BL&T No. 078: Leveraging the Power of Email & Acting Natural

This post originally appeared in my weekly newsletter, BL&T (Borrowed, Learned, & Thought). Subscribe

Borrowed

"Sharon has already identified her top three priorities for the day and set aside ninety minutes to focus on her most important work. Aware that she does her best mental work in the morning, she rarely schedules meetings or calls before noon. Members of her team know that she is accessible if they need her. Together they have developed agreements about what constitutes “needing” one another, virtually eliminating “drive-by interruptions” unless an emergency arises. They follow communication protocols for using texts, emails, voicemail, phone, video conference, and face-to-face meetings, matching the bandwidth of the medium with the significance of their communication needs."

From “The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success” by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman, and Kaley Klemp [Book]

Learned

I remember the first time I rode Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. When it opened in May 2005, it was the tallest and fasted in the world, and lucky for me, it was under 2 hours away from home.

At the top of the drop, time moved in slow motion. Somewhat new to being a rollercoaster lover, it was hard not to fear for my life as I looked down at the vertical tracks. But when I peered to my left, I saw the coaster cars ahead of me pull slowly into safety. I knew that's where I was headed and had no doubt I'd make it there. The thrill of the coming journey became overwhelming. I put my hands in the air, screamed, and left my fears at 456 feet in the air.

I'm not sure there's a better way to describe how I felt dropping into the week last Monday. While there are no coaster tracks to tell us what it looks like to get to the other side, I am grateful to be surrounded by a supportive team of partners and employees. In many ways, they're the track. At every bump and twist, they've been there to help keep the coaster car locked in, heading straight toward where we want to be.

Without the late-night debriefs and candid conversations, I have a feeling I'd be writing a different newsletter. It has been a pleasure to see how we've all been able to step up together, and as a result, I think we're in for a much-needed sea change in how we work together and achieve results.

After an eventful week, it was nice to invite friends and family into our home for the first time to celebrate my niece Sofia's first birthday. Not having to get in the car and head back to Brooklyn afterward continues to be a welcome change. Beyond that, if I detailed the rest of the week's events, this would read more like a short novel than a newsletter. Instead, I'll touch on a couple of key takeaways and ideas that emerged.

Read the posts below:

Lovers Magazine

An interview I did with Lovers Magazine earlier this year was published last week. In it, I share more insight into my role at Barrel, inspiration, and day-to-day. You can read the full interview here.