"Life Isn't Fair..."

As adults no doubt most of you have heard one or more adage uttered from the elders in your life. Spoken thoughts or feelings such as: "You only live once.", "You get what you put into it.", "Bad things happen to good people.", or "Life isn't fair", ...and no doubt many, many others.

I'd like to focus primarily on one that weighs heavily on my heart, for more than one reason... "Life isn't fair..." This one has always seemed set apart from many of the others I've heard over my life time, distinct and separate for some reason. Life isn't fair....

Human nature I believe tends to lean towards and even dwell on the negative aspects of many things, including life in general. It's relatively easy to spot when you talk with someone. The conversation often degrades into looking and talking about the bleak side of...things. You've had those conversations before where the person you're talking with just seems to focus on the negatives... I'd ask you to think about how that makes you feel. Does it make you feel; interested? sympathetic? apathetic? Likely that will depend a great deal upon the relationship you have with the other person and the context and content of the discussion, right? And, it would have something to do with how negative the person is...how compelling the subject is to you, etc.

No doubt every one of us has had something in our life that we could speak to in terms of "Life isn't fair"....some unique pain or trauma we've suffered...or worse yet, one that someone we love greatly has suffered. I'd argue that if you live long enough you will eventually run into one of those situations and even perhaps mutter the words.

So what does that have to do with Technology? or the work we do at MDC? PLENTY, I would suggest. Your attitude, how you handle stresses, how you interpret and respond to negativity, words that come from your mouth, things you talk about in public, etc...all of those things are a reflection of you and the work you do. Because of the work we do, we are heavily involved with other people--MDC employees (customers), vendors, contractors, etc....we deal with PEOPLE...A LOT! Which in turn means, we are "on display"....for instance, more folks will likely know our Help Desk staff than the numbers of people who would know who the Conservation Agent is in Pemiscot County...it's about exposure. We as an IT group are 'exposed' often. Our work is on display for everyone to see...everyday.

So, it's not hard to make the leap from high exposure to why it's important we conduct ourselves professionally. When we run into those situations where we feel life (someone/something) is taking advantage of us or treating us unfairly...how we respond to those situations is what others see. Closer to home--paycheck--what are you saying about the check you bring home, likely something to the effect of "it's not enough." or what are you saying about the high workload you have? or what are you saying about the new technology that is being brought into this organization? Are you supportive? or are you propagating a negative component to one of those?

Perhaps your stance is that you're not being treated "fairly" or even "Life isn't fair".... Ya know, perhaps it isn't...but whose milestone is being used to measure? Probably yours, right? Humans tend to make everything about them...it's all about "me"...so anything that happens to them or around them is measured around the "me." What or how does this impact me? Is it good for me? Will it be more work for me? or What's in it for me?

"IF" I've described you...then I'd challenge you to give some thought, serious thought, about trying to change that attitude. Your representation of Conservation, of Technology, of yourself, is on display. While you may think that "Life isn't fair" to you....I can almost certainly guarantee that someone else has a bigger problem...a more significant issue they are wrestling with...guaranteed. While it may be tough to focus on the positives when it seems so many negatives are piling up against you....it's scientifically proven it helps to remain positive and upbeat. Give it a try!

While there may be some truth to "Life isn't fair".... who ever promised you it would be? I've never read anything, anywhere or heard anyone who control ALL things tell me that life WOULD BE FAIR!

Attitude, particularly a good positive attitude that is supportive of fellow workers, the organization you work for, and the decisions that are being made is important. It will help define WHO you really are. Accepting the fact that you aren't the only one making the "call", but rather a team member who can HELP make that call, or support the call...is really the measure of success, AND the milestone by which you/I will be judged in many cases. How you respond when those tough times materialize will define you...and US!

TAFN

Bus Members...

From time to time I compelled....drawn to... revisit some of the Jim Collins materials (website and book). In some ways it revitalizes me...in some ways it depresses me because I feel like some folks still "just don't get it..."

Take this excerpt from article by Jim Collins titled: "Good to Great and the Social Sectors."

Yet a finding from our research [key word here folks, research...not an opinion or hypothesis] is instructive: the key variable is not how (or how much) you pay, but who you have on the bus. The comparison companies in our research—those that failed to become great—placed greater emphasis on using incentives to “motivate” otherwise unmotivated or undisciplined people. The great companies, in contrast, focused on getting and hanging on to the right people in the first place—those who are productively neurotic, those who are self-motivated and self-disciplined, those who wake up every day, compulsively driven to do the best they can because it is simply part of their DNA.

