Love of Learning—A Life-Long Challenge

I am honored to be one of more than 6,000 volunteers at The Smithsonian Institution.  As a docent at The Smithsonian American Art Museum, I conduct video conferences with school children and adults across America.  We share the art that tells America’s stories in two-way video conferences where I can see them, and they can see me along with the works of art I choose to show.

The Smithsonian Institution named a new leader in 2019, and the ceremony was both informational and emotional.  Many of the distinguished speakers talked about the new Secretary, Dr. Lonnie Bunch’s, passion for learning, and that’s what The Smithsonian is all about.

At a time when learning doesn’t seem as valued as I think it should be, it was refreshing to hear speakers at the ceremony, including Chief Justice Roberts, talk about the importance and the power of life-long learning.  We need to continue to learn both as individuals and as business leaders or in whatever vocation we’ve chosen. And, the best part of learning today is that it has never been easier.

Consider how easy it is for anyone to listen to a podcast while sitting in traffic while commuting or while on a long road trip. Think about what’s available on YouTube—not just to entertain us but to inform and educate us and our children.

As business leaders, it is extremely important that we provide development opportunities to our employees. They want to expand their knowledge, and we need to make it easy for them to take advantage of the learning that will make them better at their jobs and better as people. Employee development is a powerful engagement and retention tool.

Developing the skills and abilities of our employees does not necessarily mean sending them to training, or bringing training in-house. While training can be valuable, we need to open our minds to what other ways we can encourage our employees to love learning.

Here’s a challenge for you: Be an example to your employees by letting them see you expanding your skills and knowledge. They need to see you reading books and articles. They need to see you attending industry events where learning is emphasized. They need to see you demonstrate your love of learning.  I hope you’ll accept this challenge and make 2020 a year in which you revisit your own love of learning and motivate others to do the same.

And, if you’re in DC for any reason, take time to visit us at one of the many Smithsonian instillations.

Barbara Mitchell

Getting Ready for 2020

There seems to be something about years that end in zeros that get more attention than those that don’t. Like the tweet reminding us that there are only a certain number of days left in the decade and to make them count.  We have no idea why this is, but since 2020 is fast approaching, it’s time to give thought about what to do differently in the year ahead. We don’t mean those pesky resolutions.  We mean big questions, such as:

• Who and what might inspire us in 2020?
• What do we want to learn in 2020?
• How can we contribute to make the world a better place in 2020?

For any of us, the first thing that needs to happen is to clear out some of the current noise to make room for more creativity. When we focus our attention on daily activities—routine tasks that we think are important but maybe aren’t that critical—we don’t allow time for creative thought or learning.

Jettison some of the activities that eat up so much time, so we can add new and exciting adventures.  Get rid of some things we don’t need to do.  For Barbara, maybe this is the year to take that French class she’s been talking about for years. For Cornelia, maybe traveling with her husband. For both of us, 2020 will be the year for us to publish a new and very different book. What about you?

In 2020, let new ideas inspire you. We plan to research and uncover some podcasts and blogs to not only follow but contribute to. Following a few people like Brene Brown and Seth Godin will provide inspiration and lots to think about. Like most writers, we are avid readers, so we’ll likely put together lists of books to read for pleasure, for research, and for life-long learning.  What about you?

Then there is the really big question—what am I going to do to make our world a better place? It’s so easy to put that aside. What can I do? I’m just one person? Italicized 

While that may be true, one person can make a difference in our world. Think about 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. She’s an environmental activist whose work on climate change has gained international recognition at the United Nations and so many other places.  She’s making a real impact on the world, and she’s a teenager! 

We live in a chaotic world, and since 2020 is a presidential election year in the U.S., it stands to reason it will be a time of great change and potential animosity.  Maybe each of us can contribute to making the world less chaotic in 2020 by being a better listener and treating everyone with kindness and respect. What about you?

Barbara and Cornelia

“Bumpy Roads Lead to Beautiful Places”

I’m a loyal Washington Nationals fan so I must write about their amazing 2019 World Series win. No one, except for the players and management, ever thought this would happen—especially in late May when their record was 19 wins and 31 losses.

Nationals’ manager, Dave Martinez, credits his mother for the quote “Bumpy roads lead to beautiful places.”  Perhaps it’s an adaptation of Zig Ziglar’s “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.” Nevertheless, it certainly has proven true for the Washington Nationals.

There isn’t one, single thing that made the difference between a 19 and 31 record in May and a World Series win. The owners increased their contribution so that the General Manager could add players to the roster. Every player and every coach had to step up, and they did.

