thoughtforfriday

Thought for Friday: Wash, Rinse and Repeat

Here’s a live performance by Billie Eilish of a song called “my future”,https://youtube.com/watch?v=1FvEDuWeB4A (3:24) [Billie Eilish, 20-Aug-2020] 

In the song she notes that “I’m in love with my future”. This is a break point for her as she breaks up with her current love to be with her self and her future. This break point is a departure from an infinite loop of wash, rinse and repeat or the shampoo algorithm. As Eilish notes in her song, it would be easy to fall back into the comfort of old routines though making a conscious choice to focus on her future this break point reinforces her resolve and brings joy. For us, this is part of self management, management controls, stakeholder management and organisational change management.

Some things to consider:

  • Checking in on continuous loops. Comfort in the familiar limiting potential.

  • Opening up to break points. Awareness of recurring signals for change.

  • Seeking difference. A view of the outside as well as the inside.

What break points are you ignoring? Where are the loops that support / limit you? What opportunity / challenge is difference showing you?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What routines / cadences are adding value? What change in routine could reduce your risk profile? Where are the team / stakeholders going through the motions? When are you scheduling time to look at existing / new break points?

Why is this important? Good question. Accepting routine for what it is can be healthy. Hair washing is a great example of this. When the routine becomes more complex it involves people, systems and places. A complex routine may seem healthy though it may also just be comfort with what we know. Looking to the future may be enough of a break point to validate or shift this routine. A break may require more energy than comfort though it could also pay bigger dividends over time.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Fatigue

Here’s a bulletin on “The dangers of fatigue in the workplace”, www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/hazard-alerts/the-dangers-of-fatigue-in-the-workplace?lang=en (Two Pages) [WorkSafe BC, Dec-2014]

The bulletin notes that reduced sleep is the biggest contributor to fatigue. Common signs of fatigue are tiredness, difficulty concentrating and slower reaction times. Some tips for reducing fatigue include getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night, regular sleep routines, reducing screen time in bed and exercising regularly. The unpredictability of Covid-19 in New Zealand  / globally has added to uncertainty for many of us and this may have affected sleep patterns. The article by Tony Schwartz and Emily Pine below may provide some practical tips if this is the case for you. As leaders and delivery specialists we need to be mindful of our own fatigue and signs of fatigue in our teams. For us, this is part of management controls, stakeholder management and organisational change management.

Some things to consider:

  • Meeting your needs first. Nourishing ourselves so that we can nourish others.

  • Replacing stimulants for sleep. Sleep is the best healer and booster.

  • Delegating isn’t doing. Resourcing appropriately and setting others up for success.

What is your sleep pattern? Where are your teams stretched? Are mistakes becoming more common?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What risk factors does fatigue bring? What is being done to manage / call out fatigue? Where can people go for rest? When is it OK to work?

Why is this important? Good question. A long, slow crisis like Covid-19 changes our behaviours. Sometimes quickly, like going into lockdown and other times more subtly. These subtle changes in the form of changed sleep patterns, lack of movement and active, speculative minds bring on fatigue. Checking in on what we think our routines are and observing what they actually are may help shift our behaviours. Bringing them back to pre Covid-19 levels and, in turn, reducing fatigue. Starting on this journey may be as simple as getting a few nights of 7.5 hours sleep.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Perspective

Here’s a talk by Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy called “Perspective is Everything”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iueVZJVEmEs (18:24) [TEDx Athens, 5-May-2012] 

He talks about the power of reframing things and argues that psychological ideas are not given the same weight as rational “spreadsheet” ideas when it comes to budgetary decision making. Sutherland notes that happiness may be less related to our circumstances and more related to the sense of control we feel we have over our lives. He makes the point that “Impressions have an insane effect on what we think and what we do” and are often overlooked in a rational approach. The sweet spot is the intersection of technology, psychology and economics. For us, this is part of management controls, organisational change management and organisational governance.

Some things to consider:

  • Exploring technology deficit. Whether more / new technology adds the value we expect.

  • Choosing our feelings. Name things to suit the intended feeling.

  • Valuing the cost / benefit of change. Is money just money, or something more?

What can you name that makes you happy? Where is your sense of control strongest? What value do you place on money?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What technology deficit are your teams solving for? What are the feelings that you and the team are looking to turn around? What activities / solutions are providing the most value? How is value measured?

Why is this important? Good question. We get to choose our perspective every minute of every day. It may be coloured by our experiences, our finances, our access to technology. Though, we always have a choice to change it. By taking this choice we can increase our sense of control over our lives and open up our decision making horizons.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Comfort in Character

Here’s an article by Marjorie Garber, Professor of English and of Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University called “The Flatterer and the Chatterer”, https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/07/22/the-flatterer-and-the-chatterer  (1,800 words) [The Paris Review, 22-Jul-2020] 

Garber re-visits models of behaviour that are described by Theophrastus (370 – 285 B.C.). These models are described in 30 characters and are all extremes, either deficient or excessive. These characters return over the centuries in new models ranging from novels to psychology and have come to describe a “dominant attribute, or fault or vice”. They are the characters of comedy, novels and our life. The character types are present in our every day lives identified by their typical responses and behaviours.  For us, this is part of stakeholder engagement, organisational change management and organisational governance.

