Why Street Workers Need to Add the “People Component”

By Carolyn Vreeman | June 17, 2019 | 0

Our street is under construction. In three months, they say, it will be a totally new, wonderful, perfectly working street that will solve all of the neighborhood’s water problems (OK, they didn’t say it would solve ALL problems, but…)

We have had workers of all sorts pound on our door at 7:00AM asking us to move our cars. We have had panicky neighbors at that early hour asking if they can park in our driveway for an hour while they figure out how to get their morning tasks done before work.

We lost cable for two days – and being a “work from home” family, that was tough: meetings had to be rescheduled and even the library was full of patrons when we needed it most!

All day long, we hear beeping – vehicles backing up. I hear it in my sleep now…beep, beep, beep….

Getting to and from our house is sometimes impossible by car and parking options are slim.

And the DUST…is everywhere. EVERYWHERE!

The workers are perfectly nice, hard-working, I-want-to-bring-them-a-beer sort of folks. Their job isn’t to think about the people impact. Their job is to get the work done, and do it as safely and efficiently as possible.

In a perfect world where this project has a “people component,” a team would plan for the impact on the families. They would seek to understand the possible challenges each family would face, and would work with representatives of the neighborhood together to develop a solid plan to mitigate these challenges.

Below are some examples of what an Organizational Change Leader or “People Leader” would probably do in a project like ours:

Each family would be provided a rough timeline for the project so they can see what’s completed and what’s coming next.
The Association Board (neighborhood leaders) would be utilized to proactively plan for possible inconveniences or challenges for the project.
The project team and Association Board would coordinate with the cable, internet, and phone companies and other utilities to ensure that the impact, if any, is explained, planned for, and short in duration.
Each family would receive a list of “what to expect” and basic recommendations: “There will be dust and loud beeping sounds…we recommend you close your windows when possible.” “You may need to move your car into a temporary parking spot: Here is a map of parking areas that are authorized during this project.”
Families would have a number to call to ask questions- where they would get real, up to date information about the project quickly.
If cars need to be moved or couldn’t be parked in the driveway, families would be notified in the evening, perhaps by postcard in their door or text…or both. Then, a knock on the door in the morning would serve as a reminder.
Notification and update messages about the project would be shared on the neighborhood Facebook page.
Homeowner calls with the project team would be scheduled at regular intervals to discuss the project plans and provide risk management where necessary. These calls would share information about the project and provide opportunities to receive feedback and answer questions from the people in the neighborhood.

Of course, these are just a few ideas of what would work in our neighborhood, and we all know each neighborhood is slightly different and might require a slightly different approach. It would, however, be a better experience for the homeowners (us!) if some of the activities listed above were put into place during this project.

What other ideas do you think would help the homeowners (People!) prepare and live through a project like this?

Leadership lessons from “The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce.”

A Leadership Lesson from George

This is a story about culture, and about the barriers successful leaders break through to challenge what we know and become what we hadn’t dreamed possible. No, I am not giving you the cliff notes from my husband’s children’s book, The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce here, but I do want us to think through the concept of the journey to be the unique you that is introduced in this book. I also want to ponder how culture, leadership, and unconscious norms make this journey even more challenging. Perhaps we can learn together and you can use these thoughts when you read the book to your kids or grandkids to share the lessons.

See, every day, we are told by someone that we should be something like them. As parents, it’s what we’re supposed to do: raise children who follow our rules, contribute to the community, and are like us. Our extended family, society, and organizational rules also indicate to us what is acceptable, expected, and “normal.”

George is a rubber ball. He doesn’t like to bounce. He knows he’s supposed to. We all think he should.

We follow the rules established to maintain order, societal norms, status quo. We expect everyone to follow those rules because, frankly, they should, right? It’s how we live. It’s what we do. We don’t think about it. It just is.

Many people aren’t ok with that. More and more, we are integrating cultures and expectations and skills. We are asking why we do things. We are embracing differences but only within our own boundaries. We are challenging the status quo more and more, but we continue to silently and without effort- unconsciously- encourage what we have always known; the status quo.

George should bounce. It’s tradition. It’s what his family has done for many years. It just IS.

People in Spain eat lunch at 2:00 PM. Spanish eat the meal that is like an American dinner at lunch. They eat apples or cheese slices for dinner. It’s their tradition.

Americans work through lunch and eat pasta for dinner at 6 or 7 PM. It’s their tradition.

When we want to create a workforce that values differences, we have to take into account these every day traditions and determine if they are helping us or hindering logic and creativity.

George doesn’t like to bounce. He likes to roll and fly. He is compelled to be different.

We all are compelled to be different and unique. We are talented in a thousand different ways, each of us. We are what make families and teams and organizations amazing. Our unique thinking brings us to new levels.

George journeys to find his true George.

Smartly, we all have a journey that is unique to us. We don’t follow in our parents’ footsteps, we create our own paths. We make our talents work for us. We become the best gift of US to the world around us, but it’s not easy. It doesn’t happen without disappointment, anger, frustration, loneliness, and fear. It happens because of all of those things.

George finds those who welcome him in a bowling alley.

They aren’t like him. They don’t look like him – they aren’t rubber – but they understand him and celebrate him. He feels validated and encouraged to be HIM in all of his uniqueness.

George’s journey has a sequel…not written yet, but we know this isn’t the end of his journey. As adults, we know this isn’t a one-time-in-life journey. This is an experience for all of us that we build off of throughout life.

We seek those who celebrate us, who encourage our uniqueness and welcome our awesome talents. We seek those who make our differences valuable and look for opportunities to help us achieve our true potential.

