It’s never just business

/ Jeff Hora / 8 Comments

You’ve heard it before…

You’re in a meeting and someone is presenting an idea or proposal that they’ve placed an enormous amount of time and effort into.  This is their BABY. It’s obvious they’ve done some research, talked to some experts and influencers.  They got the data, did the analysis and did all the right things.  There are some gaps, maybe…..perhaps a blind sport or two.  Then it happens:

“What about XXX!?” (XXX = name of gap or blind spot goes here)

“That’s just obvious!” “How could you miss that?!” “Well, that’s no good…” “You’ll have to do better than that to convince me!” “We just need smarter people on this, apparently!” [Yes, I’ve heard that in meetings…]

“Don’t take it personally….it’s just business.”

I’m sorry, no.  It’s never just business.

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Visible collaboration: an observation of Spyro Gyra

/ Jeff Hora / 1 Comment
Spyro Gyra III - Jay Beckenstein, Scott Ambush...

Image by César HZ via Flickr

A few nights back I was fortunate enough to attend a performance of the group Spyro Gyra at Jazz Alley in Seattle.  I’ve been listening to their work since their first album (remember those? Hot smile ) in 1975, but this is the first time I have seen them perform.  First I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Their music and style have evolved quite a ways from their early work in the 70’s.  Their maturity as artists and desire to stretch what they can do together was evident.

While I was awash in the music and watching the band I became aware of a level of collaboration and team-focused performance that I began to mull over concerning how this looks in the world of other teams, businesses and organizations.  A lot can be learned from this group.

My first impression is that this is truly a group.  It isn’t “Jay Beckenstein and Spyro Gyra”, or anything like that….it is Spyro Gyra.  They have an identity as a group that was evident throughout the show.  This identity showed itself in a number of ways.  For me the signifier was that each member was as absorbed in the work of the rest of the band as they were in contributing themselves.  There were definitely five talented individuals on stage, but the individuality was clothed in the vision of the music.  It reminds me of something I have written on my whiteboard in my office which says, “It’s not about you. It’s not about me.  It’s about the music.”  This helps remind me of the vision and the goal as I work to accomplish all the things I do while working to keep ego out of it.  It’s not easy, but it is worth it.

 

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Open the Box – a towel

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A blue towel featuring a large red 42 (the ans...

Image via Wikipedia

Today I opened the box and found a towel. My thoughts almost immediately raced to Douglas Adams‘ book "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" the the assertion that a towel is the most mind-bogglingly useful thing one can have.  It has comforting properties, has innumerable uses and is still fairly non-exceptional in presentation. I tried moving away from these qualities (if only because the book has so many other enticements for my imagination that I might likely get permanently derailed). The more I thought about these things, though, the more they made sense for what I’m considering.

In this analogy, what does a towel represent?  Good question.  It could be a member of your team. It might be a tool or set of tools you use everyday that has become second nature and integral to your productivity. It might be a set of principles you work or live by.  I could be a methodology you use or set of habits you  have developed to get stuff done.  It could be a best friend or mentor that you rely upon (and who relies on you, too).

Take some time today.  Discover what your towel is and reaffirm that it is, indeed, amazing.  Don’t take it for granted.

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Open the Box – a towel

/ Jeff Hora / Leave a comment
A blue towel featuring a large red 42 (the ans...

Image via Wikipedia

Today I opened the box and found a towel. My thoughts almost immediately raced to Douglas Adams‘ book "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" the the assertion that a towel is the most mind-bogglingly useful thing one can have.  It has comforting properties, has innumerable uses and is still fairly non-exceptional in presentation. I tried moving away from these qualities (if only because the book has so many other enticements for my imagination that I might likely get permanently derailed). The more I thought about these things, though, the more they made sense for what I’m considering.

In this analogy, what does a towel represent?  Good question.  It could be a member of your team. It might be a tool or set of tools you use everyday that has become second nature and integral to your productivity. It might be a set of principles you work or live by.  I could be a methodology you use or set of habits you  have developed to get stuff done.  It could be a best friend or mentor that you rely upon (and who relies on you, too).

