Sandy Schwan at Evolving Strategies, LLC

Step Out of the Shade and Into Your Talents

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?"

Benjamin Franklin

I drive my sister crazy with all of the questions I ask people that I meet. But, if one of my life's missions to to help people understand what they are good at, then my questions must remain. [Note to sis: Coleen, I love you, but I've got to keep on keeping on with my questions!]

By paying attention and asking the right questions, you will likely discover many hidden talents among your leaders, peer, team members, family members, friends, volunteers, yourself. 

Many leaders are in a situation know where they cannot hire more talent. Why not ask the following four questions of the talent you currently have to determine how to maximize your resources? 

1. 

Turn a compliment into an interview.

• Congratulate an employee on a job well done; then, ask exactly what helped her succeed. By better understanding her process, you may uncover an unseen strength.

2. Ask why employees prefer certain tasks or projects.

• Preferences can provide insight into someone's talents. An employee might enjoy a project because it involves a product he cares about or because it gave him a chance to interact with customers directly or because... Knowing which will possibly uncover talents.

3. Inquire about dreams.

• Ask your employee what she would do if she had her career to do over again. Dreams often include an aspect of someone that she doesn't regularly share.

 4. Analyze how people think, not just what they do.

• This one is my favorite. What is behind accomplishments is a way of thinking, particular to an individual, that made success possible. Ask your team member to walk you through his thought process on how he arrived at a solution. Articulating this dimension of how his mind works will help you -- and your team member-- identify the other projects that require his inductive talents. It will l also show him that you truly understand the value of his contributions.

I will also suggest that you consider asking these questions of yourself. I know a number of people in the midst of a job search, and they feel at wit's end with what to do next. I am hopeful that these questions may be a source of freeing your thoughts to find what it is that truly inspires you.

Adapted from Steven DeMaio's How to Identify Your Employees' Hidden Talents. 24 June 2009

"To Get What You Want Don't Go With Your Gut." Wait...What?!

"Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge."

Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer whose genius epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal, 1452 - 1519

When a person shouts at you, your gut reaction may be to yell right back. This is one situation when following your gut may not be such a good idea, and may result in a damaged relationship. Instead, try responding to the desired outcome.

NO: Event - Reaction - Outcome

YES: Event - Outcome - Reaction

Action

When an unsettling event occurs:

1. Pause.
2. Ask yourself

: what is the outcome I want? Instead of reacting to the event, act in alignment with your desired outcome.

Consider the person who yelled at you: do you want an improved relationship with her, or do you want to make her feel as bad as you do?

(If it's the latter, go ahead and yell back.) If it's the former, empathize with his anger and respond to the underlying issue in a calm manner.

Enjoy this great article by Peter Bregman.

Bumble Bees, Airplanes Helping NOLA Minority Youth Soar

 "Aerodynamically the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway."

Mary Kay Ash, (1918-2001), pioneer for women in business

 

About one year ago, Captain Barrington Irving took off from Opa Locka airport inside the cockpit of Inspiration II, a plane built entirely by Miami high school students in the Experience Aviation Build & Soar Summer Program.

 

How cool would it be to be the program manager helping the minority youth of Baton Rouge and New Orleans build and soar?

 

That opportunity for the right person crossed my desk today. Contact name and email is George Moore gmooredtii@yahoo.com******** for more information and follow-up. Good luck!

___________________________

To:Accenture Alumni
Subject: Opening in Baton Rouge/New Orleans

  

Looking for a project manager for a new Aviation Academy and After-School program for minority youth in the Baton Rouge/New Orleans area. A 10-12 month project that involves the planning, launch, and management of an innovative new educational program. The program would expand educational curriculum and services throughout communities within Louisiana and create career pathways in aviation, aerospace, renewable energy, and technology. http://www.experienceaviation.org/   The Mid-Level Business Analyst or Manager must have strong project management experience, including the ability to: Create and execute project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing project needs and requirements Identify resources needed and assign individual responsibilities Manage day-to-day operational aspect of project Review deliverables prepared by team and vendors Effectively apply methodology and enforce project standards Track and reports hours and expenses on a weekly basis Manage project budget Excellent Written and Verbal Communication Skills Experience with Microsoft Project and Visio Software Requirements Documentation experience and aviation industry experience a plus This is a potential long-term opportunity once the program is developed and launched. Please send resumes to George Moore gmooredtii@yahoo.com. Project would begin sometime in late September.

********Please note: I do not know George. He and I are simply on the same alumni group list. That is our only connection. I do not know anything else about this opportunity, so any questions or information you direct my way cannot be answered. Please don't be offended when I don't respond since I can't.

