 |
Life, the Universe, and Everything*
Musings from Linda / LUE-42 Enterprises Issue #118, December 2020
|
|
Oh, November, what have you done? For most of us, the first half of the month was different from the second half. In the first half we still had cohorts and social distancing and gathering indoors in small groups and gathering outdoors in larger groups. We had weather that accommodated both nicely. Plenty of snow, plenty of sun. We were adjusting and finding our way. Then the last half hit and the restrictions feel so much worse. Indeed, the news out there is much worse and the things we feared early on are hitting closer to home. Take heart and be smart. After all, we've always adjusted.
A big adjustment for me was not having a public Remembrance Day ceremony. I must say, though, that there was so much great content on TV I was able to pay my respects adequately. Paying respects was much harder to do when a friend died unexpectedly. I accept this will have to wait, just as it waited when her husband passed this summer. These days are especially tough for grieving families.
November was a time of many board meetings and AGMs. We've all figured out how to gather via Zoom and other platforms, but we are definitely missing out on key elements of what makes people volunteer, and we are definitely seeing unusual (often startlingly bad) behaviour. I believe that much of this weirdness would be avoided if we could meet in person now and then. I haven't explored whether science backs up my theory, but my gut says it's so.
For the first time in 26 years I was not at a Grey Cup Festival and Game in November. The Canadian Football League held some virtual Grey Cup events, and I appreciated being able to connect to the League, the teams, and the fans. There were some excellent panels on diversity and inclusion, and some awesome concerts (Captain Tractor!) and on-line hospitality rooms. A Grey Cup SIM game was played, with Ottawa beating Regina in overtime. It was pretty far from an actual GC experience, but it was pretty cool nonetheless.
I participated in an on-line cooking class and now I see what the fuss is about. The event was fun, being able to cook with others was charming, and the food was satisfying and yummy. I recommend trying this.
I enrolled in another beer course at University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, and once again it was interesting, fun, and delicious. Last year I did my own beer advent calendar with others selecting beers for me. This year, a few friends and I are doing it together although the logistics of getting together to fill each other's calendars are more difficult. But hey, as with the meetings, we are developing new processes to get the job done while complying with rules and advisories.
My creativity got a shot in the arm when I signed up for a four-week course on writing 10-minute plays. I love that format, and I needed the discipline of having writing homework every week. It worked -- a new short play, the start of a short story, another of my short plays is being turned into a film, and I redoubled my efforts to secure rights to a book in England to produce it for the stage. While navigating the publisher's website I noticed that Pan Macmillan International has a position statement on Modern Slavery. I wasn't even aware of this term/concept, so I dug deeper. It is part code of ethics, part commitment to fairness in work and wages, part occupational health and safety -- it's a whole bunch of things that we are care about rolled into one. It may have caught my eye because I had just watched the 6-part miniseries Enslaved, about the Transatlantic slave trade. I learned a great deal from this program and recommend it.
I had to cancel my trip to Golden for the third time. I know many of us are getting tired of our own four walls, and this one hit me hard. I get why, but I still felt sorry for myself. I am spending the time revising my business plan (hasn't everyone had to pivot their business?) and when I do go out, trying to support local businesses. I will try to stay motivated with the exercise regime and get outdoors once a day. I will keep writing and learning, and I've found that listening to music has also been good for my soul.
I hope you enjoy this performance by the Phoenix Chamber Choir. I think their (quarantine) rendition of Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time" is wonderful.
| Longest Time - Quarantine Edition |
"Don't ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are." -- Lady Gaga
"I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be..." -- Joan Didion
/lmwe
|
|
|
Question: What are the hallmarks of board culture?
|
|
|
 |
|
ANSWER: There's a list! or two!
