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The other night I had a nightmare. I had been asked by a friend to watch over his house and collect the mail while he was out of town, for a year. I agreed, understanding that my tasks would be to water the lawn and take mail into the house. We shook hands and my friend then left.

When I entered the house on the first day, I heard noises on the lower level. Going into that part of the house, I noticed that my friend had a large number of cages and tanks full of pets, many of whom looked hungry. I texted my friend, and he said as if just remembering, “Oh yeah, if you could just feed them, that would be great!” I sighed but just got to work feeding the animals. I then looked out into the backyard and saw kennels, a cattery, and a small aviary full of animals, all in the same spot. I texted my friend again, who promptly said, “All you have to do is just feed a couple of extra animals, that’s it.” Severely annoyed at this point, I hear a noise behind me. Three elderly women in wheelchairs were complaining and threatening to sue me because they hadn’t been given a decent meal in weeks.

I woke with a start. The creep of responsibility that wasn’t communicated and yet left in my hands by my friend had disturbed me. It made me reflect on how to work with teams, and more importantly how to communicate expectations to others.

If you have ever been on a project before you are likely aware of the concept of scope creep. This is when your original planned project gradually grows from new, unforeseen requirements that come up during the project lifecycle. It’s also possible to see responsibilities creep into a job the same way and with the same level of stress. This often happens when a particular job or set of tasks has been assigned that hasn’t been defined or quantified, so the amount of effort required to complete those tasks is unknown. When you add a hard deadline to those tasks, the stress begins to build. Then add a lack of support from peers or leadership, and you have set an employee up to fail. And while failure isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a bad thing, no one likes to fail. Your employee will then become disengaged, and the tasks will suffer.

Of course, the reality of any quickly growing organization or industry is the lack of certainties. Often real effort isn’t known until the tasks have been properly scoped, and the full scope of the job is defined along the way. There are three ways to handle this in the Project world, and each has its pros and cons:

 

  • Increase the number of resources dedicated to the tasks to bring them in on time
  • Reduce the scope of tasks so only critical tasks are completed within the given timeframe
  • Shift the due date and allow for more time to complete the tasks.

 

Increasing the number of resources seems like a great idea on paper, but doesn’t always translate to more efficient work completed. Anyone new coming in will need time to familiarize themselves with the state of the tasks at hand, and that time will have little impact on the overall effort being put in. If done early enough in the process, this solution can work, but generally, when you know you are in trouble you are likely too late to add additional resources and have them be significant contributors to success.

Reducing the scope of work is an excellent solution if the effort in place includes a lot of features that are not critical. Often the problem is determining those critical tasks, and just how critical. To this solution, I would recommend following the advice of Steve Jobs and knowing when to say “no” to features so you have a solid, distilled release that can be completed within the given timeframe. It may not have every bell and whistle you wanted, but you will have a solid accomplishment for which your employees are proud.

Shifting the due date is always the least favorable option for a lot of reasons. Often tasks that have a hard deadline mean they are mission-critical for some other project or initiative to take off, which in turn continues a cascade effect that can throw a lot of business initiatives into uncertainty. That being said, if you need an extension, do not sacrifice the health and welfare of your employees to avoid giving one. You may get this set of tasks out the door on time, but lose some good employees to other firms and all the experience they gained in completing the tasks with them.

Getting back to my analogy, yes, I would have helped my buddy with all the tasks not previously disclosed, but he wouldn’t be my buddy much longer. I also would have avoided that scenario in the future, flat-out refusing to help my buddy again. It’s important to understand the value of the person doing the task is greater than the tasks themselves. The knowledge they gain while completing them is always reusable, and you will want that experience on your team for any new, similar tasks. Value your people and their well-being, and your business will thrive. Sacrifice those people for short-term business goals will ultimately sabotage your business position.

The topic of gratitude and recognition has been a big focus for me of late. I’ve been encouraging my team to share recognition for others’ help, the value they bring, and the unique qualities that build the team experience. In general, the team welcomed the idea but questioned the execution. A question asked was, “What if we don’t mean it?” It was a question that put me off but, to be fair, a valid one. We’ve all been in a situation where participation prizes were given to make sure everyone felt included and recognized, which devalued the recognition process. What makes using recognition as a tool to help others feel better about themselves any different?

Recognition is a very interesting tool. It can be used to foster competition or generate a sense of exasperation when used wrongly. It can build a team, or just an individual while destroying the ecosystem. When used with care and purpose, it can build a culture. When carelessly thrown to the side, it can become yet another failed experiment. It all comes down to the intent and meaning you put behind it.

Sales is an excellent example of a competition-based recognition strategy that succeeds. Generally dominated by highly competitive personalities, a sales team will thrive when they have an exclusive prize in view. Recognition in terms of financial or other perks becomes the prize, driving everyone to perform well or excel. The meaning behind sales recognition is the value brought to the company’s bookings and bottom line. The more a salesperson brings in, the more the company can recognize toward margin and ultimately profits.

