The Spoon

One of the most powerful things a leader can do to build a strong organizational culture is to just be himself. For us lucky Double-Take employees, we have a great example at the top of our organization.

Four or five times a year, Double-Take Software CEO Dean Goodermote makes a drastic wardrobe change to entertain his clients. His necktie is replaced with love beads. His suit is replaced with a tight, sleeveless T-shirt, capri pants and bright orange-and-blue sneakers – an homage to the company colors.

Cluster-Funk at Tech Ed from DBTK on Vimeo.

Read more about ClusterFunk's rockstar performance last night at the Conga Room in Los Angeles for the 4th year in a row at the Microsoft TechEd event.

I was just blogging on my personal site about this topic, and thought it was applicable to work, as well.

Often, we sign up for various activities, groups, classes, etc. and eventually begin to feel annoyed that we have to go attend yet another meeting, or wonder why we aren't getting as much out of it as we used to. We wonder if fellow participants enjoy wasting our time, and our minds wander as we figure out who to talk to in order to get out of this ridiculous training.

Well, here's why you have that toxic attitude:

MindfulMoment
By: Andrea Moore, CIASTD 2009 President

“You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Recently, I found myself feeling disconnected from a group I meet with one evening each week. I found myself placing blame on the group participants and thinking about aspects of their personalities that were not allowing me to connect.

Knowing, however, that I am responsible for creating the experiences of my life, I took a step back and reminded myself of the part I am playing with this group. I asked myself, “What am I doing to connect with these people?”—and what I realized is that I was not fully showing up with this group. Once I put myself out there and shared what I was feeling, the connection returned.

In what way are you participating in your life?
How can you take more responsibility for what you are creating?

Andrea is a senior consultant at FlashPoint, a multidiscipline HR consulting firm in Indianapolis. As a certified professional in learning and performance and a certified empowerment coach, she focuses on the growth and development of individuals, work teams, and leaders.

We all do it. It's a curse of being human and unfortunately no matter how hard we try be perfect, hardworking, efficient workerbees who come in to do the job and then go home...

Our emotions get the best of us. At some point or another, life takes it toll and we react. We blow steam in the office, go off on a rant during lunch, mutter under our breath. It happens. We're human. I get that.

But are our reactions appropriate? Justified? ...Expected? Even better: are your reactions INTENTIONAL? Do they further your position?

Consider the last time your emotions got away from you and you reacted in a way that didn't serve you or the organization best:

• What was the trigger that set you off?
• What was the emotion that was expressed? What was the emotional trigger behind the emotion? (hint: the trigger may not be the same as the emotion was expressed. Fear may be expressed as anger)?
• Where did you feel that emotion (may be anywhere in the body. There is a reason we use the term "gut reaction" for example)?
• How did you really want to react to the situation?

Next time you have to react, press PAUSE. If not PAUSE, hit the 5-SECOND DELAY. Give yourself some time to let the rational thinking section of your brain dissect how you feel vs. how you're going to react.

This type of emotional control takes practice. A lot of it. Start by asking these questions in real time as you feel your emotions getting the better of you, before you react. With practice and a few deep breaths, you may be able to hit the pause button and become more intentional with the emotions you use in the workplace -- they'll push your agenda much further than flying off the handle ever will.

During tough economic times, you'll hear rumblings about "employee engagement" from various levels of an organization. Employee engagement is the hot buzz word that just won't go away, primarily because it does have an impact on how well (or poor) a company comes out of a downturn.

However, while everyone is buzzin' about employee engagement, how many of you actually know what drives, creates, and sustains it?? If you can name at least 3 *without peeking*, you get an A for the day.

Get a little deeper on what drives employee engagement:

• Trust and integrity – how well managers communicate and 'walk the talk'.
  
  
• Nature of the job –Is it mentally stimulating day-to-day?
  
  
• Strategic Direction between employee performance and company performance – Does the employee understand how their work contributes to the company's performance?
  
  
• Growth opportunities –Are there future opportunities for growth?
  
  
• Pride about the company – How much self-esteem does the employee feel by being associated with their company?
  
  
• Coworkers/team members – significantly influence one's level of engagement
  
  
• Employee development opportunities – Is the company making an effort to develop the employee's skills?
  
  
• Relationship with one's manager – Does the employee value his or her relationship with his or her manager?

Now, more than ever, your team, organization and peers need you to be positive and forward-looking. The best way to begin looking ahead is to begin with yourself.

It's spring. The time of growth, rejuvenation, and excitement for the future. Let's start fresh - today! Consider where you are at in your leadership journey at this moment with these questions:

Here & Now

1. What are you doing well in your leadership?
2. What can you improve in your leadership?

Tomorrow & Beyond:

1. If things were as great as you'd like them to be, what would they look and feel like?
2. What is your role in creating a great future?
   
3. What are others saying about you in the future?
4. What immediate action can you take to move toward a great future?

Some managers wonder why so much planning, questioning, testing, and evaluating has to go into training our people. Some may even believe there isn't value to dedicating someone to this role, or that it's even necessary to work this hard to "just share information".

Well, here's why it IS important:

How Do Humans Learn? I'd venture to say that 90% of managers think that sharing information is the same as training. Sorry to tell you folks, TELLING AIN'T TRAINING. In a sense, learning is like an ecosystem. We’re continually influenced by information, our social interactions, and experiences. These shape who we are and what we know. And this ultimately determines how we act. Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me, and I'll knock your socks off!

When Do Humans Learn? I get this question occasionally, and most of the time managers are trying to determine the best time to hold a training session, or whether offering eLearning can be taken anytime will really be effective for retaining information. Somewhere out there is the belief that people learn the best between the hours of 9a-11a, Tues-Thurs. But that's not the case!! As humans, we’re always in learning mode. We don’t turn learning on or off.

My Training Philosophy: We don’t learn just because someone gives us information or tells us that we’re in a training course. We learn because that’s how we’re wired. So when we do take a course, we fold it into our learning ecosystem and make it part of how we understand the world around us.

Photo Credit: The Rapid eLearning Blog