~Joel’s Blog
And Why No One Will Miss You
Look! There’s a parable in that stream!
A few years ago I heard a modern-day parable about the relevance of our careers. It’s been impossible to forget.
There were two men strolling beside a burbling stream. Both had long careers. One man confided in the other about his internal conflict over his work, because it had become, at best, stale and predictable. At worst, it was full of strife, long hours and made him feel valueless. Deep in his heart, he knew that his passion called him in a new direction, but his current position had brought income, security, even prestige. And, he said, “If I left my company now, I would lose the stability my status affords me. And I would leave my colleagues in a difficult situation.”
His friend pointed at the stream and smiled. “Follow me, watch and learn.” Squatting next to the stream’s edge, he leaned over the flowing water and pushed his hand into the stream bed until it was completely covered by pebbles and mud. “Now, observe,” he said, pulling his buried hand straight up out of the cold, murmuring stream.
What came next surprised me. (more…)
There Be Trolls
By Joel Lund
Smart businesses routinely use surveys to obtain feedback and learn what’s working with their audience and what’s not. Otherwise, all of the company’s effort could be misfiring, resting on a foundation of hopium. So, trying to be smart about growing our business, we sent a simple survey out to our e-newsletter recipients. After waiting for a notification that people were taking the survey, we finally realized that because we used the free version of SurveyMonkey we wouldn’t receive alerts when people used it (OK, note to self). So I logged onto our account to see if anyone had.
Sure enough, a few people did. Yay! Really good feedback and engagement greeted me. Or so I thought. Skimming through the graphical analysis, my eye was drawn to the bottom of the page, where the comment section was. One person had opted to leave a comment and titled it, “May God continue to bless your efforts!”
Except that’s not what they meant. At. All.
Which makes this the most difficult blog I’ve ever written. (more…)
~Joel’s Blog
Creative Genius Revisited
In a blog I published two years ago this month, I wrote about the high calling we have as parents for nurturing our children’s creativity. As created beings, made in the likeness of the Creator, all of us feel an urge to create. How could we not? Genesis 1:27 declares that we are made in God’s image. Ephesians 5:1 calls on us to be “imitators of God.”
So why don’t more of us engage in being creative? (more…)
Or…Some Lessons Are More Expensive Than Others
Joel’s Blog
[This blog first appeared September 27, 2015]
If you have been following along the past few months, you know we have been winding down operations at the office suite we’ve occupied for the past year. In a few days, our business operations will be run from our dual home office. Janet’s recording studio is upstairs. My coaching (and writing) office is downstairs.
To say it has been a “learning experience” kind of doesn’t even get close to it. “Failure” does. (more…)
~Joel’s Blog
Everyone Is In Sales?
Did you know that there are 23.3 million “sales” people in the United States…and that these people actually have “sales” in their job title, according to Selling Power Magazine?
(more…)
