When the Wind Rushes In
Fall has this way of beating us with beauty and then sending in the wind to knock it all down. In Oregon, this is when we start to lament the gray and rainy season coming. In Minnesota, we lament the fact that Winter is coming.
The winds push in and pick up everything it can, sometimes we aren't prepared for that. We aren't ready for the predictable, unpredictable gusts of cold, blustery air. Yet we know it comes, every fall. Just as we know the cold comes, every winter. And here we stand at the beginning of the year, it too comes, predictably, every year.
Photo by Kunj Parekh on Unsplash
We can plan for the predictably unpredictable. We may not know how strong the gusts of wind will be, but we know they will be there. We may not know what the year will bring, but we know the year will come.
What will you prepare for this year?
I am not a resolution girl, because I predictably break them. I make them and break them before the month is out. But I do plan for the year to come. I spend a day reflecting on where we have been as a family, and then I set a vision and plan for where we will go. It doesn't always go to plan. I did not plan on changing jobs and ultimately careers in 2017, but I did. I did not plan on flying to Oregon in December to say goodbye to my Uncle, but I did. I did not plan on writing another book, but I am.
I am predictably horrible with follow through when my interest wanes, so I have to plan for that within the plan. I have to find time to create, to try new things without any expectation of follow through, so the other things I am working on, that do need to be finished, will be.
What is your plan for when the winds rush in? How will you be prepared to stand in them so they do not blow you away? What pieces of your foundation do you need to build so when the winds of an unexpected travel or sickness or change ravage your body with spinning sand, you are ready for the gusts.
In motion
We are in constant motion. Blinking of eyes, twitching of nerves, shifting of muscles. We must move so we do not become stiff and stale.
In our professions it is no different. As we truly enter into a season in which it is a job seeker's market, it is important for hiring organizations to see the opportunity of being part of people's professional gain as fiscally more of a gain than capturing a person's talent.
People don't like to be captured.
People like to be valued and invested in.
Gallup reports a mere 33.3% of people who are engaged at work. What is happening with the other two thirds of staff? Gone are the days of transactional work. People do not owe any loyalty to a company, and it is actually up to the company to actively invest in their human capital in order to increase their bottom line.
Photo by Štefan Štefančík on Unsplash
2018 is on the horizon. As you set vision and strategy, what will you do to invest in your people's professional gains? How will you create momentum for people to perform to the best of their ability? How will you become an employer of choice, not because you have all the check list things that "millennials" want, but that you have asked and listened to what your employees need and put their words into action. Into motion.
I quote Simon Sinek over and over because it is true: People don't buy what you do, but why you do it. It is no different for your employees. You want them to build your company? You have to provide opportunities for them to build themselves.
Firefish
Gorgeous, unexpected, brilliant. This is the reaction to seeing a Firefish either in a tank or in the wild. It has variations of colors, but the fins are striking and the contrast like no other. Their temperaments are calm and inviting, which makes it a standout in the tank.
Who are the Firefish in your arena? Who are the people who are unexpected and brilliant? Who has the even temperament that will make for a solid leader? How are these Firefish being invested in, shown different pathways within your organizations, and encouraged to excel?
Sometimes our own processes can hamper us from seeing the vibrancy of a Firefish, and where else in the company they can not only thrive, but influence and be an agent of change.
Firefish from http://www.liveaquaria.com/
Finding the right fit
I don't use a tailor, I just try on a lot of different sizes and brands trying to find the right fit. Jeans and companies are a lot alike, they make their standard product and expect us to fit our unique asses in.
And when I find the fit that makes my butt look great, I'm loyal.
And there is a place for tailoring. No company is going to be perfect. Just like no jean fit is. They get close, and there is usually an element that we will compromise for the rest. The important piece is knowing what you are willing to compromise and what you are not.
Non-negotiables are vital for understanding what the next step can and will be.
