All Posts by Ann Tardy

0 Zoom Out! (Advice for the Screen-Obsessed)

I grew up with maps. Big, bulky, beautiful, Rand McNally maps. And a globe. These taught me to look for details while appreciating the big picture.

Today our smartphones have map applications, offering precise turn-by-turn directions. With only a small screen, we can get to where we’re going and never care what city we’re driving through.

But to see the landscape using a map app, we need to zoom out.

When we’re constantly zoomed-in at work and in our lives, we are gripped by small screens and small issues. And our sense of curiosity atrophies in the wake.

We unwittingly neglect what’s outside the small screen or the small issue. We read information online without questioning its veracity or source, we stop noticing our surroundings, we become indifferent to the people around us.

And then we miss the meaning… unless we zoom out!

What does it mean to zoom out?

• Look up and look around
• Consider every party’s viewpoint (not just the one side you heard)
• Understand how a project/task fits into the big picture (unsure? ask!)
• Question what’s next (think one step ahead of your boss)
• Have an opinion (eliminate “I don’t know” from your vernacular)
• Endeavor to improve processes and procedures
• Analyze, think, be curious

Our obsession with screens (literal and figurative) creates our myopia. Being incessantly zoomed-in shortchanges our ability to make a difference, because we lack foresight, discernment, and meaning.

We need to Zoom Out!

As a reminder, I purchased an oversized book of maps for my car. I’ll use my app to help me get there, but I’ll use Rand McNally to urge me to Zoom Out! and pay attention to where I’m going.

0 Do You Need to Clean Your People Lenses? (ask my friend Lynnae)

“We don’t see things the way they are. We see things the way we are.” Attributed to author Anais Nin and the Jewish Talmud.

In essence, two people, based on their different perspectives, can have two different points of view on the same topic. Just watch any news item reported on MSNBC and then on Fox.

Let’s evolve this powerful truism to: “We don’t see people the way they are. We see people the way we are.”

Most of our people problems stem from divergent perceptions, which are formed by our:

• beliefs, prejudices, biases
• experiences
• gender, ethnicity, generation
• geography

We then engage with people based on these perceptions – our foggy, smudged, cracked lenses.

My best friend, Lynnae, tried teaching me this throughout high school. As we walked down the halls and passed much cooler classmates, I would decry, “She is such a jerk.” And Lynnae would respond genuinely, “Well, she’s nice to me.”

My lenses were blurred by my own teenage insecurities, which created for me a perception that these girls were stuck up and conceited. But Lynnae didn’t have those same insecurities muddying her lenses, so her experience of our classmates was different than mine.

If only I had cleaned my glasses, I might have graduated with as many friends as Lynnae did!

When we let our lenses get clouded, blurred, or broken, we risk relationships with people.

We see people as we are – through the lens of our own biases, beliefs, and past experiences. And then we act as if we are seeing clearly.

The result? Disconnect. Disrespect. Judgment.

If we have any chance of leading people, we have to remember that everyone shows up with their own pair of glasses. We can’t clean their lenses, but we can clean (and replace!) our own.

0 When Are We Too Old to Be Remarkable? (Ask Grandma Moses)

After delivering my Rousing the Remarkable keynote recently, a gaggle of fans swarmed the stage, eager to share with me their remarkable stories.

One woman in particular gave me pause. After thanking me profusely for the inspiring and aspiring message and for a copy of my book, she added, “This is just what my daughter in college needs!”

I promptly asked, “But what about you?”
Without hesitation she replied flatly, “I’m too old,” and then left.

A stark reminder that we sometimes fall into ruts, believing it’s too late. The only hope for remarkable now resting with our children…

But the reality is there is no expiration date on being remarkable! We are never too old to be courageous, to change, to be uncomfortable, to stand up for others, to make a difference, and to try new things. at work and in life.

These people didn’t think they were too old to be remarkable:

• Colonel Sanders launched Kentucky Fried Chicken (after a dozen failed careers) at 65
• Julia Child wrote her first cookbook at 39 and made her television debut at 51
• Vera Wang designed her first wedding dress at 40
• Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote Little House on the Prairie at 65
• Samuel L. Jackson landed his role in Pulp Fiction (while recovering from drug addiction) at 46
• Grandma Moses started painting at 76
• Cliff Young won his first ultramarathon at 61
• Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart at 44
• Ronald Reagan changed careers from actor to politician at 56
• My mom got remarried (with a bachelorette party!) at 70
• My grandpa graduated college at 65 and cycled a century at 70

Being remarkable is not dependent on age; it’s dependent on taking a chance in spite of our age and circumstances. 

0 The Secret to JobLove? Be Remarkable (Just Ask Bill Gates)

When I set off on my first cross-country bike ride, I was on a mission to find people who love their job. Convinced they must be remarkable people, I wanted to track down these unicorns and interview them for a documentary I was producing.

But in my quest, I discovered that people aren’t remarkable because they love their job. They love their job because they are remarkable!

