The Happy Burro

“In times of crisis, give help first, then advice.”

Seems like a simple, easy to follow quote.  Ever catch yourself giving advice first?

Here is an example:

Your friend routinely skips breakfast.  By 1pm each day, he is ravenously hungry.  You stop by his office to ask a question and there he is, eating pretzels by the handful.  He starts to choke, and is visibly scared.

You could:

A - start lecturing him…”See what happens when you skip breakfast?…you always eat so fast at lunch it is no small wonder this hasn’t happened before!”

B - help him stop choking right away.

Think about this when a colleague has trouble at work finishing an assignment.  Assisting in finishing a PowerPoint presentation may not be a life-threatening situation - but it can feel like it to the person that is “choking.”

Help first, then advice.

Joe Raasch :: Oct.03.2008 :: Employee Engagement, Leadership, Personal :: No Comments »

Rest in Peace Dad.

Joe Raasch :: Sep.26.2008 :: Life, Personal :: 2 Comments »

I was recently given the opportunity to write a weekly blog for FastCompany about one of my passions: Work/Life balance.  My take is a little different in that Work/Life Balance does not necessarily mean “50-50″.

The blog is titled, “The Beam” (as in balance beam…get it?) You will find the inaugural post here.  I’ll be posting each Friday.

I look forward to our conversations!

Cheers,

Joe

Joe Raasch :: Aug.08.2008 :: Leadership, Life, Personal :: No Comments »