Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away

I remember seeing this catchphrase somewhere when I was young. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but bizarrely, the visual of this sign appeared in my mind recently when I had a bad experience with a vendor.

The short version is that I bought a service which was represented one way during the sale and was completely different when I used the service. My fault, because the very, very, very fine print (which you couldn’t read until you purchased) excluded what I thought I was buying.

I got mad. And then, for whatever reason, that slogan popped into my head. What was intended as a cute, innocuous saying was a trigger for me to let it go.

Take a Pause

What with Passover and Easter converging this week, we are reminded of symbolic renewals. Why not take some inspiration from the season and make a little time for your own renewal as well?

If this idea sounds alien to you, consider all of the activities you are engaged in, obligations for which you are accountable, and the myriad things you just don’t get to. We have become a society of “more, better, faster” and “get it done now” and this can leave us in a state of spin.

Even if you’re really good at keeping pace with such intensity, you need to take a pause every once in a while, and now is as good a time as any. Use the pause to think through and rebalance your priorities, to eliminate or reduce toxic situations, and to add a little bit of “me” time (even if it’s as little as a half hour).

Compartmentalizing

A great skill for leaders to master is the art of compartmentalizing. I say “art” because there is no one way to do it and the best way is to learn the way it works for you through trial and error.

One of the biggest benefits of compartmentalization is that it helps you manage the myriad distractions that occur daily. Leaders face constant interruptions, client challenges, employee issues, and dozens of other disruptions.

When you learn how to compartmentalize, you focus on one issue at a time and don’t let the others bleed into your attention span.

Spring Cleaning

Once upon a time, this was the time of the year when spring cleaning was the center of household activity. Some researchers attribute its origins to the Iranian Norouz, the Persian new year which marks the first day of spring. Tradition was that Iranians would “shake the house” prior to and in anticipation of the new year.

Don’t worry – this column isn’t going to be about household cleaning tips, something that is definitely not in my wheelhouse! Rather, I’d like to apply the metaphor to getting your work-related house in order.

I’m sure many of you have ancient piles of paper or woefully accumulated emails in your inbox or have something that isn’t organized as well as you’d like. What can you do now to make some improvements and reboot your productivity?

Do You Self-Regulate?

Do you know leaders who feel entitled to express their negative emotions, regardless of the situation? They bark, complain, whine, and spew over things that other people have done, ostensibly resulting in their workday being “ruined”.

Many problems arise from this, but one of the biggest ones is the unseen impact on an employee. The recipient can feel humiliated or shamed and is likely to privately absorb the impact of the harsh words.

The ripple effect for the employee can range from passive aggressive behavior to shutting down altogether to passing along the leader’s anger to co-workers.

Snow Days

Many people took a snow day earlier this week in the northeastern U.S. Of course, like thousands of others, I worked from home. And I enjoyed flowing with rhythm of the day.

I noticed that I got more done in less time. This was hard to believe, but it certainly got my attention. Work-related calls were shorter and had a slower pace. The amount of email exchanged was easily cut in half. A less urgent edge replaced the hurried pace of the typical business day.

Why did this happen? Maybe it was the weariness people feel as winter ends and spring begins. Maybe it was the surprise of so much snow and ice in the middle of March. Maybe people just needed to take a breather.

Leading Managers

Many leaders become frustrated with mid-level managers because they perceive that the managers are not doing their jobs adequately. When you really dig into why this happens, it’s often because the managers don’t fully understand what is expected of them.

Leaders are responsible for outlining what is expected from their managers and for providing the resources for their success. Here are some guidelines to consider:

Clarify roles and responsibilities. This can be more important than a traditional job description. What is the position expected to achieve and what are the key responsibilities for which the position is accountable?

Look Beyond the Money

Have you ever had a situation where you fell in love with a prospective employee who asked for more salary than you were willing to offer? Or a valued employee who tendered her resignation and you attempted a counteroffer?

Every leader has experienced this at some time. On the surface, you’re faced with offering more money than you were originally willing to pay. Both situations, though, merit more consideration than just the checkbook.

The prospective employee
If you pay more than you want to, you will tend to expect miracles from the new employee (“after all, I paid her thousands more than the position is worth…”). Consider other ways to compensate, such as bonuses or other incentives.

Going Postal?

Do you remember that expression? I had forgotten about it until a spectacularly unpleasant episode at the post office last week.

This was one of those facilities with bullet proof windows and those mysterious hermetically sealed receptacles for packages. After 19 minutes in line, it was my turn for what I anticipated would be routine.

Jimmy, the clerk, took care of my first package and then I placed the next one in the package vessel. I told Jimmy that I had 17 of these, to which he responded that he could not put postage on 17 packages.

Recognition in the “Month of Love”

Sometimes leaders get so busy that they don’t acknowledge valued employees. You may have the best of intentions, but when hectic schedules and competing priorities overtake your attention, you forget about them.

We’re so busy that meaningful actions – such as providing feedback, giving performance or compensation reviews, or just checking in to see how they’re doing – fall by the wayside because they’re not urgent.

Not urgent to us, that is.