Have you lost confidence in some of the leaders around you? You are not alone. Mike Figliuolo just hit the nail squarely on the head. Check this out:
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We live in a busy world. Most of us have a lot going on in our lives, particularly our work lives. Daily, we seem to have more to see and more to do. And through our wireless devices, we are "always on" and constantly checking in—even when we are not at work. Superficially, this commitment to cause sounds good. But is it as good as we think?
As life speeds by, we are all at risk of being swept along with it. But an excessive focus on work and success can lead to significant compromises in other areas, particularly in our personal lives. And that can be unhealthy. Leslie Perlow, Harvard Professor and author of Sleeping with your Smartphone, recently wrote a great article on how to overcome this addiction to success which is played out through our mobile devices. She offers some practical tips that will enable you to devote more time to your personal life and become more productive in your work life. I commend this article to you. It'll only take 5 minutes to read. If you are game enough to try Leslie's suggestions, I'd love to hear how you get on—and I'm sure she would be as well! One of the things I'm re-learning as I continue on my doctoral research journey is this—that critical thinking and a broad, open mind are two crucial characteristics that need to be mastered and maintained. The sheer volume of material available at my fingertips (through electronic library systems) is mind-blowing. A simple search on "governance AND high-growth" revealed thousands of peer-reviewed academic articles and books. With this volume of material, where do I start? Clearly, my searches need to become more refined and more specific (and they are). I've found it relatively easy to go down seemingly interesting and relevant pathways, only to subsequently find that I'm miles away from where I need to be.
Learning involves the management of tensions. On one hand, an enquiring mind is good, very good. On the other, the vastness of the pool of information is such that you simply need to become ruthless about what gets explored and what gets left. The question that begs to be answered is: "How do I manage this tension"? As I continue to write my research proposal, I've embraced two techniques that seem to be serving me well:
How do you manage the tension between effective enquiry and information overload? When I sat down this morning to re-read a research article that I didn't quite understand on first pass yesterday, I did as I normally do. I checked my email account, news feed subscriptions and my social media pages (LinkedIn and Twitter). Amongst the other things waiting for my attention was this article, originally posted by Tony Schwartz on the HBR Blog Network. The article set me thinking. Why is it, in this so-called modern age of productivity, that we are simply so busy, trying to fit so much in to our lives? We use electronic diaries to keep track, and now they've come to rule our lives. We seem to be constantly "running". Going faster, but seemingly getting nowhere. If I drive down the road quickly, my attention is devoted to the road. I don't see the wider vista, just the road. I drive to the short-term view immediately in front of me. And guess what? I stand a real chance of missing vital turning points. Ever wondered why car rally drivers have navigators beside them? Simply, they are driving too fast to also concentrate on bigger things like overall direction and goal. So, back to the article. "Speed is a source of stimulation and fleeting pleasure. Slowing down is a route to depth, more enduring satisfaction, and to excellence". This is profound stuff. What do you aspire to? Speed and all its short-term trappings? Or significance? Perhaps it is time to slow down and find out. |
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