Message of the Day - Not an Island

Good Morning,

 

This past weekend, besides taking time to be thankful for many of things that I am blessed to have in my life, I found some surprising, to me at least, things about myself.

 

On Friday, I started sewing some patches on a new Adult Leader Boy Scout Uniform shirt I purchased close to a year ago, but had not fully prepared. I had already put on two patches, one of them was sort of crooked, but passable. I found the guide showing where each patch went and started adding a square patch on the arm just under one of the other patches.

 

I lined up the patch and used pins to hold the patch in place as I sewed it on.

 

This was nothing new to me, I am an Eagle Scout and have sewed patches on uniforms off and on for the last 30 years or so.

 

Well…first I miscalculated how much thread I needed to go all the way around, even though I thought I premeasured. Then with the second set of thread, I sewed the arm to the back of the shirt. Finally when I fixed all the mistakes and with my third length of thread I finished the job and it only took the better part of two hours (with the standard distractions).

 

Looking in horror, the patch was cockeyed. And not by a little, some eighth of an inch off, very noticeable.

 

After saying a few choice explicatives I threw in the towel. I cut the thread I sewed on the patch on (what a mess) and then proceeded to pin on all the other patches that were to go on the shirt. The next morning, I dropped the shirt off at a local tailor and paid him to put them on for me. I know it will look great.

 

It was not a difficult task. It was not something I had never done before. Heck I did some of it last year with better results.

 

Why was I unable to do a seemingly simple task like I could in years past?

 

Besides the obvious ‘goof-ball’ answers you are all thinking, there is a deeper reason.

 

As we age, we change.

 

I remember when I was in my mid-twenties, I was asked by a 70 year old co-worker, to help do some plumbing work under his house. He was great at all sorts of work and I wondered why he did not crawl under his own house to change the elbow.

 

As I did the job and crawled out, his wife was there and as my coworker looked on embarrassed, she said, ‘sometimes you have to admit that you can no longer do some work’.

 

While I am not 70, yet, I am getting older. Had I rolled up my sleeves and spent another four or five hours sewing on patches, I may have done a better job, or I might have thrown the whole lot of fabric into the garbage.

 

Sometimes we need to step back and acknowledge we are not an island.  That we need help. 

 

It is a humbling thought, but one that will save us a lot of stress and grief…. And in my case, embarrassment.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
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Message of the Day - Leadership Yarn - Leadership Lessons from the Boy Scouts

Good Morning,

 

My current read is a book on Leadership which focuses on helping youth become leaders, it is “A Scout Leader's Guide to Youth Leadership Training: Working the Patrol Method” by four Eagle Scouts (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041O9PUM/).

 

This is a different kind of leadership book from many I have read, but it is one of the best in how it conveys information in a practical and ‘real’ sense.

 

Throughout the book are many, many ‘Leadership Yarns’ or stories which explain, highlight and show examples of the information being delivered within the sections of the book.

 

Yarns have long since been a part of Scouting. It has been found that many people learn better when the information is placed within a story format. And with us adults, this has not changed. Such authors as Patrick Lencioni, Spencer Johnson and Ken Blanchard have provided us with wonderful lessons through the use of allegories (One Minute Manager, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Who Moved My Cheese, etc.).

 

The use of stories to break down the concepts being taught with multiple relevant tales is a powerful tool to help create successful teaching moments.

 

I remember my days in Boy Scouts, and I am proud to say, I am an Eagle Scout. Those days were ripe with tales from the different leaders who showed me many of the skills that I still have and use today.

 

When faced with challenges to passing along information, it might be worthwhile to try finding a story which expresses the lesson and use that instead of the normal training methods.

 

It just may be the breakthrough you need to get the important points across.

 

And by the way, this book is a great tool for those both inside and out of Scouting. I highly recommend it for anyone, but especially for those who are working with younger team members, or those who are moving into leadership roles for the first time.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

Message of the Day - A Personal Touch

Good Morning,

 

I find that we can all give a personal touch to everything that we do. No matter how mundane an activity may seem, we can make it better by giving a little pizzazz or personality of our own.

 

A perfect example of this was when I received a package from Simple Truths (www.simpletruths.com) with two books I ordered.

 

Many of us make purchases over the internet, from catalogs etc., and get packages of all sort arriving at our home or places of business. Often there is the package, the packing material, the product, the invoice and maybe some promotional materials.

 

We seldom think further of who packaged our item, or who shipped them, etc.

 

So it was a nice surprise to find out that my two books were, in fact, packed and shipped to me by a lady named Rosy. I know this because there was a simple postcard in my package with her photo, signature and a note saying that it was her pleasure packing my order, and a hope that I would enjoy their products.  

 

I stopped to think about all the people who would also open a package that Rosy packed for them. I also thought that when I put in my next order that I hope that Rosy packs it for me.

 

It also reminded me about the story about Johnny the Bagger (another Simple Truths book and video). It is great to see that lesson put into action.  Simple Truths works hard to add that extra special touch (http://www.simpletruths.com/about.asp).

 

That personal touch was a nice change. I have received hundreds packages over the last few years, and seldom have I felt the warm tidings when I opened them. That postcard added a warm human element to what is normally a non-event in our lives.  

 

It also shows that we, too, can add a personal touch to almost any part of our lives, and to the lives of others and make them better.

 

What is the personal touch you could start adding to what you do every day?

 

If you want some ideas, let me know and I would love to help.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Sanford Berenberg

Sanford@berenberg.net
http://www.berenberg.net

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/
Follow Me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/sberenberg

http://learnandgrowdaily.com  Click here to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336