Being remarkable is the gateway – the secret – to love our work, whatever work we do.

So what does it mean to be remarkable?

• Showing up with a purpose (a battle cry!)
• Embracing the uncomfortable
• Contributing to the success of others
• Practicing resilience instead of resistance
• Being courageous
• Standing up when no one else does
• Clapping and cheering for ourselves and others
• Making a difference – in conversations, in moments, and with others

In a recent commencement speech, Bill Gates said, “Believing that the world’s serious problems can be solved is the core of my worldview. It sustains me in tough times and is the reason I love my work.”

When we are remarkable, the job is merely a conduit, allowing us to make a difference. Arguably, the job is not as important as who we are in that job.

When we focus on “is this the biggest difference I can make here?“ suddenly the onslaught of policies, procedures, protocols, and processes becomes irrelevant.

People aren’t remarkable because they love their job. They are remarkable because they are committed to making a difference with their work. And ultimately, that fuels their joblove.

0 How Winning the Kentucky Derby is Like Winning with People

I went to the Kentucky Derby with a colorful hat but no clue about horse racing.

I quickly discovered that betting on horses is like picking people for your team – knowing their backstory is essential to creating their front story.

On advice from a friend, I placed a $2 bet on every race just to be part of the excitement.

But how does a novice pick a race horse? Admittedly, I was initially seduced by their names: Irish War Cry, Patch, Classic Empire, Thunder Snow.

And then I was introduced to The Daily Racing Form, a publication of facts and statistics on past performances for race horses – this gave me the backstory for every horse in every race at the Derby:

• number of races won
• performance in distance races
• results on turf vs. dirt, wet vs. dry tracks
• trainer and jockey statistics

I also watched the horses parade from the paddock to the starting gate before the race. I noticed if they were skittish and panicked from the roar of the crowds, or and if they seemed edgy and eager to run.

I studied their backstory to determine how they would perform in the race – their front story.

And that’s exactly how horse trainer Todd Pletcher and horse jockey John Velazquez won the Kentucky Derby with the horse Always Dreaming. They knew the colt’s backstory, allowing them to adjust his exercises before the race and his pace during the race.

Similarly, people come to us with their own backstory. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Daily Racing Form to guide us.

So we need to ask more questions about their past experiences and pay attention to their current actions and behaviors in order to help people create their own front story.

0 Is This the Biggest Difference I Can Make?

A pause for self-reflection in the midst of chaos…

If we ponder for a moment before walking into a conversation, a meeting, or an altercation, to ask ourselves:
“Is this the biggest difference I can make?”
…could we reshape the outcome by adjusting our approach?

This specific adage interrupted my reaction to an offensive driver recently. It altered my attitude before schooling a barista on her job. It invariably shifts how I contribute to my team. And, when I employ it early, inspires me to purposefully create my day before it starts.

Is this the biggest difference I can make…

• with this person?
• in this conversation?
• with my time?
• with my thoughts?
• in this meeting?
• with my team?
• in my job?
• with my career?

If we answer “No” to the question, aren’t we just wasting our time and energy, shortchanging people of our best selves? Should we really be in that conversation, that meeting, or that job if we’re not going to make our biggest difference?

Of course, this notion challenges the hours we squander watching mindless television, surfing social media, reacting with emotional outbursts, or succumbing to other people’s drama.

With this question, a reality sets in… how are we choosing to show up, engage, contribute, influence, respond, serve, and lead?

Thus restoring our power to be victor not victim.

A mere burst of self-reflection not only makes us better leaders, it makes us better people.

0 Connect in Inches. Engage in Yards

Each day we interact with countless people, exchanging pleasantries as we proceed. “How are you?” How was your weekend?” “What’s new?” “How was school today?”

And as we are asking, we anticipate their one-word responses: “Good” “Great” “Nothing” “Fine.”

1-inch questions yield 1-inch responses. And yet these quick interactions are vital to our survival, ensuring we connect with cordiality, but without getting stuck confabulating. 1-inch questions allow us to converse while moving, and transact while multi-tasking.

But to engage with others, we must evolve the 1-inch conversation using Yardstick questions:

• Really? What was that like?
• What did you learn?
• What was your experience?
• Anything surprise you?
• Interesting. Tell me more.

Yardstick questions force us to pause for a person, intentionally making the moment about the other person. Suddenly, we are listening as if our relationship depends on it. When we authentically ask Yardstick questions, we become curious, eager, and present – not knowing what we will discover.

Yardstick questions demonstrate our commitment, while Yardstick answers reveal volumes about the other person. The result is transformational, not just transactional.

• We care about them.
• So they trust us.
• And then they share.
• Which bolsters our connection.
• And fuels our trust.
• And then they care about us.

When we need to get by people, we ask 1-inch questions. When we need to get into people, we ask Yardstick questions.

1-inch questions create transactional connections. Yardstick questions create transformational engagement.