LEARN A LITTLE:
CLEARING THE TABLE
A friend of mine, Don Blackburn, was not only a terrific psychologist but he was also a great colleague and pool player.
We played many – and I mean many – games of Eight Ball, a popular billiard game. Unfortunately, I am sad to report that as many games as we played, and for so many years, I never won a game.
He often told me why I lost, and there were many explanations, but there was one reason he shared that caught my attention more than the others.
“Art,” he would say. “You can’t win when you only play one ball at a time. You have to play to clear the table.”
I have thought a lot about that advice and how it applies to leadership and management. How many times do we just play to get one ball in the pocket instead of seeing the entire scope or circumstances of a situation, the big picture? We settle for the first solution that solves a problem, rather than the best solution. As a result, we spend our time trying to solve one little problem after another without taking the time to understand what the big problem might be and work on that. In management and leadership, just as in billiards, we are more successful when we play to clear the table.
LAUGH A LITTLE:
REFLECT A LITTLE:
Proverbs 8:33 (CSB)
Listen to instruction and
be wise; don’t ignore it.
READ A LITTLE
The Best Place To Work
Ron Friedman, Ph.D.
This is an excellent book if you have an interest in leadership and a desire to influence the climate and culture of your own workplace and work space.
Based on the findings and contributions of modern science, there are many nuggets of wisdom – such important considerations as office design-think about the fact that restaurant booths fill up before tables, for example. Or learn why play is important and that working too hard in fact may backfire.
Friedman also discusses the importance of how we feel at work and how our emotions and motivation are influenced by those around us.
What makes the book valuable is the practical and applicable nature of the insights.
