February.

Backyard portals. A management mindset shift. Enjoying our workplace. Belly laughs from a local. And ABC (Always Be Curious.)

Well hello there. Welcome to month 2 of 2024. January felt long. As one friend put it, “What’s today, January 55^th?” At least the groundhog did not see his shadow, so we are in for an early spring. Science, people.

And though I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day (ahem…Hallmark holiday…), I’m not going to turn down a nice dinner or chocolate. So therefore, hearts. 💗

Okay, here we go.

Reading.

It’s my birthday month, so why not have the gift of two here?

Fairy Tale, by Stephen King. I'm a sci-fi and fantasy geek and recently found myself down a rabbit hole of good reads by Alix Harrow (see A Spindle Splintered, A Mirror Mended, The Ten-Thousand Doors of January.) Those fun stories led me further to one of Stephen King’s recent novels. Fairy Tale is a cool story about a teenage boy who befriends a neighbor, and slowly finds out things are not what they seem...e.g. a portal to another world in the back shed. I thoroughly enjoyed his journey and wanted more.

Trust and Inspire, by Stephen M.R. Covey. Many still fall into the false belief that "command and control" is the best management style. Covey flips it to consider trusting and inspiring our people instead. It's a way of leading that starts with believing people are creative and full of potential. If your leader feels this about you, you are inspired to become the best version of yourself and to produce your best work. People don’t want to be “managed”; they want to be led toward doing great things.

Listening.

Let’s continue the gift of two.

Working it Out, with Mike Birbiglia. Mike is one of my favorite comedians, and bonus - he's from Shrewsbury, Mass. In this podcast, Mike welcomes a different comedian or creator each week and together they work out original, untested material. And, occasionally, uncomfortable topics. Nothing like hearing comedians crack themselves up and appreciate the test drive of their peers’ stories.

Work Life, with Adam Grant. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant works to discover the keys to a better work life through speaking with a variety of professionals. From Brene Brown to Rainn Wilson, to Harvard Medical School psychologist Susan David, Adam explores how we can enjoy the place (office? couch and laptop?) where we spend much of our much time.

The Quote.

"Real power has to do with one's ability to influence the hearts and minds of others."

The Dalai Lama, in Covey’s book, Trust and Inspire. Let that sink in. We need more of this thinking.

The Testimonial.

I was speaking to a client recently and she said, “Ellen – you would be so proud of me! I was discussing a tough topic with my manager that we were puzzled by, and I said ‘Well, you know what Ellen Gillis would say…Be curious!’”

It made my day, week, year. I say “be curious” a lot – and with good reason. I truly believe it helps us take a step back and check our assumptions of a situation. Maybe a bumpersticker next? Fridge magnet? I’ll work on it.

The Product.

Last week I kicked off the first group of my New Manager’s Advantage program. Twelve bright minds who have been managing anywhere from 6 months to 15 years (but never had any formal learning on the topic.) It’s going to be fun – let the sharing and learning begin!

☕Want to learn more about future cohorts of the New Manager’s Advantage program and other offerings? Let’s chat! Book time on my Calendly here.

Your Turn

Ok - what’re you reading, listening to, thinking about, or working on?

Reply back to let me know what you are up to this month. What are your plans for Valentine’s Day, or the long weekend or school vacation if you have time off?

Have a great month. 💘