Month: June 2021

leadership dot #3291: impact

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As you no doubt have heard, Juneteenth has been designated as a new Federal Holiday to commemorate the day the last enslaved Black people learned that they were free. I wrote about its meaning last year (dot 2926) so this year I turn to consider the yet-to-be-understood implications of designating another Federal holiday.

I wonder what changes the official action will inspire. Will children (and adults!) learn more about the events surrounding this date since it is an official holiday? How will this new-day-off for millions impact future summer calendars? With only two weeks between Juneteenth and Independence Day, will that period become a collective holiday — full of vacations and downtime? Will mid-June now be favored — or avoided — for weddings and other celebrations as people seek to plan other events around what has become a holiday weekend? Will Juneteenth now spur on a host of new festivals and cultural events? How many other employers will add Juneteenth to their employee benefit plans, creating economic ripples throughout the country? Will the designation help tell America’s story to future generations? Such significant legislation spurs so many questions and possibilities!

Consider what Juneteenth could mean for your organization and plan now for how you can leverage or capitalize on the recognition it will receive next year to contribute your portion of the messaging beyond the inevitable holiday sales. Prepare to educate yourself and your team about why the date has significance and what lessons can be learned from it. Just as no one knew the impact of that day 156 years ago in Texas, neither do we know the ripple effect of commemorating Juneteenth as a Federal holiday. Don’t waste the window to do something new as a result of this action.

leadership dot #3293: drool

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My retriever drools like a Saint Bernard. In all my years of owning goldens, I’ve never had one quite like my Emma. She has a slight defect in her jawline and every. single. time. she takes a drink, there is a trail of liquid that follows her. She makes puddles while standing by the counter. It is incessant.

There is really nothing that I can do to correct her issue so I have come to accept it and adjust. There are towels everywhere. Easily washable rugs abound. I’ve grown accustomed to wipe-and-release whenever she is nearby.

There are some things that you can obliterate and other things you have to accommodate. Spend your energy on those upon which you can make an impact.

leadership dot #3290: happy

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“Thinking is an ability rather than a reality,” writes Richard Carlson in his book You Can Be Happy No Matter What. “Thought is not something that happens to us, but something that we do. It comes from inside of us, not from the outside. What we think determines what we see — even though it often seems the other way around.”

How many times have you experienced a negative situation simply because you thought incorrectly about the intent of another? Or have you felt joy simply because you chose to see it and tell yourself a positive story about an event? External events don’t color how we experience our lives, rather the internal thoughts that assign behaviors meaning.

Think of the power that lies within as you retain the ability to shape your thinking and thus influence your perceived reality. Think some happy thoughts and create that kind of day.

Source: You Can Be Happy No Matter What, 15th Anniversary Edition, by Richard Carlson, 2006.

leadership dot #3289: dizzy

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It’s not always clear when you are accommodating someone and when you are being taken advantage of. I know I wrestle with how many times I allow others to revise my schedule without implication to them or whether being flexible is just part of my contracted services. I wonder if it is compassionate to allow students to turn in projects late or whether agreeing to read their work separately only rewards poor time management habits in addition to messing with my calendar. My friend in construction is also often called to juggle his priorities, many times in the evenings and on weekends by pleading clients. Is his willingness to rearrange his workload a smart business move or the inability to set reasonable boundaries? It is difficult to know.

Some people are very comfortable working in a fluid environment where things are constantly changing and the work-of-the-day is whatever squeaks the loudest that morning. Others work better when there is some anticipated structure and planning involved. Either way, there is transition time and mental energy involved when it is necessary to switch things around and re-juggle tasks or schedules.

We don’t always have the luxury of choosing the conditions of our own work but we can increase the awareness of our impact on others. The next time you are tempted to disregard a deadline or to ask for special consideration on a project, remember that you are just one piece of a larger puzzle. For you to zig, someone else must zag. You’ll all get dizzy if you do it routinely.

leadership dot #3288: monitoring

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Oversight of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center after the 9-11 terrorist attack fell to Steve Plate, the Port Authority director of construction. It was a massive, complex project fraught with thousands of political, emotional, and logistical challenges and very much done in the public view.

While it would have been easy for Plate to become overwhelmed with all that had to be coordinated, he boiled down the construction metric to its essence. Once the work began, his staff reported to him “on the half hour, every half hour” first with updates on how much steel had been poured and later, how many glass panels had been installed. He opted for an extremely simple measure, performed with extreme frequency to understand how the project was progressing.

The next time you are involved with a complex undertaking, take a lesson from Plate and make your oversight as uncomplicated as possible. You may benefit from receiving updates more often, but if you’re hearing about the right measures you don’t need to drown from receiving too many of them.

