Growth in the Time of Corona

April 20, 2020 Mary Beth Ray

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (2011).

Washington is a world of experts: economists, consultants, lawyers, athletes, artists, and scientists.

And yet, the novel coronavirus has made beginners out of us all. What generated our success pre-corona is not necessarily going to help us succeed post-corona.

What possibilities can we find in these upside down times? Put another way, we’re all beginners now, so how can we leverage this unique opportunity to grow?

World-renowned psychologist Carol Dweck, Ph.D. (Stanford University), coined the term growth mindset in her seminal book, Mindset: the New Psychology of Success (2006). Simply put, a growth mindset is a belief that abilities can be developed. “Everyone can change and grow with application and experience.” With effort, you can train your brain to get smarter, and when you challenge your mind to learn, your brain grows. Your basic qualities can be cultivated through hard work, mentoring and perseverance.

”The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives,” Dweck writes.

What does a growth mindset look like in the time of corona?

In the manufacturing sector, hoodie makers are now making PPE (personal protective equipment). American Roots owners in Westbrook, Maine wrote in a Washington Post Op Ed that their projected revenue for 2020 dropped nearly 70% in a matter of days. They upended their business model, retooled their factory, and partnered with another manufacturer. “Getting to that point required us to get creative...not only did we reorganize an entire factory space to build new products in about two weeks, but we also did so while changing the way we work to protect everyone’s health.”

An Arlington, VA athlete didn’t let the sports shutdown hold him back. Michael Wardian went for a run around the block on a Saturday morning and did it again and again, running for more than two and a half days, skipping sleep, racking up miles. When he finally paused, he had run 262.5 miles, winning a long-distance event called the Quarantine Backyard Ultra. The event brought together more than 2,000 runners from 60 countries . After his 216th mile, Wardian said “Let’s keep doing this.”

After 240 years, the doors at Georgetown Presbyterian Church are closed, but Music Director Mark Willey has worked with the pastors to revamp a traditional worship service to a 100% online service, which he produces. With social distancing, a traditional choir is impossible. Yet the variety of music from cello to brass to soloists singing in an empty sanctuary has flourished. A congregation diverse in age and interests that normally connect over punch after worship now actually take part in the service, recording video clips of prayers, children waving palms, or even singing hymns. Attendance is up, with new participants from California to Florida, from London to Tbilisi. Congregants are loving the creative new ways of connecting with their church family.

Astronauts know a thing or two about pioneering and quarantine. As Scott Kelly, former NASA astronaut who spent 340 days in space, says: just don't count the days. Astronauts’ wisdom includes exercise, staying productive and positive, finding creative outlets, reveling in nature, sticking to a schedule, reaching out to loved ones, and reconnecting with old friends. How to break up the days? Celebrate everything, from half birthdays, to National Hot Dog Day. Kelly quotes Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, “File off the edges...because if you have rough edges there are going to be some scars.

The Trisha Brown Dance Company was celebrating its 50th anniversary with a sold-out anniversary tour, followed by a wave of corona cancellations, so now they are performing “Roof Piece,” where dancers in red perform on water-tower capped roofs of SoHo in Manhattan, and play a dance version of the game telephone. One dancer executes a series of moves, which the dancer on the next roof over tries to copy, and so on.

Other inspiring examples abound: Mark Furstenburg has expanded his famed Van Ness bakery Bread Furst options from gourmet breads and cakes to include rotisserie chickens, bleach, even toilet paper! The great Jose’ Andres is serving meals to those in need at Nats Stadium. Hilton Hotels opened rooms for medical workers on the front lines of COVID-19. Parents have organized teddybear-in-the-window scavenger hunts. School teachers, yoga teachers, even physical therapists have turned to Zoom and other online platforms to continue doing what they do best.

As Peggy Noonan wrote in her April 11 Wall Street Journal column “None of us want to come back from this time without having gained some insight, some wisdom that we can use to gain greater purchase on reality.”

What is your insight? What are you doing differently in this time of corona? What does your growth mindset look like? Share your insights and ideas and let’s keep the discussion going!

Coaching and assessments are great ways to deepen your self-awareness, mine your insights and cultivate a growth mindset. Take a free assessment to learn about your Working from Home style and how you can lean into growth opportunities. Let’s get started!

Mary Beth Ray, President MBR Coaching + Consulting for Growth, LLC Mbr@mbrcoach.com ; www.mbrcoach.com ; 202-966-5441

Happy 2020: Let Growth, not Perfection, Be Your Vision

January 8, 2020 Mary Beth Ray

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird, 1994

Perfect vision comes to mind when we think of 2020, and that’s a good thing. But what about perfectionism?

I never thought of myself as a perfectionist, because I thought that meant being perfect, which I knew I wasn’t. But in recent years, I’ve realized that being a perfectionist doesn’t mean being perfect, it means always striving to meet usually unrealistic expectations. And as Anne Lamott’s quote suggests, the expectations are often not ours, but those of others.

With the start of a new year, setting ambitious goals and striving to meet them is good. But there’s an important difference between setting goals for growth, and perfection. As Brene’ Brown writes in “I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)” if perfection is the goal, then failure is inevitable, and that failure offers us nothing in terms of learning and change. Failure on the road to perfection leads to shame, which in turn leads to anger, fear, judgment and blame.

But we’re never too old to grow and change. When improvement with measurable goals is our new year’s resolution, then we can candidly look at the past and envision a better space, acknowledging both successes and failures along the way. When we focus on our own expectations to improve, we’re not changing who we are to meet the expectations of others.

What do goals for growth look like? How can I be healthier, not how can I get thin. How can I be a better (parent, son, or daughter), not how can I be the perfect (parent, son, or daughter). As Brown writes, when we choose growth over perfection, we are choosing empathy and connection.

