The Anatomy of a Blue Cap
Following on our series on organizational culture, in this piece, we'll be analyzing what it takes to be an exceptional individual contributor within the three main categories: Customer Obsession, Transparency, and Brio. This combination is defined and referred to throughout this article as a Blue Cap.
Rather than theoretical, we're deep diving into practical communication knowledge and actions you can learn and start applying today.
#1 — No Hello
To value someone's time in an asynchronous world is one of the most underrated skills yet so simple to be applied.
Don’t say just hello in chat:
2022-07-19 12:32:12 you: Hi
2022-07-19 12:32:15 coworker: Hello...?
## COWORKER WAITS WHILE YOU PHRASE YOUR QUESTION
2022-07-19 12:34:01 you: I'm working on [something] and I'm trying to do [etc...]
2022-07-19 12:35:21 coworker: Oh, that's [answer...]Instead, try this:
2022-07-19 12:32:12 you: Hi, I'm working on [something] and I'm trying to do [etc...]
2022-07-19 12:33:32 coworker: [answers question]Note that you get help minutes sooner, and you don’t make them wait. Instead, the co-worker can start thinking about your question right away!
You’re trying to be polite by not jumping right into the request, as you would do in person or on the phone. But chat is neither of those things. Typing is much slower than talking. Instead of being polite, you are just making the other person wait for you to phrase your question, which is lost productivity.
It may seem trivial, but asking your question before getting that initial salutatory reply also allows for asynchronous communication.
#2—Leave Autopilot Mode
In another situation, you have received a task from a manager or a coworker, and you rush to execution, without seeking the proper context of the specific assignment — whether is a feature, an artwork, an article, or a video that you are making — which generally leads to rework and wasted hours in the matter.
This is due to our familiarity with the requests from that person, which makes us in a sort of autopilot mode, shortcutting the main step: context.
2022-08-22 11:18:12 coworker: Hey, a client is asking for [shallow description of the feature] and they need this urgently by [end of week]
2022-08-22 11:19:15 you: Okay, I'm on itUnless it's a known request or bug, this person is taking on a big risk. Without further investigating the needs, their time is at stake, and time is the only thing that can never be retrieved. Let's see how to correct this:
2022-08-22 11:18:12 coworker: Hey, a client is asking for [shallow description of the feature] and they need this urgently by [end of week]
2022-08-22 11:19:15 you: Okay, what are they currently using to do [the requested feature]?
2022-08-22 11:20:13 coworker: They are using [name of the software] to do this nowadays.
2022-08-22 11:21:14 you: Have they tried to use [similar feature in our platform] to see if they can work around with this?Now, a much better understanding of the necessity of the request, diving into the subject, canceling the risks of reworking this later.
#3 — Seek Context Beyond Borders
Following up on the scenario above, the coworkers are not the only source of knowledge in the organization, you can always find a better one: talking with clients.
2022-08-22 11:21:14 you: Have they tried to use [similar feature in our platform] to see if they can work around with this?
2022-08-22 11:22:13 coworker: They cannot use this because it doesn't fit their process.
2022-08-22 11:23:14 you: Can I talk with this client for 15 minutes tops?
2022-08-22 11:25:13 coworker: Yes, here is their number: [#####]
2022-08-22 11:25:19 you: Actually, give me the other contacts of clients who have asked for this same feature in the past!A good pain to work on is always a pain that more than one client is having. And as a reminder, talking with clients can also be misleading, as is commonly known that the clients do not know exactly what they or how they want, but they know with all records straight what is the pain they are currently facing, and that is the main source of knowledge.
#4 — State The Obvious
A big source of errors in an organization is the lack of the ability to question and state the obvious to coworkers who are performing an assignment that you hold certain knowledge of. What happens then, you think it's obvious to question them about X, Y, or Z, they should know since they have been performing this for quite some time.
It's uncertain unless said. The exceptional individual contributor never thinks: "They should know", instead, it takes 5 minutes to send a message to a coworker confirming that information and rechecking. Minutes can save a month of pain or even losses for the company. Trust me. I've been there.
## COWORKER AT A PUBLIC CHANNEL
2022-08-23 10:21:14 coworker: Announcement: Now, the process of [performing an important task] will change to [new way of doing it], we're figuring out the last details and will keep you updated.You, as an exceptional individual contributor, felt triggered because you know that the new process contains flaws that they might not be aware of, and you don’t settle.
## YOU IN THE THREAD
2022-08-23 10:22:11 you: Hey [name], have you checked what happens if you do [something specific]? From my experience, this new way can lead to [an obvious problem that you know].I can assure you this question is never obvious, and the probability that this scenario you just presented wasn't put into consideration when designing the new process is really, really high!
#5 — Pushing Information
Oblique communication, in Latin, obliquus communicationis, it's the biggest problem as the organization scales. What happens is that, now, every single person is a source of knowledge that managerial levels are unaware of, and the information takes a long time to travel, which can lead to two main consequences:
- Decisions are made unpredictably, without global context. This impacts a lost opportunity or a decision that will have to be withdrawn due to the lack of connection to the organization's vision or plans for the market.
