unstimulating relationships & your work life
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“I see a lot of people in unstimulating relationships. If people were a little less scared of ending things they’d get more out of life. You meet the right person at the right time and they fulfill a certain something in your life. You fulfill something in theirs.
But there’s a time limit to that. “
Laura Marling
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“When inspiration does not come to me, I go halfway to meet it.”
Sigmund Freud
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So. Unstimulating relationships. This is actually about business and about ‘time limits.’
As a business manager you end up grasping a couple of truths about your employees and their relationship with what they do, their work, their careers and the company.
The first truth is that many of the employees are just doing their job. They are in a relatively unstimulating relationship with their job & career and they are kind of okay with that.
As a manager you genuinely try and make the relationship a little more simulating for them and, if you are truly genuine, while the these employees may never get as passionate or interested as you would like they appreciate you caring enough to try and, on occasion, will try harder for you and the company. This doesn’t mean they don’t care about their work and, in fact, if you highlight the contribution and impact their efforts make, they will care, just not find work particularly stimulating. I mention this as a first truth to acknowledge, which some organizational development people do not, that to some people a job is a job – no more and no less.
The second truth is that there are some employees who are actively seeking stimulated relationship with their jobs, careers and the company. If they are in an unstimulating relationship, suffice it to say, they will make you miserable out of their own miserableness.
As a manager you genuinely try and keep these employees stimulated. If you do it well, these people kill it. They are absolute monster achieving workers/thinkers/doers in the work place. Get it wrong with these employees and … well … most leave to find some stimulating relationship.
Understanding these two truths is surprisingly like getting a pail of cold water thrown in your face.
Well. At least it was for me.
I am not sure it was the same for others, but this may have been one of the most difficult things for me to understand, and deal with, when I moved from managing a group <where you get to hire everyone and try to have them match your attitude> to managing a company, multiple groups, departments and a bunch of people you do not hire yourself.
I, personally, struggled to understand how anyone could come into work each day, be relatively unstimulated and not only do good work, but actually want to come in and do good work every day.
But a lot of people do just that.
It took me awhile.
But I got it. At the same time I also understood that you never really let the unstimulated group of employees remain completely unstimulated.
You kind of never really let them completely start doing their work by rote or like robots. Mostly you just try to give them some positive stimulation on occasion like, as I noted earlier, encourage them to see how they contribute and their impact <this is different than incentivizing or trying to ‘game’ their behavior>.
Anyway.
The reality is that being an employee is a dance. You have a dance partner and sometimes there is a song you hate and do not dance, sometimes there is a song you hate and you are asked <or told> to dance and sometimes there is a good song and you will dance no matter what.
That is a fairly metaphoric example of a stimulating workplace.
But I will point out something I purposefully did. I suggested the bad song is playing in two of the three scenarios.
Yeah.
And that is still a stimulating relationship.
Go figure.
For some reason we seem to think people need to love their jobs all the time <or the significant majority of the time> or inject passion into what we do.
That is, frankly, a little nuts.
Mostly we should be seeking to have employees be proud of what they do <even if they don’t actually love what they do> and, as a manager, be wise enough to know what to overlook.
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“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”
William James
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Work is called work, and not ‘play, for a reason.
It’s work.
And sometimes work takes some … well … work.
I could actually argue that the ‘working at work’ can be stimulating if you view it correctly.
But that really doesn’t sound logical enough to invest energy in.
And maybe that is the key to understanding this whole ‘unstimulating relationship” thing – logic.
I can truthfully say that behind closed doors senior managers talk far too much about “logical” ways to stimulate employees and tap into some mysterious passion muscle we absurdly believe every employee has within <to be focused on our business and their work within our business>.
Once again … that is kind of nuts.
To be clear. I do believe everyone has a passion muscle within, but to think it can randomly be directed toward ‘work’ <which, I will remind everyone, is called ‘work’ because it is work … and not play or relaxation or ‘fun’> is the nuts part.
Logically we should just accept the fact that many employees have mentally 
come to grips with a job in which they are not in an overly stimulated relationship with.
That doesn’t mean they don’t want to do a good job nor does it mean they will not care it just means that their job is more a paycheck and not a career.
