Cube Rules

7 facts about Scot Herrick of Cube Rules

Scot Herrick — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 08:00:23 +0000

I was tagged in one of those blogging memes by buddy Phil Gerbyshak of Slacker Manager and Make it Great. I rarely do these little ditties as they tend to be off-topic for my readers. But, since this is supposed to be 7 facts about myself that you might not know, I thought it would be good additional information about the owner of Cube Rules — and an opportunity to check out some other great sites.

Rules:

Link to the original tagger(s), and list these rules on my blog.
Share 7 facts about myself in the post – some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of my post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter.

7 Facts About Me

I love being a manager of people. You wouldn’t think so since the point of view of this blog is helping people thrive in a cubicle. But working with great management teams is great for managers and especially for Cubicle Warriors.
I’ve worked in business for over 25-years and technology for six more.
I’ve now lived in Seattle-land for over five years. Time flies.
I grew up next door to my grandparent’s dairy farm. I’ve sheared sheep, fed and milked cows, shoveled cow pies and bailed hay.
I am an Amateur Radio operator with the call sign K9JY. Need to post to that site a bit more at K9JY.com.
In high school, I went to nationals in forensics (Oratory) and took 13^th place. Debated on the debate team, too.
My wife, Kate, won the “You Get It” award for her website. Not exactly a fact about me, but there is that fact that I’m proud of her.

Now the fun part: tagging seven other bloggers to share information about them as well.

How about these cool bloggers!

Debra Moorhead who writes about creating the life you want at DebraMoorhead.com
Cali and Jody who write about Results Only Work Environments at CaliandJody.com
Charles H. Green who writes great articles about why Trust Matters
Rebecca Thorman who writes about the modern urbanite at Modite
Dan Erwin who writes at the Dan Erwin blog about learning, development and jobs.
Nina Simosko writing at NinaSimosko.com about leadership and work
Rick Saia, one of the team of writers at Pongo Resume

All have written articles that have helped my writing here on Cube Rules. Make sure you visit their sites as well. You won’t be disappointed.

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Career Management Monday

Scot Herrick — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Back at work for the week – the summer is almost gone here in the Northern Hemisphere. I had a weekend of errands, sleep, and a few thunderstorms. All in all, not bad.

To get you back into the swing of things, here’s some articles to help on those Monday morning work blues….

Worshiping the Hammer

Timothy L. Johnson tells it like it is on Carpe Factum.

“I couldn’t help but make a couple of playful swipes at Six Sigma, Lean, Agile and UML. Mind you, I have nothing against these tools per se, but I have taken exception with the people who ~~worship~~ use them.”

Yup. When your site title means “Seize the Accomplishment,” accomplishments trump worshiping process.

How to fix your thinking

I’ve become a fan of David Bullock. A lot of what he writes about is oriented to running your own business – exactly what career management is about. This article gives you some reality-based questions on where you are in your life. Honestly answer his questions. You will be better for it.

Just Say “No” to Corporate Speak

Imagining opening up a blog post and the first two words are your name. Well, there I was, the first two words on this blog post. Barbara Safani writes about where corporate speak really begins: the job description. She even found a job description done the right way. Take a look and tell me if you’d want the Operations Manager position or the Program Manager. And if you really want the Operations Manager position, please let me know why!

You Have to Get Dirty

Debra Moorhead always comes up with the right perspective. This time she talks about those reusable grocery bags needing to get dirty. And then relates it learning by doing. And firing someone. Wow.

Why Bringing your On-line Community Off-line is So Crucial

Ryan Paugh of Employee Evolution tells us why social networks have a short shelf life and the importance of getting your on-line community communicating off-line. Can we talk?

Enjoy your Monday!

Scot

Related posts:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want — Part 5

Scot Herrick — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:00:15 +0000

One of the great challenges in life is to move from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not easy.

