Communicating

 

If you follow the MMM you know I have written a lot on listening. Focused and intentional listening is powerful. But let’s look at the other aspect of communication. That is the role of the communicator. Communication is a two-way street between the communicator and the listener. The real burden is on the communicator. They are the ones delivering a message. They are the ones trying to make a point. It is their job to successfully convey their intended message. All the great listening in the world cannot overcome a poorly delivered concept or idea.

The next time you feel the urge to say, “Would you just listen to what I am saying?”, consider pausing and reviewing your delivery as the communicator. The burden is on the sender of the message. 

Have a blessed week.

Twenty Minute Magic

 

I think it is interesting what the use of Outlook calendars and others has done to our scheduling habits. Everything we schedule falls into 30 minute or one-hour increments. I mean Outlook defaults to that, and we just tend to fill in the blocks. We all know that calls and meetings do not always need to take up to 30 minutes or an hour (Note to my assistant), but our calendars are full of nicely blocked meetings. Not surprisingly, mine are color-coded.

Do you know why the maximum time limit for a Ted Talk is 17 minutes? There has been a lot of study regarding attention spans and the length of time we can focus. Several articles and podcasts have recently addressed the power of a twenty-minute meeting, including an “At The Table” podcast. There is power in knowing that you only have 20 minutes to accomplish something; You have to act fast. There is also the popular concept of a huddle or a stand-up meeting. The idea is to conduct a quick exchange of information, update and move on with the day.

There are nice, neat, blocks in Outlook. That does not mean that we need to use the full 30 minutes or hour. Have the courage to schedule meetings, or end meetings, sooner. No need for a meeting to take a full hour only because it was scheduled to do so.

Explore twenty minute magic…

Work like you're showing off!

 

“Vision without execution is a hallucination.” - Joe Calloway, Author and Performance Consultant. 

 

This quote comes from something Calloway wrote entitled, "Work like you're showing off!"  What a simple but profound statement about execution.  He goes on to say that an employer will trade ten "idea guys" for one person who can get things done.  You have all heard the statement, "Ideas are a dime a dozen."  Generally, leaders do not want to hear what you are going to do, plan to do, or think you will do.  They want to know what you have done, have completed, and implemented.  As leaders, the challenge is to channel ideas into action.  Encourage and direct people to implement ideas and reach completion.  There is nothing wrong with great ideas.  The world is full of them, and we need the people who come up with them.  The real test of any good idea can only come once it is executed.

A Reminder…

I have had a chance to do some pondering lately.  It is not something I do well, or often.  None of these thoughts are new or different, but they are great reminders of maintaining perspective.  Make sure your life includes a healthy mix of the following… 

• Get outside and enjoy God’s handiwork
• Take time off and unplug
• Do something you have never done
• Thank those on your team that enable you to take time off and unplug
• Spend quality time with great friends
• Meet new friends
• Discover new places
• Be part of something that positively impacts others
• Protect and cherish your health
• Spend time around a table…  tell stories, share ideas, challenge thoughts, make memories

Summer Vacation

As you are reading this, I am on one!  Vacations don’t have to be in the summer, but many are, and summer is here!  What a great idea, vacations, time to get away, relax, visit family, friends and new places.  Given the pandemic and shutdowns of the last 15 months, we all need a vacation. They provide us an opportunity to see and do things we don’t get to do every day.  We feel revitalized and rested after some time off.  Vacations do not have to be far away, exotic or elaborate, however, they should include family time, a good book, unplugged time, a great meal, time outdoors, relaxation and maybe an unplanned adventure.  We live in a big, beautiful state in a large and diverse country on an incredible planet.  There is a lot to see both near and far.  Make it point to take a break from your daily grind and take in some of this great world with your loved ones.

Special Edition

As if we did not have our hands already full with a pandemic, our society is now engulfed in a fragile state of racial division and violent protests.  This divisiveness is not new, but that does not make it acceptable.  The senseless killing of George Floyd is certainly not acceptable, but neither are the violence-oriented protests in response.

I am a 61-year-old white male with no idea what it feels like to be a man of color in this country.  However, I am pained by the stories of the fear felt by black men walking in their own neighborhoods and driving in their own communities. If this is not unsettling to you, it should be.  Simple answers and clarity do not come easily, but we cannot sit idly by.

A few responses seem clear to me…

• Pray
• Give grace and be slow to judge
• Speak out loudly against racism and all forms of hatred
• Make the effort, it takes effort, to listen and understand the perspective of others
• Be inclusive and blind to ethnicity
• Support elected officials, communities and organizations that are inclusive
• Be thoughtful and intentional with social media posts, and be careful about what you believe on those forums
• Educate yourself with facts from a variety of sources
• Spread love by your actions in our communities and neighborhoods
• Start conversations with your friends and families, with people of different races, and with people of different opinions
• Pray

The MMM is not a current events or political blog, but a person I respect made a statement that tugged at my heart, “silence is seen as indifference”.  I am not indifferent and the MMM is not about indifference. 

Action!

Action is the difference between an idea and results.  No idea, thought, concept or plan goes anywhere without action.  Lots of people have great ideas; few people take the required action steps to turn ideas into results.  You know how the director of a film or TV show calls out “Action” as the filming begins?  That is the step that takes a script from something on paper to a finished product, a result that we can see.  Good ideas constantly cross our minds and enter our thoughts.  We think of ways to improve things at work, how to change things with our kids, how we might make a difference in the lives of people around us.  As ideas alone they accomplish nothing.  As ideas combined with action, they create results.  The greatest of ideas goes nowhere until an action step is taken.  Make an idea turn into results.  Take action today!

Take the High Road

Everybody has heard the saying "take the high road", and most people probably have their own idea as to what it means.  Recently, I read some thoughts by John Maxwell on this phrase.  Consider the following simple thoughts regarding taking the high road...

·         Don't keep score

·         Forgive quickly

·         Serve others

·         Getting even is not the goal

It involves being humble and selfless and what's even harder, not holding a grudge.  Life is too short, take the high road!