Lesson One
"Pause and Reflect:
The Advantage of Purr-Spective"
When Fred first showed up, I had no place in my life for another cat. I was very happy and content with Penelope. I wasn’t looking to add to our household. But from the moment I heard those noises that sounded like danger and pain, I jumped into action on instinct alone. One minute I was happy with one cat, a husband, and the rest of our life and family. One second later, my maternal instincts took over.
Pause and Reflect: The Advantage of Purr-Spective
When Fred first showed up, I had no place in my life for another cat. I was very happy and content with Penelope. I wasn’t looking to add to our household. But from the moment I heard those noises that sounded like danger and pain, I jumped into action on instinct alone. One minute I was happy with one cat, a husband, and the rest of our life and family. One second later, my maternal instincts took over.
Over the first few months of what became known as Operation Fred to my Facebook friends, I also realized something. I was trying to lead and guide a feral cat with the same methods that I tried to lead people. And not only was that not working, but it was also making me pause and think (yes, this is where PAWS came into play) about what I could take from this experience and use in my interactions with people as well.
You see, I teach leadership every day and am pretty darn good at what I do. But I wasn’t doing so well when faced with a feline instead of a human.
I decided that this book, the book for Operation Fred, would be part of my 2024 plans. As you can see, this isn’t exactly a book like you buy in Barnes & Noble. Not yet, anyway. But I thought it would be fun to play this out differently. I wanted to play with the story and really dive into the components of the leadership lessons I was learning through these interactions with Fred.
So here we are.
Over the next 24 weeks you have the chance to read the story of Fred alone, or to also purchase the 25 corresponding life and leadership lessons. It’s a book that will evolve as the chapters do.
We ask you to tell others about Operation Fred, but please help us keep the integrity of this book by not forwarding the chapters to others. Please encourage them to come here and become a part of the movement themselves. In fact, soon we will share with you how to become a Friend of Fred to help us support cat partners who help control the feral cat population.
When I first heard Fred’s cry, I never thought I’d become passionate about a cause that Bob Barker held so dear. But here we are.
It’s all a matter of time and purr-spective.
Leadership Lesson #1 is free for everyone so you can get an idea of what will be included. In the future we also intend to add classroom lessons as an option, beginning with a version for young kids with Fred’s story paired down to be There’s a Fred Under the Bed.
Your $20 purchase will get you the 25 leadership lessons today as well as additional content that will be released later in 2024. If you are ready to add the 25 lessons, simply complete your payment here:
PAWS Point:
**How to use this today**
As a leader (or an aspiring leader), can you identify at least one way that you act on instinct, when taking a moment to pause may produce a better result? Do you get triggered when someone misses deadlines or shows up late for meetings? Do you tend to jump in and fix something rather than to take the time to teach someone else how to do it? Any situation where you tend to act on instinct allows you the opportunity to pause and reflect.
By training yourself to pay attention to the feelings and emotions that are emerging from everyone involved, in advance, in the moment, and after the fact of any situation where you might or have acted on instinct, you can decide what actually works well, what does not, and what has to change.
"The Art of Purr-suation
Leadership Feline Style"
Fred was clearly the one in charge, right from the beginning. He might not have known that, but he was. He could come or go, be seen or not. He was driven by his most basic instincts. Sleep, eat, protect himself. I, however, thought he should immediately and fully love me. Right away.
The Art of Purr-suasion: Leadership Feline Style
Fred was clearly the one in charge, right from the beginning. He might not have known that, but he was. He could come or go, be seen or not. He was driven by his most basic instincts. Sleep, eat, protect himself. I, however, thought he should immediately and fully love me. Right away.
I have always had a way with animals and babies. It is a long-standing joke that any new baby in our realm is brought to me as soon as possible, like Mufasa and Sarabi in The Lion King did, bringing Simba to Rafiki. I assumed that this cat would fall under my charm and into my loving arms without hesitation, so grateful that I would care for him.