Now apply that idea to another scenario. If you set up a competition within your team for “best customer service” or “most hours worked” and you drive very specific behaviors toward spending a lot of time hand-holding a customer for that CSAT score, or decimating work/life blend to get that prize. People will either reduce productivity to get high CSAT every time or they will kill themselves to prove they have what it takes. Neither of these behaviors is likely to be desirable, though they technically meet your criteria of best.

When building a team, recognition can be powerful if used to foster and grow those desired behaviors. A good example would be recognition around collaboration, team support, or outstanding quality of work. The behaviors are varied, all tied to measurable KPIs, and therefore make easy recognition opportunities for multiple people based on their strengths. It’s a common method that most organizations apply to non-competitive departments that look to recognize excellence within established KPIs.

Taken this further, it’s possible to weigh too heavily on those who are regular high-performers, or have more opportunity to excel because they are more senior. Or, to not leave anyone out, management will often find some type of recognition that fits the person instead of the KPI. It can also be tempting to use recognition as the only form of reward, as opposed to bonuses, raises, or promotions, even though excellence in meeting KPIs brings high value to the organization. If not properly followed up, this type of recognition becomes meaningless and will often be treated as a running gag amongst employees. It can even become a point of toxicity amongst employees, leading to derisive comments directed at those who are rewarded just for doing their job.

What does this all have to do with gratitude and meaning, you ask? A fair question. Gratitude is an expression that is given to those who assist when it is most needed by someone who needs that help. Someone who is in a vulnerable spot requires help and expresses that gratitude when help is received. The receiver then knows that the person who helped can be trusted. If the receiver then publicly recognizes the helper, trust is reciprocated. Therefore gratitude, if used and recognized properly, becomes a vehicle to build trust in a team. That trust, in turn, builds respect, and respect will foster inclusion and belonging within a team. Expand this throughout an organization, and you build a strong culture of gratitude.

The meaning comes from the act of helping. Often help comes, not through completing tasks, but the way the tasks had been completed. Every individual has their particular strengths, skills, and knowledge they bring to work every day. And while someone may physically help with tasks, someone else may give guidance. Still, someone else may provide emotional support, and yet another person can provide a good laugh at just the right time. These non-KPI skills and values brought to the job are just as valuable as KPIs because they build, sculpt, and define the climate and culture in which everyone works.

The problem is, that gratitude can only be expressed when someone is feeling vulnerable. If the company culture doesn’t provide a psychologically safe space for vulnerability even someone who is grateful will not recognize that beyond a verbal thank-you. Leadership will never know, and the value of that gratitude is greatly diminished, or often ignored. The company culture then suffers and presents a breeding ground for toxicity within the workplace. Ironically, the simple process of acknowledging gratitude within a company can build that safe space.

I’ve been encouraging gratitude, and leading by example, within my team to help build a stronger culture of inclusion and belonging within the team. I’ve also encouraged other leaders to follow along, breaking down their comfort zones and exposing their vulnerabilities in doing the same. I started by setting some ground rules:

  1. Your recognition needs to be focused on the how, not just the what: How did someone help you, and what did they bring to the table that made this experience so important to you?
  2. Be personal: express your gratitude in a very personal, direct way that connects to what their support has meant
  3. Be real: If you are faking it, you are not grateful. If you aren’t grateful, then why are you posting something?

This last point I’d like to expand on. Too many leaders feel obligated to express recognition for something, and so they will write something out that is, well, not as sincere as it could be. And the person receiving it will know. They always do. Remember, they were there as well. They know how they helped, how you took it, and whether or not your expression is genuine.

Now what if you can’t think of anything at all, yet you want to recognize someone because they did something? Think deep, and ask yourself some searching questions:

  • Why do you feel it necessary to recognize this person?
  • What was it they did you feel was extraordinary?
  • How did they help?
  • What made their help so useful? For this question, don’t think about the “what,” but rather the “why.” Look at the intangibles, the personality the person brought, and their attitude that made the experience unique to them

I’m in the business of Training, so I naturally know that skills can be taught to anyone. Proper training can help anyone do anything given enough time. What can’t be taught is the personality, vitality, humor, and sincerity that someone brings to the workplace. It’s those intangibles that magnify the value of someone’s effort. Those intangibles should be recognized, particularly when they are most valued: when you are vulnerable and in need of them. Express your gratitude at work, and I promise you that your work culture will change for the better. It’s not a silver bullet, but a valuable tool when building a culture of trust, inclusion, and belonging.

This is a particularly personal concept for me, which is why I wanted to share it. Back in my Elementary school days, I watched a movie short that has always stuck with me: Cypher in the Snow. In the movie, a young boy walks off the school bus and just passes away. His teacher, who doesn’t remember him, was asked to give the eulogy at his funeral because he was the boy’s favorite teacher. Perplexed, the teacher then spends the rest of the short trying to find out all he could about the boy. He had no friends, a rough home life, and was one of those students who didn’t do well enough to get praise or poor enough to be reprimanded. He was, well, a cipher. The end of the short has the teacher vowing never to allow another boy to become a cipher if he could help it. As children, we were encouraged to follow that example, and never let a peer feel like a cipher. Some kids laughed, many felt sorry, and we went on our merry way.

