“Everybody ought to do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.” – William James

Positive Quote: “Everybody ought to do at least two things each day that he hates to do, just for practice.” – William James

 

While I think hate is a very strong word to use, I will relate it to dislike. Not everything you have to do as part of your job is something you love; at least not for me. However, doing even those things that are not your favorite all add to the greater good. For me, the two least favorite things to do would be completing expense reports (not that they are difficult) and filing (I file once a week).

 

I have found that I have a huge sense of accomplishment when I do these things and it does give me energy to tackle other items on my plate.

 

What do you think of this quote?

 

Have a marvelous Monday.

Priscilla

Quote by Marie Curie and how it reminds me to celebrate success

Positive Quote: “One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” – Marie Curie

 

I don’t know why, yet it seems that most people focus on what does not get done versus what has and is being done. I never really fully understood or saw the impact of this until I managed a team that worked the 3^rd shift, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. I did not work those hours, yet I did spend time with them two nights a month for staff meetings, one on ones, and to talk to them. I know in the grand scheme of things two nights a month was not a huge amount of time, yet for a team that did not get the same level of attention of the day teams I felt it helped.

 

I learned more from them about managing and leading people than I think they learned from me. I learned that….

 

• People need to hear that they are doing a good job; silence does not equal feedback
• Just because something happens like clockwork does not mean it is easy to do, making something look easy is a skill
• As a manager and leader I needed to be an advocate and a voice for my team, when they were working most everyone was asleep
• No one should take people for granted, people are not like a light switch where some can expect it just to work and do
• It can always be worse, trust me, it can… no one likes be awakened at 2am with a huge issue impacting so many people and things
• Trust matters, respect should be freely given until proven otherwise, don’t assume the worst about people’s motives
• A band-aid solution to give you time to breathe, think, and chase down a root cause is so much better than letting an issue go one trying to find the root cause and perfect solution
• Lessons Learned meetings does not equal shuffling of blame, as a leader, anything your team does you are accountable for

 

As you can tell, this quote has me very thoughtful. I believe that appreciating the successes more leads to future success and does not take away from the areas that need improvement and focus. It is ok to look back as a team and celebrate how far you have come which can lead to increased motivation on going even further.

 

What do you think?

 

Have a fantastic Friday.

Priscilla

Kindess in constructive feedback, quote by Lillian Gish

Positive Quote: “I like people to come back and tell me what I did wrong. That’s the kindest thing you can do.” – Lillian Gish

 

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and you wanted to give them feedback that you knew they would not see coming or even know it was an issue? It can be awkward and it is difficult to have without defensiveness, especially if this is the first time the person has ever heard of something.

 

This quote reminds me that not telling someone is so much worse and is unkind. It is kinder to give a person a chance to address concerns than to not tell them and they continue to make the same mistakes.

 

I relate kindness to empathy. I think it is because I have to be conscious of it within myself. I am an INTJ in Myers Briggs speak.

 

I found this great snippet that describes INTJ’s – “INTJs are strong individualists who seek new angles or novel ways of looking at things. They enjoy coming to new understandings. They tend to be insightful and mentally quick; however, this mental quickness may not always be outwardly apparent to others since they keep a great deal to themselves. They are very determined people who trust their vision of the possibilities, regardless of what others think. They may even be considered the most independent of all of the sixteen personality types. INTJs are at their best in quietly and firmly developing their ideas, theories, and principles.” – Sandra Krebs Hirsch

 

It is part of the role of the leader to coach and mentor others, with kindness.

 

What do you think of this quote?

 

Have a tremendous Thursday.

Priscilla

“There’s a better way to do it. Find it!” – Thomas Edison

Positive Quote: “There’s a better way to do it. Find it!” – Thomas Edison

 

I have had people ask me why I post about a quote someone said who knows when. My response is usually the same, I post quotes and my thoughts around them as a way I have found to center my thoughts and start my day off on the right foot. On the days I don’t post something I can tell a difference in my patience level, in my listening skills, and in my time management.  

 

I come into the office about an hour earlier than most and use the time to write, update my calendar, plan my day, and organize my thoughts on what I want and need to accomplish.

 

This quote by Thomas Edison reminds me that I should not be satisfied with the status quo. That I need to strive to improve not only myself but those things around me I can impact, such as processes, work cycles, and mentoring other people. More often than not, the ‘better way’ is not clear or easy to locate, sometimes you have to do a little digging and seek guidance and feedback from others.