It’s common for managers who encounter adversity to blame others or want to take drastic action such as fire people, but the Nationals did it differently. In addition to adding strength to the pitching, especially in the bull pen, the Nationals took a simple but powerful action that most likely made the biggest difference. It is the manager’s challenge to the players to go 1 and 0 every day.  Rather than obsess about the 19 and 31 record, he focused them on winning one game at a time—keep winning so that they could be World Champions.  He didn’t let them get ahead of themselves, and he certainly didn’t let them beat themselves up about the losses. The goal was, “Let’s focus on today and go 1 and 0.”

And then there was the fun element. If you saw any of the post-game coverage or the amazing parade the Saturday after game seven and the win, you saw and heard that this is a team that loves each other and loves to have fun.  While the Baby Shark music can drive me crazy in 11 seconds, it was something that was electric at Nat’s Park and got people from any age group, kids to grandparents, involved. 

There’s a lesson in all of this for managers. How could you adapt this strategy to your team? Do you set realistic goals? Do you celebrate when your employees meet or exceed their productivity goals? When you hit a bump in the road, what do you do?

Do you allow your employees to have some fun at work? Building in some time for people to get to know each other and have some fun may make your organization more productive. Give it a try!

When you hit a bumpy road—whether as a manager or in your personal life—focus on where you’re headed and celebrate when you get to the beautiful destination. Adversity can be a great motivator, or it can stop us in our tracks. It is up to you.

Barbara Mitchell

Gratitude and Reflection

Labyrinths—those meandering paths, often unicursal, with a singular path leading to a center. Dating back 4,000 years or more, labyrinths are used symbolically, as a walking meditation, a choreographed dance, or a site of rituals and ceremonies, among other things. Labyrinths are tools for personal, psychological and spiritual transformation, which can invoke mindfulness and a state of personal contemplation. They can also be wonderful tools for community building or team building.

I recently learned that there are more than 100 labyrinths in New Mexico, where I now reside. They are in churchyards, school playgrounds, public parks and private retreats throughout the state. I know there is one in a churchyard not far from where I live. And I’ve walked one at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM.  There are several in the Washington DC metro area where Barbara lives as well.

It’s probably no accident that I came across this information about labyrinths this month in New Mexico Magazine.  November is a month for reflection and gratitude—time to pay homage to the people and things that are important. And New Mexico is such a restful and contemplative place. 

Consider what’s been accomplished in your organization this year and take time to celebrate those successes.  Give thanks to the people who made those successes happen.  Reflect on your own organizations culture—its traditions and celebrations.  It’s a perfect time to review the past, and learn some lessons from past experiences before looking to the future and the year ahead.

Barbara and I have a lot to be grateful for this year. We’ve had some wonderful opportunities to talk about our books and are very grateful to all of our readers who support us.  We’ve had wonderful feedback from our beta readers for our upcoming book which is on track to be published during 2020. We’re grateful to them for being part of our journey. 

You don’t necessarily have to walk a labyrinth to reflect on the past year, but if you want more information about them, including the location of one near you, contact the Labyrinth Society (https://labyrinthsociety.org).  If you decide to experience one, step into it with purpose while you pray, recite a mantra or walk in silence as you reflect. No matter what you do, take some time during this month of gratitude to consider all the things that grace your life.  

Is this Respectful?

Microaggressions, those prejudiced comments and actions that are indirect, subtle, or intentional forms of bias, are more common in the workplace today than you might imagine them to be. Often hard to recognize, they have a negative impact at work.  Microaggressions cross boundaries—physical, personal, and interpersonal boundaries. They can devalue other people, impact feelings of inclusion, and diminish employees’ contributions.  If they are lodged against people of color, women, individuals with disabilities, or other protected groups, they can be forms of discrimination, especially if they occur frequently. 

On a Sunday morning in September of 2019, I read a cartoon, a column, and an article in the newspaper that all illustrated microaggressions—situations where boundaries were crossed.

Dilbert was mocking a bunch of men who are weak, stupid, and can’t solve a problem while the women can. Is it sexist because only the men are weak—not the women? Of course it is. Discrimination on the basis of sex covers both men and women, and this crossed an interpersonal boundary.

The work advice column discussed repeated and frequent disparaging comments about age directed to an older worker by a younger one. This is another example of crossing an interpersonal boundary and is a potential violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, especially if the behavior is persistent. 

Then there was the article was about workplace discrimination against natural hair—natural for African-Americans.  It cited allegations of job offers rescinded and terminations that occurred because of hair style—explicit discrimination. Subtle discrimination was also included—comments about natural hair being unprofessional and the microaggression of attempting to reach out and touch the hair of an African-American colleague. This crossed a physical boundary.

Another example from a different source illustrates a manager crossing a personal boundary.  She continually complained in staff meetings about her step-child’s medical needs. A staff member had a child with similar needs and was extremely uncomfortable with the manager’s comments.

What can individual employees do to contribute to a workplace of respect? 

