First Friday Book Synopsis

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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I feel as if I’ve been on a mindfulness quest for a couple of years, ever searching for and identifying ways in which to squeeze more intentionality out of moments, chores, and habits. I try hard to be present and not multi-task. I’ve found more peace and clarity as a result.

-Eat a meal without reading, scrolling, or TV and end up enjoying the flavors of the food more.

-Face a co-worker while they talk and don’t check the phone or computer and give undivided attention.

Below are five ways to lasso some clarity in 5 minutes or less to enhance our life:

1. Drive 5 minutes in silence

No radio, podcasts, or cell phone distractions. Just think in the quiet.  Even better if this can become a habit. The answers to our problems happen when we have the peace to think things through and get clear.

2. De-clutter something

It can be a junk drawer, a shelf in your study, a pile of papers, your computer desktop, or your phone apps. Less physical clutter = less mental clutter. Our physical space is a direct reflection of our mental space.

3. Write a thank you note 

Expressing gratitude puts us in a better frame of mind across the board, and the more gratitude we share with others, the happier we are. Plus, paper thank-you cards are a rarity these days, so sending them makes you memorable. So give thanks to someone for a recent experience, whether for having coffee with a friend or to your most recent client for signing a deal with you.

4. Call a friend (or relative)

Even if just to say hi, reach out to a friend and be a small, pleasant surprise for them. We never know when this simple gesture makes someone’s day–or when a friend is hurting and a connection like this really makes a difference.

5. Write a personal mission statement 

We define ourselves and create our personal brand based upon what we do, how we treat people, and what we stand for. All of this is essential, so make it count. Intentionally writing even just one sentence to define who you are helps you stay true to your non-negotiable. If you don’t know where to start, perhaps begin with writing 3-4 core values.

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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About a year ago, my work started feeling a lot different than it used to, and not in a good way.  I had met my annual sales quota early in the year, and because I didn’t set any higher goals for myself, I took my foot off the pedal and got complacent. The company sales culture was lukewarm and tolerated low performance (which described 80% of the sales force). I needed more challenges, I disengaged, and was thinking of leaving the company.

Earlier this year, the entire local management team turned-over and lots of changes accompanied. Our new managers buttoned-up the teams with accountability, held structured meetings, and celebrated our collaborative victories, even small ones. Within a matter of 4 weeks, the office culture and energy level did a one-eighty. Our new management team actively clears red tape for us & helps makes it easy & fun to do our jobs again.

I was surprised at how quickly I and my colleagues re-engaged with our jobs and our company. Communication is more effective. Relationships among co-workers are kinder. We have trust in our managers and the C-suite because they keep their word.

Recently, our new CEO traveled to our office in his first week on the job and shared the new company vision statement and guiding principles. Values such as employee empowerment, personal development, and collaboration topped his list. Witnessing this high-level energy from our CEO makes it feel like a different company; it is a different company.  I’m so glad I chose to stay and re-engage.

There are a few factors that take any company from good to great, and one of them is positive employee engagement. Below are three reasons why every company needs a Chief Engagement Officer.

1. Engagement influences positive culture

You can’t have a positive culture without employee engagement first. Culture enhancement can start with just one person, though is most effective with a team of managers who’re all running the ball to the same goal post. Once there’s momentum, culture and engagement feed each other and they look like the same flywheel.

2. High employee engagement boosts morale & retention 

Higher engagement levels begin with individuals who step-up and are the difference-makers.  They encourage others to get excited and lean-in to their roles, their team, and their company. In change management situations, no one buys-into the vision without first buying-into the leadership. Employees who have  bought-in are tight with their teams, feel loyal to their bosses, and stick around.

3. An engaged workforce attracts new, quality talent 

Mark Zuckerberg’s hiring philosophy is “hire your future bosses”.  If the roles were reversed one day, would you want to work for this person? Happy, high-functioning, mature adults identify and hire talent that operate much like themselves.

