Monthly Archives: August 2020

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Making it Better

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Post-secondary education in Alberta is heavily reliant on government funding.  The current provincial government has studied funding levels in other Canadian jurisdictions and concluded the public cost of post-secondary education in Alberta is too high.

The conclusion is supported by the cost analysis of selected universities and colleges across Canada.   The result is a significant reduction in Alberta government financial support of post-secondary institutions.

Accept and Resolve

Resistance to the cuts, while a natural reaction is both probably futile but also the question arises, “Is it the best approach?”  Perhaps reducing costs could lead to greater efficiency and quality.

There is undoubtedly a human cost mostly due to a reduction in well-compensated jobs with a good personal work-life balance.   This job reduction does not need to reduce the quality or effectiveness of education services.

In reality, the layers which develop in large organizations over time often result in a costly bureaucracy that is both less efficient and produces lower quality than a more streamlined organization.

More with Less

Efficiency experts, largely now termed business process analysts have for years demonstrated the principle of better results from eliminating a bloated cost base of human resources.

Doing fewer things does not equate to poorer results.  I have personally experienced this truth on numerous occasions.

Initially,  I was extremely skeptical but over time, my own observations have led to the conclusion expense reductions often do lead to improved quality of operations and surprisingly increased revenue.

Spending Gets Results (Not Always)

Spending is necessary to achieve results.  People need to be fairly paid for their efforts.  However, more people and more cost will often reduce effectiveness and quality, the right balance is critical, more does not automatically equal better.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

The Universality of Things

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When determining a goal or course of action it makes sense to consider the universal, that is things that are applicable to everything, all cases, everyone.

However, while you can and should consider the universality of things, ultimately to be successful you must focus on the specific.  That is, narrow down the detail and begin there.

Everything and Nothing

The universality of things is so broad addressing it as a whole is really a fruitless exercise.  Taking into account all things as you focus on those that matter at the moment is a much more effective approach.

Broad strategic thinking definitely works best when the broadest context is being considered and is very helpful to define ideas and associated directions.

Actually executing the steps within a strategic concept requires much greater attention to detail if it is to be effective.  Following strategy with tactics enables for everything to be considered but only what matters to be acted on.

Focusing just on everything will most often result in analysis paralysis and ultimately nothing will result.  Nothing worthwhile anyway.

Tailor the Message

Viewing the big picture can be of great value but describing it to others can be overwhelming for them and thus have a very little positive impact, perhaps even a detrimental effect.

Having a solid understanding of how everything interconnects and being able to weave your strategy into the full complexity of the universe is a noble pursuit, however, attempting implementation on such a grand scale is bound to fail.

Remember success lies in the ability to tailor the message with a focus on specificity.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Defining Yourself

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Many psychology studies have demonstrated quite definitively that your past behavior is a strong indicator of your future behavior. This is not an absolute fact but does prove to be true in the majority of cases.

It is possible to change our base behaviors, that is those go-to actions that define our personality, but it does require a lot of effort to do so and you really need to be motivated.

Who Are You?

In essence, we are defined by what we did and where we have been.  What we are going to do will not actually define us until it is done.  Aspirational behavior is key to forging your future but until it is the past it does not define you.

Knowledge and experience are valid indicators of individual value, however, what we actually achieved is a much more definitive measure of our capabilities and the things we will be able to achieve going forward.

In essence, you are what you were, sad but true.

Laying the Foundation

Given others will judge you on your past accomplishments it is important to plan your activities and the way you behave so that you are consistent with how you want to be perceived.

Once the foundation is laid changing perception can be a long and slow process, if even possible.

Taking missteps as you find your way through your life journey is unavoidable but on the whole successful achievement of your goals requires behavior consistent with the way you want to be viewed.

Remember what you do now will strongly influence what you are able to do in the future (no takebacks).

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Being Helpful

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Ever noticed how children, as a general rule, want to help.  This is a basic behavior genetically coded into our natures.  Many studies of early child development have proven this to be the case.

It is natural for humans to want to be part of a group (a social animal) and as young children, it is very natural for us to seek approval from others through offering to help them.

Environmental Impacts

Unfortunately, with time we learn to be more focused on ourselves and less so others.    Our young childhood learning experiences teach us being helpful is not optimal behavior.

