Category: Quotes

Quotes To Live By

henry_ford

“If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.”

– Henry Ford –

Quotes To Live By

“Destiny is not a matter of chance,
it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for,
it is a thing to be achieved.”
– Winston Churchill –
Work
(Photo courtesy “Cave Canem” )
“If we all did the things we are capable
of doing, we would literally
astound ourselves.”
– Thomas Edison –
“Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
– Mark Twain –
“Strength does not come from winning.
Your struggles develop your strength.
When you go through hardship
and decide not to surrender,
that is strength.”
GaneshaStrentgh 
(Photo courtesy Hartwig HKD )
“The greatest mistake you can make in
life is to be continually fearing
you will make one.”
– Elbert Hubbard –

Best Friend At Work

BestFriendPhoto courtesy *USB*

"The development of trusting relationships is a significant emotional compensation for employees in today’s marketplace."

Gallup has made the term "best friend at work" popular through it’s Q12 framework for employee engagement. Every time I’ve come across this question, it’s made me wonder what characterizes a best friend at work.

Come to think of it, a "best friend at work" can’t be too different from a "best friend". A person who knows you well & you regard with affection & trust. Someone you like spending time with. Well, all of this applies & then some more.

"If you really want to know how your behaviour comes across to your colleagues and clients, stop looking in the mirror and admiring yourself. Let your colleagues hold the mirror and tell you what they see."

What characterizes a best friend at work?

  • IS willing to be a mirror & tell you for who you are professionally, rather than wait for your foes to have a field day at your expense
  • IS truly interested in your well being & your development
  • GOES the extra mile to understand your point of view
  • DOES NOT always get swayed by what you want to hear
  • IS NOT just a buddy who pretends to remain friends but secretly despises you (this happens a lot)
  • IS NOT just a buddy with mutual animosity towards a common enemy

"While companies often pay significant attention to loyalty toward the organization, the best employers recognize that loyalty also exists among employees toward one another. All employees have "leaving moments" when they examine whether to leave or stay at an organization. The best managers in the world observe that the quality and depth of employees’ relationships is a critical component of employee loyalty."

Its one thing is for the organization & its managers to be aware of the importance of a "best friend". But why should you as an individual be too bothered about it?

  1. A best friend measurably improves your life. Studies reveal that if your best friend has a healthy diet, you are five times as likely to have a healthy diet yourself. If your best friend is not physically active, you are probably not, either.

  2. Organizations are but a collection of individuals. You can individually contribute to building a trusting & positive work environment by being someone’s best friend. 

“Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.”

——
Some other reading on the topic:

Tony Hsieh – Delivering Happiness

With Tony Hsieh’s new book Delivering Happiness hitting the stores today, there is a buzz around about Zappos, Tony & his book. One of the first write-ups I have read about the book is a Fast Company blog post.

The Happiness Culture: Zappos Isn’t a Company — It’s a Mission

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

Some quotes I like from the write-up are as follows:

But today Zappos has an employee culture that seems very much of one mind, focused on customer service and not in some sort of cookie-cutter corporate way. Zappos really cares that you’re happy, and it’s baked into their beliefs, their customer interaction, and even the way they hire.

“It’s not me saying to our employees, this is where our culture is. It’s more about giving employees permission and encouraging them to just be themselves.”

As you read Delivering Happiness, it’s clear that Hsieh is talking about customer happiness, but also employee happiness, and even his happiness. He says the goals of Happiness aren’t mutually exclusive.


“There’s three types of happiness and really happiness is about being able to combine pleasure, passion, and purpose in one’s personal life. I think it’s helpful and useful to actually think about all three in terms of how you can make customers happier, employees happier, and ultimately, investors happier.”