Why Your Passion for Work Could Ruin Your Career (Scott Barry Kaufman)

Source: HBR

Every business wants workers who passionately love their work. And for good reason: workers who are inspired are more productive, and passion can provide the energy necessary to fuel engagement, amidst obstacles and setbacks. But while passion seems clearly desirable, recent psychological research suggests that not all forms are adaptive. In fact, some forms can be downright detrimental.

According to Robert J. Vallerand's Dualistic Model of Passion, passion has two main flavors: harmonious and obsessive. Those with harmonious passion engage in their work because it brings them intrinsic joy. They have a sense of control of their work, and their work is in harmony with their other activities in life. At the same time, they know when to disengage, and are better at turning off the work switch when they wish to enjoy other activities or when further engagement becomes too risky. As a result, their work doesn't conflict with the other areas of their lives. When they are at the opera, for instance, or spending time with their children, they aren't constantly thinking of work, and they don't report feeling guilty that they aren't working. Questionnaire items measuring harmonious passion include: "This activity reflects the qualities I like about myself", "This activity is in harmony with the other activities in my life," and "For me it is a passion that I still manage to control."

Obsessive passion is a different story. Like those with harmonious passion, those with obsessive passion perceive their work as representing a passion for them, and view their work as highly valued. A major difference is that they have an uncontrollable urge to engage in their work. As a result, they report feeling more conflict between their passion and the other activities in their life. Questionnaire items measuring obsessive passion include: "The urge is so strong. I can't help myself from doing this activity," "I am emotionally dependent on this activity," and "My mood depends on me being able to do this activity."

Both forms of passion are associated with very different outcomes. Harmonious passion is associated with higher levels of physical health, psychological well-being, self-reported self-esteem, positive emotions, creativity, concentration, flow, work satisfaction, and increased congruence with other areas of one's life. These effects spill over into other areas. Because people with harmonious passion can actively disengage from work and experience other parts of their lives, they report general positive affect over time.

In contrast, those with obsessive passion display higher levels of negative affect over time and display more maladaptive behaviors. They report higher levels of negative affect during and after activity engagement; they can hardly ever stop thinking about their work, and they get quite frustrated when they are prevented from working. They also persist when it's risky to do so (just like a pathological gambler). A reason for this is that their work forms a very large part of their self-concept. To protect their selves, they display more self-protective behaviors, such as aggression, especially when their identity is threatened. Those with obsessive passion also have a more negative image of themselves, being quicker to pair the word "unpleasant" with "self" than those showing lower levels of obsessive passion. This suggests that their persistence doesn't come from a place of intrinsic joy, but an unstable ego.

These differences have implications for work burnout. A recent study investigated burnout (measured by emotional exhaustion) in two samples of nurses over a six-month period, across two different countries. Obsessive passion increased the chances of burnout while harmonious passion helped protect against burnout. The researchers identified some key factors explaining this relationship. Obsessive passion was associated with higher conflict with other life tasks and was unrelated to work satisfaction, while harmonious passion was associated with lower conflict, and higher work satisfaction. Importantly, these effects held even after controlling for the number of hours worked. People with harmonious passion come to work refreshed and ready to tackle new problems, whereas those with obsessive passion are at much higher risk of experiencing burnout.

But isn't persistence a good thing? Many great works appear to have come about due to an obsessive focus on work to the exclusion of all else. The research suggests this may be a myth. It's important to distinguish between flexible and rigid forms of persistence. Those with obsessive passion rigidly persist even when it's no longer sensible to do so. Those with harmonious passion are much more flexible, and are ultimately more successful. This may explain why so many child prodigies fizzle out later in life — regardless of their talent. By being obsessively attached their domain, they are increasing their chances of burning out.

In sum, the type of passion one has matters. Not just for work, but for many other areas of life. What kind of you passion do you have? Do you gain intrinsic satisfaction from your work, or do you feel as though you are constantly working to prove things to others? Do you feel a compulsive need to work or are you easily able to disengage and enjoy other interests in life? Managers: what kind of passion are you getting out of your workers? Don't be fooled by hard workers. Some may be on the verge on burnout.

How I Almost Quit (John Piper)

If you are a disheartened pastor or leader, this is for you.

Are you so discouraged you don’t know what to do next? I want to help you get through this. Maybe this will help.

The following quote is from my journal dated November 6, 1986. I had been at Bethlehem 6 years. If you have ever felt like this, remember this is 24 years ago and I am still here.

The point is: Beware of giving up too soon. Our emotions are not reliable guides.

