Today you get a lesson from Nature on never giving up.

Keep trying and you will flourish

No matter how hard…

You can push through

And the result will be beautiful

That said, don’t be so impressed with your power to overcome obstacles that you prove Immanuel Kant’s observation that possession of power inevitably spoils the free use of reason to be true.

Internet images from Anonymous

It’s always surprising how often different sources address the same problems offering similar solutions, but in such different ways that at first glance you wouldn’t notice.

Within days of each other, both Fortune/CNN and BNET offered up good information on employee motivation. Fortune/CNN article was science-based, while BNET was experience-based, with a leavening of humor.

They both said essentially the same thing with one exception, which I’ll get to in a minute.

Motivating employees means providing real purpose in their work; it requires challenging them and encouraging them to learn and grow; and it requires clear communications, including well-defined plans, roles and responsibilities.

Pretty standard stuff.

Now for the exception; the science offered up a new twist that just might help your implementation.

Removing obstacles is not the flip side of providing purpose, challenge and clear communications.

In other words, this is not one of those times that removing the negative means the positive will automatically rush in to fill the void or vice versa, that having the positives will overcome the negatives.

In this case you need to address the two as totally separate subjects.

First, remove any obvious negatives.

Next, start implementing the positives.

Third, be on the lookout for new obstacles.

Fourth, and most important, be sure that you on the side of the angels and not one of the obstacles.

Flickr image credit: zedbee

Today, a compilation study tell more about women’s efforts to achieve executive roles and three CEOs talk about why, how and what they did to outperform the competition.

Ladies first, so let’s start with the women. The ‘glass ceiling’ has been blamed for women’s inability to reach top executive levels, but a new study out of Harvard says that it’s more than that. Instead of one major barrier to hurdle, it’s a series of obstacles along the career path.

But women do make it. Women such as Dany Levy, founder of DailyCandy.com, who talks about managing, founding and running a company and the value of the “criticism sandwich — praise, constructive criticism, praise.”

Next A.G. Lafley, the storied CEO of a storied company—Procter & Gamble—talks about what a CEO does, no matter the business cycle.

Finally, meet Todd Wille, CEO of Unify Corp and the man the American Business Association named the best turnaround executive in 2008. Turnaround in 2008? Now, that’s saying something!

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Image credit: nono farahshila on flickr

More sage wisdom from our friend Anon(ymous). I have to say, she (he?) really has a way with words—and a certain subtlety of thought.

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. (Just before you trip and fall!)

Education is what you get from reading the fine print. Experience is what you get from not reading it. (Assuming you know how to read.)

THINK—it gives you something to do while the computer is down. (It’s really quite fun, worth turning everything off on purpose.)

My Reality Check bounced. (Damn! I am so tired of that happening.)

Everyone has a right to be stupid. Some just abuse the privilege. (But they shouldn’t work on Wall Street or run for office.)

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Image credit: sxc.hu