The Leader's Edge June 2009

June 2009
(printable view)

Humor vs. Sarcasm
By Nancy Quinn Rummel, ACC

Have you ever worked with a person who routinely uses sarcasm as a way to get a laugh? “I’m not trying to ignore you. I’m just trying to be where you’re not.”

That was a sarcastic put-down delivered to one of my clients recently by a co-worker. Everyone in the room chuckled except the person it stung. That’s because sarcasm tends to be negatively nasty rather than positively funny. It’s a cheap shot at someone else’s expense.

Humor is a very good thing, but sarcasm usually isn’t because it is rarely harmless. It’s a verbal hammer and comes from a place of hostility rather than authenticity. For nearly every sarcastic remark, someone feels its sting. (continued)

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Perspective Taking and Compassion
By Katherine M. Sprague, Psy.D.

Everyday experiences can be unexpectedly life changing. About three weeks ago, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to join her book club while visiting her in Los Angeles. The book they had chosen to read for the month of May was, What is the What by Dave Eggers. I almost declined the offer due to time constraints; however, I thought I could get a lot of reading done on my long flight out to California.

I am so glad I decided to read this extraordinary book because it has changed my thinking for the better. This book is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the ‘lost boys’ of Sudan. If you are not familiar with the story of the ‘lost boys,’ please visit the following website for a brief description of their struggle. (continued)

The Power of Persistence
by Steve Anderson

This month I will not ask you to read much that I have written, instead I will share with you a video that I found inspiring. In my opinion, the path to greatness is to make up your mind you are going to become great at something and persisting at it until you become an expert. Please click the image below to see a video of my nephew, Mike Evans, playing the guitar. He has played the guitar for three hours per day for ten years; that is about 10,000 hours of practice. Not only did he play this incredible piece, but he wrote it as well. I hope that watching him will inspire you as much as it inspired me. If you want to share your comments I will gladly pass them on to him.

Why Do Employees Stay?
By M.J. Clark, M.A., APR

In an executive coaching session this morning, a client told me that from one of Marcus Buckingham’s books, the thing he found most profound was the notion that how you feel about your company is a direct reflection of how you feel about your boss. Because my client is a leader and manager in his company, he said he keeps that in mind when he interacts with those who report to him.

Until recently, research has focused on the fact that the reason most employees leave their jobs has something to do with their boss – either a bad relationship with that person, lack of respect, etc. I recently read an article from the Foster School of Business in the University of Washington that I found very interesting. The Foster School has partnered with researchers at Truman State University to study, instead, why people choose to stay in a position. (continued)

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