Sticky?

"This one step, choosing a goal and sticking to it,  changes everything." 

  

  

- Scott Reed 

Persistence!

When you're getting something new going, the difference between success and failure is often a matter of time: how long you give it before you give up. Efforts that begin with high hopes inevitably hit a disappointing sag. It's Kanter's Law: "Everything can look like a failure in the middle.“

In the messy middle, unexpected obstacles pop up because the path is uncharted. Fatigue sets in. Team members turn over. Impatient critics attack just when you think you're gaining traction. Tough challenges almost inevitably take longer and cost more than our optimistic predictions.

That's why persistence and perseverance are important for anyone leading a new venture, change project, or turnaround. But the miserable middle offers a choice point: Do you stick with the venture and make mid-course corrections, or do you abandon it? Do you support incumbents making progress even though the job is not yet finished, or do you abandon them for another group's unproven promises?

Persist and pivot, and the effort could go on to success. Pull out in the messy middle, and by definition the effort is a failure. The issue is deciding which direction to take.  There are 12 key questions that can help you decide whether it should be shut down or helped through the messy middle:

• Are the initial reasons for the effort still valid, with no consequential external changes?
• Do the needs for which this a solution remain unmet, or are competing solutions still unproven or inadequate?
• Would the situation get worse if this effort stopped?
• Is it more cost-effective to continue than to pay the costs of restarting?
• Is the vision attracting more adherents?
• Are leaders still enthusiastic, committed, and focused on the effort?
• Are resources available for continuing investment and adjustments?
• Is skepticism and resistance declining?
• Is the working team motivated to keep going?
• Have critical deadlines and key milestones been met?
• Are there signs of progress, in that some problems have been solved, new activities are underway, and trends are positive?
• Is there a concrete achievement — a successful demonstration, prototype, or proof of concept?

If the answers are mostly Yes, then don't give up. Figure out what redirection is needed, strategize your way over obstacles, reengage the team, answer the critics, and argue for more time and resources. Everything worth doing requires tenacity.

If the answers trend toward No, then cut your losses and move on. Persistence doesn't mean being pig-headed.

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What makes someone a good communicator? There's no mystery here, not since Aristotle identified the three critical elements — ethos, pathos, and logos. — thousands of years ago.

Ethos is essentially your credibility — that is, the reason people should believe what you're saying.

Pathos is making an emotional connection — essentially, the reason people believe that what you're saying will matter to them. 

Logos is your mode for appealing to others' sense of reason, ergo the term logic. Employing strengths in strategic thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills are how today's leaders express logical ideas in clear and compelling enough terms to influence outcomes.

These three elements of communication reinforce one another. You may rely heavily on data and analysis (logos) to make a point and in so doing create a perception of expertise and authority on a topic (ethos).  And while all three are necessary to excellent communication, improving your ability to do any one of them will help you become a better communicator and so a better leader. Combining them is the path to achieving the greatest success.

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Bread Mold - BeGone!

Nuked bread can last up to 60 days, according to the company, MicroZap, which spun off from Texas Tech University. Among wasted foods, bread is a major culprit, meeting its end in the garbage can once it becomes festooned with greenish growths of mold. This usually happens within 10 days of the bread being baked. MicroZap’s method kills the mold spores, keeping bread mold-free for two months and helping Americans reduce some of their food waste.

The equipment, which looks like a CT scanner for food, was originally developed to kill organisms like multi-resistant staph bacteria and salmonella. But its developers realized it also kills bread mold in about a 10-second zap. It works much like a home microwave, but the waves are produced in various frequencies, which allows for uniform heating, according to MicroZap CEO Don Stull.

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What Do You Want To Accomplish?

"All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible."

  

- Orison Swett Marden

Sunday Silliness - Excuses

Heading to Miami...Go Irish

Gravity Light-Awesome

Kerosene lamps used in off-grid, rural areas are a major problem. They're bad for people's health and the environment's. One startup's solution is to tap another, greener resource, something we all have in abundance: gravity.