 

Loss: A Learning Opportunity with a Specific Purpose

"Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their carvings." Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ross, 1926-2004, Swiss-born psychiatrist and author

I have friends and family that are experiencing difficult losses of family pets. I've been revisiting Kubler Ross' five stages of grief to help me get a better sense of where these folks are in the grieving process so that I may better support them through each stage.

Brushing up on this model reflects what some of what my clients are experiencing. A merger of two companies with two distinctly separate cultures into one company and one culture doesn't happen overnight. People need to experience the Denial – Anger – Bargaining – Depression – Acceptance of the 'death' of their original company before accepting and embracing their new company.

Remembering to include organizational change frameworks and time to allow employees to move through this process. Don't fault them for their feelings. Instead take the time to learn how to assist in guiding them through the stages, if appropriate.

I'll end with another impactful quote from EKR:

"You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose."

ACTION: If you are experiencing an organizational change, develop a list of ten possible purposes / opportunities for you to learn in this change. The purpose is there...and it is up to you to find it.

Looking to Create Creative & Innovative Solutions? Go To Your Stretch Zone

Can You Become a Creature of New Habits?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04unbox.html?_r=1&goback=%2Ehom

This New York Times article provides an interesting perspective on the three zones of existence and in which zone true change occurs.

There are "...three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs."

If possible, develop change management solutions, strategies and tactics to keep impacted people in the stretch zone. The stress zone can create an inability for people to learn because they are in the 'fight - or flight' mode.

Facing a Naysayer, a Sally Stubborn? Then Isolate and / or Neutralize.

"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship." 
  Benjamin Franklin, (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, noted polymath, leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat

In addition to the lengthy description of Mr. Franklin noted above, it seems as if he also was an expert in organizational change. Those ‘little expenses’ can add up quickly. The little expenses I am referring to have more to do with time and energy than with money. And I can tell you from experience that organizational change – actually, any change – requires many people’s time and energy to work.

So what do you do if you have a naysayer who will not accept an organizational change that needs to occur and is already underway? Let us call this person Sally Stubborn. With Sally, you have two options: isolate or neutralize her.

ACTION

Decide if Sally is needed during and / or after the organizational change.

If so:

Neutralize

Schedule time with Sally to listen actively to her point of view about the change. (I will bet you may be able to find a nugget of truth in her concerns.) Ask her for recommended solutions to her concerns. Ask her if she wants to lead one of these efforts to address her concerns.

Find an ally - how about Coleen Cooperative? Coleen is at the same level as Sally and she is an engaging leader in the organizational change strategy and execution. Ask Coleen for assistance and / or guidance in dealing with Sally.

Encircle Sally with people who are excited about and engaged in the change. Attitudes can be infectious. 

Determine a plan with dates and expectations to help Sally succeed. Decide at what point you want to include Sally in building this plan.

Isolate

Work around Sally. This can be an effective strategy if you have other change champions or willing participants on the bandwagon. Especially others who are at the same organizational level.

Develop an exit strategy for her. If you have tried all of the above to no avail, inform Sally that she needs to get with the program or she runs the risk of having to explore other options outside of the company. Sometimes you will have to cut bait with energy-draining employees who simply will not cooperate.

There are other options to consider, but this is a solid starting point. Whichever path you choose, consult a select few about your concerns with Sally before making your decision. Sally may simply need a little push, assistance, validation that she is being heard, or some one-on-one time with someone she trusts who will listen then explain why changes are occurring. And guess what? These options do not have to cost you a penny.

You and your team’s time and energy during an organizational change are precious. Use wisely.

When Is the Last Time You Hung A Question Mark?

"It's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, advocate for social reform, and pacifist

Boy, this sure seems easy to say but can be hard to do. It is a quote I likely will keep in my back pocket to use in organizational change presentations and discussions as a way to set the stage for helping people understand it is okay to consider new ways of thinking and doing. This does not mean that the way your organization, your team, you have been doing things is wrong. Sometimes it just never hurts to try a new point of view, especially if you feel stuck.

ACTION:

To use the simple Nike phrase: Just do it!

Based on the culture of your organization and/or team, decide up front if you want to let people know that you will be explicitly hanging question marks during the next few team meetings.

Or, consider expanding the experiment to engage your team: ask your team members to rotate being the 'hanger' every day for a week or two. Ask them to write a brief reflection at the end of their day to share with the team once the experiement ends. Reconvene after the set time period, and discuss what you learned collectively. See if there are any learnings that you can weave into how your team operates.

What I know for sure is that organizational changes are pull of question marks; so, we all might as well learn to embrace them vs. fight them. Happy hanging.

Lemons Can Bring Lemonade, and Struggle Can Bring Learning

"Learning is discovering that something is possible." 

