Just the Facts

When I was growing up, I remember watching reruns of the TV show Dragnet starring Jack Webb as the straight-laced Police Officer Joe Friday.  Each episode the dour faced officer would solve crimes while collecting the facts.  In an era of fake news, I think that sometimes we forget the power of presenting the facts and having the truth presented to sway people, thought and outcomes.  I remember on my first consulting gig, nearly 23 years ago, the project manager turned to me before a presentation to the client management team and said, “You will give the presentation.”  I immediately froze, I had never given a public speech before and certainly never presented to anyone in management (high level decision makers).  The client was a large, global company, where our involvement was related to the US music manufacturing and distribution business.  The advice that he gave was, “Just tell the story by presenting the facts of what we are doing.”

My grandfather was known as Straight-as-an-Arrow on the golf course.  But that would also represent his attitude, as he also was a HUGE believer in always telling the truth.  Anyone that is in a successful marriage understands the value of honesty and how that helps to retain the trust between both parties.  This is a valid item in any relationship.  To be fully honest, I may have told a few lies in my life, which in every case gets found out and the only way to maintain a lie is to continue to lie.  Also, Debbie has learned that if I even think that I might pull a fast one (more like bending the truth), she can see it written all over my face.

Years ago, I was interviewing for a consulting job where I would be handling the project management and be a team member.  During the questioning, I answered one of the questions with, “I do not know that area of the software, but would be willing to spend my own time learning it for you.”  After the interview was over, the director giving the interview told the person placing me that he was choosing me for the job.  Was it my knowledge of the system?  Was it my charming good looks?  No – he was impressed with my honesty.  Even in my accounting days, if I did not know the answer, I would not make up something close, it was always, I do not know, let me check…which is an answer I still use if I am unsure. 

Same was true when presenting at Toastmaster meetings.  Same is true when presenting an issue to my Board of Trustees.  Same is true working in teams.  Same is true when teaching a class.  As a Project Manager, as a Consultant, as a Teacher, as a Presenter, our authority on the subject / topic is only as good as the faith and trust placed on us in by our audience, team, or peers.  Being honest is an important value for anyone in a leadership position, or for anyone striving to get to a leadership position.  So, as a newbie consultant, that day 23 years ago, I gave my first ever presentation to upper management.  I followed the advice and told the truth (good points and a few not so good points).  By sticking to the truth, I knew the material very well and was able to answer the follow up questions.  That one day, that one lesson has continued to serve me well.

Lifetime Juggler

Ever feel like you are that guy (or gal) who spins the plates on top of that long thin stick?  The one who’s job it is to keep spinning the plates so that nothing falls?  Yeah, you know what I mean.  Now, how many of you feel that each morning, a new set of sticks appear with those plates already in motion waiting for you to step up and keep them spinning?  Sound familiar?

Most lives are like a good play, where there are a couple of acts and within each act are multiple scenes.  Unlike a play, our lives do not move single-threaded in a sequential manner.  In other words, most people do not live their lives as a single act, one scene life.  I recently read someone’s opinion that hiding behind “I am busy” as an excuse really means that we really determine what gets our focus based on how we prioritize (aka, perceive) the tasks before us.  This makes sense as to why high-performance, successful people only focus on a small, finite set of things at a time.  Darren Hardy has told the story where Richard Branson turned down a speaking engagement for some huge, ridiculous amount of money because it was not within the two or three things he was focused on at the moment.

I try hard to have a similar discipline, but the truth is that while it sounds simple, it is not easy.  I have my family, my work with a new company and the presidency of my synagogue.   I have to juggle those three, while having some time left over to socialize (part of my down time).  Within each of those “acts”, I have a few “scenes” that need focus.  Like the plates spinning on top of the sticks, I need to plan the timing of when each item needs to be addressed.  Yes, I often get ask, “What about taking on [fill in the blank].”  Often, I have to answer “No,” because I do not want to take on anything that I will not be able to focus on.  Also, once you say “yes,” you have made a commitment to follow through.  It is better to say no, then address later (no sometimes means not now), then to fail on a commitment by not taking the time required to follow through. 

One of the things that has helped me is that each of the three acts knows about the other two and the times that I allocate for each.  Work hours are straight forward (for the most part).  Synagogue is set aside for nights (for the most part).  Family time includes dinner (most nights) and time on the weekend when everyone is around.  Although things pop up out of their time slots, I make sure that everyone knows that my family comes first.  