• Be discreet and sensitive to others. Don’t assume that other people won’t be offended.
• Consider the impact of your behavior on others. 
• Respect privacy—yours and that of others. People have varying comfort levels about discussing certain topics.

What can organizations and managers do? 

• Raise the bar on acceptable workplace behavior and accept nothing less than respect and professionalism.  
• Acknowledge employees who treat each other with respect. 
• Talk about respect, civility, and your policies, with team members. 
• Encourage employees to speak up, and acknowledge them when they do. 
• Take concerns and complaints seriously, and have a neutral process to look into them. 
• Dispel any myths that anyone is exempt from your high behavior standards.

Don’t let microaggressions take your organization down a slippery slope toward a toxic workplace. It’s up to the leaders of the organization to take on the challenge of building and maintaining positive workplace cultures.  

Honor Veterans With Jobs!

Hiring veterans is a sound business investment. Yet there are myths or concerns that often cause reluctance to do so. 

One myth is that veterans suffering from PTSD are unstable or may be a liability. PTSD is not a condition confined to combat veterans. Anyone in the population can suffer from it. Don’t let that be a barrier.  

Other myths, or assumptions, are veterans always want to be in charge or they are overly qualified and likely to leave for more pay. Like any assumptions, they may apply to some individuals but are not likely to apply to all veterans. Grant qualified veterans an interview and ask them about their knowledge, experiences and skills—in other words, their job-related backstory.

Finally, there’s the assumption that if a veteran does not have a degree needed for a particular job, then skills and knowledge are lacking.  The training the military invests in technical skills such as pharmacy tech, dental assistants, payroll specialists can be the equivalent of up to two and one-half years of civilian training. In basic training, which equals approximately six months of civilian training, veterans learn critical thinking, problem solving and accountability.  

Aside from the technical skills and security clearances veterans bring to the table, here are just some of the other reasons to consider them for jobs in your organizations.

Veterans foster teamwork. In the military, it’s critical to work as a team to accomplish the mission.  Veterans have extensive experience working to complete a mission, regardless of the time it took, or the levels of stress and adversity they faced.

Strong leadership and followership qualities.  Veterans are trained in effective leadership and are given authority over others. They are accountable for the success of the team and the mission. A good leader needs good followers to succeed and veterans understand this like no other members of the civilian society.

Trust and respect. Organizations can’t succeed without trust among its members. This couldn’t be truer than in military organizations where trust is critical for mission success. Veterans learn the importance of respect—respect for each other, for authority, and for policies and protocols along with the potential consequences of not following protocols and procedures.

Tax credits. Organizations can earn Work Opportunity Tax Credits of up to $9,600 for hiring unemployed or disabled veterans. The credit can be higher for wounded warriors.

It’s true veterans are not necessarily prepared to get jobs outside the military. That should not be a barrier either. Consider using veterans who are currently in your workforce to help recruiters understand and interpret the qualifications listed on a veteran’s resume or application.  An experienced veteran can help translate military experience to civilian job requirements.  

All veterans want to make valued contributions to the workforce, not unlike most civilian workers. Don’t be reluctant to hire these qualified man and women who are enthusiastic to learn and move your organizations forward. 

Becoming a Great Manager Tips From The Manager’s Answer Book

It happens all too often. Someone is hired or promoted into a management role without being prepared for the people management responsibilities that accompanies the position.  They were a good engineer, sales professional, or financial guru—all the best technical skills. Often overlooked when these hiring decisions are made is the people side of management.  This can cause a new manager to struggle, and those struggles affect the whole team.

Manager’s Tips: Managing people is challenging. No matter if you’re a new or seasoned manager, you should always be working to sharpen your people management skills. That is exactly why we included a question in The Manager’s Answer Book on how to up your managerial game.

Here are a few of those suggestions:

• Take advantage of books, webinars, podcasts, YouTube videos, and so many more ideas from experts
• Get to know your employees so that you understand what motivates them
• Listen carefully to your staff
• Reward successes and learn from failures
• Be a positive role model—live your values
• Find a mentor and be a mentor

We also think it is important for managers to be able to show vulnerability. Many managers make the mistake of thinking they need to have all the answers. They feel that if they admit they don’t know everything, they won’t be respected. In fact, the opposite is true. Letting your employees see that you are human actually builds respect and loyalty.

For more information, check out page 114 of The Manager’s Answer Book.  Remember that management development begins with you, so take charge of your own development.

Tips for Collaborating

Collaborating can be fun and a way to find new approaches to your work. Barbara and I always joke that we’ve written several books together and we’re still talking to each other, sometimes several times a day. Here are some tips we came across recently for getting the most out of your collaboration experience. 

Be clear. Don’t assume others understand you or what you’re going to do next. Don’t assume they are mine readers. 

