Three words I am tired of hearing and reading…

I know other people have written their version of “most overused words,” but I thought I would put in my own.

1. “In this economy…” is used in almost every report or story that has to do with finances. Almost every workshop or conference has these words in the description.

2. “24/7…” is used in the place of “frequently” or “regularly.” Those words just must not carry enough weight.

3. “Busy,” as in how are you doing “I’m so busy.” How are things? Busy! I guess busy in the new badge of honor. Busy has a low threshold to get to. You could be lying on your couch watching a Jerry Springer marathon and be “busy.”

Why you should get a degree in psychology

I frequently recommend that people seriously consider getting an undergraduate or graduate degree in psychology. Some people believe a degree in psychology means a career in psychotherapy, which is not the case at all. In fact, most people with a degree in psychology do not spend their days providing counseling services. The settings for people with psychology degrees are varied and numerous.

Other than the opportunity to work in a variety of settings as a teacher, counselor, administrator, researcher, or consultant, there are some other benefits not always considered.

Research and Analysis. You cannot successfully complete a degree in psychology without knowing how to find information, analyze that information, and articulate your findings verbally or in writing. This is a life and work skill that is very much in demand in our information saturated society.

Understanding People. Unless you plan to live on an island by yourself, then you will work with people. The study of psychology looks at how people think, what motivates them, and how they develop. Having this information allows you to be more objective and hopefully a little more effective in working with the people around us.

Writing. Psychology requires good writing skills, particularly at the graduate level. With the proliferation of internet content and the shrinking of printed media, the demand for people who can write well is higher than ever.

Problem Solving. Psychology frequently looks at real life problems, tries to get to the root of those problems, and then find solutions. More often than not, this involves using theoretical concepts to solve practical problems. Psychology demands solutions that work in the real world.

So, imagine presenting yourself to a potential employer with the above mentioned skill set. Is this valuable to most companies or organizations?

A Sense of Dread

One of the things we have trouble seeing is the cumulative effects of pretty much anything in our lives. It is usually not doing something for one hour, or one day or even a few weeks that has significant impacts on our lives, it is what we do or face day after day after day.

 
 

One of the cumulative effects of stress I noticed personally was a “sense of dread.” For about two years I was in a work environment with organizational financial distress and unavoidable dealings with a few very negative people. Naturally, I had to fight the dread of facing these stressors each day, but after some time I had an almost constant sense of dread in the back of my mind. This made it difficult to relax during times such as holidays or the rare vacation.

 
 

Even after getting out of this environment, it took a long time for this sense of dread to go away. I guess one might say it took time to heal from the stress and negativity.

 
 

My advice is to get out of the stressful environment you are in. Life is too short to choose to spend your time in dysfunctional places or with dysfunctional people. If you cannot get out right away, make an exit strategy and plan, then start moving in that direction.

 
 

Too often people stay too long at places or with people because of some sense of duty. Do not think you can change deeply ingrained or institutionalized patterns of behavior. The truth is, you will not keep people from returning to their default position.

After weeks of geek anguish… I decided against the new Macbook

Shopping for a new laptop takes me a long time. I use my personal laptop many hours a week for teaching online, keeping track of important information, reading the news, browsing Facebook, etc. My Dell Inspiron, while only two years old, was pretty much used up.

The new unibody aluminum Macbooks really caught my attention in October. They are elegantly designed and incorporate some fantastic technology. Had the price been about 20% lower, I would probably already have one. The argument that the Macbook would last longer than a PC, that the operating system works better, etc. were all ones that caught my attention. I spent quite a bit of time “hands on” with the new Macbook. It is a great piece of technology.

I went with the XPS M1530 from Dell. First of all, price is not all important, but it is very important and cannot be ignored. The educational program discounts were worth hundreds of dollars and the specs on that machine were better than the Mac. Next, I have a nice sync system for syncing my calendar, task lists, and documents between home office laptop and college office desktop. I did not want to take any chances with that.

