Like most people, I’m looking forward to putting 2020 behind us.
Reflecting on the year, I noticed many words starting with “r” used to describe the pandemic’s immediate, near- and long-term impacts. Here are the r-words that most resonated with me and why.
Response and recovery
How healthcare professionals, scientists, leaders, and communities acted to help those affected. How business and educators adapted/adopted technology to enable people to work and learn virtually. People who also helped include manufacturers who revamped their facilities to make sanitizer; volunteers who made masks; mental health experts who made themselves available for counseling; restauranteurs and volunteers who provided food for people on the front lines and those in need. [This list is not exhaustive.]
Recognition
How people celebrated the heroic efforts of healthcare workers, “essential” front-line workers, food service, and others who continued to serve while at risk themselves.
Reset, reframe Coming to grips with the situation and putting it in perspective. Like other major natural and man-made disruptions that significantly change our behaviors and priorities (e.g., earthquakes, fires, epidemics, wars, etc.), COVID-19 is a societal reset that will affect how we live and work.
Resilience
This is our ability to face adversity, bounce back from it, and learn and grow from the experience. I’m continually amazed how people manage to cope and adapt. Getting through a traumatic situation involves persevering and building on what works and what doesn’t.
Renew, reimagine
Changes in how we live and work in response to the pandemic created opportunities to re-think how we live and work.
Reality
The need to be realistic while trying to be positive also resonated with me as turning the calendar page to a new year doesn’t mean an automatic refresh.
“We are in this for the long haul. Expecting that a single day will come when we are liberated from the stresses and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic will, sadly, be an exercise in frustration. We will likely never go back to the same “normal” in which we operated in January of 2020.” Beth Steinhorn, Redefining Leadership: Finding Balance in Recovery and Renewal
Ready to move forward It’s too early to predict what the world will look like post-pandemic, except that we are profoundly changed. I’m hopeful that at some point we’ll experience the eventual return of in-person collaborative meetings that co-exist with virtual ones; unrestricted in-person dining; attendance at cultural, entertainment, and sports venues; group celebrations; and handshakes and hugs — especially hugs!
I wish you all a better, safer, and more sane New Year!
[Image credits: Goodbye 2020 by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash. 2021 Stay healthy by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.]
Confession: I have as much fun talking about LEGO® bricks as I do working with them.
I actually use these colorful plastic building blocks in team development as a Certified Facilitator in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) – a novel approach that enables participants to “think with their hands and listen with their eyes.”
I had a special opportunity to share why I find this hands-on method so powerful with fellow LSP facilitator, Peter Tonge, host of “LSP – Face-to-Face,” a podcast produced primarily for the global LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator community. Peter is a member of the Brickstorming team whose founder, the brilliant Kristen Klassen, trained me in LSP.
In our conversation we discuss some of my favorite early participant LSP models (shown here in this post) to illustrate the power of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in people’s hands. I’m amazed how deeply participants engage in individual and collective discovery as they create and share their models with each other. That’s why this hands-on approach must be held in-person — LSP’s potent immersive experience cannot be duplicated in a virtual setting.
One of my takeaways from our discussion was this insightful quote from Peter, “The [LSP] Method doesn’t require it to be complicated. The Method requires it to be thoughtful.” This quote ties in with why I cite the single grey brick as one of my favorites. Take a listen to learn more, including what the models included in this post mean.
A special thank you to Peter for allowing me to post our conversation here.
“Find lightness and humor in each day. There is a lot to be worried about, and with good reason. Counterbalance this heaviness with something funny each day …” Margie Donlon, psychologist
This is why I’m sharing this post from Vu Le, a respected nonprofit professional, writer, speaker, and founder of Nonprofit AF. I love his bio that says, “Vu’s passion to make the world better, combined with a low score on the Law School Admission Test, drove him into the field of nonprofit work, where he learned that we should take the work seriously, but not ourselves. There’s tons of humor in the nonprofit world, and someone needs to document it.”
Fortunately for us, that someone is Vu. Here is his post, shared with permission, and abridged for space. Enjoy!
Honest email auto-replies you can use during these challenging times by Vu Le
Hi everyone. The past few months have been ridiculous. If you’ve emailed me, you literally got this auto-response back:
“Hi. This is an automatic reply. Due to parenting and homeschooling two small children, I will be slow to respond to emails. And I’ll be honest, I may forget to respond completely. If something is urgent, please call or text me. Thank you. Vu.”
