TR Pickering & Associates, Inc

04/16/2024

Great article -- specific suggestions to reframe feedback

How to keep your words open and nonjudgmental.

04/08/2024

“Once in a lifetime” read the headline of the Evansville Courier. In the newspaper, on billboards, and on the nightly news, you could not escape knowing that on the afternoon on April 8th the city will experience a total solar eclipse. It is expected to be a big deal for our community.

Community leaders hope this celestial event will bring upwards of 80,000 visitors who will spend money on lodging, meals, and shopping finds. Evansville’s a city that’s gone from a t-shirt motto of “We’re Evansville” (with the implied “Enough Said” tagline) to today’s “E is for everyone” and is excited to make a better impression.

Because so many people might be visiting the city for the first time, city officials want to pull out all the stops to make sure it’s a favorable first impression.

Clearly a lot of money and time has been invested in maximizing this minutes-long event that won’t happen again in our lifetime. For more than a year, the city of Evansville’s tourism organization has been hosting monthly Regional Eclipse Task Force meetings to share information and help businesses and organizations plan for the thousands of visitors the city hopes will visit to experience the total eclipse. Before those meetings, the city began planning soon after the 2017 eclipse when the city was on the edge of the solar eclipse path.

It’s shaping up to be a community-wide holiday with schools closing and some businesses closing at noon to allow employees time to prepare to experience the event with their family and friends.

While it’s great to plan for an event to welcome new visitors to the city, I keep thinking of how much time and money have gone into a snapshot event that will soon be past us.

Considering the years of planning and how keenly aware city officials were of the opportunity to take advantage of being in the path of the eclipse, I wonder if the same amount and level of investment would be made to something more lasting and also “once in a lifetime.” It reminds me of the admonition we hear that we spend more time planning a single vacation than we do our retirement.

What if we were to look at other events that are “once in a lifetime” for the people experiencing them?

The children who will be born to first-time parents this year.
This is each of those children’s once in a lifetime entry into the
world. Planning for how to support them and their parents would
have much more impact than thousands of visitors to any
community for a day.

The students who will graduate from high school in 2030. For
those students, the day they transition from high school to the
next stage of their work or schooling is a “once in a lifetime”
event. Could we help students, parents, and the educational
community cast a vision for their graduation day? What would
the students and their supporters want them to have achieved?
What skills and resources would prepare them to celebrate their
graduation and be prepared to their transition after graduation?

Perhaps the answer lies in better understanding why we’ll plan for months and years for minute-long events but not for those that last much longer than our attention spans can handle. Could we take our focus on 3-minute events and expand it to, for example, a child’s first 3 months of life or the first 3 years of a child’s formal schooling? Imagine the difference that could make.

03/09/2023

Happy International Women's Day - happy to see a program and posters while training today.

Thankful for the Nordic countries that are blazing the trail in gender equality! We in the US can and must do better.

07/17/2022

WTH? - Too Nice for Your Own Good?

I saw Too Nice for Your Own Good* on a relative’s bookshelf years ago. The title shocked me, as I didn’t think this person considered himself as being “too nice.” I’m so glad the title caught my attention.

I have returned to passages in this book over the years, especially the section on empathy. But it was only this year that I read it from beginning to end. Such a treasure trove of advice for getting out of our own way in trying to be a better friend, parent, co-worker, boss. The information in this book applies to any relationship we have. It starts with the premise that we were raised to “be nice.” But so often the things we do in that vein are not at all helpful to the very people we are wanting to help and support. And they’re not healthy for us --- things like telling white lies to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, not saying what we really want and need to say, giving advice, repressing our own emotions, and more. It’s a lengthy list, and author Duke Robinson gives specific examples on all of the 9 behavioral patterns that he calls self-sabotaging mistakes. But he emphasizes that these are mistakes, ones we can learn from and then consider a different way to respond the next time we’re in a similar situation.

In fact, Robinson provides specific steps with sample dialogue on how to free ourselves from these behavioral patterns that stem from trying to be a “nice person.” I have marked this book in several sections and will continue to turn to it when I’m finding myself returning to old bad habits. Another bonus is that Robinson, a former Presbyterian pastor, has an engaging writing style. It’s easy to read, retain, and apply.