So what are your growth goals this year? Do they relate to personal relationships, work, money, health or parenting? What does improvement look like? What are specific, measurable steps that get you where you want to be? What are the barriers? Who can you talk with for encouragement, empathy and accountability?

Coaching can be a great resource in helping you define your growth goals, and working toward them throughout the year. To learn more, check out Www.mbrcoach.com or email me at MBR@MBRcoach.com. Happy New Year!

Source: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/glasses-2020

Labor Day Thoughts on Hiring: ISO Life-long Learners Blog #3

September 1, 2019 Mary Beth Ray

My last blog posts focused on self-awareness, and “loving” your team. This Labor Day, I want to talk about hiring your team.

Hiring can be fraught, whether it’s in the private or nonprofit sector. Who am I looking for to complete the team? Do they have the requisite education, skills and experience? And equally important, do they have the secret sauce, aka how will they mesh with our office culture?

If you’re reading this post, you probably know what skills and experience you need in a candidate to complete your team. But once you’ve culled the stack of resumes and started scheduling interviews, how do you uncover the secret sauce?

“Hire someone coachable,” says Alan Eagle, Director of Executive Communication at Google, Inc.

Getting at coach-ability means going beyond the resume and standard interview questions. Instead of asking a candidate “what did you do” in your last job, ask “what did you learn?” Or “what surprised you?” This approach requires the thoughtful candidate to admit a certain vulnerability, or something they didn’t know. It can uncover a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. And it offers a window into their thought process, and how they tackle challenges. Were they open to learning? Hint: An answer that “nothing surprised me” is not going to reflect a coachable employee!

Coach-ability can also include how employees work with their teammates. Ask a candidate to “describe peer relationships at your last job.” Did they socialize? How do they communicate? Do they value clear communication and transparency? Do they contribute to a positive workplace that celebrates people and success?

Team assessments, such as the DISC TTI Success Insights Wheel can offer another insight into hiring. If the entire group already has similar traits, then filling the gaps could bolster the team’s success. A team assessment can identify those gaps. For example, a sales team of DISC “Influencer/Promoters” might afford an optimistic and enthusiastic work environment, but adding a “Compliance/Analyzer” could contribute needed accuracy and quality. Likewise, a small nonprofit where everyone is a “Steady/Supporter” might have a casual, warm and collegial culture. But the addition of a “Dominant/Persuader” could introduce some welcomed decision making and advocacy that could stretch the organization to the next level of mission success.

Eagerness to continue learning is the most important “soft” skill you can hire. Team assessments can identify growth opportunities on your team, and the right interview questions can lead to the coachable candidate. Hiring a coachable candidate will help you continue to build your team with trust, support and respect, creating that place where people want to work.

To learn more about assessments, or to discuss a coaching plan tailored to your team, email MBR@mbrcoach.com.

Love your team?

August 27, 2019 Mary Beth Ray

On a conference call last week with Alan Eagle, Director of Executive Communications at Google, Inc., I was taken aback by the emphasis on “love” as a successful management practice. Love is not exactly the sentiment most of us associate with the cut-throat world of business.

But the point is worth pondering. This conference call was organized by and for coaches to learn about the techniques of famed tech coach Bill Campbell, and for more reading, please see Eagle’s book, Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell.

The upshot of course is to invest in your people. Even if it’s not your personality, demonstrate caring and love for your team in simple ways, which will cultivate trust, and build a stronger, more successful team. Here are some pointers, which probably apply equally well to companies, nonprofits, and even families:

Business is a team effort. Teams need a coach. The best coach is a manager. Cultivate coaching techniques with your managers.
Invest in your people by creating an atmosphere of trust, support and respect, and coach their development.
Bring caring and love into the workplace: Love builds trust.
Cheer for people. Celebrate your people and their success. When you do that, others will too, and it helps create a positive culture.
Stop and chat! Ask what your teammates are working on. And how are their kids? Build extra time into your day… even if it’s not in your personality.
Remember your ABCs: Always Build Community. Encourage fun and transparency. Hold a weekly all-hands meeting, where Q&A is encouraged. Hold a weekly happy hour and give awards (shout outs) for fun things. Include the kids in offsite office parties!
Hold small, 30-minute group coaching sessions where you bring a challenge and coach each other around it.
In short, make sure everyone is heard, and everyone succeeds.
Team assessments and leadership coaching can be a great tool to invest in your people, develop self and social awareness, and build community. Contact MBR@mbrcoach.com to learn more, or to get a customized proposal!

Who are you? Take an assessment and find out!

August 25, 2019 Mary Beth Ray

Who are you…really? Deep down? What gets you jazzed to jump out of bed in the morning? What stresses you or drags you down?

I practiced law for many years before fully understanding and appreciating why I said I loved it, but it was really draining me. What I loved about practicing law was dealing with clients- listening deeply and seeking to understand the problem, then partnering with the client to find solutions. What stressed me was hours alone in the library doing research, drafting and filing mountains of tedious paperwork with courts, and waiting years for cases to resolve.

As a very high “I” (Influence), high “D” (Dominance), and low “C” (Compliance) on the DISC assessment, it’s no surprise that I felt that way. In fact, had I taken the DISC 40 years ago, perhaps law school would not have been in my plan. The DISC and Driving Forces assessments offer revealing insights that help me understand the arc of my career, for better and for worse. It helps me see my strengths, weaknesses, and how I communicate with others.

And most importantly, it reinforces this coaching career path. I’m thrilled to be coaching, and energized by helping clients understand and pursue their potential. Self knowledge is a powerful tool. It will help you interact effectively with people, and it could make the difference between success and failure in your professional and personal life. So who are you? Take an assessment and find out!