Be a dream weaver...

I write these messages every day about what people should do to live up to their values. Today, I’d like to pause and talk about the opportunities I’ve had throughout my career to live up to my dreams. Professionally, I’ve had the good fortune to work and dream with some great colleagues in the gaming industry – especially the teams of HR pros who shared in the dreams of turning great resort ideas into realities. More recently, my consulting partner and I began planning and making unique online training a reality for managers and supervisors, something I’ve dreamed about for a long time. I’ve also had wonderful volunteer opportunities to dream with other HR leaders around the world about improving the profession, and to work with some really committed dreamers to make successful reentry a reality for ex-offenders. And personally, I’ve been able to dream and grow with my wife for what will be 44 years tomorrow – the result is a great family and the reality of being a proud grandfather to two amazing young people. We all have dreams, but the best of them are dreamed with others to become wonderful realties; thanks to everyone who has dreamed with me over the years – you’ve helped to make so many dreams come true for me and others. Find someone to share your dreams with today.

Yoko Ono Lennon (born 1933): Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, performance artist, filmmaker, and peace activist

Listen to your inner voice...

The news – both real and fake, is so loud and overwhelming these days that you can’t hardly think: all those political ads make it hard to discern where the truth lies. And the 24-hour news cycles are so endlessly repetitive that you’re not sure when anything happened: or if it still matters. There are projections based on polls that nobody trusts, and commentaries that are often just one person’s point of view. If some or all of this happened at work you’d quit, or the perpetrators would get fired. At the end of the day you need to quiet all the noise and listen to the very faint voice of your own instincts, common sense and intuition. Just because someone says anything’s so doesn’t mean it is – it’s up to each of us to learn enough to know if it is. It would be helpful if leaders had integrity, spoke the truth and were honest, transparent, curious, and empathetic – that’s what makes for employee (and voter) satisfaction, loyalty, and respect. Keep the noise down so people can find and listen to their own internal voices; keep things simple and straight-forward so they can relax, think clearly, and perform. While some may think these are trying times, they’re also full of challenges and opportunities to make a difference. Now’s the time for each of us to find out how. Let your internal voice help you find the way today.

Jon Favreau (born 1966): American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter.

Stay focused...

Most people I know have been isolated, distanced, and masked for much of the last 8 months: that’s a long time. No surprise, then, that yesterday’s paper talked about Covid-19 fatigue and the worry that people are starting to get lax in their safety efforts. It’s hard to stay focused this long on anything, especially with a silent killer like Covid-19 that’s mostly out of sight. Maybe that’s why this virus is surging all across the US, with more than 500,000 new cases in the past week. I’m well aware that many people don’t think this pandemic is real or all that dangerous; I know many question the need for restrictions, saying this isn’t that bad. But whether you think it is or it isn’t, you better live every day like it may be your last because now, more than most other crises we’ve lived through, it very well may be. Many leaders I talk to worry about this fatigue and they’re pretty much agreed: talk about this with your employees, discuss the many ways you can support and remind one another about why and how to stay focused, listen to their concerns and worries and let them vent, and learn and gain strength from those around them, and talk about ways they can support one another. Those kinds of engaging discussions can and will help us all to remain focused today.

Ray Charles (1930 – 2004): American singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer

Exercise and nutrition matter...

We were greeted by several of our neighbors when we returned to Las Vegas last week. Our neighborhoods here and back East each have small homeowner’s associations, so we get to know our neighbors really well. On Saturday, our next-door neighbor came out to see us and we noted how great their two teenagers looked: it seems that when the lockdown started last March they decided to change their nutritional habits. I imagine lots of people all over the world have altered their habits during this time and many have used this time to stay or get fit. While I haven’t been really disciplined, I too have been exercising more and eating healthier. And since everything we do is habit-forming, it’s good (even if you start now) to make sure what you do is what you want to be doing. The news has lots of stories of individuals and families recreating more (close to home), planning and implementing home and landscaping projects, and, of course, changing their eating habits. When managing onsite or remote workers, consider having group discussions about and celebrating things like these that people are doing in these Covid-19 times – it’s a great way to build team spirit and camaraderie and help improve your team’s overall well-being and performance.  Make a habit of supporting good habits today.

