by Adam L Stanley | May 4, 2017 | Leadership, Quotes and Inspiration, Relationships, Teamwork
Be in it to win it or leave the race.
Nothing good comes from being in the middle of the road. It’s funny we often take for granted little things that have overarching meanings in our everyday life. Take driving. Learning the rules of the road and using them keeps us and others safe while sending a clear message about the direction we’re traveling. What happens when we forget these rules? Ever seen the person flying onto an on ramp and merging into traffic without signaling? Or the person who wants to straddle the line on a thin dual-direction road? On the road and in life one thing is clear: you cannot both be coming and going at the same time. We can do either but the rules of the road force us to make a choice.
And in our career, what happens when we refuse to choose? Many believe we can straddle the professional line without anyone noticing. With one foot in our current role and the other waiting for the next best thing, we remain unaware that our ambivalence reeks.
It is important that we pick a side.
PICK A STRUGGLE
Adam wrote a blog a while back that was titled Don’t Miss your Bernie moment. The message was in general for leaders of organizations that have gone through major periods of change. The Bernie message was one of transition. It was saying to his supporters that the time has come to move on, united against a common evil, and rally together on a new shared mission. That blog was for leaders at the top of newly merged or fundamentally changed organizations. And it should absolutely resonate for many of you out there.
But there is another message and this is for everyone in the organization under such leaders. And the message is basically that once a leader has articulated the new shared vision for the organization you have a decision to make. Either align with that leader and support the mission, helping to drive the continued success of the organization. Or decide that this mission is simply not yours and move on. You need to pick a struggle. You need to pick a side. Just like being in the middle of the road while driving is not a viable option, being in the middle of the road as a member of a team is unacceptable.
Let’s be clear here. We are not at all saying that adherence to the mission of an organization requires a level of abject acceptance of any decisions that are made and any directions that are delivered. The value you bring to an organization is of course diversity of opinions and the ability to provide input into decisions driving the future of your organization. Never change that. However, there is a base level of acceptance that is required of any player on a major team.
Adam is a very big fan of Arsenal Football Club and anyone who knows the English Premier League teams knows that to some extent each team is fundamentally different than other teams. Their leaders are different and their style of play are also different. If someone joins Arsenal, the expectation is they will bring new talent, new ideas, and new strength to the club. However, they will still play under the style and direction that has been developed over dozens of years. They cannot come in and try to be a rock superstar constantly fighting against the leadership or their fellow team members. It simply does not work.
So, you’re at a Crossroads. You joined the company and you worked for a particular leader for years. You respected that leader and admired his or her vision for the future of the company. You now have been placed under a new leader and you dislike your new mission.
It is time to decide.
Our advice for you:
1) Consider what makes you happy at work. Be very honest and open with yourself. Be sure that you are not letting personal friendships or biases get in the way of sound judgment. I have worked for people who are fantastic people that I truly respected and I liked. But they were not always aligned with me strategically or going in the direction that I actually thought was best for our company.
2) Ask lots of questions and truly get to know the new leader. If you suspect there is a fundamental misalignment with your view of strategic direction for the company, do your research. List out your perceived differences and ask questions that get to a point where you can confirm one way or the other. You may actually be surprised both at your misunderstanding of the misalignment or in your leader’s interest and ability to change based on strong feedback
3) Check the grass on the other side. Research other players in your industry and see if they are going in a fundamentally different direction. It could be that your ideas are not aligned with the way the world is shifting. You could be the one on the wrong side of the road. And hey, we’ve all been wrong sometimes. This exploration of the other side will also help you and your decision to stay or leave for another company. If, after all, other companies in your industry will be going in the same direction, you might be left all alone.
4) Change your way of thinking. Adam wrote a blog on Allies on a Tour of Duty, about investing in talent for the long-term. The concept there was around each role being a different opportunity for you to build on particular skills and learn new ones. Never considering that any would be permanent. Change your way of thinking so that this new strategic direction under this new leader is another Tour of Duty. It’s an opportunity for you to prove that your intellect and your skills are transferable and can be applied under different fields of battle.
