Random Acts of Kindness

We are nearing the end of Random Acts of Kindness Week, which coincided with an especially challenging personal week for many around the U.S. I’m sure that many join me in knowing people who didn’t have power, water, or food during the horrendous storm that covered much of the country.

The whole point of performing a random act of kindness is to do something unexpected that has a positive impact on someone. Think of how good it feels when you are the recipient of such an action.

Navigating Complexity

The recent announcement of Jeff Bezos stepping aside as Amazon.com CEO to become the firm’s executive chairman has captured much attention in the business press. Do you even remember that Amazon started off as “just” a bookseller?

I’ll leave it to others to describe the myriad accomplishments and innovations that Amazon has pioneered over the years. What this triggers, though, is how we can apply some concepts to our complex business environment.

Open Your Mind to Change

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
– George Bernard Shaw

People who are waiting for things to “return to normal’ or “return to the way they were before” are in for a shock. It’s not going to happen.

Listening Is Hard Work!

There’s no way around this: you need to work harder at listening when you’re not face to face. Generally, your people will tell you everything is fine….even when it isn’t.

For example, you may check in about progress towards a particular deadline and people will say that they’re on top of it.

Maybe they are. But maybe not.

Unpacking Remote Management

Many of us are a good ten months into managing a remote workforce. Although some have done well and even flourished, others are stumbling. This can be frustrating, especially if you felt successful when you were together with your team in the office.

Work will eventually return to an office environment, but it will not likely ever revert to the way it was a year ago. The managerial skills that make you brilliant in the office are different than the ones you need to succeed remotely. And whether you return to a conventional office environment or stay remote, the skills to successfully manage remotely will serve you well.

New Year, Fresh Start

Welcome to the new year where things seem more like “same old, same old” instead of new and fresh. Although we’re still operating in a challenging external environment, you can create new energy that can result in a fresh perspective.

The new year provides a metaphoric reset, so take advantage of this. There are numerous things you can do now that will not only set your direction, but will create a new tone for the year and help boost morale as a consequence.

What Are You Willing to Tolerate?

It’s that time of the year when people make resolutions with the best of intentions for the year ahead. If you do this, good for you! If you can’t quite get to resolutions, though, there are other ways to reflect on the past and envision the future.

2020 has likely been among the most challenging you have experienced. Throughout the year, you’ve undoubtedly learned more about yourself than in other years. As such, you know more about what you’re willing to tolerate.

Do You Really Know What You Want?

As you set your goals for 2021, ask yourself what seems to be an obvious question: Do you really know what you want?

I see this every year. People set goals based on their perceptions of what they think should be the right initiatives, when in fact, these ideas may be inappropriate. They aren’t considering what would work best for them and has a greater chance of success.

How Are You Being Heard?

Isn’t it fascinating when you perceive that you couldn’t be clearer in how you communicated something and your co-worker doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about?

Communication snafus like this happen every day, and sadly, some people think that the way to resolve it is to say the same thing over and over (remember the definition of insanity…). Instead, consider how you can rephrase or use an example to make your point.

“Reboot” Your Mindset

Remember the strategies and goals that you started the year with back in January? It seems impossible to believe that we have barely three weeks left in 2020. Clearly, many of the hopes, plans, and aspirations with which we began the year were dashed and sucker punched.

But remember, it’s not what happens to you that matters, rather it’s what you do about what happens to you.