Since I started my work experiences, I’ve watched those around me. I’ve seen some folks learn and grow, social groups grow, shift, and personalities grow dominant. I’ve also seen several folks that come in, do the job well, and then go home. They are quiet, sit in the corner at lunch or breaks, and are quick to head home. Maybe they had been invited to join a group once or twice and declined, and shortly after invites were no longer forthcoming. These employees cycle through a lot of jobs, often not staying in one place for too long. Many on their team don’t bother to learn their name. They are, essentially, ciphers.

I’ve been a cipher before in a past organization. I know how it feels. It hurts. It hurts to see others promoted or given opportunities because they have more visibility and popularity. To know that often you are overlooked because your input isn’t seen as important is frustrating. Your morale falls to rock bottom, and you spend a lot of time looking for other, better opportunities. Changing organizations appeals as an easier fix rather than trying to improve your current situation.

There are a lot of reasons why folks isolate or are isolated, and move into the cipher role on a team. Here are a couple that have come up in my personal experiences, though I’m sure there are others:

  • Homelife: Things are rough at home, and a private person doesn’t feel comfortable talking about it at work or feels that they will not be safe discussing their problems. This creates an additional load on someone at work and leads quickly to burnout.
  • Unhappy with circumstances: Particularly during a period of economic distress, often someone is concerned with having a job, rather than having the right job. This means someone may have taken a job they normally wouldn’t want, just so they have some money coming in. They are withdrawn because they intend to leave quickly, even though it may not happen. Eventually, this could lead to a toxic environment.
  • Personal mental health: Mental health is very taboo in many work cultures, no one wants to be thought of as “mentally unfit” for their job. The reality is that neurodiversity is a strength in many organizations, yet those who are perceived as different can be treated horribly.
  • Depression: Technically, this should be covered in personal mental health, but depression is such a common, and commonly hidden, issue in the workplace that I feel it needs to be pulled out separately. Several factors can contribute to depression, far more than I can put in a simple bullet point, but needless to say, depression will sap someone’s enjoyment of everyday events, leading to withdrawal and isolation.
  • Burnout: This is a huge one, particularly in a COVID and post-COVID world. Employees are given more tasks than possible to complete in a reasonable amount of time, measured against unrealistic or uncontrollable metrics, or given unachievable goals. Working toward those goals and trying to succeed takes too much, and eventually, the person shuts down to recover. You go from a high performer to someone thought of as “lazy” within a short amount of time.
  • Contribution Dismissal: Engaged employees will often bring up a lot of ideas, concerns, and effort, some good, some bad, some scary, and new. If those ideas, concerns, or effort is often and consistently dismissed as unimportant or wrong, the employee will stop engaging. “Why should I continue to try and engage?” they think, since when they do they are dismissed. And it’s not just leadership dismissing the idea, but also peers. Soon the employee doesn’t feel any intrinsic value in themselves, and those who once were highly engaged become cyphers.

Working your way out of cipher status is difficult, which is why so many employees prefer to just move to the next company, but it can be done. As a leader, the most effective way I’ve found is to build a culture of gratitude. Recognizing someone’s worth and unique value to the team builds someone’s confidence to engage with others. For those who are struggling, it gives them hope that they can work through their issues and have a supportive environment where they feel safe. For those burning out, they know their efforts have been valued, even if some of their work needs to be reassigned. Those who otherwise feel disconnected know that their efforts are appreciated, their ideas are valued, and their perspectives are considered. Gratitude creates a safe environment for someone to reengage with the rest of the team.

As a person who, for whatever reason, has found themselves in the cipher position, it takes a lot of personal reflection to pull out. I can highly recommend a career coach as an outside party to help evaluate one’s strengths and growth opportunities and place your gut reactions into perspective. I can also highly recommend a 360-degree evaluation to get a baseline from your leaders, peers, and directs to know where they see you in your career, and then compare with your estimations. And lastly, reach out and make the effort to be more visible within the team. Find that “superpower” that you have and make use of it on the team. Find ways to contribute at some level. The more visibility you receive, the more recognition you can earn, and the more your reputation as a contributor grows.

It’s easy to allow people to fall into the shadow of being a cipher. There will always be the high flyers that you celebrate and challenging employees who take up a lot of your time. Those that fall along the wayside are easy to neglect while putting efforts elsewhere. All the while excellent employees are deteriorating into numbers, and eventually just headcount on the team. It takes a concerted effort from the entire team to build a culture that expresses gratitude for those who contribute in the only way they can. And if you can’t think of something, perhaps you need to look closer.

I would like to end this article with a challenge for everyone reading: Get to know everyone on your team (employees, peers, and leaders), look for their intrinsic value to the team and express your gratitude to them for that value in a public forum. LinkedIn gives a great opportunity on your connection anniversary to express someone’s value, if your company doesn’t provide another way to share that value. By building this culture of gratitude, your team is more likely to feel like a team and will be more willing to engage.

