You can find it in books, in music, in films, on TV and websites. It's uttered from the greatest minds of human history. If you look long enough, you can find it virtually everywhere. But what does inspiration mean to you? Does it inspire you to read about a rags-to-riches story or about someone overcoming physical challenges? Will it make you move into your truth if you view a movie where the heroine conquers all?
We know what inspiration is, but that isn't enough. We need to find a way to apply it to our lives, our situations, our challenges, or it's just a bunch of words. Inspiration is not likes on your Instagram post or followers on Vero.
words vs actions
One definition is; the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. Another is; the drawing in of breath; inhalation.
So is inspiration simply taking a deep breath? I don't think that's enough. And I don't think it's enough to know the definition. I've often said – and often forgotten – that inspiration doesn't appear with balloons and streamers. It happens in small increments. It could be one word or a gesture or an image that pushes us forward.
I recently posted about motivation and maybe that's an important ingredient to inspiration. If we know what we want and know how to get it but don't move, what's the point? I can post inspiring words or we could go for coffee and I could offer some advice, but will that inspire us? Inspiration is a big word but it doesn't have to be zero-sum. It doesn't take the climbing of a mountain or landing that million dollar deal for us to be inspired. Often it's the small things that matter most.
rinse repeat
We look to heroes who have done great things which inspire us but in my view the application to our own lives is the critical element. I'm going through something right now I've been through before and the same fears have crept into my consciousness.
I'm not yet through it, but I've had to remind myself the steps I took the last time, take that deep breath, and move.
we are human
In 2014, Fortune posted a list of their 50 Greatest Leaders and though there are inspirational people here, they aren't without flaws or mistakes. So perhaps the key piece of finding inspiration is within ourselves and to discover it isn't a perfect path or one single action?
So let's keep listening to that music and reading those books and watching those movies because life is a series of mistakes and actions and inspiring moments we create. Let's inspire each other with those small things so we can get to those big things.
And let's celebrate those moments when they happen.
__________________________________________________________________
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
March 16, 2018
November 12, 2016
Lead by Doing Less
History was made this week with the results of the US Election and the topic of leadership is on everyone's mind around the world. If you're a regular or even occasional visitor here, you know I have a deep passion for leadership and have been working in the field of talent development for about two decades.
Can one person run a country? No.
Can one person run your company? No!
There is a ravenous appetite for information that seems to be more pronounced than in any other time in history. Information is travelling at the speed of light. Theories, news, priorities, ideas, deadlines, profits, voices, thoughts, it never seems to end but to borrow from the Bard, how much has any significance?
The problem we often face is we don't know what may be important until its emergency has passed. Everything is code red, all meetings deemed critical, every email needs a reply. Hurry up, this is important! I need to get to the next crucial deadline!
Busy is the new black
Here's a suggestion. Ask your team to cut every meeting next week by 50%. That one-hour meeting on Tuesday is now 30 minutes. If it doesn't have a stated reason, cancel it. Only those necessary should attend. And without clearly stating who does what by when, the meeting may be a complete waste of everyone's time.
A room full of people not paying attention while staring at their smartphones looking at email that might be important is not a collaborative exchange.
If we do less, perhaps we can accomplish more?
__________________________________________________________________
Can one person run a country? No.
Can one person run your company? No!
There is a ravenous appetite for information that seems to be more pronounced than in any other time in history. Information is travelling at the speed of light. Theories, news, priorities, ideas, deadlines, profits, voices, thoughts, it never seems to end but to borrow from the Bard, how much has any significance?
The problem we often face is we don't know what may be important until its emergency has passed. Everything is code red, all meetings deemed critical, every email needs a reply. Hurry up, this is important! I need to get to the next crucial deadline!
Busy is the new black
Here's a suggestion. Ask your team to cut every meeting next week by 50%. That one-hour meeting on Tuesday is now 30 minutes. If it doesn't have a stated reason, cancel it. Only those necessary should attend. And without clearly stating who does what by when, the meeting may be a complete waste of everyone's time.
A room full of people not paying attention while staring at their smartphones looking at email that might be important is not a collaborative exchange.
If we do less, perhaps we can accomplish more?
__________________________________________________________________
October 25, 2013
Successful Leaders Do Less
There is a ravenous appetite for information that seems to be more pronounced than in any other time in history. Information is travelling at the speed of light. Theories, news, priorities, ideas, deadlines, profits, voices, thoughts, it never seems to end but to borrow from the Bard, how much has any significance?The problem we often face is we don't know what may be important until its emergency has passed. Everything is code red, all meetings deemed critical, every email needs a reply. Hurry up, this is important! I need to get to the next crucial deadline!!
Busy is the new black
Here's a suggestion. Ask your team to cut every meeting next week by 50%. That one-hour meeting on Tuesday is now 30 minutes. If it doesn't have a stated reason, cancel it. Only those necessary should attend. And without clearly stating who does what by when, the meeting may be a complete waste of everyone's time.
