Navigating the Feelings of Failure
Intellectually, I am keenly aware that I should objectively evaluate what went wrong through an after-action review (AAR), engage in a learning activity, communicate why what I’ve learned will produce different results in the future, and implement a change to my standard work (i.e., the current set of best practices) to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Reality can be quite different. It’s easy to allow feelings of inadequacy to cloud my judgement. It’s easy to wallow in the valley of despair. It’s easy to throw a pity-party and remain “stuck.” A vicious cycle can ensue in which being “stuck” leads to more misses and feelings that you just can’t do anything right.
Knowing Your Limitations
Living this new life with brand new shiny titanium hips comes at a cost. The cost is that certain movements are prohibited - especially twisting like a pretzel or creating an acute angle between the upper and lower body. There is a mindset shift that accompanies transformational biomechanical surgeries. I am a better version of myself, but I can no longer allow “I can do anything” hubris to get the best of me. There’s an extra layer of situational awareness that I’ve had to build over the last two years that forces me to slow down and think before I act. I view this newfound situational and spatial awareness as an asset and not a liability.
A Special Memorial Day Muse
This week, I’d like to honor my grandfather—Archie Adkins. Archie was a Senior Chief Radio Operator in the United States Naval Reserve and also served in the United States Air Force as an instructor and supervisor in communications and air traffic control. I proudly display one of his Vibroplex morse code keys in my office as a reminder of his service to our country.
Every Leader’s Job
The reality is that we are all different. Every member of a team has a unique set of change curves that is akin to a fingerprint. We all wear a one-size-fits-you pair of lenses that we see and interpret the world through. Assumptions of sameness quickly break down because for any individual change event that occurs—an acquisition, product sunset, or process change, to name just a few—each team member is going to process said change event differently.
AI and Lifelong Learning
I’m nearing my 60th birthday at the close of this coming summer and face a choice very similar to the choice that my parent’s generation faced in the late 1990s. I can either learn more about NLP, LLM, and what’s coming next, or I can tell myself that “I’m too old to learn something new” and be left in the dust—begging my children’s generation for the remainder of my years to help me use the avalanche of new tools and technologies that will undoubtedly sprout from today’s LLM seeds.
The Debt Ceiling and Unnecessary Complexity
First, most businesses function better when the economy is stable, and fiscal policy has a major impact on economic stability. Yes, there are businesses that thrive on chaos, but those are the exception and not the norm. The vast majority of us value reliability, predicability, and high-functioning governmental entities and policies that support business growth and consumer well-being. Fights about the debt ceiling do neither of these things.
Mergers, Acquisitions, and the Customer
If you’re a leader, listen to what your front-line personnel are telling you about what your customers are saying. Actively listen. Meet them on their turf. Tune in directly to customer conversations. Show you care by taking action to improve the experience of your customers. Taking action will result in improved working conditions for your front-line colleagues.
Is Hybrid/Remote Work Doomed to Fail?
Requiring everyone to sit next to each other in a physical space will not drive an enlightened corporate culture—giving individuals and teams meaningful work and a sense of purpose is what matters.
Am I Adding Value?
Every employee of every company in the world is involved in value creation and impacts one or more value streams either directly or indirectly. Unnecessary complexity, over-engineered processes, extraneous approvals, and myriad other blockers impede flow and therefore constrain value addition to any process.
Taxes and Personal Planning
Put plainly, there’s no better time than the present to invest time developing and/or refining your personal plan. You’re already sifting through financial records and creating a semblance of order from the chaos of a year’s worth of economic activity—why not take the opportunity to build your plan when your financial position is top of mind?
Is Anyone Listening?
Being able to think in the moment about whether your contributions to a conversation are valuable to the other party or potentially damaging is an incredibly valuable skill. It’s impossible to always be tuned in to how a message is being interpreted, but being more aware of what you’re saying and how you’re saying it can lead to more productive conversations and reduce the likelihood of stepping in a proverbial relationship mud puddle.
The Value of Changing Perspective
Many times, we feel stuck because our scenery never changes. We take the same route to work and follow the same routines throughout our day—allowing our subconscious mind to take control of the wheel. While for many of us, a lack of change in our lives can be comforting, it can also be a root cause of why we feel stifled and frustrated.