Don't get me wrong...I believe as well as most that compensation is a KEY ingredient in motivation (no, not always #1) but the point being made here is that it doesn't matter how much you pay someone who doesn't care or isn't committed...it won't make your Org. better. A core concept for success once again is ...."Getting the right people on the bus!"

I find so much satisfaction in reading and hearing that concept...frankly because I firmly believe it's central towards becoming the best you can be. If you settle for something less...well...then you are....settling for something LESS. I know of companies that believe and LIVE the "Good to Great" concepts...and honestly they are some of the finest companies I know of....hmmm, maybe something to that....

I leave you today with a question: Are you, "...productively neurotic, ...self-motivated and self-disciplined, ...(do you) wake up every day, compulsively driven to do the best (you) can because it is simply part of (your) DNA." ???

TAFN

Planning...

I've been spending more time than I care too recently trying to figure out ways to stretch my family budget. Gasoline prices @ $3.49 per gallon, milk per gallon is over $4, hamburger prices are up and my latest car insurance statement reflects a 5% increase in premiums (and we're a four car family!). It seems that EVERYTHING is costing my family more. As a result, we are spending much more time consciously thinking about ways to save some money...we need every penny to help pay for something else that has gone up in price!

We are reducing the number of times we run here or there for things we "want" but may not "need." We're working hard with our children to impress upon them the need to limit vehicle trips. We've even gone as far as to actually suggest they stay at home one night per week (this was a much bigger deal to them it seems) instead of "on-the-go" seven days per week. We are combining trips to include shopping for groceries, gas fill ups, video return, etc. Yes, money has become tighter and frankly the forecast for the immediate, foreseeable future doesn't look much better for any of these costs to fall.

So in essence, my family and I are PLANNING. We are giving conscious thought to how much money is coming in and where it's going out. Not that this is a revelation for us...we've always lived on a budget---the diff here is that we seem to have much less predictability over what our costs will actually be. When gasoline jumps 5, 10 or even 22 cents per gallon over night---it's tough to predict a monthly gas account. And then there's the grocery store....I've seen prices jump 10-20% on items during the course of a few days....on a several hundred dollar per month grocery bill--that jump can really add up. We are "on the hunt" for bargains...for ways to reduce our budget impact...lower priced items...or even not buying some less important "things."

You might be saying OK Jim...you're not telling me anything new...we are doing the same exact thing! My reply is COOL!, Great!....that's what I was hoping to hear. That means you understand budget limitations...the issues with needless or foolish spending during times of budget pressure!! Carrying your personal situation over to your work now.....things are becoming tighter for MDC now too. Revenue forecast aren't looking the best...that means tighter, leaner budgets. That means we must get much smarter about how and where we invest/spend our limited resources.

Let's face it folks.....it should always be that way...but we know human nature. When money influx seems to be pretty good, our decision making usually changes...purchases may be made that during tighter/leaner times wouldn't. Well so our current and immediate future seems to point to leaner times now...so we MUST adjust our thinking and how we conduct business. No different that you do at home.

Bring your home thought process over to your job....are you looking for ways at work to reduce costs? Are you trying to save money? Is it a conscious thought process you have every day??? ...like it is at home? If it isn't...it should be! At every level in this Org. employees are expected to contribute to working smarter and that includes financial aspects too.

Certainly the work we perform in IT can contribute to helping save some Agency greenbacks too. We should working diligently towards finding and implementing technology that could provide, at minimum, the same worker productivity level (or better yet improve it), while saving money. Look at service contracts...is there a better way to get service? Should we purchase spare hardware and drop some service contracts? What about boning up on your negotiation skills....negotiate for lower prices on hardware/software and other IT costs....push vendors to give us better pricing. Drive less---no brainer! THINK! and re-think business processes...how can we gain some efficiencies?

I challenge each of you...apply some of the thinking you do at home to save some of "your" money ...to help save "our" money. Put on your thinking caps and think EFFICIENCIES, Productivity gains, better processes, streamline...etc.

I eagerly look forward to hearing and seeing the results of your focused attention at helping to "work smarter"

TAFN