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Adventures in Businessing

Adventures in Businessing (AIB) is the culmination of over 60 years in organizational leadership experience between three best friends and business partners. Discover the how working together should work.
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Now displaying: May, 2021
May 27, 2021

Show Notes

 

  • [0:00:48] Episode Summary | Intro

 

  • Standing Energy
  • What Happens In Between F.I.T.ness Check-ups?

 

  • [0:02:10] Recap of Last Episode’s Quarterly F.I.T.ness Check-in

 

  • If you’re only having conversations every three months, or annually, something is wrong. 

 

  • [0:03:46] People Want Regular Feedback

 

  • Team Members Want Clarity & Shared Understanding
    • Even if they’re low maintenance, and keep their head down, working hard...they still want and need the feedback. 
  • Why Weekly vs Less Frequently
    • Generally, the more frequently you meet, the shorter your meetings will be overall. 
    • If you schedule weekly, and you have to miss one, you’re not losing alot, whereas if you miss a monthly, you could be letting major agenda topics slide by for too long. 
  • Don’t Make Your 1:1s All About Task LIsts & Project Management
  • Stick to Your Time Frame
    • Don’t be afraid to push agenda items off to the following week’s 1:1.
    • It’s not the end of the world if you can’t meet for one week. 
  • Don’t Make it so Clinical That it’s Not Meaningful

 

  • [0:11:45] On Misfit Pairings of Employee & Role

 

    • It’s so important to have and stick to an agenda for 1:1s.
  • [0:13:20] Manager’s Guide to 1 on 1s
    • https://ciircles.com/1on1/
    • 1:1s are about establishing connection with your direct report: 
      • Establishing Empathy 
      • Understanding Goals 
      • Laying Growth Path 
      • Providing Clarity
      • ...not just about the tasks & projects. 
    • Invest Time and Energy in Your Team
      • It’s Worth It

 

  • [0:16:28] The Hard Truths

 

  • It’s hard, it takes time, but it’s your job as a manager and/or leader.
  • Do it right and you have allies in the business, do it wrong (or not at all) and you have opponents. 

 

  • [0:17:58] Is There an Ideal Number of Direct Reports?

 

  • 20% of your time should ideally be spent on nurturing your communication and connection with your team members. 

 

  • [0:19:28] Don’t Let Your 1:1s be Manager Driven

 

  • Let Your Team Members Set the Agenda
  • You Will Have to Train Team Members on How the 1:1 Works
    • Communicate and Enforce What the 1:1 is For, The Purpose & Goal
      • Some will take to this really quickly, for others it will take time and experience. 
  • 1:1s Are a Great Way to Practice Collaboration
  • Active Listening & Taking Notes is Powerful for You and the Employee’s Rapport
    • Actually caring, and listening is a very good thing.

 

  • [0:26:12] Think About the Best Manager You Ever Had

 

  • Odds are that one of the things that made them the best was that they genuinely cared about and believed in you.
  • You May be a Diamond in the Rough
    • Let’s be honest, there are those who establish routine communication and good rapport so well, so regularly, that they may not need an explicit weekly 1:1.
  • Be the Manager Who Remembers Your Team Members’ Children’s Names

 

  • [0:28:33] Parting Words | Recap

 

May 20, 2021

Show Notes

  • [0:00:42] Episode Summary | Intro 
  • Music to Get You Going
  • Brief F.I.T.ness Recap
  • [0:04:00] Measuring F.I.T.ness
  • Organizations Change, Businesses Change, People Change
    • You Have to Evaluate That
  • Recommendation: Quarterly F.I.T.ness Check-ins
  • Catch Issues or Tensions Before They Fester
  • Check-ins Directly Combat Ambiguity
    • “With my team, one thing I always say is: if anything in this meeting is surprising to you, then I (the manager) haven’t done a good job.” - Jeremy
  • Your Check-ups are a Confirmation of Alignment or Misalignment
    • They should not be where you identify proper or improper alignment for the first time.
  • Everyone Either Has or Knows of a Review Horror Story
    • Be the cure, not the symptom. 
    • Don’t be nearsighted in your reviews.
      • Let team members know they aren’t being evaluated solely by this one quarterly check-up. 
  • Frequency is a Delicate Balance for F.I.T.ness
    • Regular check-ups not being about money/salary help enforce empathy, and strengthen your goal as a manager to make your team members better at their jobs.
  • [0:14:23] The Evaluation
  • Keep it Short, Keep it Simple
    • On Scoring 1-5
      • The phrasing is more important than the number.
  • You Want Challenge
    • Boredom is the enemy of challenge.
    • Caution: too much challenge can cause burnout or defeatism.
  • You Want Success Over Failure
    • But when failure occurs, you want individuals to have the liberty to fail forward. 
  • Identify Trends
    • Recurring instances of over or under achieving are worth acting on. 
      • Has there been a dip in motivation or progress?
      • Why is this person excelling so far beyond that of their expectation?
      • Is this person in the right role?
  • It Begins and Ends with Clarity

