An Inspirational Video to Start Your Week

Just a thought…

I am NYC this week and happen to be staying with a friend on the west side of Manhattan in Tribeca. The apartment is on the 43^rd floor and directly in view is Ground Zero. As I write this, I can see all the construction work progressing and it’s still hard to imagine what this area went through over ten years ago. In the same glance—to the right—is a perfect view of the Statue of Liberty, and all the tourist boats circling it.  I am struck this morning at this juxtaposition. Two contrasting symbols in one view.  One of our capacity for destruction and another a timeless symbol of hope and prosperity. I don’t have any profound conclusions or recommendations for you this week … but wanted to share this and let you reach your own. Have a great week all.

Express ALL Emotions

I was working with a professional athlete who, outside of the game, is one of the most amiable and gentle human beings you can meet.  He is truly loved and respected by his family and peers. He is a tremendous athlete who often under-performs. I have watched him play and whenever something negative happens during play, he responds quite negatively, often berating himself.  I have also watched him extensively outside the sport, and it is virtually impossible to make him mad about anything.

Under-Performance and Poor Performance

There is a distinction between under-performance and poor performance. Poor performance often times means that there is a lack of skill involved in the root cause of this instance. This skill did not exist, or was learned incorrectly, or never mastered. In this case, the correction is fairly simple. Go back and learn or relearn the skill required to perform. Though this occurs in the workplace, it mostly appears at junior levels where the job function requires very specific skills. It occurs at top levels too, but at management positions and higher, I find under-performance to be more prevalent.