See the glass as half full....

Someone again asked me recently what’s the most important quality to look for in an applicant (or new employee): for me, that’s easy: someone with an optimistic attitude.  I’ve written about this a lot in these messages because it’s so important to hire people who see the glass as half full (rather than half empty), are flexible and generally interested in making things better, who’ll want the ball when the game is on the line, and in who’s hands you’ll want the ball then too: they’ll be the go-to people who can and will get a job done right and on-time. People like that have the right attitude, focus and drive to turn negative situations and stresses into positive ones. Identify the people working for you who are like that: nurture and coach them to use those positive team-oriented qualities for the benefit of all, mentor them to know and understand the bigger pictures and issues you’re dealing with,  and help prepare them for more responsibility. As a leader, your job is to convert negative people and situations into positive ones today.

János "Hans" Selye (1907 – 1982): Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist who conducted important scientific work on the existence of biological stress

Don't cry wolf....

People want to know if there’s much drama in the workplace: they’re mostly interested in how people play together.  Some people exaggerate things, often to make themselves look better or more important, or minimize the impact of what they’ve done.  Our mothers used to refer to this as crying wolf, the implication being that if you do that enough times people stop paying attention or taking you seriously. In the workplace, we all need good and transparent communications, ones that let everyone know what’s going on – good or bad. As colleagues and friends, we should always speak simply and honestly. As leaders, we should stress the importance of honest and ethical communications, such that others can rely on them: as leaders we mustn’t overreact, but be supportive and responsive, and use those times when things are unclear as coaching opportunities.  People who work or play together should understand that if you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times. Encourage good group communications today.

Focus on results....

I once worked with a guy who was better at making speeches than decisions: he was popular yet relatively ineffective. Good talkers are like that: they can excite a crowd but not effect change, carry on a conversation but not carry the day, or add up columns of numbers but not make sense of complex issues. He was a nice guy, but back then there weren’t many KPIs or metrics: ‘sort-of’ was often good enough. But I’ve come to appreciate that while ordinary professionals focus on giving advice, extra-ordinary ones are laser-focused on giving results. We need to watch and guide the ordinary ones, but the great ones need only a little direction and then a lot of runway: they’ll ask insightful questions, give clear feedback, and motivate others. Carefully prepare to lead them: they’ll want and look for clear discussions and directions – there’s an art and science to when you hold the reins and then let them go. The best way to get extra-ordinary performance out of your team of professionals is to be an extra-ordinary leader today.                                                                                                  

Ashish Patel (b. 1975): Canadian cricketer.

You gotta believe....

I’m sitting in the Calgary airport watching the many televisions arrayed around the boarding lobbies: hockey, soccer, basketball, golf, baseball, auto racing, curling… a veritable smorgasbord of competitive events. Every player on every team playing at his or her best, believing they’ll win. And because so many sport metaphors are applied to our work lives, we watch and talk about these athletes and their efforts long after the games end. Sport seasons, like work projects, seemingly go on forever, starting with the common belief that success for any one team or individual is a real possibility. The only way that can exist is when the participants neither know nor believe that failure is inevitable. Professionals in every walk of life have to approach their challenges with that attitude, and take each step as if it’s one of many on the path to success. If you’re working on something, think like that; if you’re leading others, keep reminding them of that. Professionals should believe that anything is possible today. 

Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (1883 – 1971): French fashion designer, business woman, and founder and namesake of the Chanel brand

Be prepared....

The gig economy is fascinating: I often take Lyft and Uber and love talking with the drivers about this subject.  Here are some of the things they tell me: some drive because they are between jobs; others drive part-time to make a little extra money; and there’s a growing number who see this as a good way to work by and for themselves. Those in this last group, mostly millennials, are professionals who treat it like a real job where, most importantly, they control their work schedules. This may be changing an important equation: working when people want, not when others schedule them.  If that happens, a fundamental part of work also may be affected: think how attendance policies and absenteeism would be turned upside down if people regularly bid on open shifts themselves rather than having assigned schedules posted by management. This is a potential game changer and it would behoove company leaders and professional managers to begin thinking about a transformation of this magnitude. Because, as always, preparation is the key to success today.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922): Scottish-born scientist, engineer, and innovator credited with inventing the first practical telephone, and founding AT&T

Picture this....

Like me, you probably have boxes of old photos that your parents and grandparents took and saved: looking thru them, it’s clear when Polaroid pictures started – they revolutionized the way pictures were processed. In our lifetimes, we’ve all benefited from the development of smartphones to take pictures – it’s so easy to shoot and store them online. Just think if the evolution of these new ideas for photography never happened because Edwin Land and Steve Jobs hadn’t been willing to throw out old ideas. Everything around us is the result of someone having the courage to say “what if”, the strength to look over the horizon, the willingness to be a catalyst for change: professionals are never afraid of new ideas and the improvements they might bring.  While hot everything can or should be improved, we should be prepared for where and when great new ideas start to push old ones aside. Keep an open mind and be ready to spot any great new ideas today.

Edwin Herbert Land (1909 –1991): American scientist and inventor, best known as the co-founder of the Polaroid Corporation

Count your blessings....

We awake each day and get involved in lots of things: some important, others, not so much. We read the news like our lives depend on it, even when much of it is a world away and not all that pertinent to our lives.  But this past weekend, most of the world stopped and celebrated religious events that marked, among many other things, redemption and rejuvenation. These weren’t the topics on the Sunday morning news and talk shows, they didn’t affect our personal landscapes, and they mostly were ignored on the more popular social media sites.  But Easter and Passover have been important holidays for centuries, and they count greatly in how we live and lead our lives. While it’s sometimes difficult, we should all re-double our focus on the things that really matter to our overall well-being. So, on this Monday morning after, remember that many of the things you can count, don’t count; and many of the things you can’t count, really count. That’s a holiday message we all may want to contemplate today.

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955): German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics