How to Find Your Community

Finding people you trust with all of you can sounds daunting. How can you know that they’ll listen and support you when you’re at your most vulnerable? (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out my Community post here). To me, the answer to this question is very simple. The phrases:
Be the change you wish to see in the world” and “Do unto others as you would have done unto you” come to mind. The best way to find these people, is to be this person for them. Of course you can’t just walk up to someone on the street and tell them you’re here to listen. Don’t make it weird. The people who are in your life, already with you but maybe not quite “there” yet are a perfect choice for this.

The easiest way, in my experience, to grow these relationships is to pay attention to what the people around you are thinking and feeling. Ask them how they’re doing and really listen. Ask them about something they talked about that was causing them distress days, or even weeks later. Sometimes, if it’s really important, I put a reminder in my phone so I don’t forget to ask in a timely manner. Writing it down doesn’t mean you care less, it means you care enough to know that it’s important and you don’t want to miss it. Once people see the support you’re able to give, they’ll return it. Just watch out for the feelings vampires, the ones who only want you to support them. That’s not healthy for anyone.

If you truly feel like there’s no one in your life that can be a community for you, it’s time to make friends. You can still do this virtually! Join groups with similar interests. Reach out to people and talk to them. Some of my best friendships started, or are entirely, online. Bonds can grow quickly when you can be honest with people and it’s easier to be honest behind a screen. If you can socialize (once COVID has been beaten back) join some groups that like the things you like. Meet those internet friends. The beauty of the internet is there a community for everyone. Think about your favorite TV show or book or movie. There’s probably a podcast about it, there is probably a group for it. Join up! Share something you love with other people that love it and watch those relationships thrive!

Community

We all have a network. We have friends who have different strengths. We know people to refer for certain projects. “I have a great plumber I’ll give you their number!” The network is the web. Who you can reach, your 6 degrees of separation. Your community is different. The people in your community are in your network, but not everyone in your network is in your community. Your community is who you go to when you really need help. Sure they all have your strengths and weaknesses, but these are the people you know you can trust with anything. The ones that have your back but perhaps most importantly, are willing to call you out if you need it.

The first time I mentioned your community is here: Trust Yo Self. I call them barometers because (while they are whole, likely brilliant, people) they are able and willing to listen to you, and to give you feedback that might be hard to hear. It is so important to have people you can trust for that. Not just in business, in anything. Sometimes these people are older and more experienced. Sometimes they’re peers who know you well and can look at things with a little distance. Sometimes they might be younger people with a different perspective. You’ll need different community members for different challenges in your life. The biggest challenge is choosing to ask the ones that will give you a real answer, and not the one you want to hear.

Your community will work best when you can be open and honest with the people supporting you (and those that you’re supporting of course). Asking for advice is different from needing to vent. If you need one of these things, be clear. Don’t go off on a rant and then get mad at your friends for trying to help you out of the problem. Tell them you need to rant! Have the type of friends who will let you rant, maybe even go off with you, but will gently call you out if you’re out of line. Have the type of friends who give amazing advice, and also know when that’s not what you need (because you told them, and they listened). These people should be the ones you can go to with anything, for any reason. The ones you know you’re safe with. That they’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and help you no matter what.

A community is a powerful force. With the right people by your side, you’ll be amazed at what you can do, and what you can survive.

Change Is Hard

I find myself with more time on my hands lately. I still have meetings, but I don’t have to drive to them. I don’t go out to eat and I spend less time with friends than I used to. Business is slow and I still have a staff I can pay for now so what am I doing? All kinds of things but one is throwing myself into some of the organizations I volunteer with. I’ve been spending most of my volunteering time working with the City of Aurora as a member of the Human Relations Commission. We in turn, have been working closely with the city to collaborate with, the Chief of Police. Like many cities, Aurora is facing a reckoning in how their police force operates. Our commission can’t solve this problem alone, but we’re hoping to help our new chief by sharing insight from the community and trying to prevent problems before they start. At least going forward.

