by Shawn | May 17, 2021 | Podcast
Back in Episode 22 I introduced the idea of the four personality types that I first heard described by Gary Smalley years ago.
The four types are Lion, Otter, Beaver and Golden Retriever.
There are certainly tons of assessments these days for personality, mindset, strengths, and how we relate to the world. But this is still one of the simplest and one of the most profound that I’ve seen.
And along with helping us understand more about ourselves and those we do life with, they are also helpful in the workplace, helping us to understand our team members and how to work well together.
This week, we’re going to dig into each of the four. And today’s focus will be on the Lions.
As you might expect, the lions are the natural leaders, the ones who will step into a room and take charge.
They have no problem speaking up and are great at charging forward with a plan.
We need lions in our organizations. And you might very well be one yourself.
We need their strength, their courage, their ability to hold steady, set a vision and bring others along with them.
Like with lions in the wild, there is often no question who the lions of your organization are.
They are often confident, vocal, decisive, tenacious and driven.
They are a vital part of giving a team a path forward and paving that path as they go.
As with the other personalities, lions also have weaknesses and blind spots.
Lions can sometimes roll right over others, especially their soft-spoken golden retriever colleagues.
They can be prone to not really listening well or taking others views into account.
Because they are able to come into a situation, quickly assess, and make decisions, they may not take the time to understand the work that has already been done or decisions that have already been thought through. And this can sometimes leave others feeling invisible.
Their natural opposite is the people and feeling-centric golden retrievers.
You get the picture.
Every organization needs each of these personalities to thrive. And they need to understand who they have on board to really figure out how to work best together, see each other’s blind spots and leverage the strengths that each person brings to the table.
So maybe you could start to make up a list of the different personalities on your team today.
Starting with the lions… which shouldn’t be hard.
Just listen for the roar.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 14, 2021 | Podcast
If my pre-calc teacher from the late 80s is listening, I want to say right now that I’m sorry for what you’re about to hear.
You were great. Really, you were. But… I was someone who could get bored sometimes and looked for something creative to do.
I can still remember sitting in that high school pre-calc class with my brand new Casio fx-7500G scientific, graphing, hinged, flip open calculator.
Now I know that I actually used it at some point to draw graphs and do… you know… pre-calc stuff.
But this thing also had the ability to write and save programs.
Programs that could, say, create a fun mini gambling game where if you guessed the right number you could double your imaginary calculator money.
Or, if a certain student not to be named here was interested in doing so, they could create a program to graph something like Bart Simpson… for example.
Suffice to say, both of those kept me company throughout the year along with other fun exploits on the Casio.
But do you know what the most amazing thing is about that calculator?
It’s still working. Today. In May 2021.
In fact, I have it right in front of me and it’s still my go-to after 30 years. Though now, I actually use it for stuff like math.
Not only does it still work, but did I mention it was hinged?
I’m talking about a hinged calculator that has been opened and shut thousands of times over the last 30 years.
More than enough times to ruin most hinged devices that you might find today.
But not my Casio. Still going strong.
I kind of keep picturing the day that I’m going to go to turn it on or open up the hinge and it will just have finally given out.
And I’ll sort of hold it there in my palm, rest my other hand on top of it and whisper quietly “You were such a good calculator and I’ll never forget you”.
But, that day hasn’t come… yet.
So, why am I rambling on about a thirty year old calculator?
Because back in the late 80s the people of Casio decided to make something that would last.
And whenever I use my calculator, there is a voice inside of me that sort of nudges me to do the same.
Make something that will last.
Do something worthwhile. With your work. With your life. In your family. In your community.
Leave a mark. Make an impact that will resonate for decades to come.
Create a product, capture a photograph, give a speech, build a structure, write a book, record a podcast, serve exceptionally.
Whatever it is that you’re about today, consider putting just a little bit more of yourself into it.
You never know when that thing you’re creating might just be sitting on someone’s desk 30 years from now… or helping them graph pictures of Bart Simpson.
Either way, you’ll know that you’ve done something pretty special.
Make something that lasts.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Connect with me on Instagram @shawnwashburn7
by Shawn | May 13, 2021 | Podcast
I’m a big advocate for trying new things. Most of the time.
