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Author: Jeff Gould

Fear and Anxiety cannot be banished from the work or homeplace. They must be replaced with Purpose and Passion.

Jeff Gould is a broadcaster, podcaster, author and speaker who uses stories to:

-Reduce stress, fear and anxiety.
-Increase productivity
-Inspire an amazing collaborative work culture
-Embrace change

Jeff's presentations are based on the advice and life lessons gleaned from over 30 thousand years of life lessons he learned from being a funeral celebrant for 15 years, with the skills he honed over 30 years of as an award-winning broadcaster.

As a speaker, Jeff is wise, humorous, insightful and moving. His warm and engaging style has been compared to Garrison Keillor and Paul Harvey. His programs are entertaining, valuable and memorable and help people embrace change and transition.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

A Story- the Rolling Stone that Gathered No Memories

 

A Rolling Stone Gathers No Memories

 

If you were to ask me how long summer lasted when I was a kid the answer would be for-ever!

 

Long, lazy, eternal times of hot weather, boredom, swimsuits, and bicycles. The smell of Noxema and tanning oil, the sound of a screen door slamming, and cicadas buzzing. The taste of water out of a garden hose and melting popsicles.  The minor tortures of mosquito bites, skinned knees, sunburn, and muggy sleepless nights.

 

But the older I got, the faster I started rolling.

 

I made lists, set goals, bought stuff, made payments, put in the extra hours and effort, took on extra responsibility and a family and rolled faster and faster.

 

And technology helped me! I got a beeper at first, then a cell phone– then texting and messaging allowed me to work from home, get more stuff done, even on a Saturday or Sunday. I could sneak some more work in, answer an urgent need from a client, outdo my competition. I took my work with me to bed, it sat next to me on my cellphone and it would buzz and beep and flash, reminding me of stuff that I could do, should do…nights were often restless, the days more frantic. Weekends became weekdays, and the seasons would change in an increasing blur that I vaguely noticed out of the corner of my eye as I met another deadline, got another sale, booked another client. Birthdays, holidays, seasons, graduations, weddings, funerals…faster and faster they flew by…

I started eating faster at each meal, thinking about what was next, plotting my strategies, hearing my family only in a distracted way, while I planned my next step, my next move.

 

Foolishly I thought that by working harder and faster, that I could get ahead…but work had a way of piling up even faster. No matter how fast or efficient or hard, all it did was raise the expectations of others or myself.

 

So here is what happened to the Summers of my youth: I gave them away. I made Work my god and I sacrificed Summer at its altar.

 

Does this sound familiar? Does this sound desirable…in any way?

 

So here’s a thought about Sunday. One on the Ten Commandments talks about a day of rest. I always assumed it was about God demanding his due as Creator, and I still think that’s part of it. But I’m just now realizing, perhaps too late, the gift He also gives in a day of doing nothing. A day that is measured only by the length of shadows, strolls and meditation moves much slower than a day that marches to a second hand and a never-ending to-do list. And in that time, I am reminded that being is every bit as important as doing.

 

Little kids have an ability to just be and I have lost that talent.  I have never met a child workaholic, nor was I one. I was never in a hurry as a kid, always loafing and strolling, slowly and methodically eating my food in dreamy distraction, looking at clouds, chasing after my imagination.

 

And once a week, I want that child back. It will not be easy, and it will take practice and diligence, but it will be worth the effort.

 

Because I want my Summer back.

 

Categories
Growth Leadership Personal Development

The Case of the Cashmere Cancer

I have worked in and with about 20 different workplaces in my career, some as a lowly worker bee, some as a manager, some as owner. Some had excellent workplace cultures- which I define “as a place I enjoyed working.”, some did not.

I will confirm what you already know- these enjoyable workplaces had little to do with the work or the pay or the benefits. (one of my favorite work experiences was working at the Minnesota State Fair, serving for fourteen hours a day at nineteen bucks a day! Hard, hard work, and so much fun!)

And some places were not fun to work at. Why these places were drudgery is best explained by Kevin the Cancer in Cashmere.

Before Kevin (Kevin was not his real name) was hired, the radio station I worked at featured low pay and long hours and a great culture. We loved our work, would hang out together after work; we didn’t always agree, but we were passionate about it. Sometimes you’ll hear a phrase, “we don’t talk about work after work.” I remember we loved to talk about work, ways we could do our jobs even better, the competition, the opportunities in the market, everything, and anything.

Then Kevin was hired. Here were a few facts about Kevin:

  1. He was supremely talented- very good at his job.
  2. He looked good, dressed up, and wore cashmere sweaters. Kevin was always polite to management and deferred to them when in meetings.
  3. He was also two-faced- snide and sarcastic, insulting management behind their back.
  4. He greeted co-workers in the hallway with “You’ve got a dumb job.”
  5. And this is the most important thing I remember…everyone secretly hoped he would get fired, but management was the last to figure it out because they were so enamored with his politeness and his talent.

An excellent Culture is easily evident in a thousand different small ways that look like one quick observation that anyone can see when they walk in the door: people like working here.

It is and can be tweaked and adjusted and manipulated and improved. But the biggest, simplest and hardest step to getting your good culture back is finding if there’s a Kevin.

Here’s why Kevin is hard to find:

Kevin is a cancer. And he is clever. He knows how to hide from your managerial immune system using talent and appearance, but your employees know him and have probably tried hinting about the problem.

Here is why it is hard to get rid of Kevin:

You are worried.

You think he will go work for the competition.

You think no one can take his place.

You think company profits will suffer.

 

But as you think about further about it, you understand that working for the competition will be your best possible outcome. You realize that other underutilized workers are waiting for an opportunity to take Kevin’s responsibilities, and with a flash of insight, you believe your company profits will increase.

 

So long, Kevin.