Malcolm Gladwell (best selling author of Outliers, Blink, The Tipping Point) always makes me STOP TO THINK! His lessons stay with me and constantly shed a fresh perspective on socially accepted norms. His books have done this, and now I can listen to his podcast REVISIONIST HISTORY and feel the same way! Each episode is packed with a-ha moments and lessons that I ponder for awhile. I find myself telling all my friends and colleagues to subscribe to the podcast. You won't be disappointed, and I'll be surprised if he doesn't make you stop to think!

"Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance!"

One of my favorite teachers is Oprah Winfrey. She teaches me lessons that always make me STOP TO THINK, and her podcasts are no exception. Brief, insightful lessons where people share their insights on life. I am left thinking about the lessons for days, and I inevitably end up sharing them with others. Listen to them while you exercise or drive to work. My favorites include Brian Grazer, will.i.am, and Stephen Colbert. Start with one of these and you will be hooked!

Today one of the Chief Security Officers from my university came to speak in an educational technology workshop that I have been involved in all week. He cautioned everyone NOT to log into public computers because that computer could then hold your private credentials, which could potentially be stolen. So, this means...Internet cafes, presentation work stations, etc. It is best practice to use your own computer, laptop, or phone to check your email, and not log on to someone else's machine or a public work station. How many times have you logged into your email on someone else's computer or at an Internet cafe? I won't be doing that anymore.

Download the Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-it-done-guys-quick-dirty/id268557178?mt=2

One of my colleagues just told me about this podcast, and after listening to my first 8-minute podcast, I am still thinking about the lessons that were packed within it. Short lessons that teach me how to work less and do more--YES! I am intrigued.

In his podcast, "Sometimes Doing a Perfect Job Means Stopping at 60%." Stever Robbins recalls a story about how he delivered a high quality project once that totally impressed his boss.  His boss commented that his work was nearly perfect and display 97% quality level of work - amazing!

However, the boss also pointed out that Stever spent 90% of his time getting the quality of your work from an 83% level to a 97% level, and most people are satisfied with a 60% level. Perhaps Stever should have settled for 83%?

97% ~ 83% ~ 60%...this has made me REALLY stop to think about how I use my time.  I am a perfectionist. I aim to deliver the highest quality of work always, often to the detriment, I must sadly confess, of my own health and wellness. This podcast has made me rethink how I invest my time. Could it be that a perfect job means stopping at 60%? I'm willing to find out!

Lessons from this podcast that have stayed with me:

• How long you take to reach that goal is part of the definition of the goal. 
  
• A better quality goal is limiting the resources you pour into the effort to a reasonable level. 
  
• Attach a time limit to the aspirational quality level so that you do not invest unlimited resources for tiny, tiny gains. Learning to set your sights lower is just the first step to reclaiming your life. 
  
• Only work up to a point where you start getting the diminishing returns. Start your project with what the market wants. 
  
• Delivering quality above what the market wants is for you and not for them.
  

Coming into money just magnifies who you were before you had it. If you were generous, then you will be come super generous. If you were a jerk, you will be a bigger jerk. (Paraphrased from Oprah Winfrey's interview with Barbara Streisand)

These words have captured my thoughts, and I believe them to be true.

"You don't always get better by winning. You get better by losing." -Jeremy Lin

This paraphrased quote from C.S. Lewis made me #stoptothink today. God will not look strange to us. Instead, I will say, "It was you all the time."

In the best selling book, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes about businesses who went from good to great. One attribute of these companies that Collins points out is not just that they had different people on their "bus" to complete work effectively, but they had the "right" people on the bus. Work can be accomplished most efficiently when talented people are able to share their talents in positions that are best suited to highlight and use their skills in the workplace. In the long run, companies will benefit from the work production of these happy employees.

This has also made me think about the people in my village, meaning the community in which my sons are growing up and the "right" people who are in it---those who have helped to shape their morals, values, and beliefs. I often say to my dear friends that I know that it takes a village to raise a child, and I am grateful that they are in mine.

In Jim Collins' best selling book, Good to Great, he talks about attributes of leaders of companies who went from good to great. One analogy that he made has really made me stop to think about the characteristics of leaders. Collins talks about the roles of personal humility and professional will, and paints the image of a plow horse vs. a show horse. The plow horse leader wants to make the company better and develop a thriving work environment, even after the leader retires or leaves the company, while the show horse leader wants personal attention, and may even want the company to suffer after he/she has left so that it is clear that the company cannot survive without them. This strong imagery and compelling thought has made me stop to think about my own qualities as well as those around me. Plow horse or show horse? What are you? Who am I? and who do I want to be?