Fritz Perls, (1893 - 1970), co founder of Gestalt therapy 

A key role leaders need to play now during such significant market turbulence is to help employees understand that in the midst of struggle, a plethora of opportunities exist for learning. Sometimes it is hard for people to naturally push themselves to 'think outside of the box' without a platform burning impetus. Well, that impetus clearly exists today, and I must say that I've been able to witness firsthand some amazing learning, creativity and innovation arise within my client base.  

ACTION: As Gestalt therapy suggests, try focusing on the 'here and now' as much as you can. Keep your team from ruminating on the future...and lead by example, of course. Yes, consider the future and what you have control over, but determine what is within your sphere of influence to lead, manage and control. Develop a plan that includes capturing key learnings along the way. Before you know it, the market will correct itself; then, you and your team will be able to reflect upon how you successfully handled the associated organizational changes...and be proud.

 - Coming soon: Scenario Planning. What is it and how can you apply it now -

Have You Smiled in a While? The Role of Optimism in Organizational and Team Performance

"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears it is true."

James Branch Cabell, (1879-1958), author of fantasy fiction and belles lettres

If you've ever experienced organizational change - and I don't know anyone who hasn't, I'll bet you can identify people who fall into both the optimist and pessimist camps. Is one approach better than the other? Let's approach this question from an athletic and organizational perspective.

Learned optimism guru Martin Seligman made some interesting predictions for athletes and team sports on this topic. Assuming that all other factors affecting performance are equal:

1.  The athlete with a more optimistic attitude will succeed or win because s/he will try harder
2.  An athletic team with a higher level of optimism will win. 

Seligman says that once an athlete changes his/her attitude from pessimism to optimism, s/he should succeed better or win more, again particularly under pressure. Thus, the optimistic and pessimistic attitude of the whole team may produce either victory or defeat, respectively.

Let's bring that train of thought into an organization or organizational team. According to Seligman, talent is not always enough – especially in ‘high-defeat’, ‘high-stress’ occupations requiring persistence and initiative. An optimistic employee produces more, and that even an extraordinary talent may amount to nothing unless a firm belief in one’s chances to succeed is present.

On the other hand, team pessimism (general pessimistic attitude among team members which spreads and grows inside the team as an epidemic outbreak, preventing the team from performing to the best of its ability and potential) may be a severe inhibitor of team alignment. For a team to recuperate as a united whole when adversity strikes, team pessimism needs to be addressed properly. The path to optimism should be the clear marching orders.  

Ready for more optimistic news (pardon the pun)? Optimism can be taught – on a personal and team level.

ACTION: Recall a time when you approached an organizational change from an optimistic point of view. Then, recall a time when you approached an organizational change from an pessimistic point of view. Keep thinking: going into these changes, did you perceive the change to be positive, negative, or neutral? How was your / your team's performance? Were you able to shift your attitude in either a pessimistic or optimistic direction? What was the result?

Follow the link above to take a short quiz and learn where you fall on the learned optimism scale.

Ah - so patience - AND optimism - are both real virtues. 

Adapted from Martin C. Westerlund, Theory of Constraints Revisited – Leveraging Teamwork by Systems Intelligence, 2004

The Importance of Being On Time...But According to Whom?

Chronemics is the study of the use of time in nonverbal communication. How we perceive time, structure our time and react to time is a powerful communication tool, and helps set the stage for the communication process. Across cultures, time perception plays a large role in the nonverbal communication process. Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to wait, and interactions. The use of time can affect lifestyles, daily agendas, speed of speech, movements and how long people are willing to listen.

Mike McGlinn, a senior vice president at The Northern Trust and adviser extraordinaire (see May 22, 2008, entry on biting your tongue), and I were talking about his important guidelines for leading teams. One guideline is stressing the importance of starting and ending meetings on time - punctuality overall. I agree and see this as a sign of respect for the time of the other people participating in the meeting. Does that mean Mike and I are monochronics?

Monochronic and Polychronic time systems are two systems commonly used to reference time and its influence on society.

• Monochronic: Things are done one at a time and time is segmented into precise, small units. Under this system time is scheduled, arranged and managed. Think North American and Western European cultures.
• Polychronic: Several things can be done at once, and a more fluid approach is taken to scheduling time. Think Latin American and Arabic cultures.

The statement “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” holds true with chronemics if you are undergoing an organization change or transformation, forming a new team, merging companies, working with a global team etc. Assess the situation and respond accordingly:

• Even though you are a timely person, you may have to deal with someone who is not as timely as you are. As appropriate, adapt your communication to their needs. These adaptations can vary depending on the position of the person you are dealing with, as well as the cultural background of that person.
• Although you will sometimes have to adapt to others, there will be times that things would be more positively balanced if the other parties adapted to your concept of time.
• Other assumptions: Consider main country location of the company, origin / influences of person you are meeting with, topic to be considered, time on year.

Adapted from Wikipedia