But, there is a path. I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Debra Moorhead’s blog and found both inspiration and perfectly practical advice on how to make change stick. She’s now combined this inspiration and practicality into her new book Wake Up and Create the Life You Want: a Guide to Self-Empowerment.

I’m privileged to share a question, answer, and some commentary each day this week. Today’s final question:

Question: Changing behavior, at best, is difficult for most people as habits require a great deal of discipline to integrate into people’s lives. How does the book help someone develop needed behaviors and habits to their goals?

Debra Moorhead: Well, I talk specifically about how to eliminate bad habits and develop new ones, and it’s one of the areas that I spend the most time on in my seminars. But based on readers’ comments and reactions to the book, I think the motivation and inspiration provided throughout the book is a key component to lasting change.

One reader says, “I always feel like I pick up from where I am right now and move forward.” That’s an imperative concept for me since, as I’ve stated before, all we’ve got is where we are. That’s all any of us can do and I guess it’s so important to me because I spent a lot of time thinking that it was too late, that I’d allowed myself to get swallowed up by an industry I had no passion for, that I’d trapped myself by making myself indispensable to my husband, etc.

I’d also built up a belief system that I had become this “thing,” for lack of a better word, that couldn’t change. I thought I had to be exactly what I was and that I could never grow or expand because what I had become was so integral even to my own well-being. I mean, all of our money came from the dental practice – how could I risk that?

Again, the hard part was waking up. Once I realized that I could create the life I truly wanted, regardless of perceived limitations, the habits were fun to re-create.

Now I change something about myself almost every day. Shedding old habits and developing new ones is almost like changing clothes for me. I’m constantly developing new personas and some I keep, some I toss. I know myself, but I’m still experimenting with what all I can become at the same time. It’s an amazing life experience now; expansion is a wonderful habit to develop! My mission is to motivate, educate, and inspire others to be their best through my writing, speaking, and coaching. The more I try new things, the more I can identify with and help others. I see life as one huge, fun experiment that probably won’t end until the day I die.

We create our lives one moment, one thought, one word, and one action at a time. Live joyfully!

Commentary

Change is tough for anyone. I think this approach of needing to “wake up” and then go through the steps needed for change is a great addition to how we approach personal change for our work and our life.

I’d like to thank Debra for the time invested in our interview — it’s been a pleasure working with her.

Scot

Debra Moorhead draws out desire and instills success in people and organizations.

As a Business Development consultant specializing in motivation and training, Debra will make a positive impact on your team, and your profit. With over fifteen years’ experience in systems development and training, Debra Moorhead is bringing her unique talents and experiences as a business executive to those who are interested in becoming their best, and developing their full potential. Debra is a writer, motivational speaker, consultant, trainer, and seminar leader who motivates, educates, and inspires others to reach their full potential, and has a strong desire to see you achieve the success you deserve.

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Wake Up and Create the Life You Want — Part 4

Scot Herrick — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:00:58 +0000

One of the great challenges in life is to move from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not easy.

I’m privileged to share a question, answer, and some commentary each day this week. Today’s question:

Question: Very popular right now is the whole concept of the “Law of Attraction” which basically says to put yourself in a position where what you want can come to you. In your comments about the book you say “If the Law of Attraction doesn’t seem to be working in your favor, you want this book.” Why?

Debra Moorhead: I’m so glad you asked this question; it allows me to address a very common misconception about the Law of Attraction. I’ve coached a lot of people who have a misguided sense of what “putting yourself in a position where what you want can come to you,” means. Let me explain.

I see two common mistakes. The first is that someone learns about the Law of Attraction and thinks, “Okay, I’m going to focus on what I want and let it come to me. I’ll create a vision board and write affirmations and set goals and focus on my healing and . . and . . .and . . .” Most of the time, they focus on material things, or if health is a current issue, they focus on healing. But they continue to go about their lives in the same way as before – doing the same things, and basically thinking the same thoughts.

