do very often. I went out for a nice lunch with one of my daughters and I bought something nice for me to wear. I should do that more! And I also learned that I need to stop and listen to myself much more. If I don't spend the important time listening to me, who else will?
Now to what I must do and try to love that too.
Exercise. Thanks Deanne for your posting -- pep talking helped me get moving this week!
Dishes and similar stuff......I try to look above the boring feeling and knowing the satisfaction after it is done last so much longer than the "pain" just to do it! Make it fun, put on some music and sometimes when possible break it up into smaller tasks.
"Love what you do and do what you love" became a challenge. After several attempts, successes and defeats there was one additional question I wanted to have an answer to. There are some inevitable tasks in life which you have to do (task at work, household chores etc.). But how can you turn something you hate doing into something you love doing? I have found out that sometimes you just need to combine something you hate with something you love and you will like it just a little more...
I absolutely hate ironing, but as soon as I put on my favorite music while doing it I have started to like it. Rewarding yourself for meeting your goals works for me too, especially at work :-) (it can go from a piece of chocolate to a vacation...)
I love good food, but I don't go out much for lunch/dinner, partly because I feel it's a luxury to dine outside. On Saturday I just flied back from my business trip, and I was a bit exhausted. So instead of cooking at home, I decided to try the restaurant 1 block away, in almost 5 years (I did try other local restaurants recently, but this one is a bit more expensive)! No driving/parking required, and I ordered the dish that caught my eye at first glance. I just let everything flow naturally, and I really enjoyed the dinner experience (Their free wine helped too :).
The next day I know I have to do the necessary chore, laundry. Plus, it is already time to do a whole house cleaning in my apartment, and all the bedding, sheets, etc. need to be washed. I never liked the big chore day, which comes every 6-8 weeks, and I always feel exhausted after that. Frankly, I would gladly pay someone $30+ to do it, but it's both not easy to find temporary contract labor, and having to trust someone coming into my room to clean everything.
I realized I normally start the big chore later in the afternoon, and by the time it is done, it would be almost dusk, and it is only natural to feel exhausted. So this time I started the whole task from about 10am in the morning (and end of Daylight Savings Time helps a bit), and finished it before 12:45pm. I didn't feel exhausted this time because I started early, and giving myself plenty of time to take it easy when completing the task. Then as a reward to myself I went out for lunch and some shopping. I usually like to do some exercise in the Golden Gate Park at day time on weekends, but this time I have to delay it until dusk. However, the walk to the park and the exercise was no less enjoyable than before, and I still feel energized at the end of the day.
Later in the evening, when I was reading the course material, I noticed one of the suggestions is to do something you didn't like in a new context. My reaction was, this is exactly what I did, putting the chore in a different context (earlier and more ample time frame). The end result is that I didn't feel exhausted, and I even enjoyed it a bit, because the reward of having a cleaner and refreshing room exceeds the effort of the task (and I had that enjoyment before, but it was usually overwhelmed by physical exhaustion). Susan, it is good to hear your experience of combining something you enjoy with chores, I will try that too in the future.
Regarding the Southwest story, it is a very interesting read. Their collaborative team spirit is very inspiring. I think their interview process is innovative, and it is that process that ensured the team members can work together in a harmonious and synergistic way. Mark, your comments about Ford gives me a unique perspective and such contrast shows me all the more reason to appreciate the spirit of Southwest. Thanks for sharing that insight.
Another unique aspect about Southwest is its friendliness to unionization. Contrary to common belief, this has actually led to a win-win on both sides. I think this is a classical evidence of creativity in business, one that clears the myth of non-reconcilable conflicts between the company and the union.
Ann-Helen, there is nothing unusual about being a stay at home mom. I think the key is to live a full life whichever circumstance you are in. Maybe apply the creativity concept to your daily interactions with your daughters. Try a new recipe, making a new dish, or dine at a good restaurant with your family. If you think about career, how about paying attention to what you like most? Like Robert Mondavi, the owner of the famous winery in NAPA said, "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Wenyu
Like Ann-Helen, I too am fortunate to be able to do what I love and have been lucky enough to have people around me who have made it easy to do this. :) Even the task I procrastinate on most, filing, I do enjoy once I'm knee-deep in it - knowing there's an end to it eventually, and there's a sense of accomplishment once the task is done and I see the empty trays.
And for the indirect things that make me frustrated, I'm trying now to focus on the person who's asked me for help and not on the one who is making the problems - this has worked well so far.
