Today’s food for thought and inspiration validates the power of having FUN at Work!

This week I picked up the book A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink.

Now I admit I am only on Chapter Six of Nine but I will tell you that Pink “had me at hello” when I read the premise for this work.

In the book Pink details his views that in the future:

There are six essential aptitudes—“the six senses”— on which professional success and personal satisfaction increasingly will depend: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play and Meaning.

He then goes on to share that:

The capabilities we once disdained or thought frivolous — the “right brain” qualities of inventiveness, empathy, joyfulness and meaning — increasingly will determine who flourishes and who flounders.

For individuals, families and organizations, professional success and personal fulfillment now require a whole new mind.

Hmmm… I thought to myself, as I nodded in agreement while reading on a flight to Atlanta, the capabilities detailed above did not feel all that “new” to me. I reluctantly put the book aside once I landed and went about the business of doing business at my client meetings. All went well as we finished the day and prepared to head to dinner.

Now, I must admit, I had been looking forward to this particular business trip for some time and it wasn’t just because of the project my consulting firm was taking on.

I was also looking forward to reconnecting with a number of my favorite former colleagues from Spherion who all lived in or were visiting the Atlanta area at the same time at both a dinner on Thursday night…


…. as well as a breakfast gathering on Friday morning …


Laughter was abundant during our time together as we told stories and shared memories of all the FUN we all had working together. As I flew home Friday afternoon I found myself laughing at the thought of something someone said or did while we were together and the memories that were still so special and magical for me.

I also couldn’t help but think of all the special friends I worked with and shared a laugh with over the years who were not in attendance and who, I am certain, would have added to the FUN if they HAD been able to attend and then I picked up my book and hit Chapter Three.

In Chapter Three Pink shares thoughts courtesy of Daniel Goleman, the author of the groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence that:

… more important than a leaders IQ as a determination of his/her success is his/her EQ (Emotional Intelligence) partially defined as “high-touch abilities” like “imagination, joyfulness, and social dexterity”.

In fact Pink goes on to reference a study regarding effective leadership by Goleman and the Hay Group that found that:

… within organizations the most effective leaders were funny (that is funny ha-ha, not funny strange). These leaders had their charges laughing three times more often than their managerial counterparts.

“Nothing NEW about this for me...” I thought to myself as I remembered those I had just left behind as we celebrated the good times we shared together but GREAT validation that one of my favorite bits of Butcher’s Wisdom…


… was as on the money today as it was in those early years of my career.

I do know however that I have my work cut out for me as an Executive Coach and Organizational Development Consultant because I will tell you that leaders who encourage laughter at work are not as abundant as what I had come to know growing up in the staffing industry or “the people business” as my Dad would always call it.

Many thanks to Daniel Pink and his book A Whole New Mind for reminding me that no matter where you lead you are leading people and as a result we are ALL in the people business… and people my friends… love to laugh… I know I sure do.

To all my Spherion friends attending this past weeks gatherings and those who were only there in my heart… looks like we were ahead of our time not only in the way we led… but the way we LAUGHED!

Cheers!

Mary

On this Sunday Eve as so many of us prepare to send our "babies" Back to School I share the following food for thought courtesy of my friend Jane.

Last year just before my first born son Chase went off to college I struggled with finding the words to express all the feelings I had about our "last summer" together and the emotional rollercoaster ride I was on as a result of his eminent College "send off". I honestly had no idea how I would cope after he was gone.

Jane listened to me for a bit nodding knowingly as she had been there two times before me and she assured me that everything was indeed going to be ok. She shared her thoughts that as hard as it was to send her first born son Jack off to USC the son who returned to her that following summer was better for having gone, as was she.

"You will be fine" she said "and more importantly so will he" and when we left each other she gave me a hug and a CD that she said helped her put her feelings at that time into perspective.
I remember driving home from our lunch together listening to the CD thinking that I was not quite sure I would ever be "fine" again as she suggested but I knew that I had found a kindred spirit in Donna the Mother I met that day courtesy of Jane & NPR.

