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April 2024
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DECLUTTERING5/8/2023 I had a great time decluttering these past few weeks. First, I tackled that big box when I moved here in the province in 2015 containing all my files, Knick knacks, and mementos stored from my previous job and life for five years and more. It was amazing to see that some of those stuff I have brought from the Philippines. Clearly, I'd like to keep a lot of stuff that for "some day" I might find useful. But that 'some day' didn't come. The old toothpaste, bottle of medicines, and broken eye glasses were never useful at all. The old files since 2010 didn't prove to be worth for anything except my files from old clients that I kept to document the work that I have done before. There were old books and magazines in French language that I thought I would be able to revisit when I had the time. That time didn't come even. Decluttering frees up the space but also the mental space for which most precious real estate resides. If you focus and emphasize on the past, you will end up in a divided and distracted perspective. We can win some but we can also lose some. That's part of the trade-off. We leave behind what's to be left there so we have the energy for today, which is a gift in itself. Tomorrow has its own worries to be bothered by it now. What's eating up your office space and organizational mental space? old politics and enmities that do not die down, grudges and personality clashes, petty squabbles and vain competition for recognition, one-upmanship, or perfectionism? As a leader, decide now to abandon these silly and toxic culture and just focus on getting things done well and pulling everyone together as a team.
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COMPARISONS4/14/2023 Beware, comparisons could be dangerous, misleading and disempowering. It's no longer the case that you compare apples to apples but what grade, variety, source, and other properties that make this exercise completely useful at all. We come to the point where comparing past result to future result will give us a good indication of progress, or lack thereof. But times are a-changing. Comparisons now are what it seemed to be decades ago. We compare our achievements or lack thereof with our neighbor next door, or circle of friends and see how we rate. With a new car, house, appliances, their kids going to better schools, new hobby gadgets, professional designations, etc. Now with social media, we get to see the best looking, brightest, smartest, richest, and most loved professional in our field, and we think that's the standard of everything great. If you're a business, to the fastest growing, VC-loved startup raking in millions in less than 5 years. If you're a purpose-driven organization, to the well-respected, well-oiled organization in your sector that's getting all the accolades all the time and getting it right most of the time. This unbelievable, impossible idea of standard is ubiquitous but seldom rejected. It presents an illusion that could never be satisfied. Yet, the picture of success or nirvana is just that. We have that picture in our minds. What comparisons do you use to gauge your performance? your organizational health and vitality? your relevance to your community? your competencies as against life's challenges? Do you really know the person and organization you are trying to emulate? What standard or measure do you subscribe to and how they came to be? By acclaim, by rigorous system, by a multilateral consensus? By politics? self-promotion? Internal comparisons are the best. Internal best practice as against trade/industry practice could be profitable. The people that are in deep trenches know more than what the annual reports say. They get to build and develop the measures, the measurement, the methods, and the theory of what and how change can happen. As a rule, it's best to construct your own metrics.
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SPRING CLEANING STARTS WITH YOU2/22/2023 When was the last time you made some spring cleaning in your organization? Have you tried to look at your Bylaws and Letters of Incorporation lately? Have you done some reviews of your Policies and Guidance Documents? Have you considered reviewing your Terms of References, Procurements, and Vendor processes? Have you made progress in your volunteer growth and advancement recently? Are staff and Board evaluations and reviews in the pipeline? Sometimes, the best spring cleaning begins at your desk. What work are you trying to put off in the last few weeks and months now? What difficult conversation must take place sooner than later? Who needs to be informed, consulted, and engaged in your process? The rigmarole of paper pushing in many offices is seldom questioned. It's time to figure out what is work and what's non-work. Spring cleaning is all about tackling the most essential and dropping the non-work. |