To Add Value

This phrase "adding value" is fast becoming a cliche`. I've heard it, read it, and said it myself.  Adding value, as I understand it, means to increase the evaluation of something through an application of effort or substance.  Thus, to add value to my marriage for me might mean to work harder at the relational aspects and by so doing the evaluation, or in this case the strength of the bond of the marriage relationship, would be increased. 

Why do we, or should we add value to anything?  Do we do so out of a desire to build a reputation for ourselves, or to please another person, or out of guilt, or under duress?  When is adding value truly valuable?  If I apply more effort and enhance the value of my work, do I do so because I choose to, or because it is expected of me, or because I'm afraid I will be fired if I don't?  Does any truly altruistic motive come into play?  If my motive for adding value is not altruism but something, anything else, and I would suggest that anything not done out of altruism is a lesser motive, does it truly add value?  I would think the answer is yes, but then the question is: how long can I continue to add value if my motivation is less than altruism, and at what point do these lesser motives undercut the value I am attempting to add?  Ahhh, but do they have to under cut the value?  I would say that in most cases the answer is again, yes.  In fact I would suppose that such is the cause for much of the apathy and anemic performance we see around us; for even in adding value, it is just as quickly removed by harsh words, negative attitudes, and lackadaisical performance

Yet, is there something to be said for allowing these baser motives to become a stepping stone for the greater motive?  Can I practice something out of duress and, over time and with greater understanding, come to practice the same thing out of devotion and love?  Where is the tipping point?  Is it the time or the greater understanding, or perhaps something else altogether?  Whatever it may be, I do see that it is possible for love, for I believe that to be the essence of altruism, to take root and grow and even to flourish in the most harsh climes when that tipping point is reached.

How then do we find this tipping point within ourselves?  Even as we may feel bogged down in the mire of life, could there be any hope to truly adding value?  I think there is hope but it comes at a cost so great that many if not most will pale from the consideration.  It is to choose to open our clenched hands of self and me.  Our hands have been clenched so long, either holding onto our precious treasures (in reality pathetic baubles) or raised in anger against God or the universe for the circumstances of our lives, that they don't come open easily.  This is where the time comes in; it is so much harder for those of us who are older to unclench our hands  for we feel we have so much to protect that letting go is hard.  Add to this our resistance to understanding which comes from our certain knowledge that we HAVE knowledge and you can see why a motive of true altruism is so rare.

Can you do it?  Open you mind to the possibility of another's perspective.  Practice adding value from lesser motives while slowly opening your clenched fist to find hope and perhaps even the greatest motive of all?

The Fred Factor - Book Review

Lately I've approached leadership books with trepidation.  So, as I started reading this short book I was suspicious of a quick fix that was more self-serving than servant-leadership.  I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.  I LOVED THIS BOOK!  I think Mark Sanborn has brought the spotlight to bear on the importance of the individual who is fully engaged in living a life of excellence through serving others without any hope of gain beyond the personal knowledge and self-fulfillment that comes from knowing we are doing the right thing.

Here  are some of my favorite quotes:

• "Ultimately, though, only the employee can choose to do his or her job in an extraordinary way, regardless of the circumstances." p.9
• "Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.  At the end of the day, the only question that matters is, What kind of difference did you make?" p.9
• "What we haven't been told nearly enough is that people give work dignity  There are no  unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant doing their jobs." p. 10
• "While position never determines performance, ultimately performance determines position in life." p. 10
• "...the most important job skill of the twenty-first century:  the ability to create value for customers without spending more money to do it." p.12
• "Fred has beaten a silent opponent that threatens his potential, just as it threatens yours and mine.  That competitor is mediocrity, a willingness to do just enough and nothing more to get by." p.14
• "...you don't do the right thing just because you have to do it.  You do it because it is the right thing to do." p. 23
• "The fact is that everybody is already making a difference every day.  The key question is, What kind of difference is each of us making?" p. 35
• "Freds, however, don't use people as a means to an end; they use relationships to build a foundation for success." p. 43
• "Jimmy Buffett once said (and I paraphrase): It takes just about the same amount of time to be a nice guy as it does to be a jerk." p.49
• "Freds create extra value by doing more than is necessary and exceeding our expectations - most of the time for no extra pay." p.51
• "The most powerful tool you have for spreading the Fred Factor throughout your organization is yur own behavior - the example of your life and the effect it has on others." p. 90
• "So here's my working definition of generosity of spirit; It is the commitment to treat a person with dignity and kindness regardless of how you feel about him or her." p 107

If you have not read this book yet -GO NOW AND BUY IT AND READ IT!  and then share it with as many others as you can.

Decisive - Book Review - Link

How to Make Better Decisions

I'm reading this new book by Dan and Chip Heath now but saw this review and thought it provided an excellent overview.

From the article:

"Why do we have such a hard time making good choices?" ask Chip and Dan Heath in Decisive. 

"A remarkable aspect of your mental life," says Daniel Kahneman, "is that you are rarely stumped." We have opinions about nearly everything and are quick to jump to conclusions based only on the information that is right in front of us. We often just go with our gut. And that hasn't always served us well.


To read the rest of the article, click here. 

The Go-Giver - book review

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea, by Bob Burg and John David Mann.

 This short book is well written and easy to read.  Styled as a story, the obvious intent is to teach a concept - in this case that "giving" will result in more productive business practices and positively affect one's ability to accrue wealth.  There is quite a bit of reinforcement of this counter-intuitive idea that giving results in higher rates of return.

This one in growing list of short books which use the medium of a story to "unearth" and apply a concept.  This concept is always amazingly simple and yet the central character struggles to grasp the concept, usually introduced through meetings with one or more almost mystical (and highly successful) gurus, for want of a better word.

I am definitely not saying there is not some truth to the core concept of the go-giver, it is after all exactly what Jesus taught, albeit not for the purpose of manipulating wealth.  What I am suggesting about all such books is that they are fictional stories contrived to reinforce the main point.   The story steers the reader to the exact conclusions which the author desires, without benefit of exploring the contrary perspective, and definitely without the being encumbered with tedious research to support the concept.  The concept works because the gurus say it works AND  have become wealthy through the practice of the concept; what could be better than that? 

This reminded me a little of the "giving living" messages which some television evangelists preach with great passion.  "If you give to God you can expect Him to give back to you in abundance, and the more you give, the more you'll get, so write your check now and send it to my ministry.  The windows of heaven to open and pour down upon you."  Of course if you didn't receive the promised wealth, there were probably mitigating circumstances such as sin in your life.  God cannot be manipulated and giving to get is a fallacious theology, and, I suspect, a fallacious business philosophy.

Giving for the pure sake of love for others, because it is the right thing to do, without expecting any return, that, in my book is the real Go-Giver.