 

  • [0:24:02] Words to the Wise
  • Tricky Instances to Be Aware of
  • Elaborating on ‘The Middle is the Best’
    • You want to be in the middle in the evaluation scoring.
  • [0:28:25] Parting Words
  • Identify Tensions & Note Your Wins 
    • Encourage others to canonize and share their wins! 
      • Especially during the F.I.T.ness check-ups.
  • Next Time on AIB
    • “What Do You Do Between the Check-ups?“
      • Spoiler: 1on1s (Stay Tuned)
May 19, 2021

Show Notes

  • [0:00:47] Episode Summary | Intro
  • F.I.T.ness Overview
    • Faculty
    • Initiative
    • Temperament
  •  A Place for Alliteration 
  • [0:04:45] Understanding Why Team Members May Be Unhappy in Their Role 
  • They may be in the wrong place, doing the wrong work, or have the wrong temperament for the type of work they’re doing. 
    • You have to be flexible as an organization, hopefully without differing straight to letting the employee go.
    • Though it’s important to acknowledge not every individual will be a fit for your culture and organization.
  • [0:08:00] Does X Person Have the F. I. and T. to be on Your Team?
  • Analyzing & Measuring Faculty, Initiative, and Temperament
    • Determining F.I.T. May Mean Something Different to You and Your Organization
  • For Our Company, We’ve Found Temperament to be the Most Important Measurement 
    • You Have to Determine What’s the Right Temperament Your Team
    • Temperament is the Hardest to Teach...and Change
      • It’s Also the Most Sensitive Topic
  • [0:16:26] Recommendation: Hire Slow, Fire Slow
  • Take Time to Determine F.I.T. 
    • You Can Train Over Most F.I.T. Challenges
      • You Should Be Trying to Help Team Members Through the Obstacles
      • What Do They Have Going on in Their Lives, How Can You Help?
        • Even if we don’t want to admit it, personal life can and will bleed into work.
        • Empathy and communication are key.
        • You HAVE to ask questions about connection, collaboration, and clarity.
  • [0:20:24] How Do We Measure & What Does F.I.T.ness Look Like in Practice?
  • Recommended (Recurring) Quarterly Check-in
    • But keep the conversation going in between quarterly check-ins. 
  • F.I.T.ness Changes 
    • It changes, sometimes for the better, and sometimes for worse.
    • F.I.T.ness is never static.
  • Confirm F.I.T. on the front end: during hiring and onboarding. 
  • [0:25:34] Closing Thoughts
  • F.I.T. Operates with the ‘C’s and ‘P’s, Not in A Vacuum 
    • Clarity
    • Collaboration
    • Connection
    • Passion
    • Purpose
    • Progress
  • If you don’t take the time to figure out your ideal F.I.T., you’ll end up putting square pegs in round holes. 
    • This ultimately hurts the new hire, and the team at large.
      • The ripple effect here doesn’t stop when you let someone go. 
  • By acknowledging and keeping up with F.I.T. you can minimize the repercussions of not getting it right...because you’re not going to always get it right. 
  • Companies & Culture Change Over TIme
    • What’s F.I.T. Today May Not be F.I.T. Tomorrow
May 6, 2021

