In this Is This Mic On? We tackle the question of, “How do I create a culture of recognition?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about getting into the details, knowing your team, and sharing at any level.

Dear SNP, 

We ended 2022 strong despite all odds. We had our offsites and planning meetings and committed to new actions. But it’s January now and the party’s over. It feels like there’s a lot of work ahead. I want to keep the celebration going and recognition leaves everyone feeling good, but what if there aren’t enough things to recognize? The big projects are kicking off and we’re getting into the thick of it. How do I keep a culture of recognition going all year round to help make our lofty goals stick and keep my team motivated? Also, what can I do to recognize folks without just using my words? 

Best, 

Recognition is rad 

How do you create a culture of recognition? Dear Rad…

Yes, the start of a new year means the party is over. But this is when the follow through on those commitments, both to the work and each other, matters the most. This is the time when you set the tone for the year ahead and cement the foundation for a culture of recognition. And it all begins on an individual level. As these projects lift off the ground, and successes big and small are realized, it’s easy to reflect upon them as a group or a delivery team. But go deeper. Dig into the details. What exactly did someone or some people do to reach the achievement? Citing specific examples makes the recognition more tangible to the person receiving it while showcasing their work can inspire and motivate a broader organization.

Keep It Personal

A culture of recognition is rooted in everyone’s desire to be seen (and heard). But! Not everyone wants to be recognized the same way. Know your audience. Some people want to see their name in glittering lights like on Broadway. A public shoutout, either written or in video format, in a communication channel or staff meeting is excellent. Meanwhile, there are others who would be positively mortified if the spotlight spun toward them. Sure, it feels great to be seen as the benevolent leader casting accolades upon someone for all to hear, but the person on the receiving end might much rather get a more private form of recognition. A handwritten letter, for example, could be a great way to communicate to that person that they did a job well. Don’t pass up or overthink moments to provide in-the-moment feedback as well. If there is an opportunity to shoot a quick email, take the time. Even a short, “great work!” with brief context explaining why can go a long way in boosting the mood of the person clicking through their inbox.

Know your power

As a leader, be cognizant of the power of your voice. This requires you to understand when it is needed, and when it is not. Recognition of good work should absolutely be acknowledged by those in leadership, but it can be expressed by others. In some cases, the words of affirmation may carry even more weight if you have another team member vocalize them. This inspires more peer-to-peer recognition, strengthening the culture you are responsible for leading.

Creating a culture of recognition comes from incremental but consistent changes. Click here for suggestions on how to do the work, from the book How to Do the Work by Dr. Nicole LePera

The post Celebration & How to Create a Culture of Recognition | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

In this Is This Mic On? We tackle the question of, “How do I re-energize my team in the new year?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about connection, communication, and people.

Dear SNP, 

I’ve returned from holiday “break” feeling less refreshed than ever. We had to cancel our plans with family and friends because of Omicron. And even though I got to close my laptop for a bit, I’m running on empty. In fact, I feel exhausted. And it seems like my company assumes everyone came back renewed and rejuvenated. They want us to hit the ground running. Why not hit the ground walking? If I’m feeling this way, I’m pretty sure my team is too. How do I re-energize my team, and myself, after the break? 

– Hit the ground walking

Dear Ground Walking

Every night, the clock strikes midnight. And yet on December 31st, we anticipate that when the big-hand hits 12, it’s the start of something completely new. Erasing the past. A blank sheet of paper for the future. That’s partly true, maybe…but if we erase the past, it means we lose all of the things we’ve learned as well. And we’ve learned a lot. 

Namely: connection, communication, and people are what drive business, propel innovation. Makes sh*t happen. So may that be your checklist. 

Connection

Check-in with your team. And we don’t mean putting 27 meetings on the calendar called “Quick Sync.” (Blargh, vomit). Really check-in. Leverage the open questions that we might have glossed over in the 2019 versions of ourselves:

How are you doing? What’s on your mind? What’s new?