If you too would like to meet her and her son Charlie click on the following link: NPR "Back to School" Radio Program  .

Now... one year later as I prepare to send my oldest off for year two at Mizzou and my baby boy off to his last year in high school I can honestly say she was right.

I know that doesn't make it any easier for all of those I spoke with this week where I played the part of the seasoned survivor to so many of my friends and relatives who shared a tear or two as they prepared themselves for college, high school and even kindergarten "send offs".

I dedicate this "Back to School" Blog Spot to all of you as well as my assurance that eventually you too will be "just fine" and so will your "babies".

The First Day Of School

I

My child and I hold hands on the way to school,

And when I leave him at the first-grade door

He cries a little but is brave; he does

Let go. My selfish tears remind me how

I cried before that door a life ago.

I may have had a hard time letting go.

Each fall the children must endure together

What every child also endures alone:

Learning the alphabet, the integers,

Three dozen bits and pieces of a stuff

So arbitrary, so peremptory,

That worlds invisible and visible

Bow down before it, as in Joseph's dream

The sheaves bowed down and then the stars bowed down

Before the dreaming of a little boy.

That dream got him such hatred of his brothers

As cost the greater part of life to mend,

And yet great kindness came of it in the end.


II

A school is where they grind the grain of thought,

And grind the children who must mind the thought.

It may be those two grindings are but one,

As from the alphabet come Shakespeare's Plays,

As from the integers comes Euler's Law,

As from the whole, inseparably, the lives,

The shrunken lives that have not been set free

By law or by poetic phantasy.

But may they be. My child has disappeared

Behind the schoolroom door. And should I live

To see his coming forth, a life away,

I know my hope, but do not know its form

Nor hope to know it. May the fathers he finds

Among his teachers have a care of him

More than his father could. How that will look

I do not know, I do not need to know.

Even our tears belong to ritual.

But may great kindness come of it in the end.

                                 - by Howard Nemerov

Just got back from a Colorado get away... so BEAUTIFUL and cool compared to KC where from what I understand it has been 100 degrees plus all week. What a great escape!

Scott and I had the BEST time rafting on the Arkansas River with the boys and one of their best pals Jackson...

Nick, Jackson, Me, Scott & Chase

... and then to add to the fun on the way home I did a speech yesterday in Manhattan Kansas at Kansas State University (my under graduate alma mater).

I still can't believe that 30 years after my "graduation" from KSU I was back on campus sharing stories of the type of work ethic and wisdom I learned to appreciate while growing up watching my favorite teacher, my Father the Butcher, and the example he set for our family that ...


After all the headlines this week about what an "inspiration" an unhappy, spoiled, cranky and "overworked" flight attendant has become to many because he blew off his job, his employers and his customers I felt the need to share a story of our new pal Angel (pronounced AHN-hell).

For me... the Butcher's Daughter... Angel is living proof that GREAT people working hard each and every day making positive choices and treating their customers with humor, dignity and respect when they "act out" is where true inspiration comes from.

People often share their thoughts with me that the kind of work ethic and customer service attitude I learned from my Dad is dead... "Those were the good old days" they say. "Not so" I often reply and share stories of workforce heroes I see in action all the time... from David Vogt my trash man and "the happiest man I know" to my Pals at the UPS Store who ship my books out for me at a moment’s notice with no complaints. This ... I think we should all celebrate the REAL WORKFORCE HEROES when we see them.

That is why TODAY I ask you to join me in CELEBRATING Angel for the kind of leadership example he sets each and every day!

We met Angel at breakfast in our hotel the first morning of our get away and his smile and welcoming manner caught my attention straight away. The fact that he responded with concern then laughter after an embarrassed Nick had a bit of a choking episode when his chocolate milk went down the wrong way and Angel ended up sprayed with the brown liquid all over his clothes he sealed the deal that he was one of my new workforce heroes.

Oh but the story does not end there... the following morning when we came down for breakfast he welcomed us back and smiled at Nick while asking "Can I get you a big glass of chocolate milk this morning?" and we all laughed out loud.

