The Manager - Edition 47 - Energy To Give - by Rob Lambert

Cultivated Management Newsletter

Hi,

I hope you've had a fabulous weekend and are all set for a new week ahead. 

There was no newsletter last week as I was away at a conference again. I need to somehow change my schedule so that when I travel I'm not left short of newsletter time. I owe it to you all. 

I was away at Agile Testing Days last week delivering a half day workshop on Communication Skills. It was an 80s and 90s themed workshop which was an absolute hoot to deliver. The audience were in great spirits and there were plenty of them. I was expecting about 20 people (the workshop is very interactive with that many people) but I ended up with close to 60 people. As a result the level of interactive learning went down, but the fun factor seemed to go up. 

The feedback was very positive and already people have mentioned how they're going to implement many of the ideas in the workshop. That's why I do it. 

A few people commented on the energy levels I bring to workshop and how I maintain them. Well, I'm not sure I do. I was beaten after and needed some strong pain killers (headache and backache) and some quiet time. Followed by a swift beer in the bar. 

I certainly don't have as much energy as I used to, but it's something I really need to work on. As a leader, manager, trainer and speaker I bring the energy. I bring the momentum. I bring the enthusiasm. No matter how others are feeling I must bring the energy. It is my job. 

So if you're a manager don't gripe, moan and complain. Bring energy.
If you're a speaker on stage - bring the energy - the room deserves it. 
If you're a trainer teaching people about something new and interesting - bring the energy - in fact, bring more than ever before - training can get dull quickly - even the most interesting of subjects. 
If you're a leader you must lead by example, be positive and realistic and bring the momentum. 

Because if you, as a leader, don't bring energy in all of the above moments when you're leading (and yes, trainers, speakers, managers etc are all moments of leadership) - then who else will? And if someone else is bringing the energy all of the time - are you really the leader? Maybe, maybe not.

It's why, as I get older, I'm focusing almost every single goal of mine on becoming healthier, calmer, fitter and more able to lead. After all, my family need my energy more than my work does - and I struggle to have enough to go around.

I'll be sharing my progress and learnings over the next few months as I have a long way to go and it seems many other managers and leaders are getting the tension between life and work wrong. 

You can follow some of my progress on Instagram, but I will also be sharing ideas and techniques through my blog and newsletter too. 

Until next time. Stay energetic.

Rob...

My week in pictures

Here's me with the standard Agile Testing Days Unicorn :)

And then Selena Delesie delivering her Keynote touching on Employee Engagement - a favoured topic of mine.

Cool Stuff To Click On

1 - I'm doing digital transformation work right now and I'm trying to use more digital tools to communicate. Seems it might actually be a good strategy after all. 

2 - Leadership discussion around Warren Buffet's one-liner. 

3 - Tim Ferris podcast interview with James Cameron & Suzy Amis Cameron - inspiring ideas about leading and changing. 

4 - How to keep your job as the company grows. I went through this when I moved from a Tester to a role as a Test Manager. It took about 3 weeks before I realised there was no role for a test manager in an agile team and I shifted to heading up Engineering with the Development Manager. As the company grows I needed to use my experience and skills wisely - I did a lot that you'll find in this article.

5 - It seems that when we are working with people we tend to trust them until proven otherwise (An interesting point in itself for leaders), but for the software we design it seems trust must be earned first. The default for software is to not trust it.....really? So many people don't seem to question Facebook..... - HSBC research is interesting. 

6 - The secret to insane productivity is to do what you want.

7 - The average person spends over 5 hours per day checking email.....scary stuff...but I can see it in some places.
 

Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Manager. 

Thanks
Rob..