The US government is giving away millions of dollars in handouts in an attempt to stimulate economic activity. While everyone likes to get money from Uncle Sam, this kind of financial boost can only be short-lived. There’s a better way to boost your career and future: a bigger, better stimulus package, designed precisely to fit your needs — and one that will assist you for the rest of your life, if you put it in place right away. Best of all, this package is a boost you can give to yourself. Here’s how to start.

The attitude people have to their work can transform an economy. If work is nothing but a ‘four-letter word’ and a way of spending time you would much rather avoid, don’t look for any increase in productivity or creativity: the only things that drive any economy forward over the longer term. What we need is the kind of stimulus that will get people more engaged in making a better, more enjoyable, more civilized life for themselves and everyone else.

Once you accept that doing the best you can is all that is required, you are freed from most of the sense of guilt and anxiety that goes with expecting a “right answer” to be available. Nor are you tempted into the self-righteousness that people show as they try to force their answer on everyone else. It’s hard to be a bully or an over-demanding boss, let alone any kind of management fundamentalist, if you accept that people cannot rationally be expected to do more than their best — whatever that may be.

What are the consequences for an economy where so much is owed by so many to so few? Can you really be happy working for an organization which only exists to rob
and pillage? We don’t know much about the personnel management and career development practices of pirate ships, but we can assume they weren’t particularly enlightened. Reports from the time speak of ruthless psychopathic captains, promotion by intrigue and treachery, no job security and a ruthless financial short-termism.

Using numerical analysis as almost the sole guide to management action is tempting, especially in times when everyone is under pressure to “perform” against numerical targets. But relying on numbers is very risky, especially when business success depends more on people’s perceptions and responses than moving abstract figures around on a spreadsheet. Whatever the numbers say, people and their feelings nearly always have the final word.

Ambition has all too many down-sides: the temptation to take excessive risks, a sharp increase in stress, a tendency to wreck relationships, and a gentle slope down into cheating and dishonesty when all else fails. What you need is an approach that isn’t so one-dimensional or prone to causing delusions. That approach is to challenge yourself and make yourself justify every goal, perspective, belief, and assumption.

Nearly every leader is tempted at some time to assume some leadership style or persona appropriate to workplace and status. It’s never worth it. You’ll be be more successful — and less stressed — if you try being yourself instead.

Does it make sense to judge your progress, achievements, or worth against other people? Can you see beyond the images they present to the world to the reality of their situations? How do you know that what you see is even real? This article explains why comparisons can become more damaging than motivating.

This is the beginning of the long-promised series of changes and upgrades to “Slow Leadership.” I’ve also taken the opportunity to upgrade to Wordpress 3.5.

Is there a difference between passion and purpose? How do the two connect?

Photo by ‘emmip’ (Morguefile.com)

There’s much discussion these days about passion and purpose in the workplace.
A Google search of “passion at work” resulted in 11,5000,000 hits. A search of “purpose and work” results in 21,300 hits. “Purpose in the workplace”, 61,400 hits. Even [...]