Need Help? Leaders Know to Ask

    I work part-time teaching at Sacramento State University.  G (that's what I call her) is our department secretary and she is wonderful.  She gets things done, takes care of faculty and helps a lot of students.  My dad always said of his office secretary, "she runs the business, I just work here".  That's how I see G.  Knowing how busy she is I always try to avoid asking her for help or adding to her workload.  I'm just a part-timer, so I figure she has other things to take care of for other (full time) faculty.

    Recently, at a small get-together for a colleague's retirement, the retiree publicly thanked G for her help and devotion to the office and for helping him whenever he needed it.  I echoed his sentiments and then asked other faculty if they ever felt guilty about asking G to take care of things for them.  One person answered, 'absolutely' while others nodded.

    G sent me an email a few days later and here's what she said: "On Saturday you asked if anyone else in the room felt guilty when you ask me for help with something. Please don’t feel that way. I’m busy, but so is everyone else. Besides, it’s my job to help you and I’m happy to do it.  Helping you helps our students, and that’s why I’m here."  By not using G for things I need, I deny her the ability to do her job - to fulfill her position's purpose.  That makes perfect sense to me.  That said, I still get stuck on "am I giving her something I could easily handle myself " while trying to be sensitive to her workload and schedule.

    Nice guy, perhaps, but I failed in two areas. The first was in communication.  I'd always assumed she was too busy to help me, but never bothered to ask her if my need for her help was appropriate or an overloading her plate (turns out it is not). If I was really that concerned I should have asked her - even requested a time to talk so I could better understand what type of projects or tasks I could give her or the clerical staff.  

    The second failure was in delegating, but it's more than that.  One cannot simply view delegation as giving tasks to others, rather delegation should be viewed as giving others the opportunity to help you/the organization succeed.  By holding back on asking for G's help I did not allow her to help me succeed, which she clearly connected to an organizational goal when she said, " . . . it’s my job to help you and I’m happy to do it.  Helping you helps our students, and that’s why I’m here."  By not communicating I did not allow her the opportunity to contribute to my/our department's success, and by not delegating I devalued my role as an educator (which she values because of the positive impact it has on students).  

    In my day job I have several people are subordinate to me and I have no problem asking for their help because: 1) I want them to be part of our department's success; 2) I want them to gain experience and grow, and; 3) I genuinely need their help - often times because they have the knowledge or skills to do what I can't or don't know how to do.  I need to be able to do the same with G, as well as in other situations where I find myself in a leadership role.  

    In her article, Why Asking For Help Is One Of Your Greatest Strengths, Andria Corso says this ability "is a sign of great strength to not only admit that you are in need of help but also to accept help from others."  Trying to avoid burdening others demonstrates poor judgment and leadership; asking for help can be a powerful tool for including team members in the organization's success and is a strength that leaders need to develop.

  

Okay, Brain, Your Mine Now

  If you're like me you get stories in your head about people, situations and alternate realities.  In fact, if you're a human being (if you are not this is truly amazing) you probably do this a lot.  I have stories in my head about what friends, family and co-workers think about me.  I have stories in my head about social and professional situations where I imagine unfavorable or worst-case scenarios.  I even have stories in my head about what life would be like if I was unemployed, incapacitated, or left alone in the world.  The brain, even mine, is a powerful, imaginative machine, but there are times that it generates conspiracy theories and some pretty discouraging forecasts . . . or just seems to mess with us.

    In the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, in the post How to Stop Worrying, the author reminds us that our thoughts are not reality.  "Just because we think it, doesn't make it true."  These thoughts distract us from the here-and-now.  We drift off into thoughts and theories that undermine our real life situation instead of paying attention to the world around us and being present - being mindful.  My real life situation isn't perfect, but I do love my life - all of it - so why would I allow myself to entertain these negative, unreal thoughts?  Eric, the blog post author, provides a list of strategies to help you stop worrying and start being mindful:

1. You are not your thoughts. Sometimes they’re downright ridiculous. Just because you think it, doesn’t make it true.
2. Observe, don’t judge. Acknowledge the thoughts, but let them float by. Don’t wrestle with them.
3. Don’t distract, immerse. Do not check your email for the 400th time. Take in the world around you. Turn to your senses. That’s real. Your thoughts and the stories you tell yourself about the world aren’t.
4. Note or label intrusive thoughts. Yeah, the thoughts fight back. Acknowledge them. Give the intrusive ones a funny name.
5. Return to the senses. Really pay attention to the world around you.

    As the author points out, being mindful takes effort and practice, but it's a fairly simple and easy to remember list, so it's doable.  

    I'd like to add one more step.  Avoid picking and choosing which thoughts to let go.  What good will it do me to work on some negative thoughts and misconceptions, and not be willing to set myself free from all of them?   You and I need to recognize when that thought is not beneficial to us and/or those around us, and apply one or more of the above tactics to stop worrying and be mindful.  Ready?  Here we go . . . 