Wilton Norman Chamberlain (1936 – 1999): American basketball player who played as a center and is considered one of the greatest players in history (p.s. I was and still am a Boston Celtics fan and always used to grind my teeth when they played against Chamberlain)

The truth should set you free...

Life is complicated these days by the endless campaign advertising that is swirling around us and the unending pandemic cases that are again surging. Email and snail-mail boxes are filled with incredible political assertions and communities are roiled by increasing Covid-19 cases – all of which leave many confused about what’s real or not. Last week I turned off the TV because the competing political ads confused the truth, and friends have shut down their FB accounts for the same reason. I wonder what would happen if company leaders stretched the truth so bizarrely to their employees and customers: the test would be their resulting trust and. It just seems to me that the truth should not be stretched – give people the real facts and let them decide; whether they choose to believe or agree with them or not is their prerogative.  In the end, facts do not cease to exist because they are misstated or ignored. We teach that principle to our children and should apply it to our leaders and institutions. Facts, like the truth, are what they are and should not be stretched (a la Pinocchio).  Be proud of what you say today. 

 

Aldous Huxley (1894 – 1963): English writer and philosopher

What goes around, comes around...

Loyalty, like integrity, is often what you say or do when nobody, or a certain somebody, is around to see it. Like: doing what you promised, honoring someone’s wishes, celebrating someone’s accomplishments, following up on someone’s question or request, or just thinking good thoughts about someone. I could write here about all the wonderful examples in business of leaders doing and saying nice things about someone who’s not there, and how that looks and feels to those that are. But after traveling and flying yesterday for the first time in nearly 8 months, I’d like to mention how people were acting in the airport or on the plane: in that environment, loyalty, like caring, is about doing what you’re supposed to do even when nobody notices. Everyone wore masks, and nearly everyone had one covering both their noses and mouths – there were signs and announcements everywhere to do that, but it wasn’t like anyone was checking or enforcing that. People just seemed to do those things because it was the right thing to do, in general, and for the people around them and those they’d come in contact with later. There were more people than I expected, but that simple act made traveling okay. We’ve all got to be safety conscious and trustworthy for those who are present or not if we’re ever going to get back to a more normal existence today. 

Stephen Covey (1932 – 2012): American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker

 

Stand by me...

My generation grew up with Old West stories and movies where loyalties were earned and treasured. It’s a theme that resonates in life and business and makes us yearn for the days of strong personalities, handshakes and commitments, the things that loyalties are built and based on. One doesn’t, however, want to get carried away with either too much or misplaced loyalties and abandon integrity or common sense: keeping your eyes wide open is always a smart practice. And you also don’t want to turn your back on loyalty in search of some shiny new penny: the grass is rarely greener someplace else. But if you know what you want and are looking for, are honest in assessing the give and take that goes on in all facets of our lives, and genuinely act in an ethical and humble manner, you’ll most likely find and give loyalty in appropriate measures. This is generally true with family, friends, and work relationships both in normal times and in these crazy Covid-19 times. Good leaders know this and work hard to build working relationships that are mutually beneficial, and which create loyalty. Thus, when you find it, remember that the whole point of loyalty is to appropriately stick with those who genuinely stick with you. The result is two-way trust and respect, the kind you can always count on. Don’t settle for anything less today.

Larry McMurtry (born 1936): American novelist, essayist, bookseller, and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the Old West or in contemporary Texas.

Ain't it good to know you've got a friend...

