Spreadsheets (thank you, Excel) fascinate me. If you change sales by even a half of a percentage point, all of a sudden things look so much better. Change the number by a full percentage point and things look positively brilliant. Just 1%.
So that becomes something for us to contemplate. Sometimes we may feel that what we do doesn't make so much difference - that there may be so much adversity that overwhelms our singular contribution that it really isn't worthwhile. But, we must be steadfast - what we do, no matter how small of a percentage it may be to the total, makes a difference.
So, yes, do say "please" and "thank you."
Be genuinely grateful.
Practice both small and big acts of kindness.
Spend an extra minute (or two) and genuinely listen.
Do spend time with people; coach out of authentic interest and concern.
Be empathetic.
Don't engage in group think; be inquisitive. Turn the world around a couple of times and look at it from all angles.
Be generous.
And truthful.
What we do each and every day makes the difference between the world going on just as it is and making it a better place. And just in case you think the world is so big that 1% doesn't make a difference - contemplate this. On spreadsheets, the bigger the universal number, the more impact 1% of positivity makes.
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My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, December 28, 2018
Friday, December 21, 2018
But. . .Do We Connect?
We all recognize what utter chaos is caused when connectivity in our IT systems is lost. The world seemingly comes to a screeching halt; correct information is not relayed in a timely manner and people are drumming their fingertips on their desks just hoping that a connection will be restored.
The same is absolutely true for the connectivity in communication. So often we are given a script to communicate or know that we need to talk to a certain team member about a certain issue or we desire to address the entire team.
And often just the words have the impact of a bag of stale potato chips: worse than no flavor, the message becomes something distasteful. What's lacking? Connectivity.
It may not be the most popular thing to talk about an emotional connection in the workplace, but it is needed. To be clear, we are not talking about a "romantic" connection or a conversation that crosses lines that are considered ethical. To be clear, we are talking about the emotional intelligence that allows us to create an important connection from speaker to listener.
What's in it for the listener? How will this message make their life better? Is the listener assured they are being understood? Is there room for response, for conversational interplay? What do we know about the listener from previous conversations that can be applied to this conversation?
What is important about both the message and the listener and how do we tie those things together?
Once the answers to these questions are applied, the rocket fuel in the conversation then becomes delivery. Can it be realistic without being cardboard? Can there be an appropriate sense of humor? Can we talk about important issues, even issues of professional improvement, in a casual way that allows the message to be heard?
Words are just words. When words are spoken with genuine care and concern, they then truly become a connection - and we all realize that connectivity is needed for work to occur.
Like it? Share it!
My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle
The same is absolutely true for the connectivity in communication. So often we are given a script to communicate or know that we need to talk to a certain team member about a certain issue or we desire to address the entire team.
And often just the words have the impact of a bag of stale potato chips: worse than no flavor, the message becomes something distasteful. What's lacking? Connectivity.
It may not be the most popular thing to talk about an emotional connection in the workplace, but it is needed. To be clear, we are not talking about a "romantic" connection or a conversation that crosses lines that are considered ethical. To be clear, we are talking about the emotional intelligence that allows us to create an important connection from speaker to listener.
What's in it for the listener? How will this message make their life better? Is the listener assured they are being understood? Is there room for response, for conversational interplay? What do we know about the listener from previous conversations that can be applied to this conversation?
What is important about both the message and the listener and how do we tie those things together?
Once the answers to these questions are applied, the rocket fuel in the conversation then becomes delivery. Can it be realistic without being cardboard? Can there be an appropriate sense of humor? Can we talk about important issues, even issues of professional improvement, in a casual way that allows the message to be heard?
Words are just words. When words are spoken with genuine care and concern, they then truly become a connection - and we all realize that connectivity is needed for work to occur.
Like it? Share it!
My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle
Friday, December 14, 2018
JOY
Our first and perhaps most-natural filter for looking at the world around us is. . .how does this impact me?
Part of that is self-preservation and that's fine. . . and then there's the over-indexing in which we look at everything through the lens of "me." And the world doesn't work that way. . .and truthfully, looking at the world through the lens of "me" doesn't really work well for any of us.
Hence, "get over yourself."
It may be more than that, though. "Getting over ourselves" hints that we reluctantly leave behind that which doesn't serve us well; that after days or months of hmm-ing and haw-ing we finally allow viewpoints other than our own to prevail. It may take more action than just stepping around our personal bias for a minute. Maybe it should be more dramatic? Maybe willfully moving beyond ourselves requires a bigger action.
