Unassuming Giants

Charles was an unassuming professional. You could easily miss him. Charles didn’t demand attention. He moved quietly throughout his day doing great work. 

I think of Charles often. He changed the trajectory of my career - if not my life.  

I was a young team leader working for a financial services company. I worked in the Support Services department (i.e. the mail / document scanning department). I had taken on an assignment to assemble a small team to support a new office location. The department moving into the space was a notoriously demanding, stressed out, and emotionally charged group.  I wanted to prepare my new team for what they might encounter.  I wanted to protect them.

First, they needed context around this department.  And second, they needed to be equipped to do their job well. 

Context. I sat the group down and explained the following;

• The product this department was selling and servicing was a strategic priority for the company.

• The competition in this arena was fierce. Competing firms were calling our clients every day trying to lure them away from us (and vice versa). 

• These were high dollar accounts. Mistakes could cost the company millions. 

• Our financial representatives were required to go through extensive training and receive a number of certifications in order to serve these clients. They were the best in the business. 

Education. My team knew their day to day responsibilities well, what else might help?

• I provided them with a book focused on business impact. We discussed the chapters as a group. 

• I introduced case studies on exceptional customer service. 

• We talked about the everyday needs of this group, and how we could best support them. 

The team rallied! 

We had two weeks to get the building set up before the department moved in. The team took advantage of this time.  

• Two team members created laminated cards that included mail drop and scanning times, drop off locations, and pictures of each of our team members along with our email and direct numbers. 

• They assembled welcome gift bags with office essentials and treats. 

• Charles memorized the name of every person in the department.   

• All of this work was self initiated by the team.  

Within the first week of the department moving in, I started getting emails and phone calls from the department managers. “What is up with this group?” one leader asked incredulously. “They are amazing!”  This usually invisible team was quickly seen as important and necessary members of the department. 

The company had a recognition program called the Recognition Toolbox. An plastic toolbox filled with gift cards and trinkets that one team member could give to another in recognition of a job well done. Within weeks my team’s desks were filled with recognition notes and gifts. Charles’ pile of mementos dwarfed the others. He had taken our challenge of exceptional customer service very seriously, and it was noticed by all. 

Quiet, unassuming Charles was a different man. He became more outgoing. He smiled more. He spoke up more easily. He knew he was making a difference, and he liked that feeling. 

Charles taught me that there are sleeping giants in our organizations that are ready to shine, if only given the opportunity. 

While I was only trying to protect my team from the demands of the workplace, I had unknowingly unleashed their potential. 

I left the department a few months later. Charles sent me an email that I still have today. In it he wrote, “If we had more leaders like you we could change the world.”  Little did he know that he had just changed mine, and thirty years later his light and his example shine brightly in my heart. 

As a consultant my primary objective is to teach my clients the valuable lesson that I stumbled upon early in my career: There are sleeping giants in your organization. Individuals who will step up in ways you’ve never imagined if only given the right context, education, and support.

Comm-Unity

The comic Larry David said he had only one New Year’s resolution that stuck - even years after it was first hatched. “Pee before you leave.”  He explained that living in New York made it impossible to know how long it would take to get from point A to point B.  This resolution gave him great relief both mentally and physically.  Memorable. Practical. Impactful.  

If I could impact one thing in 2024, it would be to help your firm strengthen your community. Your team needs it. Individuals crave it.  And, leaders are all quickly losing their muscle to sustain it. 

We know that being in the company of others can increase endorphins, reduce loneliness, broaden our horizons, and strengthen our resolve.  

Comm-Unity

In the workplace I think of it this way.  Community starts with thoughtful and robust communication that then builds unity. 

A healthy community begins with creating conditions where people are comfortable sharing, exploring, questioning, and problem solving together. In order to do this, we must understand group dynamics such as - groupthink, power dynamics, psychological safety, and the difference between people who ‘speak to think’, versus those who ‘think to speak’.  Without understanding these dynamics even the best communication intentions will fall flat and fail.

If your firm only focuses on one thing this year, I suggest it be learning about and building a strong and supportive community.  The business and personal payoff will be exponential. 

An Organization Master Plan Should Support the Unique Character of Your Firm

We believe every firm should have an Organization Master Plan - a comprehensive operational plan to ensure maximum team collaboration to produce unparalleled business results.

We help you create an Organization Master Plan that every member of your team can understand, embrace, and bring to life in their everyday activities.  