This quote sounds like a pretty simple proposition, right?  Maybe… maybe not. Try to define “deserves” in that statement. Maybe: they’re trustworthy, respectful, humble, honest, curious, ethical, kind, caring, and… well, loyal. Pretty tall order, but when you look around at your real friends – the ones you’ve known well (either for a long time or less), they probably meet the bill. So, are you loyal to them? If they meet your criteria then you should be.  And when you are, you should be all the things to them that they are to you. That’s loyalty. The reason I’m thinking about this is that this past weekend I sat around a campfire with one of my oldest friends – like from 3^rd grade. We were besties through high school, then went off to college and our separate ways. We’ve seen each other less than a handful of times since, but when we have, the friendship was still there: deep and evident.  It was there for all to see and feel around that campfire. And to find this in the midst of this pandemic was elating. Friends like that are priceless treasures: true-blue and loyal to the end, through thick and thin, in good times and bad. Be loyal to those who deserve it today.

Joyce Maynard (born 1953): American novelist and journalist

Smile and the world smiles with you...

I’ve written often here about ‘hiring for attitude and training for skills’: it’s a popular strategy today, but not so much when I started doing it in the mid 80s. The attitudes I focused on were optimism and flexibility or, as I would tell it, the ability to smile when interrupted. It’s amazing how much of an impact a smile has on people: it’s infectious and creates great customer satisfaction. When people would ask me how I trained employees to smile, I’d answer: “I didn’t; they smiled in the interview, so I hired them”. While that may be over-simplified, it’s mostly right. When you smile at someone, they often smile back; just like when you gesture or maintain eye-contact, they do too. And when you see someone without a smile, they can catch yours.  That’s the key in the service business and it can’t be over-emphasized. Don’t believe me: next time you’re walking past someone or talking to people on Zoom, flash them your best smile; more than likely, they’ll return the gesture. It takes 10 muscles to smile and 6 to frown but the results of the first far outweigh those of the second. And, by the way, smiling and happy people get more done and are more loyal than frowners. Give everyone a smile today.

 Dolly Parton (born 1946): Singer Songwriter, Actress, Author, Philanthropist

Keep the home fires burning...

This week’s theme is about loyalty – what it takes to create and keep it, and what it means to give it. And even though it’s a two-way proposition, it starts with you and me and the employees everywhere who want to give their loyalty to you (their supervisor) and your company.  That’s true in normal times and even more so in these Covid-19 times. Companies spend a lot of time, in those normal times, creating a culture that employees want to be a part of and loyal to, getting people working together, feeling good about themselves and their colleagues, aligning with the company’s values, and thinking about the future together. But with so many people furloughed, laid off, or working from home, it’s difficult to create or maintain that kind of culture and loyalty: it’s like the whole thing is turned upside down. Employees want to keep their own loyalty feelings alive – your job as a supervisor is to let them, help them, support them, talk to them, listen to them, and celebrate them.  When the old policies and tactics aren’t available or working – adapt; now is the time to rethink all the things you used to do to build a culture and get employees to buy 0nto it.  Change your plan and the measures used to see if it’s working. And be the kind of supervisor that employees will want to be loyal to. Get a fire in your belly to help your employees keep their own fires alive today.

Catherine Tift Merritt (born 1975); American singer-songwriter and musician

Everybody look what's going down...

In the midst of this crazy election we’re still dealing with this terrible pandemic. The political noise makes it hard to focus on the continuing problems that companies, and their employees are having with full or partial work from home practices (if they’re still working). I’ve written here often in the past 6 months about these problems – reduced hours or too many hours, reduced commute times or time conflicts between work and family, the effects of isolation from colleagues and supervisors, and the anxiety created by uncertainty. Everyone’s trying hard to make this work but there are too few measures to tell whether or not it is, and no training for managers trying to deal with these challenging dynamics. At the end of the day it comes down to employees having the integrity to do their work and leaders trusting them. Leaders should set goals and measures and communicate these effectively, stay in touch with and care immensely about the problems their employees are having, and offer continuing support; employees need to be open about their problems and concerns, ask questions, manage their conflicting affairs, keep focused, and stay positive. Let’s not lose sight of this continuing struggle amidst the political rhetoric that unfortunately is having little impact on this issue. Keep your focus on the continuing needs of your employees today.

James Hodge (born 1972): Chief Technical Adviser at Splunk

Nobody's right if everybody's wrong...

People often have opinions or beliefs that become challenged by events or actions: what they do in those situations can be a window on their integrity. Whether it has to do with Covid-19, an election, or life in general: if you see or hear something that’s incorrect or inappropriate, you have to do something about it. To say something, to reflect on or change your views, to alter your commitment, to admit to yourself or others that you might be wrong. There’s no shame in adjusting your thinking based on new information.  But people seem to have trouble doing that. They’re invested in choices that are hard to reverse. Whether it’s loyalty to a particular organization or leader, or to a product you’ve always used and liked: changing your view and then doing something about it can be hard. And the longer you wait, the harder it gets. It’s easy to be right; harder to be wrong and then do something about it. But if you want to respect yourself, that’s what you must do. If you want others to respect you, that’s what you must do. Without compromise. Because one of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised. Easier said than done, I know. Even so: do what’s right to preserve your integrity today.

Chinua Achebe (1930 –  2013): Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic

There's battle lines being drawn...

People often say what they mean and mean what they say… but are they really who they say they are? During the past week, the airways and social media sites, and my email box have been filled with political ads – some say who the candidates are, but most attempt to tell who their opponents are not. Some of that political rhetoric may be accurate, but it’s hard to tell. Back when I was a kid there was something called “truth in advertising”: imagine that. That simple regulation somehow morphed into “buyer beware”: an ominous trend.  And today we’re unsure if any news is true or fake: a truly sad state of affairs. We should all mourn the death of integrity and honesty in our politics.  Until and unless we hold the politicians accountable to practice what they preach and be what they preach, then we won’t know fact from fiction. If businesses and their leaders acted like that they’d go belly-up and bankrupt – those same financial and moral consequences should be applied to political leaders. If they want to draw lines between themselves and their opponents, let them each simply tell what they’ve done in the past and will do in the future. Period. Then let us judge and decide. Let’s get back to integrity and honesty today.

 David Bednar (born 1952): David Allan Bednar is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

What it is ain't exactly clear...

People usually think the musical scale consists of 8 notes; musicians know that the sharp and flat notes in between bring it to 12. Life, like music, includes all the regular things we have to deal with, and all the things in between. To experience life (or music) to its fullest, is to understand, take advantage of, and get the most out of everything available to us. And while many know the key elements and challenges they’re faced with every day, to truly make a difference requires everyone to learn about and deal with it all. This is a complex world and trying to understand or deal with it via sound bites, talking heads, casual observations, or text messages deprives us of all that we need to make good choices and informed decisions. Leaders owe it to themselves and their charges to study and learn enough to be effective; those they lead deserve that. When you think you know it all, continue to peel the onion of information a little bit more: get into it, do your homework, and have the integrity to learn the rest. Otherwise you’re apt to be uniformed or just more noise in the confusion. Everything has the equivalent of 12 notes – use them all today.

 Eddie Van Halen (1955 –  2020): American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor

There's something happening here...

Employees expect their leaders to talk the talk and walk the walk: millennials especially. Some of us might allow a little latitude, wanting to believe that circumstances can sometimes get in the way but, in most cases, that’s some kind of self-serving rationalization. In this social media age, failure to align what we say and do can easily be exposed. This kind of behavioral alignment is not just for leadership people and practices: it also applies to what people say in a job or media interview – these too can easily be checked via social media. At the end of the day, there is no substitute for the integrity that aligns these, nor should anyone overlook or dismiss it when one is different than the other: it’s important to question the reasons and circumstances that may be involved if they’re not aligned. Our words and actions mean something, and anyone who thinks otherwise isn’t being honest with themselves or others. Integrity like this builds trust and respect, the things that bind organizations and communities together. Back in the day, someone’s word was their bond. That should be the same today.

 Katrina Mayer: Writer, motivational speaker, corporate executive, and an ordained interfaith minister

Dream bigger...