A room full of people not paying attention while staring at their smartphones looking at email that might be important is not a collaborative exchange.
We need to do less so we can accomplish more.
__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.
writeanything
October 7, 2011
Developing Your Offline Business
Nice to Tweet You
If you work hard, remain open to all possibilities and build a connection, it is astonishing how many people will help you. Each connection is a person, not just another number to add to our LinkedIn profile.
The digital universe can connect us with people who can help us, work with us, hire us, befriend us and collaborate with us. In the last five years, I have had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of people and not all through quick clicks and shares. It takes time but it's well worth spending if you take the connection to the next step and get to know the people you bump into in cyberspace.
Digital Will Only Help So Far
You may say it's the power of social media but that is just the starting point. We bump into hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day and make no connection. It is when we set up a call or meeting and get to know each other outside of the busy online world and connect as people that the power begins to be realized.
The in-person meeting or phone call will never be diminished and should never been removed from your business plan. It is the single tactic that can crush you or help you.
I can't speak for you, but I know I need to pick up the phone more often!
Often companies don’t put forth the effort because they don't want to put forth the effort. They can point to other reasons but perhaps they don't care to hear what customers are saying about them. The world is shrinking yet the basics have never been more critical – reading, writing, partnerships, service and being human.
Drop the tweet and pick up a phone
Kneale Mann
image credit: rachelcreative
original post Apr 2011
The digital universe can connect us with people who can help us, work with us, hire us, befriend us and collaborate with us. In the last five years, I have had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of people and not all through quick clicks and shares. It takes time but it's well worth spending if you take the connection to the next step and get to know the people you bump into in cyberspace.
Digital Will Only Help So Far
You may say it's the power of social media but that is just the starting point. We bump into hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day and make no connection. It is when we set up a call or meeting and get to know each other outside of the busy online world and connect as people that the power begins to be realized.
The in-person meeting or phone call will never be diminished and should never been removed from your business plan. It is the single tactic that can crush you or help you.
I can't speak for you, but I know I need to pick up the phone more often!
Often companies don’t put forth the effort because they don't want to put forth the effort. They can point to other reasons but perhaps they don't care to hear what customers are saying about them. The world is shrinking yet the basics have never been more critical – reading, writing, partnerships, service and being human.
Drop the tweet and pick up a phone
Kneale Mann
image credit: rachelcreative
original post Apr 2011
April 6, 2011
Your Biggest Business Advantage
Nice to Tweet You
If you work hard, remain open to all possibilities and build a connection, it is astonishing how many people will help you. Each connection is a person, not just another number to add to our LinkedIn profile.
The digital universe can connect us with people who can help us, work with us, hire us, befriend us and collaborate with us. In the last 48 hours
I inquired about three projects with a small handful of people.
I met all but two of them online, I have spent time with three of them in person and four were strangers a year ago.
Digital Will Only Help So Far
You may say it's the power of social media but that is just the starting point. We bump into hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day and make no connection. It is when we set up a call or meeting and get to know each other outside of the busy online world and connect as people that the power begins to be realized.
The in-person meeting or phone call will never be diminished and should never been removed from your business plan. It is the single tactic that can crush you or help you.
I can't speak for you, but I know I need to pick up the phone more often!
Often companies don’t put forth the effort because they don't want to put forth the effort. They can point to other reasons but perhaps they don't care to hear what customers are saying about them. The world is shrinking yet the basics have never been more critical – reading, writing, partnerships, service and being human.
Do you think it might work?
Kneale Mann
image credit: gruntled
If you work hard, remain open to all possibilities and build a connection, it is astonishing how many people will help you. Each connection is a person, not just another number to add to our LinkedIn profile. The digital universe can connect us with people who can help us, work with us, hire us, befriend us and collaborate with us. In the last 48 hours
I inquired about three projects with a small handful of people.
I met all but two of them online, I have spent time with three of them in person and four were strangers a year ago.
Digital Will Only Help So Far
You may say it's the power of social media but that is just the starting point. We bump into hundreds, perhaps thousands of people every day and make no connection. It is when we set up a call or meeting and get to know each other outside of the busy online world and connect as people that the power begins to be realized.
The in-person meeting or phone call will never be diminished and should never been removed from your business plan. It is the single tactic that can crush you or help you.
I can't speak for you, but I know I need to pick up the phone more often!
Often companies don’t put forth the effort because they don't want to put forth the effort. They can point to other reasons but perhaps they don't care to hear what customers are saying about them. The world is shrinking yet the basics have never been more critical – reading, writing, partnerships, service and being human.
Do you think it might work?
Kneale Mann
image credit: gruntled
May 13, 2010
Start Less and Finish More
Too Much Content
Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year. Some think the publishing industry is dying. They are incorrect.
Publishing is going through the same transition the music industry has experienced for fifteen years.
