Lead Them

By Example

Half of my staff was graduating. They were leaving. I had hired them and had trained them. I had worked with them and supervised them for over 2 years. They were more than my staff, they had become dear friends. I was not having an easy time saying goodbye. Then, a few days ago, I received this picture from one of my former students. I was so touched that these three, once strangers, had become so close that they had their names stamped on a "graduation brick" together.  It got me thinking. And as a result, you now have this post to read!

We have all had "that" job. The one where you look at your boss and think, how did you get here? The one you look at and say, what do you even mean by that? You wonder why small things are a BIG deal and why BIG things are ignored. If you haven't had any of these questions before then you fall into one of two groups of adults: you have never worked -or- you have been blessed to have the best job with the best boss with the best business process ever. If either of those are you, I offer my congratulations. Sincerely. Not even jealous. 

For the rest of us worker bees out there I probably haven't even touched your emotional tip of this iceberg. High volume, expectations of perfection, political correctness, low budgets, and unpaid overtime all feed the monster that has become the American workplace. So what do you do as a supervisor when you are thrown into the mess and asked to make sense of it all? 

I remember sitting in my 1/2 cubicle- nope, not even a full one folks- after a recent promotion asking myself that very same question. I knew more responsibility, longer hours, and an increased staff size was headed my way as soon as HR processed my forms. And I knew HR could make it all go quick if they wanted to. Like same day quick. So, I put on my game face and decided to start thinking small. Really, really small. I am not a genius boss lady and I don't have all the answers, so don't even waste your time going there with your thoughts in thinking that I think that I could run a major company without a problem. I'm only twenty-something. I understand there is a whole lot left to be learned. It's just that over the past two years I have had the privilege of seeing first hand, how thinking small (in a world where we are always forced to think BIG) makes all the difference. And so I wanted to share with you!

Thinking small is the key. As a supervisor you must find the time in your busy day to think of people as people. Shocking right? Contrary to popular belief, I believe that the workforce is made up of moms who maybe want to be a mom, husbands who maybe want to be home for dinner, and young adults who maybe look to network and grow professionally "outside" of the office. With this belief in mind I set out on a quest to get to know my staff. Another shocker, right? I let them each make a list of places in North Florida they wanted to visit, places they wanted to eat, evenings or weekends that they had available and then we made it happen. Events weren't mandatory, and I never expected everyone to make it. It was amazing to see how only a few showed up to our first go at it, and then a few more to our next, and then the whole staff to the next! From Rattlesnake Roundup to dinner at BurgerFi to Painting with a Twist we CHOSE to have a blast together at least once a month (at least I hope they had a blast!). These events allowed me to see how my staff interacted with each other and helped me to learn about their dreams and goals. None of which were to stay working with my section in the long run. And you know what, that was just fine with me. They knew I was just thankful to have them for as long as they would give me. And so far, each one of them has given me more time than I ever expected!

Thinking small is the key. Every four months I make the time to meet with my staff personally in a 1on1 setting. We leave the office and go for a walk normally ending up at Starbucks, my treat. This is a purposeful hour of my 1on1 undivided attention where questions about work and life can be asked. Honest conversation is had. Disappointments are shared. And some really good suggestions about how I should be running things better have been provided. I get to offer my honest feedback about my expectations, about their achievements, and about their failures. It is something I look forward to all 4 months long- every 4 months. These times have been so precious to me and have given such invaluable insight into the nitty gritty of what makes the BIG picture in my section work so seamlessly. I take what they say seriously and they know I will take what they say seriously. 

Thinking small is the key. You cannot just bust out with a great big idea and expect others to fall at your feet in awe. BIG ideas start small. They start with the invaluable insight gained from a trusted staff and grow through research into a display that cannot be argued. It can still be ignored, but not argued - and those are two very different things. The goal is to make your staff members feel valued. No one likes to work in an atmosphere of invalue. Even if you can't find the money to give them, a raise or a bonus, or even a free-be day off- you can make them feel valued. A staff that feels valued will be there to support you, even when no one else does. It is truly an amazing feeling! 

If you refuse to think small you will suffer BIG. I watch it happen every day. Although you may not be able to control the world around you, the expectations set on you, or the work load provided to your desk, you can choose to create the best staff possible. At the end of the day, I know I can trust my team to do what I ask them to do. They are simply awesome, and I know I would have crumpled a long, long time ago without their support and hard work. I can only hope that I given them as much insight as they have given me. Congrats to my Class of 2014! 

A Basket of Sunshine

Put a Flower In It

This may make me sound like a grandma, but I am a firm believer that there is nothing a flower can't fix. Seriously! Put a flower in a vase, a flower in your hair, a flower in a basket, a flower every where! So naturally, when I couldn't think of what to buy my mom for her birthday, I defaulted to the one thing I know would make her happiest. Flowers.Clearly I am my mother's daughter.

There were two very empty hooks on my mom's front porch and my life's goal became fixed on filling those empty hooks with some sunshine. I started off and ended my journey for this sunshine at the local nursery, Tallahassee Nursery. I was able to pick up two wire baskets with liners and chain hooks for $15 a piece.

Next up- flower filling time! I selected some tall greenery for the back and a cascading white flower for the front. For fillers I went with two of this season's most popular fashion colors, purple and peach. The combo was just fabulous, and I couldn't pass them up. These baskets were to hold just the right amount of pop and class all at the same time.

After a safe ride home in their perspective containers, permanent assembly in the driveway began. I grabbed a good pair of garden gloves, a trusty shovel, and a watering can... voila! Like magic, I had some pretty awesome birthday presents ready for hanging. Part of the birthday gift is that I will be the one to remember their watering and weeding. Now that is true love my friends!

Next time, you are wondering what to do, or give, or make for a dear friend or family member- don't forget that gifts that keep giving are always the best. Tap into your stored knowledge of what they love and why. Then think of a local shop/store etc where your materials can be purchased (say yes to local!!) and get to work! You will be proud of your accomplishment and your receiver will be proud of their gift. It is a total win win situation.