Adventures In Businessing

Show Notes   [0:01:00] Episode Summary | Intro   Most “Excitingest” Episode Ever? The Work Between the Work, Vacations, Etc.  The Most Neglected Topic in Business Margins Lots of managers and leaders don’t like to talk about pausing.  We believe in margins so much that we’ve dedicated a third of our schedule to margins.  Without an emphasis on Margin, Burnout is a very real danger.    [0:05:10] It Doesn’t Always Take Active Work to Make Progress   Margin can facilitate progress. We think of progress as linear, but that’s just not realistic.  Progress has fits and starts.    [0:07:59] Active Rest-- What is it? Why is it Necessary?   You should be scheduling active rest into your calendar.  You tend to lose focus on the importance of margin with age.  Which emphasizes the need to make margins intentional.  If you don’t fill your calendar, someone else will steal that time from you, and fill that time for you.  Memorialize and protect your intentional disconnects.  Is boredom

Show Notes [0:00:49] Episode Summary | Intro The Topic That Keeps us Moving & Out of Bed in the Morning Being Motivated by Progress!   [0:03:27] Progress is Essential, but...   We sometimes forget that being busy or active doesn't always go hand-in-hand with moving the needle forward.  It’s easy to not plan your productive time well.  It takes a lot of planning to do ‘deep work’ well.    [0:05:15] The Secret SuperPowers of a Good Manager   Facilitating & Tracking Real Progress Real progress has nothing to do with looking busy. Being aware of putting your big rocks in first.  Rewiring How You Perceive Busy vs Productive It’s a fundamental, though rewarding, shift.   [0:08:52] What is Progress?   Is it strictly movement over time? Instead let’s consider: The right amount of better over the right amount of time.  You know when you’ve taken too much time for too little better. You know when you’ve scheduled too much better for too short a time.  The sweet spot is al

Show Notes   [0:00:55] Episode Summary | Intro   Why Every Podcast NEEDS Intro Music Last Episode Communication Recap   [0:03:13] Kicking off a New Topic   Making Progress Helping our teams make progress. Establishing a work cadence.  Promoting progress and not business.  The Necessity of Work Cadence We’ve lost seasonality. The modern world lacks cadence and sets your team up for failure and unfair expectations. Black Friday in recent years is a perfect example of this.  We don’t recognize how people’s creativity and work output is seasonal. You can’t be “at an 11” all the time.  Don’t let anyone feel guilty for taking time off.  Not just vacation, but allow your people to switch up what they are working on.    [0:08:36] Creating Seasons to Break-up the Work   This even applies to a given day’s worth of work.   [0:10:00] Learning From Past Mistakes   The work shouldn’t inherently dictate the season.  Your “fires” shouldn’t determine and set the standard and expectati

Show Notes   [0:00:55] Episode Summary | Intro   Last Episode’s Recap  Communication Pros & Cons Being Thoughtful with Your Chosen Communication Style   [0:03:22] The Right Time for Synchronous Communication   Don’t let “synchronous communication is bad” be a takeaway here.    [0:04:37] Ways to Build Connection Asynchronously   A remote team spread across different time zones is your biggest obstacle toward connection. Tips on Established Async Connection: Have asynchronous communication around things that are not work related.  Consider an internal company podcast to heighten clarity and connection.  When shared, provide a way for team members to discuss the podcast publicly with the team at large; message board format recommended.  The more synchronous your company communication, the more you take away one of the major benefits of working from home: working at the optimal time, enhancing work/life balance.    [0:10:30] Effective Communication: My Four Filters   htt

Show Notes   [0:01:01] Episode Summary & Intro    Machoman, Koolaid Man, or Wolfman Jack?   [0:02:04] Communication Round 2   Brief Recap of the Last Episode Real Time Communication vs Asynchronous  We started collocated, in-office and transitioned to remote work. Benefits of Synchronous Communication While is it so alluring to maintain? Let’s be honest, real time communication is easier.  But is it better? There’s an Idea That Moving Fast is Superior to Being Methodical & Intentional That idea is wrong, and here’s why. Fast often equals “move quickly...and break things”. Communicating Asynchronously is Something You Have to Learn A skill like any other.  We Often Confuse Activity with Progress The truth is, you can be active but not get anything done.  Asynchronous Communication Tends to be More Thoughtful, More Crafted Be reading something, you get to sit down and really process communication.   [0:10:58] Asynchronous Communication as a Tool to Level the Play

Show Notes:   [0:00:50] Episode Summary | Intro   THE Jeremy Moore? 2nd Vaccine Preparation & Anxieties Last Episode Recap Building and Developing Your Team   [0:04:35] Getting Philosophical About Communication   Why Communication Isn’t ‘One-Size-Fits-All’ Dangers of Treating Distributed Communication Like You’re Collocated How this is applicable to all areas of your life.  “It started with pagers.” Always On, “As Soon as Possible” Culture is a Problem Activity is not to be confused with progress.  If you’re always available, when can you ever hope to do ‘deep work’? Anxiety induced by not being available, or forgetting your phone.    [0:14:08] Story Time: Communication Awareness   Developing Our Own Communication Tool The justification, the goal, the whys and what-ifs. Permissions to Interrupt Is it healthy, or reasonable? Not Having Little ‘Red Dot’ Notifications Waiting for You is Liberating It takes time to reset your expectations and definition of work vs busy wo

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 M

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 mana

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

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

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 Pu

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. 

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!