For jeans, I can't have a muffin top, I have to be able to do squats without my underwear showing in the back, and they have to be long enough so I can wear both heels and flats with them. The last one I actually will compromise if I fall in love with the feel, but it stays on the list because I don't want a junked up closet that will only work with certain shoes.
I don't want a junked up work environment in which I compromise my why or my values. Instead, I want a company that gets it almost right. A company that reflects my values and one that allows me to work my why for the better of the whole.
Yes
Today, what are you saying yes to? Is it in alignment with your personal why? Is it serving you well?
Often we pick up the routine at the beginning of the day, week, month, year, with little more than a glance or a consideration. When I lived in LA, it was crazy to watch how traffic shifted from the weekdays to the weekends. Weekend traffic was chaotic and unpredictable because people weren't on autopilot. They had to think about where they were going, how to cross six lanes of traffic in order to get to the exit. More accidents and road rage happen on the weekends because people are awake and frustrated that it isn't going as smoothly as it "should." The only reason the should feels so foreign is because we aren't necessarily awake to or aware of the rote.
Saying yes is a conscious way of waking up. Saying yes confirms the choice and allows us to consider if it is the right thing to say yes today.
In the mess
Welcome to the mess. Roughly 10,000 boomers are retiring each day. They won't stop until 2029. This isn't new, this isn't out of the blue, age happens. We have known this was coming, it's just that we are here in it now, and it feels harder than we thought.
Photo by Lucy Chian on Unsplash
Right now, the best thing we can do is recognize we are in the mess together. There is no us or them. There is no better than or worst than. We are here with 1.1 qualified candidates per job opening. We are here with people who want to work, want to be seen, and want to be valued. We are here in the mess, and there is no clear path, because we haven't ridden this particular storm out together. And that is the best part. We are changing right now, and change is messy. It is the beginning to some remarkable, innovative, fun, exciting, adaptive, and failing forward work.
We have some choices to make, in the mess. Do we fend for ourselves, or do we work together? We have a strong group of humans who won't stand or tolerate companies who fend for themselves. Which is going to press us to look in. Press us to reevaluate. Press us to try something without totally knowing the results or the projections. It is exciting and messy that status quo won't work for this storm.
What's in it for me?
I recently was quoted in a story about Workforce. We are facing an unprecedented low unemployment rate nationwide, and yet today, Gallup reports a mere 32.9% of us actively engaged at work. In the article I talk about two questions a company has to be able to answer honestly and transparently for their future employees: What's in it for me? and What's in it for us?
What's in it for me?
This isn't a selfish question. This is about professional development, lifelong learning, and leadership. This is a question that gives the future employee the scope of their own path and advancement within or frankly, outside your organization. Don't be fooled, this isn't an entitled question, it is an honest one. As a culture, we blend our workday and our personal time together. People are looking for work/life integration, not because they are entitled, but because we continue to believe that our time and talents should be valued and paid for. Employees are looking for a culture that matches their values, because then work doesn't feel like work, it feels like helping, doing good, leadership.
What's in it for us?
This is the most exciting question. If a company can follow Zappo's lead and create a mantra around work that matters, greatness occurs. It is a question about WHY your organization does the work it does. Why are you getting up every day to come to work? Why did you take on your position of leadership, and how is it positively affecting the world? This isn't about installing a nap room or flex time if managers continue to micromanage and create distrust. This isn't about putting ping pong tables in the break room if there is still a culture that floor workers can't cross onto the carpet. This isn't about desperation for workers, this is about attracting the right workers who see value in the products and services produced within your organization. And they feel the value you pour into them to make a positive impact on our communities and our world.
The world is big.
Photo by Eric Didier on Unsplash
One of my niece's best friends lives in Australia. They have not been in a physical space together, but they face time often.
This is the world we live in.
A world in which kids aren't on their phones merely to keep their Snapchat streak going, but to fact check or find a more interesting way to learn what is being talked at them for 6.25 hours a day.
We are at a crucial crossroads. As companies, we are in competition with the world for the hottest commodity on earth: people. And they are not disposable, They are not expendable. They are beating hearts who, if engaged and bought into your culture, will grow the bottom line...if you can answer two questions.