This has actually been extremely helpful to have in place, as folks have been a lot more understanding when they hear from me three months after they email. Things are not normal. We all need to be a little more honest with one another in our communications. With that in mind, here are some auto-responses I drafted to serve as inspiration for you all. Feel free to adapt them to suit your needs:
General: “Hi, thank you for your message. This auto-response is to let you know that due to the pandemic, election anxiety, and other factors, it may take me some time to respond if I ever get around to it. If you need immediate assistance, I hope you find it somewhere.”
For parents of small children: “Hello, this is an auto-response. I am a parent with small children, so I am constantly exhausted and frazzled and it may take some time before I get back to you. My kids are a joy and it is so wonderful to get to spend so much time with them. It’s like getting to eat your favorite ice cream! But a whole gallon of it! Every day! If something is urgent, it’s best to call me, but keep in mind that there will be screaming and crying and the smoke alarm might go off during our chat because Chloe might be trying to set the couch on fire again. I look forward to a conversation with an actual human adult, so please call me! Especially if you understand these new ways that kids are being taught how to do second-grade math!”
For exasperated BIPOC folks: “Hi, this is an auto-reply letting you know that as a [Black, Indigenous, woman of color, etc.] I am exhausted by the relentless assault on my safety and chance at happiness these past four years, and also since always. It might take me a while to get back to you because I’m tired of fighting and deserve a break so I am just going to be growing hybrid flowers on Animal Crossing New Horizons and making them into hats. If you are white, especially if you are a cisgender straight white dude, here’s my Venmo and Cash App so you can pay for some of the emotional labor I’ve had to do to educate you about various stuff over the years.”
For grantwriters putting up with BS: “Thank you for emailing me. This is an auto-reply. I will get back to you as soon as I finish these 18 grant proposals that for some reason are all due next week. Despite the pandemic and the threats to our communities, many funders continue to operate as if things are completely normal. Which is why I still have to answer inane-ass questions like ‘please explain your organization’s history, mission, vision, values, evaluation strategies, and recent successes in 100 words or less.’ Thank you for your patience…unless, you’re one of these funders who are forcing nonprofits to waste our time, in which case, screw you. (Haha, just kidding. You know, grantwriter humor and all. Please give us money!)”
For nonprofit directors: “Thank you so much for your message. This auto-reply is to let you know that I received your email and that I will get back to you as soon as possible. However, right now we are dealing with multiple challenges, including cashflow issues, Zoom fatigue, and general stress and chaos. Half the team is gone due to furlough and layoffs. Also, since the office has been empty, there is a mice infestation that started attracting rattlesnakes. Thank you for your understanding. If you would like to donate to our Rattlesnake Relocation Fund, please click the donate button on our website.”
For overwhelmed DEI consultants: “Hi, this is an automatic reply. If you are contacting me for a training or facilitation on undoing racism, advancing equity, etc., there is a 6-to-12-month waiting period. Y’all should have done this way before it was popular to do so. Feel free to contact another consultant, or else let me know you want to be on this waiting list. Meanwhile, use this time to find money, because this is exhausting for me so it’s not going to be cheap for you.”
For existentialists: “This is an auto-response. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. But what exactly is the point of doing so? Life is a loose collection of primal screams echoing in the Void. As Heinrich Böll once said, ‘I am a clown…and I collect moments.’ Are we not all clowns putting on the makeup of professionalism, collecting moments of productivity and meaning to display in gaudy curiosity cabinets for other clowns to gawk at? Your email and my response are nothing but a series of ritualized actions to distract us from the horrors of inevitable oblivion.”
—
Thank you, Vu! You can read more of his posts at Nonprofit AF. [Image by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash]
It’s been several months since COVID-19 disrupted and changed the workplace. Regardless of where your employees now work – whether from home, at your place of business, on the road, or some hybrid approach – the following still applies.
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.”
– Sybil F. Stershic
Employees who are used to working in an office environment have undergone an abrupt change to working from home the past several months due to COVID-19. Curious to learn how they were handling the absence of in-person communications, collaboration, and teamwork, I reached out to colleagues (executives and professionals in a variety of organizations where working from home is not the norm) to understand their experience.
Here are the qualitative highlights compiled from more than a dozen responses.
Describe your experience about working from home since COVID-19 impacted your workplace. Similar to many articles exploring the pro’s and con’s of working from home, my colleagues confirmed it’s a “mixed bag” and a “means to an end.” They appreciate the convenience and time-saving of not having to commute, and many are grateful to have the opportunity to continue working. At the same time, they’re frustrated with distractions from other family members confined at home, insufficient and/or inconsistent bandwidth, and fatigue from meeting virtually.
“The lack of personal engagement has created more challenges than I would’ve guessed. I underestimated how much I benefit from organically ‘talking something through’ – the benefits of speaking out loud and receiving real time feedback.”
