2010 – Page 20 – Management Library

October 13, 2010February 10, 2023

What Really Constitutes a Business Crisis?

A-man-addressing-the-crisis-management-team

There are many types of issues facing businesses, but what counts as a true crisis?

It’s not always immediately apparent when your organization is in the initial stages of a crisis. To this effect, I am pleased to bring you a guest blog submission by Michael Nayor, founder and CEO of crisis consulting firm The Rhodell Group, that investigates “What Really Constitutes a Business Crisis.”

WHAT REALLY CONSTITUTES A BUSINESS CRISIS

A business crisis can be anything that can negatively effect a company’s reputation or bottom line. Many events at first blush may not appear to be serious. HP’s firing of Mark Hurd and the subsequent entanglement with Oracle was not a big deal in the scheme of things, even though internally it must have been a shocker. However, the death or resignation of a key person in any organization could very well be serious for any company depending on just how key that person really was. Natural catastrophes, product recalls, labor disputes, computer data losses. The list is endless. Some are temporary. Some can cause the demise of a company. Most can be handled with honesty and the realization that it may be necessary to absorb losses over the short haul in order to achieve a long and healthy business life.

Two distinct categories of crisis need to be recognized. In one we lump all those events over which we have no control, such as product tampering by outside forces or natural disasters. Even in these situations there are always some actions we can take: tamper-proof packaging, liability insurance, proper protocols. But generally these events can blind-side us.

The second category contains all those events that might have been avoided had we chosen to take the actions necessary to protect ourselves and the public. Some are obvious. We look at the BP oil spill and see things that surely could have been done. Other events are not so obvious and these are the ones that can be insidious. When a management believes it is doing the right thing but in fact is fueling a potential crisis we have the makings of a catastrophe. A couple of examples will make this abundantly clear.

Market share is usually very important to a company, oddly sometimes more important than the bottom line. There is always great competition for new customers. Many times the efforts and resources devoted to advertising, marketing and selling to new customers are at the expense of a company’s loyal customer base. This can even be seen at the local level. Where I live heating oil companies consistently offer new customers a deal for the first year in order to lure them in. This, of course, is done at the expense of old, loyal customers who have to make up the slack. The result is that many savvy oil customers these days do a lot of shopping each year to find the best deal. Loyalty is a thing of the past. On a national level the problem has gotten even more serious. A recent financial story in The New Yorker last month observed that there is almost universal recognition that customer service in this country has deteriorated. Such service is considered a “cost”. Companies are looking for the customers they don’t have so they are willing to spend on marketing and advertising but are not as interested in adding to their costs of service. The article made it sound a little like cynical dating. Companies are interested in luring you in but then once they have you, they don’t quite value you as much as the next potential customer they want to corral.

Lack of service is not just a pain for helpless consumers. In this internet age they can do something about it. This is how a company can sow the seeds of its own destruction, and inexorably create its own crisis. Companies and their products and services are being rated on the internet and consumers don’t hold back. They tell it like it is. Granted, competitors may be planting some of these negative comments but for the most part product and service evaluations are being taken at face value. The moral of the story: be faithful to those who brought you to the dance, or the consequences could be severe.

Another form of self-inflicted crisis involves weathering the storm. Whether in politics, professional sports, or in business, “players” still believe that because of their importance they can ride out any issue or problem. They can’t. We can all easily tick off a dozen or so examples, but the latest is surprising. Johnson & Johnson has recently gone through a spate of recalls of tainted children’s Tylenol and Motrin. The Company has generally kept a low profile and even contracted with a third party to buy up Motrin off retail shelves rather than announce an actual recall. And for the last decade it has been settling with claimants for a variety of injuries and death allegedly due from Ortho Evra, a contraceptive patch made by its subsidiary, Ortho McNeil. It appears clear that the current management of J&J has not followed in the footsteps of the management that handled the Tylenol crisis of 1982 which is often cited as the quintessential example of crisis management in modern corporate history. Back then cyanide had been found in bottles of Tylenol in the Chicago area. J&J immediately issued public warnings, issued a product recall, created tamper-proof packaging, and before long was back in business. The Company was up-front and willing to bite the bullet in the best interests of the public. Unfortunately that does not appear to be the philosophy today. There is clearly a danger in believing one’s invincibility. The trust and respect of the public is at stake, and once lost, is very difficult to retrieve.

