Six Pack of Questions with David Zinger
I’m proud to introduce my new partner-in-crime here at Slacker Manager, David Zinger. David, you have a very unique take on management and leadership, and I can’t wait to collaborate with you here at Slacker Manager. His Strength Based Leadership blog is a favorite of mine, and we’ve collaborated a bit before over at Joyful Jubilant Learning. He’s one of the best people I know at sharing feedback, and I am super excited to see how we work together to take 2 very different points of view and combine them into The Slacker Manager.
A Six-Pack with David Zinger
1) David, why do you consider yourself a Slacker Manager, and what perspective will you bring to this whole “Slacking is good” philosophy?
I think I qualify because I started this blog with a 2 week vacation. I believe I have perspective based on age and experience. I have been blogging for 3 years. My perspective will be to really build upon what Bren has already done and to work in conjunction with you to go further and funnier.
2) Why did you get on the Slacker Manager bus?
I was waiting for the uptown bus and this one came along! I hope we are going with more than a bus here Phil. How about a helicopter that we can hover, go straight up, and help readers get airborne with management and leadership.
3) You often take a humorous approach to management and leadership. Why is that so important to you?
Humor and playfulness is my number 1 signature strength. I believe when we laugh as leaders we last as leaders and that mirth makes for good management. I think when you can see and express the humor of something you have a richer understanding of it. I am fascinated by people’s responses to humor. I have been writing a humor spoof blog called Dr. Z’s Leadership Institute and it is amazing some of the puzzled responses I get to it. Some love it and others don’t “get it.” We need to “get it” as managers. I don’t want to go much further with this as I wrote a Master’s Thesis on humor in counselling and I always appreciated the line, “explaining humor is like dissecting a frog, it is interesting what you find but it is no longer full of life.” rib-bet rib-bet.
4) What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten that you can share as encouragement for our aspiring Slacker Managers?
I was travelling with two Australian beer guzzling bikers through New Zealand about 28 years ago and they always said: Go for it and Give it Heaps, Mate. I think we need to “go for” things that are important, give it our best, and know that we are doing it with our “mates.”
5) Managers and leaders need vision and foresight. How do you “get that” if you don’t have it?
By reading this blog, going for an eye test, and wearing glasses. I think you first want to have vision and then you need to devote time and energy to it and make it a priority.
6) Speaking of vision and foresight, where do you see Slacker Manager going now that you’re co-driving the bus?
I am not sure as I think reader response will have a huge impact on our direction. I would like to make this the leading site for management and leadership and I would like Bren to say in 1 year that he is glad we are doing this. Phil, I have rung the bell, gotten off of the bus, and I want to hover above the information highway to bring our readers perspectives, off the road ideas, traffic reports and help them find the “path of least resistance so they don’t trip and fall.”
So now you know both the Slackers here at Slacker Manager.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming of Slacking and Managing, brought to you by David Zinger and Phil Gerbyshak.
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POSTED IN: management
2 opinions for Six Pack of Questions with David Zinger
davidzinger
Aug 21, 2007 at 8:31 am
Thanks for the interview Phil.
Now we need to show our knack for slack.
Okay, it was a trite rhyme, but that can be excused as I just finished the six pack.
Phil Gerbyshak
Aug 21, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Is that like a My Sharona?