What a joke.
As I look back on those first days, I can’t help but make the correlation to the hiring process. Hiring someone is a really challenging situation. You sort through resumes, have phone screens, and meet someone in person. That person is putting on their best face….because they want a job.
I’m not being cynical. Sometimes they actually want THE job you are hiring for and they sometimes actually want to work for YOU and/or YOUR COMPANY. I put these all in capital letters to make a point. Those things are sometimes true, but not always.
Interviewing for a job is like dating, but both people want different things. The candidate wants to show that they are ready for a full-time commitment when in reality they are speed dating you. The interviewer is looking for marriage.
This scenario obviously doesn’t happen in every interview, but if you have every hired someone, you know it to have a lot of truth.
Back to Fred, he wanted to check us out, see what we could do for him, and get as much as he could while costing him as little as possible.
I wanted to adopt him. Immediately. Dating vs. Marriage 101.
PAWS Point:
**How to use this today**
How do you handle job interviews, either as the interviewer or as the candidate? As the interviewer, are you trying to sell the position? Are you usually more eager to find a person than the right person? Do you take a long time to make a decision and sometimes miss out on a great candidate because you are looking for perfection? Take some time to pause and reflect on your style and identify ways that you can make minor adjustments in your next hiring process.
As the candidate, what is your intention when you go for the interview? Do you want this job or a job? Do you want this company, or any company. There is nothing wrong with simply wanting a job. But consider it from their point of view. They need to fill their position with someone who truly cares and will commit to the job and the company with good faith.
" Whisker Wisdom:
Purr-fecting Your Skills"
I have a training that I conduct all over the world that kicks off with this question: Have you ever said to yourself, it’s easier to just do it myself rather than taking the time to teach someone else to do it? Most leaders laugh, a bit uncomfortably, because they know they have. We all have. Heck, even though I teach this for a living, I find myself doing it even today.
Whisker Wisdom: Purr-fecting Your Skills
I have a training that I conduct all over the world that kicks off with this question: Have you ever said to yourself, it’s easier to just do it myself rather than taking the time to teach someone else to do it? Most leaders laugh, a bit uncomfortably, because they know they have. We all have. Heck, even though I teach this for a living, I find myself doing it even today.
The difference between the leader I am today vs. when this was my modus operando, however, is that I catch myself doing it quicker, and adjust more smoothly.
In other words, I know I can’t do it all, so I need to rely on others, and the only way to feel confident that they can do the things that must be done is to take the time to train them.
Easier said than done? Possibly for some. And why is that?
After training thousands of people in leadership, sales, and inter-workplace communication, I think it comes down to a survival instinct. We can easily mistakenly believe that all will be well if only we can control everything, from start to finish.
But not only is that not sustainable, it is dangerous. On many levels, not just the ones you might think of first. Yes, it is dangerous to your health, mental, physical, and emotional. It is also dangerous to your career, although you might not think of that right away.
Let’s take the case in point of a successful professional who gets promoted to a leadership position. This could be a salesperson, an engineer, a lifeguard, a baker…..you get the idea. I love this example because it is one I have seen so many times that I can pick these people out in a room instantly.
Case study:
Ben is a successful electrician. He is great at solving tough challenges, he performs superior work, is on time, dedicated, and trustworthy. He became an electrician because he started taking courses in high school and loved it. He loves the feeling of satisfaction of a job well done, and knows he never takes shortcuts, unlike some of his co-workers.
Ben does such a great job that when his company is given a large contract, they promote him to supervisor. After all, his work with this client was the basis for this new business. The client loves Ben and they feel confident in him leading the team to oversee the electrical work in their new office building.
Ben is surprised by the promotion, but he feels ready for it. He jumps right into the job.
A few weeks in, Ben’s manager gets a call from one of the electricians on Ben’s team. He is frustrated and annoyed and wants to be moved to a different team on a different job site. Upon learning more, Ben’s manager sees the problem clearly. When there is any problem on the job site, Ben rushes in to fix it. He often bypasses the team to get to the solution. His solutions work great, however, so the client is happy. Unfortunately, his team is not.