All that said, let me close with where I started … “time limits.”
All employees have limits in an unstimulating relationship – all: the ones who live with being unstimulated and the ones who actively seek stimulation. I am fairly sure most employees don’t create tangible definable limits they more often probably fall into the “I will know when it is time.”
All business managers should recognize that all employees have ‘time limits’ when it comes to anything unstimulating. What that means is you cannot get away with being an uninvolved, uninterested, un-energy creating manager for too long. I don’t mean to imply many managers do that, but I will note that creating stimulation and seeking to energize a stimulating relationship between your employees and your business is hard work.
It isn’t about some motto or slogan.
It isn’t about donuts in the mornings and fun team meetings on Fridays.
It is about finding ways to show employees that their work is respected, their contributions are valued and that there are opportunities to grow as a person <intellectually, skills or responsibilities>. Yeah. I just offered that up as a solution to stimulate relationships and nowhere in that was any activity or initiative. All I outlined was possible destinations – mind, body or leadership.
Nothing stimulates an employee business relationship more than being a business that suggest they will enable an individual to ‘be more than they are today’ if they have the time and interest. In my mind businesses with an unstimulated relationship with their employees may be doing ‘things’ but they are just going through the motions , maybe using too much logic, to create some false stimulation.
Here is the truth. Show people where they can go and tell them you believe in them and a shitload will be stimulated, all on their own, to engage in the relationship with their job and work. Ponder.
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relevance in people’s minds, lost sight of what a business is supposed to be, lots of resilience and determination, love a donut or two, luke sullivan, lured away from its focus, lying around the office, lying to yourself, maintain autonomy, maintaining relevance globally, majority of workers, make employees care, make for full and satisfying life, make it more difficult for business people, make one piece of communication do the work of a dozen, make them into a cohesive functional unit, make weaknesses irrelevant, make you miserable, makes your business noticed, making changes personally, making choices, making hard decisions, making past success relevant again, Making specialists generalists, making the hard choice, making the most of the present, making the people who need to believe, making the simple complicated, making unimportant important, making your own decisions, management, management be accountable, management by exception, management is about human beings, managers, managers can assess effectiveness, managers enthusiastically promote happiness to overcome the real employee value issues, managing attitudes, managing change is tricky, Managing employee, Managing employees, managing people, managing people to be successful in life and business, managing perceptions, managing perceptions and Chesty Puller, Managing perceptions is a combination of communicating what will be, Managing perceptions of how you are getting the shit done, Managing sometimes contentious different perspectives, managing the younger generation in business, managing transitional moments, managing uneven employee engagement, manufacture synergy, manufacturing happiness, manufacturing happiness is business bullshit, manufacturing happiness or engagement, many business souls have become caged by fear, many leaders just stare at the elephant, marketing, marketing absurdity, marketing has an image issue, marketing inflation, marketing is not just about persuasion, marketing people are responsible, marketing's ethical compass, maslow and decisions, maslow and marketing, maslow needs, match up their own experiences, matter of character, max dublin quote, may have distinct qualifications, maybe it is better to admit we failed at something, maybe life is not that complicated, Maybe we all need to be a little more nuts, Meaningful differentiation is difficult, meaningful number of employees, meaningful place in the world of business, Meaningful progress and growth, meaningless non-business drivel, measurement of failure, measuring generational attitudes, measuring generational behavior, measuring global education, measuring life, mediocre depths of the business world, meeting the challenges of concentration, meetings & brainstorming situations, meetings where I knew I would have to sit, mentally withdrawn from their jobs, mentioning business books, messaging, midst of change leaders kind of make it up as they go, milestones, mind, miserable and pissed off to shiny and happy, miss the simplicity in life, missing out on what life has to offer, mission statements, misuses the entire concept of brand, misusing words, mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, moments are like a balance sheet, moments of passion, moral compass, moral compass and doing the right thing, moral fiber, more honest online, more important than the function, more productive employee base, most employees not really working, most of us truly have never hit bottom, most