Double Check your Checklist

Summer is around the corner.

I have two questions for you:

Are you going to take a vacation?
Are you going to truly engage in it?

I asked myself these very same questions last year.

I knew the answer to my first question was a definite yes, but I wasn’t so sure about my second answer.

I wrestled with why as I was getting ready for our flight, and I wrote out the framework for the post below.

So why did I wait to post it until now?

Well, because my Bronx-raised Mother has taught me well – you don’t broadcast that your house is going to be empty before a two-week vacation…

I hope you’ll find my musings from last year helpful … here it goes:

In less than 36 hours I will be on a plane with my husband Jim staring out the window to watch as my daily responsibilities shrink to the size of matchbox cars below. All of my things, meticulously packed:

Passport?

Check.

Reading materials?

Check.

 Toothbrush?

Check.

 So why can’t I shake the feeling that I’m leaving something behind?

Oh, right… because for weeks I’ve been observing the telltale signs that not only will I forget the most important thing I should pack… I will do it intentionally.

This scenario has been playing out in my mind like a chess match.

I know this game well, and I have learned how to read the board.

I can see the move my ‘Inner Saboteur’ is planning from a mile away:

To coax me into leaving my attention behind, locked in my office among the zillions of emails and voicemails. My Saboteur’s demands seem more important than my upcoming adventure.

My opponent is incessant, logical to a fault, and above all… cunning.

As my opposing beliefs advance on her, she yawns lazily and swats away thoughts like “I deserve a break” and “I will feel so refreshed after some time away” as if they were mere pawns.

I thought, “Hey! This has nothing to do with being emotional or weak! Even electrical circuits protect themselves from overload by indulging in ‘TRIPS’!  Ha ha.”

My Inner Saboteur has finally met her match.

And you have front row seats to a counter-move that would drop even Bobby Fisher’s jaw.

A move that has been so obvious…

A move that has been right under my nose… Aha!

When my clients are serious about achieving a particular goal, what do I advise them to do?

Voice their intentions to someone they respect!

That’s right. I have decided to send  this note  to my close colleagues and friends so I will be held publically accountable.

When you ask me if I was able to unplug during my vacation…

My answer will be a heck of a lot better than:  “Uhhhhh….well… kinda…”

Here it goes:

I, Abby Donnelly, will disengage from emails and voicemails and the incessant work chatter in my head and put my full attention on this vacation.

Check …

              …Mate.

 I’ve declared my intentions. What about you? What will you declare?

Eat the Meat and Throw Away the Bones

I recently heard the term, “eat the meat and throw away the bones.”

I gotta say, I relate to this idiom a heck of a lot better than “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

I think the meat analogy is a more effective teacher than the baby and the bath. Who knows, maybe my lack of desire to have kids has something to do with it. Just hear me out.

The baby and the bath oversimplifies things.  It focuses on keeping what is obviously  important as you get rid of what is obviously less important.

I don’t know about you, but I rarely encounter situations that are so clear-cut.

I like the implied nuance of “eat the meat and throw away the bones”:

• Sometimes what is less important will be obvious, and the reward obvious. Mmm, think T-bone steak!
• Sometimes obstacles will greatly outnumber rewards, but the little victories along the way are still worth the fight:  Yum, sticky fingers tackling a side of baby back ribs, getting every last morsel!
• Sometimes a situation might appear to be perfect while small, stubborn obstacles lay hidden below the surface. Fishy isn’t it?

The lesson may be the same:  Keep what is important and throw away the rest

But how much learning is lost in the bath water?  Maybe too much.

When was the last time you threw the meat away with the bones?

Manager Mishaps

According to a Gallup poll of more than one million employed US Workers, a bad boss is the number one reason people leave their job and 3 in 5 employees say their organizations are not well managed.

What would employees at your company say?

As today unfolds keep an eye out for some common Manager Mishaps:

1. How are you stifling autonomy?
2. Where are you micro-managing?
3. Why are you focusing more on placing blame than on solving problems?

Managers set the tone of company culture by illustrating what is acceptable and valued, by what they say, what they do, and what they don’t do.

The best managers are committed to eliminating the barriers standing in the way of their folks performing their best.

According to Daniel Pink in his book Drive, hiring employees who are the right fit and offering them opportunities for Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose will ensure an engaged workforce.

The key to retention is consistency.

People pay attention. Inconsistencies are opportunities for major dissatisfaction or disruption in the work place.

If you don’t believe that your actions have a significant impact on your staff, try doing something out of character, see how word spreads.

What is the culture of your organization? Does it use or utilize its employees?