Trying to make sweeping, systemic change while under a national microscope is hard. I am bombarded with information daily and my role in this process is relatively peripheral. I can’t imagine how challenging this is for those in charge. I’m glad people feel they can come to me with concerns. It’s a huge part of why I’m doing this and I know there are huge problems, I see them in the news every day. I do wonder sometimes if Aurora is truly worse than most other police forces or if it’s a symptom of a national system of oppression. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. There is no excuse for their behavior and “everyone else does it too” is old and tired and frankly, bullshit. And so I hope that the work I’m doing is at least pushing things in the right direction. I hope the choices I make and the words that I say help more than hurt. And I’ll keep pushing for change.

Change though, is hard. the police force was created over 200 years ago to catch slaves. Its history is long and brutal. Undoing an unjust system that has existed for centuries is going to take time. It has already taken decades. Many people before now have been doing the good work to see real change. Some of them died for it. Some worked long and hard and will never see what they worked so hard for. I hope that this moment in our nation, this strange, sad, tragic, hopeful moment is a turning point. I hope that 2 years, 5 years, 20 years from now I can look back and say, “what a change was made.” That change though, even in a best case scenario, is years off. That means that those who came before us, have to keep fighting. Those who joined the fight recently (like me), have to keep fighting. And all of us have to keep teaching those around us, because we need more people. We need protesters, we need lobbyists, we need politicians and city employees, citizens and organizers. We need all of them if we’re going to see real change. We are going to get tired. We are going to be defeated over and over again. This is a ship that’s been going in one direction for a long time. If we want to change its course, it’s going to take all of us, and it’s going to take time. And it’s going to take space. A ship can’t turn on a dime, it needs room and power to push it in the right direction. Let’s hope the timing is right this time.

A Network

How many times have you heard someone say, “I have to go to a networking event.” Did you think…what even is networking? Most of us can define it at least loosely. Going to an event, calling, meeting with people that you think would help you personally or professionally is pretty close. For those of you who go to (or used to go to back when we could be in a restaurant together) events regularly, you know there’s a few kinds of networkers. Some good, some not so good.

There’s of course, business card person. This person definitely told themselves they have to hand out 200 business cards before they can leave and you have fallen victim to a run by card toss. If you do it right you can scoot that card right into the recycling because who wants to ever talk to that person again?

Next we have the newbie. They’re nervous and shy and have no idea how to talk about themselves. They’ll get there.

Third we have the boaster. The one who breaks up any conversation you might be having with a tall tale about how amazing they are and how their company is “crushing it” all because of the good work they’re putting in. “It’s like I can’t not make a sale.”

Finally, the experts. These are the people who know how to talk to you. They don’t seem slimy (because they’re probably not) they just genuinely want to know more about you. What you do, who you are. Of course ultimately they’re trying to make the sale but they know that the key to most people is to shut your mouth and listen.

Try to be the expert, even if you have to fake it til you make it. We’ve of course heard the expression, “you catch more flies with honey”. This is so true in almost every situation but especially in business. Imagine how much better your pitch is if you actually know the person you’re talking to. You’re not giving an elevator pitch anymore. You’re giving them a tailored explanation of how you can help solve the problem they just told you about. They’re going to gape, and then they’re going to pull out their phone and set a meeting. The best part about this is that you get to serve people, just by listening, and you get the sale.

People will tell you networking events are about numbers and to an extent, they’re right. You can’t just talk to one person and never go again. But the quality of the conversation matters too. If you get one person per event to go home and think, “wow what a great conversation that was. That person had some great ideas. I better confirm our meeting. Can’t wait” you have done LOADS better than Business card tosser.

I’m sure I’ve missed some more types of networkers. What nicknames do you have?

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up

This question is so loaded. My dad (who is 71) still jokes that he doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. My friend messaged me the other day and said she finally knows (she’s in her thirties). And so it got me thinking. What do I want to be when I grow up?

The answer to this question five years ago was to be a successful business owner who lived comfortably and had happy employees. Is that still true? It’s certainly not untrue. Is that enough? Or do I want more? I think I want more. That’s why I’m here right? That’s why I write and post videos and do all of those things. OK so I want more.

What though? Like I said, my friend’s answer to her own question got me thinking, and I think I figured it out. Or at least what direction I want to go in. So here it is, in black and white.

I want to help people who think they can’t start a business, start a business.

It’s a simple idea but I sure have some planning to do. I’m really not sure how this looks. I could teach. I could start a non profit. I could start a different for profit. I could do all three? Something I haven’t thought of? Now that I have an idea though, I can start brainstorming. How exciting!

