My 2011 Reading List
1. Sometimes effort is not immediately fruitful;
2. Books in Australia are ridiculously expensive; and
3. I’ve vowed to write (but not necessarily post) once a week starting this month.
Context Reality Check
I’ve been trying to think of a clever way to use this wicked tool here on Crafting Context, and I think I’ve finally found the solution.
I know I briefly explain what Crafting Context means to me on the About page, but for the sake of making my point I’ll give it another go. Crafting a context is the process of meeting someone and then developing an opinion on where they are coming from. You judge their actions based on that platform, and the process of doing so gives you a better understanding of how they are likely to make decisions in the future. The creation of that platform is almost like painting a picture of everything that is a contributing factor for them. For example – if I wanted to create such a painting for Crafting Context, then I think it’d look something like this:
But one of the most important parts of understanding people’s contexts is constantly checking that the frame of reference you have set up for them is still applicable. This is unreasonably important. If you don’t (keep reading…)
Buckets, Goals and Self-Discipline
I’ve been thinking a lot about what motivates me to throw myself into things in recent days. Often something grabs me, and all of a sudden I have a strength of dedication to a project, hobby or other area of my life which I covet in times when it is noticeably absent. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is that causes the onslaught of that motivation, and over and over I come up with more questions. But this post talks about a small victory in the answers department – I think. It starts with our recent visit to Zuka* (our financial planner).
A very attentive Scout and I listened as she (keep reading…)
Top 3 Blog Quotes of the [insert time period] – Volume 2
They say that consistency is the best thing for blog readership, and I realize that consistency has not been my strong point recently. That is not to say that since my last post I have been lazy – I’ve posted for the first time on ChEnected, been overseas for a conference, and been offshore for the first time ever. As an expected trade-off, though, my own blog has suffered as a result of my exciting life.
Sometimes I lament that excitement, but then I’m reminded that I enjoy my maniacally, hectic life, and that – even though the pace drives me crazy at times – it is also often my best motivational companion, and the main driver of my enthusiasm.
So… Since it is long overdue, and seems like a series has an air of consistency about it, I believe it is time for the next installment of the Top 3 Blog Quotes series. My ‘favourite articles’ are starting to pile up in my RSS reader waiting to be shared, and the quotes below have had more than enough time to tumble around in my head.
So without further ado, here is Volume 2 (keep reading…)
The Best Diversity Council Is… One That Doesn’t Exist Anymore?
He was a CEO, and he was talking about the transformation in his business. He spoke about his board of males making decisions about women for women, and about how gaining buy-in for diversity measures from his Directors was significantly easier than gaining the buy-in of his middle management. How could they possibly manage people who worked their own hours, they said, how can we possibly make sure that they are doing their jobs?
It took me a long time to agree with myself that I was going to post on this topic, as there are several stigmas attached to the sticky topics of diversity programming, gender inequity and the hailstorm-inducing topic of quotas. My own opinions on this are changing as I become more exposed to the business world and the people I meet; however my views and thoughts on the appropriateness of quotas are not the topic for discussion today.
I spent 2 days last week at the Women in Leadership Australia Symposium speaking to many vibrant and engaging women. There were a number of speakers from (keep reading…)
Igniting Purpose – Client Engagement the Socialist Way
About 6 months ago I made a presentation at work that earned me the reputation of being a jedi-mind-control practitioner (that link is courtesy of one of my colleagues). The presentation was on client engagement, and apart from spawning the above title, it also sparked some interesting debate about what drives the people I work with.
I am incredibly interested in client engagement, as it was one of the first non-technical concepts that I really saw the value in once entering the workforce. I love engineering, and I love being technical, but my personality type also lends itself to passionately pushing/helping/coaching others. So combine the two, and what do you have? A technical consultant who wants nothing more than to throw herself into helping businesses make themselves better – which inherently requires understanding the client and what motivates them.
Of course, as with most consultants, I’ve figured out that my client isn’t always The Client. Sometimes it is my boss, or my colleague, or my teammate at the contractor’s office. The interesting thing, though, is that many of them are motivated by similar things.
Watch this (it’ll be the best 10 minutes and 48 seconds of your whole day): (keep reading…)
When Did Self Control Go Out of Style?
I had originally planned a post on developing purpose for my triumphant return from a month’s leave and a hectic return to normal life, but alas – I left my ideas book at work. So instead I have chosen to dust the layers off this wee post which has been sitting in my drafts for many weeks and was waiting for the final link to come along.
…….
Ages ago I read March by Geraldine Brooks, which is a book meant to be a semi-fictional account of the father of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. The story follows Mr. March’s establishment as a gentleman, and then his trek off to fight in the American Civil War. All the while he is writing letters to his wife and daughters back home and reminiscing of their traits, shared memories and tribulations.
One of the things that Mr. March prides himself on, as it would seem many other characters of that era/culture do, is self-control. He takes great comfort in knowing that in all circumstances he attempts to keep the utmost control of his reactions and responses. His wife, on the other hand, is what we might call “feisty.” (keep reading…)