Me Version 5.0: Time for an Upgrade

    I'm overwhelmed, but I'm pretty sure no one knows it.  I try not to let on that I'm unhappy with my self-discipline and lack of focus.  I simply am not the recreation superintendent and educator I want to be. Everywhere I turn (in my office and with my schedule) I feel that I can't make any significant headway.  Every good intention seems to be thwarted by my own disorganization, stacks of things to read, and desire to handle work projects and obligations with professional efficiency and mastery.  In short, this sucks.  I suck.

    Don't get me wrong, things are great at home and with my health, but this current version of "me the professional" is not cutting it.  It's not the jobs - I love what I do.  I have great staff/co-workers who do great work.  My students are great and are very responsive in class and in the work they turn in.  My boss is supportive and happy with my performance . . . but I am not.  I know I can do better and, just like I'm typing this with only two-fingers, I know I am not making the most of my time, resources, and basic organizational skills.

    Wally Bock's Leading Yourself: A Baker's Dozen of Things to Master provides a simple list of actionable things I can do to help move myself into a more productive, efficient, and engaged mode professionally.  I know this will take time and that new habits must be practiced (30 days for it to really take hold and 10,000 hours of committed practice to demonstrate mastery), but I don't want to look back a week from now, a month from now, or a year from now and say, "If only I had started back then . . ."  It's going to take time to get organized and practice to stay organized, but like Walt Disney said, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing,” and “The secret of juggling many responsibilities is organization."
   Let's get started . . . . 

TWO VIDEOS YOU CAN USE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING AT WORK

In my Brand+Aid blog article, Six Helpful Hints to Get Your Social Media Up and Running, I talk about how we developed a team approach to social media management in my agency. It wasn't something that we implemented overnight.  It took time and we learned as our strategy developed, experiencing both successes and failures, but always trying to do it better and efficiently.  And it's been fun - a necessity if anything's going to keep my interest for the long haul.

For me, learning how to use social media involved trial and error, reading articles and books, and attending educational and training sessions.  Another great source is YouTube videos.  One of my favorites is The Social Media Revolution.  This video makes a compelling case for businesses, like parks and recreation, to use social media.  This link is for the 2014 version, but you might enjoy some of the earlier versions (my favorite is from 2010, but that's because I love the rockin' soundtrack).

Another really good video was produced for a government agency in Victoria, Australia, that we've simply . . . 'borrowed".  Like them, we use it for staff training for social media in the workplace.  It's brief, engaging, and high quality.  In my agency every employee is asked to watch this video, participate in a discussion about social media in the workplace, and sign a social media user agreement.  Signing the agreement is not required, but necessary if they want to participate on our official Facebook department newsfeed, which is our ongoing department newsletter and is well utilized.

Social media isn't going anywhere.  It will continue to grow and evolve.  Leaders need to come to grips with that and use it to their advantage as opposed to avoiding it and banning it from the workplace.  It's the next step in the evolution of communication. Those who resist evolving run the risk of becoming obsolete and irrelevant.

I Want To Change The World, But Am I Qualified?

    In the article, "Why Great Managers Are So Rare", the author talks about how "Gallup finds that companies fail to choose the candidate with the right talent for the job 82% of the time."   That means less than 20% of the time people hired or promoted to a management position are actually ready or capable of high performance in a management position.  Yikes! 

    I'm a manager, so of course I'm now worried that I'm one of the 82%.  I'd like to think I'm doing pretty good, but truth is I'm certain I am deficient in certain areas.  Perhaps that's an advantage for me.  By being aware and asking my boss and subordinates (I hate that word) for feedback, such as, "what do you think I could do better?", I think helps me look at my skills and actions with a critical eye.  I believe we should always look to improve our competencies and that we will never be perfect or ideal.  I will always be a work in progress.  So does this mean I'm not a good choice to be a manager?

    The article talks about five (5) traits common among great managers: they motivate every single employee to take action and engage employees with a compelling mission and vision; they demonstrate assertiveness to drive outcomes and the ability to overcome adversity and resistance; they create a culture of clear accountability; they build relationships that create trust, open dialogue, and full transparency; and they make decisions based on productivity, not politics.  No argument here that these five traits are important, but I think there's so much more that needs to be included - additional traits if you will - and some of them are learned, while others are not.

    Here's the additional traits I think all managers should have or try to develop: a passion for the work to being done; demonstrating professional pride through discussions on core values, mission and collective impact on the community; care and respect for bosses and subordinates; a good life - work balance, by placing family first, having fun, and being active, and encouraging co-workers, especially subordinates, to do the same; patience with staff and the process (probably the greatest skill I've learned from my boss); a calm demeanor, especially when others worry or panic; a positive attitude each day and in every encounter with staff and customers; the ability to laugh at yourself (as Mike Veeck says, "we take ourselves not seriously at all . . . we take our business very serious."); a willingness to 'pitch in' when others need help or are short-handed; walk the talk by modelling the type of behavior they want to see others emulate; be professionally engaged with others in the industry (network and give back to the profession through service and leadership), and; a mindset of curiosity - always wanting to learn, grow and improve, and encouraging others to better themselves, even in ways that might not seem to be directly related to the business.