“Having always had a lot of interaction with others in the office, I now have to make an effort to keep this collaboration going.”
What stands out for you about working remotely compared with working in your office location with fellow employees? Most notably, respondents commented on missing personal interaction.
“Emails have doubled or tripled as a result of not being able to casually talk to others in the office. And the virtual meetings are more tedious than those around the table.”
“Our work has intensified and what stands out most for me, as CEO, is a lingering concern about staff burnout and my inability to intercede. Working remotely reduces the opportunities to ‘check-in’ on staff and make sure they’re doing okay.”
“Working from home takes a lot more effort to stay connected. While in the office chats occur naturally, I now have to pick up the phone or setup a virtual meeting to run ideas by somebody or just chat about the weather. It’s easy to lose contact with an introverted person and difficult to find out how somebody is really coping with this new normal.”
What are you most looking forward to about returning to your workplace environment? The act and impact of being with other employees is a major theme. Being together feeds the energy of working as a team.
“I am most looking forward to the sense of team momentum. I know we can all knock out our work independently but that feeling of striving and progress is different when we can’t work as a true team.”
“Collaboration! Seeing somebody in person and not through a screen.”
“I look forward to the camaraderie of my colleagues.”
Takeaway: the Energy Toll While coping as best they can under the circumstances, people who prefer the office environment find that working from home requires more emotional energy to connect, communicate, and collaborate with others. They look forward to returning to their respective workplaces to regain the strong sense of teamwork and esprit de corps that happens when being together.
Note: Special thanks to everyone who took the time to share their working from home experiences for this post.
I was recently reminded of a practical and low-cost way to help keep employees engaged in this stressful time. Surprisingly, I found it in an article written last year before the unthinkable happened.
It’s easy and somethingeveryone can do — bosses, business owners, co-workers, colleagues, partners; i.e., anyone you work with.
It can be used with any employees, regardless of whether they work remotely, at a company locale, or combination of the two.
And it’s applicable anytime it’s appropriate, not just during this pandemic.
Here it is:
“Tell someone how grateful you are that they took something annoying off of your plate, stepped up when you needed them, or just made work a little better.
Whatever it is, be as specific as possible. It might feel small, but this tiny nudge towards gratitude is incredibly powerful. It will ripple throughout your organization. And it will make work better for you and for the people around you.” Laszlo Bock, CEO and author
In the past several months we’ve witnessed heart-warming and well-deserved expressions of gratitude to people on the front lines of the current crisis. Similarly, we can extend simple, sincere acknowledgment to the people we work with and for. And we can do the same with our family, friends, and neighbors.
[Note: I’m pleased to share this timely post from Matthew Fenton, a Chicago-based marketing professional and founder of Three Deuce Branding that specializes in brand clarity. Here he offers a fundamental strategy to uncover the brand values a business needs to survive and thrive in these challenging times. More on Matthew’s work can be found at the end of this post.]
There’s a question that’s asked far too rarely as we develop brand and business strategies. It’s simple but extremely powerful, since it shapes everything that you’ll do as a team or organization.
The question: Who do we want to be?
It’s challenging to lead an organization in the best of times. In a time of scarcity – like the one we recently, abruptly entered – it can feel impossible.
But navigating difficulty is one of the roles of a leader. As FDR said, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
Matthew Fenton
I’ve been working with my clients to answer questions like “How can we serve our consumers in new ways?” and “What trade-offs must we make to get through this?” You’ve no doubt asked and answered similar questions. At some level, these are questions about what we value.
Think for a moment about the choices recently made by your teams, your leadership and your organization. Which choices are you most proud of? What values do these choices reflect? Take a moment – right now – to make note of these. We’re going to come back to this.
Our values are being tested, which is to say this is an opportunity for personal and organizational growth. So don’t waste this crisis. It brings the opportunity to rethink, reorder and solidify what we value – and who we want to be.
Brands Are Already Showing Us Who They Are
For years, brands have fallen all over themselves trying to convince us that they’re values-based and purpose-driven. Now we get to find out who was serious.
Some brands are failing miserably. For example, a brand I’d never heard of, Parlour H, took the opportunity to start spamming me with hair-care tips for the quarantine. Timely, yes, but also wholly unrequested. Parlour H, is this really who you want to be?
To be fair, there have also been plenty of examples to the good. Companies have repurposed manufacturing facilities to make respirators, ventilators, hand sanitizer and masks, or are donating goods and services within their communities. Major brands have earned the most PR, but I encourage you to look for examples of local businesses who are doing the right things. You won’t have to look too hard.
