The fifty-seven dollar worm

“A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm.” ~Bill Vaughan

Finding your inner child will help you take pleasure from the simple things.  I, personally, still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  I try to get as much out of every day as I can, and really like the pleasure that comes when you help someone who didn’t ask for your help.  Whether that’s giving advice, a present, or otherwise helping someone’s day get a little better, the rewards are worth way more than the effort put into it.
Leaders, if you find yourself trudging through your day, un-motivated, and just looking at the clock, get up, walk around, and try to make someone smile.  Stop by the desk of that person who looks stressed, or perplexed, and ask what you can do to help.  If you find a nifty shortcut on something to do with your PC, share the idea, to help others save time.  Giving a little bit of un-solicited help will lift both your spirits and theirs, too.

Speaking of worm(holes)…

Rubes cartoons used with permission. www.rubescartoons.com

You can get trodden on, or you Kant…

“If man makes himself a worm, he must not complain when he is trodden on.” ~Immanuel Kant

 I love me some Kant philosophy!  Today’s leadership Kumbaya is pretty simple.  Be nice.  It’s easy to be nice, and it takes effort to go out of your way to not be nice.  When you hear a co-worker being not nice, take them aside and point it out (That’s the core value of accountability in action).  Your staff will appreciate it, your leader will appreciate it and it feels good to smile as you go through your day.  I hope you have something to be thankful for this holiday weekend, so smile, and enjoy your time with friends, family, your pets, whatever.  The next comic from me will be next week. 

 Speaking of a worm…

 

Rubes Cartoons used with permission.  www.rubescartoons.com

 

The Early Bird AND the Early Worm

“I think we consider too much the good luck of the early bird and not enough the bad luck of the early worm.” ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

 Life doesn’t always have to be a zero sum game, with one winner, and one loser.  In this case, the early worm could have convinced the competitive, hard-working early bird to let the worm live and become a vegetarian. And here’s why… In exchange, the worm and his family could aerate the soil nearest the bird’s nest, so that the food grows thicker.  This way, the bird would live in the most attractive neighborhood  lose a little weight with his vegan diet, thus being more attractive to the lady birds.  With his “wing up” advantage, he could woo the most attractive Ladybird, and grow a family of beautiful, strong vegetarian birdies, assisted by a thriving family of wily worms.  In this win-win situation, both the bird and the worm can survive, and even thrive working together, without one having to die so that the other lives. 

 Maybe you can figure out a parallel to the business world… It happens in almost every negotiation where you know you’ll be doing repeated business with the other party (versus one-off negotiations, where it’s your “job to win” by getting every penny of value out of the deal).  When you can, leave a little money on the table for the other party.  It will pay great dividends down the road (otherwise, they will try to stick it to you if they get a shot at revenge). 

 

(Thanks for the challenging comic, Leigh – you didn’t leave me much “wiggle room”! J)

Rubes cartoons used with permission. www.rubescartoons.com