Wednesday, December 21st, 2011
at 10:10am
A married couple moved into their first home in the suburbs a few winters back. They were thrilled to have a home of their own in a well-kept neighborhood full of friendly families.
However, when the snows of winter thawed and the weather got nicer, they began to notice things outside. They noticed the neighbors directly behind them had a pool which hadn’t been cleaned in a very long time and the water was green and unsightly. They noticed the neighbors’ fence, which was once hidden by snow, was rusty and in shambles. They also noticed these neighbors liked to have loud parties late into the night which made it hard for the couple to sleep.
Being frustrated with their neighbors, the couple decided the best thing they could do was to put up a high fence and block the neighbors from view. When they went to the store and realized just how expensive the fence would be, they decided against it. Instead, the couple came up with a wacky idea. They went to the neighbors’ house and invited them over for dinner.
In doing so, the couple was able to get to know their neighbors as people rather than as an unnamed nuisance. In fact, they found they actually enjoyed the company of their neighbors and soon formed a friendship. Then, when an issue did come up, not only did it not bother them as much, but they found they could easily and comfortably discuss it with their new friends. It was through communication that their troubles seemed to melt away.
Do you have someone “difficult” in your life? Have you put up a fence between yourself and that person? What better time than Christmas time to take down our fences and serve others, especially those who try our patience the most. Soon you’ll discover there was no reason for the fence in the first place.
Joe Kiedinger
Action Plan: Look for ways you can “take down fences” with the difficult people in your life.
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
at 9:36am
Have you heard of Arianna Huffington? She is a master of using social media. She started an American news content aggregating website in 2005 and sold it to AOL in February of 2011 for $315 million! Not bad! OK, so I led you into thinking I interviewed Arianna with my title for this Wisdom. She actually spoke at a conference I attended. She is a fascinating woman, very funny and very insightful. I would like to share with you some powerful wisdom that she shared with me.
Arianna spoke mostly about engagement. People today want to be understood and heard. It’s so easy to be heard … start a blog! Some of you have your own blog like I do and I applaud you. Arianna discovered in 2005 that there is so much great content, why not direct it to one site called the Huffington Post? Here are three of my favorite quotes (I forgot who she quoted) that I took away from her hour-long presentation:
1. There are so many things that I’ve faced in my life and most never happened.
2. I’ve had such a wonderful life … I wish I would have realized it sooner.
3. How I deal with an issue IS the issue!
The third is the one that I’ve dedicated my life to helping others address, as my life’s journey is focused on teaching. When it comes to teaching and learning, not everyone understands language and style of communication the same way. Some people love it when you’re direct. Some prefer a softer approach to coaching. If you don’t know how a person likes to be communicated with, how do you expect to make an impact?
People think they need to be “fair” to the people they lead so they treat them all the same. That works only if everyone IS the same and we are not. How you resolve issues with one person is often completely the opposite for another if you wish to have a real impact. Understand that Servant Leadership is meeting the legitimate needs of another person. Learn what makes everyone different and unique and be aware of HOW you treat people.
Joe Kiedinger
ACTION PLAN: Until Friday you can get a FREE About Me Card and find out what makes you unique. Go to www.aboutmecard.com, create a business account and use the coupon code: SHRM11 to create your About Me Card! The code will no longer be valid after the close of business on Friday!
About Me Card
