Month: May 2021

leadership dot #3252: languishing

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While talking with a colleague, we were both longing for the warmth of sunshine to serve as an infusion of energy that is currently lacking in our lives. We felt that a combination of COVID/winter/the inability to gather was like a slow leak in our collective psyche and we needed the spring sun to patch it.

It turns out that psychologist Adam Grant was simultaneously writing about the same phenomenon which he terms as languishing. “Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness,” Grant writes. “It’s the blah you’re feeling; not depression, but the absence of wellbeing” where you have trouble concentrating and aren’t excited about things. I think everyone who has lived through COVID has been there (is there?).

Like any good psychologist, Grant offers strategies to combat languishing and move closer to the other end of the spectrum, flourishing. Step one he did for you: naming the emotion you’re feeling, a known trick to help your mental health. But beyond just identifying the name for your blah-ness, Grant suggests three additional strategies: 1) give yourself some uninterrupted time to get into a flow, 2) set boundaries (very helpful to achieve #1) so you are able to see a sense of progress, and 3) focus on a small goal (his is a daily word puzzle) to achieve small wins.

Whether it is allowing yourself time to soak in some sunshine or carving out time to go in-depth on a task, proactively addressing your emotions can help you get closer to feeling 100% present. Don’t ignore that slow leak of energy and wait until your productivity and joy are totally flat.

leadership dot #3251: reboarding

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As more people are vaccinated and organizations begin to return to in-person working, it’s important to consider what impact the pandemic will have had on your culture. Even if all the same people return to exactly the same space, they have been changed by life experiences and being apart for over a year. It’s time to consider a reboarding experience.

Similar to onboarding or orientation when new employees are hired, a reboarding program can help to set the tone and expectations for the work ahead. It can also allow for people to become (re)acquainted and for everyone to review the ground rules for post-pandemic life. If work-from-home is still an occasional option, how does an employee request it? What are the expectations for remote work with vendors and others who are not onsite? How do you respect the work of those who have been in the office the whole time?

In a reboarding experience, it’s also important to talk about the business reasons for why people are required to return. As one HR professional* said: “How sustainable is it to keep heads down without interaction? Yes, individual productivity may have been high, but what about creative collaboration and diversity of thought that comes from being together?”

You can’t have a year-long interruption and just pick up where you left off. Treat your return to the office as a new beginning and work to intentionally re-generate the enthusiasm and commitment that onboarding creates.

*Lisa Bowers, Dupaco Community Credit Union

leadership dot #3250: easiest

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I’ve been collecting the National Parks quarter series and still need five of the 56 issues. When I saw an ad offering the entire set for just slightly above face value I was very tempted to order it and be done. But then I realized that the purpose of my quest is not to have all the quarters, rather it is to find all the quarters. The joy is in the hunt.

It can be tempting to opt for the easy solution but rewards can also come from the effort itself. Hunting for the elusive piece for a collection. Making a meal instead of eating out. Enjoying a road trip rather than flying. Planting a garden to grow food instead of buying it. Writing a letter instead of sending a text.

Factor more into your decisions than just what is easiest.

leadership dot #3249: loose-leaf

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I’m taking a retirement planning seminar and just received my course packet in the mail. I was impressed with two bound and substantial workbooks that came in a branded folder with syllabus. It was more than I was expecting for a continuing education class.

And then I got to the back of the folder where I found three pieces of standard grade-school issue loose-leaf paper. I laughed out loud.

Why, oh why, would a company go through the expense of binding workbooks, express mailing them, and setting up the course so professionally — only to include the most generic note-taking sheets possible? Three blank pages of copier paper would have been better but why fail to go one tiny extra step to brand the note sheets? It makes no sense.

Paying attention — or not — to the little touches are what shapes someone’s entire impression of you. Don’t drop the ball on the one-yard line.

leadership dot #3248: reluctant

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I was working with an organization that had some members who are reluctant to embrace an upcoming change. (Sound familiar?) I encouraged the leaders to follow the advice that was given to me long ago: Focus on the willing. There will be recalcitrant employees at every stage of a new process; don’t deplete your energy by trying to persuade them. Move on and embrace those you don’t have to pull out of the mud.

This applies to organization-wide change initiatives and for small alterations that create personal resistance. I always smile when I think of my wizard receptionist who practically hugged her typewriter when I wanted to replace it with a computerized label-maker. She was so sure that the typewriter was more efficient for individual labels. She held fast to that belief for about a week, but by week two, she hauled the typewriter into storage where it was never used again. Letting her come to that conclusion instead of imposing a mandate or arguing about it made all the difference.

Think of the effort you put into convincing people and ask yourself if it is really a productive use of your energy. Investing that time into helping the willing move forward may produce results that serve as a beacon for the hesitant to follow.

leadership dot #3247: no surprise

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To promote the city-wide garage sales, there was a listing of all the sales with an overview of the items being sold. While efficient, it also made me realize that part of what I like about this form of treasure-hunting was the surprise element that is involved. “Yeah, this sale has tools,” or “Oh, a vintage typewriter,” is much more fun when you stumble upon the find instead of going to the sale because of it.