We know we’ve said this, and we know you’ve read this. Be curious. Allow your team to verbally clear anything that’s on their mind. More information allows you to be of greater service to them and creates space for them to be heard. And…what a gift that is, especially when stressed, anxious, overwhelmed.

Communication

As screen-fatigue tips the scale past the point of exhaustion and in-person gatherings might be on pause (or financially unfeasible – remember how much time and how many dollars we spent on T&E?!), it’s time to get creative. We know, we know: it should really be “it’s time to get creative…again.” Instead of that Jeopardy-board of profile pictures on the screen, consider just-in-time, on-demand communication. Bite-sized videos. Audio headliners.

We’re not talking about the Hollywood-level of production we thought was necessary in 2019 (the kind that went from storyboard to seen in a mere – oh – 9 months, making the message largely irrelevant). It’s akin to what we did in March 2020. Timely. Personal. Clear. With a pristine focus on the message, the content. A leader talking to, rather than at. Not everyone logging in at once, but everyone getting the information at once. 

People

Or: people, mission, work. People, mission, work. People, mission, work. Focus there, and allow your team to focus there. “But of course!” you might say, “where else would I be focusing?” Namely, you may be preoccupied with process, protocol, PnL. Not saying that those things don’t need time and attention. We need new processes to support innovation, we seek the stability of protocols to keep us safe and healthy, and we need a solid PnL to, well, run a business. But if we spend all of our time managing, we may forget to lead.

And leadership is the support of the people and in service to the mission and the work. Be the leader that balances the people, mission, work with the processes, protocols, and PnLs. If you spend all of your time talking about and managing to an RTO date that may (will?) change…what are you missing out on in the meantime? The future of leadership will be adaptability. Flexibility. Timeliness. Not getting stuck in a plan, while planning. People, mission, work. 

It’s a new year, and it’s (thankfully!) not a new you. Remember what you’ve learned, what you’ve experienced, what you know. Reflect on where your time is allocated and make perhaps new decisions about how you’ll use that time this year. Connection. Communication. People. And remember that of all the people you care for and consider, you need to be at the top of that list. 

The post Energy & How to Cultivate It With Your Team | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

In this Is This Mic On? We tackled the question, “How do I create a psychologically safe space for my team?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about decision-making, accountability, and leading by example.

Dear SNP Claus, 

This Festivus I’ve been reflecting on the past year. I did some things right…I wish I could get a second chance at others. It’s those “coulda-woulda-shoulda-” moments of leadership that are keeping me up at night. I play back conversations in my head and replay decisions I wish I’d made differently. Bottom line,I feel like I’ve done a lot of things wrong. The regret keeps me from resting and I fear I’ll just that cycle of bad decisions. I wish I could take things back. But hindsight is 20/20 (or 2021). So how do I move forward from this? 

– Restless in regret

Dear Restless in regret, 

This is an incredible opportunity to contribute to a psychologically safe environment. Confused? Stay with me…

The role of a leader is to make a decision. Use the data that you have, in the moment that you have it, and sprinkle in the instinct that comes from experience. And if the last year+ has given us anything – it’s experience. Experience in crisis, in disruption, in decision-making, in leadership. 

And you know what? We made a lot of decisions, and we’re still making them. Here are a few things about decisions as a leader, and how you can use this experience to create a psychologically safe environment for your team. That’s right: there is a benefit to making mistakes. 

Step 1: Decisions are two-way doors

Decisions are very often two-way. Meaning, you can amend, pivot, and change. Jeff Bezos refers to them as two-way doors – those decisions that can be reversed. That’s versus a one-way-door – those that are permanent. So instead of mourning a decision and sitting in the past, recognize the type of decision that it was and amend it as needed. And then for the future, think to yourself: is this a one-way or two-way door? Lament and regret is exhausting. Put that energy into forward momentum. 

Step 2: Say it out loud

Say it out loud: I made a mistake! Your team is looking at not only what you are doing, they are looking at how you are doing it. They are taking their cues from you. That doesn’t mean that they expect every decision you make to be the right one, the perfect one (because, there is very rarely a perfect one). They expect you to make smart decisions and then have the ability to reflect, learn, and when it happens, admit when you could have made a different one. A leader casts a large shadow, and you have here an opportunity to make it a safe space to make mistakes. 

