Accolade Communications

Why I’m boycotting news reports from Newtown

Media outlets of the world: Please stop reporting that the people of Newtown want their privacy and give them some. It is time for human decency to take precedence over feeding the media machine.

Every photo we see in a newspaper, every interview with a young survivor, every video clip of people embracing outside a funeral home is produced, not to help the people of Newtown, not to help us understand the senseless crime, but to sell newspapers or to keep us tuned into a television station. The 24-hour news cycle is predicated on the need to feed the insatiable machine; to find something new to say. Media stories are designed to make us feel vulnerable so we stay tuned for an answer that never comes.

Let’s just stop. We don’t need to know.

Reporters keep saying : “There are no words.” Perfect, then stop stringing them together in an extraordinary act of voyeurism and exploitation.

Imagine what we are not seeing on our screens: reporters shoulder to shoulder, camera crews lining streets everywhere with telephoto lenses, hotels jammed with reporters from all over the world, researchers harassing families and friends for photos or tidbits of information on the child’s last birthday or upcoming wrestling match.

Is this helping people whose lives have been shattered? These are regular people who packed lunches in the morning for kids who would never return. They deserve to turn to those who can support them without the intrusion of a global 24/7 media frenzy.

People who share in the grief, as I certainly do, can get the information from Newtown’s local media. We can channel our energy not on passive consumption of media and hand-wringing but by making a donation to an organization that helps those who need it locally or in Newtown. The Newtown Patch posted a list of the charities identified by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Alternatively, what can we do to help those families or families in our neighbourhoods that are struggling? What can we do to influence public policy on mental health or community safety? What can we do to ensure we kiss our kids as they head off to school and hold them tight?

This isn’t the post I thought I’d write before Christmas. I didn’t want to jump on the Sandy Hook bandwagon and contribute to the noise; but every time I turn on the radio, tv or computer or look at a front page I am sickened by the media’s exploitation of this grief. By this time next week they will have moved on to another story so why don’t they just go right now?

Driving… and leading in the fog

Earlier this week I was driving to work in dense fog and the driver in front of me did not have his headlights on. Sure, the automatic daytime running lights were on but the tail lights were not. I’m sure the driver did not intend this but by failing to adjust his daily driving routine to suit the conditions, he became difficult to see and dangerous to follow.

It reminded me of the importance of being as visible as possible and of signalling your intentions when working “in a fog”.

The premise of adjusting your approach to be more visible and more predictable in times of uncertainty applies to leaders and even more so to everyone else up and down the organisational chain. Think of those images of highway pileups. They give you a very literal and dramatic idea of what happens when low visibility, poor signalling, excessive speed and insufficient reaction time collide in an organisation.

So, if you’re leading in the fog:

1. Consider whether it’s wise to proceed. Sometimes, the conditions are too risky. Ask yourself whether a little bit of time and information would increase your chance of success. This isn’t the time for reckless moves. (Channelling the guy who passed me on a two lane highway while towing a trailer!)

If you chose to proceed:

2. Ensure consistent, deliberate and appropriate visibility. Fog is a tricky thing. Too much light and the reflection on the fog impairs visibility even more. Adopt a simple strategy and give the people behind you consistent and visible red taillights on which they can focus.

3. Require constant communication up and down the chain. When you drive in the fog, the person in front of you has a responsibility not to brake abruptly because it robs you of vital reaction time. Similarly, you have a responsibility not to follow too closely and to signal your intentions to the people following you. Like a bright light on fog, leadership responsibility is diffuse in a situation like this. Everyone is responsible for helping others to navigate safely.

4. Listen. driversedguru.com suggests that when your vision is obscured, it’s important to minimize distractions like the radio or talking and “listen for cars braking, spinning out or crashing.” Listening is always great leadership advice. In times of uncertainty, it’s especially important to tune out the “noise” and to focus on what’s happening in the environment. Are people on track? Are people concerned? Are there ways for you to provide clarity? Do you need to adjust your course?

5. Slow down and check your speed. I was fascinated to learn that fog creates a visual illusion of slow motion. Despite the fact that you feel like you’re moving at a crawl, you may actually be speeding. So to belabour this metaphor, ask yourself what happens if you are moving too fast on a project while there is still a lot of uncertainty. It’s possible that in your impatience you are trying to make progress too quickly only to find that you have little ability to react to an unanticipated curve in the road. Suddenly, you have to brake and readjust which may mean causing a pileup or derailment.