Show Notes

  • [0:00:43] Episode Summary | Intro
    • Regional Seasonal Allergy Woes
    • Last Episode Recap
      • Takeaways on Motivational Drivers
  • [0:03:25] What Are the Cornerstones of Motivation?
    • Deep Diving on The 3 ‘C’s:
      • Connection
      • Clarity
      • Collaboration
        • How they all work off of and benefit from one another. 
        • Collaboration as an accountability tool. 
    • Whatever you’re trying to accomplish, identifying the cornerstones you’re lacking will allow you to intentionally focus on and develop them.
  •  [0:13:27] Practical Breakdown of How the 3 ‘C’s Actually Interact with Each Other
    • Each overlapped ‘C’ (on the venn diagram of fulfillment) creates a ‘P’ (Passion, Purpose, Progress)
      • Clarity + Collaboration = Progress
      • Collaboration + Connection = Passion
      • Connection + Clarity = Purpose
        • What you’re doing has to matter...to YOU. 
        • You have to love what you’re doing. 
        • What you’re doing has to make an impact you can quantify. 
  • [0:21:45] “Does a Tree Falling in the Forest Make a Sound if No One is There to Hear?”
    • Measure AND Celebrate Your Wins
      • Don’t jump into “the next” before acknowledging what just was. 
      • Nobody can feel Progress if you simply move right onto the next thing. 
  • [0:23:25] Lifecycle of a Business Related to the 3 ‘C’s
    • In the early days you don’t need everything. 
      • It helps to start strong in one or two ‘C’s.
      • You WILL need them all over time, by the individual and as an organization. 
        • Like anything living, it ebbs and flows, and it has to be nurtured. 
  • [0:25:25] How Switching From In-office to Distributed can Shift Your Clarity, Connection and Collaboration 
    • When we first went distributed, our Clarity shrank and suffered FAST.
      • Now that remote work is the norm for us, Connection is the prime challenge. 
        • Focus on those challenges; those tensions will reveal creative ways to approach them head on with confidence. 
    • Recommended Quarterly Check-in Review
      • Regularly ask your team things like: 
        • “Where can we grow as a team?” 
        • “What does our team need to be more successful?” 
        • “How can we improve things for you?”  
  • [0:28:44] Parting Words
    • Food for Thought Until the Next Episode
    • Next Time we’ll Start in on a New Series Topic:
      • “What makes great teams & team members?”
      • “How do you protect your business by having the right people in the right roles for your organization?”
May 6, 2021

Show Notes

 

  • [0:00:56] Episode Summary | Intro

 

    • Previous Episode Recap
      • Difference Between Engagement & Fulfillment

 

  • [0:03:00] Drivers of Fulfillment:

 

    • Unpacking the 3 ‘P’s
      • Passion:
        • ‘I love the work that I do.’
      • Purpose:
        • ‘The work that I do matters.’
      • Progress:
        • ‘I’m having an impact on the work that matters.’

 

  • Progress is NOT to be Confused with Productivity

 

    • Which ‘P’ Means the Most to You?
    • How to Assist Employees (and Anyone) with Passion, Purpose, and Progress

 

  • [0:12:18] Ways in Which We Help Our Team See Progress Now

 

    • Coming to terms with your business or management mistakes by failing forward. 
    • Be a Cheerleader!
    • Course correcting too soon or too often can prove catastrophic to the goal of fulfillment. 
    • Letting employees drive their own progress.
    • Do you need all 3 drivers to be fulfilled?

 

  • [0:17:03] The 3 ‘P’s & Symbiotic Professional Relationships

 

    • How/why James & Kevin have succeeded as business partners thru Passion, Progress, and Purpose.
    • Clarifying your business & personal Passion, Purpose, and Progress can (and will) yield positive results & shared understanding.

 

  • [0:21:36] You Can’t Simply Define Fulfillment Broadly for All

 

    • It’s Different for Everyone
      • What drives you might not drive anyone else. 

 

  • [0:22:29] Analyzing the 3 ‘P’s in Your Employee 1:1s & Reviews/Assessments

 

    • Your employees don’t have to be at an 11 out of 10 on Passion, Purpose, and Progress.
      • It’s a shifting scale, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

 

  • [0:25:41] How Do We Impact & Help Your Team See Your Passion, Purpose, and Progress?