Even if they create a vision board, and write affirmations and their goals several times daily, they still try to do everything themselves. If you continue to do what you’ve done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve got. When they get an inspired idea to do something differently, they ignore it because, well, “that’s just crazy,” or “there’s no way I’m willing to do that,” or “I can’t do that.” “Quit my job with nowhere to go on Monday morning? Ludicrous!”

If you really feel that the universe is telling you to quit your job, do it. Maybe walking around the city on Monday morning will cause you to take some action or meet someone that will land you your dream job – paying more than what you’re making now.

Don’t believe that could happen? Then it won’t. Just keep doing what you’re doing now, writing your affirmations, languishing over your vision board, setting more and more goals, doing what you’re doing now, and this time next year, you’ll still be writing your affirmations, languishing over your vision board, and setting more and more goals.

The second common mistake is just the opposite approach. Someone quits their job thinking, “the universe is going to bring everything to me and I won’t have to work at all, after all, that’s what I really want.” Then they sit in their apartment, day after day, alone, writing their affirmations, focusing on what they want, and when they get an inspired idea, they can’t act on it because they don’t have the money, or don’t have enough money to execute the idea and have enough to live on for the next month. They don’t see how they’re going to get out of this hole and wish they’d never heard of the Law of Attraction.

In the book I talk about “Delicious Action.” The creative process consists of three parts: Thought, Word, Action. To make a lasting change in your life, you’re going to have to think differently, speak differently, and do something differently from the way you’re doing it now. It begins with thought, but it doesn’t end there. Think it, write it down, and take action on it – inspired action. Wait for the inspiration, and let the universe yield to you, and don’t hold back once you get it. You’ll know the proper timing. Once people get this – oh – S’WEET!

Commentary

“Delicious Action.” Now there’s a great concept. Wouldn’t you love to be doing some “delicious action” to reach your goals?

More tomorrow.

Scot

Debra Moorhead draws out desire and instills success in people and organizations.

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Wake Up and Create the Life You Want — Part 3

Scot Herrick — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:00:09 +0000

One of the great challenges in life is to move from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not easy.

I’m privileged to share a question, answer, and some commentary each day this week. Today’s question:

Question: You changed careers from writing computer and other systems training for a living. If you made a decision to go back to that career, how difficult would it now be to get up to speed with all of the changes in the industry? What would people need to do to prepare for going into a new career or back to a previous one?

Debra Moorhead: Well, actually, that is what I did. I managed my husband’s dental practice from 2000 – 2005. It was around February of 2004 when we had the big discussion that I blogged about and is the introduction in the book. It took me one year to hire and train my replacement. In May of 2005, I contacted my previous employer and I have to admit, I was scared to death, assuming that the industry had moved on to new heights without me. In many ways, it had, but I still had a unique skill that was much in demand. In July of 2005 I was officially out of the dental practice and developing training for a Fortune 500 company’s proprietary software.

While methods of training had changed tremendously in 5 years, my ability to create successful training processes had only been enhanced by my managerial experience in the dental office. So what I would like for people to know is that there is no wasted time.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in a completely different industry for 5, 10, or 15 years, or a housewife for that amount of time, you have experiences and talent that someone needs. Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t and don’t tell yourself that either.

All anyone does is start from where they are and move forward. That’s all we’ve got, any of us, is where we are. And wherever you are is just fine. You’re an amazing human being full of talent and skill and experience and you have so much to offer the world. So get out there, show up for your life, it can’t happen without you.

Some people are asleep, but they hear the alarm clock going off. Instead of hitting the floor and getting out there, they’re lingering in slumber, you know, that “never-never land” of sweet dreams and fairy tales. Sure it’s nice to dream and having an imagination is very important, but at some point, you’ve got to take that step, turn off the alarm, and get up in order to live your life instead of just dreaming about it.

When that first project started coming to a close, I realized that I couldn’t “go home again.” I had a message to give the world. It was February of 2006 that I began writing “Wake Up and Create the Life You Want,” and started my speaking business based on that topic.