5) Determine your time horizon. There is a particular amount of time that you will wait it out and try to make it work before one of two things happens. Either you will become so despondent and disengaged that you will be miserable at work and miserable to work with. Or, your performance will suffer and your contributions will decline and instead of leaving on a high you will leave with an impression a failure. When not happy at work, your performance will suffer and your reputation can as well.
6) Just Leave. If you’ve come to the conclusion that it’s simply not going to work or you don’t want it to then you should do yourself and the organization a favor and respectfully exit. Fortunately, we are not tied to any one company and where we decide to work is a choice. Choose to be solid teammate and manager, productive and most of all happy…elsewhere.
Choose Your Side
Staying in the middle of the road is not good for any players involved. Your leadership will be disappointed in your performance and your attitude. Your peers will notice your lack of Engagement. And those that do not know you well will brand that as part of your personality and your skill set. And you will be unhappy and feel increasingly disengaged and alone. That is a position that no one wants to be in at work. Therefore, we encourage you to pick a struggle. Pick a side.
Let us know what you think. Have you been in a situation where your colleague was clearly straddling the middle line? Have you managed someone like that?
Be well. Lead On.
Adam
This blog was coauthored with Apriel Biggs-Coker. These are our views and not necessarily those of the company.
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by Adam L Stanley | Dec 31, 2016 | Life
Good riddance 2016!
The last year that stunk as much as this year was 2010. That was the year my step-dad died. My work got really stressful for a few reasons I will not share here. There was a horrific earthquake in Haiti and a tragic disaster with the BP oil spill. My TV favorite actors from The Golden Girls, Different Strokes, Dynasty, and Designing Women died. I wasted two hours watching the astoundingly awful “Grown Ups” with Adam Sandler that I can never get back. And politics started getting really nasty in America.
Well, this year, lovely 2016, is going down in such a way as to make that year look like roses. Work was great albeit there were tons of challenges and complex problems. My family had a great year. We lost my aunt and had some health challenges but were able to celebrate a few weddings, births, and graduations and other fun events that made Family Life more joyful in 2016.
2016: Worst Year?
Outside of family and work life however, it was a true shitshow of a year. My idols started to drop: Prince, David Bowie, George Michael, Alan Thicke, Natalie Cole, Mohammed Ali… Professor Snape. Come on!! I recently looked at the list of famous people who called it quits this year. Shocking. Like they were desperate to leave before ….
Which brings me to that other big thing that happened this year…. The election. What a season. Great for Saturday Night Live, Alec Baldwin as The Donald was almost as funny as Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. With SEVENTEEN candidates, it was bound to produce ample material. Sadly, 2016 also became the year where it seems the country stopped laughing. Hatred. Mistrust. Anger. So much Negativity.
There were multiple mass murders in 2016. Including ones that truly hurt me more than I would have imagined. Considering myself in my younger days traveling for work and occasionally visiting nightclubs or bars in the cities in which I worked. And pondering what if an insane, conflicted, homicidal man had come to one of those clubs and killed almost fifty innocent people. (#Pulse) Picturing walking the streets of Paris and the Christmas markets I experienced in Hamburg as I remember with horror hearing about the Nice and Berlin truck murders.
Zika! Brexit! Syria! Brangelina! Police shootings! Police ambushes! Yes, 2016, you sucked.
And Chicago…. I. Just. Can’t. So many young children dying from senseless gang violence. High taxes and troubled schools. Politicians in and out of jail. And so many closed minds!
To be honest, I’m not actually wanting to say goodbye to 2016 as much as I’m saying good riddance. Good riddance to the hate and the nastiness. Good riddance to the racism on all sides. Good riddance to feeling forced to choose sides between two outrageously flawed individuals, between rich and poor, black and white, LGBT or “straight”, Muslim and Christian. And good riddance to the hatred that resulted in so many deaths of innocent people. Good riddance to the steady stream of news of my favorite TV and music stars passing.
2017. I welcome you with renewed focus on showing love and compassion. I anxiously await more phone calls to and from friends. I pray that peace will prevail SOMEWHERE. I am hopeful that the worst is behind us and the best is yet to come. And regardless of whether I’m proven right or massively wrong, I will still never compromise my values. I will choose love over hate. And I will live each day as if it’s my last. That’s what really matters.