Mike Veeck at the 2013 Brand-Aid Conference in Arlington, TX.

    That's my list for now.  What am I missing?  Is there anything on the list that you think doesn't belong?  I know some items could be combined with the original five traits, but I don't believe the author meant that the list was finite. 

    I love being a manager.  I love my staff, working for my boss, and I can't think of a better organization for whom to work.  I love field of parks and recreation.  I love teaching part-time at the university in the recreation, parks & tourism department.  And of course I love my wife and kids.  So while I may not be the perfect manager or in the 18% of great ones, I sure hope I'm good enough to lead my team in the direction of doing great things for the community, and that they are each able to enjoy their lives at work.  Perhaps that's what managers need to do in order for their staff - the ones doing the really important work - to make a difference in the community.  Perhaps that's what's needed to change the world.

Quit Talking and Begin Doing

    Last spring I was feeling down about a new skill I was trying to develop.  I was beating myself up for not having learned this skill when I was young, as I figured most people would normally do.  After an in-depth discussion with a friend about my frustration I was feeling better and decided to tweet a thought to serve as a reminder to myself (and to actually use Twitter).  It said, "Don't let a late start keep U from enjoying the journey. So U didn't start when U were young, big deal. You're going now. Enjoy the ride. " 

 

   I still get those feelings of disappointment and have to continually remind myself that it's OK to be a beginner.  Better to start now and do the best I can rather than be 10 years older and regret not having started 10 years ago.  Plus, I don't have to play catch-up.  Those feelings I have of being 30+ years behind - it's all in my head.  I am where I am.  If I keep at it for another year I'll be another year along and hopefully another year better.  I gotta enjoy the ride . . . and some rides aren't easy.

 

    So what do you want to try?  What's keeping you from taking a chance?  I took Walt Disney's advice: "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”   Whether it's in your personal life or your work life, give it a shot and don't live with the old adage:  “For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'” – John Greenleaf Whittier.

    For years I have been collecting quotes I find online, in books and articles, and even in places of business.  This set is from my 'taking chances" file.  Enjoy!

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein

“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”
Thomas A. Edison

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do.”
Henry Ford

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”
Vince Lombardi

“If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's OK. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot.”
Confucius

“The limits of the mind are often mistaken to be the limits of the world.”

Immanuel Kant

"If we never took a risk our children would not learn to walk, climb stairs, ride a bicycle or swim; businesses would not develop innovative new products, move into new markets and create wealth for all; scientists would not experiment and discover; we would not have great art, literature, music and architecture."

Sir Digby Jones

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure ... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt

 

“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Nelson Mandela

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
Andre' Gide

“I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.”
Lucille Ball

 "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Stay hungry. Stay foolish..."

Steve Jobs

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. And one thing it takes to accomplish something is courage.”

Walt Disney

“You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is.”
Will Rogers

“After all these years, I am still involved in the process of self-discovery.  It's better to explore life and make mistakes than to play it safe.  Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”
Sophia Loren

Leadership and Customer Service - Key strategies for the business of parks and recreation

    "Government should be run more like a business," is a line I've often heard, and is mentioned in the article, Comparing Business to Government, by Arnie Biondo (from the February 2012 issue of Parks and Rec Business magazine).  I've struggled with what this means, but Biondo's article does a very good job laying out the differences between business and local government, as well as detailing some strategies professionals and agencies can do that are, as Biondo states, "more business-like practices." 

    The first strategy mentioned is the delivery of excellent customer service, which is something we strive to provide at the West Sacramento Parks & Recreation department.  Just to say you have great customer service isn't enough, and it can't be inconsistent (great by one staff member, but poor by another).  It has to be a cultural norm, but it can only be the norm if the leaders are working on setting the tone and nurturing the culture to help it grow and mature.  I'm pleased to say that just this past Saturday I spent some time with some of our recreation center front-line staff (front desk, lifeguards and child care staff) as they participated in another leadership/management/customer service training.

    William Davidow and Bro Uttal, in their best-selling book, Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon*, provide a list of three (3) principles that they say leaders of customer service oriented companies do:  

1.      Foster a service oriented culture. Leaders help create and nurture cultures by communicating use. They put values into action by treating employees exactly as they want employees to treat customers.

2.      Make customer service everybody's business. Unless every employee assumes responsibility for the customer’s experience, service dies.

 

3.   Declare war on bureaucracy. To produce effective, efficient Customer service, leaders keep policies, procedures, and other formal control mechanisms to a minimum, relying instead on cultural control.

    As I go down this list of strategies, I find that we are applying these business strategies.  Leadership is key (and we are fortunate to have a department director and City Council who provide solid leadership) and having and implementing a thoughtful and deliberate customer service strategy is critical if parks and recreation agencies are to deliver on their vision and mission and not run like stereo-typical government.

*This is a great book, but was published in 1989.  While some of the examples given are antiquated, the definition and strategies are still very relevant.