Take some time today.  Discover what your towel is and reaffirm that it is, indeed, amazing.  Don’t take it for granted.

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Measure the glue–continued

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Measuring time

Image by aussiegall via Flickr

In my earlier post about the “glue” of collaboration, I spent the time describing the area of discussion and none about the actual measurement.  That wasn’t exactly by design, as much as it was a realization that measuring collaboration means establishing some ground rules and accepting some risks and vagueness.

The ground rules are both simple and tough. Define what it is you’re trying to measure.  I’m involved with that right now on my team and it is not easy.  Objective measurement, as well as methodology, of collaboration and/or teamwork means setting up scales, deliverables, degrees of importance or weight (“So, was that assist worth a 5 or a 7?” and what does that mean?).  There’s also the issue of whether this measurement applies to the group or to individuals and how you measure individual collaboration in a way that reduces the ability to game the system (“I’ll give you a +5 in the assessment if you give me one as well.”).  Messy stuff….

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Measure the glue–continued

/ Jeff Hora / Leave a comment
Measuring time

Image by aussiegall via Flickr

In my earlier post about the “glue” of collaboration, I spent the time describing the area of discussion and none about the actual measurement.  That wasn’t exactly by design, as much as it was a realization that measuring collaboration means establishing some ground rules and accepting some risks and vagueness.

The ground rules are both simple and tough. Define what it is you’re trying to measure.  I’m involved with that right now on my team and it is not easy.  Objective measurement, as well as methodology, of collaboration and/or teamwork means setting up scales, deliverables, degrees of importance or weight (“So, was that assist worth a 5 or a 7?” and what does that mean?).  There’s also the issue of whether this measurement applies to the group or to individuals and how you measure individual collaboration in a way that reduces the ability to game the system (“I’ll give you a +5 in the assessment if you give me one as well.”).  Messy stuff….

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Focus

/ Jeff Hora / Leave a comment
St Anthony the Great

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I have a quote on the white board in my office.  It is attributed to Abba Anthony, one of the Desert Fathers of Christian history.  It is, “Do what you are doing.”  This is my own challenge and one I put to you as well.

To accomplish this, you must not dwell in the past (although you can and should learn from it).  You must not obsess about the future (you have no real way to control it, so this is pointless).  The only moment you really have is this one (there it goes….).

This moment is not entirely yours, as you share it with all creation.  However, the piece of it of which you are a part is important, as in this moment you can focus on the task at hand, make it good, make it worthwhile, create, enable and assist.  Without your critical contribution in this moment, the lessons of the past come to nothing and the future is dimmer.

Focus.  Do what you are doing.

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The measure of glue

/ Jeff Hora / 1 Comment
Adhesives, Nitrocellulose adhesives

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I’ve been in a number of discussions, both “official” and over the proverbial pint, about the things that help groups of people actually do things worthwhile.  A very close colleague of mine told me that, in turning over a spreadsheet listing the things that she does everyday to her manager, he said, “It seems you only work about 15 hours a week!”  While being completely wrong, his comment points out something that is devilishly difficult to measure and enumerate on paper: the innumerable small-ish things she does that keep her team moving forward and meshing well.  I’ll call it “glue”, for lack of a better term.

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Open the Box–Steering Wheel

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Steering Wheel

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I opened the box today and found a steering wheel. My attention involuntarily went to the whole “direction of your team/business” kind of attention hole. After climbing out of that one and spending a little more time looking at this particular steering wheel, I realized there is a higher meaning here. It has to do with responsibility. This responsibility is both visionary and of the moment.

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Open the Box–Steering Wheel

/ Jeff Hora / Leave a comment
Steering Wheel

Image via Wikipedia

I opened the box today and found a steering wheel. My attention involuntarily went to the whole “direction of your team/business” kind of attention hole. After climbing out of that one and spending a little more time looking at this particular steering wheel, I realized there is a higher meaning here. It has to do with responsibility. This responsibility is both visionary and of the moment.

Continue reading →