Colleagues,
My four kids are grown and mostly gone now, but back in the day we went through a lot of bread. Toast at breakfast, toasted sandwiches, toasting leftover waffles. The toaster got a workout every day, so it sat in a prominent position on a counter in the kitchen. These days, we rarely use the toaster. We usually have protein shakes in the morning, and we use the blender for those. We eat crackers instead of bread and we toast our sandwiches on an iron skillet. Guess what? The toaster is still in the same place, while the blender is on the bottom shelf of a deep cupboard. This morning, Pam suggested switching them as we are using the blender much more frequently. I was momentarily stunned. It took me a minute to process the situation. I was stuck on the fact that the toaster had always been in the same spot on the counter. The thought of moving it was so foreign. Yet, the switch makes perfect sense. It is a no-brainer. What about you? Do you have a toaster that doesn’t serve the same role as it used to? Or maybe it isn’t actually a toaster. Maybe it is a habit that isn’t beneficial, an attitude that has outlived its usefulness, or knowledge that isn’t worth retaining, or a rule. The rest of this week I’m going to be looking for other toasters in both my professional and personal lives. I hope you’ll do the same. Feel free to email me and let me know what you find. Do good and be well, Frederick
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Colleagues, My wife, Pam, is an amazing teacher (and professor) at Western Carolina University. She has high expectations, is conscientious, and cares deeply about her students. She is also struggling with something that many of us are struggling with right now. How do we change how we do something and still get the same results?
That means that we aren’t able to invest in the secondary or tertiary efforts right now because we are focused on the initial effort. The result is that our outcomes won’t be as good as they were before. To expect different is to be unrealistic.
Reflect on these things today:
If you’ve accomplished the realignment part, congratulations! If you haven’t, focus on doing so, and let your high expectations relax – for now. Do good and be well, Frederick
This pandemic has accentuated the impact of external forces on achieving alignment and peak performance. Were you great at closing a deal with a handshake? Were you a teacher who facilitated dynamic group learning? Were you a healthcare provider who lifted spirits with a smile? Were you a leader who excelled in checking in with your people every day? You already know these things but thinking about your leadership as the work of realigning how your organization functions in this changed environment is critical.
You are still doing the same thing you did before, but the way in which you are doing them has changed. Keep this image of alignment in your head, be mindful of the adaptations you are leading, and communicate those ideas clearly to those you serve. There can be something comforting in accepting our condition and seeing it through the lens of a simple model. Breathe, be intentional, and lead. Do good and be well, Frederick Colleagues,
Yesterday I listened to the Hidden Brain podcast about the edge effect, which is an increase in creativity resulting from spending meaningful time with people who are not like us. I had a very emotional reaction to this podcast. Writing has become harder lately. I’ve been chastising myself for not being “motivated”, but the podcast helped me realize that the answer to my problem isn’t “writing harder” because the root problem isn’t about writing, it’s about having relationships and experiences. Prior to March I was spending a lot of time in different kinds of schools working closely and building relationships with school leaders from many kinds of backgrounds and experiences. However, despite Zoom and the other tech tools, I am more isolated than I have ever been. I’m sharing this because it seems like many of us may be having similar experiences – or a lack thereof. While we may have actually improved the richness of relationships with people in our immediate proximity, we may be losing the contact we’ve had with friends and colleagues who have very different backgrounds. We are also traveling less and not encountering new people. This is a significant challenge. Right now, we need our creativity more than ever before. There is not a new normal because none of it is normal and we don’t know where this is headed. Every day organizational leaders are being challenged to fulfill the purpose while adapting people, structures, and resources to constantly shift external forces. This is something I’ll be thinking deeply, and I encourage you to do the same. We need to figure something out. We all need to be at our best right now, but that requires us to be more deeply connected with a larger and more diverse community. Do good and be well, Frederick |
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