Being Point

Month: March 2009

  • Hope Is A Verb

    There is a store near my home that has in its display windows in letters six-feet high: “HOPE IS A VERB.” Those words caused me to look up “hope” as a verb – and it appears to me to be the intersection of expecting, wishing and being optimistic. Clearly, “hope as a verb” implies action.

    I wondered: Can hope ever be passive and be a verb? What does “hoping as a verb” look like or feel like? What are they trying to say with that message in the window?

    Someone mentioned in Study Hall on Monday that Christopher Reeve said, “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” Hope, in that context is an active choice in favor of particular results . . . . and in favor of limitless possibility.

    How often are your hopes backed by action? What needs to happen to make “hope a verb” that we can all use in service of having lives that work brilliantly on all levels? Is there any truth to, “I hope; therefore, I am”?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • The Struggle Between Hope and Hopelessness

    This past weekend, I saw the new film, “Sin Nombre,” a very sobering look at the intersection of gang life in Mexico and the flight of immigrants into the U.S. to seek a better life.

    I was struck by the tense battle between hope and hopelessness. Living in Southern California and knowing many who have immigrated here, I was nevertheless unprepared for the jarring images of hardship, deprivation and violence.

    Hope, however (even, in a perverse way, for the criminals), was the driving force . . . . and the old truism of “Where there’s hope, there’s life” is demonstrated against all odds.

    I came to more appreciate the poignancy of that hope in people who have come here to improve their situations and have a chance at a life that works. One cannot help but respect and admire people who are willing to take such huge chances and literally put their lives at risk in the hope of making things better.

    I encourage you to see the film to remind us of the fragility – and necessity – of hope in order to accomplish any meaningful result. It doesn’t always work out – and sometimes, life is tragic – but hope can be beautiful.

    Do you believe in hope, and do you encourage hope in others – your friends, partners, spouse, family, colleagues? Yet, how often, if at all, have you engaged in hopelessness or something closely resembling it?

    What are the best ways you know of to maintain hope?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Managing Distractions Enhances Personal Productivity

    Personal productivity is directly related to minimizing distractions. Technology has created potent means of distracting us . . . . thus, joining the infinite other ways that are available to diminish our productivity.

    Knowing yourself is key. Make a list of what have been your favorite distractions. Decide how much time, if any, you are going to give each of them – and then stick to it. Work to decrease distractions over time.

    EFFECTIVELY MANAGING DISTRACTIONS CAN DRAMATICALLY INCREASE YOUR RESULTS.

    What have been your favorites? Is it best for you to limit them or to eliminate them altogether? Can you replace distractions with more useful activities like stretching, walking or other forms of exercise?

    Getting out of our own way always improves our results. If you were really honest with yourself, how much difference would handling distractions make in your life?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Pace Yourself For Optimal Productivity

    Practice asking yourself, “What is the most productive thing that I can do now?” Surprisingly, it’s NOT DOING that is often most productive. We have often forgotten that resting or taking a break or stopping altogether can significantly enhance our productivity and our results.

    Personal productivity is about pace and the optimal relationship between effort and peace. It’s completely possible – and even likely – that the most productive thing you could do is take a walk, take an hour off, even take a day off . . . . to recharge and recuperate from intense effort.

    How would you assess yourself at pacing to be more productive? What has been your pattern, and how can it be improved? How often do you skip lunch and eat at your desk because you think you can get more done – and then felt burned out?

    Are you more productive when you actually have a quitting time and stick to it? Can you avoid those times of being at your computer for so long that “more” becomes counter-productive?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Use Feedback From Others to Enhance Personal Productivity

    Getting insight about how to expand personal productivity needn’t be complicated. Each of us is surrounded by people who can give us valuable feedback.

    Asking “How can I be more productive” may feel risky because you may fear that you’re opening yourself up to criticism . . . . . and that you may be hurt.

    Conversely, depending on YOUR attitude, you may find that receiving frank, constructive feedback feels useful and, well, “productive.” Be in a mindset that you won’t take anything that is said to you personally, that you’ll only hear the positive intent, and you’ll refrain from judging or shaming yourself or others.

    Everyone can improve, and our business colleagues, friends, family members, customers – almost everyone who knows us – can provide intelligence for us that we may have been unable or unwilling to see.

    Be particularly curious as you solicit the opinions of those whom you perceive have less power than you – children, students, employees, vendors and the like. Assure them that their feedback can be frank as long as it’s constructive.

