Thursday 26 July 2012

The Bachelorette: losers, lovers or ... leaders?

I feel that we can all agree on the fact that the Bachelorette can be a fascinating social commentary but, by all intents and purposes, it is BAD... AND it sucks.

Now, I consider myself somewhat well-read and relatively intelligent. So, why the hell do I spend TWO (or three, in this week's case) HOURS watching a show like this every Monday night?


This week, as I sunk lower and lower into my couch for longer than most Bachelorette relationships last, I decided to do something productive ... I started using my brain. Bold move, I know.

I started thinking about how leadership works into the daily interactions of the Bach's men and woman and, surprisingly, I was able to sketch some distinct parallels.

We will begin with Emily. Pretty, sassy, southern Emily. Yes, she has a CHILD and chose to go on the Bachelor/ette not once, but TWICE. Yes, she has done some things to her face that I would not do to my thanksgiving turkey, let alone face. Yes, she has a really hot bod and makes most of us quite jealous. But, aside from all of those dashing qualities, she (or at least the producers' version of her) is quite a leader.

*Disclaimer: I know that the tv version of Emily is most likely nowhere close to the real Emily and I know that reality tv is fabricated ... so please transport yourself to leadership la-la land and go with me.*

Our lovely bachelorette is thrown into a situation where she has literally ALL of the power and is surrounded by 25 men who will do whatever she asks of them ... and, aside from making ten of them awkwardly watch Brave from the balcony of an old theatre, she avoids abusing her power as much as possible. She makes herself vulnerable, comes down to their level, and does her best to make them feel as comfortable as she can - all without making everyone else feel slighted or less important. She is gracious, stands up for what she believes in, and tries to see the good in everyone around her ... even the guy who's occupation is "Party MC" ... I mean, come on. She plays along, laughs at herself and shares her passions. Take the fact that she's on a game show where she dates someone for a total of 17 hours and expects them to be her husband AND the step-father of her child out of the equation, and you've got yourself the description of a pretty fantastic leader.

Now onto our pool of eligible misfits. Are they lovers, losers, or leaders? Well, I can think of a few who come to mind that fit into each of the first two categories but, also, a few who fit into the latter. They are patient, they are vulnerable, they share, they understand when it is important to shut up and listen and they realize when it is important to speak up and take a stand. They fight for the little guy (in this instance, a little girl with a little guy's name), and they do their best to get along in one of the most socially terrifying and catastrophic situations... seriously, they are 25 huge men who live in a house with endless booze and are all fighting for one smokin hot chick... yikes.

So, the moral of the story is, when you're sitting on the couch covered in popcorn shrapnel and feel like your brain is slowly turning into rice pudding, take a second to think critically about what you're exposing yourself to, and try to change the way you see things.

Because, in the end, there is no reality; there is only perception.

Thursday 19 July 2012

Gluten-free leadership: a lesson in adaptability

It was a hot, humid morning in the heart of summer. I had been over-served the night prior (to no fault of my own), and was desperately hustling back from Toronto to Waterloo, in hopes of making it to an appointment on time. My head ached, my voice had taken the day off, my throat was dry and my stomach was grumbling ... Then, like an oasis in the Sahara, the beautiful plastic sign that reads "Always Fresh. Always Tim Horton's." appeared on the horizon. With a raspy sigh of relief, I wheeled into the parking lot and bounded (lightly) through the door, ready to satisfy my need for an unnecessary amount of caffeine and a yummy breakfast.

Then it hit me, like the Cuervo that I was too friendly with the night before ... I can't think of a single gluten-free item on this menu.

W.T.F. Tim Horton's?

This leads me to my thought of the day regarding the importance of being adaptable and understanding the needs of those around you. Yes, some of you may think that us non-gluten-eaters are weak and will be weeded out by evolution. Yes, most of you who know me ridicule me on a regular basis about my inferior stomach strength. But, no matter what, none of you can disagree with the fact that more and more people today are becoming intolerant to gluten and, to be successful, restaurants are going to need to adapt.

Just as I am going to write a concerned letter laden with exaggeration and emotional outbreaks to someone in a leadership position at Tim Horton's, I urge you to write the same letter to yourself (or just think about it... whatever works).

Are you paying attention to the changing circumstances of the environment around you?
Are you offering leadership that every member of your team can access and enjoy?
Are you soliciting honest and real feedback from your subordinates, teammates, supervisors... and then acting on this feedback?
Are you truly providing the best leadership service that you can to everyone that deserves it?
Are you in tune with the needs of everyone around you? Are you in tune with your own needs?

Think about it.

Every day, something changes ... is your ear close enough to the ground that you will be able to sense the change? I'd like to share with you something that a student leader said to me that really hit home - I asked him what leadership quality was the most important when leading a team ... and he turned to me and said,

"To lead a community, you must be a part of that community."

Now, I'm not saying that the CEO of Tim Horton's needs to stop eating gluten. But, I am saying that he needs to empathize with his customers who can't, and work to understand and meet their needs.