So don’t mourn mistakes or decisions that could have gone differently. Learn from them, communicate them. Share the lesson you’ve learned and invite your fellow leaders – and eventually your teammates – to share the same. This is the environment you want and need, and this is an incredible opportunity to create it. 

– SNP Communications

The post Psychologically Safe Space & How To Create It For Your Team | Is This Mic On? (Holiday Edition) appeared first on SNP Communications.

In this Is This Mic On? we tackle the question, “How do I conquer my fear of public speaking?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about clear silence, stance, and volume.

Dear SNP,

Sorry to Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees, but public speaking is my worst nightmare. People (…me) say it’s scarier than death itself. When I stumble on a word or phrase, I can’t seem to move past it. I get flustered, red in the face, and worst of all: sweaty (gross, I know). Behind a screen people couldn’t see my legs trembling, but now that we’re going to a hybrid model my fear is I’ll be at the front of the conference waiting for inevitable doom (think Final Destination). Help!

– Hybridphobia

Dear Hybridphobia, 

You’re not alone.

Everyone gets nervous speaking in public. AND almost everyone gets a little sweaty. We’ve gotten used to speaking to a screen. We thought THIS was hard.

Presenting to a sea of squares. 

Ever-present distractions – slides, notifications, dogs barking. 

But there are some luxuries: the hidden leg tremble, the proximity of a fresh, unsweat soaked shirt.

Both in-person and virtual public speaking have their pros and cons AND both are scary. Sweat, fear, and nerves, mean you care (or you saw a ghost…). You care about presenting well and making your message impactful for your audience. 

Polish your in-person speaking skills now to put your public speaking nightmares to bed. 

Here’s how you can set yourself up for success. 

Silence is a powerful tool.

It might seem counterintuitive, but silence is your best friend.  There’s no need to fill every second of your presentation with sound. To do that, make your content succinct. Think headlines and thesis statements so that you can find the end of your sentence – or any punctuation mark. That’s the place to pause.

A good pause helps with three things: 

1. Gives the audience time to absorb your message 
2. Let’s you read the room
3. Gives you a chance to breathe, collect yourself, and think about what you’re saying next 

Embrace the silence and use it to your advantage. If nothing else, you won’t pass out. 

Don’t do a bad salsa. Remember your stance. 

With in-person presenting, you DO in fact have visible legs, especially if you’re at the front of the conference room. So quit the bad salsa or the anxious pace, and just standstill. It’s easier said than done. Balance your weight and bend your knees, to find a comfortable, stable position. 

Press play to quit pacing.

Embracing silence doesn’t mean speaking softly. Increase your volume. 

Increasing your volume helps you get out those nerves and channel your energy. You can’t stutter or fidget when you’re putting your focus and energy into your volume. Plus, it will support your enunciation and unlock your gestures and facial expressions.

Watch the video to learn how to get your volume up.

Practice makes permanent

Hybridphobia, you have all the tools you need: silence, volume, and stance. But what it really comes down to is practice. 

So put in the reps. If there’s one thing we can learn from horror movie villains, like Jason, Michael, or Freddie, it’s that persistence is key. 

So gather your inner circle, practice, and you’ll conquer your fear of public speaking in no time. Worst nightmare be damned. 

– SNP Communications

The post Fear of Public Speaking & How to Conquer It | Is This Mic On? (Spooky Edition) appeared first on SNP Communications.

How do I not micromanage my team?

In this Is This Mic On? we tackle the question, “How do I balance offering my team help and not taking over their work?” Read on to hear what SNP had to say about clear expectations, focus, and being intentional about your time as a leader.

Dear SNP,

Lately, I’ve been wondering where my time’s gone. I’ll start working on something, get in a groove, wonder how a team member is doing, ping them, and 2 hours later I’m just doing their work. I don’t remember being this hands on before going virtual. Does lack of supervision impact quality? Or am I a *gasp* micromanager? Either way, the work needs to get done (correctly). How do I balance offering help and not taking over their work?

