Practical Inspiration from Coach Darcy

Where Have I Been?

Hey--I'm glad you've missed me! I've been hard at work on my new blog and community site, redcaperevolution.com, coming soon.

To find out more about it, here's a sneak peek. Watch for the preview in November 2010 and the "official" launch in January 2011!  

From my August e-letter: Your Magic Wand at Work

If you had a magic wand, what would you do to make your challenges at work go poof!?

I recently asked members of my Community that question, and was surprised to see that their answers fell into three distinct categories: the personal, the powerful, and the possible.

Read the rest of this article here.

What would you do at work with a magic wand? Tell me here.

When Back-to-School Means Back-to-Business

For kids, back-to-school means buses and backpacks. But for grown-ups, the turn of the season kickstarts our drive to get “back-to-business.”

Even those without children find that the start of classes and the Labor Day holiday now signal an unofficial new year, motivating a more disciplined schedule and a renewed commitment to goals and projects we conjured up on January 1.

If you’re getting back-to-business—or, like many in today’s economy, you’ve never left—here are three tips to help you squeeze the most out of the final stretch of the year—without stretching yourself too thin.

Read the rest of this article on Atlanta Daybook at:

http://atlanta.daybooknetwork.com/story/2010/08/11/34006darcy-eikenberg.shtml

How to Click Less and Connect More

The state of Georgia, here in the US where I live, recently banned texting and emailing while driving. That led a Facebook friend of mine to confess that she's created her own Pavolovian response to traffic signals, checking her Blackberry at every red light. No wonder traffic has been moving so slowly.  

Don't get me wrong--I love our technology. It's amazing that during my recent trip to Budapest, I could text my Mom in 5000 miles away--and get her response in seconds. The ability to send a client a proposal instantly over email is a far cry from the 9 p.m. FedEx runs during my early career.

 

But as I watch the behaviors of my clients and colleagues, I keep asking: Are we're using technology, or is it using us?

 

That's why my latest newsletter shares how--and why!--to click less so we can connect more. Read it here, and don't miss the extended tips on my website here.

On Deck: Your Ideal Team

In my neighborhood, the youth soccer teams are now in full force, catching World Cup fever thousands of miles away from the games. Down the street, there's a family I always spot in their Little League uniforms, usually with post-game ice cream. And at my local YMCA, the swim team screams can be heard from the parking lot!

Welcome to the time of team. We're in full summertime mode here in the US, and that means teams that play--and also that work. In fact, I've noticed a surge of newly formed teams as companies realize they still have big objectives to complete in 2010--and the year's almost half over!

The people and teams I'm coaching keep asking one thing, "Who do we need on our team to make it work?" So, with a little thought (and a little whimsy sparked by a day at the ballpark), I've created a list for you.

Read the full article here.

For a complimentary subscription to my monthly newsletter and a free copy of my special report, "The Right Words to Build Confidence," sign up here.

Surprise Appreciation

So I'm at one of my usual haunts, siphoning off the free Wi-Fi and pounding the keyboard with whatever temporary flashes of brilliance and brainlessness occur. An older gentleman approaches, and I accidentally catch his eye when I look up, mumbling something to myself about what I'd just written. He thinks I'm talking to him, and so comes over. So I smile and say hello. . .and resume my pounding and mumbling.

A few minutes later, he comes over. "You look very focused," he says. "May I ask what is you do?" I tell him, and give him my card. He smiles, and says "That sounds like very interesting and rewarding work." I smile again, and he goes back to his table.

Today, we run into each other again. And again, he comes over. "I don't want to bother you," he apologizes, with kind eyes, "but I spent most of my life in badly run organizations, and it's so great to know there are people like you who are out there trying to help people run them better. I hope somebody is telling you that what you do is important."

I thank him, and as we talk further, I realize he doesn't want anything from me. In fact, I'm thrown off by his surprise appreciation, instead of honored by it. It makes me wonder where else there are people who are trying to appreciate and recognize my work, and how I might be too busy pounding the keyboard to notice.

Rewards and the Undercover Boss

Like many of you, I'm captivated by CBS's new reality show, Undercover Boss. The premise itself intrigues--take your upper level American executive, send him (so far, all hims) out in the trenches of his company, and watch him work--and struggle--in the entry-level jobs that are the foundation of the organization's success.

