Week 23.22 Morning Blessings

I am not a morning person. When I think about the phrase "morning blessings," my first thought is sleeping late. A couple of weeks ago, I attended some morning prayer with my friend whose father had recently passed away.?must admit it was a profound experience that has stayed with me. I was up early (for me) each morning, energized by the idea of spending time with others in my community in support of our friend. I enjoyed the matter-of-factness of the prayers, which I had heard many times before. And I enjoyed how important they were at this moment to provide grounding in a time that can feel untethered. And I found myself enriched by the conversation that began with bible study and then integrated into life. Let me count my morning blessings.?

My first blessing from attending the prayer service was standing in the community with my friends and neighbors in support of our friend. I enjoy a world that includes a variety of people and places, and I travel a fair amount. But standing together, with a real purpose and intention, was grounding and comforting. The act of showing up has always been important to me, and I am grateful for the opportunity to show my friend how much he means to me by being willing to hold space for grief. I have been thinking about the value of community often of late, and this time together exemplified the importance of being part of a group that supports one another with shared values, trust, and compassion.?

The second blessing was somewhat unexpected. As I mentioned, I am more of a night owl than a morning lark, and I usually take a cup (or two) of coffee to get my mind working. But as soon as I arrived, the purpose and intention for our time together took hold, and I was immediately present and alert. Moreover, during the short study session in which we considered the meaning and application of the reading, I found myself uncommonly engaged. After I left, the early intellectual stimulation continued. I was more focused, more engaged, and more aware than usual. Perhaps it was the novelty of the early morning or the meaningfulness of the occasion, but I felt the impact throughout my day.?

The third blessing was even less tangible - I felt more connected with myself. There is a clarity that only comes with early light, a certain sharpness and a definition from the low early rays. The air was a little crisper and the sense of purpose, community, and intellectual engagement made the world, for just a moment, feel more simple and contained. I wasn't thinking about more significant world problems or my past or future. I was just there, at that moment, doing the thing that I was doing. By limiting my range of view of the world for those moments, I was expanding the scope of view of myself to the world. If that doesn't make sense to you, join the club! Regardless, I'd like more of that.?

This experience has not made me a morning person by any means. However, it has me curious to explore what it might be like, once a week, to stand in community, be aware of our blessings and be able to inhabit my own world fully. I was a better leader for the rest of the day. I listened more and had more patience and compassion. I am always aware that as leaders, we have a responsibility to those we love and lead to grow our capacity to show up better every day. This is a worthwhile experiment for me for the low price of an early morning. The group experience might be worth trying out if you are already a morning person. If nothing else, one thing I learned is to be grateful for each sunrise and to learn to count my morning blessings.

BOOK RELEASE: Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams by Dr. David Burkus

The secret to winning is not talent—it’s teamwork. How do some teams achieve extraordinary results, while others struggle with mediocrity? How do you turn a group of talented individuals into a cohesive unit that can outperform the competition? Dr. David Burkus knows that the key to building a winning team is to shape the behaviors and practices that unleash the potential of each member. Best Team Ever reveals the proven strategies that some of the world’s most successful teams use, and shows you how you can apply them to your own team. Stop wasting time and energy on teams that don’t work. Learn how to create a culture of excellence that drives performance and innovation. Follow this simple, practical guide to build a Best Team Ever environment and lead your team to victory.

BOOK RELEASE: The Experience Mindset by Tiffani Bova

Today’s overemphasis of the customer experience came at the expense of the employee experience…so it should surprise no one that employees have abandoned companies in droves. To achieve growth, the new mindset leaders need is one that manages both the employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) at the same time from the top down. What needs changing?

In most companies, no one is responsible for the most critical elements of employee experience. The sorry state of application integration – nobody owns that, either (only 29% of apps are integrated). The pitfall of seeing employees as a cost rather than a potential source of new revenue growth. As we move to an experience economy, the interactions are what creates value (see Erich Joachimsthaler on what he calls the “interaction field” and Ron Adner on ecosystems). You fill in a super important piece of the puzzle.

Ultimately, The Experience Mindset is about fully maximizing the leverage points between a strong employee experience and customer experience to create a virtuous cycle of momentum that leads to significantly better growth rates. It is a new operating model and an intentional, holistic approach that considers both employee experience and customer experience when making decisions for a company. By strategically pursuing an exceptional, balanced experience for ALL stakeholders, you achieve a sum greater than its parts, magnifying growth many times over.

Graduation Advice for the Class of 2023 by Erika H. James

1. Detect signals. Effective leaders must continuously scan their environment for cues to interpret and act upon. This means being alert, plugged in, and attuned to the world around you—not just the corner you might inhabit. Leaders need to ask pointed questions and also push back on our human tendency to downplay potential threats. It’s one thing to spot warning signs in an organization. It takes an entirely different mindset to turn seemingly disparate signals into meaningful and relevant decisions and actions.

2. Take time to reflect & learn. I fundamentally believe in the necessity of reflection. But I’ve also seen that it’s an important practice even without a crisis, as it allows us to prepare for what’s certain to come—change. That’s why taking time to pause and reflect on your experiences (both successes and failures) is so valuable. And after reflecting, don’t forget to ask yourself, what did I learn?

3. Make ideas real. Creativity is a critical leadership skill, and there is certainly no shortage of great ideas stemming from the next generation of leaders. But it is those who move beyond dreaming and into doing that are rewarded with the joys of seeing an idea come to life. So, I encourage everyone to be willing to take risks and do something bold even if (or rather, especially if) you aren’t 100% confident in the outcome. The learning that comes from activating one’s ideas is often jet fuel enough to take a good idea to the next level.

When Your Employee Tells You They’re Burned Out by Dr. Noémie L.

When an employee comes to you expressing burnout concerns, it can feel challenging to know whether — or how — to deal with it. Lacking training in well-being, many managers don’t know how to respond in the moment, much less how to address the systemic drivers of burnout. It can be challenging for even the most enlightened leaders to have conversations about employee burnout while managing the needs of the business. “I was trained in business, not therapy,” as one of my CEO clients put it. “How do I have this conversation in a way that will be productive and show I care about my people?”

Based on her work advising C-suite leaders on workforce resilience and change initiatives,?Noemie’s identified five steps leaders can take when an employee comes to them feeling burned out. Burnout is affecting both leaders and employees — and contributing to a talent shortage that’s challenging and costly to navigate. When an employee comes to you saying they’re burned out, you need to be prepared to deal with it. By following the five strategies presented in this article, you’ll be better equipped to solve your burnout problems and retain your talent.

With love, gratitude and wonder. Scott