 

Early in my career, I worked in several call centers, starting with customer service, then moving to technical support, and eventually customer advocacy (which is a topic for another post, I think). In each case, my dedication to the job came directly from how valued I felt. In my first CS job, I was treated as a replaceable mouth. I was there to tell customers a specific thing, absorb abuse, and deflect issues. If I didn’t like it, there was a line of people behind me willing to take my job. Needless to say, I didn’t stay long. It wasn’t until I worked for eBay that I felt like my contributions were respected and valued. I was an advocate for my customers, often looking out for them when they had issues or fears, and working as hard as I could to make sure they were successful. The difference wasn’t the tasks, because they were very similar. The real difference came from the gratitude my peers, leaders, directs, and customers gave because I was dedicated to their success.

Too often it’s taken for granted that employees are “replaceable” because anyone can do the tasks they are tasked to do. And, on a very utilitarian level, anyone can do any job. I’ve often advocated an internal need to outline and define every job task specifically to make this possible, as it’s the core of excellent training. With the right training and preparation, anyone can do any job. The true differentiator to success is how they do the job. The soft skills, attitude, and enthusiasm someone brings to their role can make all the difference in the success of their efforts. While just about everyone coming into a new position brings a level of enthusiasm to the position, if that is not recognized and they are taken for granted, that enthusiasm will quickly die and will lead to a very toxic workplace.

Gratitude for the individual is a key value to develop within the workplace. Developing gratitude can lead to increased positive attitudes, generate less stress, have a greater desire and belief that goals can be met, have fewer sick days, and have a high level of job satisfaction. Relationships with co-workers are more positive, and the workplace becomes a safe place to bring your authentic self. Showing gratitude is a gateway value to compassion and forgiveness, which are key values that create a healthy, positive culture in the workplace. It is also a very easy value to develop if it’s approached sincerely.

  • Lead by Example: the first step of fostering gratitude is to be the example. As a leader, you should be grateful to your leaders, your peers, and your employees.
  • Focus on the Person, not Performance: Gratitude is a personal recognition of the contributions only that person can make. Recognize, not the work done, but rather the way the work has been done. You are recognizing the contribution of personality that someone is bringing to work. In short, you are encouraging their authentic self to shine out in their efforts. Recognize their uniqueness in execution, their passion for the role, and their willingness to stretch themselves to meet the challenge.
  • Be Sincere: People know when you are not sincere in your praise. To be earnest in your gratitude, you need to take a good look at the contribution others bring.
  • Reciprocate: It’s easy to accept expressions of gratitude because they bolster your self-worth and encourage self-compassion. But to truly develop a culture of gratitude, you need to reciprocate. Express your gratitude for others, and let them know you are grateful for their gratitude.

Building a culture of gratitude is not without difficulties. There’s a worry that awards and recognition go to those who just “do their job” instead of doing something extraordinary. It takes time to change that culture perception from recognizing task completion to acknowledging the attitudes that complete the tasks with high success. This requires phrasing your recognition correctly. For example:

  • “Completing your paperwork on time and turning it in correctly” focuses on the task
  • “You complete your paperwork with a smile on your face, an excitement that is infectious, and with a desire to streamline your efforts so your customers have an excellent experience” focuses on the attitudes and motivation behind the task

Focusing on that aspect of the work, the contribution that only that person can make, and the impact that their attitude makes on the task will make all the difference in the role. While working for eBay, as long as I was appreciated for what I did and how I did it, I was motivated and happy. When my efforts were no longer valued, I began to look elsewhere. I also think of those on my team who, if shown gratitude for their work, could have been retained instead of looking elsewhere. Gratitude can make a huge difference and for that, I am exceedingly grateful.

 

It’s been almost 20 years since I completed my BA in History at the University of Utah. The experience was outstanding, and I would definitely recommend the U (yes, a shameless plug for my alma mater). But why was it such an outstanding experience? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, trying to unpack the experience that led me to where I am today. To this point, I’m going to loosely reference some educational psychology professionals because there is a lot of research that has gone into education as a whole. That is the way folks learn, the value of learning, and what makes learning valuable.

First, there’s how folks learn, or more to the point how adults learn. The brain will take in information from our senses, and process that information using previous experience as a reference. That previous experience can be biased (which really is where our biases exist), but they also help the brain process and make sense of new information. The more that information is repeated, the more likely neurons create a permanent connection, which moves the information from short-term memory to long-term memory. It’s an oversimplification to be sure, but I wanted to point out some things with this process:

 

  • The brain is processing information from all senses, not just a given one. Some may find it easier to process by listening, some by doing, or some by seeing it being done, but this is a preference. The brain processes everything coming in. To this point, I can still recall a lecture from paleoanthropology given by a visiting professor discussing the Neanderthal mastoid process because of the musty smell of the old Mathematics building. All senses are valuable, even those we may not expect.
  • What is processed is information, regardless of source. That source can be a book, lecture, video, quiz, exam, research paper, or casual conversation on a walk across campus.
  • What’s interesting is that the source itself doesn’t matter. It could be college, high school, trade school, University, post-grad work, graduate degree, or just reading in a library. The brain can learn as long as there’s information to be processed.
  • Bias has a huge impact on our ability to learn and gain new skills. Whether it’s a pre-existing bias against the content being taught, challenges to existing knowledge, or experiences that are at odds with the information being processed, biases will tend to filter, influence or down-right negate the information being taught.

