15 Years

This week is full of milestones and today’s milestone is making it to 15 years of marriage.  I have always believed that getting married was the easy part, staying married a little more difficult.   I never really wanted to “be married” just based on the fact that my parent’s marriage was so troubled.  But, I suppose, if you meet the right person and think that “you can do it differently from your parents”, then why not?  And that is exactly what happened.  I met a person that could be a partner, friend, confidante, explorer and whatever else we discovered along the way.  It did not hurt that his family seemed pretty “normal”.  He had a positive, respectful relationship with his mother.  All signs pointed to a potentially long-lasting relationship. 

I don’t mean for it to sound like a business transaction, but if people thought about marriage a little more thoughtfully past the madness of “being in love”, they might be married after 72 days…I’m just saying…

And our 15 years together has brought several trips oversees, two homes, two kids, two careers that have diverged and plenty of ups and downs.  But , never, any explosive arguments or fights.  I am not saying that fighting could not be part of the equation, especially since I am a triple A personality (and Eric  is triple laid back) but it just never has been.  Could there be an element of compromise in how we approach things?  Maybe. Certainly an element of respect.  But I also believe it is an element of perspective…perspective of what is really important…what really matters.  When your perspective is in the right order, everything else falls into place.

The Paris Wife

Just started reading The Paris Wife last night.  I can usually tell immediately if I am going to like a book and this book appears to be a winner!  It reminds me of Loving Frank, which was an excellent book.  McLain’s writing is beautiful…simple yet expressive.  I feel like I am sitting at the table with Ernest and Hadley, his first wife.  I don’t know much about Hemingway so I look forward to being entertained and learning a little, too!

IMG_0794

I always find it very interesting what early adopters latch onto.  And when it comes to technology, I am even more surprised.  Lately, I have read a lot about Pinterest.  I need to play around with it and see what I think but immediately I consider “How can this be used for performance improvement?”  One idea might be to use it to get participants to learn more about each other before an online or face to face session.  Another possibility could be creating a group and have them work in teams to create a pinboard.  The debrief could be an interesting lesson in team dynamics, communication and influence.

What do you think?  Do you think the pinboard could be useful in a training or teaming situation?

Turning 10

When my daughter was born I was consumed with learning how to change diapers, how to make sure she got enough food and most importantly, how to get more sleep!  The awe that something so small could create so much joy, love and work was befuddling.  And then you figure it out.  You get caught up in the play dates, school assignments, plays…basically the daily minutiae of life.  And suddenly your daughter is asking to stay home alone while you run that 20 minute errand.  She is downloading songs on her iPod that you have NEVER heard of and she has a definite opinion of what real style is and begs you to “Please don’t wear your gym clothes when you pick me up at school!”

So on this day that she is turning 10, I ask myself “Were the diapers, baths and no sleep easier?”  Would I be willing to go back if I had a chance?  Would I enjoy pregnancy the second time around rather than fight it every step of the way if I knew what I know today?”  Oh, how I miss her toddling around unsteadily while she is learning how to walk. 

But I love our thought-provoking conversations.  I love her inquisitiveness.  I love that she has taught me what motherhood is and is not.  Difficult, yes.  Tiring, yes.  Beautiful, yes.  And on this day, I confirm (if only with myself) that I would not trade turning 10 with anything.  But, instead, I must now prepare for what 10, 11 and even beyond will bring, as well as, teach me.

Avoid the “Culture Clash”

In the February issue of Chief Learning Officer, there is a great article titled “Your Brain on Culture“.  Neal Goodman points out that “culture provides us with the guide to survival, we naturally feel protected by our own and threatened by other cultures.”  This “Us versus Them” attitude is a natural result of different cultures clashing.  But let’s face it, global intelligence is critical to surviving in today’s workplace.  Certainly a great place to start is knowing time variances and local holidays so that you are not trying to book a meeting or conference call at a disrespectful time.  Recently, I received a request for a conference call at 11 p.m. my time!  Of course I wanted to demonstrate flexibility but the person in Asia should have consulted a world clock so that they knew what they were requesting from me.

Goodman recommends knowing business customs and practices, too.  He relates an example of PUMA trying to sell a shoe with UAE’s flag colors on one of their shoes.  PUMA did not realize that culturally the foot is looked at negatively so putting the flag colors on a shoe must have seemed incredibly disrespectful!  On the flip side, Hilton Hotels created a program to make Chinese guests feel welcome by greeting them in Mandarin (by Mandarin-speaking staff), offering Chinese tv stations and Chinese breakfast items.  How smart and forward thinking!

It is naive to believe that what companies do domestically can easily be replicated globally.  Instead, Goodman suggests some ideas to help your company build cultural intelligence such as:

• Offer a course on cultural intelligence to your entire workforce
• Develop global leaders through training and immersion
• Build global teams
• Create a database on cultural intelligence.

Finally, Goodman suggests that  ”a heightened awareness of cultural differences will allow employees to build bridges of understanding that promote trust, efficiency and effectiveness and increase an organization’s competitive advantage in the global arena.”

Check out the complete article at Chief Learning Officer.  I always read articles with great insight and tips from this publication!

So tell me:

What examples have you seen where companies have been thoughtful about being more culturally aware and responsive? 

What missteps have you seen?

Training for Trainers

I have been speaking with a company based in the Netherlands about coaching learners that want to be trainers.  They had 127 applicants, 30 interviews and then I was chosen!  I am not sure how many they are going to ultimately hire, since they are just getting started. It is an interesting model, though.  They provide an inital free webinar on some training and facilitation basics with the hope that you will sign up for the certification series.  Once you sign up for the certification you are paired with a mentor/coach (this is where I come in) to work with you on a project.  The coach provides feedback and direction, submits the final project for grading and if you pass you obtain your certification.  I have no idea how busy I will be with this project but I liked the global aspect, as well as, all coaching done via Skype and email.  I will keep you posted!

Izzui Webinar

Attended an Izzui webinar. Izzui is a FB application that allows you to create, share, comment, evaluate, track, sell and buy courses. Apart from the selling and buying part, it is all free. Could be a good option for a client with a very limited budget…I need to play with it now that I have a basic working knowledge. Let me know if you try it out.

Book Reviews

Several of my book reviews are posted on Portland Book Review.

Freelancer’s Union

Have you heard of the Freelancer’s Union?  It is free to join and I get wonderful resources from their site.  Check ‘em out!