I have been thinking more about Herbert Shepard's "Rules for Change Agents", specifically his last rule of thumb, Rule VIII, "Capture the moment." Shepard suggested that we can handle a situation at work or in life more effectively if we allow ourselves to be more engaged, to approach from different perspectives. He called this the "multiple potential of the moment." For example, apply not only your intellect to a situation but also your heart. He wrote, "One needs to have as many frameworks for seeing and strategies for acting available as possible." I recently viewed the 1939 John Ford classic film Stagecoach. Will the Ringo Kid (John Wayne) go to prison or to his ranch in Mexico? The resolution captures the moment. I do agree with Shepard. We can be too linear in our thinking sometimes.
However -- in discussing "Capture the moment" with my students, I put another spin on it. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to offer my spin as a new Rule IX, "Celebrate the moment." In the course of our days, our weeks, there may be small victories, small moments that we should savor -- but we don't. They barely register. We move on to the next task, the next meeting, the next project. Savor that "nice work", "great job". Allow yourself to enjoy the contribution you made to the success of the team, of another person. My guess is that most of us frequently have moments somewhere in our day, that if we let them, would bring a smile to our face.
And sometimes leaders fail to celebrate the successes of their units. I had a student who led an organization that had a very successful year. After we discussed celebrating the moment, he realized that he had not done so with his company, that he barely acknowledged the great year before focusing on the next. The next Monday when he went to work, he corrected that situation. They celebrated the moment.
Celebrate the moments, large and small, that unfold to you.
However -- in discussing "Capture the moment" with my students, I put another spin on it. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to offer my spin as a new Rule IX, "Celebrate the moment." In the course of our days, our weeks, there may be small victories, small moments that we should savor -- but we don't. They barely register. We move on to the next task, the next meeting, the next project. Savor that "nice work", "great job". Allow yourself to enjoy the contribution you made to the success of the team, of another person. My guess is that most of us frequently have moments somewhere in our day, that if we let them, would bring a smile to our face.
And sometimes leaders fail to celebrate the successes of their units. I had a student who led an organization that had a very successful year. After we discussed celebrating the moment, he realized that he had not done so with his company, that he barely acknowledged the great year before focusing on the next. The next Monday when he went to work, he corrected that situation. They celebrated the moment.
Celebrate the moments, large and small, that unfold to you.
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