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Do you have the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song stuck in your head now? You’re welcome. This is so true though isn’t it? When you know what’s happening you can react. You can make plans and changes. When you’re waiting, you’re just…waiting.

This has been the hardest part of 2020 for me. I’m used to making changes and thinking fast. The challenge with COVID-19 though, is that I’m just waiting for more information. I know there are things we can do to protect people and we’re doing them. But I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. And neither does anyone else! So I plan. And I wait.

I make different plans. What if we stabilize and can return to a little bit of normalcy in a month? How do we get our market share back and keep everyone safe? Which new policies do we keep and which do we scrap? What if we don’t stabilize til mid next year and students don’t go back to school at all? Is there something we can do? A new market to tap into? What if we go back and then we stop again? Is there something I can do to mitigate the struggle we face?

So I plan. And I wait. And then I get new information and I plan again. And I wait. And wait.

Who wants to dance with me while I’m waiting? Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

We Are SO Tired

Last week I talked about the rapid ups and downs of trying to run a business and keep your clients and staff happy, or at least comfortable, with the situation as it relates to you and your business. This week is more a how this affects me (and I imagine other business owners).

Recently I told a friend that I feel like I’ve been running at sprint speeds for a marathon. And I really can’t think of a better way to explain it. I’m not physically working all that much day to day. Business is down, my staff is still getting paid and working so there’s not a lot of overflow. Every day though, I think about what I need to do to keep this business running and I wait for the next piece of news that’s going to make my plan obsolete. Of course the simple solution is to just stop worrying about it but that’s not really possible. Everything is always top of mind. When a dog walker calls, is it to tell me they’re sick? Or is it to ask a question about a dog? When a client calls, is it to tell me they’re sick? Angry about a dog walker not washing their hands? Everyone is on a short fuse right now so everything is stressful. Every conversation can feel like it’s teetering on the brink between civil and screaming match. No matter how much mindfullness and self care you’re doing, things are hard.

For me, watching something that I built for 10 years, cultivated and nurtured into something I was proud of, evaporate before my eyes in 5 days was one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced and I’ve experienced some painful things. My business had been around for so long though. We were safe. We had weathered the dreaded 5 year mark. We were thriving. About to break records. And then…poof. Gone. My friends like to remind me that it didn’t really vanish. It’s still there waiting to come back like so many things. I think that’s probably true but it doesn’t really make this less of a kick to the gut. This is not a pain that’s unique to me. So many people are experiencing this right now. Their solid careers, poof. Their child care plans, poof. Other businesses, poof. College plans, poof. All gone, or at least on hold.

We use the word unprecedented a lot. I’m not sure we really knew what it meant before now though.

We Are Tired

Recently I saw a post from another business owner that basically boiled down to the fact that the business owners in your life are tired. They’re scared and confused and trying to keep their staff safe and their businesses running and the communities safe.

I’m here to tell you, it goes beyond that. There is a tremendous pressure at this time when your clients want info, your staff wants info and you don’t have any. You don’t know any more than anyone else but everyone is used to you having all the answers. They don’t understand why you can’t tell them what’s going to happen because it’s never happened before. Of course they know logically but it throws you all off balance. You don’t understand either. It’s a huge adjustment to not be able to get the info you need to have the answers people want because the info just simply isn’t there.

You want to keep everyone safe. You don’t want to be responsible for spreading a pandemic but you also don’t want to be responsible for your staff not being able to eat. Small businesses often don’t have a deep well to draw from when something goes wrong. They pay their payrolls by getting paid for work done. So if there’s no work there’s not some magical pool of extra money to pay people with, certainly not for months. Even the most responsible business owners usually reinvest profits to grow the business so they don’t have much just hanging around.

Right now everything is changing so fast. Every time I think I get a handle on things another curve ball comes flying at my face. I’m used to thinking on my feet and making changes to suit the market but this is another level. Perhaps the hardest thing is that in so many ways, there is nothing I can do. Short of just, starting a new business, I can’t pivot this. My company serves people who are not at home. Everyone is home right now. Even more complicating, they don’t want people in their house if they are home. Welp. Where does that leave us?