The invention, GravityLight, does exactly what the name suggests: It keeps a light going through the power of gravity. As an attached weight falls, it pulls a cord through the center of the light, powering a dynamo. That dynamo converts the energy from the falling weight into power for the light. (It's the same idea as a hand-cranked device, just more vertical.) The weight can be set in a few seconds, and as it slowly reaches Earth, enough energy is generated to keep a light working for 30 minutes. As long as it's set every 30 minutes, it makes for a green, battery-free, continuous stream of light. Other, similar devices like battery chargers could be used through the same process, too.

The inventors say the gadgets can be sold now for less than $10, which would make a return on investment for owners three months after dumping kerosene lighting. And speaking of investments, the group has already shattered the goal for its Indiegogo campaign, meaning we'll hopefully see these in action soon.

Dolphin Retirement?

Soon, dolphins and sea lions won't be hunting mines any more. The U.S. Navy is phasing out the Marine Mammal Program. Though trained sea mammals have been serving the Navy for 50 years, they're retiring to make way for cheaper, easier-to-manage robots.

Dolphins use sonar-like echolocation--essentially, seeing with their ears--which makes them beasts at finding mines in water.

So let's let technology take over here. Development of the Knifefish, a torpedo-like unmanned underwater vehicle, is underway and should be completed by 2017.

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New Year Stress Redux!

Welcome to the 2013 Work Year!

It is more or less impossible to be any kind of professional these days and not experience frequent bouts of intense stress. The difference between those who are successful and those who aren't is not whether or not you suffer from stress, but how you deal with it when you do.  Here are nine scientifically-proven strategies for defeating stress whenever it strikes. (Source: HEIDIGRANT HALVORSON, HBR.)

1. Have self-compassion.  Self-compassion, in essence, cutting yourself some slack.

2. Remember the "Big Picture."  Anything you need or want to do can be thought of in more than one way. So when staying that extra hour at work at the end of an exhausting day is thought of as "helping my career" rather than "answering emails for 60 more minutes," you'll be much more likely to want to stay put and work hard.

3. Rely on routines.  Reduce the number of decisions (tiring and stressful activity) you need to make by using routines. You need to focus your decision-making energy.

4. Take five (or ten) minutes to do something you find interesting.  Keep these two very important points in mind: First, interesting is not the same thing as pleasant, fun, or relaxing (though they are certainly not mutually exclusive.) It needs to be interesting or it won't replenish your energy.  Second, interesting does not have to mean effortless. Interest replenished energy showed that it did so even when the interesting task was difficult and required effort.

5. Add where and when to your to-do list.  Do you have a to-do list?  Deciding in advance when and where you will complete a task (e.g., "If it is 4pm, then I will return any phone calls I should return today") can double or triple your chances of actually doing it.  So take the tasks on your to-do list, and add a specific when and where to each.

6. Use if-thens for positive self-talk.  Another way to combat stress using if-then plans is to direct them at the experience of stress itself, rather than at its causes. For instance, "If I see lots of emails in my Inbox, then I will stay calm and relaxed," or, "If a deadline is approaching, then I will keep a cool head."

7. See your work in terms of progress, not perfection.  A Get-Better mindset leads instead to self-comparison and a concern with making progress — how well are you doing today, compared with how you did yesterday, last month, or last year? (vs. be-good which you compare to others, causing stress). When you think about what you are doing in terms of learning and improving, accepting that you may make some mistakes along the way, you experience far less stress, and you stay motivated despite the setbacks that might occur.

8. Think about the progress that you've already made.  It's the "small wins" that keep us going, particularly in the face of stressors.

9. Know whether optimism or defensive pessimism works for you.  What's your motivational style, and is "staying positive" right for you?  Some people think of their jobs as opportunities for achievement and accomplishment — they have what psychologists call a promotion focus. In the language of economics, promotion focus is all about maximizing gains and avoiding missed opportunities. For others, doing a job well is about security, about not losing the positions they've worked so hard for. This prevention focus places the emphasis on avoiding danger, fulfilling responsibilities, and doing what feel you ought to do. In economic terms, it's about minimizing losses, trying to hang on to what you've got.  Start by identifying your focus, and then embrace either the sunny outlook or the hearty skepticism that will reduce your stress and keep you performing at your best.