– Fear of Over-Managing Others

Dear FOMO,

First: don’t micromanage.

You’re not a small manager (isn’t that actually what micromanaging kind of connotates?) just as much as your team doesn’t want to be made to feel – well – small. So don’t micromanage. 

Helpful? Likely not. Because we can’t tell you “don’t micromanage” and expect you to stop doing it. It’s like us telling our colleague Danny “don’t think about burritos!” What do we assume he (and you) are now thinking about? Burritos. Our subconscious brain doesn’t recognize the word “don’t.” All you really heard above is “micromanage!” So let’s stop nerding-out here on psychology and words, and suggest what you can do…

Step one – Identify the problem.

Why are you taking over? Be honest here. Is it because expectations were not clear in the first place? Are the roles and subsequent responsibilities still a bit undefined? Has quality been a problem in the past – but you’ve never really given that clear feedback to the team member? Is the communication cadence not defined and the team doesn’t understand how or what to update you on? Identify and fix the actual problem.

Do identify and fix (notice I’m not saying “don’t micromanage”?!). 

Now, let’s go bigger here: the impact to the entire organization when you fall back into the (perhaps comfortable) zone of frenetic activity. 

When you’re taking over projects, diving into the details, wading through the weeds…you’re not using your time and talent on something else. Coaching, Mentoring. Selling. Influencing. Planning. Strategy. 

You’re not spending your time and talent on leadership. 

Step two – Be intentional about your time and how you are using it.

Focus. Do what needs to be done. This isn’t a time management speech (just like this isn’t a don’t micromanage! speech). This is a leadership plea: be intentional about your time. It’s finite.

If a benefit of leadership is the freedom of choice, your calendars – your choices – are a reflection of what you deem to be the most important use of your time and talent. Is it hours of direct project management? Is it stacked meetings-to-talk-about-next-week’s-meetings? Is it a string of update-laden one-on-ones?

There is a difference between activity and output – and the sooner you can realize that and model that for your team, the more productive the entire ecosystem will be. So identify and fix the real problem without getting caught in the frenetic activity of doing it all of the time. 

So think big. Manage big. Lead big. That, my friends, leads to big impact.

– SNP Communications

Have your own question for SNP? Click the button below and share it with us!

Launch me

The post Micromanaging & How to Stop It | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

How do I create a development plan for my team members?

In this Is This Mic On? we tackle the question, “How do I create a development plan for my team members?” Read on to hear what we had to say about listening, planning in partnership, and individual responsibility.

 

Dear SNP,

Ups and downs. That’s been the theme for my team (every team?) the past year and a half. But we’ve finally adjusted. There’s Focus. There’s structure. There’s, dare I say, enthusiasm? I want to build on this momentum, channel my inner Ciara, and have my team level up (..level up, level up, level up). I’d like to help them create development plans, but where do I even start?

– Next Level

 

Dear Next Level

Ask them. 

We’ve learned a lot. And we continue to learn a lot (that growth mindset does not sleep, if we are lucky!). One thing we did learn: that focus, structure, enthusiasm that your team has wasn’t all a result of your work. It wasn’t the accomplishment of you alone. It was a collective victory. Now, you did play a key role. As a leader, you kept your hand on the wheel while creating an environment that allowed your team to surface solutions, ideas, and new ways of working. Collective intelligence is the power that comes from leveraging a diversity of voices and comes from a leader having the presence of mind to know that good ideas are title, tenure, and age agnostic.

Creating A Development Plan:

1-Listen

So go back to your (newly planted) roots and ask them:

• What do you love to do?
• What do you want to do more of?
• What will you do to get there?
• How can we support you?

Remember: we’ve learned a lot. We’ve flexed new muscles this year. Team members have worked in new ways, on new projects, with new people. Their answer to “what do you love” may be quite different than it was last year, two years ago. So start there. Get curious. Ask again. Listen.

2- Planning in Partnership & Individual Responsibility

Then, create development plans in partnership with your team members. The responsibility of managing one’s leveling up…is that person. For example, you’re responsible for you, not your manager. Similarly, each person on your team is primarily responsible for their own leveling up.