 “If your dream only includes you, it's too small.” Ava DuVernay

 

Florida’s governor said something interesting yesterday – ‘masks can be required but wearing them can’t be enforced’.  I’m not a fan, but he’s right. Something like this is beyond government’s ability to enforce it: it requires public enforcement.  Recently I saw a woman confront someone whose mask wasn’t worn correctly – meaning it didn’t cover their nose. She asked politely that they wear it correctly and then pointed to her daughter and asked that they do it for her.  This is not a question of politics – it’s one of common sense and decency.  It’s not us versus them – it’s all of us versus this airborne virus. It’s not about personal freedoms – it’s about we’re all in this s#*thole together. We can all dream about getting back to normal but if that dream only includes you, it’s too small.  We’ve all got to make it back to normal together: if one doesn’t make it then no one will. Seven months of this is too long… way longer than any of us anticipated. We can get there if everyone wears a mask correctly, keep their distance, and washes their hands. Simple, purposeful, and smart. Keep doing that until the doctors and their science sound the all-clear. Until then, do what it takes to make this dream come true today.

 

Ava Marie DuVernay (born 1972): American filmmaker

All planning is local...

A company’s reopening plan and actions are critical parts of winning back customers during this pandemic. Customers want creative combinations of service and safety and are willing to adapt to those changing practices. Good companies see the restrictions they’re under for what they are and not what they hoped they would be… meaning, accept them, figure out how to adapt to them, and get the benefit for their employees and customers and bottom line from them.  Meaning: study your options, develop appropriate plans, train and coach your employees, explain the new “normal” to everyone, keep them focused, and adapt as things evolve. I’m still steaming about the experience I had the other night at a local restaurant here – they either didn’t plan or care, or they were just inept in maintaining their focus. Posting on YELP and other social media sites or deciding whether to go back and be repeat customers are the ways people respond to the marketplace, especially in these challenging times: that’s the real bottom line for any reopening plan. It’s the product AND the way it’s presented. You control that, not some policy or politician – because just like they say about politics, all Covid-19 plans are local. In your shop, on your shoulders. Take action and see that for what it is – not what or how you hoped it would be, today.

 Fred Crawford: President of Aflac Inc. 

Getting back to normal is difficult...

After nearly 208 days of self-isolation and eating at home, my wife and I decided to eat in a restaurant last night. We had just traveled 50 miles to get flu shots and wanted to eat before the ride back to our cabin in the woods. I didn’t think too much about it since the news was filled with restaurant openings that required safe practices. We went to a large restaurant, figuring its size would allow appropriate distancing. As we were seated I noticed several tables with 10 diners each, and shortly after that the hostess seated 8 businessmen at the table next to ours. All wore masks while walking; none wore masks at their tables. Everyone was smiling and talking and drinking and eating and acting like they should under the stated guidelines.  But it still unnerved me. I’d been out before, but mostly to grocery stores and other places where everyone was wearing masks. I clearly underestimated how hard it might be to go back into an environment filled with people without masks and how long it might take to get back to acting and feeling normal. Going back out into the world and getting back to normal is definitely going to require some serious mental preparation and practice. Don’t underestimate how hard it will be getting back to being yourself today.

 

Miles Davis (1926 – 1991): American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer

Be cautious and prudent...

Everyone says this has been a really crazy and challenging year: many seem to be walking on eggshells, not knowing what to do. Like: my wife and I have been living in these mountains since Spring, but we're uncertain whether to stay here where it’s safe or return to Las Vegas where it may not yet be. Or: me being nervous about getting back behind the wheel after hitting that deer last week - I’d never hit one before, and that has me thinking and looking twice while driving. For others it’s like worrying about making decisions at work  – what if they make a bad one and people get sick. And Covid-19  has scared many away from doing what they do – but it shouldn’t make any of us afraid to go out and do things safely. Whether it’s living or driving or managing or proceeding, you can’t help being scared; but you shouldn’t be afraid to do what you do. The record is pretty clear that if you wear a mask, keep your distance, and wash your hands you’ll be relatively safe. After being isolated and scared, people should be smart about what they do and cautiously unafraid about living their lives. Listen to experts and decide for yourself what’s best, then coach and guide those you’re responsible for by responding to their questions and needs and helping them find ways to be unafraid about living their lives carefully, creatively, and safely. Be cautious but unafraid today.

