Month: August 2024

leadership dot #635a: just in case

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I was at a gathering yesterday with several baseball coaches and former players. The conversation turned to superstitions and the quirky things they did in conjunction with the game. One pays attention to the color ink in the pen he uses to fill out the lineup card. Another wore a cut-off sock on his pitching arm. One spits into his glove after every pitch. They knew of players who wore the same socks all season (without washing them!). And on it went. It seemed that everyone did something on the off chance it would matter.

Then someone wondered what it would be like if we had superstitious rituals in every profession as there seem to be in baseball. The teacher would tap the marker on the whiteboard three times before writing with it. The office worker could rub their mouse before turning on the computer. A nurse could stand with her feet in a specified position before drawing blood. We had a lot of fun with the possibilities.

Maybe you can do something with this idea: use it as an icebreaker at your next party, develop a superstition of your own to help you get in the right frame of mind to start your work day, or have everyone do it in your group to create some good laughs and team bonding.

If you were to develop the equivalent of a baseball player ritual for yourself, what would it be? 

 

leadership dot #1108a: wide

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I recently was in the school supply section of a college bookstore. While it was no surprise that I was roaming the aisles of some of my favorite products, I do so in part because I find something new there every time I go.

Today’s find was a set of legal pads — with the orientation turned landscape instead of portrait.  Now why haven’t they thought of this before?  It is advertised as allowing you to “work in computer screen dimensions,” something that could be very handy for those trying to replicate items on the screen.
 
There are likely many applications for a pad that is wide instead of long.  Math formulas, a list of quotes, names and addresses, specific website addresses, or reference citations come to mind.  The format may be preferable for commuters who are trying to write on their laps while en route or someone who wants a pad that orients the same way as their tablet or laptop.  
 
Just looking at a wide pad forces you to think outside the box and change your perspective.  Anything that can achieve that is a good thing!
 
How can you change the orientation of an everyday product that you use today?  
 
Originally published in modified form on June 14, 2015
 
 
 

leadership dot #103a: in reverse

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I have dedicated my career to education and believe wholeheartedly in its worth. I know that education provides many valuable lessons and transforms student lives in ways few other experiences can.

Much of education is measured by the compilation of credits. Students take classes, earn credits, and move forward to the next grade. Obtain 128 of the right credits in college and you graduate. Mission accomplished — yeah!  If you never pick up a book again, you still have achieved your goal.  

What education doesn’t do well is teach students the concept of negative progress. Most things in life are not like credit accumulation, where once goals are earned they remain yours. Instead, life is more like weight loss or savings — you can continue on a steady path and achieve your goal, but if you don’t continue the behavior that got you there, you will lose all the results that you have obtained. You can’t methodically exercise and eat right; achieve a weight loss goal and then celebrate being “done” and expect the results to stay with you as a diploma does.

It is a valuable life lesson to learn that reverse can happen, and understand how to prepare for it; to know that success is tenuous and that behavior needs to be sustained to preserve it. Education would do well to celebrate the journey more than the destination and to help its students master the lesson of persistent, lifelong effort rather than focus on the episodic endings.

Originally published in modified form on September 12, 2012



 



leadership dot #1748a: dispensable

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I recently met with a colleague who was preparing to go on maternity leave. She talked about the logistics involved to allow her program to run without her for several months, and how she has spent her time delegating and training others for her departure.

“I spent the first five years of my career trying to become indispensable,” she said. “And then I realized that was not a sustainable lifestyle. I have spent the next five years of my career trying to make myself dispensable instead!”

We talked about how letting go is a hard lesson to learn for anyone in a new role: new employees, new parents, or new leaders — at first, everyone thinks they prove their value when others are reliant on them. It is only with wisdom that people learn that the true measure of their worth is how people operate without them there: how the child or employee lives out the values you have imparted without your monitoring or how the work is done when you are away.

It reminded me of a quote from one of David Ambler’s Guidelines for Working With Students: “Accept the fact that we are not an end to ourselves. With each new program and student, we should work toward the end of eliminating our necessity.” It may seem counter-intuitive, but it is a maxim that ultimately rings true.

What steps can you take today to make yourself just a bit more dispensable than you are? You’ll approach your work differently if you make eliminating your necessity the goal.

Originally published in modified form on March 15, 2017

 

leadership dot #2441a: B-side

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Queen’s song We Will Rock You is in the Grammy Hall of Fame and one of the Greatest Songs of All Time, but when it was first released in 1977 it was on the B-side of the single. In this age of digital music, B-sides no longer exist but the designation was once simultaneously a distinction and a demotion for vinyl-era artists. The B-side song was seen as good, but not good enough to be the one promoted to radio stations or to receive air time.

While I’m sure much debate went into deciding which song made the B-side, the artists and producers did not always choose the one audiences favored. In addition to We Will Rock You, other notable B-sides included Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, Gloria by Van Morrison, Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, and even Hound Dog by Elvis. All these songs went on to be hits of their own – and several were more popular than the songs on the A-side (Hung On You; Baby, Please Don’t Go; Thirteen Women).

Keep these songs in mind if you find yourself relegated to a B-side role in your organization. Just because you didn’t get the original lead doesn’t mean that you can’t end up as a winner. Capitalize on the reduced pressure and far exceed everyone’s expectations.

Hat tip to Brenda for the original idea!

Originally published in modified form on February 20, 2019

leadership dot #771a: three strikes

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A friend of mine had a son in his first year of Little League. In one of his first times up to bat, he was out on a called strike.

“He didn’t even swing at the ball!” exclaimed his mother. “How could he be out?”

The player did not understand why he was out either, not because he was arguing with the ref or thought the ball was outside the strike zone.  

He was out because the rules had changed from the level of play he was in during the previous summer. In T-Ball, you can swing at the ball as many times as it takes to hit it. In Rookie League, the coach pitches until you hit it. A called strike is a concept for the bigger leagues and was one that was not explained to the new players.

Does your organization have things like a called strike — something the experienced people know but fail to explain to others? Are there ways you can make the transition from one level to another easier for those who must do it? Do rules and norms change depending on the seniority of people?

We often take for granted that everyone knows “the way things are done around here,” but in reality, they do not. Before you call someone out on metaphorical strikes, make sure you take the time to explain the expectations and highlight the rule books for the newcomers.

Originally published in modified form on July 12, 201

 

leadership dot #45a: listen to that voice

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I recently had a candidate ponder a job offer that I made. He was very conflicted about whether to stay at his current position or whether to come join the fun here.  While talking to him, I heard my mother’s voice in my head: “When in doubt, leave it out.”

She first spoke those words to me when I was a teen debating about whether or not to buy a piece of clothing. Her belief was that if you weren’t in love with it from the beginning, it was never going to get any better. 

That single piece of advice has probably saved me thousands of dollars in unwarranted purchases over the years, but I think that its meaning goes way beyond wardrobes and the economy. It can apply to job offers, food decisions (if you aren’t craving that cupcake, don’t eat it); ethical choices, romance, and just about anything you can think of.

If there isn’t a compelling reason to say YES, don’t.

Originally published in modified form on July 16, 2012

 

 

leadership dot: #359a checkered flag

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Every Sunday night in the summer, I hear the continuous “whir” of stock car racing in the background. I live several miles from the speedway, but there is an unmistakable noise each week for several hours.

What I find fascinating about stock car racing is that the chassis, suspension and engine on these cars are architecturally identical on all of the vehicles. It is the origin of the word “stock” car — the car was procured from the normal stock vs. a custom-designed racing car. In fact, the technological elements resemble the standard cars in use by regular drivers.*

This leaves all the differentiation to a strict set of allowable changes, but mostly the success is up to the driver.  

Much of the same is true in organizations. Often, you are providing the same physical product as a competitor and norms require you to remain within standard parameters. What differentiates you is how you deliver your service and how your people “drive” the organization.  

Invest as much as you can in your drivers. Even on the county speedway, the checkered flag only waves for one.

Originally published in modified form on May 26, 2013

*en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Stock_car_racing

leadership dot #2020a: spelling

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For many people, myself included, dictionaries are about the spelling and looking up how to properly do that vs learning what the meaning or root cause of the word might be. One of my very favorite apps is dictionary.com. It says a lot about how I spend my time!

Having an electronic version makes it nice that I don’t have to lug a big dictionary around with me, but what I really love is the “did you mean?” feature. When you look up words in a print version— presumably because you don’t know how to spell them, you are left with no assistance if you are off the mark. But dictionary.com will provide you with a whole list of related or possible suggestions — and presto you can insert it and be in your way.

Think about how your organization operates. Are you like the print dictionary where all the information is there and fully accessible to clients — IF they know what to ask or where to look? Or are you like the app where you provide all the same resources PLUS anticipate what your clients might really mean and give it to them in that format instead?

There is a reason the print version is yellowing on my shelf.

Originally published in modified form on December 12, 2017

leadership dot #3433a: short term

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Short-term and temporary may both refer to brief or non-permanent situations but I think they each have a different impact on our mindset. If a situation is labeled as temporary, the focus becomes on the ending — “this is just for now and soon it will be over.” Contrast that with something that is short-term where there is more of an acceptance that “this is how it is for now.” It may end, but there is a focus on the present.

Clarifying the distinction can help with realistic planning and the setting of expectations. If we treat something as temporary that lingers into a short-term and even longer circumstance we incur mental fatigue as our goalpost keeps moving into the future. If a situation has an unknown ending such as helping someone through recovery, facing budget restrictions, or an extensive road project, it may help to acknowledge that this current state is the reality and adjust your thinking accordingly as if it were a permanent condition.

Language shapes thinking and mindset shapes actions. Don’t make a difficult situation harder by how you frame it.

Originally published in modified form on November 8, 2021