Carry your weight. Once you have a clearly defined next step, do it. You can’t control other people, so focus on one thing you can control—your own work.

Have an agenda. Aimless meetings or phone calls that don’t produce anything are problems.  An agenda with clear goals and discussion items keeps you the project on track and everyone accountable. 

Don’t be shy. Yes, be polite, but don’t accept ideas you think are inferior. Don’t hesitate to offer your own ideas.

Stay visible. Nothing is more frustrating than someone who doesn’t respond to emails or texts for days at a time. Be responsive.

Remind yourself that no idea is too small. Don’t sacrifice details for focus on big picture stuff. Sometimes going down a lengthy rabbit hole can yield pure gold. 

Prepare your arguments. When you’re collaborating, you’re a committee member. Take time to organize your thoughts. 

Embrace discomfort. Collaboration sometimes means ways of working that you’re uncomfortable with, but unless this involves illegal or unethical activities, make an effort to embrace it.

Speak up early. If you’re not happy or comfortable with something, don’t simmer for months and then blow everything up. Speak up right away. And if you lose the point, be diplomatic and graceful.

Be prepared to go on alone. Give the project your best, and approach the partnership honestly. But if your partners fail and drop away, have a plan for how you’ll get something out of it anyway—and know how you’re going to handle it if you are the one who has to drop out. 

Collaborating with someone might be an amazing experience that changes how you work, or miserable one—either way it’s going to teach you something.

Adapted from an article by Jeff Summers, All Together Now, in Writer’s Digest, November/December 2019.

Why Should I Delegate? Tips From The Manager’s Answer Book

We hear this question a lot in our consulting work with managers at all levels. Some people don’t want to delegate work because they don’t want to give up doing the things they love to do. Others say they don’t delegate because they can do the work faster or better (or faster AND better) than showing someone else how to do the task.

Manager’s Tips:  If any of these reasons apply to you, let’s consider why you should delegate.

1. Delegating routine tasks frees up your time to think, strategize, and manage your team.
2. Delegating work is a way to develop new skills in your staff.
3. Delegating work shows you trust your employees which goes a long way in establishing a positive work environment.

When you are comfortable delegating, think about who is the best person on your staff to take on a new challenge. Consider who has the potential to take on this task so that you ensure a successful outcome. You certainly don’t want to set people up to fail.

When you have that person in mind, provide all the help and resources they need. Set some milestones so that you check on their progress, and make yourself available for consultation. Don’t forget to reward their good performance.

For more information on how to be a good delegator, see page 54 of The Manager’s Answer Book.

Becoming a Great Boss

When we were writing The Manager’s Answer Book, we gathered a lot of great questions that managers were likely to ask.  We interviewed other successful managers, and we drew from our own business experiences.  Once the book was published, we were the ones being interviewed about the book.

To celebrate National Boss’s Day, which falls on October 16 this year, we wanted to share some of our insights, recognizing that individuals are often promoted with little preparation or training.  They’re not prepared for managing themselves or others in the new role. 

So we looked back on some of the questions we were asked.  If you want to be noticed and acknowledged as a great boss, what’s the most important thing to do?  Well, you’ve got to develop a personal brand.

Why is having a personal brand so important?

As a manager, all eyes are on you.  You have to show you are credible and competent to be successful.  Your brand is how you present yourself—how you communicate, act and interact with others. Interactions aren’t limited to your staff, which are, of course, important. They also include interactions with people both inside and outside the organization. As a manager, you are representing the organization, so you always want to be mindful of how your actions uphold the organization’s positive culture.  Lead by example—others will follow and behave similarly. 

What traits are important in building a positive personal brand, and how should a manager exhibit those traits?

Clearly, at the top of the list are ethics and integrity. This means being true to your values and principles and making decisions that don’t contradict them.  Seek out people with common values, and respect the people around you. Avoid being judgmental of others.  Trustworthiness is also at the top of the list.  Maintain confidences, exercise discretion, and avoid rumors and gossip.  Listen to your staff, and be as transparent as you possibly can. Be fair and consistent with your staff, and admit when you are wrong.  And finally, have courage—show the confidence and integrity when you see something is wrong or not moving in the right direction to say something. Confront wrongdoing, no matter where it’s occurring. In addition, courageous leaders not only speak out and take an opposing point of view, they may also advocate for ideas and positions that might not appear to be popular.

Being a manager is hard work.  Being a great boss is even harder. So, celebrate great bosses on October 16.  Do something festive. Decorate their offices. Take them to lunch. And if you want to give them a gift, we’d be honored if you gave them a copy of The Manager’s Answer Book.

Just Got Promoted. Now What? Tips From The Manager’s Answer Book

Getting a big promotion is something to be celebrated. You’ve worked hard and proven your value to your organization, and it’s paid off for you.

