Helping Create Success
The Profound Effect of Clutter on Communication.
“As within, so without.”
Socrates
I once worked with a financial analyst who was bright, charming and surrounded by clutter in his office. It was a beautiful space, with views of Rockefeller Center, but all you could notice was the stuff. It was distracting…photos everywhere, piles of files, books, athletic gear, and a big ball made up of rubber bands that had made the last three moves with him. That’s what most of his clutter was…stuff that he hauled around but never gave much thought to.
We would get together in one of his firm’s meeting rooms, and then go back to his office to set a date for the next rehearsal. The difference in the two rooms was always so striking, that one day I asked him if he was open to cleaning up and clearing the clutter. He blushed a bit (he was known at his firm for his muddle) but immediately said yes.
It didn’t take too long, and it really paid off. We got rid of a lot of stuff, organized what remained, and tossed out the rubber band ball. We re-positioned photos of his wife to places where he would notice them. Colleagues started stopping by, as word got out. Their amazed faces when they walked in told me we’d gotten it right. It was a transformed work space, and now he’d be much better supported for the demanding work he did.
If you are in such a position, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to look at your space with “fresh eyes.” Walk in and notice everything. How does it make you feel to be in your workspace? Are you able to think and focus?
If not, do not think poorly of yourself, which does no good. Just gently start going through your objects, one by one. If you don’t love it, or find it useful, then it’s clutter and it’s having a major, negative effect on you. It’s an energy drain. Get rid of it, and welcome in the energy that the clutter has been blocking!
Can We Stop With the #@! kick-a–Nonsense?
There’s a trend in coaching and other types of entrepreneurial endeavors to title workshops, seminars, classes etc. using mild profanity. I suspect this is meant to convey a saucy dis-regard for convention. Instead of calling my workshop “Signature Talks to Grow Your Business” why not flash my sass and call it “Kick-Ass Keynotes to Bring Them to Their @#$ Knees?”
I’ll tell you why not-first, it sounds juvenile- as if I’m 13 years old and trying out the naughty words to see what kind of effect it has on the grown ups. It’s playing at mild shock value. As my close friends can attest, I love to swear on occasion, using curses far more blue than “kick-ass.” It’s fun to mix it up. But it’s organic and appropriate to the moment, not contrived to be clever in business.
Second, anytime I spot a trend in communicating that everyone is employing, that’s reason enough for me not to do it. Our speech should express our genuine thinking, not copy the vanilla choices that everyone is making.
Which is why the naughty girl talk looks all the sillier-it’s not even original. That’s the real problem right there. If you’re a coach, or business owner, you’d better be able to think and speak for yourself. Until you can, give careful thought to the bandwagon you’re climbing on. It might not be headed where you want to go.