people cannot recognize simple solutions, Most recently on innovation, most things in life are not black or white, motivated by a desire to achieve, motivates employees, motivation, Motivator Elements, Motivators are things like achievement, mutual chemistry check, My advice to leaders, myopic and evasive, narcissistic theme, need them to feel satisfied at work, need to think a little bit harder, negative and potentially hostile to their organizations, never a good ingredient in the formula for happiness, never wonder who you really are, new heights of personal branding absurdity, no formulas nor are there any checklists, no matter how talented you, no need to make up something new, no one believes in simplicity anymore, no one says you failed any more, no one wants to trust chaos, no scientist who can tell you how to create an idea, no substitute for judgment, no such thing as global idea, nobody's life is perfect, nor have I discussed brands or branding, not a lot of glitter in refocusing, not a quantity of words person, not a sociological thing, not about how much money I can make, not about perceptions but rather realities, not because of the employees, NOT done with fake team meetings or town halls or any forced interaction crap, not everyone can give good advice, Not everyone can lead, Not feature-driven leadership, not having enough time to, not ingenuity but character, not just follow in our footsteps, not meeting an objective is not failure, not on glitter but on the grind, not only are most employees not really working a full day, not run out of things to be dissatisfied about, not suggesting this is the easy way, note the part that really sucks, nothing beats experience, nothing is original, numbers are facts, numbers are facts nonsense, numbers are not accountable, numbers can play a role, numbers show possibilities, numbers will confess anything, objective isn’t to make employees happy, obligation to do, obligation to do the right thing, obsessed with time and maximizing it, odds are you are not unique, often in some very absurd ways, ogilvy on hiring, old but not old, older experienced people who know how to transform. experienced but flexible, once doubt enters it takes on huge proportions, one day you’ll forget why, One does not set out to catch a panther with a mousetrap, one foot in history one foot in future, One Monkey’s Uncle, One of my career goals, one of the most demanding and most rewarding, one step at a time, one worthwhile thing in my career, ongoing search for the right words, online friends, only 13% of the global workforce is properly engaged, only few find the way, only uninterested people, open up the listening box, or a people problem, ordinary life with extraordinary responsibilities, ordinary people don't think they are remarkable, organization not aligned, organization synergy, organizational, organizational behavior, organizational change, organizations, organizations are living orgamisms, Organizations will slow to think, organizing chaos, original ideas, original ideas are typically nuances of existing, Originality is a real thing, our obsession with time, overcoming optimism, painting a smile on their face, part attitude and a lot of behavior, part of a leader’s burden is, partially about businesses, partially about marketing, partner, partnership, passion and caring, pay attention to these 5 things your business, peak moments of clarity, peer pressure makes any time wasting, people confuse process and disciplined thinking, people get confused about simple, People have higher expectations the bigger the title, People need to know your price, people performance, people trying to improve themselves, people who abuse buzzwords, people who give best advice have been through the most, People who use them are covering up their ideas, people with more wisdom. people who have experienced more, people won't be sure that you have done anything at all, People working toward a common business purpose, perception map assumes everyone is equal until proven otherwise, perfect for an opportunity is difficult to show, perfection is crap, Perfection is in nuances, perfection is the thief, perfection procrastination, performance, Perhaps luck exists, permanently dissatisfied company, personal branding, personal choice, personal creative destruction, personal development journey, personal direction, personal strength, personal thoughts, perspective can help with the complex, Persuasion happens to be an art, philosphy, Pick your moments, please tell me what you think you are good at, pockets of synergy, point of annoyance, point where everyone uses it just to sound like, popularized by a Dilbert, position where bullshit can hinder success, positive energy, positive relationships with co-workers, positively affecting society, power of words, powerful words, practical approach to distinctive positioning, pragmatic business perspective, predictions, pressure to maximize time is actually leading to minimizing time, prior to a meeting they need to deliver on exactly that within the meeting, prior to even getting in an interview, prioritizing actions, prioritizing what is right or wrong, process, process for implementing effective creativity, process is a means to an end, productivity, Products & services are brands, project global generation, promise you are offering to anyone, proposes that businesses