A crisis is not just the obvious explosion at a plant or a mine. Companies can and do create their own crises. Companies must evaluate their philosophy, their strategy and their honesty. They must take action to minimize their vulnerabilities but at the same time be prepared to take action in the best interests of the public if they value company longevity.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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Michael Nayor (Cornell University (B.S., M.B.A.) and New York University School of Law (J.D.)) is founder and CEO of The Rhodell Group, LLC, a consulting firm that advises domestic and foreign companies and industry trade associations on crisis and reputation management issues. His LinkedIn site is http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-nayor/a/861/17

He has taught economics, and written and presented seminars on a variety of business topics. He can be reached at michael_a_nayor@sbcglobal.net or 203 222-7700.

October 13, 2010September 27, 2022

Appreciative Leadership (by Amanda Trosten-Bloom)

Silhouette of people following their leader on a hill

In this posting, I build on the October 7 blog, in which Steve Wolinski introduced Diana Whitney’s, Kae Rader’s and my book, Appreciative Leadership: Focus on What Works to Drive Winning Performance and Build a Thriving Organization. Expanding upon Steve’s clear summary of our book’s content, I provide some history behind the approach and the design of the text, along with more detail about the five core strategies that together unleash positive power.

The Origin of Appreciative Leadership

Appreciative Leadership was born over a period of years, during which we worked as Appreciative Inquiry consultants and authors. We noticed how some of the initiatives we worked on resulted in “transformational” change (Bushe and Kassam, 2005); while others started strong but lost momentum or effectiveness over time. Patterns of leadership began to emerge among the successful initiatives – and we followed them. Through one-on-one interviews and focus groups, we identified five core strategies that are at the heart of Appreciative Leadership: qualities, strengths and capacities that compel people to follow and foster winning performance. We collected many of the stories from which the strategies had been gleaned, and wrote a book “by leaders, for leaders,” whose purpose was to simultaneously heighten readers’ awareness, affirm their capacities, and enhance their capacities. The Wisdom of Inquiry: Leading with Positively Powerful Questions

The first of the five core strategies is Inquiry. By “asking” more than they “tell” and employing purposefully positive and value-based questions, appreciative leaders actively invite people to share their thoughts, feelings, stories of success and ideas for the future. As committed practitioners of Appreciative Inquiry, we had already seen the power of positive questions. Over years of consulting, however, we discovered that leaders who practice The Wisdom of Inquiry help cultivate environments in which people feel both empowered to make decisions and take risks, and encouraged to learn, experiment and innovate. These capacities, in turn, enhance organizational performance.

The Art of Illumination: Bringing Out the Best of People and Situations

Second comes the strategy of Illumination. Individual and collective strengths are a deep well of potential just waiting to be tapped. By recognizing and shining a light on strengths, appreciative leaders transform raw potential into positive results. They do so by actively seeking to discover the unique skills, abilities strengths and positive potential of every person and situation. They also keep their eyes and ears open to see and hear what works, when people are at their best. They tell stories of success, anticipating and fulfilling people’s need for recognition and celebration and disseminating best practices. Finally, they align strengths – providing opportunities for both individuals and organizations to do more of what they do well, and collaborate where appropriate with others whose strengths are complementary.

The Genius of Inclusion: Engaging with People to Co-Create the Future

By acknowledging and addressing people’s need for belonging and creativity, the third strategy – Inclusion – opens the door for commitment, alignment and co-creation among today’s multicultural, multigenerational and multitalented workforce. New realities are crafted in relationship and conversation; so the act of bringing diverse groups of people “to the table” for crucial decisions and planning is itself transformational. But Inclusion also speaks to how we bring people to the table. It calls us to engage people in a manner that fosters safety and encourages equal voice … that leads to deeper and more intimate connections and accommodates conversational differences, which enable people to contribute in ways that are both comfortable and empowering. The Courage of Inspiration: Awakening the Creative Spirit

The fourth strategy – Inspiration – breathes new life into possibilities, offers hope in the midst of crisis, and gives people a reason and way to go forward. Seeing, experiencing and knowing the hardships of the world, appreciative leaders choose to live and work in ways that are energetically positive. They use elevated language and broadly share uplifting stories. And drawing from the wisdom of the many, they put forth visions of what is possible (i.e., hopeful visions), along with resources and paths for getting there. Together, their language, stories, visions and paths forward give people courage to shed habitual ways of living and working, and to move in new, innovative and more life-affirming directions.

