Tag: Change the World

Decidedly Different: A riff about workplace culture

Posted on by Carl Weber

Jessie Cozart, Justin Patton, Christopher Roberts, Hunter Cozart, and Danielle Mussman.

The “Magic” behind Local’s Raw Bar

https://www.facebook.com/people/Locals-Raw-Bar/100091781995548/

I’m in the middle of preparing a talk for an upcoming leadership program.

I have presented before this group before, but they are looking for something different.

Something new.

Something fresh.

In my little notebook I sketched out the talk. Ideas that would challenge them on the impact that Culture has on recruitment, retention, and productivity.

I could already hear the opposition.

“You don’t understand the constraints we have.”

“This is how we were treated and trained.”

“In this industry, we cannot change the way things are.”

I needed an example, but serious writers block set in.

Lunch seemed like the appropriate remedy.

I wanted something different, and did a little search.

We arrived, but it was closed. I neglected to check the hours and the fact that a few days a week they are “out fishing.”

Hunter greeted us at the door. It was his place, and he was excited to tell us about the food, and the fish that was coming in the following day. We made plans to return (when it was open).

We sat at the bar. We could see everything happening in the kitchen.

The greeting, seating, chopping, slicing, sushi rolling, frying, mixing, plating, and serving.

Something was different.

There was flow.

There was timing.

There was fun.

There were minor adjustments.

There was respect.

Everyone had a part to play.

Everyone was part of this team.

The mezmerizing symphony played out before our eyes.

The food was amazing, but the culture was just as memorable.

We returned a second time.

They remembered us and greeted us.

The cultural symphony played again.

We returned again. Third time in a week is a charm right?

This time I had to ask.

I had to understand why this was so different.

Jessie came over and gave us some of their story.

Young local couple works in a high end restaurant in a big City.

They learn lots of skills, but see the culture: big egos, yelling, disrespect and negative Culture.

They move to another City, another high end restaurant.

More Skills.

More of the same Culture.

They decide to make a change.

They move back home.

They start something new.

They leverage their skills, but decide to create a different Culture.

Respect, Fun, and Passion.

Something new.

Something fresh.

Exactly the example I needed.

It takes courage to go against the Culture of your industry.

It takes courage to try something new.

How can you be Decidedly Different with your workplace Culture?

How can you leverage the skills, but have the courage to abandon the negative parts that don’t serve you or your staff?

Based on the crowds on our fourth visit, I would say it is well worth the risk.

Do what You love

Posted on by Carl Weber

“I Do What I Love.”

I turned off my head phones.

It was during my post-run walk and I still had my music on.

I almost missed it.

I asked again just to make sure.

I Do What I Love.”

She lives next door.

She grew up with our kids.

We have little chats when she is walking the dog or after my runs when she is outside.

This time she was playing basketball on the curb.

“I love basketball.”

“I love music.”

“I also love dance.”

“That is a great list of things you love.”

She beamed.

She took a few steps back.

The music was playing.

She paused and planted her feet.

Now watch this!”

It was a choreographed masterpiece.

A few moves back and forth.

Dance steps towards the basket.

A full 360 spin.

Raised arms with the ball.

Swoosh.

Score.

“It’s better when you combine what you love.”

I couldn’t help but clap.

I thanked her and finished my walk home.

As I turned into my driveway, she called out one last time.

Remember, Do What You Love!

As I am writing this, I caught a glimpse of her Mom out walking the dog this morning.

Little does she know that her daughter provided such wisdom for me, and for all of us.

Thank you little neighbor for leading the way.

Do What You Love.

And when you can combine them, it gets even better.

Thought of

Posted on by Carl Weber

It was a simple text exchange. I was sending a music video and typed those words.

Watched this today and thought of you.

Thought of. Those words stayed with me after the exchange.

Thought of. I began to think of times when others – the important ones – occupy my thoughts.

Thought of. I was reminded of all the times I crossed others’ minds.

Thought of. A fundamental need.

Thought of. Takes many forms.

Thought of. A quick text.

Thought of. A handwritten note.

Thought of. A gift.

Thought of. A call.

Thought of. Taking action when they come to mind.

Thought of. Let’s put this into practice today.

Thought of. Find that one, or two or more and take action.

Thought of. They need to know.

I thought of you when I wrote this.

Blue Skies, Clouds, and Flying

Posted on by Carl Weber

A few miles into a guided run on my Nike Run Club app the coach, along with the co-founder of Headspace, started talking about motivation and being enough.

They described us as having enough (motivation, inspiration, or whatever we needed to keep doing this hard thing) but also as being enough. They wanted us to picture that place when we feel motivated, inspired and enough as a blue sky.

That blue sky is always there and beautiful.

But clouds make their way in and cover that sky. Those clouds represent our doubts, fears, feelings of not being enough.

When those feelings come in, they cover the blue sky and become what we focus on.

Those clouds are what stop us from finding the motivation, inspiration, and feeling like we are enough.

But they reminded us that despite the clouds, that blue sky is still there. Sometimes we cannot see it through the clouds, but it still exists.

Even when the clouds break, sometimes we are still so focused on the clouds, we miss the blue sky coming through.

This guided run and approach reminded me of my wife’s grandfather. A grizzly and tough man who flew planes in WWII and went by Gramps but made me call him “Commander.”

I once asked him what he liked the most about flying.

“Every single day is a sunny day with a blue sky if you just fly high enough.”

Gramps (aka Commander)

Will clouds come into our lives?

Yes.

Will those clouds of doubt and fear, and not being enough be our focus?

Maybe we just need to remember to fly high enough to find that blue sky.

P.S. Thanks Commander for the laughs and conversations and for the inspiration to be Captain.

What’s Your Pace?