should, provides some structure and focus, providing perspective, prudent growth strategies, purpose I don’t mean some altruistic vision, purposeful fragmentation, pursue or find our destination, pursuing the way, Push back invites push back, put failing in perpsective, put what you think on the table, putting pressure on yourself with to-do lists, quality versus quantity online, quest for purpose, question my employee management skills, questioning the unquestionable, questions, quickly articulating the stake you are putting in the ground, quite surprised to see how often common sense, quotations, quotes, randomness of life, rare to make complicated simple, Rationalization and defensiveness obstruct progress, reach for the stars, Real work is for people at the bottom who plan to stay there, reason for being, reason to believe, recognition, recognize employee fatigue or stress, recognize that business is about dollars and cents, recognize the limitations of their actual talent, recognizing limitations to talent, recruits can choose their own work, referencing personal branding, Refind the nothingness, refind their mojo, Refind your business mojo, Refinding risk is about insuring your business soul is not lazy, refinding the company’s true relevance, refinding the risk muscle, refinding your mojo in business, Reflection on strategy expertise Discussions, reflections upon the moment, refreshing their original ideals and ideas, regrets, relationships, relevant to Life, remind themselves of when they had nothing, repeat something over and over again, report on & assess employees, research, research cultural shifts, resilience, resiliency, resiliency and character, resonate with an engaged employee base, respect, respect for individual choice, responsibilities, responsibility, restless consistency, results, results achieved, results is management criteria, resumes are loaded with meaningless action verbs, resurrecting dormant attributes, Resurrection is about shaking the etch a sketch, Resurrection is hard, right but wrong, right is right, right words, risk, risk aversion, Risk is always an interesting topic, risk of doing the right thing, risk that it will actually work, ROI versus imagination, roy spence, safe, safe business decision, safe business is the riskiest business you can do, safe marketing is the riskiest marketing you can do, say it is happening when it isn't, Say something meaningful in an interesting way, say thanks and get a shrug, say that something is happening when it is, saying it is fine when it is not, saying the right words, scared, seamlessly step into, see 'bullshit' in the dictionary, see a diminishing ability in leadership to effectively deal, see within the circumstances, see your own reality, seek every way possible to complicate our lives, seek out events without fear, seek to invest their energies in a way, seek truth, seeking the way of truth, seeks the advice of marketing wizards, self actualization, self doubt, self esteem through problem solving, self truth, self worth, self-help gurus, self-improvement people, selfishness, selfishness and greed tend to be pushed off to the side, selling people ONLY the things that, selling truth, sends the wrong message to everyday people, Senior manager flaws, Senior people are supposed to be role models, sense of interdependence with each other, serious life decluttering, seriousness of the circumstances they face, shades of gray, share authority without losing it, share some thoughts about managing perceptions, shared thinking for businesses, sharing experiences, shitload of managers misread, shopping behavior, short term concentration capabilities, shortcomings leading to consequences, should not involve anything close to narcissism, show proof it was fucking stupid, showcasing character, silly expectations, simple, simple is hard, simple isn’t the least, simple solutions are often the best solutions, simplicity, simplicity has gone the way of the dodo, simplicity in life, simplicity is an acquired taste, Simplicity just ain’t easy to explain, simplicity of solution, simplicity seems too chaotic, simplicity takes remarkable effort, simplifying to make choices easier, simply encouraging an addictive relationship, Sincerity, sinister slippery bacteria affecting your common sense, six impossible things before breakfast, skills, slammed donuts in the business environment, slippery slope, slippery slope of despair, slippery slope of I am not fine, slippery surface of irrelevant brilliance, slowing down actually makes us more ethical, small gestures in trivial looking moments, smallest actions contribute, so many varieties of risk to consider, So much of modern life seems to be about more, so much to do I can barely keep my head above water, so what do we do, social media, social perfection, social priorities to economic priorities, soft choices, solutions, some alignment on vocabulary, Some branding expert, Some of these words are addictive, some wars are worth fighting, someone just frickin’ lead, someone understands they have value, something more important than fear, something to think about, sometimes called cyberloafing, Sometimes managing perceptions is all about making the people who need to believe, sometimes systems work that should not work, sometimes work takes some, somewhere above the least and significantly below the most, somewhere between the world