What Is Etched in Stone?

This past weekend, I facilitated a board-staff retreat for a client organization.  The Chair of the Board began her introductory comments by passing around a hand-sized stone on which were carved the words, “Nothing is Etched in Stone.”  It was a great way to set the stage to encourage creative out-of-the-box thinking.  

Later, I reflected on what I might have etched in stone without realizing it.  I think I was sensitive to this because, not too long ago, I lent my cottage to some friends while I was away.  I thought it might help them if I jotted down some seemingly helpful information, only to observe with dismay and a good laugh at myself how long the list of “guidelines” ultimately became.

Think about what you have etched in stone, both in your personal life as well as in your professional life.  Have you imposed these rules and guidelines for yourself intentionally, or are they unconscious remnants of childhood messages, previous experiences, and habits?  Are they rooted in fear and avoidance or are they supportive of growth and development?  Do they serve your purpose or your organization's purpose?  Do you want and need all of them?  What could you let go?  

The things each of us has etched in stone—either as an individual or as an organization—are worthy of reflecting on over the summer. 

Weeds

Recently, I’ve been noticing some beautiful flowers growing in the fields where I walk my dog. They are weeds, and if they were growing in my flower beds, I would yank them out. Yet, in their natural environment, they are lovely.

This got me thinking about how weeds aren't intrinsically bad, they are just misplaced or unwanted where they happen to grow. Many of us have found ourselves in similar situations.  We may not have fit in at a particular organization or within a certain group.  Perhaps we just didn't feel appreciated.  Yet, in another environment, we have flourished.

Organizations hum when every member is contributing their best and feeling appreciated for their contribution.  Finding the right fit in our personal and work relationships is essential in order for each of us to contribute our best talents to the group. If you have a weed on your team, or if you feel like one yourself, consider how you might better connect with your team and contribute to their goals. If you simply can’t connect, then it may be time to relocate. In a new environment, you may thrive in ways you couldn’t have imagined. 

Elementary Schools--Global to Microbe--My, How You Have Changed!!!

Question: What do these two photos have in common?






Answer: They would not be found in most schools 20 years ago. 
  








These two photos, taken at John Adams Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia, tell some of the story of how schools have changed today.  I had the opportunity to tour this school with a colleague while observing the tutoring program funded partially by RunningBrooke, an organization on whose board I serve. 

There are many elements of today's elementary schools that most of us adults would never have seen in the schools we attended.  At John Adams Elementary, there are around 900 students, many having come from the farthest reaches of our planet.  (In fact, nobody is sure how many native languages are spoken, but it’s well over 30.)  There is a strong focus on group work and the mingling of vastly diverse cultures and customs is commonplace.  Volunteers are fully engaged in numerous essential roles.   As in many elementary schools nationwide, educators must constantly address the wide range of developmental challenges facing their students, including those caused by childhood obesity.

During our tour, we discovered that the tutors and their students had been moved to other locations, as their cubby hole was needed for other purposes.  It was clear that every hallway, nook and cranny were being put to good use.  A visitor would never have guessed they had to close the school the week before due to flooding from spring storms, nor that they recently survived a virus epidemic that forced the closure of school.

Yet, despite it's challenges, some of the timeless elements of great schools everywhere are evident at John Adams:  the “air traffic controller” with a giant smile and a heap of common sense working on the front line in the office, student artwork (hoorah for Mr. Allread!), and gobs of kids and adults warmly greeting their visitors.  The volunteer leader and staff of the tutor program really understand how each kid learns to read differently and know how to meet each student at their specific level.  The continuing emphasis on reading as the fundamental building block for learning, thinking critically, growing, and contributing is unwavering and would make their school's namesake proud: 

“I read my eyes out and can't read half enough...the more one reads the more one sees we have to read.”
― John Adams, The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

Thus, like some of the organizations with which I work, John Adams is an example of how a school facing new challenges can succeed with the right formula.  With a strong focus on educating each unique child, John Adams Elementary School remains a beehive of activity—organized chaos, energetic warmth, shared purpose, and a good dose of pragmatic idealism.  From my quick observations, and amidst a world filled with many overlapping cultures and easily spread germs, it appears to be a place that hums with purpose and harmony.

Do You Step Back or Forward When Stressed?

One of the things people and organizations naturally do when we’re exhausted or under pressure is to step back from the people or situations we identify as related to our anxiety, even those who simply come into our lives during those stressful moments. Yet, backing away can lead to more misunderstanding, negativity, and distance. It often draws a line in the sand and cements the divisiveness between those in the situation. Thus, it rarely yields connective results or provides a solution.

Instead of moving away from people and issues when you’re feeling angry, tired, or misunderstood, try moving closer to the individuals or situation. Think of it as using the power harnessed in ancient Eastern martial arts by stepping in toward your opponent rather than using force and muscle as in Western boxing. Try this experiment: the next time you find yourself being criticized, the target of hostility, or in a stressful situation with a colleague, imagine opening your heart up and showering that person with love, as if from a fire hose. Don’t tell them what you’re doing, but notice their reaction.

Many of my clients have benefited from learning how NOT to avoid the pink elephant in the room-- to trust themselves, others, and the process of identifying and addressing it directly. As we all have experienced, pink elephants grow and become more powerful when left unattended.  Becoming more connective is easiest when everything is going well, so the real test of your commitment to being truly consistent with your values is what you say and do when under pressure. Move in to connect, and you’ll be taking steps toward resolving the issues you’re facing—and you’ll be practicing being your best self to boot!

