The ISTS Executive Team has a daily huddle every morning. These meetings last anywhere from five to 30 minutes depending on the topics at hand. We started these huddles right after the pandemic hit to stay connected and in front of any potential issues – we’ve kept them going because, as we work remotely, it’s easy to feel disconnected and miss things that might come up in a water cooler conversation.
Recently, during one of these meetings, I found myself getting frustrated with a technical issue that was out of our control yet impacting our people and clients. I could feel my skin warming up and my attitude fouling. After the meeting I took a brisk walk outside to appreciate the sunshine, the blue sky and the sound of birds (for whom our technical issues were completely irrelevant as they searched for a juicy worm). After a few minutes of walking, my agitation turned to a more positive energy, one of intrigue and curiosity and I began to think about what a privileged position it is to have reasonable problems to solve, to have clients you want to impress and vendors to hold accountable. As I thought about our partners and clients and teammates, my frustration turned to curiosity and creative solutions came to mind.
The simple choice to be curious instead of furious resulted in innovative ideas for me; taking a moment to move and enjoy the simplicity of a blue sky gave me a larger perspective and somehow opened up space for solutions, reducing my agitation. I had been thinking about inviting people to walk with me on occasion and decided the time was now to make the optional offer, hoping we could use the time to talk about what happens when you make space to process an issue instead of reacting immediately. You will see a future blog on what I’m calling Saunters with Sarah.
– Becky Sharpe, President & CEO
