Dangerous Things you want your Employees to do… and often

I've been thinking lately what makes our organization a cut above the rest in our corporation. Perhaps the little liberties I encourage my team to take foster and help maintain a culture of sustained productivity? Here's a list of presumably dangerous things I encourage my employees to do:

· Screw up - Try new things; learn from mistakes often and fast!

· Talk to strangers (and accept rides and lunch) - Get out there.

· Screw off - Enjoy unstructured play – it’s where ideas happen.

· Be wasteful - Buy a new tech toy and experiment.

· Play with knives - Hone skills to deal with prickly issues

· Talk to your boss with out you there - Let them handle some big issues and build their reputation and yours.

· Get lost - Explore new territory.

· Play with power tools - Try new tools to build bigger, better things; don’t be afraid – wounds will heal.

· Do NOT do their job - Expand their role and contributions.

· Be a pain in the @#!- Question things

· Piss someone off - Maintain integrity and respectfully disagree.

· Ignore the rules - Rules are good. We all like rules.
But, direction should be guided by vision and focus.

· Speed! - Be responsive. Be first.

· Play with fire - Spark and fan hot ideas!

· Jump off a Cliff - Take a big risk. Go for it!

Sure, there's risks, and chances I'll get burned. But, I'm experiencing far more benefits than draw backs. I wonder what others may have experienced.

BACKPACKING 2008

Views from the High Sierras from Bishpo Pass, up along the Pacific Crest Trail, and out through Piute Pass.

That'll do... Babe

As of today, my favorite movie. It is perfect, and pure. Uplifting.

Set in a pastoral land where all animals (and humans?) fully understand and accept their per-determined lot in life, a runt pig captures the imagination and heart of a solitary sheep farmer. The farmer has probably not tried anything new in the last half century, to be sure, by the look of his equipment and techniques. From the very first contact the pig and farmer experience a fleeting connection; and a silly little wisp of an idea flutters by. Slowly, little quirky things begin to show up, and the little ideas begin to flurry.

These thoughts eventually bubble to the surface and exhibit themselves in odd little comments and actions of the farmer’s. After a while the farmer’s wife grows concerned for her husband’s uncharacteristic behavior. But, neither the wife, nor the farmer who is beginning to swim in these thoughts, can quite put their finger on the source. At a pivotal point in the film, the farmer let’s go to his ideas and begins training the pig as a sheep dog.

“It was then that Mrs. Hogget began to worry. But, Farmer Hogget knew that ideas which tickled

And nagged,

and refused to go away – should never be ignored…

…for within them lie the seeds of destiny.”

Brings a whole new perspective to the old addage "tickled pink!"

HOW TO GIVE A SHORT LEADERSHIP TALK

I’ve been watching my leaders lately. Especially the ones I’ve heard talk before (I already know their message). Here’s what I’ve noticed makes a great leadership talk. Short, simple – significant.

Be yourself.

Share a personal yet relevant story to connect with them as a person. We all still love and need stories, even though we’ve long since left the kindergarten story time circle.

START by thanking the group.

Tell the group before you start that you’ll be saving time to answer their questions at the end (prompting people to think of questions at the start will lead to there actually being questions at the end.)

LIMIT your message to 3 – 5 points or goals.

Show how “IT” is important… to them, to you, to the organization. Whatever your “IT” is.

Illustrate a way (or two) that the group is the best. Not just good. THE best! “You’re the best / you’ve done the best with meeting this new challenge…” Remember, be sincere. Go on to say (if it’s true), “I took your idea and learned from it and am using it elsewhere.”

Reinforce positive behavior, giving examples of what you see the group doing to attain your 3 – 5 top goals. IGNORE ANY AND ALL ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.

Thank the group for their time.

Ask for questions. When you field them, always ask, “Did I answer your question?” It’s easy for leaders to get lost in business-speak, or think the question relates to a “big picture” issue when, in fact, it does not.

Thank the group (yes, again.)

Persistence

Quiet patience and persistence - that's all it took! Well, that and ignoring her dad the naysayer (yours truly). –photo credit: Taryn Baillie

A SMALL NOTE

A couple of days ago a very small envelope appeared in my “hopper” at work. It was personally addressed in a familiar hand. The short note was from a close business associate with whom I’ve been collaborating. Although succinct, it was none the less powerful. To describe its content would require I paint the full background of our work together. Suffice to say that we have embarked on a series of projects that is mutually challenging, and therefore a bit daunting, but certainly exhilarating. The note’s power came from the personal sharing it contained.

I’ve saved the handwritten note, of course. I can reflect again on the contents and, in the future, it will serve as a window to this point in time.

Interestingly enough, the post mark read: “Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.” --John Adams

http://poweroftheletter.com/

Winning TWO "best in the Navy" Environmental Awards

We’re winners, twice over! Best Natural Resources Program AND best Restoration Clean-Up Program in the U.S. Navy world wide!
http://www.ocregister.com/news/environmental-award-base-1994589-beach-re

It seems incredible. Why?

Why do we not believe that we’ve won? Probably because we do not believe we can win! It seems too huge - to be best in class. I recall looking at the winners and thinking that we could do that only if… or, how do I get started to accomplish such a laudable goal?

I can now report from the inside perspective of an award winner. At a certain point, we got ourselves to believe that we were worthy and could (would) win. To get to that point we started humbly. We asked ourselves what contributions we were currently making.

We jotted our achievements down, weekly, monthly, five minutes at a time, no matter how small or silly they seemed. We took pictures. We shared our weekly and monthly accomplishment lists with each other and our bosses almost like, “lookie what I did mom / dad!” We also started to see better what others were doing to help us in our quest. We started to view all accomplishments, no matter how small or who made them, as a meaningful contribution.

Then, when it came time for the dreaded annual performance review, we dipped into the stream of accomplishment lists and lo and behold we became believers!

We'll be in D.C. June 3rd at the Navy Memorial for the award presentation. Come join us!