Most of the time, I feel OK. I know that even though this feels like the new normal and things are going to be this way forever, they won’t be. And that more than likely, when people go back to work consistently, we will too. But where will the company be then? Will I still have the stellar staff I’ve cultivated? Or will I have to start from square one? It’s all just, a lot.

Lose the Ego

Owning a business is empowering. It carries with it a sense of strength and accomplishment when you tell people you’re a business owner. Truly successful business owners though, in most cases, lose the ego. They know when to say enough is enough. A choice they made isn’t working and it’s time to change. They know that you never know whose help you might need and when you might need it.

There are generally two ways egos get in the way of good business. The first is believing that you have all the answers and you can’t be wrong. You might be getting solid advice from smart people with lots of experience but they don’t know what you’re going through. They’re just missing the key information that you have. The truth is…that’s probably not true. If you are doing something that isn’t working, it doesn’t matter why. It doesn’t matter if people can’t see your vision and if you could just show them it’d be OK. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good idea. None of that matters. If it’s not working, stop it. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t give things the time they deserve. Businesses, new products and services, they all take time. But know when to cut your losses. You’ll be grateful later.

The second is in your communication with other people. This is also how to be a decent human but many business owners fall into this trap. Salespeople too. I once talked to a man at a networking event that sold health insurance to companies. It was something I had been curious about for my staff and I asked him about it. He asked what kind of business I owned and I told him a dog walking company. He literally turned his back on me to talk to my friend, an accountant, who told him that I had a staff of 20 that I was looking to cover. While we weren’t dramatic about it, we both walked away. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty small. It was one, maybe two, sales and not likely to change his life. This can happen on huge scales though. You see a man in jeans and a t shirt one morning and you’re a jerk at the coffee shop because you’re stressed about getting to your interview on time. You go in, you made it, awesome. And then you meet the guy in the jeans, now in a full suit, holding your future in his hands. This is a bit of a movie moment but things like this happen. You just don’t know who you’re talking to so be nice. You’re not better than anyone else. Everyone deserves your respect even if they aren’t holding your future in their hands. People that know that, will thrive.

What Is Happening?

One of the scariest things about starting a business is how little you know about the future. We never really know what our jobs are going to look like but you have more stability, usually. You know what your paycheck will be, at least a base of some kind. You know when you’ll get paid, if you have insurance, and a basic idea of what you’ll be doing. Starting a business though, is a whole different ball game. Will it succeed? Will it thrive? Will it fail? If it fails does that mean financial ruin for you? Are you ready? Do you know enough? I could keep going. There are so many questions!

The unknown keeps us from doing a lot of things. Sometimes that’s good. There’s some self preservation at work there. What if though, the other side is great! What if you spent your whole life scraping together an existence in, say, the desert. You know there’s a cave somewhere (I know caves and deserts not that common but it happens stay with me) and you want to go in but it’s dark and you don’t know what’s in there. It’s scary. So you stay in the desert. Finally, someone decides to go through the spooky cave and what’s on the other side? An oasis of course! I suppose it’s just as likely that there’s a monster in the cave so how do we ever try new things? The promise of the oasis. This mostly comes down to prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Do your research. Learn about your industry. You may know about the product but you have to know your industry. How does it work? What kind of margins are healthy? Where do you start? What kind of insurance do you need. Most of us aren’t starting something that’s never been done before. Find out what the people who succeeded did. Equally important, what did the people that failed do? Avoid the pit falls and aim for the goals. Put your spin on it too. If you think you can do something better, do it! But know why it’s been done differently in the past and have a good reason why you think your way is better. Perhaps most important, be willing to let it go if it doesn’t work. Sometimes things don’t pan out the way we want them to. That’s OK, but make the changes. Pivot when you need to.

In my experience, the best way to combat the unknown is to learn. If it’s still totally terrifying after you’ve done your research, maybe you’ve learned enough to know it’s not for you. If it’s terrifying, exciting, promising you may have found your sweet spot!

Employees Are People Too

Last week, we talked about how important it is to communicate with your clients. No one likes to be caught unawares and the best way to prevent that is to keep people informed. Just like your clients, employees are people too! They face the same, and in some cases more, insecurities as the other people you interact with.

