“Technology harnesses and amplifies ideas.” - Thaniya Keereepart, mobile strategist for TED
Honest feedback, delivered with good intention, is an absolute gift. It is hard to give. It requires a sacrifice of pride, poise, and position. It often requires speaking truth to power, which can be difficult and vulnerable. But there is a spectrum of feedback that might require different approaches.
Telling someone they have “spinach in their teeth” is one end of the spectrum. The bolder of us might even point that out to a stranger, but many of us struggle to do this with our own friends, family, and co-workers. We figure they will eventually figure it out. This is a problem we all have faced, we are always thankful for the quiet aside that helps us fix it, and yet we sometimes don’t offer the same courtesy to others. This is an example of feedback that people are generally happy to hear, from someone they know and trust, as it saves them from embarrassment with others.
The other end of the spectrum is telling someone that their “baby is ugly.” Maybe not their literal baby, but perhaps their pet project at work, their big idea, or their latest obsession. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone something they will be ungrateful to hear. They might not understand. They will likely question your motivations. The feedback might fall on deaf ears or, worse, backfire. We have all heard those cautionary tales of whistle-blowers being fired, but in most cases it isn’t that dramatic, but can still feel vulnerable.
So, how do you approach giving feedback along this spectrum? I find it always useful to preface your message with a reminder that you like them and want the best for them. The spinach in the teeth might only require an “I figured you’d want to know” to start a conversation. A bigger, more emotionally tinged, situation might require you to tell them that you care about them and the company and that is what is prompting the feedback.
Always go to the person directly first. In a personal way, like face-to-face or over the phone is best. Emails or text messages are often taken harshly or misinterpreted, but that can work as well depending on the relationship. Feedback like this should never be given publicly, as that makes everything worse.
What kind of feedback have you given and what have you learned about doing it well?
This article was originally published by the Technology Association of Oregon.
It used to be when someone asked for your address, they meant your street address. I know, it sounds funny now, because it is much more likely that we exchange email addresses today, or perhaps our social handles. And sometimes we are in the same place, without sharing addresses at all. I have “friends” (or are they “followers”?) on Pinterest because they were suggested based on our affinity for ridiculous shoes or fabric art (or at least that is what I assume about the algorithms that brought us together). We are now residents of the digital landscape and we might not know our own address.
This got me thinking of the implications of this to other elements of our work. If co-workers in far-flung parts of the globe use the same ERP system, website, salesforce automation tools, and data warehouse, is it like we are co-located in a single office? How does our citizenship in the digital landscape affect who we consider our “first team” (to use the language of Patrick Lencioni)? The people we might be interacting with the most (in terms of pushing and pulling information or internal customers of our work product) might be people we don’t know personally, but interact in a brokered matter through these systems.
So, both in our personal and work life it might become increasingly difficult to know our neighbors. It could be that software designers, using human design principles, might be responsible for how human and how humane, we are to each other in the future.
Why doesn’t Taco Bell, with their expansive supply chain and access to Pepsico’s resources, create an upscale Mexican food chain? Like Honda has Acura and Toyota has Lexus. They could start the first non-GMO, vegan friendly, gluten-free Mexican food chain in the country – which would be very on-trend and popular in Portland.
Read more about companies can take inspiration from other industries to grow their businesses. Download the free eBook “The Payoff of Paying Attention”.
A lot has been written about biomimicry and the inspiration that product designers get from studying nature — the skeletal structure of a flying squirrel informing the design of drones or the layered butterfly wing to help create optical coatings for displays. But I have recently been thinking about how interpersonal relationships also mimic the animal world (beyond the fact that homo sapiens are technically animals). In our business relationships, especially in our teamwork where conflict is common, how do we resemble members of the animal kingdom? Specifically, I’ve identified the five most common animal defense systems that I’ve seen in the workplace (including my own) to help identify defense triggers. By better understanding ourselves and each other, we can better react to perceived threats and leverage our natural abilities to overcome conflicts and work better as a team.