Surprisingly, our parents are a key catalyst to this process of learning not to help.  Most often parents, even teachers, and others that interact with us as children don’t have the patience to let us help.

We are taught to think and learn for ourselves but our offers to assist others, (i.e, being helpful) are often disregarded.  It is just easier for the adult to do it themselves.

Unintentional

Teaching children to fend for themselves and rejecting their natural tendencies toward being helpful is not planned nor even recognized by most of us.

It is a natural behavior for us to focus on the easiest way to accomplish a task and often that is by just doing it ourselves (we are more likely to get the results we seek with least effort).

Letting someone help you accomplish a task actually takes a fair amount of energy (to say nothing of the patience required).  And so,  sadly, as children grow older they learn to suppress their natural tendencies to be helpful.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Navigating the Fog

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Woke up this morning to a layer of low lying fog.   Fall weather is coming.  My summer this year was fairly temperate so not much to complain about.

I did take some inspiration from the weather conditions this morning. My thought of the day, “Peering through the early morning fog, look carefully for that glimmer of enlightenment.”

The Answer is Out There

Stealing the key tag line from the conspiracy theory-laden TV series the X-Files, I do believe it is generally true if we look closely we can uncover the reality.

That is, with attention and focus we are able to make the foggy mist dissipate.  Then the answer will lie before us.  Like the fictional FBI agent in the aforementioned series, practicing determination can uncover the secrets.

State of Mind

Blowing away the fog requires effort and so a compensating level of motivation is needed.  It begins with believing the answers exist and we have the skills and capability to find them.

However, the key motivating factor it a thirst for knowledge.  This is a personal choice, you need to want it in order to make the effort to find the answers.

The acquisition of knowledge is not effortless and sometimes appears to be an awesome challenge which raises the question, “Is it worth the attempt”?

And there’s the catch

Gaining knowledge is by definition an activity through which we acquire a new understanding of facts, information and skills.  We do not know in advance what we are going to find out.

Therein lies the rub is it worth spending the effort for something we are not really sure what it is.   You just won’t know until you lift that fog and find out what was hidden there.

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Participant or Spectator

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It’s important to keep the wheels turning, don’t stop to watch or you might be left behind.  The life you live is yours to define.  You can be a person who takes an active part in something or one who just watches.

Most likely you will do both these things at different times, whether spectating or participating (you cannot do both at the same time) the choice is yours and should be founded based on your personal goals and desires.

Taking Part

Being part of something typically requires an investment of time and effort.   Observing what transpires can bring us joy, for example, if a sporting challenge ends as we had hoped or a movie has a satisfactory resolution.

Usually taking action and being an important and key part of the result brings greater satisfaction than just watching.  Both being a contributor to the end result and being recognized as such can bring moments of personal pleasure.

Many times it boils down to a couple of simple questions, are you an integral part of the solution, or just a bystander?  Which role is more likely to be self-fulfilling.

Shape your world

Without active participation it is possible your world will be of a shape you are satisfied with, however, in that case it will have been purely an accident.

Clearly there is a time when spectating is more appropriate and will bring you greater happiness.  Like so many things, for optimal effect, there needs to be an appropriate balance.

Weighing participating or spectating it is likely acting more than observing will bring better results in the long run.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

But is it Fair?

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When I purchase a product or service my expectation is I will receive impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination.

This particularly applies with a medium to a large organization that has been in business for some time.    That is, given their track record and absence the perception of dishonesty from the press and social media it seems to be a reasonable assumption.

The Fine Print

Of course, even large bureaucracies do focus more on self-interest over fair treatment of stakeholders to a certain point but usually, reason prevails so a fair balance is achieved.

Contracts with unreasonable clauses, usually in small print, are a popular technique to help employ one-sided practices that favor the business.

Today’s Rant

Almost ten years ago my wife joint Spa Lady Gym, as the name implies a gym exclusively for women.  New owners recently renamed the company GYMMVMT (weird name).

She was a regular at least a couple of times a week until Covid hit.  The gym, fairly in this case, offered the chance to suspend monthly payments, while gyms were not allowed to open, which my wife took advantage of.

Now comes the tricky part.  The gym decided to restart monthly payments in July (because gyms could now be open) but they did not announce it.

We had a 1-month credit so did not see the return of the monthly charge until this week.   Not ready to return to the gym my wife decided just to cancel her membership.