All in all, leadership is just as much leading a group of people as it is understanding and joining that group of people. People won't understand your vision if you don't understand theirs. People won't work to reach your goals if you don't work to reach theirs. People won't eat your gluten if you don't try to stop eating gluten (okay, that one was a stretch ... but hopefully you get my point). It is essential that you are not only in-tune with the needs of those around you, but that you are also willing to adapt to those needs whenever the situation calls for it.

So, with that ... I leave you with this ...

Do you offer gluten-free leadership?

Thursday 12 July 2012

What-Q?: The meaning of "smart"

I have come to terms (begrudgingly) with the following statements: Gone are the days of Yo Mama jokes. Gone are the days of Yak Baks. Gone are the days of Nano Pets and Tamagotchis... but I can honestly say that I never thought I would have to come to terms with: "Gone are the days of IQ".

But it's happening. As hard as it was to stop singing "colours of the world, spice up yo life!!" into my Yak Bak, it is going to be even harder for all of us to wrap our heads around the fact that the concept of being "smart" is changing and increasing in complexity.

When we were young, being smart was synonymous with the dorkus at the front of the class wearing flood pants and a science camp t-shirt (I can say this because I WAS THAT DORKUS). But, now that we are growing and becoming aware of the world outside of sweaty portables, being smart means so much more. This can be daunting and even a little unsettling, but I like to see it as a wonderful opportunity. Since the definition of intelligence is evolving, it is becoming more accessible to everyone ... especially leaders.

Every day, every moment, every interaction provides us with an opportunity to grow our leadership intelligence. What is leadership intelligence? You might ask ... Well, I promise it won't be as confusing as trying to get your Tamagotchi to shut up at 3am. To me, leadership intelligence definitely involves the new traits like emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) and cultural intelligence (CQ), but it also involves a LOT more...

It's our ability to act professionally at the office but still have (responsible) fun outside of the office. It's our ability to manage our own personal health and wellness - mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. It's our ability to be kind and compassionate. It's love. It's sharing. It's admitting our faults and celebrating our successes. It's being accepting and open-minded. It's trying new things and taking risks. It's play. It's hard work. It's dedication. It's doing something out of the goodness of your heart, just to see a smile on someone else's face. It's please. It's thank you. It's big bear hugs that have the power to change your day in one fleeting moment. It's high fives. It's sending an email to someone just to tell them that you think they're doing a great job... I could go on for days...

If I can sum it up in one phrase for you ... Leadership Intelligence is founded by awareness, and built through acting on that awareness in order to make the world around you a better place. 

As we redefine the concept of intelligence, we open a world of possibilities for our leadership and our ability to make change. If we all pledged to get a little bit "smarter" every day ... I truly believe that we could make this world a better place.


"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." - Nelson Mandela



Thursday 5 July 2012

Beating the heat and riding the wave

Dear Mother Nature,

You've made your point. Global Warming is a real thing, we get it. But quite literally, you need to COOL IT. From those of us who suffer from hyper-hydrosis, please ... so we can maintain some shred of dignity at work.

Love,

Kathryn "Even typing is making me sweat" Christie

Until she gets my message, I figured I would toss out a quick post with some fun ideas to beat the heat, leadership style. As I alluded to above, our province is currently the temperature of the sun and we could all use some motivation to get out of bed in the morning and put any type of clothing on our body, let alone willingly walk out the door into an oversized sauna.

1. Network: In Canada, everyone is oddly obsessed with talking about the weather... the heat wave is a perfect in to begin a conversation with someone in line at Tim Horton's or hanging out by the office fridge. "How 'bout this heat wave?" BAM, you're in.

2. Appreciate your followers: If you are in a leadership position, this is the perfect opportunity to show your staff how much you love them at a very low cost. Bring a box of popsicles (I suggest Space Pops for the best pay off) into work and walk around the office handing them out to your crew - not only will you have the opportunity to chat informally with them, but they will also love you for the rest of the day because you made their mouth feel like the Arctic Circle.

3. Make a game out of it: With your crew, start a competition to build morale and boost motivation. My favourites include:

- An email thread titled "I would rather" where people write in what they would rather be doing instead of standing outside in the heat wave. For example, I would rather eat an entire bicycle in one sitting than stand outside right now.
- A competition to see who can guess the exact temperature - bring a thermometer into work, place it outside and then elicit guesses. Whoever gets it right on the money gets, you guessed it, an extra Space Pop. JACKPOT.
- A competition to see who can create an apparatus out of office supplies that will keep an ice cube from melting outside. Pair people up and give them 15 minutes to create their masterpiece and then place them outside and see who's ice cube outlasts the others.

4. Theme it up: Hot weather is the best excuse to do ridiculous things in the office because you always have a perfect excuse that no one can dispute. Have a theme day (nudists? Just kidding ... not that there's anything wrong with it ...) where everyone can dress in something that is much more comfortable than a suit and enjoy themselves in style.

All in all, everyone hates heat waves. We are sweaty, irritable and just can't get comfortable. So put on your leadership bikini and try to ride the wave and build some office spirit... it just might make your pit stains that are flirting with your belt loops a bit more bearable.

"No one has ever drowned in sweat" - Lou Holtz


Got any fun ideas? Post them in the comments section below!