Exile on Corona Street, Day 53 (Some Good News edition)

The brave new world continues, although, as previously noted, I do see change coming.  I honestly and sincerely hope that we end up in a better place after the worst of this has concluded.  I mean that in the most macro of senses, as I know that for some, the recovery here will be long and painful.  Think of your local small business that has so far been forced to close.

Here's some of the good that I think will come out of the pandemic:

• Work - A greater appreciation for the value of work, particularly on the front-lines of the economy.  Millionaires and billionaires may be insulated from many of the mundane things of life, but they still need people working at their businesses and supplying the food they ultimately have to eat.  These front-line folks need to be better valued by our economy.
• Compassion - COVID-19 doesn't care if you are an immigrant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim a progressive, or conservative.  At a very basic level neither should you or I.  This whole festering mess proves that we need compassion more than ever.  Speaking of compassion, the video from (former) President George W. Bush is a terrific example of it in the public arena. While I didn't agree with many of his policies, I never doubted for a moment that President Bush is a good man.

  

• Truth - While many of our fellow citizens easily get caught up in various conspiracy theories and "latest thing" YouTube videos, in the end, COVID-19 is pretty much gas-lighting proof.  Even if someone does, for reasons that escape me, believe this whole thing is a hoax, sadly (I will add) the point will come when a friend/family member will come down with the disease.  At that point the conversion back to reality will be complete.
• Healthcare - I honestly hope that on the backside of the current situation will come a renewed discussion about the necessity of universal healthcare in the United States.  We can't be the "greatest nation on Earth" while simultaneously rationing healthcare based upon the ability to pay.  We're better than that, and no one should ever have to declare bankruptcy because they couldn't pay their medical bills.  
• Family - Having families "stuck together" isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I see more families walking together in my small town now than I ever did before.  I hope that continues.
• Small Businesses - Another hope is that people will better appreciate the value of small businesses and do everything they can to support them once the economy opens up.  Shareholders don't care about you and me; your family-owned local hardware store does.

Speaking of good news, actor John Krasinski has been putting on a weekly YouTube show called

SGN (Some Good News).  You can find all of them HERE at his YouTube channel.  The latest installment is noted directly below.

Watching these videos gives me hope for the future.

On a more local level (really as local as it can get, seeing as though the following is pretty much all in my head), having more time at home does have it's ups and downs.  Seeing as though this is the "Some Good News" edition of Exile on Corona Street, here's part of what I've been up to.

• Professional Stuff - Not much I want to report here, other than I'm working the whole job search endeavor.  Eventually, there will be some good news.
• Learning - I've been fascinated by the whole Sovereign Citizen movement, so I've spent a few hours learning about the beliefs of this sub-set of our collective culture.  This includes listening to courtroom records of Sovereign Citizens during hearings and trials.  The fervency of these individuals reminds me a lot of Scientology (something else I've studied over the years), all be it without the organizational structure and Hollywood celebrities.  
• Home (Inside) - I finally got around to organizing an odd lot of old documents.  I am, admittedly, something of an organization nut; I have 30 years of my professional life organized into binders, as well as personal financial and other things.  In an odd sort of way it makes me feel better.  I'll also confess to being probably in that 1% of adult males who actually has his own scrapbook.
• Home (Outside) - There has been some planting already, including two honeysuckle plants in our backyard that, in a year or so, will hopefully make the space smell really, really nice.  We're also working on having our rear parking area re-graveled, we're planting a small garden this year and I am finishing the last section of covering for our front porch.  One of these days I need to organize the garage.
• Technology - Given the fact that remote work will likely be a thing for many in the months and years to come, I've upgraded some of my home office technology.  This includes adding a dual-monitor set-up, an HD webcam, and a Blue Nessie microphone, which we will be testing during a Zoom meeting tomorrow morning.  I've also finally gotten around to installing an exterior digital antenna for my office television.  So far I'm only getting 5 local stations (2 WNEP, 3 WVIA), but I've set it up so that I can re-locate it for better reception.  

There are other things going on as well, but at this stage, the above is enough.  Hopefully any and everyone reading this is also using their new-found home time to make some improvements...of their residence, intellect, etc.

On that note, I'm going to call this posting concluded.  Please do be careful out there.

Leadership and Not Being Horrible

A friend of mine(1) recently shared on social media a bit of writing entitled The Church of Not Being Horrible by a gentleman named John Pavlovitz.  It's a nice read, and we can all use a bit less horrible in our lives these days.

The article also reminded me of something I've been working on for a while now, something that I really do need to finish one of these days.  That something is to more clearly define my own personal leadership philosophy.  I put a few minutes into it every now and then, but post some other things coming up in the next few weeks I'm going to really work on calling it more or less complete.

Anyway, at the center of my nascent leadership philosophy is a simple idea:

Be a decent human being.

Yes, I firmly believe that leaders, more so than anyone else in an organization, and regardless of who and what they lead, have a special obligation to be decent human being before anything else.

This doesn't mean that, for example, as a leader, you don't make tough decisions.  A leader can make tough and unpopular decisions, but still, do it in a way that holds to the spirit of being a decent human being.

Have to let someone who is performing poorly go?  Do it in a way that exemplifies being a decent human being.  That means, for example, making sure that the employee in question has been given ample opportunities to improve their performance.  That means that you have provided clear and concise feedback about what needs to be improved.  And you specifically ask them why they are not adequately performing.  That means when it's time to give someone their notice, you don't outsource the deed to anyone else, including Human Resources.

Have to reduce staff/lay someone who works for you off?  Be a decent human being and do it in person.  Explain the reasons behind the decision.  Show kindness and compassion.  Offer every opportunity available to you to help the employee find a new job (either in the company or externally).  Be fully present and accept responsibility for the decision, even if it wasn't yours entirely to make.  Accept the shock, anger and perhaps sorrow the person may be feeling(2) and demonstrate nothing but empathy in return.  Being a decent human being means that you don't "dump and run".

Dealing with a lot of change in your team/organization/company?  Being a decent human being means that you go out of your way to make yourself available to answer questions(3), even if you don't have all the answers.  It means that you have an information sharing switch that defaults to "share" unless there is a compelling business reason to do the opposite.  It means that you make dealing with your team's uncertainty a top priority instead of simply hoping it will go away.

Lastly, being a decent human being means that you are as friendly and respectful to the maintenance staff, cafeteria workers and all those others who serve you as you are to executives you want to impress.  Put another way, if you know the name of the highest ranking person in your organization but not the name of the person you see every day that empties your trash, well, I'm sorry but you're not succeeding in the "being a decent human being" arena.

By the way, if you think this is so simple that it doesn't need to be said, well, I'd say in return that you're not working in a typical organization these days.  As noted above, there's a lot of horrible going on.  This is difficult stuff, and I openly admit that I fail sometimes to be a truly decent human being.  That noted I do have one thing going for me:  I do keep trying (to be a decent human being).







(1) Michele; you can find her blog HERE.  You can find out more about her business HERE.
(2) Even towards you.  Note that they may want nothing to do with you, and that's their choice.  Your choice, however, is to be a decent human being.
(3) As opposed to avoiding questions.