 

If the brain doesn’t care where its information is coming from, why do I cherish my University days so much? It all comes down to the experience. I was a commuter student, much like the majority of those at the University of Utah (not many stay in dorms). I would go to school during the day, spend time in the library studying alone or in groups, walk and discuss questions with other students as we went from one class to another, and continue the learning journey until the evening when I would go to my full-time job to pay tuition. The experience went beyond the classroom and continued into related classrooms. As I took paleoanthropology, a senior seminar on Roman Britain, and followed that up with classes in Latin and Ancient Greek, I got perspectives that I could share with my fellow students, who would share some of the same if not all of the same, classes with me. We formed a loose cohort that remained together as we progressed together. This was, essentially, an ecosystem of experience that we all shared.

Experience ecosystems fascinates me. Apple and Google both have built powerful ecosystems around their platforms for Mobile devices that generate loyalty because of the experience. They tie tools that everyone uses together, such as email, browser, documents, multimedia, etc. within a single experience by making it easier to use together. As a user, you have a solid platform from which you can do what you need or want, and do it much faster and easier than before. This is because Apple, Google, and others look to the full experience from search to purchase to use and find ways to make that process easier.

The current experience in learning is one of two: Liberal Arts, or Certification. Within the Liberal Arts education, you get a wide range of training and experience that can map to multiple career paths, with guidance to a more targeted discipline. Certification takes a targeted and focused approach, be it technical or Graduate-based, by focusing on a single certification at the end of the journey. In either method, a single goal remains: show you have knowledge as certified by a trusted learning institution or industry standard. What happens thereafter is left entirely to the student. The experience of getting to that point is rewarding, but what now? What’s the next step?

Suppose for a minute that a learning experience ecosystem could be developed. An experience in learning that would take someone from where they are (baseline) to where they would like to be and map out the process to get there. I’m not just talking next stage in a career either, I’m talking full map to the final goal(s). This would be a process of mapping out skills for every persona or discipline that someone has or would like to have, and then mapping out the skills necessary to get there. As the skills are mapped and found to overlap, multiple possibilities can be presented based on existing and desired skills and experience. Whole careers could be suggested based on current preferences, or as preferences evolve. Learning now takes an active role in career development, which engages the learner. Now they are learning with a purpose because they know what their career could map out to be if they continue.

There are a lot of pieces that could be plugged into this model, but the framework should be pretty sound. It would be a fascinating project for anyone looking to build a successful engagement for their learners. As far as I’m aware, no one has yet put together a learning experience ecosystem (if anyone can provide an example, please let me know!). So until then, it remains a thought.

Recently, after setting up a 75-gallon freshwater Angelfish aquarium and finishing my 125-gallon tetra/rasbora aquarium, I looked back at my 55-gallon planted aquarium with a more critical eye. It was my first large planted aquarium and, mainly out of panic, I over-planted it. It was heavily planted, and one plant, in particular, the water wisteria, had taken over half of the tank. Fish were hiding and the shrimp were rarely seen. It was time for a change.

My old, over-grown 55-gallon tank that needed to be rebuilt.

Changing up a tank can be difficult because it is so stressful for the animals The shifting process required pulling out about 40 fish and shrimp and relocating them to smaller temporary holding tanks while I tore down the tank, removed the plants and rock, sucked up the sand and lava rock, and rebuilt the tank into a cleaner showcase for the fish. Fresh sand was placed down to cover filter bags full of the old gravel and substrate mixture I keep from previous teardowns, rock was layered into new configurations, and the decorations that the kids wanted in the tank were rearranged. Finally, add the tap water, conditioner, and additional bacteria culture to prepare it for the fish. This took all day. The results looked great and the fish were excited to interact with the new, more open environment.

My American Flagfish male, showing off his colors proudly for July 4th.

From the perspective of the fish, I imagine this was traumatic. Ripped from a familiar environment and placed in essentially bare tanks, they remained for hours not knowing what the future would bring. They couldn’t really see what I was doing, nor comprehend the long-term benefits, they just knew that the temporary change was the “new normal” for them, and it was less than they previously had. At the end of the day, when I put them into a larger, cleaner, more interactive environment, they explored and adapted quickly. Given their behavior, they seem happier than they were in the previous tank setup. Had I not taken the time to properly prep the tank for cycling by using the bacterial culture-rich substrate, reusing the original hardscape with their existing bacterial cultures, and adding a bacterial culture to the water right away, I could have lost all the fish I wanted to save.