Some things to consider:

  • Engaging people. To excite and involve individual character types by tailoring the story.

  • Deconstructing stereotypes. A starting point to engage the person behind the character.

  • Avoiding character defining language. Focus on describing what is / what could be over what people expect to see.

What views do you have of people that you need to let go of? When does wearing a character type suit you? What language can you change to speak with a wider audience?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What can you role-play to reduce the impact of character types in meetings? What character types do your teams put into their personas? Who are you designing for?

Why is this important? Good question. We are all more than the stereotypes people interpret. This interpretation can be familiar and comfortable. Though, can also lead us down a path to the extremes of a character. Driven by a fear of stepping outside of our comfort zone. Taking a step past stereotypes into new character types broadens how we interpret our experiences and improves our understanding of the other.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Our Best Work

Here’s an interview with Alanis Morrisette on “Ironic” and the 25 Year Anniversary of “Jagged Little Pill”, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/alanis-morissette-ironic-isnt-really-ironic-lyrics-1027132 (300 Words and a 39:08 interview) [RollingStone Music Now, Brian Hiatt, 10-Jul-2020]

Morrisette discusses owning her space in the world and being open to new beginnings. She touches on the irony of not wanting the song on the record, eventually agreeing, then realising later that it really wasn’t what she wanted as people attacked the lack of irony in the lyrics. She talks about embracing stupidity and brilliance which, as she notes in the song Hand in my Pocket, she hasn’t “got it all figured out just yet”. She also touches on the quest to find an answer and being open to the answer not coming. For us, this is part of management controls, risk management and organisational governance.

Some things to consider:

  • Creating space. A construct for exploration.

  • Building resilience. The opportunity / challenge stays on the table.

  • Embracing comedy. A place to play out opposing viewpoints.

What are you holding together? When do you let it all go? What is the outcome?                         

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What constructs are in place for your teams? Where are scenarios played out? What can you look back on and take a learning from?

Why is this important? Good question. We may think that our best work is behind us. It may have been seminal, challenging and / or popular. This doesn’t mean that our work is done. Being open to explore what is currently before us and flexible enough to engage in it from many sides may bring our next best work.

For further viewing / reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Crisis is Always Personal

Here’s a TEDx talk from Joseph Logan on “The Upside of Crisis”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVtMYpOSNmA  (12:30) [TEDx Boulder (YouTube), 16-Oct-2014].

In the talk, Logan notes that crisis creates change, change creates choice. Crisis brings shock and grief and is a shared human experience. A time when an important and difficult decision must be made. Crisis breaks the status quo, it forces us to change. He proposes that change and crisis are the same thing, happening at different speeds. They offer the opportunity to nurture and grow the seed of change inside us. Importantly, the most creative periods of our lives are the ones immediately following crisis. For us, this is part of organisational change management, stakeholder management, management controls, risk management and organisational governance.

Some things to consider:

  • Trusting our decision making ability. The choices we make immediately following a crisis are tremendously important, though crisis makes it difficult to make choices.

  • Being uncomfortably comfortable. Choosing what happens next.

  • Timing change. Out of chaos comes the opportunity.

What values and ideals are you sharing with others? What are you moving forward with? What does your new day look like?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What messes are your teams cleaning up? Who is looking to gain your attention? What structures and communities are you leaning into to share your choices?

Why is this important? Good question. Crisis is messy. It can expose the parts of us that we want to keep to ourselves. It is personal. Leaning into personal and being open to the seed of change provides the opportunity for choice. With choice we can make decisions. Deciding whether now is the right time to grow this seed is the opportunity.   

For further reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Two Opposite Positives

Here’s an interview with Anna McGrath of design and strategy firm Godfrey Dadich Partners on “leadership in the ‘new abnormal’“ http://semipermanent.com/articles/anna-mcgrath-gdp (1,675 words) [Christopher Barker, 21-Apr-2020].

In the interview she talks about staying on the upside of two opposites. She discusses the challenges we face needing to work from home which brings with it the opposite views of safety and survival. Focusing on ‘what can I control now?’ helps us remember that we get to control our actions and our choices. Surfacing and addressing fears unlocks the genius of people and is fed by our well-being and the well-being of our business. Both are necessary to thrive. For us, this is part of stakeholder management, organisational governance and risk management.

Some things to consider:

  • Being open to more than one possibility. Embracing both / and instead of either / or.

  • Leaning into the need for life. Balancing essential life-saving with essential life-rejuvenating.

  • Loving solving problems. Knowing what we are naturally great at.

  • Getting it all out in one breath. Saying things exactly in a ’10-second communication’.

What possibilities are you wrestling with? How is your life energy level? What problems to solve are getting you out of bed in the morning?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What actions and choices can your teams control? Where is fear showing up? When was the last time you had a well-being conversation?