After you celebrate your success, take time to think about how you will approach your new responsibilities. If you now manage people who used to be your peers, consider how you will handle the fact that you’re no longer their co-worker; you’re now their manager.

If you’re now managing a different department, you still face the challenge of how to get to know your new team so that you can maximize their performance.

Getting promoted is great, and you likely have a lot of questions and concerns. Do you have a good support system to help you navigate the road ahead?

Manager’s Tips:  The Manager’s Answer Book can help by offering some suggestions for you to consider.  

• Find a mentor either inside or outside your organization who can be extremely helpful as you seek to lead your team successfully. Be sure to select mentors who are knowledgeable and trustworthy.

• Start or join a manager’s group either inside or outside your organization where you can share experiences and learn from each other.

• Take advantage of the amazing resources available to you in webinars, podcasts, books, and articles. Check out TedTalks and YouTube videos for additional learning experiences.

x

For more information on this topic, see page 22 of The Manager’s Answer Book.  Congratulations on your promotion. 

National Ask a Stupid Question Day

Now I know for sure that there is day for everything!  Who knew there’s a National Ask a Stupid Question Day?  It’s celebrated on September 28 or, if that date is a weekend like in 2019, it is officially on the last Friday of September.

Ask A Stupid Question Day was created by teachers in the 1980’s to get kids to ask more questions in school. It started in the United States, but is now celebrated in lots of other countries including India and Britain.

I have to admit that this day might have been started by those who taught me in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. As a student, I thought that it was better not to ask questions for fear of sounding stupid—and I hate the word stupid.  Now I know that was not a good learning strategy!

These days, I love asking questions, and I really love answering them.  As you may know, Cornelia Gamlem and I co-authored The Manager’s Answer Book in 2018. The tag line of that book is “Powerful Tools to Build Trust and Teams, Maximize Your Impact and Influence, and Respond to Challenges.”

In our book, we respond to questions around these topics:

• You’re a new manager, now what?
• Developing your management skills
• Building and managing your team
• Creating your personal brand
• Managing up, down, and around
• Avoiding potential land mines
• Recognizing legal pitfalls

When we were working on this book and collecting questions to answer, we never considered a question too stupid to include in our book. If something is one your mind or if there is something you don’t understand, odds are many other people have the same question and they may be like me in school—not brave enough to ask it.

So, ask as many questions you want. Don’t worry about what other people think and don’t wait until September 27, 2019 to ask them. We’d love to answer more of your questions anytime you’d like to ask.

The Manager’s Answer Book, along with our other books, is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or you can order it through your local bookstore.

How Do You Not Know This? Tips From The Manager’s Answer Book

A commentator on the news recently referred to LBJ, and quickly clarified he was not talking about LeBron James but rather the president in the 1960s. 

This brought to mind a conversation I had a few years ago with my nephew, Jim, a border-line Baby Boomer and his husband, Rich, a GenXer. Rich was telling us, “We recently watched the movie All the Way about Lyndon Baines Johnson.”  Huh, I thought.  Who refers to him as Lyndon Baines Johnson?  He’s LBJ, as in the campaign slogan All the way with LBJ. Hence the title of the movie.  “And during the movie,” Rich continued, “Jim asked me: How do you not know this?” Generational differences were clearly at work here.

Every generation brings their own points of reference into the workplace. So, it’s not that unusual to hear comments like How do you not know this? 

Manager’s Tip: How do you better understand and manage generational differences in today’s workplaces? That’s a question included in The Manager’s Answer Book and here’s some of what we have to say.

Take the time to look for the common ground. For example, for younger generations, work is not the main focus of their life and/or their identity. They are more inclined to want to have a life outside of work that is meaningful. So do the older generations, but the younger ones seem to be better at making it happen. In fact, many of the things that the younger workers want—a friendly environment, the ability to use their skills while learning something new, respect, the opportunity to help others, adequate paid time off and flexibility, health and welfare benefits, and the opportunity to do meaningful work—are things older workers wanted, but the difference is they just didn’t know they could ask for them!

Don’t let differences drive a wedge among coworkers.  Bridging the generation gap at work happens by recognizing that we are all at different stages of our lives, and possess different career aspirations and needs.  As with any diversity challenge, figuring out what’s unique brings about greater understanding and a recognition that we have more in common than we realize.  

__________

Optimism & Positive Thinking

“Optimism—It’s not just a mindset. It’s a behavior.” I saw this on a meme posted on social media. It got me thinking about several things. How do you observe optimism? How do you observe any behavior for that matter? Is it important to observe behavior?

I recently heard in a writing workshop—writing about emotions—that a significant amount of communication is transmitted through non-verbal means, such as expressions, body language or vocal tones.  So, I went on to research how you describe optimism in a character.  Here’s what I learned.