Recently, our department went through a pretty major reorganization. It wasn’t a reaction to performance or a failure in any way, but rather a plan for future scaling and growth. From the independent contributor’s view, the benefits don’t seem very obvious. Honestly, it’s just shifting from one director to another, one team to another. Some key responsibilities had shifted and needed to be understood, but for most folks, the shift didn’t impact their day-to-day. So why do it?

When these changes happen within an organization, most often it’s because of strategic planning. Strategic planning is the process of defining a strategy for making decisions and allocating resources toward a strategic outcome. A good portion of that process is evaluating the current organizational structure and deciding if that structure can meet the goals and needs of the organization in the next few years. An example of this type of thinking can be found when Disney Parks re-evaluated its Annual Passholder program in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agree or not (I know my boys are none too happy), this process is often necessary to plan for growth and viability for any company.

The strategic plan can be painful for those directly impacted. Change is always scary because it brings unknown variables. When you combine departments, there are redundant roles… how do you reconcile that? Do changes mean redundancies? Will skillsets need to change? There are a lot of questions and anxieties that crop up during and after the change. This is where Change Management shines, or the process of preparing, supporting, and helping teams through organizational change. It’s important to communicate early and often about changes and their impacts to set expectations right away and allay any fears from the coming or current changes. It is also important for those in positions of power and influence (be they leadership or senior employees) to be on board with the change, so consider involving them in the change management conversations early on.

It’s a general rule for any change: failure to implement change management will seriously hamper positive change results. Employees will often fight the change, morale will be impacted, and turnover will likely increase for the organization. Much like putting fish in an uncycled tank, they will not be happy.

What does this mean to you? It’s a general principle that any change requires preparation and planning. Strategic plans will get you where you want to go, organizational change management plans will help lead the organization to success. Doing one without the other will lead to pain that, unfortunately, should be avoided.

View of the Kanarraville Canyon while hiking to the Falls.

Recently my youngest son and I went on a hiking trip to Knarraville, Utah to the Knarraville Canyon Fallswith a group of boys from our church. The hike was long, a little over two hours to the falls, and the weather was sunny and hot. Very hot, as in 121 degrees in the sun. While my son with autism loves to hike, this was the longest and most difficult hike he has taken. We climbed and walked through the stream, (which for the most part could have been avoided, but definitely welcome on a hot day) but the final push to the falls required climbing up a makeshift ladder and then a log.

The "ladder"​ to Kanarraville Canyon Falls.

My son is deathly afraid of heights, even climbing a 3-foot ladder makes him nervous, and this would push him way out of his comfort zone. I questioned whether or not he would make it, but knew he wanted to remain with his friends. He protested and said he couldn’t do it as he stepped up to the ladder and started to climb. I talked him through the steps to take during his climb, where to place his feet and hands, and guided him as best I could from the ground. When he made it up, he was thrilled, and I was relieved. He slid down the slide (and scared his dad by going down the drop), and he enjoyed the entire experience. My son became more confident because I let him stretch himself on the hike.

My youngest playing in one of the waterfalls in Kanarraville Canyon.

Situational management is a management methodology that focuses on managing in the situation: letting folks take ownership where they are comfortable and being more directly involved when they are less comfortable or directly struggling. Very similar to a difficult hike: I didn’t have to tell my son to be careful while walking through the water (stones were slippery), or to be careful while climbing over mounds of dirt when trees were too densely grown over the water. When it came to climbing up and down the ladder and the log, he needed help. That’s when I stepped in and guided him verbally through the experience. The key was knowing when to guide, and when to let go. If I tried to tell my son how to walk as we hiked, he would have grown frustrated. Had I not guided him while he was on the ladder, he wouldn’t have climbed. I trusted him to know his own experiences and allowed him to fail when necessary (and when it was safe to do so). I fretted and worried, and I rushed down after he slid down the wrong side of the falls, but still trusted my son to own his experiences.

View of the Kanarraville Canyon, trees and clouds in the sky.

Situational leadership is hard. It’s hard to let go when you want something done a specific way and let those with whom you have trusted the task do it right. It can also be difficult to know when to step in and take a more active role. It requires a lot of communication, trust, and understanding that there are many ways to accomplish the same end goal. Trusting the learning process and the intentions of your team is important for their development. If you do not, then often they will lose sight of the rewards at the end of the hike because the journey is no longer worth it to them.

I’ve been revisiting some Stoic texts and came upon this quote from Seneca’s Dialogues in a letter to Paulinus: “Those who choose to have no real purpose in life are ever rootless and dissatisfied, tossed by their aimlessness into ever-changing situations.” A person’s purpose is their driving force, the catalyst that keeps them on task while the world changes around them. This got me thinking about my purpose and consequentially the power of purpose in the workplace.

It should be no secret that ServiceNow is a purpose-driven business. The company’s goal is to make the work people do more efficient and beneficial to those doing it (“Making the world of work work better). That purpose drives the platform, the applications, the sales teams, services, etc. We all rally around this concept because it is something we all want: a more efficient workplace where less effort is put into redundant and repetitive tasks, and therefore free to handle the big, new, innovative part that drives passion. Because employee values align with this purpose the company is successful, not just financially but also culturally. People want to come to work, they want to succeed, and they want to see happy customer reactions to their innovation.