Working from a Home Office

I have worked from home before.  I have had a business that was based in my house, though I was mostly on assignment at clients.  With my new company based in Connecticut, I am now back to working from my home office.  One of the obvious benefits is that after 16 years commuting to NY for ITG, I gain back 3 to 4 hours of my day.  That is a significant amount of time: 15 – 20 hours a week, 60 – 80 hours a month, etc.  Of course, the other immediate benefit is if there is an emergency, I am already at home.  Cool!  But it is not all that easy, as I must be more diligent on how I spend my time and minimize the distractions.

Many years ago, my brother went from commuting to the city to having his department directed to work from home as a corporate space saver.  I remember him worrying about how to segregate work time from home time when this first happened.  He told the story of one of his associates leaving in the morning, dressed in business clothes, only to head to the nearest Starbucks.  From there, he would have his coffee and read his morning paper as if he were riding the train.  When he was done, he would drive “to the office” and begin his day.  I am not looking to do that!

I do believe that I need to ensure that I have the proper morning routine in place to help.  The habit that I am putting into place will be an extension of the habits that I have followed for a few years.  The planned schedule is:

·         Wake up (around 5:30),

·         Exercise for 30 – 40 minutes,

·         Shower,

·         Make myself a healthy breakfast (usually eggs),

·         Spend time writing (either for blog or other),

·         Read for 20 – 30 minutes (Personal development, classic book or just for fun),

·         Meditate (chance to reflect on prior day and current…OK, sometimes I doze off),

·         Start work. 

While that looks like a busy morning – it is!  However, this makes the morning time a productive portion of my day before the day starts.  Leadership expert, Robin Sharma, often talks and writes about the benefits of starting one’s day at 5:00 for productivity reasons, which I have followed for years.  The good thing about this schedule is that when I need to be on the road, there is no reason why I cannot maintain this routine.  The routine is important, not because I am anal in following the same thing over and over, but because it provides a productive structure to the start of my day.  Otherwise, time for exercise, etc. will not be available and I will not do these personal productivity activities.

Once work starts (generally 9:00), I go to my office to focus on what I need to accomplish.  Like working in a physical office, I still have the list of items to accomplish.  Lunchtime is set for the same time every day (structure is good).  Yes, there are more distractions.  Yes, I can do an errand if needed instead of trying to squeeze them in on the weekend.  Yes, I can attend to issues at the JCCP where I am president of the organization.  Even so, they have to fit into the schedule of my day.  In the office or out, we do need breaks from work to regroup, reflect and refocus.

Any other suggestions would, of course, be helpful.  Written down, this looks simple, but it will not always be easy.

A Fresh Start

Day one…a New Year, a new month and a new job.  Change happens and it is real.  The last time that I changed the company I was working for was 16 years ago.  In 33 years in the work force, I have elected to change companies 3 times and was laid off once prior to 2018.  The difference this time around was that I was in control of the decision (sign of maturity?) and approached the company that I want to work for, where I felt that I can add value and be a helpful resource for them.

Am I nervous about the change?  Yes.  Something new, starting over and making a change are a tall order.  I have to confess that I was comfortable working at ITG; I knew the ropes and was a seasoned veteran there which provided an immense feeling of belonging, knowing fully what I could do and to some extent, steer my own course.  Without stepping outside of my comfort zone, nothing for me will change, nothing for me will grow and nothing new will come my way.  A step in personal growth and self-development is realizing that change is needed and it is up to me to make the choices to ensure that I am personally challenged, have the opportunities to develop / gain new skills and put myself in a position to help others achieve their goals.  And for that, I am more excited than nervous.

The company that I am going to work for is CompIntelligence, a provider of enterprise performance management and equity compensation services, to work on helping to train and manage projects implementing OneStream Software, a rapidly growing CPM (Corporate Performance Management) software.  Having been involved with the software from a user implementation perspective, I am excited to help “spread the word” on this fantastic product that stands head and shoulders over the previously implemented software.  I was excited when I first saw the demo of this new company’s software, had a great implementation experience (to view my testimonial: https://www.onestreamsoftware.com/success-stories/itg ) and believed in being part of the vision. 

Each year, we are supposed to step back, evaluate how we did in the past year and set down where we would like to move towards in the new year ahead.  2018 held some great things for me and by making a change in companies to start the new year, I have automatically set in motion goals for 2019.  Make wise choices in this new year, set my sights firmly on where I am heading and remain persistent and consistent to attaining them.  May this year be the best year yet!