What it looks like a few years from now remains to be seen.
There is a ravenous appetite for information that seems to be more pronounced than in any other time in history.
There are over 250 million blogs according to Technorati. Another 100 new websites were published during the time it took for you to read the first sentence of this post. Anyone with a keyboard and an Internet connection can publish information. It may be inflammatory or incorrect but seems irrelevant.
Theories are espoused and experts are self-created in a time when the loudest and most prevalent can infiltrate the grey matter of millions from the comfort of their sweat pants.
On the plane ride back from SOBCon last weekend, I made a short list of objectives – not wishes, not it would be cool if’s, objectives that I will accomplish. One is to read more, skim less.
While building and programming radio stations for years, the less is more approach was often the way to tighten things up and create more time spent listening. Play the most popular songs more often, upset your super core but grow your overall listenership. It sucks for us music heads but it works.
Are you reading or skimming your business?
Are you starting more and finishing fewer objectives? Are cluttering your day and blaming it on being busy?
Business owners and managers have far too much to deal with and it can be overwhelming. Leads must be followed, the online information explosion is impossible to keep up with, there certainly is no time for employee development while that proposal is the last email of the day as the clock approaches midnight.
Perhaps we need to get a little quieter. Maybe we need to start less and finish more. What are your thoughts?
@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.
photo credit: trendir
Hundreds of thousands of books are published every year. Some think the publishing industry is dying. They are incorrect. Publishing is going through the same transition the music industry has experienced for fifteen years.
What it looks like a few years from now remains to be seen.
There is a ravenous appetite for information that seems to be more pronounced than in any other time in history.
There are over 250 million blogs according to Technorati. Another 100 new websites were published during the time it took for you to read the first sentence of this post. Anyone with a keyboard and an Internet connection can publish information. It may be inflammatory or incorrect but seems irrelevant.
Theories are espoused and experts are self-created in a time when the loudest and most prevalent can infiltrate the grey matter of millions from the comfort of their sweat pants.
On the plane ride back from SOBCon last weekend, I made a short list of objectives – not wishes, not it would be cool if’s, objectives that I will accomplish. One is to read more, skim less.
While building and programming radio stations for years, the less is more approach was often the way to tighten things up and create more time spent listening. Play the most popular songs more often, upset your super core but grow your overall listenership. It sucks for us music heads but it works.
Are you reading or skimming your business?
Are you starting more and finishing fewer objectives? Are cluttering your day and blaming it on being busy?
Business owners and managers have far too much to deal with and it can be overwhelming. Leads must be followed, the online information explosion is impossible to keep up with, there certainly is no time for employee development while that proposal is the last email of the day as the clock approaches midnight.
Perhaps we need to get a little quieter. Maybe we need to start less and finish more. What are your thoughts?
@knealemann
strategy. marketing. social media.
photo credit: trendir
December 27, 2009
Books | More Important Than Ever
How many books do you read?
I read and write every day.
But probably like you, I have become victim of the article mentality which consists of short pieces, websites, business manuals and research all tying up time that could be used to read a good book.
The publishing industry is changing like the music industry before it.
Creativity: More Important Than Ever
The ad agency, marketing and public relations models are distant cousins to those a decade ago and online channels are getting more crowded every minute. These are precisely the reasons why we need to read more books.
We are bombarded with material all day long. How much are we seeing and how much are we digesting? How has social media hindered this process?
How much of this content is worthy of our attention and retention?
When was the last time you read a book about your industry or business? How often do you disappear into a book simply to widen your horizons or expand your imagination and ideas?
Must Reads
I bought a bunch of books before the Holidays – all of which are on my ever growing “I really need to finally buy that one and actually read it” list.
And when I refer to books, those include the audio kind as well.
A stack of books resides on my desk. Each will be read (some will be re-read) and replaced by more from the list.
Read (or listen to) any good books lately?
@knealemann
image credit: flickr
I read and write every day.But probably like you, I have become victim of the article mentality which consists of short pieces, websites, business manuals and research all tying up time that could be used to read a good book.
The publishing industry is changing like the music industry before it.
Creativity: More Important Than Ever
The ad agency, marketing and public relations models are distant cousins to those a decade ago and online channels are getting more crowded every minute. These are precisely the reasons why we need to read more books.
We are bombarded with material all day long. How much are we seeing and how much are we digesting? How has social media hindered this process?
How much of this content is worthy of our attention and retention?
When was the last time you read a book about your industry or business? How often do you disappear into a book simply to widen your horizons or expand your imagination and ideas?
Must Reads
I bought a bunch of books before the Holidays – all of which are on my ever growing “I really need to finally buy that one and actually read it” list.
And when I refer to books, those include the audio kind as well.
A stack of books resides on my desk. Each will be read (some will be re-read) and replaced by more from the list.
Read (or listen to) any good books lately?
@knealemann
image credit: flickr