A stellar sales rep can only sell so much, but when the rep has a hand in recruiting and training new reps, she not only feels valued, but also helps build a whole team of reps that crush it.

Engagement is critical for the sustainable health & success of any company. Appointing a Chief Engagement Officer not only affects positive culture change, it also makes employees feel empowered and is a beacon for future awesome talent.

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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A couple of months ago, I got into a short but heated tiff with someone I interact with on a regular basis. She raised her voice, I raised mine (with a healthy dose of sarcasm), she got confrontational, and we both got upset. The flare-up was uncomfortable and embarrassing, exacerbated because it happened in public in front of people I know and respect. I was ashamed and just wanted to practice some hardcore avoidance. The maximizer in me immediately started looking for the lesson to be learned in this vignette.

That episode weighed on me for several days for a number of reasons,  but it all boiled down to one thing: it was one of the best opportunities that I’ve ever been given.

-It was an opportunity for me to see my own blind spots, and work on correcting them
-It was an opportunity to remind myself to respond versus react
-It was an opportunity to recognize that the problem at hand is rarely the real problem
-It was an opportunity to make an apology that I owed
-It was an opportunity to engage in healthy conflict and have a crucial conversation

This stressful encounter gave me these great gifts, and I’m so grateful.

More importantly, this greater opportunity served as a fairly low-stakes lesson that I couldn’t have learned any other way.

And, above all else, I try to think on a higher energy level, bearing in mind that challenges aren’t bad, but rather excellent opportunities.

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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Do you ever feel exhausted after just a few hours of work, even if working while sedentary? Or totally wiped-out attending to home projects like organizing old family photos or sorting through clothes to donate?  Decision fatigue is the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision-making. The after-effect feels like brain-drain and exhaustion, because the human brain burns 300-400 calories daily. That’s a lot of calories used just for thinking; no wonder we feel beat!

We arise daily with only so much currency in our decision-making mental ATM that we serve ourselves best by saving our energy for the most important decisions. In automating parts of our lives, we save ourselves from expending energy on simpler decisions so we can dedicate our unfatigued attention to the more critical choices that have highest-impact.

Below are some ways to help ward against decision-fatigue:

Prep the night before for tomorrow.

-Pre-select & hang your clothing & accessories for tomorrow in your closet

-Prep & pack your food (breakfast, bagged lunch in fridge, snacks in purse/briefcase)

-Keep together everything you need to leave the house and put your belongings in the same place daily to avoid finding lost articles on your way out the door

Consider a work uniform.

Wear similar items to work every day to eliminate morning wardrobe decisions. Steve Jobs (black turtleneck & jeans) and Barack Obama (navy suits) are key examples of this practice; they did this intentionally to save the real decision-making for their work day.  This also adds to professionalism, predictability & personal curb appeal.

Future-date tasks on your calendar.

Setting reminders to call people, booking your next dentist appointment before you leave your current cleaning, and setting birthdays to repeat annually are ways to stay on top of your life and not miss an important date.

Want to take your decision-making prowess to the next-level?

Here are a few companies who cater to their audience by only serving few choices:

Aldi

Leave to it to the Germans to design an efficient & minimalist grocery store.  These smaller-footprint stores stock 75% fewer items than a typical supermarket. Although spartan, the essentials are there, often with only one option, making decisions & shopping quicker. Deposit a quarter to use a shopping cart, and push the cart back in the corral and get your quarter back. There’s even an absence of music, making it a more peaceful experience.

Bonus: they sell beer & wine.

Kit and Ace 

Canadian men’s & women’s clothing retailer, from the founder of tech-apparel leisurewear Lululemon. Their focus: high-quality cashmere blend basics. Lots of White, black, and grey. Versatile, timeless pieces built to last for years.

Monocle 24 radio 

An internet radio app with no buttons or choices: just play and stop. This 24×7 eclectic, international music & lifestyle station is an arm of London-based Monocle magazine (covers international affairs, business, culture & design).