Why is this important? Good question. If we head down the path of a reality driven by fear then our lives close in around us. Opening up to possibility, nurturing our selves and getting things out without the story that goes with them can only open us back up to solving the problems we are passionate about. This way we get to engage with the world and the world gets to engage with us.

For further reading:

Inviting you to have a read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Words Matter

Here’s short mastery session by Robin Sharma on “Why Your Words Matter” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-uSqm05RrM  (6:52) [Robin Sharma, 29-Jan-2016].

In the video he discusses caring about the language we use. He makes the distinction that people can be a leader or a victim but they can’t be both. The words we use can lift our energy and shape our worlds, words are powerful. He introduces the concept of the language of leadership. Talking about loving doing, opportunities, what inspires, the future and being fuelled by what is pleasurablebuilds this language.  For us, this is part of stakeholder management and how we show up in our lives.

Some things to consider:

  • Moving from a language of toxicity.  Checking in on our words, are they helping or hindering?

  • The language we use is a lens on the way we see the world. Shifting our language to shift our lens.

  • Getting words out to clear the way for new ones. Journaling for internal clarity.

What are your words doing for you? Where are they getting in the way? What sayings can be changed to start different conversations?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What messages are you giving your teams? Who is inspired when you talk? What is the lens of feedback telling you? How are communications received?

Why is this important? Good question. Words can build us up or tear us down. Being present when we speak or write helps shape the story we need to tell. Talking to “us” uses the words that we can relate to in a way that we feel we want to be onboard. Pausing can be our greatest ally, creating time to reflect and select the words to say next.

For further reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Embracing Qualities that Don't Come Naturally

Here’s a small and powerful article by author and business strategist Andreas Jones on “Five Irrefutable Paradoxes Of Leadership”https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2016/10/24/five-irrefutable-paradoxes-of-leadership  (850 words) [Forbes Coaches Council, 24-Oct-2016].

In the article he explores how as leaders we have to embrace qualities that don’t come naturally and make space for those under us to lead. Choosing to engage in the five paradoxes, he notes, takes courage and a willingness to be vulnerable. This helps us to become more effective, confident and more able to make impactful decisions. For us, this is part of stakeholder engagement, organisational governance and management controls.

Consider the five paradoxes:

  • Success comes from failure.  Building resilience, it’s the smart way to learn from failure.

  • Humility is a key characteristic of great leaders. Talking less and listening more. Recognising valuable contributions.

  • Learn by doing. Encouraging growth, giving people the gift of stretching their wings.

  • Don’t rush your employees' development. Developing patience, even when mistakes are made.

  • Leadership is about relationships, not unilateral decision-making. Getting to know your teams, as people.

What failures have made you more resilient? When was the last time you sat with your team and gave space for them to shine as people? What growth opportunities are waiting for people to spread their wings?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What failures have been ignored? Are you listening to celebrate everyday success? What relationships need to be deepened?

Why is this important? Good question. We are people before we are leaders. In the journey that is leadership we often lean into what is comfortable and familiar. Though, leadership is a journey and ignoring the qualities that don’t come naturally along the way builds a pedestal to stand on. This leaves a void that can only be filled by engagement and acceptance that mistakes happen. Its how we respond as people in the void that defines the best leaders.

Inviting you to have a read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]

Thought for Friday: Gateway to Creativity

Here’s a TED talk by Manoush Zomorodi on “How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c73Q8oQmwzo (16:13) [TED, 30-Aug-2017].

In the video she talks about how our minds wander when we have nothing to do. She notes that boredom is the gateway into the default mode in our brains; the birthplace of creativity. The cracks in our days are often filled with distractions that keep our minds busy. Nowadays there are taskmasters that used to be tools competing for these cracks. The choice is ours to consider: interact with these taskmasters or don’t and re-open the cracks in our days for whatever comes. For us, this is part of how we structure our days and forms part of management controls.

Some things that neuroplasticity and informatics experts suggest we consider:

  • Doing nothing, no really.  Not getting stuff done, opening up the space to connect disparate ideas

  • Multitasking is actually the fast switching of the brain. Reducing the pace of our shifting attention to use less brain energy

  • Mindlessness is not mindfulness. Unwinding inside a taskmaster activates the brain leaving less space for our minds to wander

What taskmasters call for your time? What cracks can you claim back? Where are your distractions? What is your relationship with boredom?

How does this thinking apply to you as a Project Manager? What are your teams distracted by? What initiative tasks fill up space without adding value? When is there time to be with a problem? Who is too busy doing to create?

Why is this important? Good question. Creativity is an essential part of our lives. It brings “new” into the conversation and brings challenge that generates engagement. Accepting time for our minds to wander opens up these avenues. These avenues are where day-dreams start coming to life.

For further reading:

Inviting you to have a view / read and to have a chat with me about your thoughts.

[Originally posted internally in my role as Project Management Practice Lead at The Warehouse Group.]