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deCOG

Are You a Cog?

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What is a COG?  COG is short for the term “Corporate Cog”

…an employee who is obedient, diligent, comes to work every day, on time and works for the money. They may have gone to school for their job and even received advanced degrees, but they don’t really enjoy what they are doing.  But they don’t hate it either.  It is just a job.

When their alarm goes off in the morning, they groan and have a hard time getting out of bed.

A COG can be at any level in the organization, from the CEO to the base employee.  They will usually do just about anything to keep the job – the job they really don’t care for.

They are often beat up at work and instead of fighting back, they take it.  They don’t rock the boat because they don’t want to be the next former employee.

Their WHY for working is to get a paycheck. They often go home exhausted, only to return the next day to do it again.

DECOG

On the other hand, the DECOGGED employee is the opposite.  Yes, they are diligent in their job, but they also are creative, ingenious, and innovative. Their paycheck is a side benefit because they LOVE what they do.

When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, they are excited about what they get to do that day.

I have seen DECOGGED janitors, admin assistants as well as CEOs.  As with a COG, the DECOGGED person can be at any level.  They don’t have a problem rocking the boat because they know that thier job is a means to an end, not the end itself.

They understand WHY they are working, and it usually is not for the money, but for a higher purpose.  And it is not unusual to go home more excited and energetic than when they came because what they are working on they thoroughly love.

So, which are you?  Are you a COG or have you DECOGGED yourself?

If you have any symptoms of a COG, keep watching these videos to learn how to decog yourself.

Humanize Work – We Are At War, But Who Is Our Enemy?

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Let there be no mistake – we are at war.

Not war in the traditional sense, but we are fighting a force that is almost overwhelmingly too strong.

Almost.

You see, we have been taught to go to school, learn, get good grades, graduate, and find a job.  Once there, they put you in a box on the org chart, give you responsibilities and your job is to be obedient, follow process and policy and, if you are lucky, you might climb the corporate ladder.  In essence, you are treated more like a cog in a machine, than a person.  This is what we are taught we should do and most of us do it diligently.

Then later in life – it could be 6 months later or right before we retire – we ask ourselves, “Why am I doing what I am doing?”  This usually creates the basis for a great mid-life crisis.

We are not fighting against evil men who are conspiring to turn every person into a cog and subjugate the human workforce.  Rather we are fighting against a cultural force that compels you, and me, your family and your friends to give up our passion and spend hours working toward a cause that either we don’t understand, can’t relate to, or we could care less about.  It is a culture that tells us that if we earn a paycheck, that’s good enough – we are lucky to get that.

To win this war it is a constant, daily fight within ourselves.  It would be so much easier for us to give in, just go to work and get the paycheck.  That is what we are expected to do.  But if we want a fulfilling career, most of us will need to work hard to focus on our personal purpose.

But if you don’t have one, then you are already losing the battle.

For those who have a passion and a purpose but may not have the courage to go after it – you’re not alone, but you are not getting any younger, either.  And your situation won’t be easier than it is right now.

But it IS your choice.

You can either be acted upon, or take control and act.

And now is the best time to start.

 

What is Your WHY? The Key to Coglessness

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All of us need to be asking ourselves, “WHY” much more often.  Why are we working in the job we have?  Are we just working for the money?  It is because this is the only job we could find? Or it’s a job that will do for now?  Or is it because you hope to climb the ladder of success?

I bet if you were to do a survey, most people, if they answered honestly, would have one of those answers.

So, WHY are YOU doing the work you do?  

This question is they key to living a cogless life.

We must understand WHY we are doing what we are doing.  What is our purpose?  What cause are we trying to fulfil?

Mine?  It saddens me to see anyone live beneath their potential – to know that they have so much more within them.  As I work with clients I see business zombies – those who have so much more to give, yet have been beaten down by the modern day work culture.  I want to help them, and you, LOVE what you do, to live your passion and reach that potential.

But there is a trade-off.  Asking WHY will give you some answers you are not comfortable with.  

As Robert Caldera commented on the Decog.Me Google+ Page, Asking WHY “can be a more frustrating journey than to just accept things the way they are, but to not do so is denying who we are as human beings.”

What is your WHY?

Here is a test. Explain to someone what you do in your job.  Then, explain to them something that you love to do outside of your job and why you do it.