Another major factor was that I really like Office 2007. I love the new ribbon interface, and OneNote is perhaps the best program I have ever used. I also like the changes between Windows XP and Vista. I like the way that the documents, music, videos, etc. are organized. I really hated “My documents,” “My music,” etc.

So far, 24 hours in with the new XPS, it is solidly built and very fast. The LED backlit screen is brilliant and clear. I had my programs and documents moved over in about an hour. We’ll see if I am pining away for the Macbook in six months (I hope not).

 

The Lion at Judiciary Square

Washington, DC has a lot of memorials that most people do not know about. Family and friends help keep them from being forgotten. On my way to a meeting near Judiciary Square this morning I stopped by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and took this picture.

The writing says: “It is not how these officers died that made them heroes it is how they lived.” What you cannot see from my picture is that opposite the lion two cubs are oblivious to their surroundings and playing while the lion watches. I find this setting and these words very profound.

You are where you are in life…

 

One of the commonalities I see in working with students who are 18 or who are 50 involves “decisions.” There are those who accept that where they are in life and where they are going is primarily a result of choices and decisions they have made (and continue to make). On the other hand, there are people who continue to make poor choices, and are bewildered at the results. You hear words life “luck,” “fate” and “I don’t how this happened.”

This is not to say that there are not people for whom life has not dealt a harsh blow through childhood abuse, or challenges such as disabilities. That is not the vast majority of people, though.

Author Matthew Kelly sees taking responsibility for our choices and their consequences as perhaps the greatest determinant of whether or not one lives life with purpose and passion.

“But we have no choice…”

Now that the massive bailout bill failed in the House, everyone is watching to see what will happen next. Are we going to be standing is soup lines, or are things not going to be as dire as predicted? No one really knows.

The thing that continues to catch my attention is “we have to do this.” It does not matter what your principles are, or that you have an uneasy feeling that this is not right, “we just have no choice.” Ironically, Democrats and Republicans are asked to violate different principles. Democrats, who don’t like giving money to large corporations, and Republicans who don’t like government interfering with the free markets.

I have usually found it is the most money obsessed, ethically challenged person in the room who continues to say “I know you don’t want to do this, but we just have no choice. The financial consequences will be dire. You have to vote with me, or support my plan.”

While most agree that there needs to be government action to protect those of us on main street, beware the “but we have no choice” people.  They usually have a flawed or unprincipled plan, and just want you to cast aside your own beliefs and principles. It is a form of bullying, and we need to stand up to it.

Road to dysfunction

The big news in the sporting world this week has been the firing of the president and general manager of the Detroit Lions,  Matt Millen. He had been president for seven years. Millen was one of those leaders, he was going to save the organization, and he was convinced he knew what he was doing. As one sports commentator said, Millen took a mediocre team and made it worse.  

 

The larger story though, is that this team organization has been dysfunctional for almost 15 years (if not longer). It does not seem to matter who comes in, or what they do, the Lions rarely have a winning season, and have won one playoff game  in recent history.

 

 My undergraduate degree was in organizational behavior, so I am interested in things like corporate culture. Some organizations and companies seem to always find a way to be successful and when talk rolls around to “who is the best in the country” their names are mentioned most years. Then, there are the mediocre ones, who seem mired in a “next year” mentality. People come and go, but the mediocrity stays the same.

 

 The Detroit Lions are a case study in mediocre, dysfunctional organizations, and why they stay that way. 

 

They are constantly looking for the quick fix. 

Detroit drafted a fast wide receiver three years in a row. They even traded for a flashy wide receiver one year. Why? Because their leadership said “Well, what we need is the right wide receiver.  If only… we had a fast wide receiver we would be in the Super Bowl.” Everyone around the table nodded and said “wonderful idea.”  ”

 

In reality, building a winning organization takes years of selecting the right players, finding the right staff, and putting an offensive and defensive line (infrastructure) in place. You must have the right people in place who know how to do that.

 

 They don’t know how to hire the right people– and keep them.

 One coaching solution was to hire an old coach who should have already been retired (Bobby Ross), then they swung the other way and hired the bright young talent who had shown tremendous potential for success (Steve Mariucci).