Our Master Plan 4-Step Process 

Step 1

Define where you want your firm to stand out and call attention to itself 

Step 2

Support this differentiator by organizing and maximizing collective efforts  

Step 3

Create team ‘social capital’ to build business momentum

Step 4

Create a rhythm of ‘feedback analysis’ to grow and evolve

The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes. The Architect’s Firm Has No Design.

I work design firms across the country. I am amazed by how much thought and consideration they put into their work - from every curve and angle drawn, to every pattern and weight chosen. They bring a design vision to life in such an intentional way. 

So I wonder, why don’t place these same considerations into designing their internal operations? 

Instead, firms are often organized around a piecemeal of programs and initiatives adopted as issues arise - ideas emerge - or circumstances change. This lack of thoughtful, integrated design means that things don’t fit nicely together. Priorities and initiatives clash with each other, and fight for people’s time, energy, and focus. 

What is missing is an Organization Master Plan

As any architect will explain, good design is inspiring, grounding, and contributes to the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants. And a good design starts with a Master Plan. This is done by narrowing down a style and aesthetic, and creating a holistic framework around important variables.  I believe the same holds true for an organization.  

Architecture Master Plan Objectives

• preserving the unique character of an area

• improving a community’s livability

• bolstering the investment

• ensuring the desired change

Organization Master Plan Objectives

• collective understanding of where the firm wants to stand out and call attention to itself 

• optimal collaboration and results

• team social capital

• regular feedback analysis 

A firm’s Organization Master Plan should define where you want to stand out and call attention to yourself. From this a simple business and operational focus is defined in a way that every member of the team understands it, embraces it, and can bring it to life in their everyday activities. You don’t need a plethora of programs and initiatives to accomplish this - your Organization Master Plan will do the work. The results will be more time and energy to focus on the things that matter the most for the firm, and for the teams that power it. 

Want to create an Organizational Master Plan for your firm?  We will be introducing workshops in 2024, or you can bring us into your firm to work with your teams one on one.  

I'm A Regular. Are You?

I can regularly be found in the same few coffee shops. Same time, same seat, same roast.  

I get to know the people behind the counter. Their names, their interests, and even their moods. These communities ground me. And, as it happens, I ground them too. How do I know?

After recently moving to a new office space, I started frequenting the second location of one of my favorite haunts. When I stepped up to the counter to place my order I was met with - “What are you doing here? They are going to be so upset that you are coming here now”.  Followed by, “You take care of this woman, she is an important customer!” (from the manager to the employee ringing up my order). I was gobsmacked. I was flattered. But most of all, I was instantly invested in this new place.

That’s how it works with us humans. We invest in people and places that are invested in us. And how do we know they are invested?  They show up regularly!

I remember speaking to an HR Director who after being hired immediately started visiting their offices around the country.  At first people were visibly nervous when they showed up. The last HR Director only showed up for terminations. Like Pavlog’s dog, teams had a visceral response when HR walked through the door.  It took a number of visits before people relaxed. It took showing up regularly. 

The reverse can also happen. When asked about a new team leader, an employee told me that the leader only showed up when they needed something. This was very different then their last leader who checked in regularly.  I could feel the disappointment in her voice. 

When do you show up for your team?  When you need something?  Or, for regular check-ins? 

We all want to be seen. We all want to be appreciated. Showing up regularly is an important part of managing a team.

At its core, the workplace isn’t about the individual, it’s about the community at large. Individuals must understand this. Companies must support this.

Where your company is focused and how it is organized and managed will significantly impact how teams feel, behave, and contribute. Ultimately impacting your bottom line.  

The good news is that our brains are wired to be social animals, it is why we have survived for millennia. The bad news is that social trends have made us more selfish and narcissistic. The good news is our selfishness and narcissism isn’t making us happy.   

We are at a turning point - and turning towards each other is the answer.  

Creating vibrant and impactful teams takes time, focus, and intention. Keeping efforts simple and memorable is key. The result will be business momentum and personal satisfaction. 

• Our book WORK IS ART focuses on the group at large.

• Our training programs focus on developing dynamic teams.

We are here to walk you through our processes. We are here to show you the way. 

Give us a call, we’d love to help!

Give us a call to bring one of our programs into your organization. 

