To be clear...Wait with wisdom and... Be smart with surprises

Published: Wed, 12/13/23

Dear ,

Welcome to this edition of "To Be Clear..." - a refreshing sip of regular coaching clarity in your inbox where I share a couple of brief ideas which I hope that you can apply in your work life.

As the calendar year draws to a close, this issue deals with two contrasting but also overlapping ways in which we can gain greater clarity in our work and business.

What are you waiting for?

Image: (Hotel Chocolat advent calendar*) courtesy of Square Meal

As many of you know, the lead up to Christmas in the Christian calendar is known as Advent. For many of us, that might bring back some good childhood memories of chocolate filled Advent calendars. (Last week, at a client's office, I came across this very smart Advent calendar which substitutes chocolate for something altogether more grown up behind each day's door!)

Advent in Latin simply means "coming" or "arrival" and, for followers of Jesus, it uses the occasion of Jesus' first arrival to remind them to wait patiently, joyfully and actively for his return.**

For some of my clients at the moment, waiting is a bit of feature - waiting for the markets to improve, waiting for the right offer or opportunity, waiting for someone to sign off on something, waiting for a key decision or appointment to be made, waiting for funding to come through or for a deal to close or for invoices to be paid or for a contract to be signed....waiting for a few days break from it all over Christmas!

Because we cannot control everything, waiting is part of working. And waiting at work often feels frustrating because it makes us feel stuck and robbed of agency and clarity. But waiting doesn't have to be a passive and negative experience. Just as Advent is focussed on helping Christians to wait actively for Jesus's return, as I work with clients who are feeling stuck, I try and help them to reframe waiting as an active experience in a few ways which might be helpful for you.

You could consider how you can use a time of waiting as a chance to get clearer on what you want and how to communicate that to others. Too often waiting causes us to become vague. A previous edition of "To Be Clear..." talked about resisting the temptation to overlay uncertainty (which we can't help) with ambiguity (which we can). While you wait, you could get clearer on what your Next Steps are if you get the thing for which you're waiting and what your Next Steps are if you don't.

You could also consider how you can use a time of waiting to get clearer about yourself, those with whom you work and the ways in which you work. While you wait, you could develop your professional self awareness, take time to notice how your colleagues, collaborators, clients and competitors are dealing with the situation and leverage that knowledge to move things forward where you can. Times of waiting are a great time to get clearer on your Now (the second layer of ONION) and to ask questions like:

A good example of this is an organisational client of mine from a sector where everyone is currently waiting for market conditions to improve. As we work together, my client is consciously using this time to understand their customers and their needs better as well as to really notice and address where the strengths and gaps are in their processes and people. Even though the wait is still on, this client has already seen this approach have positive impacts on their performance.

Finally, you might consider how you can use a time of waiting to try new things in your work or business. Even though you may not be able to move forward in some areas while you wait for someone or something to come through, it may be that, while you wait, you could try some little experiments which will leave you, your team or organisation in a better position when things do change. Some of the suggested questions in the Ideas section of ONION can be a great place to start here.

There you have it! Waiting doesn't have to be frustrating - it can be a time of progress which helps you to achieve greater clarity at work. If this is where you are, perhaps choose one of the three options above and think how you can put it into practice while you wait. Or, if you are aware of colleagues or collaborators in this position, perhaps share this with them.

Two questions which might help you in this. "What am I/ we waiting for?" (be honest here) and secondly "How can I/ we wait more actively?"

Let me know how it goes!

Next up a key way of both getting and using clarity to bring joy.

Surprise...!

Image: Ben White on Unsplash

When was the last time you were (pleasantly and genuinely) surprised at work or in your business? Perhaps a client, customer or stakeholder delivered more than expected, or you received some positive feedback or thanks from out of the blue or a colleague went above and beyond or a project bore unexpected fruit.

Yesterday, I had a lovely conversation with someone who, having informed a colleague that he was moving on from his role, was surprised when that colleague burst into tears before explaining the incredible positive impact this person had had on the organisation!

One of the most fulfilling aspects of my work is seeing clients surprise themselves and others with the level of progress they are able to make as a result of our work together.

Good surprises at work bring joy but they also bring increased clarity. As my clients surprise themselves, their colleagues (and me!) with their progress towards their desired Outcomes, they learn new things. For the person I spoke to yesterday, his colleague's response to the news he was moving on not only made him feel like the work he had done had been worthwhile, it also showed how much and why he was valued in his current role and helped him to clarify where he can make the most impact in his next role.

A couple of questions you might want to ponder over the next week.

"What's been my/ our our biggest (good) surprise at work over the last year?" and then "What made it so good?" (as always, try and focus in on two or three specific things) and, finally,"What did it teach me/us?" This is a great exercise to do as a team.

And then you might want to follow up with, "Who can I/ we surprise at work over the next couple of weeks?" perhaps with thanks or positive feedback, perhaps with a small gift or bonus, perhaps with a call to check in or an introduction to someone or an offer of - or request for - help.

Even as you answer those questions, it will help you to get clearer on what you need more of at work and what your clients, colleagues or contacts might need. It will also bring unexpected joy - which is especially nice at this time of year!

I'll be in touch in a couple of weeks to wish you a happy Christmas but, in the meantime, wishing you a clearer week ahead.

As ever,

Ranti

* - Other chocolate Advent calendars are available!

** - The final words of the Bible in Revelation 22:20-21 brilliantly capture this posture of active, expectant waiting.

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