Am I under attack by Satan to abandon my post at Bethlehem? Or is this the stirring of God to cause me to consider another ministry? Or is this God's way of answering so many prayers recently that we must go a different way at BBC than building? I simply loathe the thought of leading the church through a building program. For two years I have met for hundreds of hours on committees. I have never written a poem about it. It is deadening to my soul. I am a thinker. A writer. A preacher. A poet and songwriter. At least these are the avenues of love and service where my heart flourishes. . . .

Can I be the pastor of a church moving through a building program? Yes, by dint of massive will power and some clear indications from God that this is the path of greatest joy in him long term. But now I feel very much without those indications. The last two years (the long range planning committee was started in August 1984) have left me feeling very empty.

The church is looking for a vision for the future—and I do not have it. The one vision that the staff zeroed in on during our retreat Monday and Tuesday of this week (namely, building a sanctuary) is so unattractive to me today that I do not see how I could provide the leadership and inspiration for it.

Does this mean that my time at BBC is over? Does it mean that there is a radical alternative unforeseen? Does it mean that I am simply in the pits today and unable to feel the beauty and power and joy and fruitfulness of an expanded facility and ministry?

O Lord, have mercy on me. I am so discouraged. I am so blank. I feel like there are opponents on every hand, even when I know that most of my people are for me. I am so blind to the future of the church. O Father, am I blind because it is not my future? Perhaps I shall not even live out the year, and you are sparing the church the added burden of a future I had made and could not complete? I do not doubt for a moment your goodness of power or omnipotence in my life or in the life of the church. I confess that the problem is mine. The weakness is in me. The blindness is in my eyes. The sin—O reveal to me my hidden faults!—is mine and mine the blame. Have mercy, Father. Have mercy on me. I must preach on Sunday, and I can scarcely lift my head.

Source: Desiring God

5 Things That Can Destroy A Person’s Leadership (Brian Dodd)

Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s not the hardest hit that knocks you out. It’s the one you don’t see coming.” We can often survive direct hits. It’s the ground shocks that can destroy our ministries and leadership influence. So keep your ear to the ground.

As you are keeping your ear to the ground and listening to your people, the following are five things you should be aware of:

Lack of Unified Leadership - Disunity, or fragmented leadership, can destroy a leader’s influence. The result is competing voices and agendas. Factions are formed and certain individuals often attempt to fill the leadership vacuum.

Lack of Vision - Vision produces a visual need. Without vision, your people and teams walk around aimlessly. Often people will line up under a charismatic leader and whatever vision appears the most compelling.

Lack of Urgency - Because there is a lack of vision, there is a lack of urgency to fulfill it. Nothing exists that is worth sacrificing or investing your life in. Movement and advancement stops.

Lack of Trust - This results from continual missed expectations or broken promises. You must combat this by beginning to get a series of small wins under your belt. Declare victory anywhere you can.

Lack of Financial Resources - Ministry and organizational advancement costs money. Life change costs money. Financial resources fuel your future.

Pastors and leaders, if you have a lack of unified leaders, lack of vision, lack of urgency, lack of trust, and lack of resources, you are about to get hit with a ground shock.

Take a direct hit instead and address the issue today. You can survive a direct hit. It may be what it needed to save your leadership.

Source: Brian Dodd on Leadership

Delegação

Fonte: Saia do Lugar

Seguem algumas sugestões para compartilhar a liderança e estimular os talentos da sua empresa

Dê autoridade para os mais qualificados para fortalecer suas competências

Defina os limites que cada pessoa tem para tomar decisões

Cultive um clima em que as pessoas se sintam livres para ter iniciativa sobre suas tarefas

Dê a autonomia e os recursos para as pessoas mais qualificadas e estimule que elas usem essas ferramentas

Não questione a decisão das pessoas que você deu autoridade para tomar decisões

Considere-se uma fonte de recursos ao invés de um gerente

Marque reuniões de acompanhamento apropriadas para analisar o progresso das tarefas e tomar ações caso necessárias

Você irá gastar menos tempo conduzindo seus projetos e poderá até desenvolver um senso de satisfação por resultados que não são diretamente seus.

Melhor do que isso, seus liderados poderão aumentar o sentimento de parceria e se tornarem mais engajados pelo sucesso da empresa, do time e deles próprios.

Sobre Visão

Baseado em uma palestra de Jeff Henderson

3 Níveis de Compromisso com a Visão em sua Igreja ou Organização

Nível 1 – As pessoas tem compromisso com a visão por se beneficiarem dela.
Nível 2 – As pessoas tem compromisso com a visão e contribuem com ela, desde que não precisem se sacrificar.
Nível 3 – As pessoas tem compromisso com a visão o suficiente para se dedicarem de coração a ela.