    And then listen without interrupting. Ask for clarification if desired. Don’t defend. This is a learning exercise. Take the information and assess its value. Experiment with it and utilize it to grow.

    Most of all, have fun! The payoff promises to be significantly enhanced productivity and results.

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Personal Productivity is Strategic Yield

    What is personal productivity? Getting more done . . . . . in less and less time? Partially correct. Productivity is directly tied to the purpose of what you’re doing. The more what you’re doing is vital to your ultimate success, the more you’re being productive.

    The best definition for “productive” in this context is: “Yielding favorable or useful results.” The ultimate measure of productivity is STRATEGIC YIELD.

    By definition, “busy work” is not productive. High-yield action tends to be related to significant, long-term goals . . . meaning results that actually change your business and personal life.

    How many high-yield hours, on average, do you have in an average day? What would it take to experience a significant improvement – or even a dramatic improvement – in the number of high-yield hours? What can you delegate or eliminate to make yourself more productive?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Productivity Strategy for Stalled Projects

    Now that Spring is here, let’s explore PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY and put attention on desired results that we’ve been putting off.

    What are some highly worrisome tasks that have haunted you because they aren’t complete? Maybe you haven’t touched them in months. Writing, organizing, taxes, bookkeeping, filing, cleaning, etc.?

    YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE! Things you know you’ve been putting off that have been stuck – things you have held as super difficult, tough, “can’t do right now,” “too big” kinds of things.

    When I was a college student, I would sometimes buy $20 worth of gas rather than fill up the entire tank. Try that same technique here.

    “I’ll give my (name of project) 30 minutes . . . . . or 60 minutes worth of my time.” No distractions, no emails, no phone calls or snacks. At the end of that session, schedule the next time you’ll use this approach.

    Choose something that has lingered, haunted you, made you look the other way . . . . something you’ve been resisting. The time you take to address it incrementally will free up tremendous energy and productivity.

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Service Is Being of Use

    In “The Cider House Rules,” Dr. Larch tells Homer over and over again, “You must be of use.” Service is a primary way of being “of use.”

    We live in busy and hectic times where being of charitable service has often taken a back seat to working and making money. Service to others in the form of volunteer work is a very specific way of being of use.

    Giving of one’s time in service to others is enormously fulfilling in ways that simply writing checks to charity is not. Volunteering as a worker, a board member, a teacher, a fund raiser . . . . . just the beginnings of a long list of possibilities.

    I had a wonderful friend who read to children weekly at the local library until she was 93. Renola passed away at 95, and I love her example of simple, loving, humble and joyful service.

    Who has had an effect on you with their example of service? How have they impacted your desire to be of use? Are there any service opportunities in which you would like to participate over the balance of this year?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • The Servant Leader

    A typical org chart shows the leader at the top of a pyramid with various levels of reporting arranged in a power hierarchy.

    Another way to view an organization is the concept of the SERVANT-LEADER. Imagine the typical view turned upside-down. The leader is at the bottom of the pyramid and “reports” to the “people” above her or him.

    This view illustrates the idea that the leader “works for” or “serves” those within her or his sphere. Imagine the kind of stewardship that such a view could promote. Far fewer business and political scandals . . . and, on a personal level, far more functional companies, happier families and vibrant communities.

    How practical does “servant leader” feel to you? Have you ever experienced it?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

  • Three Indicators of Great Service

    Thinking ahead may well be at the heart of service. Do you remember being in a great restaurant and the wait staff always stayed just ahead of what you needed? A pleasure to dine there; right?

    Yes, unless the service is obtrusive and fussy. Excellent service is both forward-thinking and unobtrusive. Some restaurants think that an overly high ratio of wait staff to diners is optimal. I disagree because the experience often shifts to be about the staff and not about the pleasure of the diners.

    A third element of great service is that it is performed with joy and caring. I recently asked a service professional if he enjoyed his job, and he said, “Not really, but it’s a skill I have, so I have to use it.” He did not realize that “skill” alone is insufficient.

    Of these three elements – thinking ahead, unobtrusiveness and performed with joyful and genuine caring – how would you score yourself? Can you think of an experience where you would rate the service high based on these criteria?

    What are the implications of these criteria for your own business or profession? Do you sincerely care when you are delivering a service? How often are you able to serve with joy?

    Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.