As the escalator crested to the second floor of the convention center, Ken stepped off and headed straight for the cluster of armchairs off to the right. Relieved, he sat and looked at his watch: 30 minutes to midnight. 'No wonder I'm beat,' he thought. And then, 'What am I doing here? Working crazy hours to make Warner look good? It isn't worth it anymore.'
Because people are
perceptive, the truth
does get out, and
giving it your all
is almost always
a great choiceJust then he saw Peter hop off the escalator and start to make the turn to go up to Three. Spotting Ken by the window, Peter brightened, changed course and headed over to say hello, motioning to the woman behind him to follow.
"Gina, meet Ken Mersereau, Diamond Square. Ken, Gina Chang."
Ken stood and smiled. "Ah, yes, I attended your talk," Ken said as they shook hands. "Enjoyed it."
"Ken Mersereau…" Gina began, "…so you're the one who makes Warner look so good."
Ken was stunned. He didn't think anyone knew. "Well, I try, but that really isn't my main goal," he said. Suddenly he was glad that he'd decided to give it his all.
Holding back because you work for a credit thief is probably not your best strategy. Because people are perceptive, the truth does get out, and giving it your all is almost always a great choice. Here are three things to keep in mind as you decide how much of yourself to throw into a job.
- Don't hold back to get even
- Restraining yourself because of past or current injustice only confirms the (incorrect) low opinion others have of you. If you aren't appreciated, address the problem directly with the offenders. If that's impossible or if it fails, either do your job the best you can, or find another. Doing your job half-heartedly hurts you more than anyone else.
- Work for yourself first
- Praise or even adulation from others makes most of us feel good, but feeling wonderful yourself about the job you're doing is even better. Practice self-appreciation until you get really good at it. You'll probably find that appreciating yourself for something feels hollow unless you've given it your all.
- Give only what you've got
- Giving more than you've got isn't giving your all — it's giving what's not yours. You could be stealing from yourself, when you give up your time off; from your loved ones, when you deprive them of your full Self; or from colleagues, when you take unethical shortcuts.
When you give it your all (and only your all), a wonderful thing happens. You feel the peace that comes from knowing that this planet is a better place for your having lived on it. Top
Next Issue
Love the work but not the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? This ebook looks at what we can do to get more out of life at work. It helps you get moving again! Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run, filled with tips and techniques for putting zing into your work life. Order Now!
More about achieving goals
Corrales Mentales [July 4, 2001]
- Perhaps you've achieved every goal you've ever set yourself, but if you're like most of us, some important goals have remained elusive. Maybe you had bad luck, or you weren't in the right place at the right time. But it's just possible that you got in your own way. Getting out of your own way can help make things happen.
Commitment Makes It Easier [October 16, 2002]
- When you face obstacles, sometimes the path around or through them is difficult. Committing yourself to the path lets you focus all your energy on the path you've chosen.
Beyond WIIFM [August 13, 2003]
- Probably the most widely used tactic of persuasion, "What's In It For Me," or WIIFM, can be toxic to an organization. There's a much healthier approach that provides a competitive advantage to organizations that use it.
Your Wishing Wand [October 8, 2003]
- Wishing — for ourselves, for others, or for all — helps us focus on what we really want. When we know what we really want, we're ready to make the little moves that make it happen. Here's a little user's guide for your wishing wand.
Knowing Where You're Going [April 20, 2005]
- Groups that can't even agree on ``Em''what``/Em'' to do can often find themselves debating about ``Em''how``/Em'' to do it. Here are some simple things to remember to help you focus on defining the goal.
Workplace Myths: Motivating People [July 19, 2006]
- Up and down the org chart, you can find bits of business wisdom about motivating people. We generally believe these theories without question. How many of them are true? How many are myths? What are some of these myths and why do they persist?
Astonishing Successes [January 31, 2007]
- When we have successes that surprise us, we do feel good, but beyond that, our reactions are sometimes self-defeating. What happens when we experience unanticipated success, and how can we handle it better?
Achieving Goals: Inspiring Passion and Action [February 14, 2007]
- Achieving your goals requires both passion and action. Knowing when to emphasize passion and when to emphasize action are the keys to managing yourself, or others, toward achievement.
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Related articles
More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:
Enjoy Your Commute
- You probably commute to work. On a good day, you spend anywhere from ten minutes to an hour or two —
each way — commuting. What kind of experience are you having? Taking control of this part of your
life can make a real difference.
Sixteen Overload Haiku
- Most of us have some experience of being overloaded and overworked. Many of us have forgotten what it
is not to be overloaded. Here's a contemplation of the state of overload.
I've Been Right All Along
- As people, we're very good at forming and holding beliefs and opinions despite nagging doubts. These
doubts lead us to search for confirmation of our beliefs, and to reject information that might conflict
with our beliefs. Often, this process causes us to persist in believing nonsense. How can we tell when
this is happening?
Creating Toxic Conflict: II
- Some supervisors seem to behave as if part of their job description is creating toxic conflict among
their subordinates. It isn't really, of course, but here's a collection of methods bad managers use
that make trouble.
On Managing Life Event Risk
- Life events are those significant personal occurrences that lie outside the context of work. Some life
events cause enough stress and demand enough attention that they affect our performance at work. When
they do, they can affect our employers' plans.
See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness and Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming June 4: White-Collar Contractor Sabotage
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And on June 11: More Things I've Learned Along the Way: VI
- When I gain an important insight, or when I learn a lesson, I make a note. Example: If you're interested in changing how a social construct operates, knowing how it came to be the way it is can be much less useful than knowing what keeps it the way it is. Available here and by RSS on June 11.
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