We’ve all heard the phrase “high risk, high reward.”
Lots of people play the stock market, and lose everything they have. Some of us don’t take any risks at all, and nothing bad ever happens. Right?
Some of us choose to manage the risk, and move the needle forward ever so slightly, incrementally, towards progress with stability as co-witness.
So how do you decide how much risk to take? Here are some examples…
Do you skip breakfast for a faster commute to work? Not risky. (pack a snack bar)
Do you trust a vendor to provide all the services they said they would back in the sales call? Risky. (they won’t)
Do you add an element of the unknown during an evacuation drill? Calculated risk. (and what will a real emergency be like?)
Do you shake up your team to increase overall performance? Could be risky… (what’s best for the team and those they serve?)
Do you ride your motorcycle without a helmet? Extremely risky. (organ donors, is what they call them…)
Do you forget your 20-year wedding anniversary? Certain doom. (oh boy…)
You get the idea.
How you handle risk determines how fast you can travel in any direction – in life, on the road, in relationships, performing at work, or gaining happiness.
Risk is all around. YOLO.
At some point, you have to deal with it.
Some of us are better than others at handling, mitigating, and shouldering the burden of risk, and that’s ok. Some hide under their desk when the going gets tough. The world is full of all kinds of people, and that’s ok. That’s a fact. Add it to your matrix from the start!
The best way to handle risk is one step at a time. Build a process, determine the risk factors, evaluate possible outcomes, and go from there.
Once you’ve identified your risk, implement plans to deal with what comes next… reality.
Reality adds a whole new layer to whatever you’re doing.
PS – I was going to end the post with a “Good luck!” but luck and risk aren’t partners… ;-)
I had a great conversation over lunch with someone about waffles, and how each waffle square represents the pressures of life.
Work, free time, kids, travel, bills, responsibilities, and so on… and all those pressures build up (in the waffle iron, I suppose)!
Life is a like a waffle.
…So I started thinking about culture, too. How can culture be represented in a grid? How can I design an activity around culture and norms, using a grid, like a waffle, to get a better understanding of…?
Culture is (can be) like a waffle.
My culture. Your culture. Our culture.
Fair warning – for those who know me, you know that I love Post-It notes, and going all out when it comes to workshops and things like this.
So here you go… an activity you can do with your team, with yourself, or with a larger organization to better understand your culture (values, emotions, and challenges), and the culture of others – those you work with, associate with, and so on.
Another note – this will generate A LOT of data points if you want it, so prepare accordingly. And you’ll need some materials. Especially Unicorn Sparkle Ice Cream…
If you want me to lead you in this activity, let me know. You and your team will be better off for it and will learn a thing or two about yourselves, and YOUR culture.
The Culture Waffle (GRID) – An Activity
The basic waffle has a 3×3 grid of delicious squares to fill with syrup, ice cream, or some bespoke French strawberry jam. Or data.
Each participant will need a grid of 3×3 Post-It notes in front of them and a pen. Get the real deal – super sticky brand name. Don’t skimp. They won’t stick. Trust me.
Using the prompts below, lead the group in an inventory activity by asking the questions for each culture waffle square – starting at the top left-hand corner, across, then repeating, ending with the ‘control’ prompt in the bottom right-hand corner.
Prompts should be quick, and participants asked to complete each waffle square in 10-15 seconds. No need to dwell on the particulars. Top-of-mind stuff – whatever comes first, jot it down and move on. Get it?
What does culture smell like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like?
When you’re done with the grid, ask participants to share out loud verbally – picking different players for each prompt to go first. Same order, and ask all to share out with the group.
Everyone shares. No exceptions. Even the CEO, Superintendent, or whomever.
The perfect number of participants is 9, but you can host any number… Be sure to participate yourself, especially if you’re from within the team or organization you’re leading this activity with.
As you do this, have each player post their waffle grid on a dry-erase board or similar, building an AGGREGATE culture grid.
This is where it gets fun… (and people have to get up from their seats, too! All kinds of Hattie’s effect sizes here of >.50, right?
As conversations begin to flow, and people share out, you begin to realize YOUR/OUR culture as it builds on the wall in front of you.
Some will have associated the same smell, feeling, or emotion with culture. Connections will form. Similarities will happen. A new whole will form.
If you have 9 players, you now have 81 data points – 9 for each value question. What does it smell like? 9 different (and some the same or similar) value statements.
How can you build on this? What are some effective follow-up questions? How do continue to build?
