August 2024

  • First week of September

    The first week of September, following Labour Day weekend, is one of my favourite weeks of the year. When you’re younger, it’s the first week back to school. You see all your friends and catch up on how the summer went. When you’re in high school you come back and can tell who went through puberty, who changed their look. All very exciting.

    Even as an adult, there seems to be a buzz in the workplace. People have mostly wrapped up vacations and summer travel and are serious about getting back to business. The out of office notifications drop off. The pace and hustle pick up. That type of energy is contagious and has always been a motivator for me. Only one calendar quarter remains in the year and there’s a push to complete any projects or transactions ahead of year end.

    I once made the mistake of booking vacation that extended into the first week of September and learned never to repeat that. It felt like I was missing out on the return, and coming back mid-September felt like I was playing catch up. I missed being around the first week back and have been ever since.

    I thoroughly enjoyed my summer this year and am looking forward to the September return and transition to fall. I hope you are too.

  • Receiving feedback well

    Hopefully, you’re already bought into the concept that feedback makes you a better professional, and you’ve made a practice of seeking it regularly. If so, it’s important to intentionally receive feedback well. If you identify as a strong performer and take pride in your work, even if you genuinely want feedback and believe it will make you better, receiving it well can be challenging and require practice.

    Receiving feedback well means receiving the information without attempting to defend yourself or justify your behavior. If you start to experience the temptation to disagree, try to resist acting on it, particularly when someone first communicates it. It’s important to actively listen and digest (sometimes easier said than done). Acknowledge the feedback and be grateful for it. Importantly, if any part of it resonates with you, make an effort to action it quickly. Demonstrating action is an important part of receiving feedback well.

    I have found receiving feedback regarding something you’re already self-aware about can be particularly difficult. You might already be working on it and receiving known information can be frustrating. But receiving it well pays off. Many managers, particularly junior managers, will struggle to provide explicit feedback regularly. The better you receive it, the more likely and more often you will get it.

    The more senior you are, the more important it is to receive feedback well. If someone has worked up the courage to share with you, the boss, an opportunity and suggestion to improve, make damn sure you receive it well.

  • Staying Grateful

    In May, I flew with two friends from Vancouver to Cancun for a Bachelor party. It was an empty flight – the Dreamliner – and we were fortunate to be e-upgraded to Business and sit in pods. After I sat down, a husband-and-wife couple and two kids got on and sat next to us. Clearly, the father had kept the news that they were flying Business a surprise. The whole family was ecstatic. “Dad!!! Are you kidding me!? I don’t have to sit in the middle seat! You tricked us!” The excitement persisted. This kid crushed about six sodas and was jumping up and down the whole flight with a huge smile on his face. “Dad, do we get to keep the headphones?!” His enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself grinning on the dad’s behalf. It was awesome.

    A close friend came out to visit in the Winter and we went for dinner at one of Calgary’s oldest steakhouses, Caesar’s. He had never tried a tableside Caesar salad, so we ordered one. He was mind blown. “Wow. Best Caesar salad I’ve ever had. Hands down.”. His enthusiasm pumped me up too. It was awesome.

    It’s easy to take things we enjoy for granted when they become a regular experience. Sharing something you enjoy with someone and seeing them experience it for the first time is a great way to re-ignite that feeling of gratitude. I can’t wait to share lots of “firsts” with Henry.