Too Much, Too Little or Just enough

Good Morning,

 

In helping others I often feel that I don’t do enough. That there is always more that I can and should do.  Like when I walk by a homeless person and I don’t have another cent on me.

 

Then there are those opportunities which come up to help others, some easy, some hard, some a one-time act, others a long-time commitment.

 

When I decide to help more, I often hear from others, those I love and trust, those who care about me, who say that I do too much and I should cut back.  That I should avoid burning out.

 

I could cut back, but I want to do more. I need to focus my efforts on fewer endeavors to do more and not spread myself thin, but there is so much need.

 

Too much, too little which is it?

 

I guess, in reality I am somewhere in the middle, doing more than others think I should be doing, but not quite enough to satisfy my desire to help others.  

 

I hunger to help more, but am tempered to keep a balance.

 

That is, I am in the right place for me.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

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

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

 

Working to our strengths

Good Morning,

 

My current read is “Rommel: Leadership Lessons from the Desert Fox” (http://www.amazon.com/Rommel-Leadership-Lessons-Desert-Generals/dp/B00ANYFOE0) by Charles Messenger. I had heard a lot about Rommel through the years, but never enough to satisfy my curiosity, so when I found this book, I added it to my library. It did a good job covering the Field Marshall’s career, personality and leadership style.

 

Rommel was exceptional in his area of expertise. He was a brilliant tactician, made fast and sound decisions, and could exploit any found weaknesses in his adversary.  He liked to lead from the front, seeing everything as it happened and changed gears on a dime. The more he could remain in the know, leading from the front, the more he would succeed, and the less his opponents could withstand his hard driving forces. He loved reconnaissance and gaining new information as it happened. He would never ask his men to do anything that he was not prepared to do himself, and often visited his troops, taking a mobile headquarters with him to allow him to be visible by the most of people possible (several times to his enemies as well).

 

Due to his successes, he was given higher and higher commands. Those which took him away from the front lines and away from the latest information (in times before cell phones, social media and Wi-Fi). When forced to work at higher and higher levels of command, he lost his polish and made less sound decisions.  His mindset was a military one, seeing everything through that lens. Moving to a political level leadership, he failed to embrace politics and often bucked heads with those he worked with.

 

He may not have recognized as he moved away from his strength’s his effectiveness also lessened.

 

Rommel’s example clearly shows the power of working to your strengths.

 

Are you working to your strengths in what you do in life, or do you find that you have moved away from that which you excel and are struggling?

 

Something to consider.

 

Sanford Berenberg

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

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336

 

 

 

Are you more a Team Player than a 14 year old?

Good Morning,

 

Since teams have been the ‘in’ thing, everyone now is measured on how good a team player they are, either officially or unofficially. It’s come a long way from picking players to be on your kickball team. Criterions include: how long they get along with other team members, how they work toward the goals of the team and how little distractions and drama they cause along the way.  Each team player, though is usually still an individual with their own goals, agenda. The best balance the work with their team and their own work.

 

Being on multiple teams, as well as doing more with less, team participation can be reduced to sitting in on weekly update meetings, or if you are lucky, conference calls while sitting at your desk doing other work and sharing a few words for updates.  Personally I see this ‘teamwork’ becoming stale not nearly as productive as it once was, and then I saw an example of teamwork from one of my Boy Scouts (I am a Scoutmaster) which took teamwork to a new level.

 

We had annual elections coming up for the honor society of Scouting. The boys were given instructions on how to vote, and who was eligible. As is common with teenagers, not everyone heard all of the instructions. One fourteen year old, who, was himself eligible for the vote, thought he heard he could only vote for one of the people on the list.

 

Easy decision, right?

 

Wrong.  He agonized over who to vote for. Which of his fellow Scouts best represented the ideals of the honor society.  He pondered this and then made his one vote.

 

While I do not remember who he voted for, I do remember this, he did not consider himself. He knew he was eligible, but he also knew that he was not the best of the best, and focused on what was best for the troop.

 

I am happy to report that he did get enough votes from the other Scouts and he is going shortly to begin his participation in the honor society of Scouting, the Order of the Arrow.  In all the boys who are going, it is he, who I feel is most qualified, because he understood a key point in team work that many others have long since lost.

 

It is not:

 

What do I get out of it?

What’s the least I can do and still be a good team player?

How long do I have to do this for?

 

It is:

 

What is best for the team, and what I can do to help make that happen?

Making a sacrifice for the good the team and its goals.

 

 

A great example from a 14 year old.

 

Enjoy!

 

Sanford Berenberg

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

http://sanfordberenberg.blogspot.com/

 

Click on the book to order: "Learn And Grow Daily!"

502-533-9336