Start your morning with this affirmation:
Today’s checklist: Find purpose at work, build a stronger relationship with your manager, explore solutions to your parenting headaches, and read up on X-teams.
OG Tuesday Issue #139
May 23, 2023
YOU DO YOU
Craving purpose and meaning? Read this
If you find yourself constantly craving more purpose at work, then you’re not alone. A pair of experts from McKinsey & Company did a deep dive into this topic and found that around 70% of people define their overall purpose through work.
If you’re looking for more of it, they offer a simple exercise:
“I would offer two simple questions to reflect on over a month, every day. When did I feel most alive today? When did I feel most drained? I think reflecting on those two questions over a 30-day period may offer some really interesting insights about how you might feel about what’s going on at work, what’s going on in your life, and help you on a path to reflecting on what that sense of purpose might be.”
You can listen to their podcast episode to find even more details.
TOGETHER WITH OUR GREEN HOUSE
Your One-Stop Shop for Eco-Friendly Gifts
Are you tired of the same old corporate gifts that end up in the back of the closet or the bottom of the junk drawer? Say goodbye to uninspired presents and hello to Our Green House!
They’re here to UP ⬆️ your work gifting game with eco-friendly, unique, and oh-so-stylish options.
And the best part? Every purchase supports causes around the world, making your gift even more meaningful.
🌿 Make all work occasions memorable with Our Green House. Because sustainability and style go hand in hand.
🌎 Shop gift baskets today
GET MORE SH*T DONE
Destination: A stronger relationship with your manager
You want a better bond with your manager, but feel less than sure where to start. Like your never ending to-do list, this goal will seem much more doable when you break it down.
Here are tips for working on some of the separate elements that make up a healthy relationship. Start by prioritizing the elements you feel need the most work.
You want to work on: Communication
- Pay attention to context. Busy work schedules might limit communication with your manager to when it’s convenient, which doesn’t necessarily equate to effective. Improve communication by “reading the room.” Does your manager appear distracted or in a bad mood? Tired? Do you get the sense they understood what you said or do you feel the need to rephrase?
You want to work on: Respect
- Ask a lot of questions. Even if you think everything is clear, ask your manager follow-up questions about their requirements, expectations, and hopes. You may never be able to complete every task as they would have themselves, but you’ll get closer.
You want to work on: Trust
- Learn your manager’s priorities and make them your own. Keep those priorities top of mind when you’re determining what to invest the most time and energy in.
You want to work on: Support
- Be strategic in asking for their help. Ask them for advice on work that revolves around a skill you admire in them. (It probably also wouldn’t hurt to frame your request around that admiration.)
You want to work on: Honesty
- Use a simple question: What do you think? Freely offering your opinions while also soliciting theirs whenever possible will nurture a mutual sense of safety where honesty may thrive.
You want to work on: Acceptance
- Let go of perfection. Admit to and take accountability for your mistakes and weaknesses, while also celebrating and taking credit for your achievements and strengths. Earning acceptance at work starts with accepting yourself.
You want to work on: Empathy
- Feel free to be curious. In your life, your manager is your manager, but they’re also a whole human with tons of other goals. Don’t be afraid to express an interest in their other sides.
TOGETHER WITH BONUSLY
Gamify Your System
🔊 Attention all teams!
Bonusly is here to make recognizing and rewarding your coworkers easy and enjoyable.
Its innovative gamification system has caught the attention of companies such as Chobani, Headspace, Hulu, ZipRecruiter, and many others, who are using it to boost morale and create a happier workplace.
The platform’s ease of use and ability to effortlessly spread positivity has made it a hit among employees.
👉 Learn how you can foster a more engaged workplace
LEVEL UP
Modern solutions for modern parents
Timeless parenting pain point: Never having enough framable family pics.
Modern solution: Shoott
Book a shoot with a local photographer and pay for only the shots you love.
Timeless parenting pain point: Providing both freedom and safety in the digital age.
Modern solution: Pinwheel
Set up a Pinwheel Caregiver Portal using the phone model and carrier of your choice and then manage screen time, apps, and more.
Timeless parenting pain point: Realizing important family information lives only in members’ minds.
Modern solution: The Kinnect Company
This new platform offers a secure solution for organizing, managing, and sharing critical family information.
Timeless parenting pain point: Having to repeat plans over and over again.
Modern solution: Grow Maple
Organize and share your family plans—including schedules, chore lists, and meal plans—from one central hub.
Timeless parenting pain point: Wondering when everyone will be home or if they made it to their friend’s house.
Modern solution: Locategy
Know where everyone is without waiting for them to text you back.
WATERCOOLER TALK
What is an X-team?
X-teams are simply externally focused teams. While other teams worry about what’s happening in the company or organization, an X-team worries about everything else and brings relevant intel back to their inwardly focused counterparts.
“An X-team is an adaptive structure that gives individuals and organizations flexibility in dealing with changing circumstances and with different kinds of tasks that shift over time,” MIT Professor Deborah Ancona told Forbes. “Particularly in today’s world, where things change very rapidly, we need to continually understand how the world around us is changing and what we have to do in response. Whether we’re talking about a relief operation for a tsunami or a business service that is quite complex, we require an external focus where our team doesn’t just worry about its own operations but also thinks about how its operations mesh with other things that are going on, or about other parts of a larger operation.”
Curious about how to implement an X-team? Check out this MIT blog post.
PARTNER PICKS
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Miro released a free Emotions Wheel Icebreaker you can do with your team to get a sense of the current team vibes.
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NEW & NOTEWORTHY
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SPILL THE TEA
Hooray, You Made It to the End of Our Newsletter!
Riddle me this: Imagine that you are in a room that is filling with water. There are no windows or doors. How do you get out?
⭐ Answer here.
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