You’re there to play a role in this part of their career journey. Help find new projects. Identify the skills that will get them to their there. Maybe create a learning experience for your team in a training or connect your high-performing team members (aren’t they all?!) with a leadership coach for 1:1 coaching to spend dedicated time on their own skill development. 

But first: ask them. 

Keep your hand on the steering wheel. Your team is brilliant, high-performing, solution-oriented, resilient. Trust they’ll be that for their own career and development – you just need to open the conversation. 

– SNP Communications

The post Development Plans & How to Create Them | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

Dear SNP,

I feel like my team has done their best work in the past year, being more independent. Honestly, I think they may prefer this to being in the office. But there is pressure to make a decision, announce a policy or point of view about returning to the office (Alexa, play Europe – Final Countdown). This is a high-performing team who seems to love their independence. What policy should I announce?

– Losing Independence

Dear Loving (Not Losing) Independence

What’s the rush to publish a decision? 

This is a time to listen and to redesign. There is no “back to normal” or “return to work” (because let’s be honest, high-performing team members never left work – we’re talking about a physical office space, not work). This is a chance to take what we’ve learned, consider what we’ve missed, and focus on what we want for our team, for our customers, and for ourselves. 

What we do recommend: start the conversations now. Ask your team how they want to work. What has worked well. What not-so-well. How can we design a new way of working that finds the best of productivity (which may have been up this year) and collaboration/collective intelligence (which may have taken a hit this year). Have the conversations. Make it known you’re curious, listening, and thinking about it. 

Last year, a global crisis made a decision for us, for our leaders, our companies, our customers. This year, the unknown creates confusion, stress.

Lack of communication creates frustration.

So this year, we get to redesign and create what works for us and our teams – with our teams. That can’t be rushed. 

But, just because you don’t have an answer right now doesn’t mean you say nothing. Saying nothing is saying something. When people don’t have answers, when they don’t feel their voice is heard, they start to feel isolated, left out, and curious to what other opportunities are out there that might meet their needs. That might offer the answers they’re looking for.

So rush to communicate, but perhaps hold off from turning this into an unnecessarily binary decision: 100% remote or 100% in-office. The world is still shifting, your team is still shifting. So open up the communication now, and co-create the next iteration of collaborative and productive work. 

Independent doesn’t need to mean solo. It doesn’t need to mean lonely. It doesn’t need to mean 100% remote. Independence can mean having a voice to express, co-create, and re-design. Bring up the topic at your next team meeting and keep bringing it up. Let’s see what you can create. Together.

– SNP Communications

The post Return to Work, Stay at Home, or Hybrid & How to Choose | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

Dear SNP, 

I’ve found such a great rhythm working with my direct reports during this WFH time. Someone who’s been with our company for almost 10 years said it’s the best communication our team has ever had. *Brushes invisible dirt off shoulder* Our company hasn’t made an official announcement on a return to office policy, but it sounds like it will be a hybrid of sorts. In talking with my team, some folks plan to come back (myself included) and others plan to stay remote.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m (VERY) ready for life to get back to normal, but I’m worried about what will happen to my team. How do I make sure I’m giving everyone the proper attention in navigating this new situation as well as meeting their shifting needs? I feel like I just mastered my managerial style and now I have to start all over. *sigh*

– Caught in the middle

Dear Caught…

The good news: you’re not starting all over. You’re blending new, old, current, past, future. While being a part of a hybrid workforce also means hybrid-of-where-people-are, hybrid is also combining what works from all forms.

So start with an inventory. Some goods about both in-person communications, and virtual communications.

In-person:

• Those random conversations that cultivate relationships, from weekend happenings to lamenting about the commute to celebrating the first spring day.
• Quick-hit banter that can get a considerable amount of work done, from short questions to gut checks, to socializing an idea.
• Whiteboards. Or any hi-tech collaboration tool of the same ilk. But we really just like a good whiteboard and a not-dried-out erasable marker.