According to BoardSource, "Board culture has a significant influence on the way your board carries out its work and shapes your board's performance." That statement should be enough to warn us that we need to care about the culture around our board tables. Hallmarks of a strong board culture include:
- a healthy, respectful partnership between board and CEO - trust and candor between/among board members - thoughtful, productive resolution of issues/disagreements - a willingness to address poor board behaviour that is negatively impacting the board. Are some of these things missing on your board? That's evidence your board's culture isn't where you want it to be. Strive to change this not just because your board meetings are (probably) uncomfortable, but because your board culture is likely preventing you from achieving your mission! BoardSource also talks about needing a "culture of inquiry," which is a way to avoid group-think, inertia, disengagement, and poor decision making. Hallmarks of a culture of inquiry include: - accessing different opinions - getting unique vantage points/areas of expertise - asking deep, informed questions - cultivating collective wisdom - engaging and energizing directors - having productive meeting time - owning and supporting decisions - desiring ongoing board development - making better decisions.
Do you have a culture of inquiry in your organization? I love the idea of cultivating collective wisdom (which is completely different from "five of us were on the board 10 years ago and we tried that and it didn't work"). I'm also a big fan of not wasting people's time, so anything that contributes to a more productive meeting is worth a look. And really, aren't we doing this so we can make great decisions for our organizations? Great decisions are more than checking boxes. So to me, these lists are a good tool for gut-checking. Ask yourself these before diving into a board meeting. Good luck in the deep end!
|
|
|
DECEMBER 2020 OBSERVANCES AND OCCASIONS
|
|
|
| |
Shout Out to some people who made my life better in November:
MaryJane & Luke Alanko & Bryan Perkins, JudyLynn Archer, Leslie Arnott, Sharon Bell, Rob Bresciani, Tracy Carroll, Pat Darbasie, Janis Dow, Brian Edwards, Tim Essington, Liz Garratt, Carrie Habinski, Wanda Hackney, Roberta Hardern, Helena Hill, Joe Howdle, Dave Hughes, Kim Hunter Lee, Julia Kopala, Pat MacDonald, Kelly McClung, Sherrill McGilvray, Bill & Cindy Mohr, Erin O'Neill, Ernie Paustian, Peter Portlock, Paul Rechner, Trevor Rueger, Lori Schmidt, Sherbrooke Liquor, Jan Streader, Roxann Trouth, Theresa Tsoukalas, Brian Wawryshyn, Elana Jason Reece & Peyton West, Esther West (RIP), Gerry West, Lil West, Jenny Wood Narine, Peter Wood, Rob Wood
"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better. I think that's the single best piece of advice: constantly think about how you could be doing things better and questioning yourself." -- Elon Musk
|
|
|
Wish I'd Said That
"We are all experts in our own little niches." -- Alex Trebek (1940-2020)
"'What did you do in 2020?' will be one of the top questions employers will be asking during your 2021 job search."
-- Cynthia Gracey Dunch, MacEwan University
"Conflict cannot survive without your participation."
-- Wayne Dyer
"Intent is what can make a man succeed when his thoughts tell him that he is defeated." -- Carlos Castaneda
"Ships don't sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don't let what's happening around you get inside you and weigh you down." -- Anonymous
"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories. Some take us forward, they're called dreams." -- Jeremy Irons
|
|
|
Here are a couple of passages from the article The Nietzsche School of Management by John S. McCallum (Ivey Business Journal, Sept-Oct/20). The entire article is a good reminder that we should strive to find our inner Nietzsche when it comes to board and executive decision-making. Here are a couple of quotes:
"When faced with a problem, we all (including executives) prefer quick and easy to complex and nuanced explanations. We especially like explanations that require little effort, immediately relieve the stress and pain we feel because of the problem, and confirm our preconceptions."
"...most of the time when a problem hits, executives have more time than they think they have available to contemplate what actions to take. When under pressure, our brains play tricks, and one of them is the appearance of hyper-urgency, which reinforces our preference for a quick and easy solution. And doing things wrong in the service of urgency ends up costing all concerned more time and often real money. So slow things down..."
Remember, no matter what type of decision you are facing, you probably have time to breathe. Start there and you may discover you have even more time.
|
|
"Don't wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working."
-- Henri Matisse
Have a great December. May your holiday time bring you peace and joy. Don't forget to breathe.
LUE-42 Enterprises #BeKind
* with fond acknowledge to Douglas Adams and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