The Path of Integrity: Making Choices for the Good of the Whole

Integrity is perhaps the most important and least understood of the five strategies. It speaks to qualities of character such as honesty, transparency, authenticity, and moral or ethical conduct. But in the end, the strategy of Integrity is about wholeness. Appreciative leaders walk the path of integrity by employing holistic approaches to support the authentic expression of human potential, and to foster the design of life-affirming products, services and organization. They also make conscious choices to serve the whole (i.e., whole person, whole organization, whole world), and encourage or empower others to do the same. By embracing Integrity, appreciative leaders let others know they are expected to give their best for the greater good, and that they can trust others to do the same.

Appreciative Leadership Practices

On October 11, Sharna Garner asked for “simple suggestions or techniques” for the average manager who is super-busy and looking to be Appreciative Leadership on a daily basis. In my next posting (October 26), I will specific practices that leaders can use to bring these strategies to life and unleash positive power – within themselves, and among the people they serve.

Amanda Trosten-Bloom, Principal, Corporation for Positive Change

303-279-2240 (v), 303-277-0659 (f), amanda@positivechange.org, www.positivechange.org

October 12, 2010March 26, 2023

What is a Strategic Decision?

What is a strategic decision, and how is it different from an operational or tactical decision?

Strategic decisions determine the grand direction upon which an entity will embark. Always, strategy precedes action. The object of strategy is to bring about advantageous conditions within which action will occur. In the military context, this means positioning forces for best advantage and judging precisely the right moment to attack or withdraw. Strategic decisions prior to D-Day in 1944, for example, included setting the day and time of the invasion of the European mainland as well as the choice of battleground. The campaign and each battle were conducted within the boundaries of time and space as set forth by strategy.

Strategy is more, though, than laying out a plan—long-term or short—of what you are going to do. Continuing with the D-Day analogy, the triumph of strategy at Normandy was the deliberate framing of the mindset of the enemy. For example, the German army was forced to spread itself across a wide swath of the western coast of the European continent because of strategic positioning and deception staged by the Allies.

Once strategy is determined, second tier or operational decisions can be made in the proper context. By definition, operational decisions are those pertinent to the broad execution of strategy. In the realm of business, operational planning is usually conducted with a one-year time horizon, fitting into the context of a longer-range strategic plan. In the military, endeavors resulting from operational decisions are often called campaigns. A campaign is a series of military operations or battles carried out over a large geographical area—such as Normandy in World War II—in order to achieve a large-scale objective during a war. Operational plans for D-Day, for example, set the stage for landing hundreds of thousands of men and significant amounts of equipment and materials on five Normandy-area beaches as part of the overall strategy for taking back France and ending the war in Europe. Other famous military campaigns include Sherman’s march through the Civil War South, Napoleon’s incursion into Russia, and Schwarzkopf’s Desert Storm conflict in Iraq.

Of course, we talk about campaigns all the time in the context of political elections or a series of television ads. The dictionary tells us that a campaign is “an operation or series of operations energetically pursued to accomplish a purpose.” Generally, a campaign has an identifiable objective and expected time of completion. On the personal level, operational decisions relate to the “campaigns” that we conduct in pursuit of our life goals. A college course is a campaign toward a degree. A job that we take for a year or so is a campaign toward a more fulfilling career. Setting up a lifestyle in an apartment or condo might be seen as a campaign toward an eventual house.

After operational decisions come tactical decisions, those third-tier decisions made “in the heat of battle.” Military tactical decisions are made on the ground during battle when, inevitably, things do not go as planned, and officers and soldiers must improvise as they adjust to changing circumstances. Tactical decisions must be aligned with strategic and operational decisions. Despite the exhaustive operational planning prior to D-Day, countless tactical decisions were made once soldiers arrived on the scene and took stock of the situation.

As the Chinese general and famed strategist Sun Tzu said 2,500 years ago, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” Decisions at any level, of course, are a matter of choosing among options. But strategic decisions differ from operational and tactical decisions in matters of scope, authority and timeframe.

For more consideration of the history of strategy, visit Mark’s website called Strategic Thinking.

October 12, 2010March 28, 2023

Ten Common Startup Mistakes

To err is human. To do the same thing repeatedly and expect different results is insanity. And to learn from the mistakes of others is a good way to improve your odds.

Here are ten major mistakes, inspired by a recent Wall Street Journal article (link below):

1. Going it Alone. Forget the solo entrepreneur fantasy. Successful businesses are built on partnerships. No one person is smart enough, or self-aware enough, to know it all. Leave room in your business plan for other people.