When the Stay at Home order was announced, millions of people lost their jobs. For many that loss was immediate and they still don’t know if that job will come back. The honest truth is, I didn’t know if we would be able to weather a storm like this. I still don’t. As things stand right now, I think we’re going to be OK. We all might make a little less money for a few more months, but I think we’ll manage. I want this company and its staff to thrive but I want all of us and our clients to stay safe. It’s a tough situation for everyone. My employees worried that their jobs would vanish like so many others. Or maybe they’d still have them in theory, but they wouldn’t get paid for weeks, maybe even months. When I think back to that time, and starting those Zoom chats, I didn’t know what to tell them. They’re used to me having all the answers, or knowing how to get them. The truth is, I was just as scared as they were. I didn’t know what was going to happen and how we were going to get out of it. I wanted to tell them that everything was going to be OK and that I would keep them no matter what. I didn’t know that though, and I couldn’t lie to them. So I told them the truth. I didn’t know how long this would last. I didn’t know if Pawsitively Pooches would be here or look the same when it ended. All I could promise them was to do everything I could to keep this company, and their jobs, for as long as I could. I would apply for the loans, talk to the clients. I gave all the walks to staff and laid myself off so they could keep getting paid as long as possible. We were lucky. I got a PPP and we should be OK (as I’m writing this I don’t know if I need to have it all spent by mid June, we have enough to get us through July though so hopefully we’ll be given more time).

So much stress comes from the unknown. While I wasn’t able to give them all the answers, being able to reassure them that we were here and that I would fight to stay here was huge. I’ve tried to stay in communication and at the very least, be available when they need me. It’s important to me that they know they’re not alone. The only way I can do that, is to tell them.

Back to Business

Most of my recent posts have been about how to deal when the world changes practically overnight. I think I was doing some processing with all of you but I hope it helped! This week we’re coming back to that business content you’ve all been craving. I want to talk about communication. Communicating with your clients! Next week, with your staff.

When things change, big or small, many of us wait for someone to tell us what to do, or what it means. We listen to podcasts, watch or read the news, talk to people we trust and eventually we form our own, albeit influenced, opinions. Your clients are the same way. When schools closed and most businesses went into lock down I knew my clients were worried. The ones that needed us were worried we wouldn’t be there or that it wasn’t safe. The ones that didn’t need us anymore worried if we’d still be here when they went back to work. It was so important for me to reach out and remind them that we’re here. I did the research and found we were allowed to continue operating. I did further research and found what practices I could take to protect my staff and clients. Then I sent an email. This all happened in about a day. Maybe two. I wanted them to know that we were taking this seriously, and that we were still here for them. The response was almost immediate. People asked how they could help us, both the company and their individual walkers. They thanked us for continuing to help them as we all navigated new challenges. They stepped up. It all started with an email. I didn’t ask for them to keep using our services or to over tip their dog walkers, but they did. I continued to keep them updated due to changes in the requirements and in our own policies as we learned more about what was effective and what wasn’t.

I hope that we never have a moment where so much changes for all of us, all at once, again. Even with small changes though, communication is key. Telling clients about a policy change in clear, brief emails with a small explanation on how it’s meant to make things better for everyone, is so important. People don’t like to be blindsided and it’s so simple to keep everyone informed. One email will save so much time in the long run.

Don't Sweat It

We are all learning how to deal with new challenges all the time, but during COVID-19, we are finding ourselves with more unknowns than usual. I don’t know about you but for me, that’s resulted in a couple of dropped balls. Fortunately it was nothing serious, no one got hurt and they were all fixable. I’ll give you a little example. Last week I walked onto my front stoop to find a package. I hadn’t ordered anything but I had a birthday a couple weeks ago maybe it was for that? Or maybe something I ordered a long time ago and had forgotten? I picked it up and it was a Stitch Fix box. Well, shit.