Virtual:

• Intentional conversations that pull together the exact right group of people (not just those who happen to sit closest to you), regardless of geography.
• A democratized meeting room that – with a strong meeting facilitator – allows for more voices, new voices, a diversity of voices. For example, everyone has to come off of mute to speak.
• Shorter meetings, fewer people in the meetings (if you’re following a best practice in every prevent-Zoom-fatigue article published this year). And with shorter meetings, it also ensures we’re using that meeting time for actual conversations. And using asynchronous communication to get status updates/data reviews/task lists published in advance.

And for each, that’s just three (after all, it’s SNP: IYKYK). What’s your inventory? Make a list.

Now, create your hybrid workforce approach.

The Greatest Hits album of communication strategies. Keep meetings short. When it’s a brainstorm, plan for it. Invite the right people to it, and let them get into the room. Use the facilitation skills that you’ve honed this year (threading!) to bring new voices into the virtual conversation…in the in-person room.

You’re not starting all over. While in-person work is returning – from meetings to all-hands to brainstorms – virtual is here to stay. So: hybrid is here to stay. Go into it with intention. Choose the best from each, and remember that the skills translate.

And remember: most companies had some form of hybrid well before today, and well before the pandemic. You’ve done this before. Team members who live and work outside of the HQ. As you open up these conversations, remember that. For some team members, “returning to the office” means “staying in the same place I’ve been for years.” Be sure that you are not unintentionally turning your HQ into an overbearing mothership. Worth repeating: you’ve likely done this before. Now you get to do it better, smarter, more efficiently.

Go ahead and brush that dirt off your shoulder once again.

– SNP Communications 

The post The Hybrid Workforce & How to Navigate It | Is This Mic On? appeared first on SNP Communications.

Dear SNP,

My two mentors at work, my manager and a senior colleague, BOTH put in their notice recently (hello darkness my old friend…). Honestly, they’re the only reason I haven’t left myself. They saw my potential, pushed me, advised me, and protected me from the bureaucratic BS. 

This is by no means my dream job, so I was ready to follow suit. But in our final 1:1, my manager told me I should stay. Said I should see this as an opportunity to establish myself as a leader within the team and develop a stronger voice. Voice? I’m a nervous wreck of a human. I can barely speak when I’m called on in a meeting. I blackout when I present. I’ve rewritten this very email five times. Hell, just recently, a cashier said, “the receipt is in the bag” and I replied, “you too”…a moment I’ve been replaying in my head for WEEKS. 

Deep down, I know she’s right. Deeper down, this scares the shit out of me. What should I do?

 – Voiceless 

Dear Voiceless,

First: you make your own career decisions.

Just as your manager makes their own, and just as your colleague made their own. While there are lots of data points that lead up to making the decision to move on (seeking a change in role, function, geography, challenge, company, industry, and sure, let’s be pragmatic and say salary), someone else’s career decision can’t predicate yours. 

You own your decisions. Just as you own your voice. If we’re all just mimicking what other people do, or repeating someone else’s ideas for fear of sharing our own…the world is going to become a very boring place. 

So yes, find your leadership voice. Your team, your manager, and your company need it. 

You have an opinion. You have a point of view. You have a suggestion that might make that one little part of that one process even better. Or you have a recommendation that might influence an entire strategic arm of the company. It’s all of those words and ideas that swim around in your head during a meeting, as you listen to an all-hands, and as you decompress from the day. 

But we all have opinions. What sets the leader apart is their ability to articulate their ideas clearly and confidently. 

So we’ve just spent 209 words underscoring the importance of being you. Now what. 

Get out of your head and into the conversation.

You’re spending so much time fast-forwarding to after you say the thing, that you’re never saying the thing. What if they disagree? What if someone objects? What if my mute button is on the whole time? The truth: all of that might happen. You can’t control others (though sure, you can likely control your mute button – so check that). You can control you.

