Lunchtime learning

Years ago one of my cousins who had worked in the United States brought back an idea called the "brown bag" lunch.  Essentially in a busy workplace with inherent difficulties of finding time for meetings and updates, his colleagues met over lunchtime to share learnings from work they were engaged in or industry conferences and seminars they had attended.  It was workplace learning shared by and for professionals.

I suppose a more recent development is the growth of "meet-ups" where other professionals organise activity or learning sessions online, agree on topics and speakers and then meet at a convenient venue to share expertise. A quick look at the meet-up website shows that there is plenty going on around Belfast.

Isn't it interesting how some people extend their professionalism to learn more about the things that interest them?  It reminds me of way back in my career when I was seconded as an assistant organiser to a Teachers' Centre. In those heady days of virtually on demand in-service training it was possible to organise short, sharp-focused INSET on a give-an-hour/take-an-hour basis. Using that model, colleagues would be facilitated to leave work an hour ahead of finishing time provided that they stayed on for an extra hour at the training session.  I know these sessions were valued, perhaps because of their quid pro quo nature and also because the values of cooperation and mutual support underpinned the process.

FastCompany magazine runs a section called Work-Smart. In a recent piece on encouraging employees to be entrepreneurs as a means to "create an incredible place to work" writer Laura Vanderkam lists the brown bag lunch as one HR problem solved. It is, she suggests, a means of showing people that they are valued not just for the stuff they do 9 to 5 but outside those hours as well.

I think it's brilliant to demonstrate that value in workplaces. I vividly recall being in two where staff's interests and passions were on display. In one case the organisation had put on display in its lobby items created by its people - paintings, models, tapestries, dresses, fashion accessories, photos of staff in various hobbies and pursuits, poems, books and music written and performed. Brilliant.
In another example much closer to home the organisation organised a poetry week and encouraged staff who wrote poems to submit them for circulation. The pieces were collected, framed and displayed on landings and walls all over the building. You really got to know staff members after that.  Their creativity was there for all to see; an open invitation to bring it into the workplace. No such thing as thinking from the neck down or leaving part of you at home.

Food for thought?
So have you ever experienced learning through a brown bag lunch? What topics did you consider? Would you do it again?  And if you haven't experienced one, could you be the catalyst and organise one for your workplace?

Curiosity in the workplace

 

A friend of mine, a former co-worker, turned natural curiosity to advantage and avoided a potential embarrassment.
What would you do if you saw an envelope labelled like this on a desk?
I couldn't resist it for long and so approached him and said, "I have to ask...what's in this envelope?" He asked me if I was sure I wanted to know. Then he said that before he showed me I must agree not to tell any of our co-workers. I agreed.
The envelope contained... A book of ballots! One of his children had asked him to sell some at work and that was something he really didn't like doing. So rather than ask around, he avoided embarrassment by posting this envelope near his desk where it would be easily visible. Colleagues saw it and approached him.
Of course I bought some, kept quiet and by the end of the day the envelope was down, mission accomplished.
Clever? I think so. I wonder in what ways middle leaders could arouse curiosity in their workplace. How might it be used in problem-solving? To support learning?
Curiosity, just the ticket!
Feel free to share ideas. I'm curious.

 

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Leadership: Looked at the mirror recently?

The driver side wing mirror on my car has a vertical split designed to widen the field of rear view vision and minimise blind spots. It's not 100% foolproof and sometimes other cars travelling alongside can remain hidden. Ever had that experience? Get it once or twice and we quickly learn to make other checks before an important manoeuvre such as a change of direction; it can be dangerous to rely on a single viewpoint.

Workplaces these days often call for decisive actions from middle leaders navigating busy roads ahead. Although speed is of the essence it is still wise to take the time to check and signal our intentions to others likely to be affected by our actions.

We don't have the advantage of a split lens to compensate for our blind spots but we should be aware of those we have. Checking blind spots might mean that we enlist the support of others to critique our latest good idea, pointing out plusses and minuses in our direction of travel.

Checking and checking without moving is like "analysis paralysis" but driving ahead without checking is careless and dangerous. The skill is to develop a judicious mixture of both.

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Like - Comment - Share

A recent report into managing teams made a case for using social networking to keep in touch. That got me thinking. Who would engage with whom? How naturally would people behave? Would workplace colleagues really see themselves as friends?

Let's give this some thought.

Bring to mind someone in your organisation or office with whom you have a good working relationship..Got someone in mind? Think of the last time you were with that person. Recall any exchanges you had. Stop reading and take a minute or two away from this to think about that. I'll be here when you get back.

