Tag Archives: change

Contentment

Thomas Edison, one of the biggest innovators of all times said, “Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.”

In this statement the following holds to be true that “discontent is the first necessity of progress.” If we therefore are satisfied with a situation, we would be happy not to change it, and so we would not stretch ourselves in forcing the agenda for change.

But people who always challenge rules are tiresome and those we would dismiss and wash our hands off, if we had the opportunity. When faced with “cannot be done” and “no” statements, some accept it and move on, whist others stubbornly would like to understand the “if nots and why nots” of these statements. They can be very hard to handle especially if you set and life by rules as most project managers do. Having somebody on your team like this, calls for a concerted effort and fact base confirmation of every strategy and decision made. The “because I said so” statements just fuel the challenge and the need to know. These resources require a lot of work, but the rewards can be big as alluded to by Edison as it forces us to think about things from a different angle.

A discontented heart however leads to unhappiness and a lack of fulfilment.  When you are forever discontented with every situation, you tend to have a deep-rooted unsatisfied attitude towards life in general. If affects everything you do, everybody you interact with and all you own. The glory of the rain escapes you in the moment as you mope about its wetness and think of ways to keep dry.

In some cases discontentment however are justified and leads to growth, but if it is allowed to nest and fester in your outlook on life, it can have devastating consequences, not only for you, but also to those around you.  It is necessary that we therefore choose and judge these discontented moments wisely and ensure that we still enjoy today in it small moments.

Written By: Lizette Venter

Image: Grant Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thought Friday

Friday afternoon always ends up to be a lazy time for me, where I rage a battle of mind and will. There is normally two ends to the stick, a desperate need to work off my “to do” list for the week and my total lack of motivation. I can relate very well to a quote by Medea that stated: “I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve it, but follow the wrong.”

During these battles I came to realise that we can still produce some amazing stuff during these off beat times, that has nothing to do with what is on the proverbial to-do list. In all honesty they are quite necessary for survival. It requires the following material…a high back chair that has one of those foot rests (in the absence of a foot rest, use the desk surface, it works just as well)…a nice cup of tea and a do not disturb sign for the door. Once you have all of the above, ensure the sign is up at the door, the room is nice and quiet and your chair and feet are in the right position while you enjoy the cup of tea.

Now here is what you start thinking about:

  1. What went well in the week that passed? Anything I am proud of or feel I did well?
  2. Ok so what did not go well?
  3. What should I do to continue on my winning streak, and how should I improve the areas identified that did not go so well?
  4. From all the things I identified, what do I need to work at that would benefit me the most?
  5. Who can I ask to help me this week with to help me change things?

There is a big correlation between these 5 steps and what needs to happen at a team review meeting, with the one exception of a 6th step that relates to motivation. We tend to use team review meetings as blame and shame sessions with no real proactive mechanism to change. The only effect this approach has is to de-motivate the team and reduce individual morale.  By following the simple recipe above, we might be able to create an environment where we support one another more than breaking each other down. An environment where we can think about the project we are undertaking in a proactive, positive and relaxed way.  Let us know how this worked for you by leaving a comment!

Written by Lizette Venter

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net