BUT the REAL lesson Angel taught us all did not come from our breakfast interactions at our hotel. The real learning came from our chance meeting at dinner our last night in town.

While walking to our table at a beautiful Italian Restaurant in Avon we were all surprised and delighted when Angel walked up to our table and announced himself as our waiter for the evening. We all laughed when he asked for our drink orders and looked straight at Nick.

"What fun that you are here Angel" I commented "but when do you have time for you?" I asked. "You must be very busy working two jobs" I added.

"Oh no maam," he replied "I work THREE jobs... when I leave the hotel I go straight to my job cleaning a dentist's office before I come here to serve the dinner crowd." He then went on to share, "It's expensive living here in this beautiful place and I need to work the three jobs to keep up but I don't mind it's fun meeting people like all of you and I really enjoy the work I do and so appreciate the opportunity to live where I live."


OK... after that last exchange I have to admit I thought that Angel really was an angel sent here to help me teach my boys that the "good old-fashioned work ethic and attitude" that I talk about so often really isn't a thing of the past and that we can all learn from the examples surrounding us each and every day.

So... here's to Angel and David and my UPS Pals THANK YOU all for teaching us by your example and to all of us fortunate enough to come in to contact with these WORKFORCE HEROES let's remember Dad's advice that we should always try to...

Phoebe and Mac and I-Contact?

So... who are Phoebe and Mac you may ask and what do I mean by "I-Contact"?

Phoebe & Mac are both students getting ready to head back to school after working as interns for the "Butcher Block Exchange Social Media Summer Project" and at the age of 18 they have taught me some powerful lessons about myself and how I can and should redefine my personal definition of "I-Contact" in order to stay current in the world I live in and work in today.

Let me explain... In 2007 I wrote the article below that was published in the Kansas City Star business section titled "How to Make I-Contact".

Making Business Personal: How to Make I-Contact

By Mary Bichelmeyer Lucas

Current Day: Companies continue to “drill down” and “defrag” to find business solutions. This is an era where we talk “offline” and dine “al desko” when pressed for time at work. Here’s another overly used, contemporary phrase to sum it all up: Get real already.

1946: The year John Bichelmeyer opened the doors to his Kansas City, KS meat market and began showing the business world how to do things the right way. He never wrote a best seller or earned his MBA, but for the next six decades, this butcher served as a timeless example of what works – and what doesn’t – in business.

His common sense philosophies remain a blueprint for success even in today’s more complex business economy. Though he’s gone now, this man’s simple approach and quietly elegant advice resonates across all segments of industry.

Let’s take stock of what’s really important in business, something John Bichelmeyer understood intuitively:

People do business with people. People do not do business with PCs, phone systems, or email.

Companies are not “things.” Companies are people working toward a shared goal. That my friends makes business very, very personal.

Yet somehow business forgets that critical point when it insists on “streamlining” or “seeking efficiencies” in acquiring more workplace techno-gizmos. Business intentionally places obstacles in the way of engaging one-on-one with other people – with each other in the workplace, and with their next customer! Why?

American business has become a culture of workers hiding behind computer desks and automated telecom attendants. Even the sales function, typified by one-on-one buyer and seller interaction, has morphed the process into the push of a keypad. Cars, books, vacations – you name it. Just click here and the item is added to your computerized shopping cart for checkout.

People frequently speak of “the good old days.” What was so different back then? Chances are, the good old days equates to specific interactions with people. When a handshake was as good as a signed contract. When the milkman came to the back door on Thursdays. When the school bus driver knew your name and that you lived in the blue house second from the corner. When your dad’s boss came home for dinner and your mom pulled out the “good” dishes. When you “charged” something at the local butcher shop, and John Bichelmeyer knew you’d be in to pay the bill at the end of the month.

Where did those frequent human “touch points” go? Why did we stop interacting with each other? Who will lead the parade in the other direction?

