Blog

I recently came across a fun post by Derek Humphries about how organizations and their leaders have lost the art of communicating to their target audiences with “freshness, vigor, and humanity.”  Can you be yourself AND great – without key messages, ignoring the brand police and shunning impenetrable organizational jargon?

Yes! And all it takes is a short list of simple rules.

• Share with enthusiasm, wonder and sense of discovery
• Engage with individuals and groups alike
• Use your own voice and your ears
• Take risks
• Work hard to pursue what is truly important

So, based upon these simple rules, who in your organization is possessed with a passion for what you do, and has an ability to communicate it in a simple, accessible, human and inspiring way?

Now, let them inspire.

Thanks, Derek!

 

 

A colleague recently forwarded to me the HubSpot Culture Code. It is a voluminous slide deck about a company that is continually and tirelessly working on creating an organization they love. Because HubSpot values transparency as well as inbound marketing, (e.g. appealing to and attracting dream customers), they have shared this with the community at large. Who wouldn’t read this document and say, That’s where I want to work!

Like the company, the culture code is a work in progress.  There are 10 guiding precepts, which can easily be shaped into a set of Simple Rules. With all due respect, I have distilled the following from their list, which are applicable for many organizations, communities and teams.

I’d venture to say that HubSpot is conducting its own ongoing Radical Inquiry and knows exactly who they are, what is important, and how they want to connect with others.

HubSpot Simple Rules:

• Value metrics AND mission.
• Radically pursue transparency.
• Invest in mastery for the individual and the whole; value for the greater whole.
• Speak the truth and face the facts.
• Never stop learning, growing, and seeking the possibilities.

What do you think?

 

 

How many times have you heard the old saw,  If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail?

Well, sometimes all you have IS a hammer, as writer/contributor TJ McCue noted in a recent piece in Forbes.  If that is the case, you’d better make the most of it.  And what he suggested seemed to me like a smart and sensible short list of simple rules, applicable in myriad situations.

• Become a sculptor.  A sculptor is someone who shapes, molds, or fashions, especially with artistry or precision. Shift your current perspective to create something special, new and innovative, conceiving a different pattern around you. Be sure to let your passion in.
• Break things. Every now and then it is a good idea to be disruptive, intrusive, take part in creative conflict and smash the status quo. Ideas and perspectives will collide; new patterns will emerge. What a great way to get unstuck.
• Make noise. Speak up – yell if necessary – if you have something important to say. In order to ‘bang some sense’ into someone’s head and get them to listen, you may need to make a racket in order to capture their attention and imagination.
• Carry it on your belt. Let your intentions and beliefs be not only visible but transparent as well.  In addition, be prepared to be asked, answer, share, tout, explore, discuss and discover with others what it is you see, understand, and are ready to act upon. Isn’t that the point?

 

Like any tool or rule, you must use it wisely.  And it must fit with who you are, what’s important to you, and how you want to connect with others in the world.

If I had a hammer … well, what do YOU think?

 

 

I recently read an online post on the joys and challenges of being a solopreneur, e.g. an individual who works alone running their own business. As someone who has managed their own company for over 10 years, I recognize there are pros and cons to every work situation. No matter your work environment, there are days you love it and days you loathe it.  The good news is that whether your workplace is a small business (your own or someone else’s), a large corporation, a public agency, or more specifically, just you in your home office at your computer or on your iPhone, there is an endless supply of resources available with the best tips, advice, dos and don’ts, etc. on how to handle everything from abundant success to zero success.

Based on my own experiences and those of solopreneurs I have coached and mentored, I offer this short list of simple rules for achieving satisfaction in working alone. Maybe they will work for you.

• Know where you are heading.  Call it a business plan, mission statement, or manifesto; understand what, why and how you are doing what you are doing.
• Manage yourself, your time and your tasks.  First, if you don’t do it, no one else will. Understand and appreciate what that means. Second, there are myriad opportunities for distraction, procrastination, and dysfunction. Pay attention to how and where you are spending your time. Finally, recognize the end of the work day. Stop and take time to rest, relax and renew.
• See, reflect and act to support the whole, the individual, and the greater whole. Are the patterns around you the ones that you want for yourself, your business, your family and community? If so, what are you doing to strengthen them. If not, what are you doing to shift them?
• Connect meaningfully with others. Find opportunities to engage with and take pleasure in relationships with colleagues, peers, customers, family, friends and others, both personally and professionally. Create a balance between working alone and being part of your community.

