In honor of Labor Day executive coach Tony Schwartz outlined some of the advice he gives to his clients to help them improve their performance, both on and off the job. Link here.
Longtime readers of this blog know that I have a very high opinion of Tony Schwartz: links here and here.
As you know, people are often confused about the difference between coaching and therapy. If you examine some of what Tony Schwartz offers, you will see that his work emphasizes retraining exercises that will allow you to function at your best in all circumstances.
His coaching does not involve reliving the past, understanding trauma, becoming more spiritual, or getting in touch with feelings. It offers useful, practical advice.
His writings should be part of the foundation of any coaching curriculum.
I was fully, fully prepared to make fun of all the prescriptions for working more effectively.
ReplyDeleteBased on every nonsense "Work More Effectively!" article I've ever read, I could already imagine what it was going to say and I was relishing the idea of, metaphorically, chewing it up, peeing on it and then rolling around on it in victory.
But I couldn't. The suggestions were not the Usual Crap. I've seen the effects of sleeplessness and the dissolution of purpose from trying to do everything at once.
Good article. Thanks.
--Gray
I'm so sick of Corporate Brainwashing that tries to convince ordinary people that working for "the man" is some sort of higher calling or "mission in life". They even conduct workshops and seminars, mass group therapy, to get workers all riled up into enthusiasm about "living life to the fullest" or "living abundantly" because they are trying to recreate the "feel good hormones" of what it would feel like if you were CREATING YOUR OWN BUSINESS, LIFE, MISSION, etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is primarily why you will find that most people these days don't have the "work ethic" of previous generations. They're not buying into the hype. They're not drinking the cool aid.
There is no "work ethic". That is a brainwashing trigger word used to guilt people into feeling "good" about WORKING FOR UNKNOWN FACES THAT DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THEM.
Money is amoral. There is no "ethic" behind money. It is neutral. Our society is therefore not about any "ethic" or "morality" or "mission" - it's just about $$$.
Our government is conducting 2 wars right now for CORPORATE INTEREST only.
Unless you are a billion dollar player in the corporate world, what is there to feel "good" about?
People have woken up and will not buy into the hype of "work ethic" anymore.
To complain about the "materialism" of American culture, whether it be porn, or drug use, or low class behaviour in the media or Lady Gaga or Kei$ha is to actually complain about the very "ethic" this country was founded on: MONEY
All that matters is how to make it - at any cost. The cost of health, sanity, morality, goodness, exploitation.
Porn, media-whoredom, vulgar flash and trash is a MIRROR to the very system that created all of it.
There is NO ethic behind money.
Our country was founded and expanded on not an "honest day's labor". Not any "work ethic". Not on evern "cheap labor" but on SLAVERY:
If there was any "ethic" behind it, they would have HIRED workers instead of STEALING AND BUYING SLAVES.
The modern version of this is the CORPORATE WORLD, who, due to slavery being illegal, does the next best thing - OUTSOURCING to countries with few labor laws and rights, where they can get CHEAP LABOR in place of the FREE LABOR they really want.
Do you think they'd pay any of those people unless they absolutely had to?
Hells to the no!
"Work Ethic" is an oxymoron for these types. What they really want is slaves. In absence of that they try their hand at cheap labor and brainwashing people into thinking working for them has anything to do with "ethics".
Kool Aid, your post is an extraordinary mix of sour grapes and the fruits of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI'll leave it to you to figure out which is which.
--Gray
I find that my fear of being penniless, homeless and hungry helps to keep me motivated while I am at work.
ReplyDelete