I’ll start with the disclaimer that these animal analogies are not flattering. Just like the circumstances in the wild that trigger defense mechanisms, life and teamwork can be messy. They are meant to elicit some introspection and a renewed commitment to conflict resolution so each team member can bring their strengths and work together.
Cobra: I recognize that I often act as a cobra. This snake is well known for the flare up — when threatened, it can rise up and make itself look bigger to scare away would-be predators. In our relationships, this shows up as verbal defensiveness and a posture change. In a business setting, people who mimic cobras often change their posture stand and speak loudly to exude confidence, and often interrupt others. Their emphatic statements might be so persuasive they parade as facts. At their best, they provide passion, clarity and a sense of mission to their team. At their worst, they can be bullies or manipulators. They do all of this in order to put the idea forward more aggressively when others object, and can become dogmatic.
If you are a cobra: When you feel like you need to be bigger, louder, or more aggressive, consider instead the power of gentle persuasion and the need to listen completely to the other side before reacting out of impulse.
If you are working with a cobra: As a cobra, I respond well when teammates push back with new data points and different perspectives. I would encourage colleagues not to let the scary hood or confidence dissuade them from presenting an alternative views. Cobras can be poor (or incomplete) listeners and need people to tell them the truth and help them refine their gut feelings (which trigger the defense mechanism) to help others see their perspective without feeling threatened.
Turtle: The turtle has been immortalized in folk tales as a slow-moving, methodical animal. An animal who wears his defense mechanism on his sleeve, literally. When threatened, the plodding animal gives up any forward progress, to recess into his shell and hide until the threat has passed. I have seen this pattern many times in my colleagues or team mates, a slow-and-steady person, who only agreed to change on a step-by-step basis and will retreat into their shells until everyone can just agree and get along. As turtles don’t need facts to retreat into their shells, they might not even be able to articulate in words what threat is perceived and what might result from the threat. At their best, they provide a comprehensive, well thought out plan and long term direction. At their worst, turtles procrastinate deadlines and decisions, which stalls progress and can delay results.
If you are a turtle: When you feel the temptation to retreat, assess the real threat. Consider the consequences of the worst case scenario and the benefits and drawbacks of making a change. Consider talking to someone who has a bolder approach for their advice. The goal is to determine if there is a way to step out of your comfort zone and start the changing process, or if the threats must be resolved before you leave your shell.
If you are working with a turtle: I have found communication to be key to effectively team with a turtle. It is important to be proactive with the turtle before the defense mechanism is triggered by a complaint or concern. Break down the larger projects and priorities into their pieces, showing the step-by-step processes and how to mitigate risk along the way. Clearly outline roles, responsibilities and decision makers so the turtle knows who to connect with if questions and or suggestions arise.
Electric Eel: The electric eel is ready with 600 volts of electricity to dole out to any would-be predator. There is no negotiation or posturing. There is no hiding. There is only attack. I have certainly worked with many eels. Eels are sharp — armed with data, analysis, and opinion, the eel can unload on anyone who disagrees with them with a current of logical arguments and justifications. They can have a tendency to belittle others, leaving them writhing on the ground after an encounter. At their best, eels are knowledgeable and persuasive. At their worst, they use the threat of retaliation as a deterrent to keep people from disagreeing with them, often unwittingly. Gliding along in their own “everyone agrees with me world,” they may not know that people are not being honest with them or alerting them to potential issues.
If you are an eel: I would encourage you to balance your initial approach with a committed desire for long-term relationship. Think about the person, not just the power you have. You might win the argument with a co-worker and force others into submission, but that isn’t good teamwork. Remember that the focus of your energy should be positive encouragement, not disparaging comments. Make sure you wield data, not shame.
If you work with an eel: Make sure you do your homework. Know your stuff and be prepared for a sting. Dig into the data with them, which might help get the eel on the same side of the negotiating table with you, rather than see themselves in an adversarial role. And if you get stung, there are several approaches to take, but the one that will lead to the most respect is to stand up for yourself. It may be extremely hard, but the bravery it takes to say “that’s not okay” and “here is how you should have responded,” can take the amperage out and put you back at a power parity with your eel colleague.