Revise v. Refine
Revise. Again. Cut, tear, push, pull. Read. Revise. Again.
It is an endless cycle, and one that cannot be avoided if refinement is the goal. We only refine after we have a foundation that is sturdy and strong. When we first start in our career, we will take many years building our foundation one questioned and revised block at a time.
amphitheater on Raspberry Island, MN
It is tireless work and often mistaken as a quest for perfection, but there is no perfection. There is persistence that pays off in satisfaction, but to rest on the laurels of perfection is a charlatan's dream. Once the foundation is tested, cracks come, blocks split, and we tear down and revise again.
Refinement comes softly, slowly, and simply. Refinement is a pinch of essence here and there. It is a grapple between a word, not a phrase. It is a sweet perfume earned, tirelessly, with the pursuit of a sturdy base.
Revise until you trip into the refined sense of yourself. And then do it again.
Cogs
spring grove, mn homecoming parade, 2017
We are all cogs in the machine of life. It doesn't mean a cog stays stationary. Cogs can plug in wherever they want. The difference is when a cog is cognizant of it's importance to the entire machine, it sees which other cogs rely on it to move the machine forward.
One cog doesn't make the machine. Life isn't about going it alone. It is about recognizing our unique way of movement and plugging in with others to move the machine positively.
To Be Reasonable
Photo by Jaie Miller on Unsplash
That seems a small thing, right? Be reasonable. Ben Franklin would ask us to be temperate. To pause. To reflect. To consider.
To be reasonable is to be the best version of self today, and to continue to work toward the best version of self for tomorrow. And when we fall short, because we will, to own our actions, take a pause, and make it right.
It isn't hard to be reasonable, but it takes a sense of vulnerability and consideration.
Simulated Success
Extrinsic motivation will only work so long until the stimulus gets old, the routine tired, or the subject wears out. Genius is born out of wonder, dedication and the privilege of time.
Are we giving time for people to discover their own paths? Are we carving time out and setting the expectation that developing and experimenting are imperative parts of the work?
Certainly, we can set up simulations, copy someone else’s genius and a spark may turn to smoke and a little flame. If we want bonfire results, we have to get out of the way of wonder. As supervisors/teachers/managers/parents, we are the bellows, blowing air into the coals of our employees/students/kids. And when that fire catches, and the motivation is roaring with the rise of flames, we step back and watch in wonder of how success, true success, can transform dry logs into blistering heat.
Success must be fostered, fed, and owned by the creator. Success cannot be simulated.
Failing Forward
It is no secret that I am a fan of failing, nor that leaning into failing is actually learning. We are facing unchartered territory every day. It isn't that we are in a epoch of change, or that our times are so much different than other times, it is the very nature of life: every day is different.
We wake up into change. The weather changes, our mood changes, our sleep patterns change. Routines are very rarely routine, rote, perhaps, but routine? No. We don't know if the lights are going to ever be in our favor on our commute or not. We do not know if the interactions with others are going to be the same or not. Life is constantly changing and we are constantly adapting or shifting in response.
Anne Shirley is well advised by her teacher who reminds her, "Every day is fresh, with no mistakes in it." And I would add, "yet."
Shying away from mistakes is detrimental to growth. We don't have time for people to chain their brilliance up behind a fear of failure, because we will fail. Every day, we will fail. So let's get comfortable with it, embrace it, and not just talk about it.
Below are 3 practical ways you can fail forward and reclaim what has been lost to worry.
Daniel Pink encourages us to keep a failure resume. It isn't a shame chart in any form, it is about recording both the failure and what was learned. It is a way to mine the data and move forward.
Seth Godin says to lean into failure, and find that point that is a full lean, but not falling on your face.
And once you are comfortable with your own fails, it is time to make space for your tribe's fails by creating a failure lab.
Because failing is imperative to innovation. Failing is learning. Failing is oh so on fleek.