At the end of the show, the exec (now shaved and suited up) reveals the deception and talks to each of the significant people he worked with during his week undercover. Sometimes, he's offering a wake-up call, like the one GSI Commerce CEO Michael Rubin gave testy call center rep Danielle last night. But most of the time, he's giving praise, amazement, and some sort of unexpected recognition and rewards for the job well done. 

At least he's trying to offer recognition and rewards. And here's where I get frustrated. 

I'm not sure the "undercover bosses"--nor our "above-cover" bosses-- always understand how to recognize and reward someone in a way that makes a difference. For example, Rubin's reward last night to a father who's pulled himself up from living on the streets was to give him money for Christmas presents. That's lovely, and of course the employee was pleased. But Christmas presents fade.

How about having child care at the factory one evening a week so the night-shift  dad could see his daughter during early-evening breaks? The episode showed her running around in the break room anyway, which probably made the firm's lawyers break out in hives. How about setting up a scholarship and giving him a stake in increasing it it tied to his own growth and achievement? 

Also last night, a working mom who mentioned caring about her sons' football team was given $5000 for their uniforms. The episode's "where-are-they-now" postscript said they were the "best dressed of the league." Again, that's nice, but could that $5k today have helped the mom stay out of debt when those footballers are ready for college?

Of course, there have been several examples where the bosses gave promotions, engaged people in leadership development programs, and offered to mentor and guide their careers. My favorite was the first episode with Waste Management COO Larry O'Donnell, where, after working alongside a young woman holding down several roles, quickly promoted her, then kicked the butt of the regional supervisor who needed to hire two more people to replace her.

Now that's what I'm talking about--that kind of recognition and reward makes a difference every time.

Can You Be Something Other Than A Smucker?

Have you seen the commercial where the boy laments, "Why doesn't anyone ask me what I want to be when I grow up?"

His friend helpfully suggests, "Maybe it's because of your name." The lamenter looks at him, puzzled, and says "Richard?" to which his pal replies, "No, Smucker!"

The announcer goes on to say that of course, if you're named Smucker, it's obvious you're going to be one of the jelly kings, because "with a name like Smucker, it has to be good."

With all due apologies to the Smucker clan, this commercial always gets me down. As a coach, I hear little Richard's musing as the start of the conversation, not the conclusion, but hey, it's a 30-second spot. I want so much to ask, "So Richard, what DO you want to be when you grow up?" And I would love to hear the answers.

Why should young Richard's future be pre-determined just because he was born with a lip-smacking last name? Maybe he wanted to try something else. Maybe he wanted to get out of Orville, Ohio, Smucker's hometown.

While this commercial might represent a fictional character, it turns out there actually IS a Richard Smucker, who is now Executive Chairman & Co-Chief Executive Officer of J.M. Smucker Co., great- grandson of the Smucker founder. (Note: can you really "co" the CEO post? Even with your brother, as Mr. Smucker does? That's a post for a different time.)

So I'm sure Mr. Smucker's living a great life, working hard in the successful family business that creates quality, well-known brands like Folgers and Jif in addition to its famous jams. I have no connection to the company or Mr. Smucker, but the TV ad made me wonder if Mr. Smucker ever wanted to do anything else.

A few Google clicks tell us he serves on the board of Sherwin-Williams--maybe dabbling in paints and not jams was his dream? He just became deputy chairman of the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank Board--maybe a stint on Wall Street was in his sight? Or maybe he just wanted to get out of Ohio and be an international playboy, living off the family name (although I'm not sure if Smucker translates in San Tropez.)

Could he have been something other than a Smucker? Can we be something beyond our family label? Our professional label? Our business or community label? 

A few years ago, I became "something other" in a way I didn't think possible years earlier. I became a leadership coach, speaker, and writer, which wasn't exactly a 180 from my work as a business leader and communication strategy consultant, but sometimes it felt like it. I became an entrepreneur instead of a corporate businesswoman. No one was asking me what I wanted to be when I "grew up"--I found I had to ask myself. And then make it happen.

So, Mr. Smucker (and all the Mr. and Ms. Smucker's out there), it IS possible to be something other than a Smucker, or whatever label you're using. Even if Smucker "has to be good," maybe you want something better.