The Catch

The contract fine print required months notice so cancelation will not take effect until Sept.  So we pay for July, August, and September for a service that is not being used.

Is it fair?  I think not.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Customer Service

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From time to time organizations are called on to provide assistance and advice to those people who buy or use its products or services. This can include people who work for the organization as long as they also purchase goods or services from the organization.

The prime motivation of this action of helping or doing work for someone is most likely primarily the monetary compensation received from the organization.   The customer must be dealt with because that is the specified task they are paid to do.

Company or Client

The biggest challenge in customer service is balancing the needs of the organization against those of the customer.  Loyalty to the company is imperative but effective customer service requires more than simply empathy.  The customer must be satisfied.

The most successful organization have empowered their front-line employees allowing them to act logically (within reasonable constraints) rather than simply preaching the corporate gospel, particularly when it does not make sense to them.

Using Common Sense

I recently encountered an example of a lack of common sense in a customer exchange with BMO (my former employer for 33 years).  The customer service representative I was dealing with blindly insisted on something that made no sense.

I insisted on speaking to her manager.  She reviewed the case with her boss and told me the manager would review and call me in 15 minutes.  They did not.

Ultimately the situation was resolved to my satisfaction, what I was proposing was accepted as totally reasonable, but the hoops I needed to go through left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

Find the Balance

Disaffecting customers through blind stupidity is caused by a lack of empowerment.  The risk of not acquiring or retaining a customer needs to be balanced against the blind adherence to policy (or what the service provider thinks is policy).

Organizations with top-flight customer service understand this and enable their employees to do what is right without jumping through a series of silly hoops.

 

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Making a Difference

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Everyone has the opportunity to be important in some way.  We can make a positive difference both in the way we view ourselves, others view us, and most importantly the way others view themselves.

I don’t mean this in a truly altruistic way because every human has a genetic leaning toward life being all about them.  Being the catalyst for positive and healthy change is good for everyone.  I view making a difference for others as not a totally unselfish act.

Volunteering

In a recent post, I highlighted the alternate perspectives in which work can be viewed.  That is, either an activity to earn a livelihood or just using your strength and facilities to do something.

Volunteering is work but not specifically undertaken to earn a livelihood but rather to improve the common good of all.  This probably categorizes it into leisure time or time-off when compared against working for a livelihood.

The focus of leisure time is for pleasure, we choose to do it, ergo volunteering can give us pleasure.

For Example

I recently joined the board of Camp Quality  Canada as a volunteer director.  I had been open to joining a non-profit board as a volunteer since the early 1990s but personal motivation and opportunity never matched up until recently.

The organization’s focus is on providing uplifting experiences for children with cancer and blood disorders, largely through summer camps.

Due to the pandemic, the camps have been held virtually this summer.   I had the opportunity last week to attend a virtual cabin session.  I was blown away.

The volunteer counselors’ dedication and desire to make a difference was crystal clear.   And they succeeded in spades.   The whole experience reinforced for me the huge value of working to make a change  for the better.

The benefits are clear, everyone wins.  The campers, counsellor’s and myself all had an uplifting experience and felt good about it.

 

 

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Set your own bar

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Everyone is subject to the expectations of others.  We also hold expectations of both ourselves and others.  Ideally what we expect of ourselves matches what others expect, although this is not always the case.

While our personal accountability drives what we invest our time and effort in motivation and capabilities play a key role in the type and magnitude of results achieved.

Syncing to External Desires

What others want you to do (i.e., their expectations of you), might not map to your self-expectations but it is very important to know what others want.

This is not necessarily so you can meet the demands of others but rather so you can choose in a reasoned manner how you should respond to these external expectations.  This is about the benefits or associated negative impacts.

Knowing what others seek is key to being able to build your response motivation, regardless of whether it will be supportive or not.  Most critical though is knowing what you want.

Setting Personal Expectations

Mainly the level of performance you desire to achieve is measured by results and these outcomes represent your objectives.  When setting your personal expectations you must first know what you plan to achieve.

This could be a stretch goal and your expectation might be only to make the attempt.  Achieving the goal is not always a certainty but doing everything you can to make it so is fully within your power.

Determination and fortitude underpin the level of success associated with your attempt to perform to the level you desire, this can vary by individual but the more determined you are the more likely you will succeed.