Move Your Desk

Can you teach an old dog a new trick?

It's been asked quite a bit. And, of course it is possible.

More interesting for some of us is noticing the dilemma of working through old tricks with new dogs.

In the workplace, this can show up as a constant stream of bright and shiny ideas.

This may not be a problem, unless no one is listening to the prior lessons. And, applying the tweaks to make the next iteration better.

It's hard being in 2022. A lot of ideas are available. And, a lot of people have already tried them.

It's not that we shouldn't keep trying. Experimenting is part of the process of inventing and innovating.

Listening, however, is not as abundant. And, remembering (or seeking insights) from corporate memory is just as rare.

History tends to repeat itself. Lots of new dogs are playing the same tricks that have gone on since...well, whenever time started.

People really haven't changed that much.

True, there is new technology.

The Interesting twist, however, is that most people alive now have quite a bit of experience with technology even if they are upwards of 80 years old.

There are new combinations of ideas that have never been tried before, but there are also combinations that fade away because they are no longer useful.

All of the changes, all of the patterns, all of the repeating that is part of life.

Remember to embrace it all - the old tricks and the few new, as well as all the dogs old and new. Your job is to listen, think, and combine them in ways that serve you and those you serve.

Trying to avoid pain is normal.

You and I do it all the time with things like food, drugs, drinking, gambling, and the list goes on.

Sometimes we even do it with learning, information hording, and working. Working is one of my drugs of choice. All wrapped up in this addiction is the possibility of positive outcomes (sometimes).

All of it used as an effort to not think or feel the pain that might be festering inside.

If you learn more about pain, and how it can serve you, it becomes important to allow it and go all in to feel it... instead of trying to avoid or suppress it.

It feels worse to go about resolving life issues in this way, but it actually shortens the process and allows you to move forward faster.

I'm trying it right now. It's not the good part yet, but I know it will be worth it.

Are you pretending things are ok?

Are you uncomfortable when the conversation turns sideways on the conference call?

You rush to smooth over the disturbance and quickly make sure it's not a detriment to moving the work forward. And, to save others from feeling all the feelings about it? Or, at least try to do so?

It's actually slowing down the work more than you may realize, and inhibiting others from saying what may need to be said.

Toxic Positivity is rampant in parts of our cultures - towns, families, churches, and...of course work.

You can argue that there is a lot of bullying as well. But, we aren't talking about that today.

I share my concerns about it in this episode, and how I'm dealing with it in parts of my life and work.

It takes some time to realize that it is happening, and then what to do about it if you are a person that would rather go into the deeper conversations.

With the deeper conversations you have to take risks. Some of those risks will set you back. Some of them will propel you forward. Keep taking them.

We all wear masks, though some are thicker and worn more often than others. And, some of us may have a closet full of masks that are pulled out to deal with a variety of audiences.

Maybe it's time to start removing one of them toward building deeper trust and empathy that leads toward higher fulfillment and better outcomes.

The Move Your Desk Show is available through all major podcast services and https://pod.co/move-your-desk

Are you venting to co-workers or bosses? Can they handle the vent?

What's the difference between being negative and venting, and does it matter?

I always used to tell people that it's ok to vent and be negative, as long as after it you use that pain to figure out a way to get to work and move forward. Often, it can be the relief needed to move into the next level of creativity and performance.

Recently, I've been reminded of another component to remember as you vent.

It has to do with knowing who to vent to based upon a relationship of trust.

I have made a few mistakes lately.

I've vented with the wrong audiences. Audiences that I haven't built trust with, though I didn't realize that until after the fact. In very small moments, I can see an immediate response to information that I think is worth pushing back on, disagreeing about, or questioning further. The response isn't something that I've expected, and certainly doesn't open the door to further communication and collaboration.

No, I'm not running rampant with this behavior. Or, am I?

It's worth taking pause if you start sensing new reactions from others. You may be lucky and start to notice the minute you start engaging in venting or negative conversations. Or, it might take a while if you are trying to figure out other challenges.

Either way, it's worth paying attention to if you want to maintain, or increase, your sphere of influence and personal performance.

These are tough pills to swallow if you feel like you had this skill, and you see evidence that you've lost it.

But, there's always a chance for a new start. And, it's important to find a way to have a good vent with people who can handle it. If you can't find that kind of person at work, find one beyond it.

More thoughts on this in Episode 177 - Being Negative and Venting.

Available through all major podcast services.

Sometimes playing with everyday toys unveils lessons for work.

Building blocks continue to remind me of lessons in building strong foundations, connections, and the balance between principles and experimental innovations.

I've collected a few thoughts over the past few years as I've built a few structures side by side my son. In this episode I finally share a few that you may find useful as you navigate the world of leadership, teams, and innovation.

Plus, I throw in a conversation my son and I had while making a building recently.

