Watch for Territories (No Canadian Bacon - Canada)
Megan Billnoske
Leadership Trainer ● Keynote Speaker ● Coach ● Everything DiSC? & 5 Behaviors? Authorized Partner ● Artist
It was not the first time I'd been to our Edmonton office in Canada, but it was the first time for a few other surprises, especially as it pertains to food. Isn't that the charm of seeing some place new though?
Hotel with a Teepee
When we travel for work, most of the time I go with the flow when other coworkers. So during this trip, my coworker (we'll call her Lauren) really wanted to stay at the Marriott connected to a casino. As we turned into the hotel’s long driveway, there was a 15-foot-tall teepee! Okay, well it was missing the outer layer of material, and was only a tied collection of sticks, but it was a teepee!
We checked into the hotel, unpacked our bags and went to dinner that night. The next day I had training to deliver on six laptops with this location, helping them to use newly written software to track inventory, sales, purchasing and more.
In the morning, I set up in the conference room, and everything went well. Class ended at lunch time, and as a treat for the Edmonton office Lauren decided to order pizza for lunch - she had the company credit card!
Pizza for Lunch
I’m not sure what pizza chain the front desk ladies ordered it from, but about 10 boxes arrived, all smelling delicious. Gradually, everyone began congregating around the pizza and started to eat. As I was looking at the kinds of pizza they ordered, I recognized most all of them. Nothing too obscure and out of the ordinary.
I started to pick up a slice of Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, when someone from the office made a comment about my pizza. I replied and told them I liked Canadian bacon pizza.
They abruptly and sternly said it’s not Canadian bacon. It is ham!
Caught off guard with their comment, I just politely went quiet and thought to myself - then how did this get its name? It was a great example of how things we think of every day are normal to us, but can also cross a territorial line into what others consider wrong.
Anyway, the afternoon went on and training finished for the day. Lauren and I headed to our hotel, and decided to get dressed and go to a hockey game for dinner - okay, so it was more like a bar and grill at the hockey arena!
We head there, get some grilled salads and burgers, and sit right next to the glass watching a hockey game. Now, I had only ever seen one game in Texas with my family growing up, so being IN CANADA watching THEIR sport was definitely a neat addition to crossing into a different territory of the world.
Oh, and toss in a Canadian beer at the hockey game, and you have one great experience for someone who loves to explore. #Me!
On our last evening in Canada, Lauren and I went to dinner in one of the hotel restaurants. It was a nice Italian place with a very neat floor – parts of it were glass and you could see rocks underneath it.
Well, the meal was nice and we decided to finish it off with an order of cheesecake. When it arrived, it looked like a scoop of mashed potatoes...
The best part?
The waiter proudly said, “New York Cheesecake??!”
Lauren and I both looked at each other, looked at the waiter and then laughed.
“No, not New York style cheesecake!” (In Texas (and the States) that normally is tall, firm and in the shape of a slice of cake.)
领英推荐
The Denver Omelette
Lauren and I had an early flight home the next day. So, we arrive early at the airport and decide to eat a quick breakfast before jetting home to Houston. On the menu, beamed this great choice – the Denver Omelette.
Now that is ironic. We keep having these food names, but they are all from American cities! First no Canadian bacon, then the wrong interpretation of New York cheesecake and now the Denver omelet. How interesting!
As a leader, we carry our own experiences with us and it guides us in how we lead and live our life. It's also inspiring how everyone else has their own experience and perspective, coming from their own life story too. But as a leader, not knowing where those territories or lines of pride exist can create some unintended friction and make your job challenging.
** That three-minute ice breaker you add to the first new team meeting in order for the team to learn about each other as people, not just work, but one of your direct reports is furious that you asked her to share about her family. ...What?
** That email you sent to welcome someone new to the company, but your peer escalates your irrational behavior to your boss. You sit in your office and hear their conversation 2 doors down the hallway about how you're a "lone wolf" and have gone rogue. ...What?
** That person in the breakroom who you befriend, as you are always in there together eating lunch. You don't quite fit into your own team, so it's nice to have a friend and feel like you at least belong at lunch. Then, your boss comes into the break room one day, sees you both chatting, and says - why are you talking to them? ...What?
** That shocking email you received from a peer out of the clear sky, challenging your integrity and intention with a project you've been working on because they disagree with your approach. They type and send you the rules and the website that lists everything you've already read about the project. You see nothing wrong with it, but they send a bigger message back. ...What?
Not only is leadership tough to learn how to do by your tactical job, AND managing people, but then you add in these invisible territories of politics, personal insecurities, baggage, negative previous experiences, and people will hold you accountable for them.
Whether it's a good intention or your simple view of the world, you will cross the line with others. Many times, without even knowing or intending that. So, let's add that to the pile of leadership! Haha. If you think of the champion leaders, they are masters at navigating the "What?" moments and showing respect for the territories. I think they see the difference between what the intention is, and how someone else is seeing it through a filtered lens and gives them compassion. It really has nothing to do with what you did. The silver lining? Now, you have a data point to manage that you didn't know was there before.
Lead where you are.
Written and lived by Megan Billnoske, owner and founder of IMSPIRE, LLC. She specializes in working with leaders who are ready to have fun strengthening their leadership skills, unleashing team performance and delivering legendary ROI.
In her 12-year corporate career, she's trained 14,000+ leaders, had 27 bosses, launched 14+ brand new training programs, led countless international teams, worked in 12+ industries throughout the globe and loves what she does.
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