Is this Ben’s fault? Ben’s manager’s fault? Is there even fault? After all, isn’t Ben doing what he knows what to do best?
What does this have to do with Fred? When Fred first made himself known, he was operating by instinct. Although I tell “Fred’s POV (Point of View),” I have no idea whether this is true or not, but I can make assumptions.
I still don’t understand the noises he made that day, nor the many other noises and sounds he makes today. But I assumed he was in distress and my first instinct was to help.
In Fred’s case, his instinct, once he was detected, was to go silent. To go quiet to protect himself.
In the workplace, we operate from assumptions all the time. I might assume that Sally is lazy since she always shows up late. My instinct then might be to give her a warning, or to get mad, or even to consider terminating her.
I might assume that Ben is a poor manager who doesn’t trust his team. My instinct might be to replace him as the lead on the job site, or to assume he needs leadership training, or even to just tell him what to or what not to do.
But are there other options we might consider when we take a moment to PAWS?
PAWS Point:
**How to use this today**
Are there times you make assumptions that, not only could be wrong, but could also be hurting you or those around you in the workplace? I don’t mean hurting people physically, although a case could be made for that as well when safety measures and protocols are in play.
But I really mean, could some of those assumptions you make, like Ben’s employees thinking he doesn’t trust them or that he doesn’t believe in them, be hurting Ben’s chances of success?
The component of Purr-fecting your skills is available to us when we recognize a gap in ourselves. If I always rush to fix other people’s problems instead of empowering them, I have a gap that will eventually lead to things like burnout, lack of faith in my team in me and in themselves, problems with delegation, a lack of bench talent, etc. You get the idea.
Fred might not be able to tell me what is really going on with him, but people can. Good leaders will enhance their abilities to communicate with their team and will constantly looking for the things that aren’t as easily seen or understood.
"Stray Cat Strut
"Purr-Poseful Practice
In lesson one I am mostly trying to raise your curiosity (get the cat reference?) on self-reflection. I often say that we can’t change anyone else. We can only change ourselves. But we can become leaders who are able to genuinely and positively influence others to change. That is a mark of true success.
Stray Cat Strut: Purr-poseful Practice
In lesson one I am mostly trying to raise your curiosity (get the cat reference?) on self-reflection. I often say that we can’t change anyone else. We can only change ourselves. But we can become leaders who are able to genuinely and positively influence others to change. That is a mark of true success.
I wanted to give you examples of how your might see this in your professional life, whether you are a leader of people or not. But you will find that the following 24 lessons will take you through a deeper dive into how PAWS can impact you personally as well as professionally.
Here is your first challenge for Purr-Poseful Practice.
Get yourself a mirror. Yep. You heard me. Just a small one that can sit on your desk. Keep it where you can see it, and where you can easily pick it up.
Pausing to reflect is often an inner journey, yet the simple act of making it an outer action can be incredibly powerful.
When you are faced with a moment that you recognize as either acting on instinct, making assumptions, recognizing when you need to make a change in your approach or your mindset, pick up the mirror and look into it.
You are not looking in it to find your faults or to find magical powers. Just have a conversation with yourself, face to face, as if you were speaking to your most trusted confident or mentor. Speak both sides of the conversation, both relating the challenge as well as the possible solutions or changes in direction.
This act of speaking to yourself with trust and compassion is one of the greatest strengths we can possess as leaders. Once you have done this a few times, you will likely not need the mirror any longer. But its presence will be a reminder to you.
There is one additional benefit to having a physical mirror on your desk. Others will ask you about it.
Once you share why you have it and what you did with it, you are giving them powerful insight into your commitment to true leadership. You are also showing them a way to operate that is rooted in self-reflection and self-improvement.
Fred had me looking in the mirror nearly from day one. And he still does today.
