Monday, February 3, 2025

Working at the Speed of Failure

I read something recently that touched on the concept that in addition to our obsession with being 100% productive 100% of the time (which is completely unrealistic); we have fallen into a trap of working too quickly. 

Literally moving our bodies (and minds) at such a hurried pace that we are actually wearing ourselves out in the name of “being so busy.”

Sound familiar? It sure does to me.



This little paragraph, written almost as an afterthought, hit home. I started paying attention to my physical movements as I worked and asking myself some questions:

- Why am I constantly jumping between screens? (MacBook, iPad, iPhone)

- Am I supposed to react immediately to every email, text, and message?

- When am I actually doing deep thinking about my broad scope of work?

- If all I do is jump around from meeting to meeting and talk about my work, when do I actually have time to do the work?

Let’s level set a bit here. I have a well developed system that organizes every facet of my professional and personal lives. I’m clear on what needs to get done on any given day, and am fortunate to work with a talented team to tackle all of it with me.

And yet…that frantic pace creeps in. Why?

There are no easy answers, at least I can’t find one. I think the best next step for me is a new level of self-awareness as I literally slow down to be even more efficient and effective.

Have you examined your pace of work? What did you learn?

Thanks for being here.

Jay


Pic


Monday, January 27, 2025

Blind Spots and Power

Ah, the ever elusive race to the top. In the first half of my career I was laser focused on landing an executive level role. Fortunately, I was able to do that a bit earlier than expected. A calculated move to be a ‘big fish in a small pond’ paid off far more than I could have imagined. Ironically, it wasn’t about money or titles actually…it was the learning that changed the course of my journey.

Now, in the second half of my career I’ve seen leaders come and go. Many thought they had a ‘vision for what the organization needed’ or had a ‘sense of who was a high potential member of the leadership team.’ Conversely they also had an equal level of insight on ‘who just doesn’t have what it takes.’

It’s fascinating to unpack this a bit further, particularly when you take the emotion out of it. Perhaps it is the decades of experience I have in large, complex organizations that have helped me learn more? What seems to be clear however is the old concept of blind spots is alive and well.

How we define success, and who we identify as those that can deliver that success are often (if not exclusively) confirmed by our own experiences and personal views on the workplace. When we see high potential leaders we often find their skills relatable to our own. Their ability to be team-players and drive the current agenda can be misinterpreted as simply being an extension of ourselves. 

That’s a slippery slope. 

Are we searching for clones of ourselves to carry on our legacy in an attempt to validate how we’ve chosen to lead? 

Hmm. Maybe.



But what about the impact of our blind spots on the path we see for ourselves…our professional aspirations and the goals we have? Why are these the goals? Did society tell us (me) we should keep pushing? Have we found the sweet spot that balances our skills and experience along with enough of a push to keep us learning and growing and contributing? Or, are we simply chasing a goal that doesn’t truly align with who we are and how we can best contribute?

What about those who chased power? We’ve all seen them over the years, yet their blind spots still stand tall. Chasing power is not finding the sweet spot between skills, experience, growth and meaningful contribution. Chasing is all about a focus exclusively on the individual…not the organization.

3 questions to consider

- What do I excel at?

- What do I enjoy doing?

- How can I leverage these two and make a dramatic impact?

If you answered that you need to be in control to ensure ‘everything is done properly’ I would encourage you give those questions a deeper think and try again. I know I have and it’s made all the difference.

Thanks for being here.

Jay


Pic

Monday, January 13, 2025

Peacekeeper, Take Your Time

Do you play the role of peacekeeper at work? How about at home? Or perhaps at the charity or social organization you are a member of?

Peacekeeping is hard…

…and is also a massive indication of trust.

Consider the times when you have multiple people confiding in you about the negatives swirling around the workplace, or home, or wherever. They believe they can open up with you about how they really feel. That is powerful. 

And it’s power.

Being the peacekeeper is a privilege, in an odd way I guess. But it can also feel heavy. When others share their burdens there is often an unspoken expectation that the peacekeeper will lift this burden away.

What are the next steps here? You have knowledge of a complicated (or sometimes just melodramatic) set of circumstances. But what do you do with that?



Do you engage? 

Keep it to yourself and attempt to deftly navigate the internal landmines that are everywhere? 

Maybe provide some private subtle coaching to those involved in an attempt to keep everything together?

…in effect…play the peacekeeper?

These situations can be incredibly demanding, and yet (mostly) invisible to everyone else. Another example of how effective leadership is not always glamorous.

What do you think about the peacekeeper?

Thanks for being here.

Jay


Pic