Start with the control question.
Because…
When you look at the results, there will be many, many points that are the same or very similar, and participants will begin to understand that culture is something that they make. Something they can influence, and maybe… maybe even control.
This is a good place to start a conversation about what matters, what the current culture is, and what could be.
You’ll have to take it from there, now that Pandora’s Box is open.
Oh, and don’t forget to serve waffles with various toppings during the activity. Everyone loves waffles! I’m quite serious on this point. Grab some Eggos, a toaster, and toppings. Fit for any board office.
Some will refuse to eat it because they’re afraid of the non-vanilla approach to deliciousness, and “they’re not a kid!” or “it probably has too many calories!” And so begins a very different conversation… Good luck!
I just updated my profile picture in a few places. I want people to know what I look like.
If you’ve been on sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social media sites in the past (or in the last 5 minutes), you know that lots of people have a wide variety of styled portrayals of themselves as profile pics.
But…
What happens when I meet you in person, or look for you at a conference, or drive by you on campus? Would I recognize you? Would I know it was you?
I go for the real. The untouched. The “here I am, and this is what I look like…” look. No filter. No hype. I’m here to perform, not to “dress for some job later on down the line“… I also don’t have extra $ for studio portraits. 🤪
And the folks with dogs or cats for profile pics? What’s really going on there anyways…?
Think about it.
What’s the objective of your profile picture?
You want people to know who you are, right?
So keep it fresh, make it real, and get to work. That filtered high-gloss from 20 years ago doesn’t cut it… We all got gray hairs. Deal with it! 😉
Jag har letat under stenen bakom trädet bredvid huset Jag har sprungit flera mil ja säkert tusen Men jag har ännu inte lyckats hitta det
…
Men jag kan bara inte hitta den Instruktionsboken
– Miss Li / Instruktionsboken
I’ve been doing what I do now, at work, for well over ten years. I still do things every day I’ve never done before. There’s no manual in sight, and if there is, I haven’t found it.
So, how do I survive, and get stuff done? Experience?
Most of us (in my field) spend some time in school after high school in college coursework, then some professional development, then another degree, then some more conferences, sessions, workshops, then another degree… and nowhere is there a document that shares “what to do when…“
YOU have to write it. YOU have to document what works, and what doesn’t. YOU have to keep a running log of how to keep the wheels turning, and when those wheels need maintained, replaced, or improved…
Who will tell you to do all of this?
No one. But here’s a hint when it’s time to write it down.
Are others asking you for advice, for what works, for how to do what you do, for answers to questions you’ve dealt with already? Yes? That’s how you know it’s time.
So get busy. Start writing it down. Share what you do. And make sure others can find it!
Wait, why..?
Because… imagine how well they will perform when they know what you know… Don’t keep it to yourself. We’ll all benefit.
When I was a high school teacher, my students would shuffle in hurried pitter patter behind me as we trooped to the media center for yet another valuable lesson on history or economics.
When the kids and I are at Target, it’s a lot of “Dad – why are you walking so fast!?”
I got places to go. Need to get there.
But…
When it comes to the long haul, it’s important to set a pace. A pace that works, and a pace that will get you to your goal or finish line, or whatever it is you seek. A marathon runner doesn’t sprint. A mountain climber takes it step by step. Those are paces, too…
I once had to rescue (sort of) my father-in-law down from Mount Whitney after a sudden bout of altitude sickness.
We hadn’t spent enough time acclimatizing to the heights, and he reacted very differently than me to the thin air of the lower 48’s highest mountain.
The summit was a day’s hike upwards, but he needed to get down, and quickly so.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” I said, in a firm, but polite tone. Guy (the father of the love of my life), was attempting to pack his sleeping bag, and failing badly.
We had just spent the night at about 10,500 feet. “We’re gonna head down, ok, a few hundred meters at a time.”
Our pace was slow, but deliberate. We hiked for a few minutes, took a break, drank some water, and kept going. The sun was shining, birds chirping, and Guy held on to a piece of cord to match my steps down the trail.
Pace is always about the appropriate pace. When you lead others, you have to make sure they can follow, too. Too fast, and you lose too many. Too slow, and you get nowhere. The right pace, at the right time.
How’s your pace?
Are you getting stuff done? Are you content? Or are you burning out?
I took two days vacation this week on Thursday-Friday as I had been ‘voluntold’ to assist with the Power of the Pen state championships at Otterbein University (the event host location) down in Columbus.