As always, I will not write a New Years Resolution, though I do hope to shed a few pounds and get more sleep in 2017 (most would say that is more of a necessity than a resolutional goal). However, I will suggest that we try to work together to make 2017 more forgiving, more loving, and more joyful than 2016. And I could find no one better (with the exception of Jesus) to give us the words to live by as we move into the New Year than the woman who was canonized into sainthood this year, Mother Theresa.
I love you each, specially, for whatever role you play in our world. You BE you and do it as GOOD as you can. Your life matters.
Be well. Lead On.
Adam
Related Posts:
Who Am I?
2015>2016: My Personal Ten Commandments
2014>2015: A new year resolution you can keep
Is 2016 the worst year in history? Worse than 1919? 1836? 1348? via @slate
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by Adam L Stanley | Dec 8, 2016 | Life, Technology
Make your Uber driver feel good. He may not be making much money. And you’re really not “sharing” anything with him.
The ALS 5-Star Uber Service
Recently, I decided to do a little experiment.
Several people in my circles talk regularly about the sharing economy. I have read dozens and dozens of blogs on the model — and actually work with accelerators and incubators that are also very much focused on the topic.
Here’s the issue I’ve always seen, though: many of us experience the sharing economy as users, not as providers. If we’re not exposed to both sides of it, it’s hard to really understand what’s going on and how it’s going to impact business and growth (and yes, politics and society too) in the next decade and beyond. Most of my friends have stayed in an AirBNB, for example — but only 1 or 2 have rented their place out. Almost all my friends and colleagues have used an Uber, but none have driven one.
So, I decided to sign up. I wanted to see what it was like to be an Uber driver.
Signing up
The first step — signing up — is surprisingly easy. The process involves a background check which is done by a third party and the collection of several documents that verify that you are legally licensed to drive that vehicle. The process for me took approximately one week including the time to go to a local Jiffy Lube for relatively simple car inspection. Because of the vehicle I drive, I was also able to request the ability to drive as an Uber Select driver, which merits higher rates per mile and a different clientele. (You’ve probably ordered a Select once or twice.)
This was getting real now — I was signed up — and once stuff gets real for me project-wise, I go whole hog. The next step was preparing the car. I bought some mints and candies for the armrest, and I put magazines in the back that passengers could read. I set up in-vehicle Wi-Fi and provided chargers for Android and iPhone devices. I made a brochure about everything I was doing and stuck it in the back. I was aiming for five-star service every time out.
I got my mounting device for the dashboard, installed Waze, and started taking rides. I was now on the other side of the sharing economy. I had crossed the chasm.
So, what did I learn?
Basic economics
About half my rides were Uber Select; the other half were UberX (the most common). A large percentage of my UberX fares were surge, i.e. 1.1-2x the traditional fare via demand, but most Select were base fares.
It’s hard to make money. In one trip, I drove a passenger through traffic for 21 minutes and my take home was about $4 adjusted for income taxes. I cannot for the life of me figure out why someone would be a part-time UberX driver. I get the flexibility element — also heard of an Uber driver who has six kids once, and I get maybe using Uber as peace and quiet — but it’s not a true revenue generator in any real sense. My question is whether or not the average driver tracks mileage to and from pickups, uses the tax code to his full advantage to deduct expenses, and has a car where the cost of depreciation is lower than the benefits of Uber fares.
Uber has recently decided to allow drivers to accept tips in certain markets. As a reaction to lawsuits, the stipulation allows tips as long as they use as a separate transaction or via cash.
People are condescending
A lot of times, they don’t even realize it. You might be in this boat without realizing it. I constantly got questions about why I do Uber and/or how else I really make money. There were also dozens of comments implying “Oh, you’re smart for an uber driver” or act shocked that I was “a better conversationalist than I expect from an uber driver.” It was really amazing to see this in real-time, ride after ride.
Drunk people are awful
Some people really never do grow up after high school or college. When drunk people spilled into my car, it’s all crass and racism and ridiculous, no-context comments. No one puked in my car (I’ve seen stories about that from Uber drivers), but verbally, almost all the drunk people puked everywhere. Obnoxious at 20. Ridiculous at 40.