Commentary

Debra makes a great point that is often stated, but not acted on: we are where we are. Operating a business, project, or our work means that where we take ourselves from where we are is our choice. We might not be able to implement that choice right away (say for moving to a different position), but from wherever we are we can choose to change.

Yes, it is a lot of work. But we got here through our choices and our choices will take us where we want to go, as Debra notes, as long as we know what we want.

More tomorrow.

Scot

Debra Moorhead draws out desire and instills success in people and organizations.

Related posts:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want — Part 2

Scot Herrick — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:00:07 +0000

One of the great challenges in life is to move from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not easy.

I’m privileged to share a question, answer, and some commentary each day this week. Today’s question:

Question: You’ve experienced being in a job that you didn’t like, yet you continued to stay with it. While it is understandable to stay because it was your husband’s business, outside of that, why is it so difficult for people to move on to something that they would like to do?

Debra Moorhead: This is where I depart from other motivational speakers and authors who will tell you that fear is the culprit that holds most people back. While fear of success or a fear of failure will often creep up, I find in my coaching and seminar business that what holds most of us back is not knowing what we truly want. That’s why I wrote the book.

I didn’t have a fear of not making it in the world and I certainly didn’t have a fear of success. I also didn’t really fear leaving my husband’s practice – I knew I could find someone to replace myself. The raw truth was that I didn’t know what I wanted.

All I knew was what I didn’t want and I kept listening to law of attraction speakers telling me to not think about or focus on what I didn’t want. But that’s hard to do when it’s all you know.

When my husband asked me, “What do you want,” I suddenly had to define what I had been complaining about for over 3 years in opposite terms from what I had been thinking.

In other words, I had to turn my thinking around, and that turned my life around. I started researching ways to identify my desires and outline the life I wanted to create, and I share all of those, what worked and what didn’t, in the book.

Commentary

This, from Debra, is a powerful perception change that most of us need to implement. We’re so used to discussing what isn’t working at work or in our life that we’ve lost the ability to define what we want. All of you out there who are still trying to figure out what you want to do when you grow up, raise your hand.

Yeah, mine’s up too, although not as high as it used to be. It’s tough to figure out what you truly want — that’s where this book can help.

More tomorrow.

Scot

Debra Moorhead draws out desire and instills success in people and organizations.

Related posts:

Wake Up and Create the Life You Want

Scot Herrick — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:00:32 +0000

One of the great challenges in life is to move from where you are to where you want to be. It’s not easy.

I’m privileged to share a question, answer, and some commentary each day this week. Today’s question:

Question: The title of your book is Wake Up and Create the Life You Want. It’s a great title – and implies two different things. The first is “wake up” and the second is “create the life you want.” Are these different functions and, if so, what are the differences?

Debra Moorhead: I do see it as two separate occurrences, Scot. Most people go through life in a spiritual slumber. I was one of those people. We do what is expected of us instead of what thrills our soul and we forget that our entire life is made of choices.

The result is that we blame circumstances and other people for anything and everything that doesn’t please us. But once we accept complete responsibility for everything that has happened in our lives in the past, and realize that our future is determined by the choices we make in this moment, the here and now, it’s like an awakening.

Then the process begins of defining what you want so that you can then go about the process of creating the life you truly want and deserve. The hardest part is waking up, but creation can be challenging, too. Regardless of the obstacles, the results are always worth the effort!

Commentary

I recently had dinner with my former manager and one of the interesting items that came up was the fact that we humans are exceptionally adaptable — and so close to ourselves that we can’t see how good and bad things are in our lives. Whether it is work or home, we simply go on — as in a slumber. Waking up is a hard thing to do; something unique that I think Debra brings to the entire discussion for improving ourselves.

More tomorrow.

Scot

Debra Moorhead draws out desire and instills success in people and organizations.

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