 

 

 

 

Recently, NY Times columnist Bill Keller wrote a piece on John Borling.  Keller talked about the secret poems Borling wrote during his six and a half years as a prisoner of war in Viet Nam; his distinguished military service following his release in 1973; his brief political career; and his later efforts to create change through contributing for the good of all Americans.

This piece has stayed with me for a variety of reasons and includes a range of thoughts and ideas that give me pause.  I can make a number of assumptions about a number of things: strength, tenacity, focus, hope, public service, connection, resilience, community. Beyond that I can – at best – inadequately imagine glimpses of Borling’s experiences.  One thing does come out loud and clear and may be a lesson worth learning for each of us.  Keep Going.  It’s so simple it sounds like a cliché. Still, to keep on keeping on is not an altogether bad idea.  It is actually a lot easier to give up.

I know what Keep Going means for me; it sounds like a great Simple Rule.  What does it mean for you?

It may be just me, but I find wherever I go and whatever I do, I am bumping into short lists of simple rules. For example, I was recently having a conversation with a close colleague about the joys and trials of holiday time. (Are you still getting over Thanksgiving, too?) As with any choices we make, personally or professionally, there are tradeoffs. And so within the space of enjoying a good cup of tea we came up with a set of simple rules for managing holiday stress. The subtext here is, of course, the choices we make: who we are, what is important, and how we want to connect with others.

So these may not work for you, but as with anything, they present a place to start. What do you think?

–  Control your calendar. The choices you make and the priorities you identify help you manage your time and options in large and small ways.

–  Plan ahead. Whenever you can, be proactive. This is a luxury we often overlook.

–  Mind your body. Enjoy and pay attention to both your wants and needs. If you do not take care of yourself, you will not be able to take care of much else.

–  Relax amidst the chaos. Consciously push pause, take a breath, refresh and renew. Then dive back in.

–  Count your blessings. Everyday recognize and appreciate and give thanks what matters most.

 

 

 

My great aunt kept a large hat by the front door, for company.

Whenever the doorbell rang, she quickly donned the hat before opening to see who it was.  If her visitor was someone she did not want to visit with she would tell them she was just putting on her hat and coat to go out, and so they couldn’t stay.  “Perhaps another time?” she’d say wistfully, with the right tone of regret and doubt.

If her visitor was someone she would enjoy visiting with she would tell them that she had arrived home moments before, and was just taking off her hat.  “Won’t you come in?” she’d say with a broad smile.

What a simple solution to a bothersome problem!

 

Simple Rules for answering the door:

• Look through the peephole with an open mind and open heart.
• Be prepared for what is waiting for you on the other side.
• Create a welcoming space.
• Appreciate the view from other perspectives.
• Don’t walk around in your pajamas past 10 a.m.

Contributed by Connie, Watertown, MA.

 

 

 

We have all known the feeling of just floating along, moved by nothing more than what needs to get done today or what decisions we made yesterday.  Each of us at times has felt a certain loss of commitment and connection, that combination of enthusiasm and seriousness that is associated with purpose.  There have also been times when we feel we don’t know what we’re doing and the rapidness of change in our world has left a void.

So how does one find purpose amidst non-stop competing demands and challenges?  And what is so important about purpose anyway?

Purpose lies at the turning point between being alone and being with others, reflection and action, being and becoming.  Purpose, whether for us as individuals or as part of an organization or community, is a repository for the meaning we bring to what we do.  To have purpose, one must declare one’s intentions.  To live with purpose, we must have a destination that is outside ourselves.  Purpose, in fact, runs like a thread through all aspects of our lives; it is not even a conscious process though we all know that searching for meaning can be daunting, discouraging, and just plain hard.

I’ve come to the conclusion that purpose is elusive because it needs to be.  We might wish that once we have “achieved a purpose” we could forget about it and get on with our day-to-day obligations and tasks.  But purpose is also a container for our yearnings, a sail trying to hold the shifting winds of expectations, needs, dreams, and hopes.  The intangible nature of purpose encourages us to remain in conversation with neighbors, to be more tolerant of ambiguity, and less judgmental of others and ourselves.

Purpose is dependent upon a collective state of mind; strong relationships among members; unity and trust; a sense of urgency; interdependence; competence and creativity; steadfastness; leadership throughout the ranks, and most importantly, understanding that WE are the organization and community at large.

It is the pattern we each build and sustain to support and explain who we are, how we connect with others, and what is important in our lives.