In many situations, we are losing the joy that a good surprise can bring. It’s rare that a couple doesn’t know the gender of their baby before the delivery. The Post Office will email you scanned copies of your mail before you discover it in your box. Social media provides previews of almost everything, creating spoilers if you care to read them.

We’re inundated with so much information that genuine surprises are rare but they can provide a magical type of delight that is hard to replicate in other forms. Try to infuse your life with minor moments of wonder or cultivate a sense of spontaneity to brighten your mood. Say “no” to knowing something in advance that you can learn later, even if it’s as simple as skipping the Informed Delivery notification about your mail. Let your friend pick the restaurant without your input. Unexpectedly do a household chore that’s not usually your forté. Bring a friend their favorite beverage or treat. Send someone a postcard.

Or, you could always drop off on their doorstep a garage sale treasure you stumbled upon that reminds you of that someone!

leadership dot #3246: deadlines

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I’m co-writing a journal article and both of us were struggling with the fact there is no externally imposed deadline to finish it. As a result, there is always something else with a due date that appears to be more urgent and the article keeps getting set aside. We finally named an end date to spur us into action, and I have no doubt that the draft will be ready to go by the end of May as we agreed.

The ability to set your own deadlines — and actually stick to them — is one of the most important life skills but it is rarely taught. I think it’s the key learning that comes from writing a dissertation (and why so many remain ABD), but most schooling is deadline-driven as is work and even event-based leisure. Youth sports begin the practice of living by someone else’s calendar (practice at X time, game at Y) and it often continues throughout adult years when we enroll in fitness classes vs. exercising on our own.

When left to our own devices, we don’t have much practice at creating our own timetables and holding ourselves accountable, yet the important aspects of your life require you to establish your own deadlines to accomplish them. The key is to get specific and create an internally imposed deadline to get in the queue along with external obligations. Instead of saying “there is no deadline” for writing an article, saving $X, or running a marathon, commit to a completion point and honor your word as you would if some else put that due date on your calendar.

leadership dot #3245: replicate

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I know people who have traveled literally for hours to get their COVID vaccine as soon as they were able, while others have steadfastly refused even though it was convenient for them to receive their shot.

It has been interesting to observe the messages that attempt to persuade people to go “sleeves up.” The ads, social media postings, and articles provide a range of scientific information, pleas on behalf of the community, assurances of safety, and cajoling. There are also messages from just about everyone: politicians, celebrities, loved ones of those who have died, and health professionals, all aimed at changing minds and spurring action. But not much of it is working.

A recent TIME article reported on a Harris Poll that said all of the shaming is actually counterproductive. “People think anti-vaxxers are stupid and selfish…It’s hard to get people to act in a cooperative manner when you approach them that way,” the research reports.

In order to craft more effective messaging, the researchers asked people who did get their vaccine what compelled them to do so. The primary influencer was a news story about the vaccine trials, and news stories about the results of those already vaccinated. But beyond the news, major influencers were individual needs: because they wanted to visit family or friends, because of a conversation with family or friends, because a family or friend got the vaccine or because they wanted to travel.

The poll results seem to suggest that appealing to friends to tell friends instead of relying on outside influencers would be more effective as would focusing on the benefits individuals could accrue rather than appealing to the community spirit may be better messaging.

But what I like most about this is the focus on asking those whose behavior you want to replicate — those vaccinated — about reasons why instead of asking the non-vaxxers why not. Think of how you could deploy this strategy in your organization — learning from those who have acted as you wish and using that information instead of shame to influence those who have not yet changed their behavior. There is power in the positive.

leadership dot #3244: draft

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I caught some of the NFL draft on television and, even though the process was COVID-modified, it still got me musing about their recruitment process. Think about all the teams know about the players before they are ever chosen — scouts have seen them performing the job responsibilities on film, have measurable statistics for their performance over multiple years, and have similar information for all of the leading aspirants for every position.

Can you imagine if other organizations hired people the way the NFL drafts players?

Instead, too often a manager or human resource professional meets with a person for an hour or so and makes a judgment based on that interaction and what the resume says. There is no hands-on assessment to see the person actually perform the work or something similar to it. Often, there are no objective criteria to outline what is important or how the candidates fare on that scale. The hiring manager may check references for the last position or two but likely does not extensively investigate everything about the applicant’s history.

While you may not be able to obtain “game film” on your next recruit, you can ask candidates to perform a relevant task and you can ascertain how they fit within your team through extended, interactive group interviews. Spending the time to hire the right player is a worthwhile investment, no matter what kind of team you’re coaching.

leadership dot #3243: signing

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In a creative branding of their hiring event, Dick’s Sporting Goods opted to call it “National Signing Day” instead of the generic Open Interviews. It not only ties with their business but going to a signing day sounds much more exciting than interviewing — and it predisposes the person to actually being hired and working at the store. This isn’t a come-check-us-out event; the intention is much clearer.

How could you brand your hiring process or do something to align it more with your organization? Schools could have an enrollment day — for employees instead of students. Banks could have an investment day — where potential hires invest in their future by working with them. Software or tech firms could offer an update day — encouraging new staff to update their employment by switching to the company. You get the idea!

Securing good talent is one of the most important — and most difficult — tasks that a manager faces. Use your marketing skills to stand out and have people consider you for their next job.