Looking back at the month that was July 2009, I was able to get 7 (hopefully) quality posts online, with 5 being original posting from myself, one being a reprint that I need to tag as Reviewing What I Said, and one guest posting. Here is the full listing of my July posts, with a brief description.
Make A List, Baby! Part 1 Breaking down the basics of the most effective development tool you’ll ever use: a list. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/make-list-baby-part-1.html
Make A List, Baby! Part 2 The four lists I use to manage my daily life: my Daily Journal, my Daily Dozens, my 30 Minutes A Day Log, and my Running Notepad. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/make-list-baby-part-2.html
Welcome To Your Crisis Comparing how you would handle a house fire to how you should handle any crisis you may face. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/welcome-to-your-crisis.html
Is The Story Of The Little Dutch Boy Actually The Story Of Your Career? Originally published in the former Cool Corporate dot COM Blog. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/is-story-of-little-dutch-boy-actually.html
Do You Have the Right Mindset to Start Your Business? A guest post written by Deborah A Bailey. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/do-you-have-right-mindset-to-start-your.html
You Can Only Make Choices From The Choices Given Just like you can’t hit a target that isn’t there in front of you, you can’t make a choice for your life that isn’t presented for you to choose from. http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/you-can-only-make-choices-from-choices.html
My Great Idea On How To Have A Good Life I declared myself a minor genius since I had an idea similar to two much more major geniuses, Tim Ferriss and Chad Fowler http://fastforwardblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-have-good-life.html
I’ve been writing and rewriting a potential blog post for months on dealing with the frustration of people who do not have the capability to follow orders. I have been stymied by frustration with the subject, frustration with the true object I am pointing out in the subject (I don’t give any company names, but if you know my history its pretty easy to figure out which company), and frustration in the tone that it apparently wants to take despite the number of rewrites it gets.
The point of the post that will probably never see the light of day is that you can’t become overly frustrated with people you give orders to if they are incapable of following them. After you’ve checked to make sure your style of delivery isn’t the problem, and that you are sending an effective message, it doesn’t matter if your receivers are incapable of interpreting the message or just incompetent in carrying out the orders. And it might not be completely their fault that they can’t get the job done, but since you’re still responsible, you either have to replace your workers or replace yourself and get another job where the people you lead can get the job done.
But today, I had a epiphany over the term orders. I used the term as a formal throwback to my days in the Air Force, which was explained in the beginning of the post that will never see the light of day. It seemed like a self-explanatory word. I don’t use the term orders now, and rarely gave ‘orders’ to those that fell under my leadership when I was in command. I gave, and still give, instruction, directions, guidance, suggestions, unwanted-but-needed feedback, and on occasion, an overly extended cursing tirade that often involves projectiles being aimed at one’s head (that did occur frequently at the job in question in the post that shall never see the light of day).
So what’s in a word? While I realized I was having a problem with a word that was affecting the tone of writing--orders--I was still getting the point across. But just like your selection of words can take a conversation for light and lively to heavy and full of fisticuffs, you’ve got to be careful with the words you use. Apparently, I needed that reminder more than I needed that blog post.
Reviewing What I Said: Do You Want To Work For The Best Leaders?
In working on my new writings, I've been reviewing lots of old writings to see if there are strings of pearls of wisdom that I can claim...or if I have been a classic flip-flopper. Submitted for your review and approval, and article I put on the web in October of 2005. It received no known response...
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DO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR THE BEST LEADERS? by JC Payne
The October 31st, 2005 issue of U.S. News & World Report has a cover story on "America's Best Leaders," chosen by a committee convened by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The article highlighted 25 of the best leaders, for a variety of industry backgrounds, to including names like Bill & Melinda Gates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Steve Jobs for Apple Computer and Pixar, Brian Lamb for C-SPAN, Condoleezza Rice as United States Secretary of State, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, and Oprah Winfrey for HARPO Inc. and `The Oprah Winfrey Show.'
So what does this mean to you as a reader of an article on issues pertaining to the job market? The answer to that question is another question. The answer to that question isn't as simple as it may seem.
Who do you want to work for?
The best answer most people want to give is for the best boss possible. And that would seem to be someone who instills many similar traits to those displayed in this list of best leaders.
But in reality, some of the best leaders live and work in conditions that require some of the most intense and strict behaviors, and are truly some of the hardest people to work for. May be there expectations are too high and there demands are too strict. Maybe your a little more laid back your career (or just lazy period) and the meeting the constant goals of an super-achiever are going to conflict with your plans to play pick-up basketball with the fellas later.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates may have mellowed over the years since the initial wars over which personal computer platform would dominate the market. Or maybe now that they have more money, they can hire better publicists. The horror stories of the original days at Apple and Microsoft are legendary. Remember that Jobs was pushed out of Apple for a while for being overbearing and lording over personal projects that weren't meeting the bottom line.
Remember that Bill Gates made this list for the charitable foundation that he oversees with his wife, **not** for growing Microsoft into what is simultaneously one of the most influential and most hated companies in the world.
As you search the classified for that next possible dream job, make sure you always remember to do your homework. Study up on the company, its performance, and especially its leadership. For every episode of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' that has Oprah giving away one hundred cars, there a story about her sending staff to by her coffee and lunch because she doesn't carry small bills--and her not being good at remembering to pay them back. Whether true or the fabrication of disgruntled bad employees, you can't get the full picture from a special report.
Welcome to my new blog. This is where I will chronicle the next phase of mis-adventures of my life. Thank you for staying on the ride, and for you newcomers to the inside of my mental mania, I will do my best to make sure the trip is both entertaining and educational.
Life In Fast Forward: The Blog is still a bit of a work in progress. Keep checking in for new posts and site updates.
About Blog
This blog supports some of the thoughts and interjections from the folks at Fast Forward Business Properties. Our ideas, things we test, and a few random thoughts will show up here.
Name: J. Cleveland Payne
Home: Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
About Me: News is my profession, so it only fits that I am a news junkie. I'm a radio show/segment producer for a news/talk radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas.
