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Norman Ohl – writer, social commentator, thinker, advisor
“As a young boy i jumped off our shed roof with a makeshift set of cardboard wings, convinced I should be able to fly…we all know how this adventure ended.
I have always had a belief I can do anything as long as I keep trying…this was not learnt..it is deep and beyond my understanding, but regardless of the thousands of failures I have endured in my life, this belief has never been shaken! Go figure”
The Firing Squad
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You are standing in front of a firing squad chained to a pole. The scheduled time for your execution is 20 seconds away. You look down to see a beautiful white rose on the end of a branch from the climbing bush on the wall behind you. It could be within reach if you bend forward a little.
Stop interrupting me!
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I cannot stand being interrupted when I’m working. I’ve written before about about the benefits of working from home and one of the main ones is the fact no-one can bail me up for a chat when I need to concentrate.
Now, I’m not saying social interaction at work is a total no no. Some of the best friends I’ve ever made I made at work. And we all need a bit of down time during the working day and office banter is a great way to do that. But there’s a time and a place for it. And that time is not when you’re on deadline for something important and one of your colleagues is up for a deep and meaningful.
“Surely we know all there is?”
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This comment, slash question came from a friend of mine at a recent dinner party. It was part of a discussion about advances currently being made in science.
The look of surprise on my face was so obvious that before I could express my strong disagreement another diner chimed in with a “yes, we must be close to knowing it all”.
What your boss really wants to say to you
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Norman Ohl, an employer for more than 30 years, refers to his staff as “the paid enemy” – not to their faces of course.
“If there was a common overriding issue with my employees, regardless of the industry I was in at the time, it’s that they leave their brain and care factor at the door when they arrive at work,” he says.