The character may display a wide grin, make joking observations, or turn away and burst out into laughter. Their speech may be bubbly, their eyes may glow, or their gestures may be animated. An optimistic character may lean in, make strong eye contact and smile a lot. 

Why is observing behavior and emotions important? Alan Alda talks about listening with eyes, ears, and feelings—or emotions—in his book, If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? This observation helps you relate to other people and better understand them.  

I got to test this out recently while talking with people about workplace issues.  Reading their non-verbal cues proved to be just as important as asking questions and listening to responses. Was there a disconnect between what the words they were saying and what their expressions and body language were telling me?  In one case, yes there was, which led me to explore some facts further.

On page 127 of The Manager’s Answer Book, we explain that nonverbal communication is an indicator of the effect you are having on others and whether your message is being heard and understood. More importantly it allows you to observe other people’s emotions and emotional state and to be comfortable. When you are comfortable with one another, you are able to relate to that person and track their ability to follow you. The result is that you are in sync with each other—you are communicating.

Friday, September 13, is Positive Thinking Day—a day to celebrate optimism. Show your optimism—smile, laugh, be bubbly and glow. Let those around you be comfortable so it’s easy to relate to each other. It’s a great way to build positive and respectful workplace relationships.

Read a Book Day

This Friday, September 6, is Read A Book Day. We aren’t just writers, we’re readers too. As we’ve expanded our writing horizons, we’ve attended writer’s conferences and have had the pleasure of hearing many amazing, well-known authors.

Here are some of our favorites, authors whom we’ve had the pleasure of hearing and in some cases meeting.

• David McCullough. We’ve heard him speak several times and one year ventured to the Library of Congress National Book Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Even though it was a hot, humid day, it was a pleasure to meet him at the book signing. We both read his latest book, The Pioneers, and it’s excellent.
• David Baldacci. We heard him speak at a writer’s conference in New York City.  Who knew he was so funny and such an entertaining speaker.  His latest book is One Good Deed.
• Harlan Corbin.  When we heard him speak, we were relieved to learn that even very successful authors do multiple (pick a number) edits.  Good. It isn’t just us.  His most recent book is Run Away.
• Richard Russo.  He shared with the writers in the audience the idea they could  finish one book and then start the next book the following day. What a challenge.  Some of his books that are our favorites are The 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls and his latest book, The Destiny Thief.
• Hallie Ephron. Yes, Nora Ephron was her sister.  Hallie taught us that when it comes to backstory, you layer it in. If you’re not familiar with her work, pick up a copy of Careful What You Wish For.

Since we write business books, we read those as well. Some we suggest are:

• Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven Covey
• First, Break all the Rules - Marcus Buckingham
• Good to Great - Jim Collins
• Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking - Susan Cain
• Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
• The Essays of Warren Buffett - Warren Buffett and Lawrence A. Cunningham
• Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman 
• A Curious Mind - Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman

Take some time this Friday to pick up a book.  Explore some good reads for the upcoming months.  And as you’re on that journey, we hope you’ll include one or more of our books. 

Celebrating Labor

Sarah Carr wrote a review of the book, Beaten Down, Worked Up by Steven Greenhouse. The review was featured in The Washington Post on August 9, 2019. The book tells the history of the labor movement through the 20th century to today—where it’s been and where it needs to go.

I haven’t had a chance to read the book, yet, but my interest was certainly piqued by Carr’s review. The labor movement’s history includes many iconic events and people, such as

• The Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire;
• Frances Perkins, Franklin Roosevelt’s Secretary of Labor, who backed the most labor-friendly portions of the New Deal—social security, unemployment benefits, minimum-wage and overtime laws, and federal laws regulating child labor; 
• Mary Harris (Mother) Jones, an organizer of the United Mine Workers; 
• Walter Reuther’s negotiation of the 1950 automakers’ agreement, the “Treaty of Detroit” that expanded provisions for pensions and health care nationally; and
• The failed air-traffic controllers strike of 1981.

Greenhouse discusses many of the above and more. I was intrigued by the complexities confronting unions in today’s economy. The review talked about the following examples Greenhouse provided.

The Fight for $15, which was a broad-based campaign backed by the Service Employees International Union to raise the minimum wage for fast-food workers and allow them to unionize. It resulted in city and state officials raising the minimum wage, but not in unionizing workers.

Changes in the corporate environment and it’s swing from managerial capitalism to investor capitalism which has had a profound effect on workers and unions.  As corporations are pressured to focus on maximizing profits and share price, workers must focus on pushing for campaign finance laws to hep labor-friendly politicians get elected, as one example. Unions, on the other hand, can no longer rely on the old model of savvy organizer underdogs going up against CEO Goliaths.

