Adversity
January 26, 2012
Jay Tydlaska

A homeless man.

A single mother of twins.

An Iraq war veteran who lost her arm in the war.

You're probably not going to assume that this is a list of people that have become successful, million dollar earning entrepreneurs. Yet that is exactly what these people have done. I always enjoy reading stories about people that have overcome the difficulties that life has given them and instead rise above them. I found a story about unlikely entrepreneurs on Yahoo recently. Determination, vision and passion instead of self pity, excuses and blame are the daily drive for these people. They have chosen to not let their circumstances define them but rather as the reason to work that much harder. Oprah Winfrey was raped at the age of 9. I imagine that type of devastating event would forever prevent hope of any sort of normal life for most people. Yet she was able to rise above her nightmarish childhood and will never be defined by that horrible incident. Life is harsh at times and success never comes easy. But it is always inspiring to see what people can achieve when they set their minds to it.

Creativity = Vomit, poison and agony?
January 05, 2012
Amy Sheppard

217 Creativity

I thought I liked creative ideas but according to a study to be published in the journal Psychological Science, I may not.  Jack Goncalo, an assistant professor at the ILR School and co-author of the study asks, "How is it that people say they want creativity but in reality often reject it?"  He found that creative ideas can trigger uncomfortable feelings of uncertainty, people dismiss creative ideas in favor of practical ideas, and most of the time people are completely unaware of their bias toward creativity.

The researchers found during their study that "while people explicitly claimed to desire creative ideas, they actually associated creative ideas with negative words, such as "vomit," "poison" and agony."  Novel and high quality ideas for new products were rejected because of this bias, according to Goncalo.  "Revealing the existence and nature of a bias against creativity can help explain why people might reject creative ideas and stifle scientific advancements, even in the face of strong intentions to the contrary. ... The field of creativity may need to shift its current focus from identifying how to generate more creative ideas to identify how to help innovative institutions recognize and accept creativity."

Thanks to Chip Hannah at the Balcom Agency for the link to this article. 

Perfect Timing
November 08, 2011
Amy Sheppard

Walter Snitzer is a 54-year-old chef from Goodhue, Minnesota.  In January, Snitzer collapsed outside of a grocery store.  He was in full cardiac arrest.  Fortunately, two volunteer firefighters happened to be at a gas station nearby and they immediately began CPR. 

Soon, more than two-dozen local police, firemen and rescuers joined in to help Mr. Snitzer.  What makes this story interesting is that Snitzer went 96 minutes without a pulse. Ninety-six minutes.  For most of us, we would just shake our heads and wonder why they didn’t give it up long before then.  What kind of life could a guy like that have even if he did “survive”? 

As it turns out, Walter Snitzer is a bit of a miracle.  He made a full recovery.  As he puts it, “I’m a regular guy. I happened to die at the right place, at the right time.”

But what made the difference in this case?  Good CPR, and possibly end tidal CO2 monitoring (ETCO2).

CO2 apparently is a good indicator for how likely a patient is to survive resuscitation.  Research shows that if CO2 is less than 14 mmHg, resuscitation is likely futile.  But a CO2 in the mid-20s is encouraging and providers should continue CPR. 

Mr. Snitzer’s initial CO2 was in the low 30s, which was encouraging. Twelve shocks and countless anti-arrhythmia drugs later, his pulse came back.  We all recognize that technology often can make our jobs easier, but sometimes, like in the case of Mr. Snitzer, it’s literally the difference between life and death.

(Thanks to Allan Goldman M.D. who brought this article to our attention via The Society for Airway Management).

Duh? Winning!
August 29, 2011
Amy Sheppard

I’m a competitive person .  I can’t help it.  I’ve been this way as long as I can remember.  I get angry when I lose, even at something I’ve never done before and have no logical reason to think I should win. 

It doesn’t seem that weird during my soccer games (recreational, coed, over 30 years old, mind you). But even in yoga, in my mind I’m competing against others in the class:

Are they more flexible? 

Did I hold the pose longer?

I don’t just put a puzzle together; I defeat the puzzle.  A little ridiculous, I know.  Fortunately, I’ve improved my coping skills so I’m a better loser than I used to be. But even if I have a smile pasted on my face, I guarantee in my head I’m trying to figure out why I lost and what I can do next time to prevent it. 

Why am I so competitive?  I don’t really know.  I guess I could blame my dad, but really what it comes down to is winning is fun, whether it’s sports or work.  Achieving a goal is winning . It just feels good. 

An article by Jack and Suzy Welch in Newsweek discussed four ways to implement more winning in your workplace.  And who couldn’t use more of that?

  1. Make sure as a leader you let your best people know how they’re doing and how they’re appreciated. 
  2. Have a clear game plan and implement it.  Help your team know exactly what they’re working toward, why and how. 
  3. Be honest.  Be clear.  Reward candor.  This builds trust, which makes a team stronger. 
  4. Celebrate.  Even if it’s a small celebration, but make sure your team knows how good it feels to win.  Winning feels good, so they want more. 

I may have learned to tone down my competitiveness in some circles as I’ve gotten older, but that winning mentality can be a critical edge in the workplace.

Now if I can just beat Jay at badminton; he’s really good.