Hold that thought.

You may have heard of the presupposition that states the belief that we are never not communicating. It holds that even if we don't verbalise what's going on in our heads, our physiology somehow conveys that to others. Now think of that last interaction as a status update on a social media site.

Would you click "Like" or simply scroll on by?

Whether you hit like or not, there is a button to click for comment. Take another moment and think what your comment would be about that interaction. If you have clicked "Like", just what was it you liked? That behaviour they were exhibiting? That attitude they were communicating? What was it that got through to you? If they were personal qualities you liked, are those qualities ones that you recognise in yourself? If not, are they worth acquiring through a process of modelling?

Okay, so you've liked and you've commented. Good. Now would you consider sharing? Would you tell others? Point up the positives?

My guess is that if we were to share each others positive attributes we could make workplaces more friendly, less of a squeeze. Of course we should be aware of and not delete any negative aspects but we should be careful about how we "unlike", comment and share these. Negative talk in an organisation should in my view be counterbalanced by sharing positive feedback. Children in primary schools these days are learning how to do this. They get praise for things done well coupled with suggestions for improvement. Teacher comments on their work are often expressed as "two stars and a wish". The children like to have their work critiqued in this way. You can see the results in their faces and their books.

Self explanatory really and in my experience works for adults too. Try it at your next feedback session.

Like? Comment? Share?

 

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Childplay in the workplace?

I heard a vexed and interesting account recently of how managers in one organisation have been closing down office conversations. They have ruled no talking at the water cooler and have gone as far as discouraging staff from showing around photographs of their holidays and children. There we go with that control mindset again.  It seems to  take the view that if a workplace encourages socialising then there mustn't be enough work being done. I guess social media in that environment would be a no go.
A while back, I was visiting an organisation in another city. There the office was open plan and the meeting with managers took place in a glass panelled room, along one side of the office.  Transparency.  During the meeting the senior executive present asked if we would mind taking a break for a few minutes. A comfort stop?  No. He had noticed that one of the staff had come into the office with her new baby and wanted to go over to wish her congratulations. The greeting and chat lasted only a few minutes during which he held the child. Pleasantries exchanged, we resumed our meeting and the staff their desks. This exec took the time to show interest in the staff member.  Guess what that does for the tone of the place?  The people I saw were relaxed and friendly.
Getting the work done?  You better believe it, the organisation is gaining market share and features among the top 100 to work for.
In tough times, which of those two organisations would you be more prepared to put yourself out for? Go the extra mile for?  Sure workplaces are squeezed at present and more is expected for less but we need the milk of human kindness.
Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

What to do about Apathy in the workplace

Browsing the pages of Management Issues recently I came across an old but still relevant post from Max McKeown entitled, A is for Apathy. You can access it here. It's worth a read and it prompted the following thoughts:
Someone once defined the opposite of love, not as hate but as apathy or indifference.  Apathy is a "state". In my view many working practices create conditions in which apathy can take hold, sometimes contrary to the best intentions of those in charge. Think of those stories we hear more and more of where adults are  treated like children, told that they can't do this and that. The stories depict a world of control and creativity curtailed.  Come to think of it, why would we want such a world for our children either?

High control workplaces may be appropriate in some sectors but in others may have more to do with a culture of low trust. Low trust environments may mean people learn to leave their creative selves at home and switch off their ingenuity at work. Not what we need in today's world.

So what to do about it?
If you accept that apathy is a state then you can change state. Do what you can to brighten your thinking and your immediate environment.

How? Think about these.
What were the hopes and expectations you had when you first started working here?
In an ideal workplace what would you be thinking, saying and doing?
Could you be the change that you want to see in this workplace?
Maybe? Could you for example do that by seeking to build rapport among co-workers and senior managers?

How about?
Noticing your co-workers more; finding plusses to praise; welcoming their contributions; practising attentive listening; encouraging; relating? Simply connecting?

This isn't about avoiding the reality of a negative environment through a naive form of positive thinking but it is about positive, possibility thinking. It's about exerting a positive influence and you have to learn to care enough to make it happen. When you do, people will notice and you create an upward spiral.
Of course, things may have got so bad that some just want an exit strategy, a divorce from their workplace. In this economic climate that may not be a choice they are able to make. In that case, they might need to follow the old adage "Love what you do until you can do what you love!"
Love after all is the opposite of apathy.

What do you think causes apathy in the workplace?  What suggestions do you have to overcome it?