2. Asking too Many People for Advice. Seek out advice, but don’t go overboard asking everyone. Create a small advisory group. Then keep them in the loop, so they’ll be there when you really need them.

3. Spending Too Much Time on Product Development, Not Enough on Sales. While every business needs a good product, eventually you have to sell what you’ve got, and make improvements later. Don’t let the “perfect become the enemy of the good.”

4. Targeting Too Small a Market. A clear focus with a well-defined market niche is a hallmark of many solid business plans. That said, keep your options (and your eyes) open to a larger market to expand into as circumstances allow.

5. Entering a Market With No Distribution Partner. Finding customers is not easy for a startup, so do your homework to identify and test your ability to tap into existing networks and referral markets.

6. Overpaying for Customers. Don’t spend more money acquiring customers than you will profit from your relationship with them. How do you know? Do market research, then do your own testing.

7. Raising Too Little Capital. Undercapitalization is a big problem. Sometimes it comes from believing that starving your business early will lead to greater future success. Frugality is one thing; not being able to meet payroll is another.

8. Raising Too Much Capital. Can be just as destructive as not enough money. Remember the dot com boom-bust era?

9. Not Having A Business Plan. Can’t say that enough times.

10. Over-thinking Your Business Plan. No business plan can eliminate risk. Starting a business requires a leap of faith.

Mistakes happen. Success comes to those who learn quickly from their mistakes, and from the mistakes of others.

Here’s the WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703467004575463460389523660.html

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For more resources, see our Library topic Business Planning.

Copyright © 2010 Rolfe Larson Associates – Fifteenth Anniversary, 1995 – 2010. Author of Venture Forth! Endorsed by the late Paul Newman of Newman’s Own. Read our weekly blogs on Social Enterprise and Business Planning. Subscribe to our free social enterprise listserv.

October 12, 2010March 26, 2023

People to Invite to Your Non-Profit Strategic Planning Session

Your strategic plan will only be as effective as who you invite to participate in the process. In fact, sometimes, it is even a good idea to set up more than one planning session in order to avoid diluting the ideas by having too many interest groups involved in the same session. So plan well, which groups its okay to clump together and which ones to have a separate session for.

In my experience, the best plan for strategic consultations works in this way:

Make the target population consultation open to everyone – The best way to ensure you hear a variety of perspectives is to invite your clientele and any other stakeholders from the community who might have an interest in participating. This keeps the process open and transparent and gives the entire community an opportunity to provide feedback.
Keep Board members separate – By this I mean, invite your board to attend the public sessions with your clientele, but encourage them to hold back their comments and input until they have their separate consultation, in order not to dilute the voices of the clientele.
Staff member consultations should be done separately – Your staff have a unique perspective in that they know the organization from the inside, and so to get the most benefit from their input, it is best to have that consultation separately because they will offer ideas on how to improve the processes within the organization.
Group funders and partner organizations together – In one of the strategic plans we did, we combined our funders and partners and the results were fantastic. Funders are more aware of your organizations challenges than you often think they are. Our funders offered vital ideas on what issues our organization should be addressing in upcoming years. The good part about including your partner organizations is that they can attest to the challenges your organization is facing, and it is good both for the funders to hear partner organizations’ perspectives, it is equally as valuable for partner organizations to hear funders’ perspectives.

Question of the Day: Who else do you feel a non-profit organization should include in their strategic planning process?

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For more resources, see our Library topic Nonprofit Capacity Building.

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By Ingrid Zacharias, Managing Director, Envisioning the Future International, Email: izacharias@envisioningthefutureintl.ca , Website: http://envisioningthefutureintl.ca/

October 12, 2010July 8, 2022

Consistency is Key – Reward and Recognition

If you Google how long it takes to form a habit, you’ll get anything from 21 to 28 days, but there is no solid evidence on what the answer really is. We all agree though, that an acquired behavior pattern takes customary practice or usage – which in plain-speak means – do it every day until it become automatic. This can also be said for recognition in the Call Centre. Team leaders, supervisors and managers should be spending time on the floor, walking about or sitting in listening to calls (on a regular basis) and providing instant recognition for the great client experiences their agents are providing. This type of on-the-spot recognition is really appreciated and because it happens right away, and can reinforce a particular behavior, can also have a positive impact on future calls. If I take a call and do something particularly well, and my supervisor hears it and comments on it – I am going to try and repeat it on the next call. If you thank me for it 2 weeks later, the momentum is lost. I know that many of you have call quality monitoring software, and that’s great for recording and scoring, but it’s so important to also do the sit-bys. Not only do you get the chance to hear some great calls and do on the spot recognition, you also get to spend time with someone and connect on a personal basis. Many reps feel this is an important form of recognition in itself.

