January 31, 2022
Good morning! Are you ready for the big Groundhog Jamboree? You can feel it, sense it, taste it, hear it, see it… the explosive transformation from winter to spring is in the air!
- The positioning of that new telescope one million miles from Earth and 91.96 million miles from the sun results in an equidistant gravitational pull so that the device will supposedly remain in perfect orbit relative to the Earth for many years. (How does the moon factor in, if at all? The other planets?)
- All of you rocket scientists, please send the math on this one.
- Can’t wait until June to enjoy those first images?! Wow!
- Have you had the experience of a swarm of flies or mosquitoes or gnats buzzing around your head?
- The hotter and more humid the weather the more profound and exhilarating is the experience.
- If you are deep into the woods or the swamp, with a few nasty branches slapping you in the face as you bushwhack through the terrain, it’s even more apparent.
- Let me ask, how often have you been successful at controlling or vanquishing those pesky perpetrators by swatting at them or by wildly swinging your arms about?!
- No need to finish the analogy…
- You can see where this is going… get a plan, people, get a plan, get a focus, prioritize.
- “A company that sucked before the COVIDs will suck after, unless it changes.” (Rockwell)
- More on that: There is absolutely no point bringing people back into offices to collaborate and socialize if your culture is invested in building barriers and maintaining silos.
Resilience
- Resilience
- Def: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”
- Is it a skill — or an attribute — or a virtue — or a characteristic — or is it genetic?
- We’ve come to know it better, haven’t we?
- According to Ginsberg (2022) there are seven C’s of resilience:
- Connection — associating with other humans is essential to keeping your head above water
- Competence — learn the basic skills associated with being successful and then practice them
- Confidence — failing isn’t failure, but failing to get back up and try again is; positive attitude is key
- Character — integrity, ethics, accountability increase confidence
- Contribution — contributing to the common good leads to feeling appreciated which boosts resilience
- Coping — we can learn these social skills at any age, and they can be taught
- Control — taking responsibility leads to feeling in control leads to more resilience
- Def: “The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”
A Resilient Attitude
“A resilient attitude is optimistic; it’s the belief in a self-fulfilling prophecy.” (Everly, Johns Hopkins University, 2022)
- A great indicator of whether a team will win the game is whether it won the last one.
- “Leaders are responsible for creating (and sustaining) an environment where people can be at their best.” (Sinek)
- The Surprising Impact of Meeting-Free Days in the work place (Laker, M.I.T. Sloan Management Review, January 2022)
- As reported by employees:
- Autonomy increased from 62% in a one no-meeting day environment to 88% with five no-meeting days per week
- Communication increased from 45% in a one no-meeting day environment to 68% with five no-meeting days per week
- Cooperation increased from 15% in a one no-meeting day environment to 52% with five no-meeting days per week
- Engagement increased from 28% in a one no-meeting day environment to 44% with FOUR no-meeting days per week
- No meetings at all? It suddenly decreased back to 27%
- Productivity increased from 35% in a one no-meeting day environment to 74% with FOUR no-meeting days per week
- No meetings at all? It starts to decrease.
- The sweet spot appears to be three meeting-free days per five day work week.
- To read more: Sloan
- As reported by employees:
- “If you feed somebody you help ’em to feel better; it’s a form of love.” (Ms. Becky) Ms. Becky Video
- “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” (Disney)
- Among the bigger problems we all face? Believing our own publicity.
