vPsychology for Business

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We are dedicated to bringing out the best in you and your employees
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Volume 3, Number 16                                                             August 9, 2002

http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/

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Psychology for Business is a free e-mail newsletter written by  Dr. John Weaver, Dr. Lynda Dahlke, and Dr. Paul Glass, business psychologists and independent consultants. It is published bi-weekly. You’ve received this newsletter because you’ve subscribed to it or it was forwarded to you by a friend or colleague. To subscribe sign up at our website, http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/. If you wish to unsubscribe, please see the end of this e-mail for easy instructions

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LOST AND FOUND

by Dr. John Weaver, Business Psychologist and Executive Coach.

I think it was Zig Ziglar who coined the phrase, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”  Planning is a critical component of any successful business.  But what if planning and the setting of goals becomes a problem? 

We create business plans, strategic plans, marketing plans, and action plans.  And sometimes, in the midst of all our planning and goal setting, we lose our way. 

Pursuing Goals without Direction

Recently, I was sitting with Diane (not her real name) who was describing her dissatisfaction with the way her life was going.  Some of the decisions she found herself making were, by her own description, irresponsible.  This hard-working and successful executive woman was making choices that were making her work much harder and held the potential to be harmful for her and for her organization .  Even though she was aware of the implications, she could not stop herself from taking this self-destructive path. 

Diane is one of the most organized people I have ever met, working at or near her capacity nearly all of the time.  She obtained this skill through necessity when she was juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities and school all at the same time.  When things got difficult, she worked even harder and always found a way to make it work.  She has made great strides in her career by applying the lessons she learned along the way.  Then a member of her family became seriously ill.  She adjusted her time and directed her energy to meet this new crisis.  The quality of her work did not initially suffer, and she still made time for her family.  But she noticed that she was making decisions that were negatively affecting her on a personal level.  And, although she was aware of the problem, that awareness was not changing her behavior.  She also knew that she was emotionally exhausted and worried that it was beginning to affect her work.  Trying harder was not working anymore.

As we explored the problem, I asked her to comment on the things she did to “play.”  Where did she find fun in her life? Initially she could not think of anything – everything she did was work.  Gradually, she noticed that even her “play” had become work for her.  She did nothing without a goal in mind.  She became very quiet at this point of our conversation, and I asked what she was thinking. 

“I feel so lost,” she said. 

She was responding to the needs of her work and her family but she lost herself in the process.

Alternative Business

Is there an alternative way to do business? 

In his book Leadership from the Inside Out (Executive Excellence Publishing, 2000), executive coach Kevin Cashman relates a story about a priest set in pre-revolutionary Russia.  In this story the priest is confronted by a soldier who aimed his rifle and demanded, "Who are you? Where are you going? Why are you going there?"

Unfazed, the priest responded "How much do they pay you?"

The soldier, surprised by his question, responded, "Twenty-five kopecks a month."

The priest paused and said, "I have a proposal for you. I’ll pay you fifty kopeks each month if you stop me here every day and challenge me to respond to those same three questions."

Sometimes we confuse our pursuit of goals with having a direction.  It is not that planning and goal-setting is wrong.  It is an essential part of effective work.  Goals are concrete and measurable.  There is a sense of safety in tangible progress that can be assessed.  But goals need to be in the service of something larger and more meaningful in both our personal and organizational life or we risk piling up accomplishments but losing ourselves in the process.

Goals that are disconnected from a meaningful purpose easily lead to job burnout.  Talented and skillful workers are lost to organizations because their jobs do not bring real satisfaction.  Some continue to hold the position and become "workaholics" but cannot generate any enthusiasm or creativity. 

Where to begin

The priest in Kevin Cashman’s story recognized the importance of asking three questions. He also recognizes that asking the questions must be done with regularity. Many organizations have spent time and energy creating a mission statement. When was the last time you looked at the mission statement, or thought about how your goals fit within it?

Who are you? This question starts at a very personal level. What are my core values? What are the talents (inborn abilities) that I bring to the workplace? It expands to the organization. What is the mission of this organization?  What does it contribute to the human community? This is a question of identity and it demands that the questioner look deeply.

Where are you going? Suppose that you spend your life climbing the corporate ladder, and when you finally get to the top, you discover it was leaning against the wrong wall!  It is easy to pursue activity that generates a sense of security, but much more difficult to pursue a path that leads to satisfaction. The path to satisfaction usually involves taking the risks necessary to be true to our talents and our values. This often conflicts with our need for security.  We might need to let go of the need to be secure in order to be truly satisfied. This is a question of destiny and it demands that the questioner look to the future.

Why are you going there? The answer to this question is a unique response from every individual (person or organization). I cannot set my direction and expect to achieve something meaningful by doing it because someone else did. There is a reason why an individual is drawn towards a specific career or an organization comes into existence.  While the pressures of the day-to-day operations can obscure those reasons, it is important to re-connect to them.  This is a question of purpose and it demands that the questioner returns to his or her roots.

