Friday, May 26, 2006

Gardening!

It's definitely feeling like springtime now that we're working on the vegetable garden. Trying to get Emma and Max to actually help when their "helping" may be more difficult than the rest of the work...

It's been quite awhile since I posted here last. I guess if I was not doing so much other writing I'd be blogging more... I'm kinda spent on writing! Did 2 Q&A articles this week, on for eLearning producers in US, and 1 for a newspaper in Portugal. Hopefully both will come out next week. I also just finished a white paper on EQ and Optimism, and I really need to get the press release out on that. GAHHHH. So many balls to juggle! Good news is we are almost done editing the Leadership report for our assessment. The template is over 100 pages so it's quite a task.

Anyway, if there is anyone actually reading this blog and wondering "where's Josh been," now you know.
:-)

Monday, May 08, 2006

Anyone there?

Funny thing about starting a blog - I have no idea if anyone's reading it! On the emotional intelligence site I have stats telling me 1100 people per day are visiting... but here I'm in the dark. So click on the little pencil icon under each entry and post a comment!

Triple Threat - On the Rocks in Arches

This weekend was a wonderful family reunion. Uncle Frank turned 70, and about 150 people gathered in Moab to cheer him. Amazing collection of folks from a lifetime of work and play. They all talked about Frank's enthusiasm for life, his trustworthiness and adventerousness. The guy started white-water kayaking in is 60s. Whoa. I was so inspired by the curiousity, courage, and playfulness with which he's lived.

Meanwhile, Max was falling in love with climbing. As a boy who loves rocks, of course scambling up them is a "must do." The glorious red rocks of Moab are nothing short of stunning. 300 million years of rock revealed in these astounding striated towers, mesas, and buttes.

The problem is I'm pretty damn scared of falling. Probably b/c I fell off a little bit of a mountain when I was about 16... somehow the downward slip always looks just a hairsbreadth away. So that's pretty challenging for someone who like adventuring around, and I've sort-of-learned to cope. But now standing on the edge of a rock with Emma and Max I'm barely coherent. Time for some serious emotional intelligence!

We had a lovely weekend, no one fell of any rocks, and I pushed some boundaries. Emma had about 4 different birthday celebrations -- including a picnic perched up in the North Window arch. Then she was invited to join Frank when it was time to sing Happy Birthday - 70 to him, 7 to her. Both seemed to like that better.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Stress and Recovery

The last two days I've been going nonstop. Yesterday I had a call scheduled every hour. AHHHH. There's some good research about "stress and recovery" -- ie, when we stretch, we need time to bounce back. But overscheduled, the last two days have had not enough recovery. I've noticed at the end of the days I'm totally, completely wiped. No more room at the inn. It's been even more clear b/c I'm not fully recovered from my cold, so my reserve-energy-tanks are not as full.

An important reminder for me is that if I go "full out" during part of the day, I end up getting less done in the full day. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.

Monday, May 01, 2006

EQ and Gross National Happiness

I love how emotional intelligence is becoming a truly international concept. Just saw this article from Bhutan saying that corporate success should contribute not just to GNP, but also to "Gross National Happiness" (GNH). Some good strategies presented for engaging a team - and a country. Here's the premise:
There is a body of management practice, evolved mainly in US and Europe, on how to develop an organizational culture driven by vision and values shared explicitly by everyone. It is a management science about aligning organizations' operational and personnel systems, including financial and other incentives facing all employees, strictly to their collective vision and values. It is also an art, to be practiced by leaders in inspiring and motivating their people. Likewise, one should not forget, by everyone else to inspire and motivate their leaders. And, by all to nurture an open and trusting work environment where passion and “emotional intelligence” matter just as much as professional and technical excellence.
Cool! And right on -- if leaders truly used their emotional intelligence to create a trusting and trustworthy environment, can you imagine how organizations would thrive? GNH would go up!!

She goes onto point out that relationship-centered leadership creates adaptable organizations: "Wherever successful, the practice has created nimble and dynamic organizations that not only deliver first-rate outcomes, but also learn constantly from their successes and mistakes, adapting proactively to changing environment." Sorely needed.