When it comes to rewards, the most popular criticism I hear is that the programs become either a flavor of the week, and change too often, or that they start out strong with lots of hoopla, and after a few months, no one hears anything about them any more.

In order to make a program sustainable and remain current, it takes some planning. Make sure you cover all the elements before launching. Run your model by some reps to pressure test the communications, the guidelines for achieving the recognition and to make sure the rewards are suitable for the effort required. Some companies have formed recognition teams, and these include members from all levels in the call centre. They review metrics, determine contest requirements and prizes using a set budget, develop annual incentive programs based on stretch goals for Key Performance Indicators, and promote the launches with their peers. Being included in one of these recognition teams is seen as a reward by the agents involved and they strive to achieve this status. As an agent, when some of your peers are on the committee, you tend to give the program more credibility right from the start. Having agents on the committee also helps you with the consistency factor. They’ll be the first ones to remind you that it’s time to draw winners, send communications or plan the celebration events, and you can always involve them with these activities to help out. Rule #2: Be consistent in your recognition and rewards Feedback please – How do you make sure you/your management team are consistent in their approach to rewards and recognition? Have you involved agents in your recognition and reward planning sessions? Do agents assist with celebrations?

October 12, 2010February 21, 2023

Back to Basics – Small Business MUST Adopt Social Media Marketing – Part 2 of 2

Man holding a note while noting down social media

Integrate Social Media Marketing – Brand Advocates

When companies engage their audience and develop online relationships in social media marketing with real authenticity and trust, they have an exciting opportunity to make those individuals volunteer advocates of their brand!

Business has never had a bigger vehicle for positive word-of-mouth advertising. Fun campaigns can go ‘viral’ and trigger momentum like never before. This takes some strategic planning by management, and some genuine understanding of social networks. It’s a new culture that MUST be embraced by the entire organization, from the top down.

7 Steps to Start Strategizing – Target and Engage Your Online Audience

Gather together a company team to strategize social media marketing. Include a cross-section of top management, sales, marketing, customer service, and a knowledgeable social media marketing individual (bring in a consultant if you don’t have this expertise on staff.)
Convene this group for a minimum of four hours. Bring the current marketing plan. Ask everyone, “Does our (product or service) delivery match our marketing message?” If not, STOP. You must solve these problems before you can mount a successful social media marketing strategy/plan/campaign.
Discuss and decide on your marketing and advertising goals. Do your current marketing and advertising efforts achieve them? If so, challenge the team to set higher goals, and brainstorm ways that social media marketing can be implemented.
Identify online communities where your ideal customer congregates or searches. For example, if you are a local business, Google: “(your city) directories” to find local directories in which you should be listed.
Make sure that you have searched and settled on specific keywords and keyword phrases that you use consistently in all of your online content.
Establish 2-6 online “properties” (all optimized for your keywords) such as; at least one website, blog, social network site, and directory. The more places you exist online, the greater your chances of being found!
Brainstorm online campaigns that help you achieve your goals. Remember, social media is effective ONLY if you have an end in mind. Otherwise, it’s fun, but can be a waste of time and precious resources.

Hundreds of creative possibilities exist, depending on your time, budget and goals. Have fun with this!

What social media marketing goals work for your company?

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For more resources, see our Library topics Marketing and Social Networking.

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ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Ms. Chapman’s new book, How to Make Money Online With Social Media: A Step-by-Step Guide for Entrepreneurs will be available in bookstores and online in January 2011. With offices in Nashville Tennessee, but working virtually with international clients, Lisa M. Chapman serves her clients as a business and marketing coach, business planning consultant and social media consultant. As a Founder of iBrand Masters, a social media consulting firm, Lisa Chapman helps clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa @ LisaChapman.com

October 12, 2010March 28, 2023

Trust in your team – how important is it?

At the Fresh Tracks office we recently got together as a team look at the issue of trust. It made me realise how much we take trust for granted when it’s there, and how much extra work a lack of trust can create.

Can a successful team function without it?

Although our session included event managers, admin staff and senior managers, it was fairly informal and allowed participants to look at their own views on trust – how and why trust is important at work and at home; what does trust mean to the individual and to the team; what would happen if there was little or no trust in colleagues.