I bet when you talk about your job you probably will tell them WHAT you do.  But when you talk about your passion, you will also say WHY you do it.  And when you do, your eyes will sparkle, your voice will get excited, and you will smile and have an intensity that the other person can not only feel, but they will get excited with you.

You know that feeling I’m talking about.  You’ve seen it in others and you have seen it in yourself.

I challenge you to know why you do what you do, do what you love, and love your work.

 

Top 10 Career Thoughts You Will Have in the New Year

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These are your top 10 thoughts you will have about your career in the new year

10.  When the alarm goes off you will moan, because you will still dread or only tolerate your job, with little or no hope in doing what you love.

9. You will remember that thing you love to do and start to get excited about it.

8. You will think about it all day and all night – and even during your regular job.  You will watch videos and read books about it.  You might even start a blog on the subject.

7. You will start making plans on how to make it your real job and you will tell your loved ones that you are going to dive in.

6. Dive in you do, but….  work will get really busy and you won’t get very far.

5. Your energy will fade for that thing you love, you will forget to write your blog posts, and you will realize that you must focus on what brings in the money.

4. The alarm will yet again go off.  This time you will not only hear yourself moan, but you will more deeply feel it because you already tried, but failed.

3. You will resign yourself to the fact that you will be doing the same job 10 years from now and there is little hope of changing.

2.  You accept it, and move on.

1.  Then, one day, something will click and you will know that nothing is going to stop you from doing that thing you love.  It may take time, but living in a job you only tolerate will no longer an option.  The passion you will have for that thing you love will overpower any roadblock you come up against and next year’s prediction will be completely different.

 

Finding the WHY – Introducing Decogification

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Do you know those times when you can feel what you are destined to do, yet you can never really put your finger on it?

For about ten years I have felt compelled toward something, but I had no idea what it was.  There was something substantial in front of me, but it would never materialize.  My thoughts would point me in a direction and I would run – not knowing exactly what it was I was headed toward, let alone what the final destination would be.

Over the years, this feeling has been my WHY – that thing that keeps me going and gives me a purpose for my work.  That direction was begging me to run to it.  So, in my work, I have focused down this line, producing content and delivering value.

WHAT I did has changed.  I started and completed my masters in learning & performance technologies, I started a couple of blogs (Engaged Learning and this one), I started up a podcast, twitter accounts to engage audiences, a series of videos and started speaking professionally.  Some of my efforts have only been marginally successful.  Some have failed.  Others have been very successful.  But they were all pointed toward this unknown WHY.

Although WHAT I have done has changed, my WHY hasn’t.

Even if I didn’t totally understand my WHY, I could feel it (which is probably more important).

Recently, my end goal has became clear.  Let me explain.

Every company I consult with has some incredible people – it has been a blessing to work with them all.  They are crazy smart and many are very passionate.  It has been a highlight of my career.  But within the same companies “I see dead people.”

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(Click to watch the video.)

Too many of the people I meet are “walking around like regular people.  They don’t see each other.  They only see what they want to see. They don’t know they’re dead.” And I see them “all the time.”

Rather than scaring me, it saddens me.  Here these are good people, smart, wonderful people who have so much potential, but it is almost as if they are a zombie.  They do their work (and may be really good at it), but 8-10 hours of their day is focused on… survival.  Not toward any great purpose that they are trying to accomplish, but just to make it to the end of the day, week, or even until retirement.

I call these people COGs.

This is no way to live a life.

My WHY is to help people love what they do.  Rather, to help people do what they love and bring some purpose, some love and passion back into their work, so when they go home they are more energized by what they did that day than when they began.  I want them to be extraordinary.

 

decog-yourself

 

 

To help others (and possibly you), I have started http://decog.me.  This site gives resources and help to those who want more, but feel stuck in the rat race.

You may be a cog yourself.  If you are, I want to help.  If you know someone who is a cog, this site can help you help them.

To be clear, I want to help.  I don’t expect  to create a consulting practice or get rich quick off (or at all) of something like this.  I am not doing this for monetary gain.  I seriously just want to help.

What I ask of you.

Please join me.  Sign up for the email list.  Join the Google+, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages.  Follow the movement on Twitter.  Follow the deCOG Blog. Learn how you can help those around you decog themselves.  Give your ideas.  Ask your questions.  Give examples.

The more we can help people decog themselves, the more they will learn of their potential.  And, yes, as they decog, your work life satisfaction will increase an immense amount as well.

I hope you will join me.