Jot down your three key points based on what the people need in the room care about right now. Start with, “I have an opinion about…” And then say it. Don’t get cute with your wording. Just say the thing. Then, create a dialogue around it by threading in a colleague. It would sound like this: 

I have an opinion about paper receipts. The way I see it, if we all moved to digital receipts, we’d save paper, save a step at checkout, and save a potentially awkward exchange at the register. Get rid of paper receipts and let’s bring in digital. Jack, you’ve done a lot of shopping lately…what is your reaction to the suggestion that we get rid of paper receipts? 

Congratulations. You just shared your opinion, and you sparked a dialogue around it. 

Whether or not you stay at your current gig – we don’t know. We could go on an entirely different tangent on that one. But this find your voice action? You have to do that. The loudest person in the room doesn’t win. The quietest doesn’t win. The one who uses their voice with grace and class to share their ideas…wins. 

– SNP Communications

If this has left you thinking, “Voice is great, but where do I even start with leadership?” check out our article on Leadership Basics.

The post Leadership Voice & How to Find it | Is This Mic On appeared first on SNP Communications.

I’m a white Anglosaxon man of a certain age. My lineage hasn’t been the best model for building equity or justice. I am listening while thinking through how to write this blog on accountability.

Black Lives Matter. The MeToo movement. Western colonial history. It’s been an illuminating few years for men like me. As our thirty-two-year-old daughter often says not so nicely, “Just shut up and listen.” Understood. This along with spending Covid reading books like These Truths, The First Congress, Humankind, and God’s Shadow while exploring philosophy with Marcus Aurelius and Joseph Cambell. I can’t believe I’ve gotten this far in life knowing so little.

I was raised by troubled parents but surprisingly taught good values. The highest being virtue and honor. But the rest like keeping promises, following up, owning your problems, not so much. In our house, there wasn’t much accountability for getting to school, completing homework, or frankly doing much of anything practical. It was mostly about survival. Dodging angry outbursts and irrational missteps. My brothers and I mastered the skill of calm in the middle of many storms. All children raised by narcissistic alcoholics and troubled souls, know exactly what I mean.

When I co-founded our business in my early thirties with my wife and partner, some of these missed lessons became evident. The most challenging one was around cashflow management. We didn’t start with a capital influx. We launched on sales and sales alone. This meant we had to steal Peter to pay Paul. This would get us into trouble as you can imagine.

We were lucky to have an early employee named Randall Van Nostrand. She joined us as our bookkeeper. We crossed swords immediately. Her message, “This is unethical. Wrong.” She went right to my self-view of being honorable. A man of virtue. I fought her because my lifetime of managing debt through high school, college, and my twenties had gotten me here. So I thought. But she was right. I needed to be accountable for the promises made to the money we had received. I changed.

I continue to learn. Overcome my deficiencies. And I continue to change. Evolve. Yes, we can all do it. Even at the ripe age of 63. So here are my humble suggestions for learning true accountability.

• Be aware of your limitations. Be honest with yourself. Fix them when you must.
• Manage yourself. Plan your time and commitments. Easier said than done.
• Work at honesty. Instead of needing to please, be liked, or accepted, tell the truth.
• Note that accountability is not just the task to be done but everything related to it, whatever it touches, eliminating the excuse of “but I was only tasked to do …”
• Once you’ve gotten these first steps somewhat underway, accept commitments with much tenderness and seriousness. Think in terms of virtue and honor.
• Then simply do what you say and say what you’ll do. Attach deadlines to everything and give yourself the time to do it within the reality of your life.
• Oh, and please, don’t be hopeful or optimistic or, for god’s sake, reliant on miracles. Yes, I used to do that. Hope is not a strategy.

Or more simply put, quoting the Oz Principle, see it, own it, solve it, and do it.

In addition to listening to Sarah Jaffe’s latest book, I’m catching up on the Stoics too.  Zeno, Epictetus, Seneca, among others. Amazing thinkers. According to the Stoics, the foundation of accountability is teaching yourself the basic values of virtue, wisdom, courage, justice, and even moderation. And this wisdom has been available to us since 500 BCE. Where have I been? Sometimes it takes an epidemic. Accountability indeed.

The post Stoic Accountability appeared first on SNP Communications.