George tells us about his life journey. As adults, we all know that this journey is ongoing, it shouldn’t end. We should always be exploring and celebrating our uniqueness and finding and loving others for theirs.

As leaders, we know our goal is to support, value, encourage, and empower people at every stage of their journey, even if we know their time with us is short-lived. We help people become their best, unique version of themselves, and when they aspire for greatness, we mentor them to be great. When they aspire for sameness, we mentor them to be great.

So, help me think through this topic:

As you think about sharing this message with kids, what answers do you think you will need to have ready?

What questions will go unanswered or be tough?

What different questions will adults have?

Buy your own autographed copy of The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce at www.brandonvreeman.com.

George is a rubber ball. He doesn’t like to bounce. He knows he’s supposed to. We all think he should.

George should bounce. It’s tradition. It’s what his family has done for many years. It just IS.

People in Spain eat lunch at 2:00 PM. Spanish eat the meal that is like an American dinner at lunch. They eat apples or cheese slices for dinner. It’s their tradition.

Americans work through lunch and eat pasta for dinner at 6 or 7 PM. It’s their tradition.

When we want to create a workforce that values differences, we have to take into account these every day traditions and determine if they are helping us or hindering logic and creativity.

George doesn’t like to bounce. He likes to roll and fly. He is compelled to be different.

George journeys to find his true George.

George finds those who welcome him in a bowling alley.

They aren’t like him. They don’t look like him – they aren’t rubber – but they understand him and celebrate him. He feels validated and encouraged to be HIM in all of his uniqueness.

As leaders, we know our goal is to support, value, encourage, and empower people at every stage of their journey, even if we know their time with us is short-lived (as many young aspiring talent look to a variety of challenges and experiences and move swiftly through organizations). We help people to become their best, unique version of themselves, and when they aspire for greatness, we mentor them to be great. When they aspire for sameness, we mentor them to be great.

John Maxwell talks about the difference between a duck and an eagle. A duck is committed to how things are now. An eagle soars to make things different. Both are valued, and both need a leader’s understanding, direction and support.

So, help me think through this topic:

As you think about sharing this message with kids, what answers do you think you will need to have ready?

What questions will go unanswered or be tough?

What different questions will adults have?

Buy your own autographed copy of The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce at www.brandonvreeman.com.

My Regular Cold Commute

It’s a cold MN winter morning. I take a seat on the crowded bus and begin replying to emails and text messages as I wait for the commute to begin.

Two ladies chat quietly. One answers her phone and as we begin to move, she starts to cry – quietly at first, then with desperation and sadness, fear and grief, her body shaking.

The stricken, concerned faces of those around her brought me nearly to tears. It was as if the world stopped and people became people, strangers no longer.

A lady moved two seats back immediately, turned her face to the crying woman, raised her hand to her shoulder, closed her eyes, and sent loving, healing energy that even I could feel in the seat behind her. A man, visibly wanting to help but hopeless and confused sat to my left. People turned off their music, removed their ear buds. We sat in Silence. Sobs. Silence.

A woman, perplexed, sitting at the front of the bus looked back with tears in her eyes…real tears, loving tears, grieving tears, understanding tears.

20 minutes passed.

As the first stop neared and the weeping woman prepared to depart, she was surrounded by love; hands reached out to her, helping her stand, guiding her off the bus, holding her up…hands of strangers who reached out in love and compassion.

This morning in the January cold, the love and warmth that surrounds all of us was real and alive. It brought strangers together in compassion…right there on the bus during my regular morning commute on a below zero day in Minnesota. And no one spoke a word yet the message was unforgettable.

People are amazing. Sending prayers to the woman and her family as they struggle through this time of grief…of which I know no details…none at all, but one thing I know for certain: I know she is loved.

I Have Been a Public Servant for 15 Years

When I was in 6th grade, my teacher told me I was going to be a psychologist because I loved helping people.

When I started my career, all I wanted to do was help people. My bosses told me I could conquer the world with my insight and relationships.

My goal for my first job in a residential treatment center was to help at least one child be better off in life. I accomplished that in my first week of employment. The manager of the center told me I would run the place someday. I was 21.

Really, I have been a public servant my whole life. I am awake at night thinking about how I can help people. I get out of bed every morning knowing I can help groups of people strive and survive.

It’s who I am. It’s what I do.

And yet, I challenge myself every year (or more) to stay at my job. I learn about my market value and I recommit to myself, my family, and my community. I commit to being who I am, to continuing to prosper personally in society with all of the pressures of the unknowns. My boss and I ask each other the question, “are you happy here?” often.

When you’re a public servant, no matter where you are in life or where you work, you believe in something greater than yourself. You believe in the people whose lives you touch every day. You believe what you do matters for that one kid who needs a break or that first-time mom on the road to the hospital in a snow storm or that woman who lives with schizophrenia and wonders who is real and who is not. You hug that child who was born with Down’s syndrome, and the parent whose child was normal until age 6 when the degenerative disease took place and made his IQ to be that of a 2 year old.

You love every day.

And when home beckons and the day ends, you lay your head on your pillow knowing you made a difference to one person today.

There is no compensation greater in life than giving back every day to those who can’t do life alone.

I am a public servant. What I do every day helps people.

Being a public servant or not, I hope you re-imagine and reinvent and recommit yourself to your career regularly. How else do you ensure you have energy for tomorrow?

I also hope your stay true to your youthful soul. Am I still focused on helping one youth? Yes….Forever and in different ways all of the time. And hundreds of youth have prospered, thank God.

What are you committed to achieving through the work you do every day? What do you love to do in life? When you were young, what were your dreams? Are you working to achieve them today?

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