One time I tried kale chips.
If you haven’t tried them yet, I’ll save you cash. Just rip out a sheet of paper from a notebook, tear it into smaller pieces, sprinkle salt on them and eat them.
Then use that money you saved to go grab yourself something worth it… like a twinkie.
But other than kale chips (and liver… give me a second, gulp), most times there can be a big payoff to trying something new.
In the business world, one of the barriers to trying new things is that people are waiting for an invitation to do it.
They may want to try something new… a new technology, a new process, a new tool, but unless they’re empowered to just try it, they will often let it just sit right inside their cranium as it slowly gnaws away at them and then dies.
Whether for good or bad, I’ve usually been someone who will just try something new or do something differently regardless of if I’ve been given that invitation.
Sometimes, I will ask if we’ve ever used or tried this tech or app before, but other times I will just give it a shot. Especially if I’ve used it outside of work and know the power it could bring to our current situation.
The other day I did just that.
We were in a meeting… an in-person meeting if you remember those. Several of us were all in one room discussing some different options for a project.
The nature of the discussion and meeting had us each sort of mocking up our own ideas on paper to share with the group.
The problem was how to effectively gather around and look at everyone’s version, make changes and have meaningful discussion without being too close and also being able to see each idea clearly.
As we were starting to get to the stage where this was going to happen, my brain was up ahead seeing the issue we were going to run into and that it was going to be difficult to do it that way.
So, on the fly, I pulled up the meeting room computer, turned on the projector, logged into my Outlook and then started taking pictures of each of the ideas and emailing to myself with my phone.
OK, side note here. I know it’s 2021 and maybe I shouldn’t be blown away with the speed of technology like this, but can I just say that it still blows me away that I can hit send on my phone and see that email instantly show up on the screen on the wall. Like, seriously, how does it go all over wherever it needs to go to get from phone to work to network to computer to projector… THAT FAST?
I often don’t feel like I can get thoughts from my brain to my mouth that fast. Just crazy.
OK, so back to the meeting…
As the email showed up on the screen, I began to pull up the pictures one by one and it made it so much easier to discuss as a group, blow them up bigger and even make quick modifications and repeat the whole process.
It also helped us come to some really good agreement on some key decisions and plans we were making. And I’m just not sure it would have worked out that way originally.
I think the same thing happens every day in your organization as well. Your people are faced with multiple situations throughout their day where they might have a better way to do it, a new tool or app or technique that maybe isn’t currently used in your company.
You can do so much to help your team thrive by being an encourager and someone who empowers them to think outside the box.
If their idea has anything to do with kale chips, then I’ll leave that direction up to you.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Connect with me on Instagram @shawnwashburn7
by Shawn | May 12, 2021 | Podcast
If you’ve been out in the business world for any length of time, you’ve heard someone mention that their door is always open.
The message is that if you have an idea or question or even something that’s bothering you, you can go to them and they will listen.
And I’ve known plenty of leaders at places where I’ve worked where this was legit. I knew that if I went in (and I often did) and wanted to talk, they would be receptive.
The problem in business comes when the door is open, but the ears are closed.
I wonder which is the case for you today?
Bottom line is… are you approachable?
Do your people, your team members colleagues and peers feel OK coming to you and sharing what’s on their mind?
It’s a huge question. And it’s one that people figure out the answer to pretty quickly… especially if the offer of an open door is put out there in conversation.
If it’s just a gesture that you have no interest in backing up, then you can almost make things worse than not offering at all.
I’ve known plenty of friends and coworkers who had basically just shut down because they had something to share, were offered that open door and when they went in to share it was clear that they weren’t really being listened to.
That’s a great way to drive people off.
But… on the flip side. When your door and ears are BOTH open, it can be one of the most powerful and empowering things for your business and team.
That’s because there is tremendous value and knowledge, ideas and questions, insights and thoughts bottled up inside of each of the people in your organization. With some exceptions, most people want to be there and be a valuable part of the organization.
And when the word gets out that you are someone that truly listens and will take those words to heart and seek to take action, you’ll unlock more and more of that potential inside each of your people.
