Riding the Wave of a Theme

I was the Toastmaster (meeting planner/master of ceremonies) for Toastmasters today. The theme was "noticing." Here is an excerpt from the email I sent out introducing the topic: What's this noticing thing? Well, it's a little like Jerry Seinfeld: "D'ya ever notice how . . .?" Comedians are great at noticing how things aren't quite right sometimes. Sometimes we notice the beautiful, the ordinary, patterns, successes and any number of things. The key is to just notice. What have you noticed new or helpful or harmful this week?

I have to say that I was astounded at the response. It is certainly a great group, but it is amazing how they embraced the concept and incorporated into speeches and meeting duties. To be perfectly honest, I was not the best Toastmaster ever and not everything I did was smooth. But it did not seem to matter because the theme set a successful learning experience into motion and people were willing to embrace it.

What is your theme?

Shaun

Expecting Bad News

Do you find yourself worrying about future events that you cannot control? Today I got an email from someone that wanted to discuss something in person, rather than email. I had no idea what it was and naturally I thought it might be bad news.

We had the call and from my perspective, it was important, but not a big deal. Any worry was wasted regardless of whether it was good or bad news. Just take in a big breath and let it out and attend to things you can control.

No worries!

Shaun

Stepping Out of the Box

What is the tipping point for people to really step out of their box? My pet theory is the transformational learning theory developed by Jack Mezirow and others, but I'm not going to take you down the theoretical garden path today. Instead, I thought I would describe one of my "out of box" experiences.

A few years ago, I was relatively new at managing a group of attorneys. Several of the management team went to a seminar on inspiring your workers. It was a nice talk, but with mostly recycled stories and exercises. There was one difference, the speaker's challenge at the end of the presentation. His challenge was to have a contest to see who on your team demonstrated the most enthusiasm for their job.

Frankly, I had a bad attitude most of the presentation and felt he was wasting my time. But as I was walking out, I started thinking about how I seemed to hesitate or hold back from opportunities at times. I thought it wouldn't hurt to test out his theory that this would really energize the group, so I proposed it to my boss and got funding. I wrote to the speaker and never heard back.

Well, I bet you are wondering how one measures such a thing as enthusiasm and you are right, it isn’t easy. Basically, we had a standard incentive program for a team prize with a target to get a pizza party which they blew out of the water and we had to come up with a second target and prize. Nominations were taken for most enthusiastic and their production and support of others were considered. First prize got lunch out with me and my boss (this was a rare and valuable thing in this department) and the runner up got to put a pie in my face.

This program wasn’t a quick or permanent fix for me or my team, but it did help. It taught me to be willing to try new things and that a clear goal/vision for you and those you lead is the key to a much better work life. It taught my team that work didn’t have to be the same old, same old and that we can try new things. The team became known for their ability to adapt to new situations and pilot new projects.

So what made me take the challenge? A mix of curiosity, skepticism, guilt (for missed opportunities) and hope prompted me. I’m glad I did take the challenge.

Shaun

(c) 2006 Shaun G. Jamison All Rights Reserved

Long Term Lessons

I made a poster for my wife's birthday recently. I am not especially gifted in the art department, but I know how to make a nice poster thanks to my Dad who is a good artist.

Mom and Dad patiently taught me any number of lessons, including poster making. They had to wonder sometimes whether I was listening, learning or would ever apply the lessons.

While sometimes we don't apply the lessons we learn right away (or we do the exact opposite), one never knows when we will return to the lessons learned from parents, teachers and mentors.

I am grateful my parents patiently taught me lessons great and small from thrift and kindness, to how to make a poster, among other things. They never ever really knew what I would learn or apply in my own time and place, but that didn't stop them from trying.

Shaun

(c) 2006 Shaun G. Jamison All Rights Reserved

Make that Call!

Time and time again, I anticipate that a call or discussion will be more difficult than it really is. I not a particularly shy person (anymore), but that "call reluctance" comes into play often enough.

What is it all about? Well, it could be based on a number of underlying concerns. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of moving on to the next task and the list goes on.

The truth is that most people are decent people. You might think differently from the news, but reporting "Millions of people had conversations today, some of which were difficult, the vast majority of which went fine" will NOT sell advertising (news).

Just make that call you need to make TODAY!

Shaun

Shaun G. Jamison (c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

Knowing Your Audience

This is a tried and true concept, but it is still wonderful to see it in action. My daughter's dance lesson was geared so well to four year olds. Every moment of the class is dedicated to dance. You are either preparing to dance or dancing. There is music that is fun and the teacher is enthusiastic. There is no waiting in line or unnecessary delays waiting to dance. Those of you acquainted with preschoolers will appreciate the importance of this. The end of class involves a story that the children act out in dance. This way, the dance is not a disconnected series of movements, but a story that captures the imagination.

At a different age, it may be ok to wait once in a while so the instructor can give individual feedback. Dancers may spend more time on practicing specific technical aspects of dance and this would make sense for older students. The trick is knowing where your audience is with skill and interest. The teacher in my example had it right. But do remember the audiences have different needs, even though they appear to have the same demographics. What worked for a training session before may not work as well today, so its important to keep up with a specific audience's needs. I remember different training groups at West for the same job could give feedback on the training that was exactly the opposite!

Who is your audience and what do they really need? Are you flexible enough to keep up with their changing needs?

Shaun

Shaun G. Jamison (c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

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