The Answer We Like to Hear

A friend of mine just passed away. He had been sick a long time. When he first told me about it, he was healthy looking and told me his doctor had given him a clean bill of health. He didn't go for a second opinion, he was satisfied with what he heard.

Similarly, a friend's dad had been sick and was told that he was going to fully recover. No second opinion was needed, he liked the answer. He passed away shortly.

Fortunately in business, we don't often deal with life and death issues. All the more reason not to avoid the few people who tell it to you straight and, when necessary, seek out second opinions from trusted sources.

Whether it's a customer, a co-worker, boss or friend, we need to share the truth with them and ask the truth of them.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Hiding in the Cave

I was recently at a seminar workshop and met some great people. Wonderful, smart, honest, caring and good people. One word kept being mentioned as we discussed our lives and issues:

Avoidance
So many of us avoid dealing with tough situations. We hide in the cave and wait for things to change, for the monster to go away. We rationalize this by coming up with great excuses, but when it is said and done, we're living in avoidance.

Some pretty smart people avoid things, some very nice people do, too. But as we're hunkering down in the cave, the monster may be getting bigger and more powerful.

I personally think that facing tough situations isn't the romantic, death-defying act it is sometimes pumped up to be. It may be as easy as openly discussing a concern and asking for feedback--with no pressure to solve it or make it perfect at the moment.

Much of the time, that's all it takes for things to start to get better. But that means we have to stay out of the cave.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com