Uber has begun piloting means of protecting drivers from drunk passengers, or at least minimizing impact of the distraction. Drivers get a $200 cleaning fee when someone throws up in your car and several expert drivers have posted blogs with tips on avoiding the worst offenders and managing the other drunk passengers. The dilemma for Uber is that it touts its services as a drunk-driving solution to generate political juice. This is Uber’s pitch to Upstate New York. If too many of Uber’s part-time drivers begin refusing to service drunken passengers, this claim will lose effectiveness.(see article)
Spilling the Beans
Absolutely shocking how many secrets were revealed in conversations between passengers, including — not even kidding here — people working as consultants or investment bankers on confidential matters. I started thinking: if someone drives an Uber at a major U.S. airport and it takes about 30 minutes to get downtown in whatever city, how easy would it be for Uber drivers to basically do real insider trading off what they hear? Or simply to ruin a deal by tweeting or posting it on Facebook.
The ratings game
I nailed my five-star rating. During my 19 trips, 15 passengers gave me ratings and all of them scored me a 5. I believe Uber now requires ratings on every fare. When I did my experiment, this was not the case. After every fare, I would find myself anxiously awaiting my rating. I wonder whether my perfect score would be different had Uber required ratings when I drove. Perhaps the people who did not rate me were not as impressed with the quality of my service and would have rated me lower.
After about 20 fares, it does become increasingly easier to maintain that high rating. In the first 20 fares, it’s a little bit more a situation where every fare (and subsequent rating) makes a huge difference. As a passenger, I had just ok rides with 4.9 rated drivers that had taken hundreds of fares. But I also had amazing rides with newer drivers with 4.5 that had only 10-20 fares. One or two passengers in a bad mood can ruin a starting driver. New drivers are given some slack on their rating, but a rating below 4.6 puts you at risk of being deactivated.
Getting Lost
I don’t know Chicago as well as I thought. Certain neighborhoods were a total mystery to me — even sometimes 6-7 minutes from places I do business all the time. If I had turned off Waze, I’d be totally lost. That was surprising to me. This is a major differentiator for taxis. If you want to get good ratings, you need to really get to learn the streets of the city in which you live.
No Dates or Mates
It’s not really a networking tool. I heard people classify Uber as a networking tool often, but that’s not really true. I ultimately did 19 rides. No one hit on me — although maybe that’s my issue. No one encouraged me to hit on them. And I didn’t start any business partnerships or friendships, no. I thought about the term “sharing” within sharing economy a lot when I was doing this. Most of the passengers are basically paying less — and getting it faster — than they would with a traditional taxi. They’re not sharing anything. It’s an economic exchange at the micro level. (more on that here)
To Uber or not to Uber
I wouldn’t recommend Uber to people looking to make extra cash. I don’t actually feel the economics are there. There are a couple of situations where it could be advantageous, though. For example:
● If you have a nice leased car and you don’t drive more than the allowable mileage on a regular basis, it makes some sense.
● If you’re interested in human psychology or think it could benefit you professionally to understand people a little bit better — and you have the time — then it’s valuable.
● If you’re a person who would otherwise be sitting home downing Doritos and not interacting with other human beings, do it.
● Short-term need for cash for a trip? Definitely consider it.
● You’re just a curious person.
If you are going to drive, here are a few blogs with independant tips on optimizing your experience:
Now look: I did 19 rides. It’s not a huge sample size and I don’t portend to be any expert on being an Uber driver as a result. One Uber driver claims he is raking in $252,000 a year, largely by selling jewelry to his passengers as he drives. But to understand the sharing economy, you need to check out both sides of it. There are people legitimately making money and connections from being a driver, but there are pros and cons like ANY means of generating income. Also, it seems Uber’s long-term plan could be to phase out drivers — you’ve got their purchase of self-driving Otto trucks, and you’ve got their billionaire CEO alluding to it left and right. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when the sharing economy starts to get automated out as well.