While it’s not swift or sexy, it appears the only way to safely navigate in the fog is a clear, cautious and methodical approach. And remember, it’s only temporary. All fog burns off eventually. Better to find you’re still on the road when it does.

Have you found yourself leading through uncertainty? What were your key considerations? Which strategies worked for you? What would you do differently next time? Most importantly, did you know about the slow-motion effect? I thought that was pretty cool!

So focused on the solo that you’re missing the harmony?

A few years ago I changed denominations and joined a new church. At first, I was so eager to fit in that I focused on singing the hymns I knew and appearing like I knew what was going on. One Sunday there were a few hymns that I didn’t know, and really couldn’t fake, so I just listened and tuned into those around me for the first time. I was moved by the harmonies within the group and realized that I had been so focused on my insecurity – and masking it- that I had missed the richness, beauty and complexity of my surroundings.

Sometimes you can be so focused on your own “performance” that you miss the rich talents of individuals around you and nuances within the group.

I suffered from this type of blindness (and bluntness) at the beginning of my first management position. I was in my early thirties and pretty insecure that everyone who reported to me – and everyone in my management group – was older than me. To earn their respect, I thought I had to show everyone that I knew all their parts as well as mine. I thought I had to be decisive. I thought I had to “perform”. I didn’t know the importance of hanging back to observe and undervalued the power that those observations can bring.

Fortunately, direct but helpful feedback, a little maturity and more confidence softened those edges. Still, there are meetings where I’ve been very focused on delivering my agenda item or on the impacts of the discussion on my team or workload.

Solely tuned into my thoughts, feelings and objectives I’ve missed critical observations like:

How are people reacting to the discussion (body language, facial expressions, etc.)?
Who’s deferring to whom in this meeting?
Who is most influential?
Are there cliques or special seating arrangements?
Are there nuances in the ordering of the agenda? (I promise a blog post on this intriguing tactic one day)
Who’s adding extra depth to the discussion? Who’s not afraid to challenge the status-quo?
What’s not being said?

These are all important considerations that you may miss if you are focused on your “solo”.

Another important element is understanding how your team performs together.

Is your team a talented choir that sings “across” the group – everyone knowing their part but still creating a single core of sound?

or

Does your group have divas where one voice is louder, rises above the rest or is prone to its own variations?

There’s a time and place for solos but someone who just can’t harmonize when it’s needed may have confidence issues or feel they are not getting enough “air-time”. Persistent need to be a diva in a group effort will definitely need to disharmony. (Sorry, who could resist that pun?)

I still don’t know all the hymns at church but now, even when I do, I’ll sometimes just stop and enjoy the great sound and spirit around me. I’ll really focus on the lyrics or check in with myself and think about how I’m reacting. It’s so much better than the sound of my own voice 😉

Difference between dead and dormant- Leadership lessons from a hibiscus

A few weeks ago a Twitter tip read: “Stop watering a dead plant.” True, you have to stop expending effort and resources if they don’t pan out. However, what if you are wrong? What if you have simply failed to see the potential? What if the problem is you and your incorrect assumptions?

Last year, when I saw this dead looking branch in my garden I thought I should cut it down. I did not plant it there and this twig had nothing to recommend it – no leaves, no colour, no flowers. It was a bit embarrassing – it looked like my son stuck a ‘good stick’ in the front bed. However, towards the end of last summer the hibiscus sprang to life and produced beautiful dinner plate-sized flowers.

I had completely failed to see the potential in those dormant branches because:

1. I didn’t choose this plant. Did you know that when you hire someone you become more invested in their success? You have vetted them so you know what they have done in the past and have a sense of their potential. You have chosen them to be on your team. You are more likely to look for evidence that validates your choice.

Based on my vast ignorance of horticulture, I failed to see the potential in this dormant plant. It is not the fault of the hibiscus, it was the ignorance of the gardener. (That would be me.)

2. I was impatient. Again, my ignorance of the conditions under which this plant would flourish meant I was impatient and could have cut it down before it had a chance to shine. And whose fault would that be?

3. I had unreasonable expectations. Why would I expect all my flowers to bloom at the same time and, preferably, all spring and summer long ? Is it possible that in the workplace we want our team members to flourish when it’s not their season? Do we expect everyone to produce constantly and equally? That’s just not very reasonable.

So, in my very modest garden and in future professional relationships, I’m going to be more careful to gain a better understanding of skill sets and potential. I will give new or unfamiliar plants at least a full season and appreciate signs of life. I will remember that: “To everything, there is a season”. I will keep the hibiscus! It gets better every year 🙂