Sea Cucumber: This very strange animal has an unusual defense mechanism: it surrenders. The highly pliable organism can break itself into pieces, sacrificing body parts (including organs) to a predator until the predator is preoccupied and the sea cucumber (or what is left of it) can get way. It wants to end the conflict as soon as possible and retreat to where it can heal. In the workplace, these are often the soft spoken colleagues who are less likely to take a contrary (and never a combative) view with the group. They are eager to please and just want everyone to get along and mind their own. The problem with this approach is that their valuable perspectives are never shared, which does harm the team and empowers more aggressive colleagues. At their best, their empathy and willingness to pitch in can help the team complete tasks. At their worst, they can be an easy target and take the brunt of bullying.
If you are a sea cucumber: Think about how you can best engage and give your ideas without having to sacrifice yourself. Have confidence that the team deserves your participation. Also, consider that the relative costs of speaking up in the moment is more effective and valuable than having to nurse wounds or regrow body parts later.
If you work with a sea cucumber: I find speaking with reclusive teammates is most beneficial in a 1:1 or smaller setting. If I see that a colleague has taken a brunt of tension-filled meeting and not spoken up, I try to draw them out of their tendency of self-sacrifice to encourage them communicate their ideas and perspectives.
Grizzly Bears: One of the few animals with no natural-born predators, I think we can all learn from the grizzly bears to be a more effective team. Unarmed, even a clever human can’t beat the bear. She doesn’t have to inflict, hide in the woods, or rise up to scare away people to stay alive, because she is capable of all of those things. She doesn’t have to be defensive, because she has power.
How we can be more like Grizzly Bears: We shouldn’t lead with our defense mechanisms, those are there to protect us at the expense of others – the exact opposite of teamwork. We should strive to be our true, higher selves by using our defenses for good so the best ideas come to the forefront.
By recognizing our own biomimicry characteristics, we can combine our natural strengths to harness the confidence of the cobra, the thoughtfulness of the turtle, the healing powers of the sea cucumber, and the knowledge of the eel. By leveraging our defensive tendencies into powerful tools, we can be a team of grizzly bears — working together to influence others, to excite change, to achieve greatness.
This article was originally published by Talent Culture.
"It's the last two percent of a job that ensures your successful completion of the project." - Art Gensler
I had a fascinating discussion the other day with someone from Jawbone about the differences between data sources. Jawbone and many others allow you to count steps using an instrument in a device. It’s a sensor. The data, within a few degrees, is accurate. It can be tallied, analyzed, and predicted.
On the other hand, food journaling is a reporting exercise. Many apps allow you to jot down what you have eaten and when. Either with manual entry or database look-up the nutritional content can be tabulated. But it’s prone with human error and ego. Not all sugary snacks get recorded. Whole days and weeks can be missed in the data stream. This is exactly a problem that faces all self-reported data that the healthcare industry has faced for years. People lie. To themselves. To their doctors. And now, to their devices.
So, is there a way that we could sensor things that were once reported? Patients who have pacemaker/defibrillators don’t have to report their heart rate or even their level of activity. Their device does it for them by monitoring their heart from the inside. An insulin pump doesn’t require a pricked finger in a blood sugar test. It notes the change and dispenses the intervention automatically. But those with chronic, life-threatening diseases like heart failure or diabetes will accept these invasive sensors. But what about the average person just wanting to improve their life and health?
Would you, as a consumer, sign up for a ring or bracelet that tracks your heart rate so you don’t have to record your exercise? I think the answer is “yes,” due to the broad adoption of FitBit, Apple iWatch, Jawbone, Polar, and other such devices.
Would you sign up for blood sugar monitoring (if it could be done without drawing blood), so you didn’t have to register your food and you could enjoy personalized recommendations and recipes that might give you what your body needed next?
Would you sign up for a virtual assistant that would block your calendar and tell you to get up and walk in the middle of the day?
