• Tag Archives culture

  • Coasting Along Or Improving To The Stars?

    Posted on by Tim

    Two moments in November really struck me. They caused me to think, am I improving or coasting?

    For me, working at Improving Enterprises indicates I should be improving at a sustainable pace. Sustainable pace is subjective and relative to the person. It might look like a rocket ship for you and a slight hill for me.

    Firstly, one of our vice presidents, Tim Rayburn ended our monthly Dallas townhall with an exercise. It was designed to help us think differently about recruiting. Near the end, he said something to the effect of,

    “Improvers talk to people who are probably Improvers, they just don’t know it yet.”

    Tim Rayburn

    Bold statement and a solid indicator for company culture.

    Secondly, another executive, Ken Howard facilitated an evening training session on human interaction. He was covering motivation at one point when he mentioned,

    “We discovered that many of our colleagues are geared toward creativity and learning.”

    Ken Howard

    This is a strong indicator for problems getting solved. But not messes getting cleaned up in the breakroom!

    Company culture is impacting business operations. As a result, how culture is built influences how business value is created.

    I write posts using the tag “humans being.” Occasionally, I make a mess of interactions with people.

    How do I fix my mess? I have to work on my “soft skills”. At times, I ask to be forgiven. I stop speaking mid-sentence.

    Stuck waffles
    An improvement opportunity in waffle making

    Stop coasting and start improving

    From start to finish, life is about continuous improvement. Life is painful in that way. But, I would not trade it for the alternative!

    So, this gets back to my starting question. Are you (and me) improving or coasting?

    Trust me, there isn’t anything wrong with coasting. From time to time, coasting is a good thing!

    Consider this question when your goal setting for next year. Improving or coasting, the choice is yours. Finally, I choose improving, you should too.


    📂This entry was posted in Teamwork 📎and tagged

  • The Powerfully Insightful And Wicked Smart Wife!

    Posted on by Tim

    This was originally posted on LinkedIn. Occasionally, an actual conversation happens for me.

    I reached out to a colleague as I had not heard from him in a while. Consequently, I was concerned about him, I sent him a message in Teams to see how he was doing.

    As well, I took time and had an actual conversation with one of my teenage daughters, as her “best friend forever” has been traveling for the past couple of weeks.

    I had a good, actual conversation with my wife about “showing up.”  She challenged me further with her own experience.

    Undeniably, I was surprised, shocked, and delighted by what she shared. 

    On the train somewhere between Croatia and Austria

    An actual conversation

    My wife was born and raised in Yugoslavia. Today, her country is known as Hrvatska or, in English, Croatia.

    Certainly, there is a cultural difference she shared was how her Mom would visit with the neighbors daily.  Mostly unannounced, for short, long, and in-between visits.  My mother-in-law would show up.

    When people visit Croatia, visitors are pleasantly surprised by how nice most of their encounters with Croatians are in person.  In general, Croatians show up.

    Separately, my wife reminded me of a chapter in Cody McClain Brown’s “Chasing a Croatian Girl.” In chapter 12, Cody describes neighbors and how they show up. Not to spoil the story, it’s worth a read. Try to continue to show up at work AND at home. 

    Consider this as a guide for your teams to higher performance.  Think of it as a way to strengthen the relationships you have with your family, neighbors, and friends.


    📂This entry was posted in Personal 📎and tagged