In our team, it soon became apparent that there is quite a huge amount of trust; everyone seemed to take it for granted that they would be trusted and that they would in turn trust their colleagues. For us that makes for an easy and friendly work environment, part of the reason we choose to work here at Fresh Tracks. But it also made me realise that trust is ultimately at the heart of this office culture. Continue reading “Trust in your team – how important is it?”

October 12, 2010February 17, 2023

Corporation Solicitation Programs – Part 3 of 3: The Process

person-making-a-checklist-for-a-research

Keeping in mind that only about 5% of all non-governmental giving to nonprofits comes from corporations, you’ll want to use your time and resources cost-effectively. That means not trying to get funding from every corporation that comes to mind. So, first, make a (wish) list of all those corporations, and then gather the material you need to begin your research.

Some Corporate Annual Reports list the amount(s) they’ve given to nonprofit organizations, and often list those NPOs. Check to see if they give to organizations that do what you do. Look to see if there’s a statement of policy as to the types/locations of NPOs they support. Some corps give only to NPOs that their employees support – check that out. Go to your public library or a branch of the foundation library and check the reports of corporate giving.

Check to see if the corporation has an office/department/division of charitable giving … or whatever they may call it. Call them, ask for a copy of the corporation’s giving guidelines. Talk with a corporate giving officer, if they have such, and (come right out and) ask what you have to do to get the corp to add you to their list of nonprofits they support. FYI, corporate giving officers are there to work with you to see if there’s a match – and sometimes work with you to create a match — between what you can do for them and what they can do for you.

Make a list of the officers and directors of the corporations and circulate that list to your board members, volunteers and major donors to see if anyone you know has a personal connection with a corporate board member or officer who can help you get corporate money.

That means that you must cultivate – build a relationship with – those corporate officers and directors … the same as you would with a prospective major donor.

See my recent three-part series on Asking for the Major Gift — the links to the three articles are at the right, under “Recent Blog Posts.”

Most corporations have been asked before. Don’t be bashful.

Sometimes the ask can be as simple as a conversation with the right person, and sometimes as formal as a grant proposal to a foundation. You’ll find out which when you do your research.

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Have a comment or a question about starting or expanding your fundraising program, your corporate solicitation program, major gifts fundraising program or a capital campaign? Email me at AskHank@Major-Capital-Giving.com. With over 30 years of counseling in major gifts, capital campaigns, bequest programs and the planning studies to precede these three, we’ll be happy to answer your question.

October 11, 2010September 27, 2022

Got a Pick?

A professor in grad school used to take pride in humiliating students, presumably to teach the students how to handle tough questions they may be asked about their research. It was a brutal process to watch. Perhaps you work with bosses or co-workers who do this. We run into various sharp objects in our work and life. I recently ran across Rumi’s poem, The Pickaxe*. It provides a re-framing for sharp barbs or blows to our ego self.

Rumi speaks of demolishing the house of our false self to find the real jewels hidden below. Often to find our more authentic self, our Divine Essence, we must take out the floor boards that are warped, moldy, not serving us any longer. You may have recently found your foundation shattered or your sense of self-worth demolished. If you have recently lost your job, you may be in such a state, not sure how to pick up the pieces or where to rebuild your foundation.

I once knew a guy who lost his lucrative bank job in a merger and after some time landed another job with less pay and that was less interesting. He felt desperate so he took the job. After he was in his new job a couple years he noticed some shady accounting and brought it to the attention of the General Manager. Instead of getting support for finding the questionable accounting, he was terminated. Turns out a partner was embezzling and somehow managed to make it look like someone else was at fault.

At first the accountant was shaken pretty hard- down to his foundation. With a couple kids in high school, it was tough going, both for his ego and his personal finances. However, a few months later I talked to him and he said it was the best thing that could have happened to him. He realized how much he resented having to play bad cop. He took the opportunity to switch careers and follow his passion for business ethics. He found his jewel in a new career as professor helping students enter the business world with a solid grounding in ethics so they are prepared when faced with tough business situations.

How have you handled the pickaxes you’ve encountered? Have you taken the time to re-build your foundation or have you merely patched up the hole with plaster, not clearing out the rubble underneath?

Rumi reminds us that our house is only leased, we don’t own the deed. Look for the Owner, whose jewels lay waiting to sparkle, buried beneath your foundation, if only you will search for them. Tear open your house, board by board, and be sure you have a solid foundation to support your work.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.

* The Pickaxe (from Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks, pg 113-114)