Posted on by Carl Weber

During a recent dinner with a few friends, the conversation turned towards running. They run. I run. We are all runners. Put a few runners in the same room and talking about running is inevitable.

We started to talk about upcoming runs, past runs, and our favorite routes.

We started to discuss weather and water, getting outside and getting older.

We started, and then the focus shifted.

“What’s your pace?”

Instead of talking about nutrition plans.

“What’s your pace?”

Instead of talking about the mental game of running.

“What’s your pace?”

Instead of talking about why we run and what it means to us.

“What’s your pace?”

Instead of talking about good runs, and bad runs, and the entire running journey.

“What’s your pace?”

It was the narrow and continuous focus that caught my attention. They kept asking, and I kept trying to steer the conversation away. I wanted to know so much more about them and their journey. I wanted to share more about running through my 50’s, trying to remain injury free, and the mental game of running.

Maybe I am the outlier, but I had an advantage that helped me notice what was happening.

Over the past few months, I have been both participating in, and coaching a Mental Fitness program. This program raised my awareness of my own tendency towards an overuse of achievement. This “hyper-achiever” inside me creates a cycle of constant performance and achievement for self-respect and self-validation with a focus on external success.

The conversation’s focus on pace, was triggering this “hyper-achiever” inside me. Combined with my internal narrator (or Judge) who judges myself and others (especially through comparison) wanted to share my pace and talk about my faster runs.

But comparison and competition is not what I want in conversations.

That goes for all conversations, not just the running ones.

What is the alternative?

Recognizing this pattern is the first step. The next step is learning to shift away from these default approaches, and establishing being curious as a practice. This curiosity helps you ask better questions and explore with the other person.

Instead of “What’s your pace?” try a few of these questions:

What are you struggling with?

What have you learned after all these years?

What has been your greatest success?

When do you feel at your best?

How can I help/support you on this journey?

Magic Bonus Question: The AWE question – And what else?

These questions apply to all of our conversations. Being curious and exploring brings us closer instead of creating competition that drives us apart.

For me, pace doesn’t matter, exploring and getting to really know other people brings the real magic.

Interested in improving your Mental Fitness? I have a few spaces remaining for the next group program. Contact me for details.

A Little Friendly Research (My Turn)

Posted on by Carl Weber

I asked you a series of questions, and your answers appeared in the last 7 posts. Your answers were vulnerable, honest, funny, serious, and clever. Your answers inspired questions, discussions, and honest conversations about friends, and friendships. Your answers inspired some actions, as friends connected, reached out, answered phone calls, and actions became a little more deliberate and focused.

I wondered about how to end this series, and a few of you suggested that I weigh in on those same 9 questions.

So, it is my turn.

Question 1: What are the best attributes of your good friends?

They are intentional. They reach out. They call me, text me, and email me. They initiate as well as respond. They seem to have this internal counter that knows when too many moments, hours, days, or weeks have passed and the alarm goes off and they remember to connect.

Question 2: Do you think friendship is hard? Why or why not?

Friendship seemed easier in elementary school when you walked with the same person every day to school, then goofed around every weekend together on little adventures in the woods and on the pond. Friendship seemed easier when you were on a ship and saw them everyday for 6 months, and ate, slept, and worked together. Friendship seemed easier in college when you were in that crappy little apartment waiting for your paychecks so you could actually buy meat at the store.

Friendship seemed to get harder in the next stage of life. New jobs, new cities, new neighborhoods, new kids, and new distances between all of them.

Friendship is getting easier and harder at the same time in this current stage. My expectations have grown as the years have passed. What satisfied this need to connect years ago, doesn’t seem like enough. I have more time for friends then a decade ago, but some of them don’t have the same time available to me. The number of friends “goal” has been replaced with a depth of friendship “goal” which I recently realize is a much harder prize to attain.

Question 3: What do you expect from a friend?

Balance and equity in the long-run. I may need something from them for a season, but I want to find a season to give back as well. They shouldn’t be the only one to initiate connection, I want to call them, text them, email them, or reach out as well. I need that same little internal counter in my head that reminds me that too much time, distance, or life has gone by and I need to take action.

This question caused me to wrestle the most. I fear my expectations may be causing interference with some friends because my expectations may be higher, and unspoken.

There is tension expectation. How do we learn to give freely, and not be taken advantage of? When do you give? When do you need? How do you measure balance and equity?

No great answers, yet the wrestling seems like a good thing for me to work on.

Question 4: How much time in a given week do you think about your friendships?

A LOT! Until I read your responses, I thought I was a bit of an outlier (well I may still be). There was comfort to know that I am not the only one who thinks about this pretty often.

My mind wanders towards friends and friendship throughout my entire day. The morning computer/writing time, the commute, at random times each day, lunchtime, afternoon coffee, closing time, the other commute, dinnertime, vegging out time, before I sleep (you get the idea).

Bottom line, if you are my friend, I think about you a lot.

Question 5: What are your best attributes as a friend?

I care about you. I think about you. I connect with you. I am here when you need something (yes that has included the occasional furniture moving). I invest in you. I want you to succeed. I have hope for you. I find time for you. I love you.

Question 6: If you could say one thing to your friends that would help explain what you need from them, what would you say?

Be real. Be present. Be available. Be my friend.

Question 7: How many close friends would you say you have?

Nine.

Question 8: Anything else you would like to share?

Yes. This process, this journey has helped me understand friends and friendship in a new way. Your responses have helped shape me and I don’t want this journey to end.

Earlier this week I was teaching a class and we talked about leadership. One participant mentioned that leadership has an expiration date. In other words, if you are not exercising those skills, they expire, go bad, and become rotten.

I think this applies to friendships as well.

Question 9: In 10 words or less, what advice would you give the World about friendships?

Intention. Balance. Mindful. Time. Hope. Connect. Remember. Savor. Initiate. Love.