So, before you go opening your door, make sure your heart and ears are there first. Then see what follows.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 11, 2021 | Podcast
At home, we have these small square plastic containers with lids.
We often use them to bring along some kind of dip or peanut butter or whatever.
Simple little things.
Container. Lid. That’s it.
Unless you add in the fact that there are two types that look almost identical.
And the fact that their lids are not interchangeable. So, if you grab the wrong lid, even though it looks like it should fit…. it won’t.
I need to come up with a better system to keep them straight and not get myself frustrated when I grab the wrong one, but this is what happens time and again in businesses. Maybe ones like yours.
I’m not saying that your business uses small square plastic containers (though if you did want to tote in some peanut butter with your apples, I highly recommend them).
But rather, it’s little variances that exist, little gaps in your standards and processes that open the door for frustration, scrap, customer relationship issues and more.
It’s why it’s so important to have clear, established instructions and rules in place when they are needed.
Sometimes, of course, there is room for creativity or personal preference and you might even rely on that being the case for specific parts of your business.
But it is those other areas, those crucial tasks that need to be done a certain way but aren’t. That’s where the problem can come in.
Like those lids that looked very similar, you might have wording that is open to interpretation or documents that aren’t exactly clear.
Your people are trying to put the wrong lid on the container and it’s getting everyone frustrated as well as causing lost hours and worse.
So, identify those gaps, shore up your standards, and invite others to help you create the right wording or signage or steps that leave no doubt what needs to happen.
As for my containers, what would you do? Permanently mark them to identify? Keep them in separate spots? Something else? Let me know by shooting me a message on Instagram at shawnwashburn7.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
by Shawn | May 10, 2021 | Podcast
Have you ever recorded a podcast episode?
There are a ton of podcasts out there in the world today. I’m not sure how many, but I know that chances are some of my listeners have their own podcast. As an aside, if you’re ever interested or think you have something you’d like to share with the world via podcast, I’d love to talk to you about it.
If you’ve ever recorded your own and then edited it, you’ve had the chance to see what a waveform looks like.
When you record your audio into an audio editing program, it creates a visual waveform that is a translation of sorts of what you just spoke into your microphone.
It’s really powerful, because it lets you see pauses in the conversation, spikes in the volume and more. In fact, the more you get into it, you can even get to where you can start to identify actual patterns, like a lip smack or an “um” or an inhale. It makes me think of the movie The Matrix where they watch these green rows of characters scroll down the screen but are able to translate those in their minds into a park bench or a steak or… bacon.
Anyway, I don’t edit my current podcast very much but recently I was thinking about how difficult it would be to try to do any editing if the waveform was just a straight line.
If you were trying to find specific spot in an interview or conversation, the whole thing would look the same and it would make it very difficult.
That’s one of the reasons why the visual waveform is so powerful.
And the idea carries of over to your business as well.
So, I’ve talked before about the power of visual communication in the workplace.
It’s one of those things that I’m really wired for and passionate about.
The more visual you can make things, the easier for everyone to know a status or communicate in the same way.
This can be using project management tools that let you know what is due next, or conditional formatting (one of my favorite Excel features) in Excel to highlight cells that meet a certain criteria.
It could be clearly marking where physical things should go on your desk or on a manufacturing floor, so that if the space is empty or the wrong thing is there, you can see it without too much searching.
It can even be including a screenshot of a dashboard of an Excel file that is sent out to a large distribution list, allowing people who only need that basic information to get it without opening the file itself, while others can dig deeper if they’d like.
The key is to take some time to try to identify areas where either a lot of miscommunication is happening or if there unnecessary effort being put in to get answers to questions that could have been answered by more visual posting or communication in your organization.
I will keep coming back around to this one because I’ve seen what can happen over and over when miscommunication or not enough communication happens.
So, why not ask some of your team members today where they have seen miscommunication or extra work happening and let them get creative about how to solve it with visual communication.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. I’d love hear from you about today’s topic or just in general. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com or head to shawnwashburn.com/contact and you’ll find links to connect with me on social media as well.