So, maybe it takes a little JOY: "Jump Over Yourself."
Sometimes we look at things through the "me" filter out of fear. Sometimes we look through the "me" filter out of habit - perhaps perpetuating things that we wish we really didn't do. Whatever the reason, the point is that we can't move forward because we are standing in our own shadow as opposed to stepping into the light; we are standing in the way of progress.
So maybe it takes a more deliberate action to move beyond ourselves - an action of resolve for the greater good (and our own good). Maybe it takes a big jump beyond what we know to get to a place we really like or love.
Not accidentally, the acronym "JOY" indicates that happiness we feel when we take that jump to move beyond what we mistakenly believe serves us well to what serves all of us better.
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Part of that is self-preservation and that's fine. . . and then there's the over-indexing in which we look at everything through the lens of "me." And the world doesn't work that way. . .and truthfully, looking at the world through the lens of "me" doesn't really work well for any of us.
Hence, "get over yourself."
It may be more than that, though. "Getting over ourselves" hints that we reluctantly leave behind that which doesn't serve us well; that after days or months of hmm-ing and haw-ing we finally allow viewpoints other than our own to prevail. It may take more action than just stepping around our personal bias for a minute. Maybe it should be more dramatic? Maybe willfully moving beyond ourselves requires a bigger action.
So, maybe it takes a little JOY: "Jump Over Yourself."
Sometimes we look at things through the "me" filter out of fear. Sometimes we look through the "me" filter out of habit - perhaps perpetuating things that we wish we really didn't do. Whatever the reason, the point is that we can't move forward because we are standing in our own shadow as opposed to stepping into the light; we are standing in the way of progress.
So maybe it takes a more deliberate action to move beyond ourselves - an action of resolve for the greater good (and our own good). Maybe it takes a big jump beyond what we know to get to a place we really like or love.
Not accidentally, the acronym "JOY" indicates that happiness we feel when we take that jump to move beyond what we mistakenly believe serves us well to what serves all of us better.
Like it? Share it!
My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available on Amazon Kindle.
Friday, December 7, 2018
The Edge
What is it that takes an enterprise from really good to truly remarkable?
Vision.
Many organizations function remarkably well - and that's terrific. And a few organizations are truly remarkable - and the difference is the vision of "what could be."
The vision to be best in class.
The vision to grow the business by an unprecedented amount.
The vision to expand the enterprise by adding channels that heretofore had not been considered.
The vision to utilize people and technology and natural resources in new and different ways that make sense.
Vision creates that picture that teams can both own and modify as they move forward. Vision, however, has to be believable. To be believable it must be firmly rooted in the reality of what is true today. If an organization is visibly not functioning well and a leader launches a vision of being first in class without a roadmap of how to span the chasm - it just becomes more of a morale breaking cycle.
If, on the other hand, an organization is reasonably well -functioning and a leader paints the picture of both a world class organization and a map of how (and why!) the enterprise can get there - then that becomes inspiration that every team member can believe in - it is more than an adherence point - it then becomes a commitment.
The commitment then starts to fulfill the vision - and that is one of the truly amazing things to watch in business. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks. . .they would not be the giants of industry that they are without a terrific, cooperatively owned vision.
You, too, can paint that picture.
Like it? Share it!
My book is available on Amazon Kindle.
Vision.
Many organizations function remarkably well - and that's terrific. And a few organizations are truly remarkable - and the difference is the vision of "what could be."
The vision to be best in class.
The vision to grow the business by an unprecedented amount.
The vision to expand the enterprise by adding channels that heretofore had not been considered.
The vision to utilize people and technology and natural resources in new and different ways that make sense.
Vision creates that picture that teams can both own and modify as they move forward. Vision, however, has to be believable. To be believable it must be firmly rooted in the reality of what is true today. If an organization is visibly not functioning well and a leader launches a vision of being first in class without a roadmap of how to span the chasm - it just becomes more of a morale breaking cycle.
If, on the other hand, an organization is reasonably well -functioning and a leader paints the picture of both a world class organization and a map of how (and why!) the enterprise can get there - then that becomes inspiration that every team member can believe in - it is more than an adherence point - it then becomes a commitment.
The commitment then starts to fulfill the vision - and that is one of the truly amazing things to watch in business. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks. . .they would not be the giants of industry that they are without a terrific, cooperatively owned vision.
You, too, can paint that picture.
Like it? Share it!
My book is available on Amazon Kindle.
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