What would you be willing to sensor to avoid reporting and to gain the benefits of the data?
What if there was a real life “bull**** meter”? I’m imagining a browser plug-in that would rate the credibility of website claims by searching for the authority of the site and author, the propositions and data in the excerpt (comparing it to other credible sources online). There could also be a crowd-sourced element where individuals (with their own authority ratings) would comment on and rate the claim. It could give back a credibility rating score that people could look at. If all the reviews of a product were by employees, the credibility of the testimonial would be low. If a number of leading data scientists agree to the recidivism rate in Orange County, then it would have a high score. It would help people navigate the world of internet information overload and make sense of their world. It might also elevate the dialogue around critical issues beyond the sound byte by aggregating sound bytes (in big data fashion) to provide better and more predictive patterns.
Someone should do this. And tell me about it. You’re welcome.
"Life is not what happened to you, but what happened for you." - Timber Jim Serrill
To learn more about how Google is addressing the two seemingly conflicting problems of bots scanning forms and OCR technology reaching the computer’s limitations. Download the free eBook “The Payoff of Paying Attention”.
I had a neighbor recently diagnosed with breast cancer and as the community has risen up around her to provide her encouragement, gifts, meals, and shuttling-children-to-soccer services, it has got me thinking about tests.
Tests in school are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your mastery (or lack there of) of a subject. Your grade on a well-written test should tell you where you are relative to the standard set by the course and perhaps relative to your peers in the same field of study.
Medical tests are different. They test for the presence of something or the degree of something. Not against some standard (a good score is always 100), but against a backdrop of normal ranges. They can show progress, just like school tests, but interpreting them can be a challenge.
But both type of tests strike fear into our hearts. Being measured is hard. But is it better to avoid the test? Is it ever better not to know?
I certainly am thankful that my friend’s test results indicated that she could take action to rid herself of cancer and she is taking those actions. Had she not had the test, she would not have known to take action and the cancer might have taken her.
And without grades on tests throughout a semester, your grade at the end of the course would be a surprise, and perhaps an unpleasant one. As I was reminded by my children's teachers, tests early in the school year are meant to provide direction and insight. And without constant feedback, you might not know what to focus your study time on and you might not seek out the help or assistance that you need to master a concept or skill.
In marketing, there has been a huge push for measurement and metrics in the past decade. Online advertising has made it possible for even smaller companies or smaller marketing budgets to rely on metrics to help them make investment decisions. Advertising is measured in clicks and conversions. Events can be measured by attendance and a follow-on marketing automation lead nurturing program. Even digital signage can be measured with sensors and cameras to deliver metrics like impressions, dwell time, and even basic demographic information. Goals can be set. Campaigns measured against those goals. The value of the campaign taken all the way from the lead to the sale.
And I have seen marketers both embrace and reject this kind of analysis and the impact it has on their decision making. Some use the metrics to validate experiments, to test variants, and to invest in what has been working. To let the data lead them. Others use it as a source of insight, but choose not to reduce their decision to a scientific equation. To recognize that there are some things that can’t yet be measured. As in medicine and in education, there is both art and science in marketing.
John Wanamaker, the pioneering retail merchant of the turn of the 20th century, is claimed to have said “half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” Despite all the progress, I still feel like that is true. Although I do believe that our probability of success is higher than 50/50 with today’s toolkits, there is still an art to the process of reaching people in a way that affects their thinking and their actions. And throughout, more relevant insight and data can provide confidence. And just like the healing processes in our bodies or in our ability to learn something new, that confidence can make all the difference!
This article was first published on LinkedIn Pulse.
I moderated a panel at the recent SEGD Xlab event in New York City with Jared Ficklin from Argodesign and Darren David from Stimulant. While these designers couldn’t be more different, they agreed on a fundamental idea of human-centered design, whether that be of devices or spaces. Technology should create magicians. It should bestow the users with super powers. They should act and see things changing in their world.
Technology should read their minds. It should make previous hard things easy. It should create conveniences and comforts. It should support their decisions and their goals. It should allow them control of their world and environment.