of planning, sorting out the truth, soul in business, soul is defined by a combination of fame & fortune, sounds like a ball buster who is never satisfied, soyoufailed.com, speak after listening, speaking, specialist, spinal tap and marketing, spinal tap marketing, spiral of loneliness and despair, spittoons if you would like, squeezed out by a let's-play-it-safe attitude, stand for something within yourself, standard business practice, standing on the uncertainty pedestal, standing up every time we fall down, start thinking about what could be, statistical decision theory, statistics, statistics cannot make the decision for you, statistics getting in the way of a good decision, statistics of death, stay or go, stay the course with solid ideals, stimate that active disengagement, stimulus, stimulus reponse, stop and think, straight lines, straight lines are rare in life, strategies tend to be less esoteric and more practical, strategy, strength against adversity, strength of character, strength of character to make change, stressful decisions, strip away the undoable and identify the doable, struggle between energy and indolence, struggle between vitality and decay, struggle to define the nuances in an interview, struggle to think of anything more miserable than, struggled to adapt to the change, struggled to understand how anyone could come into work each day, stuck someplace that isn’t moving toward where, Stuff I Like, stumble upon doing it right, stunning grace in the face of overwhelming life, style more important than substance, style over substance questions, subconscious influences behavior, Subconsciously is galling, substance versus style, success in resurrection, success of ROI, success often resides in the past, suggesting we not look back at the horizon, surprised when I say I don’t read a lot of business books, swallowing nonsense, symbolic dynamics, Synergy exists within almost every organization, synergy is about absorbing nontraditional ideas and building upon them, systems remain stagnant, take revenge on doubters, takes focus, talk far enough up to them, talking, talking about how you promoted synergy, tangible display of hope, tangled ball of string, tangled up people, tap into some mysterious passion muscle, team is good, telling the truth, telling the truth in marketing is hard, telling the truth is not impossible, that could mean you just got everybody together for donuts twice a week, that i will be tomorrow, that is a Business Truth, that which is simple is valuable, the absence of truth, the answers are within you, the art of procrastinating, the best interest of the people, the biggest motivators for work, the bullshit becomes even more meaningless, the competitive edge to being mindful, the core of your business character, the entanglement of nuances, The exception, the futurist, the grind, The land was ours before we were the land's, the mad scientists of creativity selling a formula, the more powerful will be the smaller players, the most powerful weapon in life is not a mission, the myth of the proprietary process, the new realities, the numbers told me what to do, the odd moment of beauty where time is not the same, the only idealistic business person, the only thing truly unique is your personality, the only way to grow and be successful, the remaining 90% will be freed up to be happy, the responsibility in marketing, the rocky road is the high road, The safe decision, the same process and same vocabulary, the stern light only lights what is behind, the subconscious, the Time versus Expectations continuum, the unimportant, the way to resurrect your company, the word failure is tough love, the world is always changing, their job is more a paycheck, then let it go, there are a lot of insights, There are no uninteresting things, there is no formula for good choices, there’s that damn elephant but there’s nothing I can do about it, these heinous words, They are less confusing, They are overcompensating, they don’t like what they do, they get good shit done, they have to respect you, they know how to lead, They mustn’t have seen it, they should earn our respect, they want you to lead, they will remain motivated, things need to go right, think of the right thing to say too late, thinking, thinking impossible things, thinking is good, thinking too much, this generation’s work ethic, this i am today, this is about leadership, this post is about getting ahead, this sounds pretty common sense, thomas jefferson, those stories compel people to do things, though, thoughtful and relevant, thoughts, thoughts on buzzwords, thrive on dreams and possibilities, thrive on synergy, time, time consuming energy sucking business practice, time is a disposable product, Time is the new Currency, time limits when it comes to anything unstimulating, time management, Time pressure enhances the odds someone will make a less ethical, time research, tips, to be sure of you, To refind their risk mojo, to show proof it was fucking stupid, to slay a dragon you need to believe in dragons, today and tomorrow, Top people must not tolerate sloppy plans, torturing numbers, totally about risk, tough decisions are tough, training is woefully lacking, training means results, transactional branding, transformational people, trapped by fear, treat people fairly, tries to create dissatisfaction, trivial moments, trivial moments in bigger