When you hear the saying, "It's hard to soar with eagles when you live with the turkeys", what do you think of? For myself, I think of things and people that I have allowed to keep me at their level, not allowing me to excel. I have allowed. That is the key word. Allowed. Yes, I have allowed over the years people, places, and things, keep me from excelling, or from "soaring with eagles" if you will. I take full responsibility for what I have done.
This morning I was looking for something positive to send out with the two reports I have to send each morning as part of my job, and I came across that statement. "It's hard to soar with eagles when you live with the turkeys". Huh. Had to give it some thought. Pause for a moment and think about your life; think about that statement. Huh. Deep thoughts, right?
“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.”
~~Victor Frankl
I began to think about our surroundings, how they control our soaring. Turkey-thinking + turkey-talk = turkey-walk. We quickly blend into the color of our surroundings. Similarities in thinking, mannerisms, priorities, talk and opinions are very common within individual cultures. We all know married people who grow to look more alike as the years pass (yikes!!).
A man who had not seen his brother for many years went to the airport to pick him up. After a period of waiting one of the brothers began walking across the terminal. Without hesitation the other brother called out his name and a happy reunion followed. When asked how he recognized the other brother he replied quickly, “I knew he was my brother because he walked like my father.”
No doubt our surroundings help construct our attitudes, too. The word “choices” rises on the opposite side of the environment in the attitude construction issue. Speaking more logically than emotionally, the voice of this word says, “We are free to choose our attitudes.”
Yeah, we know that. And some of us choose our attitudes to be exactly how we feel. Grumbly, Hostile, Arrogant, Whining, Sniffy nose.... and you can probably come up with a few of your own. But, in all fairness, some days we choose to be positive and encouraging, uplifting, happy, giving, caring....... and a few others. Choice.
I had an interesting day yesterday. I was so frustrated. There was a meeting I had to attend to take minutes. Breakfast was delivered (yea) and the meeting was to start at 9AM. The manager did not arrive until 9:40AM. The 10-12 others there were chatting among themselves, eating breakfast, etc. Once the manager got there, it went downhill. She had no agenda (because she hadn't told me what the meeting was about, and didn't give me any information, I didn't create one, and neither did she). Everyone talked over the other person. I was totally lost as to what they were discussing - only picking up a word here and there that I could possibly create minutes on. This meeting was to have been over at 10:30. The manager knew I had booked the room from 10:30-11:00 to set up for another luncheon training meeting. So she decides to continue her meeting on MY time! At 10:45 I stopped her and told her I needed to clear out the breakfast things and get the luncheon set up for 11:00.
Took care of the luncheon training meeting and it was over about 12:10PM. I had to clean up the luncheon items and get them moved down to the breakroom. So what does this manager decide to do? Continue her meeting while I'm cleaning things up - (which I had to rush through so I could get the tape recorder going again to tape the meeting) - and a couple of the people had typed out their own agenda so she was going over THEIR agenda!! She continued for another hour! I was over the top appalled that a manager would allow her employees tell her what they wanted to discuss and she didn't even have an idea of an agenda. The minutes for this meeting is going to be a real challenge! Over all, this 3-4 hour meeting could have been resolved at most an hour and a half if she had an agenda and stuck to it, keeping everyone focused on what was to be discussed. I can honestly say as well that with each item the others brought up, 75% she responded with "well, I don't know, I'll have to ask....". Excuse me? Isn't she a manager of this department? Shouldn't she know what her department needs to do? Or should be doing? Hello?
My attitude was "frustration" at the disorganization of the meeting, and the lack of respect of everyone in this department meeting. Since when is it ok to talk over each other in a meeting, to have your two-three at one end talking to each other and two-three at the other end of the table talking to each other - and everyone talking at the same time?
What was my choice? I sent an email to HR with a suggestion that all leadership take a mandatory class in how to prepare an agenda, how to manage a meeting, and how to have meeting courtesy/protocol so that things get accomplished. I ended it with the department will rise or fall on the person leading it. HR immediately responded that it will be brought up at their next leadership meeting. Is that good or bad?
I also wrote an email to my boss (who is over this person)and told her what happened yesterday and my frustration at the disorganization of the meeting, the lack of respect for others by the constant chattering during discussions. I also told her not to read it until she gets in the office on Monday. This was my first meeting with this manager and I am appalled she is a manager. I've seen her in other meetings where she has been given responsibility to present something, and she just hems and haws and says "well, I don't know the answer to that question, I'll have to ask...." when she was given the information and was told to review a week before the meeting!
With that being said – what is the attitude choice you are making today? Are you going to soar with the eagles today? Is it going to be a positive, uplifting day – or a gumbling, whining day down with the turkeys? Your attitude. Your choice!
I have four meeting minutes that I need to get typed by the end of the month (thank goodness no more meetings this month) so I am going to choose to soar with the eagles today. I'm going to choose to be positive and encouraging. I am choosing to complete my minutes in a timely and positive manner. My attitude. My choice.
What about you? What is your choice for an attitude today? Choose to be positive - you will find your day will run much smoother and it will fly by - and you will be in a great mood to head into the weekend.
Have a soaring day and weekend!! Choose to soar!
Blessings!
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