The Manager - 110 - It's not business as usual
THE MANAGER - BY ROB LAMBERT
Hi,
I hope you are doing well and staying safe.
Life is busier now at Lambert Towers, with the arrival of two little kittens. They're still a bit wary of us, but they're starting to settle in nicely. If you like behind the scenes type content whilst I grow the YouTube channel and business - (and of course, photos of kittens), then I share daily insights on Instagram.
I posted the following to LinkedIn this week (I share daily thoughts on leadership and management on LinkedIn). I thought it worth expanding on a few ideas all to do with treating people well during this lockdown pandemic period.
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In 1927 Buckminster Fuller was depressed and running out of money. At Lake Michigan he contemplated taking his own life so his family could benefit from his insurance policy.
As he contemplated this, he was profoundly affected by the situation. He reported feeling suspended in air - as though watching himself. He realised it would be a mistake to take his own life.
He decided instead to commit to : "an experiment, to find what a single individual could contribute to changing the world and benefiting all humanity"
He went on to invent the geodesic dome, the Dymaxion prototype car and is famous for this perfect quote: "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."
We may never achieve such accolades, but we all have a part in benefiting and helping those around us.
World Mental health day was 10th October last weekend. But mental health is something we should always be acknowledging. It's as important as physical health.
** It's not "business as usual" in the world right now. Let's not pretend it is. It's worth taking the time to look out for others. **
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Here's a few thoughts on why it's clearly not business as usual.
The levels of stress, worry, anxiety, loneliness and poor eating is increasing. This must be affecting people's ability to get things done, focus, concentrate and be their best selves.
It's increasingly hard to stay connected, have positive chance encounters in the office, chat about the day with your colleagues and continue to build social bonds remotely.
It's hard to share your feelings and true thoughts remotely.
It's difficult to give feedback and deal with low performing behaviours remotely.
The energy that we "feel" when working in an office is impossible to get remotely (there are other ways to encourage collective confidence though).
Many people's communication skills aren't good enough for remote conversations (it's why people report taking longer on calls, and spending all day on zoom calls).
It's hard to truly spot someone "feeling down" when you can't see them in the office. Unless you're on a permanent remote call (please don't), i's hard to spot those non-verbal clues that they need support, are finding the work too much or are struggling generally.
As managers, leaders and colleagues, we shouldn't be pretending it's business as usual.
Instead, we should be looking out for others. Let's all play our part in taking care of others, lowering our expectations, making more effort to speak to people and being patient with others.
It's hard. But we will get through this, and when we do - people will always remember how we made them feel.
Don't forget - My communication online course is live now - and it's a way to learn to communicate with others, improve our own communication and take the step to being supportive in the best way we can.
Until next week
Rob..
What's new on Cultivated Management?
This week I released a new video/blog:
The problems with Employee Engagement Surveys.
FOOD FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT BRAIN
1. Seth Godin on the two types of work - one that requires proof, evidence and measures. The other - that is new, unknown and experimental. https://seths.blog/2020/10/show-no-work/
2. 4 ways HR and Managers can work together to improve engagement. https://lattice.com/library/4-ways-hr-teams-can-partner-with-managers
3. How a relentless focus on efficiency can kill innovation. You know my view - work on being effective first - then efficient - https://paulitaylor.com/2020/10/16/a-relentless-focus-on-efficiency-can-kill-innovation/
4. Focus on what's working, not what isn't. - https://theoverlap.substack.com/p/focus-on-whats-working-not-on-whats
5. Throw out your to-do list and focus on calendar scheduling instead - https://thenextweb.com/growth-quarters/2020/10/13/throw-out-your-shitty-to-do-list-heres-what-to-do-instead/
6. Learn to master your emotion - https://ideas.ted.com/try-these-two-smart-techniques-to-help-you-master-your-emotions/
7. Working practices. Does Amazon need to be held to account for taxes, working conditions and good business? - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/oct/16/the-guardian-view-on-amazons-dominance-we-have-to-make-different-choices
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Thanks
Rob..