Category: Uncategorized

Daily ends

There’s a lot of discussion about how this pandemic has changed certain things for ever, how certain things won’t get back to normal when it’s over.

Isn’t it possible, if we pay attention, that this is true even on a normal day?

I was recently introduced to this nightly meditation: “What might you have done for the last time today?”

Think back of a sport you haven’t played in many years. For me it’s hockey, back when I was a teenager. I might play again but it’s unlikely. I can assure you that when I walked off the ice that last time, it never dawned on me that I might never play again.

If you are a parent, did you pay attention the last time you tied the laces on your child’s shoes?

When things go back to normal, let’s get better at seeing that there are no ordinary moments.

Write to me, please

According to WordPress, I have 565 followers. It’s humbling to think that so many people want to be notified every time I click the “publish” button.

I write to force myself to think. Often, I need to listen or read to find something new to think about. I have my favorite podcasts, blogs and websites that I peruse daily.

There are days when I read for an hour before I get a writing idea. There are days, like today, where no idea comes at all. I feel like anything I might have to say about ethics and compliance, I have said before.

On days like today, I wish there was a fresh voice out there to put fizz in my brain. A fellow E&C professional with a spicy take on the state of corporate culture. Someone whose writing begs to be shared.

Of course, I can think of at least 565 candidates for this job.

All you need is a free WordPress site like this one.

Won’t you share your genius, please?

Pressure and rationalization

Many of us work in an industry that is affected by the pandemic.

Each week that passes increases the pressure to get going again. Employees, customers and suppliers are hurting.

Soon, some in your organization will feel justified in cutting corners. Who are they likely to be? Where in your organization are they likely to sit? When are they likely to strike?

It will happen, and you won’t be able to fake a surprise.

Get the answers now.

I wish you well

A good portion of the emails I receive nowadays include a wish that I am doing well.

With tens of thousands of new cases of COVID-19 every day, it’s a reasonable wish to express.

In my organization, it starts at the top. Our CEO sends a video message every week asking employees to make their health and well-being a priority.

I have noticed that many organizations are not only communicating more but communicating better. They are not only providing technical support to employees who must work remotely, they are providing emotional support.

When this pandemic no longer puts our health at risk, will these practices go away?

I hope not. Everyone of us is under some type of threat on any given day, often invisible to our co-workers. We care for a troubled teenager or a sick parent, our marriage is shaky, we struggle with medical bills… you name it.

Perhaps it’s not the place of co-workers to mingle in such private affairs. Nevertheless, there’s always a place for well wishes.

Time to move on

Too many school bullies wait for their parents to move to a new school district before they become the nice boys and girls they have long wanted to be.

Some jerks in our organizations are waiting for the same “opportunity”.

Give it to them.

Decisions to make before the end of COVID-19

In her book Giving Voice to Values, Mary Gentile recommends that we play out ethical dilemmas before they happen. When a supervisor routinely gathers her team and asks “How would we handle this scenario?”, they have a much better chance at doing the right thing when it actually happens.

This is what Richard Bistrong is recommending that we do before the economy reopens. When it does, there will be pressures from customers, suppliers and senior leadership to get back on track as quickly as possible. Inefficiencies from regulations and internal policies that were tolerated in good times will become infuriating. Even good regulations and policies will be questioned. “Can’t we just skip this step, just this time?”

The pushback will be understandable. In fact, it should be invited at all times. But the best decisions will not be made under extreme pressures after months of idleness and isolation.

Identify your future tough decisions now.

And start the role play.

Three questions

“Can we do it?”

That’s the compliance question. If the answer is yes, there’s a second question.

“Should we do it?”

That’s the ethics question. If the answer is yes, there’s a third question.

“How should we do it?”

That’s the culture question. Different ways of doing something lead to different cultural outcomes.

Where the rule of law is strong, people have recognized the importance of the first question. Where transparency is present, people have learned to ask the second question. And in a world where the means of production are becoming accessible to all, the third question will soon break any organization that ignores it.

How many people can you trust?

Here’s a little known biological fact about humans: we have the capacity to create trusting relationships with about 150 people.

That’s plenty of room for family members, friends, some colleagues, and a few other people. But how does someone create a culture of trust across an organization of 1,000 employees? Or 100,000 employees?

At my company of 190,000 employees, my advice (from the corporate office) has been to focus our culture efforts on supervisors. Each supervisor has, on average, 8 direct reports. Each supervisor can take actions that will build trust with each direct report. The actions of a supervisor in Riyadh will be different from the ones taken by a supervisor in Tokyo. The best thing I can do from the corporate office is to give supervisors the tools they need to build trust with their team. The worse thing I can do is impose a cookie-cutter approach.

One more thing: trust creates trust. A person who feels trusted is more trusting. So start at the top. Have the CEO extend trust to her team. Let each of her direct reports build that chain of trust with their direct reports. Then, no matter how large your organization is, you can spread that culture across all continents.