"Be yourself, but always be your better self." -Karl G. Maeser
The Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) is hosting an auction to benefit STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education programs and it could be your chance to sit down with Jennifer over a glass of wine.
The educational programs play a key role in the sustained growth and stability of the economy and are a critical component to the future success of the Oregon and Southwest Washington technology industry. STEM education creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy, and enables the next generation of innovators. This year TAO announced their first annual Tech Exec Online Auction to benefit the work of STEM education programs Innovate Oregon, iUrbanTeen, Oregon Robotics, and Portland YouthBuilders.
Jennifer Davis is excited to participate in this year's Tech Exec Auction. Beginning today, September 19, through September 22, individuals and companies may place bids to spend time with a local Tech Exec. Jennifer, along with colleague Sam Phenix, Vice President of Research and Development at Planar, a Leyard company, will be offering "Pixels & Pinots" – a tour of the Planar Headquarters office in Beaverton, Oregon and a jaunt around wine country.
Learn more at the TAO Auction Portal.
This month, I presented at the luncheon series for the Portland Chapter of the American Marketing Association (or AMA-PDX). The presentation that I delivered has been reconfigured into an eBook which is now available for free download.
This ebook outlines three approaches for finding inspiration for your business or products in the most unlikely places and shares some case studies. From Charming Charlie retail stores, to the National Basketball Association (NBA), to "So You Think You Can Dance?" on FOX, the stories illustrate how to find new approaches, broaden your perspective, and to make the most out of all of your experiences.
Feel free to share this post and the eBook with others that might be interested. You can tag me on Twitter @jenniferdavis.
In my career, I have been on all sides of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), having led integration efforts for businesses and more recently with my business, Planar, having been acquired by Leyard.
I liken the success of M&As to the work of two experienced dancers coming together for the first time.
Each partner brings his or her own strengths and style of dance, and each partnership creates something new and different.
In the same way, M&As require the participants to learn a new dance, one that takes effort and communication to get it right.
Here are five lessons that the world of dance holds for successful M&As:
1. The choreography sets the pace
It’s important to know what dance is expected. The foxtrot, the tango, and hip-hop are all different and require different moves and skills, so it’s critical to understand what to prepare before the music begins.
In the same way, a successful acquisition requires integration planning to ensure that everyone is prepared for what lies ahead.
Knowing the dance is one thing. Knowing how to adjust to a new partner is another. Without a plan of attack and clear communication, confusion and ambiguity can strip the combined organization of its productivity.
2. Clear roles and responsibilities matter
As with any dance, it’s important to determine who is leading and who is following. In M&A transactions, this is often clear, as one company acquires another or new organizational charts are established.
When Leyard acquired Planar, steps were taken to identify the roles and responsibilities of individuals, taking adequate time to determine who would be leading.
Nothing is perfect, of course, but clear roles and responsibilities, especially in the leadership ranks, help keep people focused on the dance, not on the backstage drama.
3. Successful integrations require listening and forgiveness
Despite the best efforts at communication, even the most experienced dancers can step on each other’s toes. Looking back over the integrations I have been involved with, I can think of dozens of missteps; times when I rushed something that required more time and coordination. Times when customers or employees were unnecessarily surprised by change.
While missteps like these are normal, it’s important to learn from them and turn them into opportunities that build trust. By being humble and open, the dance itself can teach all parties what it means to be a world-class partner.
4. Trust is at the core
Dancers often hurl their bodies into the air expecting to be caught, but before they do, they need to trust the strength and technical skills of their partner.
The same is true of M&A integrations, and what can build trust and teamwork faster than anything is obtaining a common view of the problem.
Business leaders talk about facing the truth, measuring performance, and being data-driven. All of these help people with different perspectives to see the same set of facts and share the same sense of urgency, ultimately creating a foundation for cross-functional teamwork.
5. Teamwork takes time
Experienced dancers may make it look easy, but even they will dance more smoothly and confidently the more practice they have with a particular partner.