My spouse has been working with them to edit their Book of Winners all year. Our kids came with us, too.
On Thursday, we hosted a lawn games event and played burnball with about 25 kids as they arrived to the tournament. Later that evening, we chaperoned the DJ dance event. And yes, some line-dancing ensued… Hey Macarena!
On Friday morning I brought some coffee to my buddy Randy at Westerville Bus Garage (to chat, learn, and support) his puzzle, and relished in the number of Tim Horton’s available at all times in the CBUS area. And now for the hard task ahead…
The real meat of the volunteering was serving in the sorting room. Going into this, I had no idea what to expect, and had chatted with the organizer on Thursday night (naturally) about workflow, automating a few things, and making it easier through technology.
But, having not seen any of the parts, it’s easy to get lured into a promising future.
If you’ve never experienced the Power of the Pen, it’s a lot of writing. Local events, regional, and state champs. At Otterbein, we had 501 writers in grades 7-8, and most wrote at least 3 essays (under time pressure).
Each essay was graded by two judges, a score was compiled, and (in our room) the carbon copy of the essay along with their score sheet was sorted into 172 envelopes to go back to their respective schools at the end of the day.
The organization and staff required was at a whole different scale than I had imagined!
It gets even better (as in more complicated!). Coaches and teachers serve as judges, and student writers cannot be in the same room as their coaches, and their essays can’t be judged by someone from their home school. Build that matrix!
I had chatted with Barb on Thursday about their efforts over COVID, when they wrote remote over a two-week period, shipped essays all over the place using email and sheets and tried Google Classroom.
As I found out, the event is almost too complex without the army of volunteers.
Our sorting room was the last step on the journey. There was a tabulation room, a computer score room, several other sorting areas, throngs of student helpers (runners, n=75) shuttling essays from room to room to judges, and back again.
It was amazing to watch, and be part of.
Jae and I were assigned in a time slot from 12-4, but soon realized we’d be the ones to lead the effort in the sorting room. We looked at each other, nodded in agreement, and settled in the for the long haul.
Over the hours we spent huddled over papers and codes (each writer is known only as a code, like AG71), we managed the efforts of at least 35+ additional sorting volunteers in a cramped lecture room in Towers Hall. All the essays got sorted.
Most of the others were teachers, coaches, or folks (like us) passionate about writing, reading, and making it happen. No one complained. No one groaned at yet another stack of 500 essays coming through the door… No one got paid.
So why volunteer?
Why not?
Now I’ve learned a new process, seen the power of people (and the Pen!), and experienced something great.
I will treasure this memory for a long time, and we’re already committed to next year (obviously). And if you have a young writer in 7th or 8th grade, now’s the time to find a team…
A quick video to show how I manage assignments in an online class by using a simple spreadsheet with some applied magic to make it easier to track, and check off!
Want your own copy? Just click the link below, and Google Sheets will make you a copy!
I use the GAM tool a lot to make updates to the Google domain at Streetsboro – it let’s me do things faster, and more efficiently that hitting each user in the domain admin panel.
But, using a Mac brings its own issues, and while I could get a PC for this, I’ve just figured out how to do things on the Mac.
Here’s how I run batch commands (to update hundreds of accounts in one go).
Create the GAM command line
Start with a spreadsheet that contains all the users’ emails you want to use / update.
I use Google sheets, and usually use the =CONCATENATE or some other formula to create the command line for each account.
Something like =CONCATENATE(“gam update user “,A1,” org /STAFF”), where A1=user account / email address.
For example, to add the user to a specific org unit, your GAM command line might look like:
gam update user asmith@email.com org /STAFF
I copy the resulting command lines (the whole column), and paste into a new sheet, with Paste Special > Paste as Values Only…
Download as resulting sheet as a .csv file
Place the file in the GAM folder –> in my case, in /bin/gam <– but, this depends on your GAM install!
Rename the file to end in .sh <– for shell
Your file should now be something like staffupdate.sh
In Terminal on the Mac, run this command, making sure to point to the file:
gam batch bin/gam/staffupdate.sh
Terminal will now run the shell file as a batch, and run all the GAM commands for you!
SMART is a mnemonic acronym, giving criteria to guide in the setting of objectives, for example in project management, employee-performance management and personal development. The letters S and M usually mean specific and measurable. Additional letters have been added by some authors.
SMART criteria are commonly associated with Peter Drucker’s management by objectives concept. The principal advantage of SMART objectives is that they are easier to understand and to know when they have been done.