*This book was formerly published as “Good Intentions.”

12/31/2021

Use your DISC style to reach 2022 goals

If you’re someone who likes to start the new year with resolutions, you are in good company. According to a 2019 Inc.com article, roughly 60 percent of us make New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, the percent of people who achieve their resolutions is less than 10 percent. Whether or not you are a person who starts the new year with resolutions, we all want 2022 and each new year to be a year of personal and professional growth and fulfillment. How can we make it so? The first step is to change how we approach our goals and pay attention to what works best for our own style.

Resolutions are about getting better, whether it’s increasing your level of fitness, saving money, completing a major work or home project. It boils down to setting goals and working to achieve them. There is no question that we need to know our goals, what we’re working toward, how and where we want to be to be by the end of that new year. To get there, we must focus on what we do day to day. That’s why performance expert James Clear suggests a different approach to making resolutions. In Clear’s book Atomic Habits, he calls habits the compound interest of self-improvement. Comparing habits to the impact compound interest has on money, he said if we concentrate on making sure we’re intentional about our daily habits, the impact of them multiplies as they are repeated over time.

Whatever your outcome goals are — mastering a new skill, excelling in a sport, achieving a weight loss goal, or completing a major work project – – – they’ll be achieved not by wishing but by doing. It will be a repetition of daily habits that as time progresses will compound and move you to the natural outcome that is your goal. It’s the things we do consistently each day that will get us the outcomes we’re seeking with our New Year’s resolutions. This year instead of what you won’t do or what you’re going to give up, write out the habits you will adopt that when consistently done will bring you the results you
desire. Knowing yourself and how you respond to habits and routines will help you make those desired habits stick. Your DISC style gives you insight into how best to approach developing your own Atomic Habits.

D Style - You prioritize Results, and you like the feeling of Achievement that comes from those results. You’re continually looking for challenges and opportunities. You enjoy solving problems and don’t shy away from tough deadlines and competitions. Use this tenacious competitive spirit to your advantage when tackling changing your habits. Structure the habit as a competition with an accountability partner or tie the habit to solving a problem. This will motivate you to hang in especially midway through the changes. D styles like to take, so have a specific step to take right away to get your habit started.

I Style - You put a high priority on Enthusiasm and are perpetually Optimistic. You need to view your plan to change habits as positive – no comparing pros and cons. It’s focusing on the pros and focusing on the ones that excite you most. I styles also love to take action, so you’ll want to get started on your habit changes right away. Half steps don’t work as well for I styles, so consider taking one habit at a time to work on rather than several. You can then go all in on one habit instead of half-stepping several habits.

S Style - You value Support and Stability. Lean into your desire to help others as motivation to make changes to your daily habits. Write out the habit you want to adopt and how it will benefit others around you — your co-workers, family, and friends. And take time to plan for a more gradual change in your habits. Half steps can be great; for your S style half steps are critical. They meet your need for order and predictability as you make changes to your habits. That will help you maintain a stable environment you tend to thrive in.

C Style - You place a high value on Accuracy and Quality. For you, it’s important to take time to plan your habit transformation. You won’t feel comfortable changing your habits unless you have researched the pros and cons. Your pride in producing high quality work and following guidelines means you’ll need to study what you want to do and why and the details for making the change happen. Only then will you feel confident that you will be successful making the change to your habits. This of course requires time so you’ll need to get started on the plan for the new year sooner than the other styles in order to convince yourself you will be successful.

Please contact us if you are interested in learning your DISC style. We offer DISC assessments and coaching for individuals and team

04/07/2021

Learn to focus your time (and more importantly your attention) on what matters most to you.

Often we can feel so busy with no time to spare. But when we step back and assess our progress at the end of the week, we realize we haven’t moved forward on the things that really matter. If you find yourself week after week feeling busy but not moving forward on the things that are most importan...

01/10/2021

Wanting to improve your online meetings? Check out this webinar series offered by colleagues at Trebuchet: How to Create and Run Online Meetings that Really Work

Workshops, webinars, and gatherings for you and your team.

05/28/2020

Thankful for their service

I would hear the phrase “Thank you for your service” and not think much about it. That all changed in May 2014 when I witnessed the landing of an Honor flight.

From that day on, the words took on an added importance.

