Numenon: April 2017

As written in December, 2016:

During a recent continuing education event sponsored by my employer, the Five Best Practices of effective leaders, as identified by Koeze's and Posner's "The Leadership Challenge", were starkly projected onto the screen. Here they are:

Model the Way
Inspire a Shared Vision
Challenge the Process
Enable Others to Act
Encourage the Heart

I've not (yet) read this particular book, but my immediate reaction to this list was that it represented a perfect formulation for Parenting. What is Parenting, if not a crucial form of Leadership? There's nothing I am more certain (or proud) of than A's and my collective parenting efforts. The practices outlined above were naturally (unwittingly?) adopted by us as new parents, and practiced with love ever since. The proof of our efforts might very well be in the resultant, wonderful pudding; both girls appear to be well on their respective paths toward becoming Good Citizens of the World (and more, and each in their own right.)

But this isn't about my girls. This is about me and my work. I've not exactly been inspired there lately. But change is possible. In fact, meaningful change is more possible than ever at this moment for a variety of converging reasons. My timely, stark introduction to the Five Best Practices, in conjunction with my immediate, visceral recognition of their meaning to me, has served as a sort of personal wake-up call. I'm already doing these things at work, too, and it's about time to make sure that some of the right people know it!

So, here's what I am doing; here's why I should be heard! I don't want to come across as trite or boastful; this is (in part) a clearing of my mind, simple practice for future discussions at work. In the broadest sense, this blogging exercise is how I've implemented these practices for myself in my quest for personal balance, meaning and purpose at work. In the strictest sense, I am establishing my arguments to help facilitate some positive change for myself and my employer.

Model the Way; I walk the talk. I show up, prepared, and I do the work. I do it with expected excellence. I try my best, I do what I say, and I treat others as they would like to be treated. I am competent, productive and pleasant. I am an effective Ambassador for my employer. Perhaps most importantly, these efforts might earn me some cred when it comes to being a positive influence within my workplace and with my customers.

Inspire a Shared Vision; I've always been a selfless teammate, whether that's on a tournament boat, on the ice or diamond, or at work. The teams I am on know where they want to be, and in many cases have over-performed to get there. I generally have no formal authority over my teammates, and so I have to rely on my positive influence with them (inspiration?) to get their fullest buy-in, participation and contribution. What better source for inspiration than enthusiastically modeling the way toward a common goal?

Challenge the Process; Certain things have to get done, and available resources are always limited! You have to work smart to get the important things done! If things are going well, I still want to improve; and if things are not progressing nicely, then I am among the first to recognize that more of the same effort will likely not lead to a more acceptable result! Both improvement and necessary change require recognition and management of boundaries, barriers, resources, processes and possibilities. Innovative perceptions and mixes of these ingredients, combined with a general willingness to actually initiate positive action can result in new and improved outcomes, tools and norms. My quest for process improvement and initiating positive change at work is well documented; and it can be positively infectious, if only because it can ...

Enable Others to Act; Whether it's with internal teammates or external customers, when headed in the proper direction, a group can build a head of steam and can accomplish much more than any individual. In fact, I've concluded that I can do little (if anything) to effect change in isolation; I have to rely on others to execute Real World tasks leading to meaningful results. Hopefully I can empower folks to act with confidence and effective tools; but I also need to provide a safe haven for recovery from small mistakes and failures. We are engaged in a process, and we'll never be done; setbacks are simply inevitable. We're not dealing with matters of immediate life and death, so there's no reason to get too upset about momentary impediments. Rather, these offer an opportunity to learn, and to move on even more effectively.

These practices all cultivate mutual trust, and that (precious, earned) trust is the grease that lets people work together effectively. Who wouldn't want to excel in an environment where one felt safe, part of a directed, winning team where one could appreciate the fruits of one's labor and still share in the team's success? Where one had mentors and role models, some flexibility and a voice? Unfortunately, all too frequently I've seen this trust broken or eroded dangerously thin; the synergies quickly disappear, and nothing worthwhile gets accomplished. It becomes too easy for all parties involved to choose to vilify, judge and dismiss. It becomes too easy to lose one's way or become a loner doomed to ineffectiveness. Fortunately, there is a vaccine to help prevent the loss of earned trust. That is to ...

Encourage the Heart; It is important to do so for yourself, as well as for those around you. Largely to save myself from despair at work, I've been nice to myself in many ways (travel, fishing, maintaining a desk diary of only positive things that I notice), but I've also gone out of my way to actively share good developments with others. I've explored and shared Appreciative Inquiry as a mechanism for positive change, I've battled The Nocebo Effect,I've accepted barriers as opportunities, I've chosen to verbalize kind thoughts and have been quick to recognize and celebrate small successes. This has been truly important for me, and I know this has had a positive effect on my teams and local work unit. I've climbed multiple Judgment to Value Ladders, and I can now enjoy the lofty perspective provided. Meanwhile, additional seeds of trust have been sewn in many directions; these offer hope for future productive harvests.

While I am naturally a realist, cynic or Omnihilist, having learned these practices through experience both at work and at home, I know that I have grown to build and accept a more satisfying outlook on life. I think it has been good for those around me, too. My respect (and love, for those who've earned it!) is now deeper and broader. This growth and acceptance might also be the key to enabling others to graciously Model their Way, which as either a parent or co-worker, is probably the greatest possible gift.