The history of the labor movement is an important part of human resources and management history. Before organizations had HR professionals to ensure that employees were treated with fairness and respect, it was the unions that fought for workers’ rights.  As we prepare to celebrate Labor Day, remember we are celebrating the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. 

Overcoming Resistance Involves Listening: Tips From The Manager’s Answer Book

I recently participated in a lively discussion on overcoming resistance presented by my colleague Ian Cook of Fulcrum Associates. Ian shared his insights into ways to overcome resistance at work and in life. In one of the exercises we did during the presentation, we listed places/people where we encounter resistance. I loved the variety of responses in my group—and their honesty. The list included:

• “My nine-year-old daughter”
• “A CEO client”
• “My staff”
• “My dog”

One of the strategies Ian shared was number five of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People from the book of the same name by Stephen Covey:  

5. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood”

Seeking to understand the other person’s perspective before we attempt to convince them to perhaps see things in a different way, requires listening to the other person perspective. This means we have to take time to really listen to the other person, and really listening takes patience and practice.

Manager’s Tips: We cover this in, The Manager’s Answer Book, responding to the question on page 126: “Now that I’m a manager, I know it’s important to become a better listener. I’m trying to improve my listening habits and improve my skills. Any tips on what I can do?”

“Listening is hard work for most of us, and we’ve spent little time learning how to listen. A good listener makes a deliberate effort to understand the other person’s message. A good listener listens to learn, is interested in what the speaker is saying, and lets the speaker know they’re listening.”

For the rest of the answer, you can find The Manager’s Answer Book at your local independent bookstore, on Amazon.com or at Barnes & Noble.

Make New Friends but Keep the Old…

I recently had a speaking engagement in a city where I’d lived. It had been several years since I’d visited there, so I extended my business trip to stay for the weekend to see friends.

I really enjoyed returning to a place where I’d spent many happy years, but I must admit that I was constantly saying things like, “That wasn’t here when I lived here” or “This looks just the same as it did years ago.”

The best part of the weekend was reconnecting with friends and colleagues. Social media allows us to stay connected with people we don’t see often, but there is nothing like actually being together to re-kindle friendships and relationships.

While most of my time was spent with good friends, I also met new people along the way. Hearing their stories added a lot to my experience. I now have new friends with whom I can stay in contact, people I hope to see again soon. We’ll stay in touch on social media, and I will keep track of their travels and other life events of interest. I will look forward to seeing how the kids and grandkids grow while building new friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.

This walk down memory lane reminded me of a song I learned in Girl Scouts and many of you probably know it too. Lucky for you I am only giving you the words and not including me singing the song. So here it is:

“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver but the other gold.”

I’m challenging you to consider if you have friends you haven’t connected with in a while.  If so, do it today. You don’t have to fly across the country to connect—a phone call or a Facetime chat will work as well!  Just don’t let too much time go by without connecting! Don’t, however, get so hung up on old friends that you miss out on meeting new people and forming new friendships.  Remember, “one is silver but the other gold.”

Beyond Black and White

Diversity often gets described as something to do with skin tone.  Black and brown. Red, yellow and white. Throw gender into the mix and you’ve got it all. Right?

Wrong. Diversity is so much more than simply race and gender. And as a side note, Hispanic is an ethnic group, not a race. 

There’s been much political discourse recently about our differences—specifically differences in race, national origin and religion. Much of this discourse has been divisive, and divisiveness is destructive and unnecessary. It’s one of the underlying causes of conflict. 

Why can’t everyone be like me? Is that a political rally cry? Far from it. It’s a chapter in one of our books—The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook. In that chapter we discuss:

• Changing demographics
• Dimensions of diversity
• Differences matter
• Stereotypes, socialization and assumptions

More importantly, the chapter explores the importance of learning about each other—in the workplace and in life. We discuss how to start conversations with people in order to learn more about them—how to be curious in a respectful manner.  Doing so may require exposing some of your own vulnerability, but it’s a great way to build trust among colleagues, team members, and others.

Eric Swalwell, Congressman from California, recently said something that, among a great deal of political noise, makes a great deal of sense. “America is not just the places you like or look like you. It’s the places you’ve never seen and the people you’ve never met.”  

Placing labels, assigning stereotypes and making assumptions about other people is easy to do. Engaging in respectful curiosity is much harder. Take the courage and initiative to learn more about, appreciate and respect the people with whom you work and with whom you interact. In exchange for doing so, you will gain so much insight about other people and your life will be enriched.

Inspiring Confidence

A local business owner shared an interesting experience with me recently. She received an inquiry through her company’s website. Would she be interested in a certain niche service for her business? Her interest was piqued enough to want additional information and she thought a phone call would be helpful.  So, she conferred with her business partner and then responded to the email suggesting a phone call with the individual who contacted her.

