by Jane Perdue | Character
A 10-month period is what we had in common.
Ten months of misery. Ten months with a new boss focused on fixing us because we were broken.
His toolkit was full of medieval broken management cures and was toted by a sinister unsmiling sidekick.
Broken rules that broke us
His favorite ways to torture:
Only I approve purchases.
Purchase approval privileges were revoked for all employees at all levels. Invoices for equipment, office supplies, uniforms, etc. piled high in his office. Soon vendors thought the company was broken because bills weren’t being paid.
I decide where the money is spent.
Friday pizza lunches, gift cards and morning donuts were declared a waste of money and banned. Employees started thinking we were broken, too, because all those fun and sometimes impromptu we’re-glad-you-work-here activities abruptly stopped.
Consult with me before making any decisions.
Woe unto the leader who had the temerity to call a shot, even a little one. Customers and clients came to believe we were broken, too, since everyone smiled politely and said “I’ll have to get back to you on that” over and over.
Report, in writing, every thing you, and your team, did last month.
A written manuscript, with tens of pages and attachments, detailing qualitative and quantitative activities and results was laboriously prepared and submitted the first of the month. The Fixer must know where all our time was going. Soon, we thought we were broken, too, because where we chose to spend our time was always the wrong choice.
I’ll never forget the day The Fixer was asked to leave. He sat in my office and cried.
I cried, too, but for an entirely different reason.
Image source: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Character
“All I could look at in the meeting was Eric’s nose! Goodness, it’s so big I can’t believe it! He reminds me so much of a clown that I just can’t take him seriously.”
“Her voice is so annoying. That southern nasal tang drives me crazy.”
“Jessica is wearing, what, a size 14 these days? I remember when she was superthin and looked so much better. She’s really let herself go.”
No doubt, appearance is important in the workplace. Being well-groomed and presenting a professional image is part of the business success package.
Can’t and don’t dispute that.
Yet, despite what the media and movies might want us to believe about the importance of appearance, inner beauty must count for more. Maybe it’s a matter of getting older and having more lines, but, more and more, I see the value in taking and making the time to look past appearance. To see people at a deeper level, looking past the outer appearance to see what “lives” in someone’s head and heart. To not judge and attribute based only on what we see.
Character, compassion, empathy, and curiosity can all exist regardless of having a big nose, a twangy voice, or a generous waistline.
Isn’t that what we should be looking for? Right? Wrong?
Shouldn’t we look for the goodness on the inside despite what the outer package looks like? Won’t we find the richness and real depth of character there?
What’s your thoughts on not letting physical appearance shape how we view someone?
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Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. ~Desmond Tutu
When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. ~William Arthur Ward
Love chooses to believe the best about people. It gives them the benefit of the doubt. It refuses to fill in the unknowns with negative assumptions. And when our worst hopes are proven to be true, love makes every effort to deal with them and move forward. As much as possible, love focuses on the positive. ~Stephen Kendrick
by Jane Perdue | Workplace tips
Lou’s job turned out to be another casualty of business’s “new normal” so that meant it was personal reinvention time for him.
For Lou, losing his job wasn’t anything close to what he’d previously defined as normal. He’d always been the one leaving a job for the next great opportunity.
Being downsized was an unwelcome experience because it didn’t align with his vision of himself. He saw himself as a force to be reckoned with, a power broker, someone who could sell anything to anyone.
Twelve months into an unsuccessful job search, he reluctantly sought career coaching. Lou and his coach explored what activities he had taken so far and examined why he had such little success.
As his coach pointed out, sometimes “a force to be reckoned with” needs a new script. His coach asked him if he might be willing to try a different approach…one that was softer and a little more giving. Desperate and humbled, Lou agreed.
5 ways to re-invent yourself…in a good way
Lou’s softer, less in-your-face job search strategy now has some new elements:
1) Proactively sharing your “A” game in new venues.
Be a volunteer, a mentor, a coach to someone in need of knowledge and skills that are in your tool kit. Share your expertise, your time. Be amazed at what giving can do for your career…and your spirits.
2) Look forward, not backward, to find new wins.
Perpetually telling people how good, how important, how powerful, you used to be gets, truthfully, to be a big yawn after a while. Value the past yet live in the moment.
3) Find new ways to add current value.
