Make Dewey Proud

Like many businesses, mine is all about relationships and networks. I’ve learned over the last few months that part of my responsibility as a leader includes the capacity to be a librarian. We each have a responsibility to communicate effectively with a variety of styles and personality types in our day-to-day activities. The librarian role is more comprehensive than this, though.

As leaders, incumbent on us is the responsibility to motivate, connect with and inspire an equally wide variety of people. I have leaders in my organization who think and operate very differently from me. I consider this a tremendous asset as they will connect with people and networks that I would have a very hard time tapping into myself. Like me, I’m sure they are tempted to limit their learning, exposure and networking to people who are “like” them – we all do that because it’s comfortable and we don’t have to work as hard when we are in the company of people who “just get it”. What we really mean is: “People who think, operate and learn like I do.” This mindset takes a dangerous turn when we become satisfied with building teams and businesses that are limited to our personality or methods.

Having a distinct and defined culture is vitally important. Having repeatable systems is equally important. But if we bring this uniformity and consistency into our PRACTICES instead of letting it guide us on PRINCIPLE, we will end up with inbred, superior and small-minded organizations. A librarian knows about most any topic. From behind thick-rimmed glasses, she is able to successfully guide anyone searching for information to exactly what they are looking for – regardless of her own interest level in the topic. In like manner, our commitment to diversifying our exposure, information and communication styles will allow us to lead a wider variety of leaders, who in turn can lead an equally wide variety of people.

I want to be able to match a leader who learns differently from me with exactly the leadership training material that will allow him to explode into his potential, even if I thought the book was only ok.

I want to be able to be a valuable resource for anyone wanting information, even if I’m not connecting with the topic on a personal level.

I want to have a bigger view of my business than the one I can see through my own eyes. At the end of the day, I am not only responsible to know what works for me; I’m responsible to know what works for everyone I lead – including me.

We lead by example. Don’t set a narrow standard when it comes to what you allow to teach you, inform you and communicate with you. It’s our responsibility to be able to lead people who are like us as well as those who aren’t.

Lean forward,

Bekka

Zoom in

What are the top three priorities in your life?

What are three activities you are doing TODAY in order to champion and cultivate those priorities?

These are questions we should ask and have answers for each and every day. If we don’t, we will stagnate in the areas of our lives which should be growing and thriving. It takes work – a lot of work – and it is work well invested.

Lean forward,

Bekka

TKO

I passed out at the doctor’s office this morning.

I hate getting blood drawn. It’s just something I really struggle with. I’m not scared necessarily – I just fundamentally believe that blood is supposed to stay inside my body by design. That’s what skin is for. I know I have a hard time. I have never reacted this strongly, but I am never just “ok” with the scenario.

Some experiences are worse than others. Today was worse. She missed the vein and of course I felt all of that going on. I was essentially ok until she told me she missed it and I realized she was going to have to try it again. Blood pressure drops, cold sweat, hearing goes away, vision goes black and I have no control over any of these automatic processes that take over. I felt like a complete idiot and so incompetent that I couldn’t deal with something so routine. They had ice packs and water and juice and a wheelchair. They were mopping sweat off of my face and forearms – which normally are not a sweaty area in general. There were four nurses around me at one point. I’m sure it was the most exciting thing to happen so far on this Wednesday morning. Such drama. I would have immediately left if I could have stood up without the assistance of two medical professionals.

After my blood pressure and color returned to a normal state and we developed an alternative plan of action, I assessed the situation because I know this is not the last time I will have to face it. I have another appointment scheduled for next week and I would prefer to not star in today’s sequel. I realized I had failed in several key areas of preparation that could have positioned me better for success.

1.) Physical: I hadn’t eaten breakfast. This alone could have prevented the severity of my physical reaction.

2.) Mental: I could have practiced some relaxation techniques ahead of time. I didn’t feel anxious when I went in to the office, even though I knew the draw was going to happen. I wasn’t worked up but I wasn’t intentionally relaxed either.

3.) Emotional: I viewed the draw as unnecessary and stupid. The purpose was to confirm a pregnancy that I already know is legit – I’ve already had an ultrasound at another office. This draw was simply to check a box for this office. My underlying attitude was not one of acceptance – it was one of resistance.

The result of these oversights and attitude was a highly dramatic and unnecessary situation, which I would have preferred to avoid if at all possible. So, on the topic of preparation, let us ask ourselves…

In what areas are you experiencing unnecessary drama because you did not do the work of adequately preparing yourself ahead of time?

Where are you physically ignoring your body’s needs? It WILL take over eventually and overpower your ability to control its autopilot reactions.

Where do you need to anticipate possible stress and mitigate it ahead of time in order to avoid reactions in yourself you don’t want?

How are your emotions sabotaging you? Are there areas that you just need to accept as part of the process – even if you don’t think they need to be part of YOUR process? Attitude matters.

Lean forward,

Bekka