 

  • Next episode:
    • The Three ‘C’s
      • Clarity
      • Collaboration
      • Connection
    • Clarity + Collaboration = Progress
    • Collaboration + Connection = Passion
    • Connection + Clarity = Purpose
May 6, 2021

Show Notes

  • [0:00:57] Episode Summary | Intro
    • Jeremy’s Banjo Aspirations
    • Last Episode Recap
      • Fulfillment Theory Quickstart Guide
  • [0:03:42] The Ultimate Goal
    • Helping Our Teams Find Fulfillment
    • Employee Engagement
      • It Changes With the Season
      • “You can have engagement without fulfillment, but you can only have fulfillment through being engaged.”
      • When Time Tracking Breaks Down
        • Time tracking is what most businesses monitor toward engagement, but it’s the opposite of what employees want and need to feel engaged.
    •  Engagement is More Than the Work You Can See
      • Why Common Attempts at Engagement Fall Flat
      • Burnout Awareness
      • Engagement Gimmicks & Initiatives 
      • Sustainability
    • Getting Engagement Wrong
      • Early Failings of Our Own Business
      • Fun Doesn’t Directly Translate to Fulfilled
        • Fulfillment HAS to be Purposeful
      • Fulfillment & Engagement 
        • Two terms that are too often mistakenly used to explain the same thing.
          • You can be active and busy and not be fulfilled. 
          • Engagement is an output of fulfillment. 
  • [0:15:16] What is Fulfillment & How Do We Track That?
    • The Components of Fulfillment
      • The 3 ‘P’s
        • Passion:
          • ‘Do I love the work that I’m doing?’
        • Purpose:
          • ‘Do I feel like the work that I do matters?’
        • Progress:
          • ‘Do I feel like the work I am doing is making an impact?’
  • [0:21:32] Issues & Challenges with Progress...and Fulfillment
    • Hindsight is 20/20 
      • How We’ve Failed Certain Employees in the Past
        • Robbing Individuals of Progress
    • You’re not helpless when you know what drives your team. 
    • How these things can be applied to your personal life and relationship as well.
  • [0:27:12] Paying it Forward with AIB
    • We’ve made a lot of mistakes in order to get here. 
      • Learn from us to hopefully not make those same mistakes. 
      • Celebrate wins, but when you fail, fail forward by learning from it. 
  • [0:29:45] Parting Words & Next Time on AIB
    • Diving into Motivational Drivers of Fulfillment
      • Why They’re Powerful
      • And Why They Really Work
May 6, 2021

Show Notes

  • [0:01:03] Episode Summary | Intro
    • “We’re back! ...All things considered.”
    • The Pandemic Pivot 
    • From In-office to Running the Business Remotely
      • Thanking (and coincidently) we chose this for ourselves pre-pandemic.
    • Acquiring and Consolidating a WordPress Plugin
  • [0:05:51] Why We Took a Year and a Half Off 
    • Missing Podcast Voice
      • ‘Where’s Rob?’
    • Adventures in Businessing’s (AIB) new direction and new purpose:
      • Leadership, team building, and the Ciircles fulfillment theory. 
  • [0:12:21] Breaking Down the Transition From In-office to Fully Distributed
    • From operating out of one town, to having employees around the world. 
    • In defense of colocated working...and why it wasn’t feasible for us anymore. 
    • Growing Pains
      • “We experienced a crash course on distributed working.”
      • With AIB, we want to help other businesses make these sorts of transitions. 
  • [0:17:22] Ciircles.com, the New Home of AIB
    • What is Ciircles?
    • Intentionally Misspelled 
      • “Ciircles? Why two ‘i’s?”
    • Subscribe to the newsletter!
  • [0:21:53] Unpacking Fulfillment Theory
    • Work Isn’t Linear
    • Fulfillment is Driven by 3 Major Drivers of Motivation:
      • Passion
      • Progress
      • Purpose
        • “When these drivers are triggered, your team members are fulfilled, and we all want to be fulfilled.”
  • [0:25:50] What’s Next?
    • Summarizing what to expect from the next 3 episodes of AIB
    • Why you should keep tuning in, whether you’re a business owner, leader, or team member. 
    • Thank You! And Welcome Back!!

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