 They have also hired people for coaching positions who have never had experience in those positions before. No other organization would have selected these people for the positions they were given with the Lions. Too many of their draft picks are players no one else wanted.

 The talented and competent people soon start looking for reasons to get out. They get frustrated at the environment they are in and how it seems to suppress excellence and success.

 So the bottom line is that success in any company or organization boils down to the right strategy at the right time, and having the right people and resources in place who can execute that strategy. It’s an easy formula, but a difficult place to get to. Some have never gotten there, and never will.

 

 

Three Reasons to Start Your Career at a Non-Profit

Many young people who major in some field of professional psychology are interested in working for non-profit organizations. They may be somewhat anxious about pursuing this interest because salaries and benefits are lower than what they would receive in government or education, and certainly in the corporate arena. However, as I reflect back over the 16 years I spent in small non-profit organizations, I think there are three reasons someone should consider beginning their career at a place with 10-12 employees or less.

You will develop a wider array of skills

Because of my experience in small non-profit organizations, I have more skills than I likely would have developed had I started where I work now. Among other things, I can design and publish a web page, use an Adobe product to produce a flyer or newsletter, use Excel for a budget report, troubleshoot software and hardware problems on a computer, write a grant, prepare for an audit and manage an event. I mention these things because where I work now we have entire departments that do each of these. I would have learned maybe one or two, but not all of them. Even now, each of these comes in handy from time to time, and I am glad I have the know how.

You will become a big picture thinker and advance quicker

One of the dangers of working for a large organization is that you tend to get focused on your own department or division. Large organizations are complex and difficult to understand. In small organizations, almost everyone is involved in every operational aspect. If there is an event, for example, everyone pitches in, not just event services.

Non-profit organizations are also very generous with advancements and titles. While one might need 20 years of related experience and a graduate degree to be a director or senior manager in a large organization, five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree might get you the same title in a smaller organization. There are organizations with two or three employees who have a president and two vice-presidents. While the title may not mean much in reality, it does give you the “executive experience” claim for your resume.

However, be prepared for a change when you transition to a larger organization. It is not unusual to be senior manager at a small non-profit and program assistant at a larger one. Some people also have difficulty going from being the go-to leader to just one of a large team.

Working with few resources and supporting special causes at the grassroots level

When you work for a non-profit you learn how to make things happen with little or no resources. While this is seen primarily as a negative and stress producing reality, it also has positive benefits. Once you transition to a larger organization you will find that you can make “tight resources” go a lot further. You may also be the person appreciating all the resources you have at your disposal while the people around you are grumbling about what is available to them.

Working for a non-profit also gives you the experience of working at the grassroots level. You understand how to organize people in ways that are not always ideal to get things done. You also have the opportunity to support causes that may never get big or have national prominence. These causes and organizations have always had an important part to play in our country. Even if they are considered by most to be niche issues, you can play a part in benefiting those who care about the cause, or who are personally affected by the issue.

The reality is that most highly qualified people either avoid small non-profits, or stay for an average of two or three years. The stress of volunteer boards and committees, the extreme parcity of resources, and the sacrifice of salary and benefits is too much for most to take on or endure for any length of time. However, it is a career option that young people in particular should seriously consider.

Look Dad: I took a bath all by myself.

One of the things in life that really bothers me is our expectations for teenagers. Actually, there are no expectations for teenagers. Most of us probably have two requirements for our teens: 1) Don’t do anything to embarrass me 2) Don’t do anything to cause me any inconvenience. So, basically, if you get out of bed, bathe yourself, and stay out of trouble, we’re good.

I also think the period of adolescence has been extended through the college years now. You are not expected to engage your community, to really contribute or take on serious responsibilities until you are ready—maybe about the time you hit 30 years old.

Last month my son Chris (who is 17) and I went to the “Do Hard Things” Conference in Gaithersburg, MD at Covenant Life Church. There were 3,200 people there, both teens and some parents. The theme is to rebel… rebel against low expectations and start doing something with your life now. I was encouraged that so many came out to join this new national movement. You can read more here.