life, true, truly falsely managing perceptions, trust, trust & integrity tied to its purpose, Trust can be objective and subjective, truth, truth and expectations, truth goggles, truth in marketing, truth is rarely simple, truth is what really happened, truth or lies, truth or nothing, truth should be simple, truth to oneself, try and address any pre-existing perceptions, try and buy their desire, try harder for you and the company, trying to be interesting, trying to go in one direction together, trying to make the intangible tangible so that managers, Trying to make them unhappy is difficult, trying to preserve will lead to stagnation, trying to sound smart, tween strength, twitter triumph of humanity, typically smart folk at Leo Burnett, udicrous amount of bullshit speak, ultimately all the bullshit words, un-energy creating manager, uncertainty is a bitch, uncertainty takes on geometric proportions, underneath greatness, understand the relevance, understand your perspective, Unengaged uninterested employees, unenlightened business, unethical advertising, uneven and brands, unexpected innovation, unimportant truths, unintended results, uninterested, unique person in an ad agency, unique psychological properties of social groups to increase engagement, unquestionable, unrealistic expectations, unshakeable, unstimulating relationship with their job & career, unstimulating relationships, unstimulating relationships & your work life, untangling people, update one of my past interviewing posts Interviewing & the gatekeeper, urgent and distinct in the minds of people, use impressive sounding words instead, use the knowledge we have now, use your imagination, using it as an organizational synergy moment, using truth to deceive, using words well, utilizing time efficiency models to squeeze every productive minute, variety branding, Various studies of employee engagement, very much like interviewing, veryone was reduced to a unique selling proposition, vibrantly alive in repose, vision, walk in our footsteps, walking beyond our own footsteps, wander from who they were when, was not trying to make changes, waste all the time pontificating on synergy, wasted energy worrying, ways to stimulate employees, we actually waste a shitload of time, we all fail, we all have the same amount of time, we are dealers in hope, we invest so much time trying to manage time, we senior managers do is sit back and scratch our heads, we shall load responsibility on you, weeds are the bane of any good lawn, Weird Al parodies, weird mission statement, well intended business acumen, what are we going to do with the times in which we live, what do you do when you get what you want, What else can an employee ask for, what has happened to leadership, what I know opinions, What if that is all there is, what is management, what is management drucker, what is right and what is wrong, what is the alternative, what is the place of words, what lies ahead for brands next year, what looks like chaos, what the company will do for them or give to them, what they do, what we are seeking explanations, what we have is not what we need, what we need is impossible to get, what we need to get us through, what we want is not what we need, what would you sacrifice to win, what you elect to do with it, whatever it takes, whatever it takes to cross that dark bridge, when they first opened their doors, when understood and properly practiced, When you do things right, when you had nothing, when you have nothing, Where Someone Gets It, where they make money, WHICH end justifies the means, which soon show up in their profits, while you may be highly qualified for an opportunity, Who is leading the damn company, Who you have become will simply be a reflection of who you are, whole bunch of things need to be done, whole staff must have a proprietary feeling about the company’s wo, whole staff must have a proprietary feeling about the company’s work, WHY do you pander to them, wide range of attitudes and beliefs, Winning the generation Game, wisdom, Without a certain level of commitment on the part of employees, Without donuts no one would sit long enough, witty buzzwords, word abuse, words, words reflecting experiences, words that become deeds, words worse than nothing unless they do something, work is often up to people, work nevertheless, Workers spend somewhere between a little less than 20%, worry about implementing a great idea versus protecting it, Yesterday was national doughnut day in America, yet not good enough, you actually DO have something, you ain't got nothin, you are not a failure because you fail, you are overcoming objections one by one, you can solve that kind of problem, you cannot dwell on every moment that slipped by, you fail, you got nothin' to lose, you have an organizational problem, You keep moving forward, you might end up right where you belong, You really truly may be perfect for the opportunity, you should be ready to face all sorts of problems, you will inevitably be measured by your actual deeds, young kids just don’t have the same attitude as we did, your best member of your team has the energy and focus, your business will have a fighting chance of being successful, your employees are uninterested at work, your experience & expertise doesn’t align specifically, your soul’s value
Written by Bruce
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