- Problems are swept under the rug. The two consequences are practically antagonistic, and this second one has even greater damage to the organization.
I say pushing, and not transmitting information, because in order to take a piece of information to higher levels, it's not an easy job, it's hard work, you gotta push like a rock over the hill, otherwise it won't get there.
#6 — Share Learnings As Is
We don't know what we don't know unless someone learns and shares, fast. An organization is a living organism that needs to be fed with fresh information, good or bad ones, every day. The ability to share learning without silver lining it is a substantial ability.
Share raw bad information and learnings, people can take bad news as is and learn from it
## YOU AT A PUBLIC CHANNEL
2022-08-23 10:21:14 you: @channel We had [percentage of loss] in our production this week, due to [possible motives]. This will lead to delay of [time], we're still investigating, @Name1 and @Name2 are working on it Share strategies that worked outstandingly so others can reproduce it
2022-08-23 10:21:14 you: Our inbound strategy of [specific reason] worked like a beast, we have experienced an increase of [X%] conversion rates, I recommend everyone to adopt this from now on, more information here [link to instruction docs]Share breaking changes, whenever something has changed direction
2022-08-23 10:21:14 you: Folks, I know this might inconvenient for some of you, but we had to change [something important] in our product this week, because of [detailed reason], if you think this going to affect you, come talk with me on DM asap#7 — Confrontation-Ready
Being conflict-averse means that you have a tendency to avoid disagreements and prefer not to confront issues directly. Conflict-averse people work hard to prevent situations where conflicts could occur in the first place.
Although conflict-averse people have good intentions, avoiding confrontation at the moment can cause long-term problems. Some of the primary challenges of being conflict-averse are: Feeling resentment, Making fear-based decisions, and Enabling workplace issues.
Whether you are negotiating with a client, talking with a coworker or agreeing on a task, disagreeing and committing is the only way to push things forward, fighting the urge of being shut when something is bothering you.
You are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when you disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. You do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, you commit wholly.
## AVOIDING CONFLICT
2022-08-28 10:21:14 coworker: This task that you have done is very incomplete, will need you to redo this [part A].
## YOUR PASSIVE-AGRESSIVE ANSWER:
2022-08-28 10:22:24 you: Hmmm. Maybe.
2022-08-28 10:25:15 coworker: Maybe what?
2022-08-28 10:26:24 you: I disagree but I will do.## BEING CONFLICT FORWARD
2022-08-28 10:21:14 coworker: This task that you have done is very incomplete, will need you to redo this [part A].
2022-08-28 10:22:24 you: Why do you think [part A] is incomplete?
2022-08-28 10:25:15 coworker: Because it misses [factors] that we have aligned.
2022-08-28 10:26:24 you: I don't remember, when did you ask for that specifically?
2022-08-28 10:27:15 coworker: It's here, noted down on this [issue].
2022-08-28 10:28:24 you: Ah, Okay. You're right. Will do.
Avoiding a conflict is a cheap method of buying time. You think you are saving time from a discussion, when in fact, small situations are just getting bigger and it becomes unsustainable to work with you.
#8—Wired For Growth
A feedback session for a good contributor is generally a place to remind the leader of all the feedback this person has been given in the quarter and how they performed. If in a feedback session everything that is being said is pretty new, generally, it's a red flag. You have been keeping important information for a long time and didn't insist to share previously. Causing delays that could have been solved way earlier, on the go.
A good practice here is to deploy this information as you go, with a growth mindset. Assuming everyone wants to grow, why would you keep information private that would help this person to thrive in the organization, and why wait so long to seek out what you can do better, if this information is literally messages away from you?
#9—No Loose Ends
You don't leave your mess behind, hoping others will fix it in the future. A good work ethic is to always think two steps ahead, who will be the next on taking it and what can I do in execution time that would allow the next person to perform this task better?
Here's the thermometer: if you want to stop a week just to 'fix the mess' and do nothing else rather than that, you have failed to pave the way while executing. A good practice is to be 80% of your time performing and 20% of the time paving the way for the newcomers.
It's like diving. You go underwater (perform), but at some point, you gotta go up to breathe again (pave), and the process repeats endlessly. Keep your documentation of tasks and projects always up-to-date.
#10 — Transparent With Yourself
For instance: I could never work in consulting. I wasn't wired to work in their type of settings and culture they have, and when I got myself into this for 3 months, I quickly left, it was just not for me. Avoid the loop of: "what is wrong with me that I didn't fit into this" and take a look back at your needs.
Some learnings are hard to take, but they are for the good, for shaping and preparing ourselves for the best. Other learnings are just delays, taking us away from the main objective in our career. If you get yourself doing something you realize you will never be truly happy doing it, open up and quit being dishonest with yourself first, which is the root cause of never being able to be transparent with others.
Anatomy, which is a word of Greek origin, means to cut into parts. The study of the ingenious machine that is the human body was only possible as a result of anatomy, that is, the act of cutting into parts and/or dissecting.
As anatomy is to medicine, this text is to our organization. I cut into parts all the good practices of this and how small gears of this great machine work, in order that you can do a deep self-analysis in search of delivering your best version to the company.
After all, you’ve got to learn yourself first before improving other stuff.