For now, though, I would love to hear your perspective on the sharing economy. And if you get a chance, hit on your next Uber or Lyft driver. Might make ‘em feel better… Just saying.
Be well. Lead On.
Adam
Here is the full log of trips:
Related Posts:
Applying the food pyramid to tech talk
Disrupters learn from the losers
Peer accountability is critical to success in teams
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
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by Adam L Stanley | Dec 31, 2014 | Leadership, Life, Quotes and Inspiration, Relationships
Happy New Year Friends!
A new year resolution you can keep
Wow. It’s 2015. I can’t believe another year has come and gone. I joined a new company this year. Met dozens of new people. Learned more about myself and what matters. Watched my neices and nephew mature and change. Lost a few of my favorite entertainers. Added a couple of countries to my travel list. Purged a few negative relationships. Made the Crains Chicago top tech list and breached the 5000 followers level on Twitter. Found a lot of gray in my beard that was not there last year. And some things started hurting for no reason. Sigh. Enjoyed several new restaurants. Rejoined a gym and actually went for quite a while. And, most importantly, I ended the year more at peace than I started it.
So now it’s time to start a new year.
New year.
New beginnings.
New perspectives.
New opportunities.
So what are you going to include in your new year resolution? Here is what I would suggest:
1) Forgive someone this year. Someone once said that it takes a strong person to say sorry, and an ever stronger person to forgive.
2) Fall in love with yourself again. Sometimes your fiercest critic is yourself. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has a popular quote I love > “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
3) Give more. You don’t have to have loads of money to make an impact. Think about what little things you can do to help out others. Give $5 more each month than you have in 2014 to an organization or religious institution that does something positive.
4) Lead on. Mentor someone or commit to being a better boss or team player. Take charge in an area that has chronically lacked leadership. Make a difference.
5) Hug more. Go do it now. Give someone a hug. If you’re not a hugger, just give them a smile. You will change their day.
This is the easy stuff.
Yes, I’m a little bit hoaky. Perhaps idealistic. But I’m pretty sure I won’t go to the gym five times a week all year. I likely won’t lose 20 pounds or find my six pack abs. So, when it comes down to it, the above items are much more realistic!
So, I resolve to do the above five things. Join me, or let me know what your resolution will be. May the year 2015 be your best year yet.
Be Well. Lead On.
Adam
Adam L. Stanley Connections Blog
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by Adam L Stanley | Dec 25, 2014 | Life
Cinnamon scented pine cones roasting by an open fire. Cookie nipping at his presents. Yuletide carols being song by Spotify. And all of us escaping from Chicago to the somewhat warmer mountains of North Carolina.
This year was interesting in so many ways. A new company in a new industry that spun off from a parent, was funded by a strong consortium and is now set to close on a substantial acquisition. Good times with many new and long time friends. Getting back to the gym for a steady three months (and then stopping for the last month …) Being named to Crain’s Chicago Tech 50 list and meeting dozens of tech entrepreneurs. And of course spending quality time with my family and friends around the world.
Everybody knows a turkey, and some mistletoe, helps to make the season right, but it’s life connections and new experiences, such as those shared with you, that made 2014 bright. So, click here for my special greeting for you.
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Adam
4) Change your way of thinking. Adam wrote a blog on Allies on a Tour of Duty, about investing in talent for the long-term. The concept there was around each role being a different opportunity for you to build on particular skills and learn new ones. Never considering that any would be permanent. Change your way of thinking so that this new strategic direction under this new leader is another Tour of Duty. It’s an opportunity for you to prove that your intellect and your skills are transferable and can be applied under different fields of battle.
About half my rides were Uber Select; the other half were UberX (the most common). A large percentage of my UberX fares were surge, i.e. 1.1-2x the traditional fare via demand, but most Select were base fares.
I nailed my five-star rating. During my 19 trips, 15 passengers gave me ratings and all of them scored me a 5. I believe Uber now requires ratings on every fare. When I did my experiment, this was not the case. After every fare, I would find myself anxiously awaiting my rating. I wonder whether my perfect score would be different had Uber required ratings when I drove. Perhaps the people who did not rate me were not as impressed with the quality of my service and would have rated me lower.
