Meaning of work/Not know and be ok/Art, Creativity & Science/Leaping this year

What does your work mean to you

It's always a good time to think about what you want from your work and what you work gives you.

Work, workplaces and the world of work is changing -- and continues to change. And you might need to adapt or change what you do for work or how you work.

Read more in this piece from Psychology Today and take another look at the meaning of work and how things might, possibly, be able to shift for you.

Not know and be ok with that

It sounds unusual but we can be bored and frustrated... and it can be ok.

We can be caught up with wanting to feel wonderful and put-together all the time, but there are benefits to these other states.

This is a reminder for me frequently; to not keep pushing and busy-ing but to let the uncertainty or unknown of boredom, irritation and frustration be a place of great things.

Read more in this article

The art, creativity and science of …

It’s summer here in Australia and for those who get annoyed by it … there can be ‘sand everywhere!!’

No matter your season, take a moment to feel the sand between your toes in this lovely read of the art and science - and creative uncertainty - of sandcastle making.

There are themes here of

▫️Philosophy

▫️Impermanence

▫️Uncertainty and that which is outside of our control

▫️Resources and sustainability

▫️Ingenuity

▫️Friction and

▫️Tension.

Thinking of making a leap this year

Career changes, pursuing that which you’ve always had an interest in, or just thinking it’s time for a change.

Making a leap into a new way of working can mean a career or job shift — and that can mean working for yourself, registering a business or taking a whole new work direction.

What are you thinking about work … and how might things be new for you this year?

This article in The Age shared some inspiring examples of what's possible and practical and implementable, not just what is a faraway dream.

Your brain fog is real

The thick, foggy feels of the past year aren’t only happening to you or just in your mind ... it’s a real thing. 

“After a year of lockdown, many of us are finding it hard to think clearly, or remember what happened when”.

Less social interaction, heightened uncertainty, a low-grade kind of trauma underpinning our life ... 

“People are finding themselves more sluggish – their physical and mental weight is somehow heavier, hard to carry around”. 

If you’re leading a team, and you’re not acknowledging or noticing this, it’s time to. 

And if you’ve felt it but aren’t doing anything but persisting and pushing on through, it’s also time to acknowledge it... 

Psychologists say, “For some of us, brain fog will be a temporary state, and will clear as we begin to live more varied lives.”

The sooner you can vary things, at home, at your desk, in your surroundings, throughout your day... the sooner the fog will lift. 

Read more in this great article in The Guardian ... and acknowledge the fog. 

'What the hell do we do now'?

The sh*t hit the fan, a pandemic struck and the world shifted! 

As things changed, we had to change. At each turn there was a new set of choices, options ... and often there were opportunities too. 

We kept asking, ‘what the hell do we do now?’ 

And the changes and challenges keep coming! 

Over the past few months, I’ve collaborated with 17 other authors to write the aptly titled 'What The Hell Do We Do Now', an enterprise guide to COVID-19.

I contributed the chapter ‘Adapt’ and share some of the examples of different intensities of adaptation. 

Adapt - it’s what we need to do when we’re faced with changing conditions. 

 
Get it where you usually get hold of books and ebooks.

#1 Amazon seller in multiple categories

The back cover reads: 

2020 has been a year of significant disruption to organisations all around the world. By the end of February, bushfires, protests, riots, drone strikes, impeachment and Stock Market crashes had shocked the world. Britain left the European Union and some Royals left Britain. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken business, economy and society to its core and profoundly changed our priorities and operations. In these times where business, society and economy are being reshaped, we have also seen people and organisations step up and forge a path into the New Normal.

In What The Hell Do We Do Now, 18 authors explore the tools and frameworks that can help you and your organisation navigate and emerge from crisis in better shape than when you entered it. Drawing on their own research across a wide range of domains, the chapters follow the narrative arc of Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s Heroine’s Journey, the classic story-telling formula of heroes who are thrust into chaos and return transformed through the challenges they face.

Are you there with curiosity

Or did critique and complaint show up instead? 

There can be an easier, default response to be right ... by pointing out the wrong. 

But these times of extreme change and uncertainty require a greater openness of mind, a willingness to wonder and a greater sense of possibility. 

Our curiosity bias is there. We think, ponder and are curious about many, many things. 

How can we be curious about the things that might benefit from our curiosity? 


1. Do we bring curiosity to potentially boring meetings? 

Do we think:
“OMG this is so dull and boring; they are a hopeless leader.”

Or do we think:
“Hmmm, how could I help bring greater engagement or contribute to higher interest - for myself and others? What else is possible? What could I do here?”


2. Do we bring curiosity to a dense information pack?

Do we think:
“Ugh what waffle. Pages of it! They’ve missed the point. They’ve got no idea.”

Or do we think:
“Hmmm I wonder what the intention is? What’s the main point here? How can I best make sense of this?”


It may be easier to critique but the better, and more powerful work is in curiosity. 

Be there with curiosity. 

Making sense and meaning

There is sensemaking and there is meaning making. 

When things happen we have the opportunity to look at them, talk about them and make sense of them. 

As we do that, we thread our own meaning into those events. Our own lens or perspective. 

Through sensemaking we may well understand what’s going on. But it’s not until we make meaning of it that it really ... you know ... means something to us. 

It’s possibly why businesses the world over may struggle with change. Some things just don’t make any sense ... so what could that possibly mean? 

> Sensemaking is great for insight, strategy and decision making. 
> Meaning making is wonderful for connection, engagement and trust. 

Film makers and story tellers do both so well, building up complex layers of sense and meaning, building tension and intrigue, teasing the mind and then ... touching the heart. 

It makes sense AND it means something. 

Help people make sense, sure. 

Then leave it with them to settle or ‘marinate’ allowing them time to make meaning. 

And then ... listen to their meaning.