Source: America’s Tower: One World Trade Center by Josh Sanburn, Time Inc. Specials, 2014

leadership dot #3287: turning around

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A map is helpful not only to direct where you are going but to give you an indication of whether you should press on or turn around. When you tire while out hiking, you can look at a map and determine whether the shortest path is the one ahead of you or behind you. But when you’re working on a project and face barriers, we often fail to consider the “turn around” option and instead waste valuable time and energy slogging forward.

Some projects are not worth the continued investment. As we lean into them and learn more, we encounter previously unknown complications that change the value ratio of the work. It’s the proverbial “sunk cost” that should be ignored — instead, reevaluate the project from where you are now without basing its merits on what has already been sunk into it.

Whether you are hiking or implementing a project, it helps to have markers to guide you in deciding whether you should proceed by going forward or whether turning around is better. Pressing on through difficulty may be noble, but it may not always be your wisest choice.

Thanks, Amy!

leadership dot #3286: walking

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In my town and the adjoining one, local councils are debating the merits of installing sidewalks on one of the busiest roads in their city. The residents are opposed, as they would incur not only the initial cost of assessment but also must maintain (i.e., shovel!) the walks going forward. But pretty much everyone else is in favor, realizing that a vibrant neighborhood involves walking, and doing so on sidewalks is infinitely safer than using the road.

I shook my head when I read the comment of one resident: “We don’t ever see people walking along the side of the road or anything like that.” Of course, you don’t. The street in question is a major thoroughfare with 35mph speeds and constant traffic. You would literally be risking your life.

The debate underscores a fundamental difference in creating change: helping people understand what could be vs. dwelling only on what is. The proponents need to paint a picture of what benefits sidewalks could provide to the greater community and what other areas look like that have such amenities in place. No one walked in my development either, until the sidewalks connected to the park and other neighborhoods, and now the walkways are bustling with kids, bikes, strollers and dogs. Let those who can envision the future have a voice.

Change always comes with a cost, and those impacted will rightfully point out this negative aspect. Your job is not to dispute this, rather to make the possibilities so appealing that the decision to move ahead becomes obvious.

Source: Residents speak out against JFK sidewalks plan by John Kruse in the Telegraph Herald June 9, 2021, p. 1A.

leadership dot #3285: food sensitivity

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We’ve likely participated in a food drive where we contributed canned goods, pasta, or other household staples. But until I read an article, I had never considered the challenges those with dietary restrictions face when they need to avail themselves of food bank services. While gluten-free foods are becoming more common in grocery stores, oftentimes they do not make their way to food pantries. The same with foods that can be eaten by those with lactose intolerance, nut allergies, and more.

The next time you grocery shop, intentionally purchase allergy-sensitive foods to contribute to others. Increase the awareness of the issue if your organization supports a Little Food Pantry or another collection site. Or maybe consider having a gluten-free food drive when you return to the office.

According to Food Allergy Research and Education, an estimated 32 million people in the U.S. have a food allergy. Increasing your sensitivity to those with food sensitivities goes well beyond making donations for the food insecure and should permeate all interactions your organization has with food.

Source: Allergies complicate lives for America’s food insecure by Kathleen Ronayne for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, June 11, 2021, p. 13A.

leadership dot #3284: light work

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“Many hands make light work,” was always my Mom’s mantra as she marshaled us kids into helping with a chore. Like many of those legendary sayings, it’s true, and I think more people or organizations would benefit from deploying the strategy.

Why not ask people to help you with the workload? Staples gets the idea as their new cart return encourages people to bring a cart in as well as return it to this corral. Restaurants expect people to self-bus their tables. I’ve also been at events where the audience was invited to bring their folding chair with them as they exited, saving massive amounts of time for the organizers. Carrying one chair is not unduly burdensome, but folding up hundreds of them compounds into a lot of work.

Think about how you can engage others to contribute one aspect of a bigger effort to lighten the load for everyone. Mother always knows best.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #3283: obscure

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When my sister heard of the Tomorrowland reference I used (dot 3282), she laughed at how I incorporated “another obscure reference from years ago” into my writing, teaching, or training. But the analogy made my point perfectly and gave the audience a visual picture of what is possible vs. what is, making it relevant in 2021 even though it was from a 2015 movie.

I think it’s my superpower to create analogies and make complex concepts understandable as my own superpower, and often this involves linking concepts from years ago. It comes so naturally to me that it doesn’t feel like a special strength, but after hearing many comments about my dot-connection-abilities, I have come to realize that it is.

Icebreakers often ask people to list what they wish their superpower could be and participants rattle off impossible feats like being invisible, knowing the future, or having the ability to time travel. I find it much more helpful to ask what people think their superpower is. It requires self-understanding and reflection to ascertain what is so ingrained in your DNA that you barely notice it but provides your unique niche and competitive edge.

Superpowers don’t need to be splashy or prominent, in fact, to be really super they probably are these obscure traits that few others have. Use some of the summer slowness to reflect on what quirky ability makes you be you — and then unabashedly share your gift with the world (even if your sister razzes you about it!)