The same thing applies to any company in any industry. Values drive the culture, which again drives success. Purpose aligns values, becoming a driving force for employees to power through long, difficult, stressful sessions. The result becomes personally rewarding because they know that those long hours they put in realize their purpose.

An individual’s purpose heavily impacts their career choices. It can help them weather some tough times, knowing their efforts are of value to them even if the value is lost by others. Leadership changes, market shifts, and even role changes can be weathered as long as the individual can align their purpose as well. It also means that should that purpose ever come into conflict, employees are more likely to look elsewhere.

Looking back at my career, those places where I enjoyed working most aligned with my purpose: contributing to the growth of others. Whether working in customer service, technical support, or teaching, I’ve enjoyed the job most when I’ve been able to share knowledge with others to help them grow. As a manager, my most satisfying experiences come from seeing someone grow within their career. When I look for career advancement opportunities, this purpose is my litmus test: will I achieve my purpose in the new role? Whenever my job deviated from that purpose or didn’t allow me to realize that purpose, I would often find myself frustrated.

Purpose has a powerful impact on someone building their career. By catalyzing their goals they put their whole effort and being into the job. They can find it easier to bring their whole self, and that’s a powerful thing. Career movement will still have the same drivers (better pay, lifestyle, etc.), but the impact that person will have at each stage of their career will be felt. They are no longer “tossed by their aimlessness into ever-changing situations.”

During the pandemic, I started a hobby. With about $20.00 of equipment, a spare gallon pickle jar, and some shrimp I started a fully planted tank. The collection then grew to a couple of 10-gallon tanks and, because of the prolific nature of Mickey Mouse platys, the hobby has now grown to several large tanks totaling 300 gallons and several different species of fish. Building these tanks has been incredibly relaxing, and each time I aquascape a tank learn something new. The best thing about those tanks is the communities being built because you get to see fish interact with each other and observe their behavior.

Building a fish community requires a lot of thought and can be very complicated. You need to know the required water parameters for specific species, their behavior towards other fish, and how they interact. For instance, you don’t want to place large predators with small schooling fish, or you won’t have any schooling fish. You also don’t want to have too many of the same fish in one tank (with a few exceptions). Overstocking with either fish or plants can be lethal to a tank if not properly managed and filtered. You need to understand how beneficial bacteria help with the nitrogen cycle and the health of your tank. What I’ve found is that any tank of fish will try to survive and can be accommodated with additional filtration, more frequent water changes, special planting schemes or subdivisions within a tank, or additives to the water to make up for missing elements, but to truly thrive there needs to be a balance. And balance means having diversity in your tank’s ecosystem.

Balance often isn’t planned out right away. It’s easy to just stock a tank with only platys or tetras because you know what they will eat and what they will do. But after a while, they become boring. There’s no interaction, and the fish start to just, well, sit there. They are bored, and there’s no activity or dynamic in the tank. My personal preference for a tank is to start with a diverse set of rocks and wood to make for interesting hardscaping. Then planting with several types of plants for interest, aiming for a natural feel. For the livestock I often have a showcase fish that’s generally a slow mover, then some fast schooling fish to add some energy, and finally a couple of unusual fish, shrimp, or clams that make for interesting discoveries. Once you have a perfect balance of plants, filtration, scavenger fish or shrimp, slow-moving fish, and fast-moving schooling fish, you have a fun and exciting tank to sit and watch.

Watching these tanks and their interactions, the anthropologist in me started relating the experience to human communities where relationships and experiences of groups and individuals contribute to everyone’s success. Jumping to the work dynamic, every team has its own community, though how that community succeeds depends entirely on its composition. It’s easy to build an organization where everyone thinks, behaves, and reacts similarly in any given situation. When running in a maintenance mode this type of organization will work very well, though will be less able to creatively solve new problems.

Adding some diversity to a community brings new perspectives and encourages creative approaches to solving problems. Of course, there are levels of diversity, and the more diverse a community, the more creative and innovative that community can be. Indeed posted an excellent article that outlines 20 benefits of a diverse workforce, and they are considerable!

It can also be very uncomfortable at first, just as when adding a new fish species to a tank can be tense as fish try to figure out their place in the tank With all opportunities to develop, being uncomfortable is a good thing. The breadth of knowledge that comes from different cultures, experiences, specialties, mindsets, and perspectives opens the community to new levels of success.

While diversity is important, inclusion and a sense of belonging are where the real magic happens. When adding new fish to a tank, the dynamics of the fish interaction change as the tank accepts that new species. Then, instead of schooling in a tight group or hiding behind the plants or rocks, the fish explore and interact with others in a natural, interesting way. In a work community, it’s just as important to help everyone feel comfortable and accepted, and their views and experiences welcome. Forbes has an outstanding article on the power of inclusion, which takes diversity a step further. Diversity is great, but if team members do not feel comfortable, they will remain reserved and withhold the value their perspectives and experiences could bring. Every manager should make it their priority to make sure every single direct report feels safe and comfortable sharing their perspectives. If they do not feel safe and comfortable, not only will you lose the value of their perspective, you likely will not have them on your team for very long.