If you haven't done it in a while, pull out the building blocks, lay down on the floor, and experiment with creating something today. Pay attention to the decisions you make along the way. And, perhaps an insight for your own work will crop up.

It's real.

You finally get focused on the project plan, the important email response, or the presentation that is due next week.

Suddenly, a new meeting pops up for "just a quick chat" 30 minutes from now. Or, if you are at the office someone shows up at the door around 4:38 p.m. and wants to talk about whatever for a few minutes. Yet, when the clock strikes 5 p.m., they suddenly wrap up the conversation quickly. No more space filling for the day, the clock says they are done.

Task interference doesn't matter for some work. In other respects, the interference may be ok for the work, but drag on the mental state of the person dealing with the constant re-direction of mind and action.

Of course, in all of this the performance suffers - individual, team, organizational, and personal business.

Take notice if you aren't already. A 15 minute conversation may seem harmless, but it can often derail you from the work day for more than an hour. Deal with that a few times in one work day, and you aren't getting too far with the work.

The first step is to notice and then you get to decide what to do about it so you can offer up your best work.

What kind of office space do you need to do your best work?

Or, do you even need an office?

Many of you have a specific space carved out in your home now that you may have been forced out of the office and into virtual work.

Others of us are on the move, sometimes hour by hour because we aren't permanently situated or because we are dealing with Internet issues, interruptions, construction, varying noise levels, and even poor lighting.

Though I have dreams of having a perfect working space, it hasn't happened yet. And, it can be exhausting just getting set up to do the work let alone offering up my best work after all that effort.

Still, there are pros and cons to having to work through all of these challenges and barriers. Hidden capabilities and skills are formed that improve empathy, serve as a forcing function for creativity, and may even help you figure out what is absolutely necessary for your best performance and what is extra.

I'm figuring out my minimum viable office right now and I encourage you to do the same. Your factors may be different than mine. And, that's ok and it's important. It will help you make choices that help you get better at the work where you are or what you will accept in new work going forward.

One of the most difficult work relationships can be the relationship with your boss.

Not always, but sometimes. Or, maybe frequently. Or, you just plain "always" have a bad boss.

So, right there I just made a few judgements without a lot of actual facts to prove that this is true.

This is how the mind works. Thinking something, believing it, and... behaving from the emotion that thinking produces.

For this episode, I pulled out a recording from one of my mini-courses to share how you show up with your boss differently if you are managing your thoughts and when you are not.

This isn't shallow positive thinking, or is it?

Take a listen. Notice the difference in outcomes from two specific thoughts that often occupy the same brain. Your brain. My brain. All the high performing brains out there.

Have you ever thought of onboarding as sacred?

I hadn't, until I received this sentence in a personal onboarding message:

"The onboarding time is sacred to us and I want to make sure that you are acclimated before we start running."

It got me to thinking.

Onboarding can be a time of personal disruption. And, in times of disruption there is often a slew of questions and emotions that come up - Did I make the right choice? What if they thought I was great in the hiring process, but now they don't seem as enthusiastic? Why did I take this step? What if it is a step back? Can I do this?

All the mind churn, hope, anxiety, and possibility coming from the same brain. Your brain. My brain. All the brains.

Anyway, offering a sacred space for a brain going through this set of emotions is priceless. Yet, onboarding is often anything but sacred.

I've had my share of onboarding experiences over the years. I've helped create onboarding experiences over the years. I've seen the good, the poor, and the possibilities.

It's worth taking a look at to help anyone coming into your organization... offer up their best work.

My name is Rebecca. I am an addict.

My drugs of choice are Twizzlers, cookies, and... information. My specific information addiction has to do with learning - all things work, performance improvement, neuroscience, psychology, faith, and habits. There's probably more. Other forms of information - news, politics, virus, and some social movements - draw no addictive tendencies in my brain.

What's your information addiction?

I recorded this episode two times. I have a lot to say and figured out how to talk about it while... talking about it. There's definitely more where this came from so stay tuned.

Information addiction has impacted my life in drastic ways - some good, some not so pleasant. And, I have a feeling it has had an impact on yours as well.

Information is abundant. That's a good thing. But, here on planet Earth that also means the opposite is available. The negatives are rampant.

For some, accessing the information is still a struggle. For the rest of us, it can be a part-time job learning how to self-manage our interactions with information. It's in our face daily, regardless of our desires. And, once it arrives on our mental doorstep we do something with it - accept it, question it, discard it, avoid it, or ruminate about it.

In this episode I share examples from my life and nudge you to increase awareness around your information consuming habits.

Are you an addict?

How do you know?

What do you want to do about it?

Some addicts strive to completely give up something (e.g. drinking, drugs, sugar, cigarettes). Some keep the awareness of the addiction and find useful habits to manage it in a way that continues to serve them.

You get to decide.