I was in Reagan International Airport waiting to fly home after a trade conference. Many of the flights including mine had been delayed because of bad weather. But soon among the announcements was one saying that an Honor flight from Anchorage, Alaska would soon be landing. I didn’t pay much attention at first to the announcement that would repeat every 15 minutes . . . that is not until the one that said they would be handing out flags for anyone who wanted one as they welcomed the veterans. Many people continued standing in line, waiting to learn of their travel options as the delay got longer and they knew they wouldn’t make their connecting flight. I was standing to watch the screens updating the flight and had my backpack loaded down with books and computer equipment. My other arm was partially free since my purse wasn’t as heavy. But I stayed put, glancing to my right to see an employee with miniature American flags. Several young men stepped forward to get one. But only a few. I began to wonder if many people would even turn around when the flight arrived, so worried and harried they were with the travel chaos.

As the announcements became more frequent, I wondered if passengers would at least turn around to see the veterans walk through the gate. There were so many people crammed into the gate areas by now with the weather forecast continuing to be negative. People were looking out the windows to see the gathering clouds that confirmed the delays being updated on the screens.

With the final announcement that the Honor flight bringing the WWII Alaskan veterans to Washington DC had landed, I saw a small media crew getting set up. But we all still stood in our place. Some turned to look to the far right where the agents opened the doors to the gate where the veterans were to walk through. Within 15 minutes the first few people begin their slow walk through the doors. The young men who had been the only ones to take the flags began waving them. Those closest to the gate began clapping and cheering at the first sight of the very elderly group slowly making their way up the ramp.

What I remember most about the veterans as I walked closer to the gate were their eyes. Unlike the frailty of their bodies, their eyes were alert and bright and moved quickly around the crowd. I will never forget the expressions on their faces – first of shock at seeing such a large group of people surrounding them and hearing loud cheers and then of joy when they realized it was for them. Many were overcome by emotion with tears welling up in their eyes.

The reactions of the veterans immediately transformed the crowd who only moments before were complaining of delays, visibly frustrated and impatient to not yet know their travel plans. Tense jaws were relaxed, and suddenly the anger and frustration disappeared and in its place was a mixture of both awe, joy, and gratitude. Everyone clapped and cheered, and those closest to the slow yet steady parade of the remarkable veterans tried to make eye contact with them, to shake their hand, or to pat them on the shoulder. They wanted a way to show their gratitude to this group of veterans. As the clapping and cheering became louder the expressions on the veterans’ face continued to light up. They were energized just as their very presence had uplifted an entire wing of the airport. Many people had tears streaming down their faces as they clapped and called out to the veterans. I overhead several people near me relaying stories of their own relatives who had served but had since died.

What also struck me was the support and love shown by those escorting the veterans as they made their way through the terminal. The spouses, grown children, and adult grandchildren of these men and women were greatly moved by the experience. Some were pushing a wheelchair and making sure a crocheted afghan covering their loved one didn’t get caught in the wheels. Another looked to be a son helping his father get up from the wheelchair to walk part of the way.

Later that evening the weather cleared, and my flight was finally called. As passengers began boarding, we talked about how fortunate we were to have our flight delayed. Had we left at the scheduled time, we would have missed the Honor flight. It was an amazing experience that brings me to tears each time I have reflected on it. It is one I have recounted to my family and friends and to my students . . . to share what it taught me . . . the importance of expressing our gratitude, especially for sacrifices of which we can’t begin to know the depth. And for that, I never want to miss the opportunity to thank veterans for their service.

05/19/2020

https://trpickeringandassociates.com/bookshelf-surfing-a-remote-work-benefit/

Bookshelf Surfing – A Remote Work Benefit Posted byTammy Pickering May 13, 2020May 19, 2020 Leave a comment on Bookshelf Surfing – A Remote Work Benefit One of the benefits of remote work is the chance to see people in their homes. We don’t often get to see co-workers in spaces of their own ch...

09/23/2018

Lucky to have grown up watching Mister Rogers! His message continues to resonate.

The very first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was taped 51 years ago. Here’s the beloved TV host on love, peace, and why you’re special.

08/05/2018

This year, get more of the resources you love with the support of school funds. Talk to your administrator today! http://thndr.me/xQwHr9