Falling Leaves: What No Longer Serves Its Purpose?
Falling Leaves: What No Longer Serves Its Purpose?
Several months ago, in mid-July, I noticed an untimely phenomenon in our backyard. A tree that towered high above our two-story home began dropping brown, dead leaves. And while the annual cycle of falling leaves wasn’t uncommon, we were used to it happening in October and November instead.
But the tree had been struggling for a while, and this was the signal that it was truly dead. After dropping all its leaves and some small branches, we finally called a tree service to cut it down and remove it. They had a very efficient process to sever the branches, then chop the trunk, cart away the wood, and even grind the stump with the dirt into the ground. (more…)
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Recently I sat down and opened a book to read with two young children. They selected a picture book where they needed to find hidden objects on different themes. In some of the pictures, I was the first to find the hidden object and I quietly waited for them to peer at the page and point it out. But at other times, they found it first. I was momentarily surprised because as an adult, I thought based on my expertise and perspective I would “see” it first. It made me realize we had different views on the picture based on our frame of reference and the things we were used to visualizing. Our preconceptions were also different as they also pointed out creative objects and ideas in the picture that I never would have noticed.
As a leader, do you know whether your team is connecting, whispering, or shouting? A recent Gallup survey1 identified three categories to describe employees’ engagement at work.
This is not about team members complaining.
Breaking News! On June 6th the PGA Tour and Saudi backed LIV Golf announced an agreement to merge. For anyone whose head may have been buried in a sand trap, this was a stunning announcement of an alliance between the decades-old organizer of golf in the U.S. and North America, and the year-old start up that paid hundreds of millions of dollars to woo big name pro golfers to defect from the PGA.
By now many of us have seen the recent viral video of a CEO in Michigan whose response to an employee’s question during a virtual all employee meeting, was recorded and posted on social media.
One of the many shifts that resulted from the pandemic was normalization of people seeking therapy. The sudden and awkward adjustments to daily life increased the number of people admitting their need for help, and sharing with others that they were doing it. Companies expanded their employee assistance program benefits to include better options for counseling services and more employees took advantage of this. Everyone became more attentive to the need for improving emotional health and interpersonal relationships, connecting with purpose, and learning to invest in their personal growth.
I recently returned from a seven-day vacation cruising the Caribbean with 2200 of my closest friends (well four really). The entire ship was filled with opportunities to listen to smooth jazz music all day long and into the wee hours of the morning. There were multiple performers and musicians, many of whom were regulars on this annual (except for a 3-year COVID break) cruise. And while some guests like me were first timers, many had “frequent flyer” status with 10 to 20 jazz themed cruises under their belts. They knew what to expect and savored every moment of it. 
I recently facilitated an end of year meeting with one of my clients and allocated time for each person to share what they appreciated about every one of their colleagues. We were meeting virtually, and each person was invited to put their thoughts in a group chat, so that the recipient could go back to it later and reread it. As the facilitator, this was about them, not me, so I wasn’t even thinking about asking for their comments about me.
Does your team know your core values and personality style?