These businesses should be applauded today and remembered when this is all over. By taking positive action, they’ve shown us who they are (and who they want to be).
“Brand” Values Are Actually Personal
When I ask, “Who do we want to be?” I’m deliberately using the first-person plural. I’m talking about people, not brands.
Brands are sometimes seen as these detached entities that sit between a company and its consumers. But companies that rely heavily on front-line personnel – such as restaurants, retail and service providers – know that their people are the brand. (One potential positive outcome of this crisis is that front-line staff will be viewed not as cost centers, but as value creators.)
There’s been a lot of talk about brand purpose and values in recent years. And, yes, you may associate a certain brand with certain values. But let’s be clear – brands don’t choose their own values. How could they? Brands aren’t sentient beings.
As Jim Stengel has said, “A brand is simply the collective intent of the people behind it.” As brand leaders, we decide which values our brands will exemplify. This means choosing some things and not choosing others. Whenever a brand makes a move, remember that there’s a team of people that made it happen.
Also note that I’m asking, “Who do we want to be?” and not “How do we want to be perceived?” That’s because the latter question allows for the possibility of faking it. nd you can only fake it for so long before the jig’s up.
This is one of the areas where old-school thinking on branding – that brands are “costumes” that are easily changed, or “shields” that hide our true inner workings from the world – falls tragically short in practice. In branding, as with people, we reveal who we are by what we do, not by what we say.
Where Values Fit Within Strategy
My positioning and strategy workshops always include at least one module rooted in values. During these modules, there’s a noticeable shift in the energy in the room. People aren’t thinking about tasks to execute or positions to claim; they’re thinking about what they could be and do, as a team, pulling together.
Asking questions like “Where will we play?” and “How will we win?” are absolutely necessary to crafting a successful strategy. But if these aren’t guided by a clear sense of who you want to be, the answers may lack cohesion and grounding.
In short: Your values should outlast any strategic or tactical decisions. So ignoring your values while crafting strategy makes zero sense.
This is to say that your values are a necessary part of the diagnosis that precedes any smart strategy. You’re establishing a core aspect of your worldview: “This is who we are and what we stand for. This is what we won’t sell for any price.”
Getting (Back) to Your Values
So as you consider how you’ll lead your way out of this crisis, start with the values you and your team truly live and embody. Ask questions like:
In our response to COVID-19, what decisions did we make that we’re particularly proud of? What do those decisions say about our values? (Refer to the notes I asked you to make at the top of this piece.)
In our company’s history, what are some stories that we’re particularly proud of? Think about both “diving catches” and “everyday wins.” What values do these stories exemplify?
What core values do you personally bring to work?
What core values would you want your children to exemplify when they begin their careers?
If we were to start another business tomorrow, in a completely different line of work, what values would we take with us? (I borrowed this question wholesale from Jim Collins.)
What values (as opposed to traits) would you like to demonstrate to customers, clients, partners and each other?
You can answer these questions individually or in small groups. Then share the outputs, with an eye toward both sensible clusters and intriguing outliers. The end goal should be to align on a small set of core values. In practice, this means about three values, and never more than five.
If, like many companies, you already have a Values Statement, this crisis presents an opportunity to revisit it. Which values did you really stand on during this time? Which might be improved or replaced?
When you’ve answered the question of “Who do we want to be?” you’ll have a powerful set of boundaries for the rest of the strategic process. You’ll instantly discard some avenues, since they don’t get you closer to who you want to be. (In some cases, you’ll find yourself saying, “That’s a great idea, but not for us.”) Other avenues will elevate in priority immediately.
Most importantly, you’ll set down markers for how you behave within your walls – which will greatly shape how you’re perceived beyond those walls.
When we respond to major challenges, we often reveal who we truly are. But we can also transcend old limits and grow new strengths. During this crisis, I’ve been inspired by numerous examples of generosity, creativity and resilience. I’m sure you have too.
So, again: Don’t waste this crisis. Make decisions that Future You will be proud of. Identify the values that drove those decisions. And ensure that those values live within your organization for years to come.
Please reach out with questions about (re)defining your values or resetting your strategy. I’m happy to help.
About Matthew Fenton: Matthew is a former CMO who helps brands to focus, grow and win. Since founding his consultancy, Three Deuce Branding, in 1997, he’s helped hundreds of brands to achieve “brand clarity.” His consulting services and speaking engagements help brands to focus on what matters through positioning, strategy and ideation. Contact Matthew here. He’s based in Chicago.
Copyright 2020 – Matthew Fenton. All Rights Reserved.