I had restarted the boxes about a month before the COVID-19 lock down in the hopes that I could find a couple key pieces I always struggled with (like a light blazer for example). I got one box, loved everything in it, and snapped it up. I set my deliveries to every 3 months since that’s a reasonable time frame for me to swap out a few good pieces. Then I mostly forgot about it. So when it turned up on my door step 3 months later I was surprised and immediately started beating myself up. “I can’t afford this! I can’t believe I forgot to cancel!” “Oh no! These are so expensive and I don’t even need clothes right now cuz I hardly leave my house!” Then I took a minute. “What did this really hurt? The box was $20 and I can probably find one piece in there for a reasonable cost so I don’t “lose” that money.” “I don’t need clothes right this second but I will need some tops at least soon.” I went through the box, tried stuff on and found a few tops that will be perfect and even a pair of comfy dress pants that will come in handy. I had set up the box to be budget friendly because I never have a big clothes budget anyway so I packed it up, guilt free, made comments online, and put a reminder in my calendar to cancel it in July unless there’s something I’m looking for. And you know what? It was really nice to put on a not t-shirt and check myself out in the mirror. I felt pretty good with what they sent me and I got to do a little retail therapy in the comfort of my own home, with no sales pressure, minimal COVID-19 concerns, and time to move and shift in the clothes to make sure they fit right before I purchased them.

What I’m saying is, don’t sweat the small stuff. You’re going to forget things. We’ve all had to change our behavior so much in a very short time and you know what? Most of us have done a very good job. We remember masks, we wash our hands, we give people more space. Sometimes you’re gonna get a Stitch Fix box and that’s OK.

Also I know this sounds like an ad for Stitch Fix, it’s not…but it could be!

Whatcha Doing?

Hey everyone! It’s late May and we’re all still social distancing still and most people are still working from home. When we started this, we hoped that being smart and judicious about our activities for a couple weeks, maybe a month, would do the trick. Well, many of us didn’t think that but it’s what we were told. As time went on though, it became more and more clear that that wasn’t the case. So now, we’re well over two months in and some things are starting to open up but there is no return to normal.

I think it’s safe to say that our lives are going to look different for a long time. In some ways, that’s great. The American economy has been racing along the tracks for a long time, not concerned about the people or things it destroyed along the way. Maybe this will give us a chance to fix some of that. Regardless though, I want to hear what you’re doing? You’re likely home a lot more than you’re used to. Do you like it? Hate it? Maybe a little of both? Are you learning a new skill? Are you finding you really enjoy spending time with your family? Do you hate everything about this? Do you spend most days trying to find the will to get out of bed? Playing hours of video games?

I’ve been finding myself a bit all over the place. Sometimes, I’ll spend days working on a backyard project, planning to do one small thing but finding myself spending hours straight working on it. One day, I didn’t do much and then decided that the nasty shower door from the previous owners of my house had to go. I took it down, right then. I’m taking a Spanish class through a local community college. I’m still hiking, enjoying my back yard, seeing friends outside from 6 feet away. A lot of my days are pretty nice. There are a lot of days where I do absolutely nothing. I watch hours of television and play games on my phone all day. I don’t get anything done except feed myself and my dogs. I don’t really do anything. I am extremely lucky to be able to do that. On those days I’m available if someone on my staff needs me but otherwise I’m just holding down the couch. These bursts of productivity and “loafing” are both strange but also not that unusual for me. They just seem to have gone to extremes. I also almost never manage to do what I set out to do. I get a ton done but it’s ripping down a shower door and weeding plants instead of, say, writing a blog post. It’s a mad world y’all.

I’m trying to just go with the flow. I work when I have to, and sometimes when I want to. I’m getting things done and my slow days don’t last that long. I very rarely want two in a row for example. It’s working for me. I thought my extroverted heart would be devastated right now but she’s OK. I’m OK. Are you OK?

JUMP!

I don’t know about the rest of you but for me, once the dust settled from the initial pivot we all had to make from COVID-19, I found myself with a little more time than I was used to. Not a lot, but more time in the quiet of my home thinking about my life. It’s a good time for me to spend some time analyzing where I’m at and where I want to be. There are lots of things I want to do more of. I want to do more public speaking, more consulting and mentoring. I want to tell my story in the hopes that it will help others. Of course with all this comes the nasty little imposter syndrome reminding me that no one wants to hear my story and that I don’t have anything to offer to help people. I know that’s not true. I’ve told my story before, it matters. Even if I just help one person it’d be worthwhile.

So what am I waiting for? The truth is, I’m very good at owning a dog walking business (and so modest!). But I do not know how to do some of these other things. I may be good at content but not the business of speaking. I may be great at helping people but not know how to show them and tell them I’m great at it. Or how to get in front of them. When I started Pawsitively Pooches, I wasn’t very good at running a dog walking business. I was OK, and I got better. Now I’m very good. Doesn’t it stand to reason that that would be true for all (or at least most) of these other endeavers? It does doesn’t it? I didn’t know how to write a blog before I started this one. I’m certainly no expert but I’m doing alright. So I’m putting it here in black and white. I’m jumping. Today. I’m going to learn how to write a book. I’m going to figure out how I can truly help people. It’s time to go.

