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Archives for February 2017

Oscar Lessons

February 28, 2017 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

“And the winner is …”

2017 OscarStatueAll was going smoothly at the Academy Awards. It was almost over. The last envelope was opened and announced … incorrectly.  What can we learn?

  1. Distraction: Brian Cullinan was likely distracted by tweeting a picture of Emma Stone as he handed out the next envelope.
  2. Question: Warren Beatty opened the envelope and thought something was wrong … he hesitated. There was an opportunity for correction.
  3. Hand-off: Faye Dunaway took the envelope without concern of a possible error and made the announcement.
  4. Backup: One role of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) auditors is to respond if there is an error in the announcement. They did so quickly. The right award was given at the end.
  5. Apology: PwC quickly determined they were the source of the error and took full accountability.

What does this say about decision making and crisis control?

There are many articles about this being the biggest mistake since PwC started auditing in 1935.  However, how does this inform our everyday decision making?

For most of us, day-to-day decisions and mistakes impact us much more than a mistake made at the Academy Awards.

Distraction: Automobile insurance rates in the USA, as well as  auto-related deaths, are going up due to distracted driving. Distracted workers are doing even more damage to our businesses and families.  How important is a tweet compared to Brian Cullinan doing his simple and highly visible role of handing out the right envelope? The answer is obvious, and the distraction could do tremendous harm to PwC worldwide. In an age where even our President is distracted by Twitter, counterproductive to doing his job, it’s easy to think these distractions are acceptable.

2017-02-Oscar Photo Distraction
Auditor Tweet that likely distracted him giving out the right envelope

Whether listening to a co-worker, making an important decision, or driving … we have a choice to not be distracted. See my blog Your Phone is Like a Slot Machine about the addictive qualities. Universally, people underestimate the downside of distraction.

Question: Warren Beatty thought there was a problem and hesitated … as he should.  He could have stopped the process and checked if there was a protocol for the announcers to do that. Do you have a way for people in your company to question something that does not look right? Can they stop the show and ask a clarifying question? There should be that opportunity.

Hand-off: The card was passed to Dunaway without the concerning thought. Like so many issues in business — the hand-off to the next person or department does not include the concerns and issues. Had Beatty shared the issue, they might have caught the issue in time. As is was, Dunaway read the card without question.

Backup: The auditors were ready to catch any mistaken announcement by memorizing all the winners. They acted quickly and corrected the announcement. The correct winner was acknowledged, though with less attention than they should have received. The monitoring role and correction process worked. As with most checks and balances and backup systems, it was not without cost. It was, however, not the disaster it could have been if not caught and corrected quickly.

When checks on a system find an issue, that is not an indication that the system is broken. It more likely indicates that the system is working. Too often companies react to individual mistakes that are caught by the checks, and blame it on the system or on a person/group with good intentions, who were distracted. Mistakes should cause a review to reduce future issues. In this case, do not allow auditors to be distracted by social media or email.   It’s also good advice for the rest of us.

 

 

 

Next Printing of Our Book

February 23, 2017 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

SYAOD Cover 1.3_sm web 150 dpi_225 wide FinalThe next printing of “Seeing Yourself as Others Do – Authentic Executive Presence at Any Stage of Your Career” will be released in March. The book has a few updates, but not enough to be considered a “revised edition” by book printing standards. The book will have a modified cover as the first of a planned series of books. The new printing will tie to the terminology that will be in our mobile application that will be released this year.

We will continue to offer SYAOD individual books through Amazon and boxes of ten books through our ChangeMastersAcademy.com website.

We are working on two additional books in the series.  Writing always clarifies thoughts on each topic and is valuable in itself. We feel called to share what so many people have found very valuable.

Uncertainty is Unavoidable

February 21, 2017 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

Fear is Optional
Uncertainty is unavoidable. Fear is optional.

Your Phone is Like a Slot Machine

February 17, 2017 By Tom Mungavan Leave a Comment

Social Meida
Social Meida

It just happened again. I was going to do something productive on my computer and I saw a compelling headline. I checked it out … and maybe a related one as well. Oh, what was it I was going to do?   OK – now I will do what I need to do …. if I don’t get off track again.  I get a text message alert and automatically look at my phone. Oh, isn’t that cute! A quick response and I’ll forward it to the family.  Now where was I? Who’s calling me from New York? Another robo call. OK, back to what I was doing. It’s a good thing I didn’t look at Facebook this time.

The Wall Street article “Take Back Your Brain From Social Media” looks behind our obsession and lost time with social media. They do not suggest stopping entirely. They do suggest adding choice back into our life.  Our brains are wired to to “voraciously feed on information”, says University of California, San Francisco neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley, co-author of the 2016 book “The Distracted Mind.”  Interruptions are a serious problem.  Studies have found that interruptions can cost 23 minutes out of an hour.

Recommendations:

  • Turn off app notifications on your phone and computer.
  • Make your main work devices completely off-limits to social media.
  • Hide your phone when you’re working, driving or doing important socializing.
  • Do not use social media as a “break”. There are many better options.
  • Teach your kids to manage social media also.

Social media has the same psychological pull as a slot machine.  We keep hoping every pull/click will give a big reward. It seldom comes. The “house” always wins. Just as we are wise to not place a slot machine in our office, kitchen, or car … the same is true of our mobile phones.

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