perth beaches are brilliant

In an attempt to increase my health and fitness for 2008 I have been hitting Floreat beach most mornings with a friend to walk, jog, run, stagger, nearly pass-out and walk a little more. I probably see a maximum of 30 people. Imagine doing the same thing in China... see below

leave your feelings at the door

Not bad for nearly 15 years ago...

"For decades, managers and workers have been told to check their feelings at the door. And that's a big mistake. It's one thing to say that behavior is more accessible to managers than feelings are; its another thing altogether to say that feelings have no place at work.

Change is fundamentally about feelings; companies that want their workers to contribute with their heads and hearts have to accept that emotions are essential to the new management style. The old management style paradigm said that at work people are only permitted to feel emotions that are easily controllable, emotions that can be categorized as "positive". The new management paradigm says that managing people is managing feelings. The issue isn't whether or not people have "negative" emotions, it's how they deal with them. In fact, the most successful change programs reveal that large organizations connect with their people most directly through values - and that values, ultimately, are about beliefs and feelings."

Jeanie Daniel Duck on Managing Change, The Art of Balancing, Harvard Business Review (1993)

opportunity cost

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity"  Seneca

We are all faced with opportunities everyday - To act or react to the events that come our away. I often hear people speak about how they had an opportunity presented to them and they were unsure about whether or no to take it. 

Dilemma...

What if the opportunity passes? 

How do I know it is right for me? 

What should I do? 

I believe that there are four questions that we can ask ourselves that will help filter opportunities for us to seize or not to seize.

1. How will this opportunity reflect against my core business / values?

2. What will this opportunity potentially cost me?

3. Am I prepared to pay that cost?

4. How long am I prepared to pay the cost? 

I'm in Sydney at the moment visiting a friend who is quite sick. I took the opportunity to come because I love the person and cherish their friendship but the opportunity costs. I'm desperately missing my family. The boys have just started their first week back at school. I have had to reschedule work to make time to come over. Am I prepared to pay that cost? Yes, definitely - he is an incredible friend, but for how long can I stay? In this situation - four or five days. Any longer at the moment and I think it would begin to have a significant -ve impact on the other things that I consider important and love. 

Opportunities will present themselves everyday in the different facets of life. I guess the first and main thing is to know what your core business is, know what is of the upmost importance to you and then weigh the opportunities up against that.