The Art of Inspiring Inspiration

The Art of Inspiring Inspiration The Art of Inspiring Inspiration Heres an interesting look at how to design your schedule for more creative inspiration and flow.I find inspiration hits at odd times but I work best if I have a routine for creative time vs. the rest of the day. What about you?

Tune in, turn on, and disrupt The power of insubordination

Tune in, turn on, and disrupt The power of insubordinationTune in, turn on, and disrupt The power of insubordinationIt once was that climbing the corporate ranks was impossible without a healthy respect for authority. Toe the line, and you were rewarded with a promotion. It may have helped a year-end report, but for more creative growth opportunities, businesses suffered in the long run. Todays recipe for corporate health and prosperity goes against the grain and calls for greater individual autonomy as well as limited authority among teamberaters. But its a formula that works, and one that more companies should embrace.Take the story of Dick Boak, one of Martin Guitars most creative luthiers. A crafty music lover, Boak self-taught himself instrument making in the basement of his family home when he was only 12 years old. He followed his artistic skills to study visual arts in college before dropping out and working his way around the country before fate intervened in Nazareth, Penns ylvania.It was there, behind the Martin Guitar headquarters, that Boak was caught by a foreman while rummaging for discarded wood scraps. Boak explained himself by showing two instruments he had already built with discarded wood which caught the eye of the head of the company, C.F. Martin III. He hired Boak immediately to build instruments for the company.Sounds like a Cinderella story, doesnt it? For most employees, it would hired by the CEO to do work you love, work that is recognized and praised by those around you. Yet less than a year after this momentous event, Boak was just as quickly fired.Martin Guitar, like so many other companies, was structured as a top-down hierarchy. The CEO made an impulsive hire, yet Boaks direct supervisor was an engineer hired after Boak joined the company. The designer and engineer came to a disagreement over design modifications for a new banjo model Boak believed the change would lead to structural quality issues his supervisor disagreed, and g ave a direct order to proceed with the modification. Boak, motivated by the potential cost to the company for such a change, reported the issue to the personnel manager. Boak was dismissed the following morning for the insubordinate act of going over his bosss head.The shock and disillusionment Boak felt after losing his dream job were amplified by the awareness that the very actions that led his supervisor to fire him were made in the best interests of his employers future success. Doing the right thing should never be subordinated by following orders.Even though it meant going over the bosss head yet again, Boak made a creative appeal to C.F. Martin III a signed pen-and-ink drawing of Martins acclaimed D-28 model, with the inscription please consider this my reapplication for employment. Delighted with the gesundheitsgefhrdender stoff, and appalled to learn of Boaks termination, Martin re-hired Boak to a new role producing designs for the factory gift shop, an effort that delivere d a tenfold increase in sales. Boaks career grew at Martin as he served as director of artist and public relations, developed the Signature Editions line of guitars and became historian-in-residence. He just retired from Martin in January 2018.As for the engineer who first terminated Boak, he lost his job a few years after Boak was rehired it seems the banjo model he worked on with Boak kept experiencing broken rims that resulted from the very design modification Boak refused to make. It created a significant quality issue for the company.This story provides us with terrific learning. One of the most important foundational principles for business leaders dedicated to great work culture is no single individual should have the authority to kill a good idea or to keep a bad idea alive.Instead, a business must create a culture that inspires creativity and does elend punish brilliance and irreverence. The authority of individual bosses should be limited, and companies must create a space where it is safe not to follow orders.In the world of hierarchical management, Boaks engineer supervisor had every authority to make a unilateral decision based on Boaks actions. The operating rule of thumb in those environments continues to be one of keep your mouth shut, and do what youre told.If the most knowledgeable voices in a company regardless of job title can be systematically silenced, then an organization is designed to embrace structured ignorance. And its probably just a matter of time before such ignorance creates a difficult, and hopefully not fatal, business crisis.

Evaluating Your Unwritten Résumé

Evaluating Your Unwritten RsumEvaluating Your Unwritten RsumYour brand is what people say about you when youre not in the room. - Jeff Bezos, founder of AmazonWhile our formal rsum helps to define our relevant skills, abilities and experience during a job search, therbeie is an entirely different kind of rsum that can also have a significant impact upon our work lives. It is the unwritten or invisible rsum that lives in the minds of our co-workers, trusted colleagues and supervisors. In a 2009 blog post for Harvard Business Review, Dr. Vicky Gordon, the CEO of the Gordon Group, explains this invisible rsum captures what others are thinking (and sharing) about us when our names are mentioned in workplace conversations. This alternative source can prise every facet of our work lives, in ways that we might not have expected. As such, this question becomes critical How do we determine the contents of our unwritten rsum?Revealing its components can be challenging on a number of levels, bu t worthwhile to pursue. Part and parcel to this process is gaining a real-life, real-time view of your work-life reputation. What areas might be included? Think of topics such as attitude, openness, timeliness and follow-through on promises. In some cases, a supervisor or colleague might openly offer a piece of information included in this unwritten document. Beth Comstock, the chief marketing officer with GE, explains in a recent LinkedIn post how her former boss, Jack Welch, chided her for being too efficient during meetings. While Comstock believed her communication strategy to be quite effective, in fact, this behavior caused her to be viewed as abrupt and cold.The truth is, we can be a poor judge of our own qualities and it is a wise to seek alternative perspectives. In some situations, what has worked for us in the past has long passed its expiration date, yet no one is honest enough to call us out on our behavior. On the other hand, we may be viewed much mora positively than we think, and are underestimating our worth. Ultimately, this lack of awareness can negatively influence our career path going forward.Some solid reasons to explore your unwritten rsumYouve been passed over. There is nothing more frustrating than working toward a valued goal that does not materialize. When you felt deserving of a promotion or project and the opportunity doesnt occur, it may be time to assess. If things just do not add up, it may be time to gather more information.You have your eye on a leadership role. If you are considering a change of focus or responsibility, then it is important to gather a complete view of your potential. In some cases, the skills that have brought us to our current level are not fully sufficient to lead us into the next chapter.You arent making progress. There is nothing more confusing (and disturbing) than having your career stall. If you are having issues gaining momentum and are unsure as to why, something unsaid may be getting in the way.Yo u are targeting development goals. Forming a list of your development must haves can be tricky business without an accurate view of current skills. An honest appraisal is necessary to craft a plan that is sound.Keep these points in mindFocus on the future. Be keenly aware that the information included within your unwritten rsum can help power your career forward. This may help you process what you might uncover. Remember that what you dont know can hurt you.Build a network. Build a trusted group who will offer a realistic view of your performance in a variety of workplace situations. This group should be robust, and include those that can speak to your performance in a team setting, how you handle challenge or frustration and your ability to develop ideas.Review often. tischset up channels to review your invisible rsum at frequent intervals. For example, after completing a project or proposal, ask each member how they viewed your contribution.Above all, strive for a 3-D view. Attemp t to see yourself from all perspectives, and become completely open to areas of strength and weakness. All in all, information is power.Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who specializes in workplace success strategies and organizational change. She helps individuals, teams and organizations develop intelligently- to meet work life challenges with a sense of confidence and empowerment.