Understandably, people who ask for advice may not always follow it. But how they listen and respond makes a difference in the outcome and its impact on others. This includes frustrating encounters with “askholes” — people who constantly ask for your advice, yet ALWAYS do the complete opposite of what you told them to do” [Urban Dictionary] — and those who ask for advice only to dismiss it.
Ignoring valuable suggestions from reliable sources can negatively affect the workplace. Read on to learn more.
Example #1. When the consultant voice doesn’t matter
A colleague of mine shared the following experience.
I was called in to consult with an IT organization to facilitate the initial sessions on a massive change and reorganization. People were not being forced to join the new organization — they came by choice and interview. During the first session, an employee who worked in network security stood up and said “I don’t support any of this and will work to stop it.” I was able to address the employee’s disruption temporarily and he sat down.
When I later met with the IT leader to discuss this serious issue, he made light of it saying, “People say things like that during changes. It’s no big deal.” I told him it IS a big deal as the network security specialist accepted this job in the new organization by choice and said he will do everything to stop the change. Still the leader seemed unmoved. Finally I said, “I am telling you that you better check into what he is doing to the network. This is serious!!” He did and found out that the network security specialist was taking steps to subvert it.
When you ask a trusted consultant for an opinion, at least check out what they are saying. This wasn’t the first leader to initially dismiss my concerns only to find out the situation was very serious.
Example #2. When the employee voice doesn’t matter
A service-based organization implemented system changes that frustrated both front-line employees and customers. Fortunately, loyal customers were patient and empathetic as staff struggled to adapt. Several customers also politely shared their concerns with employees to be communicated upward. But staff feedback was routinely ignored to the point that employees resorted to asking customers to complain directly to management as senior leaders were more likely to respond to customer complaints.
As a result, customers were made aware of management not listening to employee feedback which lead customers to rethink their perceptions of how the organization was run. It’s why I remind leaders, “The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel, and if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.”
How’s your willingness to listen?
I realize not all suggestions and advice should be heeded. But ignoring outright the input of peoples’ experience and expertise is not only frustrating to those with something to say, it can lead to their disengaging with you.
Asking for advice is only half the battle. How you respond puts your professional credibility and workplace engagement at risk.
Here’s what Audrey Hepburn’s character Regina Lampert says when she meets Cary Grant’s character for the first time in the 1963 classic film, Charade.
Grant: “Do we know each other?”
Hepburn: “Why? Do you think we’re going to?”
Grant: “I don’t know. How would I know?”
Hepburn: “Because I already know an awful lot of people, and till one of them dies I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else.”
It’s not that I wish anyone ill; I just get to the point when I feel overwhelmed by a barrage of requests to:
like and/or follow social media pages
attend events posted on social media
vote in popularity contests (in exchange for my email address)
share posts about a cause or issue (what I consider the 21st century equivalent of chain letters).
So many social networks, so little time
The continuing growth of social media technology fuels FOMO (fear of missing out) and makes it easy to fall into the quality vs. quantity trap.
While it’s easy to be overwhelmed with it all, it’s also unrealistic to pay attention to it all. It’s like being at a large party where you just can’t possibly listen to every conversation taking place; nor would you want to.
Like Hepburn’s character in Charade, I don’t want an unlimited social network. That’s why – to better manage my time and sanity – I’ve become more selective about who and what I’m engaging with on social media.
[Image credit – Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn; photo from Pixabay]
Are you preparing to greet 2020 with hopeful anticipation? Or perhaps planning to play it safe with low expectations?
Like many people, I have mixed feelings about the new year — a new beginning offers new opportunities as well as uncertainty. But I’ve come to understand that my expectations and attitude about this new year and decade make all the difference.
“When we have higher expectations at our core thinking and philosophies then it becomes easier and easier to identify and react to the bombardment of negative’s that are thrown at us throughout our daily routines.” Art Costello, author of Expectation Therapy
That’s why I’ve chosen to feature this wonderful and timely excerpt from my dear friend, Yvonne DiVita, entrepreneur, blogger, and author of A Little Book of Big Thoughts.
Happy Day to the World
Today, the sun is out. All’s right with our world.
Yes, life has become harder … We all wonder what the New Year will bring, and some of us are dreading it.
Some of us, however, are celebrating friendship, camaraderie, good health, love of family and pets, and expectations for better times. I am one of them.
There is a world of opportunity for all coming – an exciting year waiting for you to create the bells and whistles that will lift up those around you …
… and by doing so, lift yourself up, onto the path of success. I’ll meet you there.
And I’ll be there as well. Wishing you a fulfilling and successful New Year!
Ready to move forward