Take on a project, work as an intern, volunteer at a nonprofit, spend time at a local school. Build a new value proposition for yourself and those around you. Think more about we and less about me.
4) Be realistic.
Revel, delight in the large salary you used to earn, and glory in the fact that you got to enjoy it. Then get your head and heart in a positive space and be willing to accept a lesser salary that’s more aligned with the realities of today’s marketplace.
5) Be reciprocal.
This applies to recommendations on LinkedIn (and anywhere!). Always asking for favors, always taking without giving is another big turn-off. Surprise someone with an unsolicited recommendation (a good one, of course, and true!). Make their day and perhaps they’ll return the favor…and your calls!
What other new approaches would you recommend to Lou as he finds his way in his new direction?
Image source: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Paradox
Leon, a retired executive, and I were meeting in one of those charming little independent coffee shops that are so conducive to great conversation.
We met a Chamber of Commerce meeting. We discovered we had a shared passion for leadership and the power of connection. Beyond that, our views of the world are widely different.
Oh wait. There’s the one other passion we share.
Healthy debate.
That really vigorous kind of discussion that challenges your thought processes and forces you to look at life, love and leadership from a vantage point outside your comfort zone.
The topic we’re dissecting: Should contrarians be included in your inner circle? Or not?
2 widely different contrarian views
Leon’s view. Leon is passionate, wildly so, that all the people in your work and personal circles must always be a right fit. Kinda like how all puzzle pieces fit together. He believes in alignment of thought and purpose. People who don’t align, well, they’re gone. Out, not included. No compromises. No apologies. Leon said he learned the value of this perspective years ago (of course, learning it the hard way) when he was leading his own manufacturing firm.
My view. I love having a mismatched collection of people around me at work or play. My only requirement is that there be respect and tolerance for the difference of opinions. No I’m right, you’re wrong kind of finger-pointing.
Leon’s rationale. People whose beliefs, ideas, skills, values, etc. aren’t aligned with yours create discord and failed outcomes. Remove them from your life before they negatively impact your success and muddle your thinking. Contrarians not allowed, period.
My view. Contrarians bring a richness, a layer of complexity, that forces me to grow. I don’t always agree with what they have to say and sometimes find the discussion uncomfortable but that’s OK with me.
Leon and I are sitting on opposite ends of this continuum.
Where do you sit?
Image source: morgueFile.com
by Jane Perdue | Character
“Guys, my meeting with Sam Blackstone was great! That sports talk radio show we’ve been dreaming about might just happen,” exclaimed Carl.
Pete, Harry and David were on the edge of their seats – overwhelmed to hear that Sam Blackstone, owner of several radio and TV stations, now knew about their shared dream.
Perhaps it would work out this time. Pete, Harry and David had been right to add Carl to their group – he was making things happen.
Sharing their knowledge and love of sports in a radio talk show was the perfect outlet for their passion. The only drawback had been getting access to Sam Blackstone.
Carl had volunteered to take the lead, and he had delivered.
“Sam said he loved our concept,” said Carl. “We talked about it for a long time.”
Just then, Jimmy stopped by. “Hey Carl, did you tell the boys about being in line at Starbucks behind none other than the great Sam Blackstone himself and how you tried to talk to him about the radio show?”
“Hey, wait a minute,” said David. “Carl, you said there was a meeting with Sam. Did that happen after seeing him at Starbucks?”
“If there was a meeting, a miracle happened after I left,” declared Jimmy. “Big powerful Sam didn’t give Carl the time of day.”
Pete, Harry and David all turned to Carl. “Did you have a meeting with him or not?”
With averted eyes, Carl replied, “No, not really. But what I told you is what I plan to tell him when I do get to meet with him. I know I can make that happen.”
Credibility and trust—so precious, so easily lost, and so hard to regain. Embellishment happens on tee shirts, not to the truth.
3 ways to keep the truth and your credibility
• If you find yourself tempted to stretch the facts because you want to save people from feeling disappointed—don’t! When they discover the truth, and they will, their disappointment will share center stage with disdain for you and your lack of integrity.
• Promise to deliver what you can deliver. Over-promising and under-delivering gets you in hot water, every time.
• Own up to your blunders. Most people will forgive when you’re forthright and ‘fess up to your mistakes. Forgiveness comes much harder when you’ve not been truthful or tried to cover up the real facts.
What say you?
Image source: morgueFile.com