The World Keeps Spinning

Last week, I talked about how the world just stopped, almost overnight it seemed. While alarming, it was also impressive to see. For a little while, it felt like being part of a world wide community. It was powerful. Now, 2 months later, the world keeps spinning. Many places are still on Stay at Home and Safer at Home orders and guidelines and even as things open back up, we’re still spending much more time at home than we’re used to but it turns out the world doesn’t really stop. People are still getting married, divorced, having children. People still get sick from things other than COVID-19. People still move, buy cars, start businesses even. The world is still spinning.

In some ways, it’s inspiring to see how the world keeps moving even as we’re all facing an unprecedented time. While there have been other pandemics, none have taken hold in modern times when global travel is common. Yet here we are. We keep pushing and fighting and living. While I don’t have any big life events happening myself, my world didn’t stop for long. While it’s still much less busy than it was, I find myself doing many of the same things I was before. I still have to run out for a dog walk if someone is late or forgets. I am still busy. Doing different things certainly, delivering masks and sanitizer to my staff instead of training and dog treats. I still have plans (though they’re virtual now), and I still find myself craving free time. I’m not really sure what this all means. This post is definitely more observational than it is advising. Part of me wonders what would happen if we really did stop. I don’t know what that looks like. Some things have to keep moving (farms still have to be tended, utilities still have to be run etc) but we could probably figure out a way to not go to the grocery store for two weeks. To get everyone a paid vacation and just, all stop at the same time. What would that look like? If instead of an afternoon siesta, the whole world took a break at the same time. Not for a pandemic, just a break. I think it might be kind of neat. What do you think?

The World Stops

What struck me the most in mid March when the gravity of this pandemic started to take hold was how it felt like the whole world just stopped. None of us knew what was happening and what to do to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe so everyone that could, stopped. We stopped going to work (some working from home, some furloughed or laid off). We stopped eating in restaurants. We stopped going to the grocery store, the box stores. We stopped seeing our friends. It all just stopped. It was astonishing to see how fast hundreds of millions, even billions of people, just stopped. Of course during all this grocery store employees, hospital workers, truck drivers, etc found themselves scrambling to keep up with demand. Frantically trying to restock after panic buying subsided and people tried to figure out how to get a roll of toilet paper. Working to save lives and hoping that their hospitals could keep up. To go restaurants flourished as well. But for most of us, we were looking at a very different pace than we were used to.

For me, this experience was less jarring than I expected it to be. Because my business was still functioning (albeit at an extremely reduced rate), I found myself with quite a bit to do. It was different than what I was used to but I was busy and hopeful. Eventually though, I caught up with demand and then for a little while I stopped too. I only left the house for a weekly grocery run and one client’s dog walks. I spent some time trying to find masks and hand sanitizer for my staff but I did most of that from home. I had so much time. My house was clean. My dogs and I were well exercised. It was kind of nice.

I recognize the huge scope and tragedy of the situation we all find ourselves in. Literally thousands of Americans are dying every day and I have to wonder if we could have done more sooner to prevent that. We are in the situation we’re in though and all we can do is our best going forward. I’ve learned a lot about how much time I really need to decompress and while I’m hugely anxious about the state of the world going forward, my daily anxieties have gone down a lot. I’m hoping to keep that even as we start opening back up.

Whoops It's Wednesday

This morning I was looking at my planner and checking off things I had done. I find it helpful to schedule everything, sometimes even meals and breaks, because I will either “break” all day or work all day. I don’t always write down times, it’s more like a to do list. It works for me. Anyway, I was checking things off and something seemed wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Was I forgetting something? Did I need to get something canceled? Something paid? Did I have to be somewhere? Ha no. Hmmm what a pickle. Then it hit me. Today is Wednesday, and all my notes were on Thursday.

