The inability to open up to hope is what blocks trust, and blocked trust is the reason for blighted dreams.  Elizabeth Gilbert

Building trust in the workplace is essential to building the culture of your dreams.  We would do well to stop looking for “dream jobs” and instead start creating them.  

You never know… perhaps the ultimate dream job may be helping others create and realize theirs.  That is if they trust you enough to accept your help.

We don’t just need to trust our dreams…. we need trust just to have them. 

Kirk Out

    I woke up this morning thinking about leaders, love and trust.  I agree with Neal Maxwell who stated, “That it is better to be trusted than to be loved.”   

The majority of Managers who love their jobs still merely manage their people.  While this is better than being managed by someone who doesn’t love their job…. the probablity of this resulting great workplace culture is probably nil.

So a manager or leader who loves their job = GOOD culture at best.

A co-worker who loves their job = GOOD culture at best.

A co-worker who loves their job and loves their leader = GOOD culture at best.

A manager or leader who loves their job and loves their people = GOOD culture at best.

But what of a manager who loves their job and trusts their people and who is likewise loved and trusted by their people = Now the culture can grow from good to GREAT!

When it comes to culture… love is wanted, love is needed, love is good….but  TRUST is greater….. indeed TRUST is a MUST!

Kirk Out

Our four oldest children have 3 assigned chores that they are to do each day.  Each week they rotate to the next set of assigned chores.  The chores are simple and include both daily and weekly tasks. 

One daily task is to load and unload the dishwasher.  For some reason this has long been a “least favorite” task.  This mindset has led to a few dishwasher “re-loads” as the urgency to just “get it done” compromised the quality of how it was done.

Asking them to “do again” something they didn’t want to do in the first place is of course met with groans, rolled eyes and comments about the necessity of doing so.  I have come to love these “teaching moments” because they afford me the opportunity to teach and teach again principles of leadership and excellence.

Admittedly there is no “right or only way” to load a dishwasher….but there is a “better way” and perhaps even a best way.   And doing your very best is the surest way I know to not end up having to doing something over.

A new year is before us.  It invites us to consider how we will live each day of it.  Like the dishwasher we might rush and live it poorly and get through it.  But if instead of just getting through it, we want to get from it all the great things that this year of life has to offer then we must work towards the better way. 

Like the dishwasher there is no right or only way to live this year.  To do this will require us to be more deliberate and disciplined.  To say “No” to lesser things so we can say yes to the more important ones.

So let’s plan to load and live this year in a better way by and take the time to live and be our best each day…because unlike the dishwasher….we won’t get to live it again.

Kirk Out