William Faulkner (1897 – 1962): American writer of novels, short stories, screenplays, poetry, essays, and a play, and Nobel Prize laureate 

Enjoy the joys of October...

When summer ends and fall begins, it’s October.  When the nights grow cold and the leaves begin to change, it’s October. When apples ripen and are pressed into cider, it’s October. Every year, it’s the same, but somehow I never grow tired of it. I look forward to my birthday on the 3^rd and Halloween (and our anniversary) on the 31^st, the two ends of every October. The smell of fallen leaves reminds me of my earliest memories: bundled up, playing outdoors, knowing that a warm house awaited. This year it’s different: most people I know are still in some form of limbo as the pandemic continues, so there was no birthday cake and certainly no blowing out of candles, and Halloween preparations are mostly centered around trying to figure out how to give out candy without the traditional doorway exchanges. But like everything else in our lives, these Covid-related challenges are being creatively overcome.  On Zoom, I could blow out the candles with gusto and nobody was there to worry about it; and families are putting together treat bags that the tricksters can safely pick up and take. None of these are as fun as what we’d normally do, but they’ll do until more can be done. Cut back a little on scheduling so much and encourage your people to get out and enjoy this glorious month. Let’s all be glad there are Octobers today.

 

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874 – 1942): Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables

Be thankful for what you have...

We got up yesterday planning to drive to Vermont to see my wife’s sister, hoping to see some extraordinary fall foliage along the way. That's what I planned to write about today. But a little more than an hour into our journey we found ourselves broken down on the side of the road after hitting a deer. We walked away uninjured, the deer didn’t. Nature brings us all kinds of wonders, both good and not so good: while the changing seasons are amazing, animals are killed crossing the nation’s highways, forests and homes are destroyed by wildfires, storms upend communities, and countless other natural disasters wreak havoc in other ways. Nature gives and nature takes. Like many with a personal story, I posted our mishap on Facebook and received lots of comments: many thankful that we weren’t injured, and more than a few expressed sadness for the deer. It certainly could have been worse; thankfully for us it wasn’t. We’ve been in the Adirondack Mountains all summer and have enjoyed the beauty found here so, on balance, we’re way ahead. And as the day progressed we realized how lucky and fortunate we were… and are. Don’t let the bad things that happen in life ruin the good ones that do. The shock is wearing off now and we’re reminded to stop and smell the flowers when bad things happen. Let nature bring you solace today. 

Anne Frank (1929-1945): German-Dutch Diarist and one of the most discussed victims of the Holocaust

Don't take unnecessary chances...

Everything we say and do has an impact on someone or something: like a pebble thrown into water, there are always ripples. Our words can help or hurt, and everything in between; likewise, our actions. Leaders are never ‘off the record’ – whatever is told to them needs to be taken seriously, and everything they say carries the weight of the company. And ‘off the cuff’ remarks can and often do come back, good or bad. Or jokes with employees: the risk of those words or actions being misconstrued is more probable today than ever; fun to some can be worrisome to others. Because we live in a world where instant communications and social media can spread images and recordings instantaneously, the need to think before acting or speaking is critical. This is certainly true in normal times, but with employees on furlough or layoff or working from home, good clear communications and messaging needs to be professionally designed and effectively delivered if you want them to have the intended effect.  Consider all the questions that might result from your actions or words, think through any answers before giving them, allot time to resolve misunderstandings, and survey (formally or informally) those wo are or may be directly or indirectly affected to ensure that what you meant is what was understood.  Happy and satisfied employees and customers don’t get that way by chance… and everything makes a difference in that – one way or another. Decide what kind of difference you want to make today.

 Dame Jane Goodall (born 1934): English primatologist and anthropologist, and considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees