ToxinResponse

Toxins occur -- in our bodies, in the environment, and in organizations.

In all three domains, the response to toxins can follow several possible pathways...

• Removal of the toxin and cleanup of the mess left behind.
• Put in place processes to mitigate and interdict toxins.
• Intervene with counter-toxins of some kind.

A well-worn and repeatedly proven ineffective response...............ignoring the toxin.

CulturalSpinnerThumping

Culture is evolutionary. The culture of our family, of our house of faith, of our team, of our organization (of any kind) was built over time, one brick at a time.

The version of that culture (of whichever organization we're thinking about) we experience today is the manifestation of the current habits in practice by the collective membership. 

We cannot change the culture of any of those organizations with one purchase of snake oil, by excommunicating or firing one member, by occupying a new building, or by hiring a popular consultant. The likelihood of the success of any of those quick-fix strategies is the equivalent of thumping a spinner. 

Meaningful cultural change results from the daily discipline of the members deciding which habits make us better (and doubling down on them) and which of our habits make us less (and purging them).

And, tomorrow, we do it again. 

Poor-formance

Sometimes people perform poorly. 

Those of us in leadership roles are, thus, obligated to address it. That is a non-negotiable.

There seems to be three critical points in that process of "addressing it."

1. Discerning the cause of the poor performance. We have to consider a wide range of possibilities (or combinations thereof). They might include: lack of motivation, lack of skills, lack of knowledge, lack of clarity about expectations, nefarious intent, life crises, poor health, etc. Some of those things we own, some we don't. Some we can do something about; some we can't. Rarely is poor performance about just one thing. 
2. Having the conversation. One thing that is certain about poor performance is that it won't change unless we address it with that person. 
3. Taking corrective action and follow-up. Building a collaborative corrective action plan WITH that poor performer is the piece that determines success or failure (or dismissal). The poor performer stands the best chance of righting the ship when she/he is involved in crafting the solution(s). Important to remember is that that which is not monitored......is optional.

One final thing for consideration: Poor performers respond best when they feel like we CARE about them as much as we do their performance. That one requires from us a good, hard look in the mirror. 

 

SnarkPenalty

It's tempting to get snarky sometimes. Especially when we're right.

Snarkiness, however, always comes with a penalty: Lost trust, ill will, simmering anger, disengagement, etc.

The price we pay for being snarky makes it never worth what enjoyment we may think we realize from it.

NoviceDevelopment

My early years of professional service were spent pretending to be an athletic coach. 

I heard Nicholas Keith of the Texas Education Association speak this week to to the powerful progression recipe for learner development:

> Acquisition (initial learning of the knowledge/skill)     

   > Fluency (practicing for speed and accuracy)

      > Generalization/Adaptation (applying the knowledge/skills into real-world contexts)

The best coaches I have known over the years use this very formula toward the development of athletes.

The wisest teachers, leaders, and mentors I know do exactly the same thing.

MatterMaking

We all want to feel like we matter.

The wisest leaders I know are masters of helping us feel like we matter.

How do they do that? They...

• LISTEN to us, intently.
• ASK us questions, to probe our perspectives, opinions, assumptions, values.
• TREAT us as equals and volunteers, not subordinates.
• INVITE us into conversations and explorations around consequential stuff.

The very best of those leaders do these things, not as an act, but because it's part of their fabric.

MonsterFighting

My lovely bride of 49 years has oft reminded me that we're ALL fighting monsters of some kind. She asserts that everyone is dealing with some issue or challenge, and in many cases, multiple monsters at the same time.

The Love of My Life also encourages me to remember that almost all of these monster-fighters are "doing the best they can" under the circumstances.

Her wisdom in this regard has caused me often in life to observe more closely, care more deeply, discern more keenly, listen more intently, forgive more easily.

I wanna be like her when I grow up... 

(Fighting off a few monsters of my own.)