Observações

Nosso papel como líderes é guiarmos as pessoas do nível 1 ao nível 3.

As pessoas do nível 1são geralmente as que reclamam.

Mais sobre visão

Visão não é informação. O que as pessoas pensam: “não me dê informação, eu já tenho informação o suficiente; me dê inspiração”.

Visão é um exercício diário: o que eu fiz hoje para implementar a visão?

Como começar um movimento

Comece onde você está.
Comece com o que você tem.
Faça o que for possível.
Líderes que comunicam bem a visão são bons contadores de histórias.
Seu papel como líder é convencer as pessoas de que elas estão perdendo algo por não participarem deste movimento.

Feedback é principal ferramenta para se desenvolver no trabalho

Fonte: Administradores

Trabalho, trabalho e mais trabalho, mas e o feedback? Um dos elementos fundamentais para o jovem em início de carreira é a avaliação frequente das suas tarefas, pois esta ainda é a única forma de alinhar o trabalho desenvolvido com o que de fato estão esperando de você.

Marshal Raffa, gestor de recursos humanos da Ricardo Xavier, empresa especializada na área de RH, reconhece que, atualmente, muitas empresas deixam o feedback de lado, alegando falta de tempo. No entanto, a avaliação é importante para os dois lados e é o que vai servir como referência para o desenvolvimento do trabalho.

Entendida sua importância, antes de mais nada, o jovem profissional precisa ter consciência que avaliação do seu trabalho não é algo ruim. Apesar das críticas negativas que possa receber, são justamente elas que vão ajudá-lo a melhorar, e, consequentemente, se destacar dentro da corporação.

Acompanhamento

Raffa também observa outra falha importante nesse processo de avaliação. “Muitos gestores dão feedback pontuais sem se preocupar com o acompanhamento”, afirma. De acordo com o gestor, é improdutivo apenas levantar as questões, mas não fazer um acompanhamento delas.

Para que o profissional se desenvolva de fato, ele precisa saber o que faz bem e aquilo que não tem domínio, ou apresenta algumas falhas. Constatados os problemas é preciso acompanhar a evolução, para verificar se o que foi dito também foi entendido e se está no caminho certo.

Como só o acompanhamento vai dizer se está havendo ou não uma evolução no desenvolvimento das tarefas, é primordial que o feedback tenha um periodicidade pré-determinada. Quinzenalmente, mensalmente, bimestralmente, isso quem vai definir é o gestor, mas é importante lembrá-lo.

E se eu não concordar?

Não há nada de errado em não concordar com a avaliação que estão fazendo sobre o seu trabalho. Contudo, muito cuidado com a forma que você vai lidar com isso. Saiba que nada do que está sendo dito deve ser levado para o lado pessoal, a intenção do seu chefe é que você melhore, se aperfeiçoe e siga em frente.

Uma sugestão interessante é deixar claro para o gestor os pontos com os quais você não está de acordo e pedir um tempo. Isso mesmo, peça um tempo de uma semana para refletir sobre o que foi dito. Muitas vezes, quando recebemos uma crítica, não temos a capacidade de julgá-la na hora, e, se formos argumentar, podemos sair perdendo.

Volte para sua mesa e continue seu trabalho normalmente, mas agora, não tire da cabeça aquilo que foi dito. Depois de uma breve reflexão você pode se surpreender, percebendo que na realidade ele tinha razão e era você quem não estava enxergando direito.

Cobre a avaliação

Muitas empresas não têm uma política de avaliação, ou seja, fica a critério do gestor fazer ou não fazer os feedbacks. Se sua empresa for uma delas, a recomendação do gestor da Ricardo Xavier é que o profissional converse com seu gestor e solicite uma avaliação.

Vale ressaltar que feedback é para ser feito pessoalmente, e-mail é uma forma muito fria para ser usado para este fim. Mesmo porque, se já é complicado fazer com que as pessoas entendam o que queremos dizer quando estamos cara a cara com elas, isso fica ainda mais difícil por meio de um computador.

Authority Under Control (Steve Berger)

Humility isn’t incompatible with great power or influence; if you’re humble, you don’t have to be a person who just sits in the corner and never accomplishes anything. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus had authority and they were humble. Humility is authority under control. It is velvet-covered steel. Humility is handling the power, influence, and authority in such a way that God is honored and you are not compromised.

Full text here.