Resources

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/thinking-hard-calories/
Www.kitandace.com
Www.monocle.com

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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There’s a lot of attention centered around Millennials in the work place, from communication styles, to meeting structure, to employee engagement. So much attention that companies catering mostly to this (i.e., my) generation are at risk of getting tunnel vision.

What type of office will best attract Millennial talent? Open concept, lounge areas, lots of glass–must have transparency!

How often should managers share feedback? Weekly? Nay; on-demand!

How do Millennials work best with others? Collaboratively, and also remotely, must be part of a team, but make sure not to stifle our independence & freedom!

No other generation in history has been as educated, highly altruistic, and internationally networked than Millennials. But, we’re also a wild card.

click on image for full view

We’re hard workers and engaged with our teammates, yet aren’t loyal to our employers.

We’ve been conditioned to have jobs laden with sweet benefits (like unlimited PTO days & cush corporate campuses with free gourmet food and workout classes all day), and will leave it all behind if the culture is bad.

We’re dangerously over-educated, yet lack basic critical thinking skills.

My Millennial generation — not without our merits — is borderline ridiculous. We may be the corporate sweetheart now, but this honeymoon is fleeting.  We need some help, and we have a lot to learn from Gen X & the Boomers about operating in the workplace.

Millennial Belief (MB): I need to always feel fulfilled in my work.
Gen X advice (X): Work is a challenge; that’s why it’s called WORK. It won’t always fulfill you, but when your work & your talents align, it can fulfill you a lot of the time.

MB: Communication needs to be direct & open, at all times. We’re all better off when no one’s left-out.
Baby Boomer advice (BB): not all messages are meant for everyone & a lot of folks are on a need-to-know basis. Communication is curated, especially among the chain of command.

MB: Problem-solving is best done collaboratively. In fact, almost everything we do should be collaborative.
X: Not every decision requires whole team input. Knowing when to collaborate and when to make a solo decision is a critical distinction. As a CEO, you’ll need to make a lot of judgment calls with the information you have, and be ready to be held accountable.

MB: I can maximize my self-development by having a 1:1 with my manager whenever I feel I need some coaching or a pivot. Always be improving, right?
BB: Need too much face time with your boss and you’ll fast be recognized high-maintenance. Read some books to help gain self-awareness & boost your EQ in-between periodic performance reviews.

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Resources
https://www.slalom.com/thinking/adapting-to-the-multigenerational-workforce

Christina Rossini

Christina Rossini in “The Millennial Corner”
(note from Randy:  Christina is a participant in our monthly First Friday Book Synopsis, and a high-energy thinker and leader.  Read about her at her LinkedIn page by clicking here).

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Alcoholics Anonymous, for many, is a recipe for how to live a healthy, fulfilled life. Tenants such as rigorous honesty, spiritual awakening, gratitude, and service to others are just a few pillars cemented in this twelve-step program.  Time magazine named Bill Wilson, one of the two founders of AA, one of the most influential people of the twentieth century.

Although I admire AA’s tenants and wisdom as a non-member spectator, knowing loved ones who live this twelve step program and practice the principles in all their affairs has taught me that AA really has figured out how to live a happy life.

Below are a few mottos from Alcoholics Anonymous, who literally wrote the book, and from which we can all take a page.

How important is it?

Mature adults don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. When we don’t over-exaggerate our reactions, we instead self-regulate and give an appropriate, intentional answer. Respond rather than react.  Everything is temporary.

Live and let live

Would you rather be right or be happy? Having mercy on others means overlooking imperfections and smiling anyway. I know that whenever I point my finger, there’s three more fingers pointing back at me.

One day at a time

Focus only on what’s in front of us and be in the moment. Don’t project a catastrophe for the future that may or may not happen. Focus on controlling oneself in the present day, because we are the only thing we can control.

Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves…and when we are wrong, promptly admit it

Always be taking stock in ourselves, and strive for constant personal development. Self-awareness, self-regulation & empathy are qualities it’s hard to have too much of. And then we must stop just thinking about getting better–we must do the work.