The work that we do is a powerful aspect of our lives. It is more than a means to an end, it is also a means to express ourselves. If we lose sight of that, we are truly lost.

People in organizations are primarily looking for meaning in their work.  But not many leaders act as though they believe that’s what really motivates people. They think money motivates people.  At the end of the day, people want to know they’ve done something meaningful.
            – Bill George

(Dr. John Weaver will be offering a 9 hour seminar on "Alternative Business" this fall. 
Watch for details about registration.)

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On Executive Coaching:  "I never cease to be amazed at the power of the coaching process to draw out the skills or talent that was previously hidden within an individual, and which invariably finds a way to solve a problem previously thought unsolvable," John Russell, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson Europe Ltd.  

Did you know that executive coaching is not geographically limited?  Coaching by telephone is effective.  It is also an efficient use of time and resources.  You never need to leave your office to travel, nor do you need to pay travel expenses for your coach. We offer coaching either onsite or by telephone. To find out if coaching is right for you, contact us to schedule a FREE 1/2 hour consultation.  Or request a price sheet to determine the best value for your organization.  Call us at: (262) 789-2728 or email us at mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com. ============================================================================================================

About the Author

John Weaver, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist with 22 years’ professional experience working with organizations, groups, and individuals. He has experience leading groups and creating teamwork in organizations. His areas of expertise include executive coaching, conflict resolution, coaching teams and individuals to improve performance under stress, assessing employees and potential employees to ensure the right person for the right job, and training in stress management and "The Vitamin C’s for an Emotionally Healthy Workplace."  He is an experienced public speaker and published author.

Based in Waukesha, WI, Dr. John Weaver is available for consultation or executive coaching by phone, e-mail or in person. He may be reached at (262) 789-2728 (office) or (414) 491-8719 (cell), by e-mail: mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com or: 

John Weaver, Psy.D. 
Psychology for Business
2717 North Grandview Boulevard, Suite 303
Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53188

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Archives:  All our previous newsletters are archived at http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/eNewsletter.htm. Check out the series on The Vitamin C’s of an Emotionally Healthy Workplace, the series on Dealing with Difficult Employees, links to our Published Articles and our newest series, Triple "A" Leadership.
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An extra for our readers: Receive your FREE copy of 9 Ways to Motivate Your Workforce by clicking on the title or visiting http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/motivate.htm. This paper was prepared for a recent talk by Dr. John Weaver  for the Workforce Development Center. If you are interested in having Dr. Weaver speak for your organization, contact him at mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com?subject=SPEAK .

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To order your copy of the book, MANAGING DIFFICULT PERSONALITIES IN THE WORKPLACE: A Manager’s Practical Guide, by Dr. Paul Kenneth Glass, send your name, address, number of copies desired and a check made out to Dr. Paul Kenneth Glass for $12 per book (plus $2 shipping per book).  Or order 10 or more copies for $10 per book and $6.95 for shipping (up to 50 copies).  No fluff, this book gets right to the point. Send orders to:

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To subscribe visit us at our website: http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/.

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If you would like to learn more about Dr. John Weaver (mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com), Dr. Lynda Dahlke (mailto:ldahlke@psychologyforbusiness.com), and Dr. Paul Glass (mailto:pglass@psychologyforbusiness.com) please visit us at our website: http://www.psychologyforbusiness.com/.

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© Copyright 2002. All rights reserved. John Weaver. Distribution rights: The above material is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added or deleted, including the contact information. If you would like to reprint part of this newsletter please contact me at mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com to make arrangements.

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Sharing this newsletter with colleagues and friends, under these conditions, is encouraged.

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If you have a question or topic you would like to see covered, send your request to mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com.

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New!  Subscriber Corner.  In each newsletter, we will highlight some of our subscribers at the end of each issue. It is an opportunity for you to learn more about other organizations who are part of the Psychology for Business family. It is also a chance for you to highlight your business efforts. To have your organization listed, please send a brief (4 to 7 lines) description that will tell readers about who you are, what you do, and how to get in contact with you. This service is offered to our readers free of charge (although we hope you will share the newsletter with lots of your potential customers and that you will encourage them to sign up for Psychology for Business!) on a first come, first served basis.  Send your information to mailto:jweaver@psychologyforbusiness.com. All of our readers are invited to be listed in Subscriber Corner. Listing does not imply that we endorse any specific business.

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Dr. John Weaver publishes another newsletter, co-authored by Darlene Weaver, THE CENTERED PENDULUM.  It is our firm belief that lifelong patterns of “being” (personality, attitudes, emotions) and “doing” (lifestyle, adaptability, coping skills) interact with our genes and environment to create conditions of a healthy or a diseased brain.  If you would like to read previous issues of the Centered Pendulum newsletter or to subscribe, please visit the archives at http://www.centeredpendulum.org/newsletters.htm.
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