The Disease Of Leadership Regression (Bryan Dodd)

How many leaders want to go back to the “good old days” when life was much simpler? Often we wish to go back to a time that we feel was safer and felt much more in control. Leaders, this is an illusion! Don’t go there!

When we take our churches, organizations, and thought processes back to an earlier time, we run the risk of contracting Leadership and Organizational Regression. Though it feels safe, the “good old days” were not that good. In reality, going there can, in worst cases, destroy your organization.

“Been there. Done that” was cute when said by Forrest Gump but is not a leadership statement. Leaders should be “Going there. Doing that.” For leaders, the best days are always in front of us. Leaders by definition are taking people somewhere. They love breaking new ground.

Choose Innovation. Choose Spontaneity. Reject Regression. Reject Repackaging and Recycling Old Ideas.

Leaders, yesterday ended last night. Seize the day. Make a difference. Be the leader you were created to be. And for the sake of your leadership and all those you are responsible for, keep moving forward!

Source: full text here

11 dicas para uma implementação bem sucedida

Este texto faz parte da coluna da Plataforma Brasil feito especialmente para os leitores do Saia do Lugar.

Dizem que o segredo é a alma do negócio. Eu concordo, revelações antes da hora e vazamentos estratégicos podem prejudicar, e muito. Mas ser a alma do negócio não é pouca coisa, e por isso vou reivindicar aos processos de implementação um status semelhante.

Sem eles não há negócio, nem projeto, ou empreendimento algum que justifique guardar segredos ou sustentar acordos de confidencialidade.

Mas se o processo de implementação vai ocupar um lugar de paridade diante do “segredo do negócio”, seria bastante justo elegermos o ato do planejamento para o posto de “alma do processo de implementação”.


Ter ideias não adianta, tem que tirá-las do papel

Convenhamos, não se trata de teoria barata ou mais um cansativo modismo de gestão. O fato é que um bom plano faz toda diferença, mas alguns cuidados são necessários:

Todo planejamento (esse é o item mais óbvio, mas é necessário destacar) deve responder a seu modo a quatro questões: “O que? Como? Quem? e Quando?”;

Não fuja dos detalhes, pelo contrário, tenha apego por eles. Detalhe tudo, principalmente sobre o que se deseja implementar e pela forma como isso vai ocorrer.

Estabeleça prazos realistas;

Conte com contratempos. Eles virão, tenha certeza disso;
Estruture um mecanismo de gestão do plano, envolvendo não somente as pessoas responsáveis pelas tomadas de decisão, mas toda a equipe que colocará a “mão na massa”;

Só inicie a implementação, após ter obtido o pleno aceite dos envolvidos. O comprometimento é fundamental;

Estabeleça um modelo de ajuste permanente, mas não permita que os ajustes façam com que o se perca de vista os objetivos centrais da implementação;
Padronize as terminologias e significados contidos no planejamento. Crie uma legenda se for preciso;

Ao concluir a elaboração do planejamento, realize ao menos duas revisões antes de iniciar sua execução;

A responsabilidade pelo monitoramento da execução do plano, deve ficar a cargo de uma única pessoa;

Documente tudo o que puder durante o processo de implementação.

Boa sorte e sucesso.

Gustavo Chierighini, da Plataforma Brasil

What Your Team Needs You As A Leader To Give Them (Bryan Dodd)

“I have complexity. I need simplicity.” I heard a leader say today.
Life can become very complicated. We are constantly bombarded with information. Technology is changing at a pace that very few can keep up with. Relationships are always challenging.

I struggle with balancing work, parenting, being a husband, recreation, responsibilities, church life, aging parents, and personal growth. Currently, I am trying to read four books and not making much progress in any of them. Thank goodness my wife pays all the bills! I mean, it feels like a personal victory when I get the grass cut.

You know what’s funny. I need to stop whining because I have nothing to complain about. My life is no busier, complicated, or demanding than anyone else’s. We all struggle with balancing life’s tensions.

However, there is hope for all of us! In a word – Leadership. One of the great things about quality leadership is it provides solutions. Solutions bring simplicity.

Here are 10 things leaders provide that bring solutions and simplify your life:

1. Leaders bring inspiration instead of more information.
2. Leaders give direction.
3. Leaders lighten the load.
4. Leaders make additional resources available.
5. Leaders coach.
6. Leaders create and funnel opportunities to their team.
7. Leaders allow time for replenishment and refreshment.
8. Leaders build systems.
9. Leaders prioritize relationships.
10. Leaders say “Thank You”.

So keep your Rubik’s Cube. Complexity is overrated. I need solutions and simplicity. Leaders, what are you doing to bring simplicity to your life as well as those you lead?


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