I've learned so much from my girls. I'll never be able to thank them enough for the innumerable ways they've brought light to my life. They are the true paradigm for all I truly seek and hope to leave behind.

Knowing this, they've helped me engage in this, my (current) Leadership Challenge. I'm looking to effect a quantum leap into a new position in another city. For a few reasons, it's a long shot. For many reasons, I think it's the right shot. Time will tell...

***

As written in very early March, 2017:

While I was told that I was a very competitive candidate for the position in question, and that it had been a difficult choice, the hiring committee chose to go with the acting incumbent. This was based on experience within the position, and I can't really argue against that. I am glad that I made the effort, and this is the only acceptable alternative outcome for me; at least those making the decision know what they are getting. I suspect that is comfortable and "good enough" for those involved. In the meantime, I'll try to convince myself that my thoughts and actions at work have any credible, positive effect.

Meanwhile, we are productively preparing our home for sale, and I'm working with others on making a lateral move to a different city with my somewhat unique position. It will be more of the same, but it will be different, too; and maybe I don't have to concern myself with stretching myself or serving others so much as tending to the work at hand. That will be okay to me, because I should have plenty more time and energy available to me for living and fishing than I might have, otherwise. I'm on the verge of confronting some new leaves; it's been a long time coming. I'll take my beliefs and practices along with me; it will all work out, just fine.

***

As written in late March, 2017:

Things appear to be working out appropriately; the house sold in a matter of days at our requested price. Life will be easier and more rewarding when A and I are again working in the same city, and we have the (potentially fun) opportunity to find a new, satisfying home for ourselves. The details of moving my work are being handled and supported by others, and I can now imagine real change for my work life. It might not be as grand or meaningful as I had hoped; but it will not be as stressful, either. I'll be leaving a lot behind in West Michigan, but I have much to find and appreciate ahead of me, too. I hope to do the best I can with these new opportunities. Time will tell...

***

As written in late April, 2017:

It's official. This home is no longer ours. We are eastward-bound.

In a couple of weeks we will be moved into a new home in our new city. Life will be somewhat simplified, and I'll be surrounded by a new set of team-mates. There will be substantial overlap in my work, but it will all be different, too. I hope to make the most of my new situation. My girls are gone, so there's no more direct parenting; but that doesn't mean I can't still utilize the best available practices for making a difference.

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a personally meaningful experiment; I got to address the question, "Which is currently preferable, my work cubicle or a root canal?"

36 years (so long!) ago, I shed my block, broke off the offensive line and ran a short pattern over the middle. I was pretty well covered, but as I made eye contact with our calm and collected quarterback, I vigorously yelled while pointing to the ground. He got the idea, threw low, and I made a sliding, touchdown catch to seal the win. My momentum was abruptly interrupted by a forearm to the face. I got off the ground, planted a front tooth back in place, spit some blood at the feet of my assailant, smiled and went back to my teammates.

After the game, my tooth seemed a little bit misplaced, but it didn't hurt, and it seemed firmly implanted. I barely gave it a second thought. Over time it became obvious that the tooth was damaged, but it was functional and never bothered me, so it remained low on my list of personal maintenance priorities.

Recently, I embarked on a program to replace a stubborn baby tooth. Despite my advanced age, this tooth was still with me. The idea of this program was to avoid any future, inevitable problems with it. But this tooth was only a couple of positions away from the damaged tooth discussed above; and the tooth between is the wrong type, in the wrong position, and needs some help, too. So I agreed to address them all at once.

Hence, I found myself in the chair, awaiting my first root canal. The dentist had convinced me the front tooth was, indeed, dead. Even I could see the internal damage and changes on the X-ray. As the technician prepared me, she asked how my day was; and I realized, I'd rather be doing this than addressing the work and atmosphere at my work cubicle. At the moment, a root canal seemed preferable to my cubicle, and that gave me pause for thought.

After a week or more of thinking about this, overall, I think I have to call it a draw. While my job isn't physically painful, it does take a mental toll. That constant toll can wear me out, and it makes some of the current personality displays and individual dramas a bit less palatable. On the other hand, while the root canal went well and I didn't have any immediate issues with pain directly from the procedures, I have had some unpleasant, bothersome quirks while healing. On a third hand, work often seems like a treadmill, but the dental work might represent progress and improvement.

I think a tie-breaker might go to work, if only to avoid a conclusion that a root canal is the preferable choice. I don't want to think that way! But I can't quite seem to award a clear win to my cubicle, because my time in the chair, at the very least, provided another boat name candidate. During the procedure, the dentist repeatedly asked the assistant for some canal lube. I'm sure there's a perfectly good role for such a material during such a procedure, but my mind was elsewhere. All I could picture was Canal Lube on the transom of a boat. Maybe the owner was a dentist, and maybe hundreds of these procedures had paid for it. Or maybe ...

Numenon

Sunday, April 30, 2017

April 2017 CIR Bass Fishing

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

My Leadership Challenge

Friday, April 7, 2017

Cubicle vs. Root Canal