I had a good laugh about it and then thought about how weird time is now. I’ve been working remotely for a long time but my schedule has always had a couple of “anchors”. They might be meetings or a particular workout class, or some task I have to do on the same day every week. This pandemic has changed so much. Most of those anchors have been canceled and even for a veteran work from home person like me it’s gotten a little disorienting. I could spend some time giving you advice on how to manage your schedule and know what day it is but you’ve all probably figured that out for yourselves. Instead, I’m going to say, don’t stress too much about it. Especially if your current state doesn’t require you to know exactly what day it is. If you are someone who has big meetings and presentations regularly, that’s different. If the worst thing that’s going to happen though, is that you’re late to a weekly call or do the wrong to do list, let it go. In times like these, some things have to give. The urge to maintain as much normalcy as possible is strong but you will feel much better if you can go with the flow instead of trying to fight the tides. You’ll be OK.

Posting this on Wednesday too since I thought it was Thursday!

Managing a Remote Team

Now that so many people are working from home, a lot of managers are finding themselves having to manage a team that they can’t always see. This can be a huge transition but here are some ways to keep things running smoothly.

You probably need more contact than you’re used to. Don’t clog everyone’s calendar with meetings but you need an at least weekly check in with your teams and daily in some cases. Make sure people know they can and should come to you if they’re having problems. Instead of jumping right into a meeting agenda, ask how people are and really listen. A one on one check in is great too. Even if it’s just a quick email asking how someone is holding up and if there’s anything you can help with. Sometimes when people aren’t in an office they forget they have resources. A quick check in might open the door to solve a problem for them.

On the flip side, if you are used to micromanaging, stop it. I’m serious. It’s annoying in an office but it’s catastrophic when managing a remote team. Yes, sometimes people will do things you wish they didn’t or won’t come to you for more work when they should have but you can deal with that as the situation arises. Constantly checking in on people and the status of a project is frustrating and distracting. In writing it comes off even worse. If you think you might be this person (or you know you are) do some growth while you’re learning to manage remotely. I promise it will come back to you tenfold.

Finally, ask your team what works for them! A lot of people know what they need help on. Some may ask for a daily check in, some may ask you to leave them alone. Check that work is getting done on the back end when possible (only once a day or so. Seriously, don’t you also have work to do? If you notice a consistent lag, check in. See if you can help. The most important thing you can do as a remote manager is to be a reliable and effective resource for your team. Once they know that you have the answers, they’ll come to you when they need to.

For more info on managing remote teams, check out this online panel from Bossed Up (www.bossedup.org) that I was on in March. Management Best Practices for Managing a Remote Team

What have you found, either as a manager or employee, works well when you’re working with remote teams?

How to STOP Working At Home

Working from home brings a whole host of challenges Last week we talked about how to be productive when you’re working at home. This week, we’re talking about how to stop working when your desk is there calling to you all day and night. Everyone is different but again, here’s what works for me.

First, set some time boundaries. I have a general rule that I won’t work after 6 unless absolutely necessary or I took the day off for some reason (maybe family was visiting back when that happened and I had to do my invoicing after dinner with them for example). Also I’m writing this at 7:30 but writing is different for me as well. I try to get as much done in the main work time of the day so that I have some time to unwind before going to bed. If something is nagging at me, I’ll either make a note of it (email myself or text myself so I have it tomorrow) or, if I know I won’t sleep without doing it, get it done. For me the timing rule doesn’t have to be strict. But it’s a good trigger to remind me that the work day is over. Before I got in the groove, I had a reminder on my phone.

If you’re struggling with over working because your work is right there, try setting some timers or track your time like you’re clocking in and clocking out. If you’re hitting 40 hours on Wednesday, you might need to revisit some things. Or take Thursday and Friday off! If you have the kind of job that lets you do that. Make sure you have a good idea of how much you’re actually working. Without anything marking our weeks right now, it’s easy for the days to blur together.

Have an “I’m done with work” trigger. For me, it’s closing my computer and getting a drink. It doesn’t have to be alcohol, sometimes it’s just seltzer in a nice glass with some fruit. When that happens, my brain understands that we’re not working anymore.

Finally, don’t forget to eat! And drink some water. It’s very easy to forget how hard you’re working if you’re sitting in your PJs with your laptop on your couch. It’s still work though. Take breaks, stretch a little. You can’t work all day every day. Aside from it being stressful and bad for you, your work will suffer too.

How do you keep your work from home being all consuming?