So what happens when you go right from rehearsal to the stage, as is the case with most M&A integrations? This is where experience and attitude play a huge role.
Leyard acquired Planar, in part, due to the strong and established management team, and the team’s previous experience acquiring and integrating companies has already proven useful in navigating the current transition. Today, we are six months into the integration, and although it is still early, we are making real progress towards the success of the combined company.
This article was first published on the American Business Journal's BizJournals.com website.
When a company reorganizes, hires a new leader, or when an individual’s job responsibilities morph into a new role – a common phrase is often heard when the changes are introduced, and that is “change is hard.”
But change is also necessary – for businesses to address new competition or expand into new markets, and for individuals to grow in their career.
While it can be hard, change by itself has never killed anyone. As a species, we can deal with change and are quite adaptable. Employees might worry about changes to the organization or their work assignments, but at the end of the day, they will survive.
The contrary – not changing – has led to untold fatalities of organizations. Not expanding to new market conditions, not adapting to new laws and regulations or addressing new competitive threats have all buried businesses. Without some capacity for change, individuals can’t grow, learn something new or do something better. Organizations, too, thrive because of change, not despite it.
When Change Leads to Ambiguity
The real danger in change, I believe is it’s traveling partner: ambiguity. Without clear direction, ambiguity kills. When the new is introduced into the corporate strategy or into the task list without explanations of why the changes are needed or the new desired outcome, the death of productivity and teamwork quickly follows. Unclear of what is expected of them, employees lose motivation and confidence. Without the ability to help each other, co-workers lose their sense of team. Conflicts arise based on misunderstandings of the priorities and urgency. Employees can revert to old, outdated ways of working or dive headlong into unnecessary disruption, filling in the gaps of the strategy with their own fears and hopes. The organization’s ability to change is sabotaged by the ambiguity that accompanies it.
So, what is the antidote to ambiguity? How can we deal with the fact that there will be unknowns in our business world? How can we conquer these unknowns without losing our productivity and teamwork?
In his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, author Patrick Lencioni outlines the idea of “clarity even in uncertainty.” He proposes that the role of the leader is to create clarity (in job roles, goals, priorities, plans, etc.) for their teams, even if many things are uncertain. Sure, those roles, goals, or priorities might change over time (and per my earlier point, we certainly hope they do to keep up with our ever-changing world), but in the meantime, people know what they should do and that what they do matters.
How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Ambiguity
I have learned these five steps to help our team embrace change and avoid the pitfalls of ambiguity.
1. Provide Background
While it is not always possible to disclose the details of why a teammate is no longer on a project or a new rule must be implemented, providing the team with background information, even at a high level, about why the changes are necessary and how they will help improve the situation moving forward helps employees feel informed and part of the solution.
2. Clarify New Goals and Desired Outcomes
Changes are usually made to improve the company, team or individual. Clearly outlining the anticipated improvements will motivate and empower employees, giving them the confidence that the changes will ultimately be for the better of the company, team or individual. Paint a clear picture of the new destination.
3. Provide Clear Assignments and Direction
Eliminating as much vagueness as possible will help employees follow the new direction. Pairing changes with clear direction encourages employees to embrace the changes. Managers might find that in times of change, they need to be a bit more prescriptive than they might have otherwise been.
4. Be Available
Questions and concerns will undoubtedly arise. Being available to answer questions and address concerns will help resolve ambiguity and create transparency between leadership and the team, giving employees the confidence to embrace the new direction. Stay involved to provide updates, as goals are met and plans fluctuate, to adapt to the ever-changing situation.
5. Jump in with Enthusiasm
Show the team you are adapting to the changes yourself by being flexible and nimble. Celebrate when changes have improved results and where teamwork is thriving. Have confidence that the changes will lead to new opportunities and be passionate about helping the team avoid ambiguity.
And throughout, when you are facing times of uncertainty, focus on the things that you know or can control before ambiguity has a chance to kill.
This article was first published on A Thin Difference.
"Everyone has a game plan until you are punched in the face." -Mike Tyson