Now you know how difficult it is to coordinate a call among three people. Here’s what happened next:  After numerous emails among the three, a call was finally arranged with Billy, the business developer who’d sent the inquiry. The next day, Billy sent an email advising that the call would be with Justin, the founder, because Justin took all new business development calls. Strange, but okay thought the partners.  Justin tried to join a call on Tuesday, but the call was scheduled for Friday because Tuesday didn’t work for the partners. Justin wasn’t available on Friday, the day arranged by Billy.  Confused yet? They sure were. They asked Justin to provide available days and times for a call.  He took two weeks to respond.  

There’s an old saying — too many cooks spoil the broth. Justin sure spoiled a potential business opportunity for his firm for a number of reasons:

• Lack of clear communication — when would the call take place,
• Lack of clear expectations — with whom would the call take place; and
• Lack of trust, at least that’s what the partners perceived — didn’t he trust Billy to take an initial call with potential clients?

At this point, the partners had pretty much written off Justin and his firm. They were questioning if things were this difficult to get a simple call arranged, what would they encounter if they proceeded with a business arrangement? Simply stated, Justin hadn’t inspired confidence in himself or his firm.

Confidence, like trust, isn’t an event. It’s a process. Confidence and trust are something you build over time — with your employees, with your clients and customers and with your stakeholders.  Set expectations in the beginning of the business relationship and reinforce them. Have clear processes and communicate those processes early to everyone affected by them. You want your employees and your customers to be emotionally engaged in a positive way.  The emotional engagement the partners in this story experienced was confusion.  Justin’s going to have to work hard to change that.

You Know What You Should Do

Not long after we wrote The Big Book of HR, we were speaking at an event and signing books.  During a lull in the activity, someone came and sat down next to us — uninvited — and starting chatting away.  “My father wrote a book,” she said and proceeded to tell us about it.  We weren’t paying much attention, not that we were rude, but potential book buyers approached and we turned our focus to them. 

When the conference attendees returned to their session, our new best friend remained behind, once again engaging us in a conversation. “You know what you should do?” she said before proceeding to give us unsolicited advice about book marketing — this from someone who never wrote nor marketed a book.  You Know What You Should Do has become a standard joke between Barbara and me. But kidding aside, we are both always sensitive to offering advice to others — solicited or unsolicited.  And when we do, we frame it in positive terms and phrases: “You might consider” or “Have you ever thought of..” or “Something that might work is...”

I heard an interesting quote recently that says it all and has such wide application today — in business and in politics. “The world is changed by your example not by your opinion,” Paul Coelho. People are so quick to voice their opinions without stopping to think if anyone is interested, if they are relevant or if they add value.

Managers can take a valuable lesson from this and apply it to their interactions with team members and others in their organization. Remember that in your role as a manager, all eyes are on you. How you present yourself, how you communicate, how you act, all reflect on the type of leader and person you are — and you will want to reflect on those traits that project confidence, credibility and integrity.

For more insights on leading by example, you know what you should do?  Check out Section 4 of The Manager’s Answer Book. Seriously, if you don’t already have a copy, we’d be so honored and thankful if you’d pick one up.  And if you do have the book, we’re confident that you’ll find thought provoking ideas in that section and others.

Creativity - Use It or Lose It

I recently read a quote from Maya Angelou that I can’t stop thinking about.  She said, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

She’s absolutely right – as if I’d ever disagree with someone as talented as Ms. Angelou.

When it comes to business, don’t we want our employees to be as creative as possible—unless their job requires they a task that is highly specific—like a surgeon.  Not sure I want my surgeon being too innovative while removing my appendix!

So, if creativity is to be encouraged, let’s talk specifics about how managers can maximize the creativity their employees possess.

To get started, managers should let employees know that they are open to hearing them and genuinely seeking new ideas and approaches. And if your team brings new ideas to you, listen and withhold judgment before you agree or shoot the new idea down.

We’ve talked before in this blog about avoiding phrases like, “No, that won’t work here” or “But we’ve always done it this way” or “We tried that in 2000 and it failed miserably.”   Nothing will shut down creativity like being told what you’re proposing is a bad idea.

Encourage your employees to take a step back from the routine work and imagine how it could be better. It is so easy to get caught up in just getting things done and not consider how something might be improved.

Try reserving one staff meeting a month to hold a classic brainstorming session. Start by setting ground rules that should include things like:

• Be specific about the topic you want ideas about. Let people know ahead of time so they can come with their thoughts and ideas
• Get as many ideas out before you analyze each one
• Don’t criticize someone’s idea
• Get everyone involved.  Don’t let one or two people dominate the session.  Encourage your introverts to participate
• Make it fun. Play music. Use colored markers and sticky notes.  Liven things up

Odds are if you encourage creativity you will get it from your team and remember the words of Maya Angelou, “The more you use, the more you have.”