I love to watch the fish in my tank as they explore, interact, and enjoy playing with each other. Their social interactions are fascinating to watch, and they provide a calming experience. It continues to bring me new insights into how a community can work, and how building a community can be a rewarding experience. Having a diversely stocked tank has been a fantastic allegory for the benefits of diversity, inclusion, and belonging within the workplace.

Years ago, while working for eBay, I started my journey into the adult training world. I was a customer service representative working for the Live Chat system, and I started my Master’s degree in Education. The original goal was to prepare to become a professor and start my career in higher education, though as I continued through the process, I learned the value of adult education and training. I could see the value of industry certifications and corporate training, and I started to explore that avenue.

While progressing through my degree, my responsibilities had changed. I became a member of the Help Desk, and then eventually Team Lead, and in each role, the real thrill for me was watching someone develop and grow. At this time I started exploring my options with the Training team, moonlighting by writing training materials and content. When an opportunity opened, I applied. The Director of Training then took me aside and told me that he didn’t think I would have the right experience for the role. He saw where I had started as a customer service representative and had a preconceived expectation of my capabilities. Shortly after this conversation, I was accepted as a lecturer at the University of Utah.

On another date, also at eBay, I had a good friend who started on the PowerSeller support line, on my team while I was the team lead. This friend had a significant disability, which impacted his ability to sit for long periods. As you can imagine, working for a support phone line requires a lot of sitting and waiting, when not talking. Candidly speaking, at any other customer service company I’ve worked for, he probably wouldn’t have lasted long. But at eBay, his needs were accommodated while still setting the same high expectations as anyone else on the team. Instead of floundering, he flourished and became a high performer. We had high expectations for him and he didn’t disappoint. He lived up to them.

In both these experiences, expectations had a lot of impacts. Your expectations for yourself and others directly impact confidence. It’s been my experience that the expectations you have for someone will directly impact their performance. At a high management level, this means setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Every role has (or should have) a set of key metrics that indicate success that goes beyond the “feeling” of doing well. This can be how much work is completed, the level of quality, or the overall success of the endeavor. Generalized KPIs place everyone at the same level performance-wise and the company’s expectations.

But then there are managers’ expectations. Who will do well? Who will not do well? It’s a gut reaction, either based on first impressions or by observing someone’s work for a long time. Managers make decisions on projects, tasks, or leadership based on strengths they see in their folks, as well as the perceived weaknesses that exist. These are based on the managers’ interactions with personnel, as well as their own biases.

Did I say biases? Yes, and quickly (though there are volumes that could be written on this subject), everyone has biases. Acknowledge yours, and work to overcome them as much as you can. If you don’t know them, Harvard has a series of tests you can take to identify them.

How are we impacted by expectations? I’ve seen top performers in one role crack and flounder as they move into another, or even just move to another team, because of expectations. I’ve also seen struggling performers blossom and excel because of a shift in expectations. A manager’s expectations can heavily impact the success of their direct reports.

Now, I can almost hear “What good do high expectations do when they just can’t do it?” A fair question. Expectations are important, but they alone do not drive success. Remember in my second story, accommodation facilitated success. For managers, this means regular candid conversations that feel safe for the direct report to discuss their successes and challenges. Managers can then adjust their approach, either by giving more detailed direction or stepping back and showing more trust. This approach is called situational leadership and is an invaluable tool to use either formally or informally for any manager or direct report. The process enables directs to get the help and development they need to succeed at whatever task they have before them. And given the right motivation, desire, and support, anyone can (and often will) step up to any position and expectation set before them.

So how does this apply in real life? There are a lot of job postings out there, often asking for a lot of experience in the role before a candidate can be considered. That experience represents less time and effort spent ramping someone up for a given position. When evaluating candidates’ resumes, often the mindset is “How quickly will they be on their own” instead of “Can I help them grow into the role?” It’s a thought process that every hiring manager will go through, either knowingly or unknowingly. Now, there’s always a level of expertise and experience that will be required for any position. You can’t hire a Ph.D. in Astrophysics to perform a heart transplant! But you can hire someone with a minimal level of experience for a position if you are willing to put in the extra effort as a manager to coach and develop someone in that role. I can tell you, from personal experience, that I’ve had some of the best instructors on my team come from other backgrounds. With a little coaching, some guidance when needed, and some understanding, those instructors become world-class, high-quality experts in delivery.

That same thrill that I got seeing team members develop and grow while at eBay still drives me as I work with my directs and theirs. Seeing someone excel in their position is the best part of success. And seeing someone become confident in their job is just as thrilling. By setting appropriate, high expectations, and then providing the proper support, coaching, and feedback to help them refine their skill and experience, you can develop an eager person into an outstanding performer.