Business can -- and should. Here’s how:

Companies must learn to re-engage with people, both their own internal human resources and their external customers. Organizations must learn to balance human processes with technology tools in order to fill the widening chasm of depersonalization. Good old common sense must stand alongside marketplace efficiency tools to create opportunities and resolve problems.

Seldom does a computer report solve an operations problem with quite the sensitivity of a live person. Conversations with a desktop virtual assistant are almost always one-sided. And rarely does a laptop smile and say thank you when wrapping up a good day’s work.

What’s missing, of course, is the human connection. People energy.

John Bichelmeyer, the Kansas City, KS butcher, understood this all along, which is why his butcher shop thrived. Third generation customers still shop there today because he placed high value in other people. His trade was meat cutting, but his real gift was his people skills.

True company assets are human beings. Let’s bring “I-contact” back to the workplace.

 

Note to self: "I need to "Get real already".

Although I still stand firm in my belief that "human connection" and can never be completely replaced by social networking I now realize that there IS a lot of "people energy" created virtually and that the parade IS being lead in a direction where there IS great value and that if I don't join in this parade it may just pass me by!

This summer thanks to Phoebe & Mac I learned a thing or two that helped me combine the old world and the new and answer my own questions... "Where did those frequent human 'touch points' go? Why did we stop interacting with each other? Who will lead the parade in the other direction?"

So... where did those 'touch points' go?

Well, thanks to my brilliant summer interns below are a few of the 'virtual touch points' I am now involved in all focused on showing the world that there are still plenty of people out there that believe in the power of positive messaging.

1. BLOG: The Butcher Block Exchange. This blog is meant to continue the legacy left by my Dad, John Bichelmeyer, the inspiration for Lunchmeat and Life Lessons. Check the blog often at http://thebutcherblockexchange.blogspot.com/ for inspirational and thought-provoking entries and when you do please sign up as a "Follower" on the bottom right!

2. FACEBOOK: If you are into Facebook the page for The Butcher Block Exchange, can found at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Butcher-Block-Exchange/113639718682917?ref=ts A continuation of the blog on Facebook. Please click on "Like" it!

3. LINKED IN: If you are already on LinkedIn look up the Group “The Butcher Block Exchange” http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3160792 and click on “Join Group” to follow the fun!

When we kicked off this project our collective goal was to have a documented following built at each of these channels by the end of the summer interested in sharing in an exchange of positive “Food for Thought & Inspiration”.

So how did we do?

Well... at the risk of tooting my own horn I’d say that thanks to all of you reading this and most of all to Phoebe & Mac although I am not quite ready to LEAD the social media parade (still not tweeting) I have figured out some ways to virtually bring back the "I-Contact".

Cheers!

P.S. Pheebs & Mac this bit of Butcher’s Wisdom is dedicated to you... once again THANK YOU!

Hi all... Remember me? Well, I am BACK!

I can’t believe it is the FIRST week in August and I have been MIA on all social media since mid July!!

Just when I thought I had the blogging, facing, linking and tweeting down I got thrown a curve ball and I found myself living in a world overtaken by ER, CTI, EKG and ICU type medical abbreviations... far from all the social media fun & frenzy!

All is much better now… diagnosis… my 17 year old 6 foot 5 and growing baby boy experienced a spontaneous pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and I (his mother) experienced an enormous sense of gratitude post healing and hospital stay and now I am finally finding myself ready to get back in to the swing of things.

To be honest I really could of (and should of) been back in the game before now but for some reason (maybe it was my attitude of gratitude) I find myself focusing on everything BUT the blogging, facing, linking and tweeting lately... almost like I have been playing the part of Ferris Bueller in my own life (remember Ferris Bueller?) !

"Bueller?? Bueller?? Anybody... Bueller?? Bueller??"

Well, as my Dad would say when you get off track don't waste time making excuses, best thing you can do to get back on track is to:



So with this posting I am doing just that... I am raising my hand (and my glass since I am of age now) and announcing to all that Bueller might not be back on the block but I sure am and I am looking forward to sharing some more food for thought and inspiration with all of you in the very near future!


Cheers!