Different Rules in Different Waters

I learned to swim in the spring fed rivers of Oklahoma. There were rules. You made sure the water was deep enough to jump off a cliff. You watched out for swimming poisonous snakes. And you ‘read’ a snag in the river before entering (or not) with a canoe.  But, in Colorado I would learn things were a bit different.  

 When my husband and I participated in a guided river rafting float, we were given specific instructions. How to stay secure in the raft when going over class rapids. How to pull someone back into the raft if they fell out. And heaven forbid if you did fall out, how you were to lift your feet up, so as not to get a foot caught under a large rock.  An issue we didn’t have with the gravel sized river rocks of Oklahoma. 

 The instructions were specific.  The instructions were memorable.  And when I found myself three feet in the air bouncing out of the raft on a class 4 drop, the first thing that came into my mind was - FEET UP!  

 We need instructions. Clear. Concise. Memorable.

 While companies have missions, values, and core competencies – they often lack clear cut instructions. 

 Inspiration doesn’t always equate to instruction.

 Every company has a different way of doing things. The exclamation points vary.  We can’t expect new people – especially young professionals – to know these things automatically.  

 I often hear leaders complain that team members aren’t working to the standards they expect.  But, how are they to know if you don't spell things out?  

•       triple check work

•       ask for clarity

•       leverage those around you

•       surface issues  

•       solicit feedback to grow

•       challenge for great

 What’s your list? 

•       Create one (make sure it is brief enough to be memorable).

•       Discuss it regularly (what each item means, and what it doesn’t mean).

•       Demonstrate and support the actions every day.

Retreats Should Focus on Conversations and not Presentations

When we facilitate executive retreats, we use the 30/70 rule. 

30% presentation 

70% conversation

Think about it this way - you spend so much time and money traveling to meet in person (leaving your family and favorite pillow behind), so you want to make the most of that time. Don’t do things that could easily be done virtually (or through email). 

SYNERGY (noun);  combined efforts being better than the parts.

Retreats are an opportunity to build team synergy through critical thinking, brainstorming, challenging, testing, and discovering best solutions.  

Meaningful pre-work is a must - you don’t want the team coming in cold and unprepared. And, they don’t want that either.

• Gathering and presenting data

• Introducing ideas and innovations 

• Asking questions

Topics should focus on IMPACT;   

• growth, depth, and reach of your firm

• client experience

• employee, team support

• improving your industry and the communities you serve

Let us take the organizational load off your shoulders for your next team retreat.

Reason #5: Why You Need An Executive Team Coach: To Understanding Yourself and Understand Others

“Most people think they know what they are good at. They are usually wrong. More often people know what they are not good at - and even then more people are wrong than right.”  - Peter Drucker

I read this Drucker quote over twenty years ago and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Is this true? Could it be possible? Don’t I know myself better than anyone else?  

The answer unfortunately is ‘no’. (just ask my husband)

The stories we tell ourselves, and what other people observe are often in opposition of each other. 

• You might like speaking in front of a group - but, it doesn’t mean you are effective at it.  

• You may not have an expert grasp on grammar - but you might be an extraordinary writer. 

• You might feel you are unorganized - but you are masterful at organizing thoughts and ideas, and the logical steps to bring them to life.

• And, just because you are creative, doesn’t mean you are a good designer.

When we work with leadership teams we explore what you are good at (individually and as a group), and where there are holes. We organize efforts to leverage your strengths and shore-up your weaknesses.  

Reason #4 Why Hire An Executive Team Coach: Chart a Path & Stay on Track

The first thing I usually recommend when I look at an organization’s strategic plan, is to delete half their goals. Not because they aren’t good (how can you not support improvement). But, because there is no way the group is going to accomplish everything with the time and resources available. And, there is nothing more demotivating than to review your annual goals at the end of the year and realize you have made very little progress. 

I also warn against insular goals established at the personal, team, or department levels. Make everyone establish annual goals, and you are going to get a hodgepodge of initiatives that create a swirl, and not the collective forward momentum you desire. 

My motto: “Don’t mistake activity for progress.”  

And finally, I see that people often mistake operational goals for strategic goals. Operational goals are focused on building a strong foundation. Strategic goals are focused on building the future. 

Yes, there’s a lot to sort out, especially for a very busy executive team. That’s why we are hired.  First, to help you chart a dynamic path forward. Second, ensure your staff understands your strategic direction and how they can support it.  And third, to ensure you stay on track to realize your vision and not get sidelined.