 

I can remember back a few years, my manager at the time (who was also a great mentor) told me that in order for me to continue to grow and position myself to move ahead, that I needed to learn how to build something from nothing with no prior experience in the area. At first it sounded surreal, that is until I got one of many new assignments along that vein. I must admit, each task was challenging and had their quirks and road bumps to overcome. However, once I had planned, built, executed, and delivered I knew exactly what he meant. Now, I am not afraid or hesitant to take on new challenges, even in areas I am unfamiliar with. I have found that to challenge oneself is to grow.

 

Have a phenomenal Wednesday and let’s all make a goal to challenge ourselves on a regular basis.

 

Priscilla

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

Positive Quote: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

 

When most people visualize courage it is standing up, defending, or speaking out or up against something, standing your ground….. this quote reminds me that courage is also stopping, letting others speak, listening to those we may not want to listen to.

 

Courage can be so much softer.

 

I need to be reminded of this more often.

 

What do you think?

 

Have a tremendous Tuesday.

Priscilla

“In business, there’s such a thing as an invaluable person, but no such thing as an indispensable one.” – Malcolm Forbes

Positive Quote: “In business, there’s such a thing as an invaluable person, but no such thing as an indispensable one.” – Malcolm Forbes

 

This is not the happiest of quotes. However, it reminds me that being valued is not the same thing as being irreplaceable.

 

I have come across many people over the course of my life who have this mistaken idea that they are exempt from rules or that the rules don’t apply to them. That they can treat people not quite nicely because they are smart, have knowledge, or are important to the success of a team.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for giving your top performers more leeway and flexibility. However, I am not a proponent of turning the blind eye to arrogance or rudeness.

 

I chose this quote mainly because it stuck out to me after a conversation I had with my husband over this weekend. We were talking about someone we both knew who is super smart, intelligent, and can solve anything thrown their way. Yet, for some reason I am not a huge fan of this person mainly due to the arrogance factor. No one is irreplaceable and we should all be a little more patient and kind.

 

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

Have a marvelous Monday.

Priscilla

“Getting along with others is the essence of getting ahead, success being linked with cooperation.” – William Feather

Positive Quote: “Getting along with others is the essence of getting ahead, success being linked with cooperation.” – William Feather

 

Collaboration, isn’t it funny that things we were taught as a child (sharing, making friends, working together) all tie into success as an adult?

 

No one person can do everything alone. We need others to help us grow, develop, and succeed.

 

I can remember early in my career, one of my peers who was also a mentor to me; he would smile and remind me before every staff meeting to play nice. Whether I was right, wrong, justified, or not, I had to learn that I can’t ram my way into getting people to agree with me. Every now and then when I know that the next meeting has a possibility of getting intense, I remind myself to ‘play nice’.

 

Have a fabulous Friday.

Priscilla

“Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.” – Elmer G. Leterman

Positive Quote: “Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.” – Elmer G. Leterman

Character, hmmmmmm… To me, that encompasses so much; ethics, trust, accountability, and the list goes on and on.

Character is more vital than personality, yes, I would want both, however, one is more critical.

This quote keeps me grounded.

What do you think?

Have a phenomenal Thursday.

Priscilla

“Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Positive Quote: “Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote helps remind me that I need to treat my actions as if I am being looked to as a role model, even when no one is looking.

I truth, my children are looking, my family is looking, my team is looking.

The other day (a few weeks ago), while I was driving. My daughter (she is 15) she told me that I was a reckless driver. She has her permit and is in drivers ed at school. I could have defended my self or tried to justify how I drive by saying that I had never caused an accident or something like that. Instead, I asked her why and she told me, so….I told her okay, I would take the guidance and asked her to let me know if I was better, worse, or the same in the future.

Does that mean I’ll always remember to come to a complete stop at stop signs when no other cars are around or that I’ll drive the exact speed limit? I do know that she looks to me as a role model and I want to be a good one.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Priscilla

“Initiative is to success what a lighted match is to a candle.” – Orlando A. Batista

Positive Quote “Initiative is to success what a lighted match is to a candle.” – Orlando A. Batista

One of the reasons I gravitated to this quote was that I believe you can not have success without initiative. You can be the hardest worker on the team, yet if you do not have discussions with your manager about your goals and aspirations, you will not have as good of a chance at getting there.

Initiative does not equal aggressiveness, it is more soft spoken.

To me, initiative is talking to your manager about the future, asking for feedback (and listening), volunteering for assignments, seeing someone who needs help and helping them, mentoring others, asking for help, and finding a mentor.

Success has different meanings to everyone. Once you know what it means to you, then you can work towards it.

What do you think of this quote?

Have a terrific Tuesday.
Priscilla