The Good Shepherd

I recently arrived early for a dear friend’s funeral.  Sitting alone in the chapel, I picked up the Bible in the pew rack in front of me and opened it to a random page, then began reading.  The passage, from John 10, was about how the Good Shepherd tends his flock with diligence while the Hired Hand fails to care about the sheep, putting in the minimum to get by and thus endangering the sheep.

How ironic that I had just visited an organization that had been led by a Hired Hand who surrounded herself with others who cared as little as she did!  Their “sheep”—in this case, their members, suffered neglect.  Some wandered away and did not return.  Some needed attention they didn’t receive.  In general, the flock was not thriving.  Then, the board brought in a Good Shepherd who really cared about the quality of members’ experiences, and challenged the staff she inherited to step up to be good stewards of their members—or to move on to another workplace where they could continue to be Hired Hands.

It doesn’t take a Ph.D. in organizational change to feel the difference between an organization where people take ownership and one where they don’t.  I just moved the service for my car because the former garage had a shift in leadership that made it clear they saw themselves as Hired Hands, whereas the service folks at the new place clearly care about your experience as their customer.  In reviewing Yelp and other review sites on the two, I quickly verified that I was not alone in noticing the attitude change at the first location, nor in appreciating the attention and care consistently provided by the second.

Think about what you communicate to others.  As a parent, are you more a Good Shepherd or a Hired Hand?  How about as a friend?  At work, do you invest your best self every day, or do you shift yourself into automatic pilot and drift through one day after another?  If you are a leader, what do your team members see in you?  You can’t expect them to engage fully if you are not modeling the dedication of a Good Shepherd.  Set incremental goals to re-engage if you’ve lost your commitment.  If you can’t, then look for an alternative to your current situation, because Hired Hands may hurt others, but none as much as themselves by living unengaged, unenthusiastic lives.

No More Strays

Yesterday, someone asked me what kind of breed my dog was, and when I replied, “He’s a stray,” the fellow responded, “Aren’t we all strays?”  It was a comment meant lightly in passing, but I guess it touched something in me, because I’m still reflecting on it.

Maybe we are all strays—or many of us.  The work of great organizational leaders is to make those of us who are strays feel as if we belong to our organization as vital members.  This is the heart of culture—the glue—both visible and invisible—that holds a group of people together.  If you have a positive culture based on trust, common goals, and respect, nobody will feel like a stray.

That brief conversation reminded me of a story about my dad that happened long before I was born.  During WWII, he was the general manager of a Goodyear plant in Akron that had been converted to making gull wing aircraft—the kind that takes off and lands on aircraft carriers.  The challenge he faced is that his workforce was composed of people who were ineligible to serve in the war.  He had a rag-tag collection of women who had never worked outside the home and old or disabled men, several of whom were blind.  The timetable to convert the factory from manufacturing tires to producing planes was extremely tight and the materials they needed were often not readily available.

My dad engaged everyone in the challenge of figuring out how to make this work, and how they could help others perform their roles consistently, as they understood that their contribution to the war effort was real—American lives were depending on them.  What they created is a CONNECTIVE CULTURE that had no room for bureaucracy, egos, or excuses.  

When the first plane came off the assembly line, my dad had arranged for it to be flown over the plant, where all the employees had gathered in the parking lot.  As it dipped its wings in salute to the workers who had built it ahead of schedule, my dad reported that there wasn’t a dry eye among them.

Credit: Goodyear manufacturing archives available at: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=48517&start=45

What kind of culture do you create around yourself?  Every family, neighborhood, team, and organization has a culture.  What is your contribution to making it as connective as possible?  Do you recognize and praise good performance?  Do you make sure everyone shares an understanding of their common purpose and is clear about their piece of achieving in order to connect your “strays” into a cohesive group with a united focus?  Once you know people agree on the outcome for which they are working, do you stay out of their way by not telling them how to do their part, trusting that they will use their strengths to complete their part?  Do you help make sure everyone has the tools, skills, and authority to do what is expected of them?  These are all actions that can help you create your own Connective Culture.

A Lesson from Baseball

Like many of my clients, it may be hard to acknowledge that your organization could be doing better until you see how other organizations do things differently.  That’s because it is often difficult to identify what it means for an organization to “hum” until you learn to see and feel it elsewhere.  You may first witness it when you visit another organization and observe the easy manner and general contentedness and focus of the of the management and staff.  You may listen to a friend or colleague in another organization discuss all the ways in which that person finds his office efficient and stimulating.  And, sometimes, you can see it in something as simple as a baseball team.

As baseball season gets underway, you may have the chance to see a baseball game in which one team just seems to click.  I’m not talking about when disjointed elements like one superstar batter and a talented pitcher create a win.  I’m not talking about the home team advantage or a lucky error that leads to a last minute grand slam in the 9th inning.  I’m talking about how every once in awhile you witness a game in which each player does his job exceedingly well and with a comfortable ease.  I’m talking about the game in which each player’s effort supports the other players’ roles, making the team as a whole much more powerful and successful than it’s individual talented players. It’s when the energy of the team comes together and you can just sense they will win the game from the first inning.  If you know what I’m talking about, you know what it means for an organization to hum and you probably know instinctively whether or not your organization plays to win.

Once you realize that you will never have a winning team until you take the necessary time and make the effort to make things hum, it is time to take action within your organization.