Rising Above the Noise

No, not the din of the cheers of Green Bay Packer fans (and for the record, I didn't really care who won, just wanted to see a really good game -- which happened), but the noise that keeps us from doing our best.  At the end of 2010, I seemed to be drowning in noise from all kinds of places and did not believe I was doing my best.  I could tell because my patience (which I am not long on to begin with) had gotten very short, it took me a lot of drafts to get things just right and my interpersonal skills in most settings where I found myself were not at the place where I wanted them to be.  Over the holidays, I made a commitment to try to rise above the noise.  And, I am happy to report that for almost two whole months I have done much better than I did at the end of 2010. 
I admit that it is work to rise above the noise.  It is amazing how easy it is to just drift back into the old habits of seeing the glass as half empty.  Everything from work budget issues to the toppling of governments can have us very dejected about the state of affairs.  But, in these times I have found it best to focus on the things that are within my control.  It doesn't mean that I bury my head in the sand (can you say CNN addicted?), but it does mean that I take in the 'news' (whether from around the world or down the hall), determine if I can have an impact, and respond accordingly. 
I feel very fortunate to work for an organization that is focused on stability, that knows what it wants to be when it grows up and that tries to encourage the best work from all of us.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that because of all the noise.  But, it is what drew me to BJC over 7 years ago and what keeps me here. My hope is that when the noise of work gets too loud that we go back to the joy we felt when we received the call that said, "You got the job!"
Back to the din of cheers from the Super Bowl.  While I loved the game, I admit I am also hooked on the commercials.  My faves this year were two of the Bridgestone Tire ones -- the guy who mistakenly hit Reply to All and then drove like Mario Andretti (am I dating myself) to confiscate computers that received the message and the absolutely wonderful one with the beaver who remembered the driver who saved his life and returned the favor six months later.  The little beaver claws doing a heart pound cracked me up.  Did anyone have different favorites?

Leading from the Cheap Seats

On one of my recent (very cold) early morning walks I got to thinking about all the Monday morning quarterbacking that has been taking place over the last few weeks.  From criticism of play calling by coaches to questions on whether a certain Second City quarterback was really too hurt to play, I realized that there is nothing easier than providing commentary from the sidelines.  And, being that I still had a few miles to go on my walk, I started to apply this finding to the workplace and wondered -- Am I leading from the cheap seats?  Since I am not a designer or a newswriter or a videographer or a clinician or a child or older adult health/behavior expert, do I make sure I give those who do have those skillsets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their work?  Do I offer praise as much as I offer suggestions (which can sometimes be perceived as criticism)?  Are e-mails from me welcomed or do they make the recipient think "Now what?" 
Of course, my hope is that neither I, nor any of the other leaders in our department, are leading from the cheap seats.  And, if we are, I hope that you will tell us and even more importantly, that we will take it to heart and make necessary changes.  What kind of changes?  Being more attentive to the great work that is done and recognizing that work directly with the individual responsible and publicly with others (we tried to incorporate Shout Outs for the public recognition, but haven't seen one lately -- which may be my pc).  It is also important that we take a breather before launching into Monday morning quarterbacking.  Do we have all the facts?  Is the tone of our question helpful or hurtful?  Are we seeking to make the situation better or just ascribe blame?  Those of you who know me well, are aware that the last thing I am ever interested in is who to blame when something has not gone as we had hoped.  Instead, the goal is always to right the ship as quickly as possible and learn from the misstep.  I can have that attitude because I am so confident in the members of our team.  Which gets back to the original subject of my early morning walk.  When you truly view yourself as part of a team, the reasons for the wins and the defeats are equally shared by all team members.  Will be interesting to see how this concept plays out for the Packers and the Steelers this Sunday.  I will be rooting for the ________________.  How about you?
J