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Last Updated: Jul 2, 2009 - 6:46:37 PM |
Food for Thought is a weekly column of insights on leadership, management, teamwork, and productivity written by Peter Vajda, PhD.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
So you think you can lead - Jul 2, 2009 - 6:43:43 PM
In today's face-paced, challenging, often-ambiguous and uncertain economic climate, where stress is rampant and anxiety and fear seem to be the emotions of choice driving many leaders' behaviors, more and more leaders seem to be losing touch with their employees, fostering a climate of poor morale, dis-engagement, stress, overt or silent anger and resentment.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
Equanimity - serenity within the chaos - Jun 26, 2009 - 9:08:43 AM
It seems most everyone I know is experiencing life these days caught up in some flavor of crisis or conflict either at work, at home, at play or in relationship. They're experiencing a form of conflict and stress around issues, for example, like leading and managing, or processes, deadlines, budgets and job security, or personal relationships and unresolved conflicts, or how to resolve health and education challenges, or whether what they are doing is what they really want to be doing with their life.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
"Weisure" - what nonsense! The need for real R&R - Jun 18, 2009 - 5:53:52 PM
New York University sociologist, Dalton Conley, has recently coined the term: "weisure" the result of blurring the line dividing work and leisure. More and more, work is carrying over into folks' leisure time. It appears that places and activities usually regarded as "fun only" are now work-play ambiguous. No surprise here! Some, including Conley, say the work-leisure phenomena is happening because more folks are finding work to be fun and want to stay connected during leisure periods. Really! Who's kidding whom!?
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
Intelligent, but not wise why some leaders are failing - Jun 5, 2009 - 9:08:20 AM
As businesses continue to face challenging and uncertain times, more and more leaders are leaving either of their own accord, or being shown the door. While many have lost their way due to egregious moral and ethical missteps, just as many are facing a dead end due to their inability to see the big picture from a higher not-so-common perspective. Many of these leaders are intelligent, but, unfortunately, not wise.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
"The Microwave is too slow!" - May 29, 2009 - 2:52:12 PM
The other day I was speaking with a neighbor - a single, 50-something woman who's a high-level executive for a Fortune 50 company. She was coming home from work, carrying some packages. At the end of our conversation I said, "Enjoy your evening." She replied, "Oh, I will. I have some delicious take-out." Taking a step, and perhaps feeling guilty, perhaps feeling she needed to add some context, she stopped and added, "I have some good stuff in the fridge but these days the microwave just takes too long."
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
Virtual reality - can't buy me love - May 22, 2009 - 6:38:10 AM
Virtual currencies are fast becoming all the rage. Social networks, online gaming and virtual communities are using "virtual currencies" to buy, sell and trade. Virtual tokens, tickets and other monetary units are competing with one another to be the "virtual dollar" of choice. Sites like hi5, World of Warcraft, Second Life and myYearbook all use virtual currencies. Facebook and My Space probably aren't far behind. While virtual currencies will tend to vie for the recognition of real-world currency, there's one thing virtual money can't buy, although many try.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
Awareness - the "secret sauce" of personal change - May 8, 2009 - 7:45:13 AM
Most folks, (99%), remain at a static level of awareness. Why? Because their environment makes no drastic changes and they feel they are moderately "successful" with how they are and how they are. Life is "working" OK, so they continue to do what they do, the way they do it. They live on "autopilot", in a world of routine, and often behave in counter-productive and mentally and emotionally dysfunctional ways. They effort to limit change, refuse new information, or engage in new experiences. Awareness has come to a standstill.
Food for Thought: A Weekly Column from Peter Vajda, PhD.
Pointing Fingers - May 1, 2009 - 12:54:45 PM
Hardly a day goes by that the newspapers, magazines, TV talk shows, and workplace water cooler conversation does not include some mention of Bruno, Bernie and Blago notorious folks who have been accused of actions that are either immoral or unethical, but folks who maintain that I have done nothing illegal. There seems to be no end to the line of folks who wait their turn to point their accusatory finger at Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, New Yorks former State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and the infamous financier Bernie Madoff.
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