As a person who flies Southwest multiple times each month, I was really interested in this case study. I have felt the impact of their corporate culture without ever giving much thought to the philosophy behind it. I definitely fall into their target customer profile (business traveler, short trips, no frills, ability to change flights, etc) and as a satisifed customer, I never even contemplate taking a competitive flight. I was a fan before I read the article, but understanding the deliberate choices the company has continued to make over the years in order to maintain the corporate culture has only increased my appreciation and loyalty.
In last class, while jotting down “love to-do” list I realized that “singing” was only odd one out from my list. While I still proclaim to be a good “bathroom singer” ;) just that I haven’t tried it formally since my undergrad. Last week, I thought to manifest that in front of my friends and colleagues at a Diwali (Indian festival of lights) event. After event, it was pretty clear that I need quite a lot of practice to hone my “singing skills” but frankly it was quite an amazing experience and it gave me inherent satisfaction.
At work, due to schedule conflicts and there are literally no other time slots available. Thus, unfortunately I have been scheduling meetings at 12:30PM everyday since last 2 weeks. I have been working with quite a few fresh grads, who are kind enough to attend my lunch time meetings. I sometime feel that, I am being harsh on them but due to critical project deadlines my hands are tied. Since last two weeks, this pinches me everyday, as this is one of those tasks I “have to” do rather then “want to”. While changing time slot in not a feasible option, but adding little spice really helped. We have start ordering different cuisine food which was much more appreciated compare to those boring pizzas. We have organized a small quiz round about company facts, in which winner gets a small gift and his name embossed on project dashboard!!
After reading the south-west article, I realized how innovative the company has been in the presence of big established players in the airline industry. They have been innovative in planning routes without a hub, in the ticketing process, in the seating process etc. This level of innovation at southwest is probably due to a good understanding of the business by every employee. Since there are no boundary lines for a job, everybody gets to see to the big picture..serving the customer and understanding what the customer really wants. I think with this knowledge they have been able to come up with new solutions that industry was not aware before.
Do what you like
I think that this live with has been one of the most difficult to get the essence of. My problem is that I love what I am doing, and the “let go” relax doesn’t fit into to that
The EEE vs DDD is a interesting perspective. People learn from very early on the first work, then pleasure. What they might forget is to make a balance and they believe that the more the work and the harder they push themselves the more likely are they the success. I think that this narrow minded way of living is a creativity killer. One example of this might be exactly from Palo Alto and Stanford:
I had just had an interview with a COO from a high tech company and we are walking toward his Porches. He says; “ you know why Palo Alto is one of the most innovative places in the world?” I reply know expecting him to tell me something about hard working mentality, new technology, Stanford university etc. He says” Look around; people who lives here have time to think. All the basic conditions is here; the weather is beautiful, the food is good, people have enough money and spend them on newest, the girl are beautiful and has large breast. Although this might be distractive, then all the condition for not to worry”
After living in Hong Kong in half a year I understood him. Being a part of a giant mass where you are being pushed around like an ant doesn’t lead to creativity and innovation.
The Steve Jobs made a great impression on me. It was very touching and I can encourage other to see it. I think it says a lot about with the “to live with” on a long term perspective.
Finally I have tried to use some other tool from Ray; and especially the “rank the task in priority” has helped me. Usually I would do what is most urgent, but know I look at what matters the most in a long term perspective.
Culture
I find this topic very interesting, although I don’t understand why we are given a paper from Christensen who is spending most of his time saying how Schein describes culture, then we could rather read a paper from Schein himself.
Anyway, I don’t think that it is clearly how Schein actually will define culture in Christensens paper. I will share my notes from another course and use Southwest airline (SWA) to give examples of their culture;
Schein sees a culture from three main sources:
1. The values of the founder of the organization
2. The experience that members of the organization learn during their work in the organization
3. The values brought in by new members
Usually a analyses will be viewed from three basic elements:
Artifacts, values, and underlying assumptions
Artifacts is physical elements in the company like dress code, office environment, style.
. It is a service business, which lead to a formal dress code.
Values
This is how the opinions of the situation and how it should be handled. They are visible and socially accepted.
SWA seems to have a highly professional style, but still a family, “work-hard-play-hard” mentality.
Basic assumption
This is the “taken for granted” but not expressed. It is embedded in the culture. Relation between employees could be an example.
I think that my thoughts of SWA in quite limited, but you can use it as examples
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