To enter the dog park, you must pass through two gates.
Between the gates is a small, enclosed area. This is where I remove Sunny’s leash and harness to get her ready to meet and greet other dogs and their owners. Sometimes there are tons of dogs awaiting and other times it’s empty but, in all cases, the vibe is clear: get your shit together before entering into this space.
Here is Sunny in a rose garden. Not the dog park.
How might the between-the-gates idea work for humans?
I’m reminded of the concept called “a clearing” that I learned about during a So Now You’re a Manager training years ago. A manager from Stitch Fix shared a practice that the company had adopted: if you enter into a meeting distracted by something unrelated to the topic at hand, you can do a clearing. Like this:
- “If I seem distracted, it’s because my kid is home sick today. It’s not you!”
- “I just got off of a call with a frustrating stakeholder and I’m trying to recalibrate as we start this meeting.”
- “I didn’t sleep well last night so I might not be at my sharpest today.”
Explaining the energy you were bringing to the room was helpful to coworkers because they didn’t assume that your distraction meant you were mad/about to quit/afraid to disagree/etc. I don’t know if Stitch Fix folks still do this but I frequently cite clearings as tools for leaders. If your head is anywhere but here, do a clearing.
Similar to the frenetic news cycles of 2020, I find us again in a time when Big News, Upsetting News, Existential News, is showing up all day, everyday. There are many reasons why we might be distracted on the way into meetings this summer. Regardless, some of you are leaders. Others rely on you to set a tone.
I encourage you to find your own between-the-gates space. Wash your hands, pour a glass of water, do a quick stretch between Zoom calls. In taking care of yourselves, you take care of others and we sure do need more of that these days — in workplaces and beyond.
ICYMI: Be Plucky podcast episode
Looking for an audio companion as you contemplate career twists and turns this summer? Try this episode of the Be Plucky podcast!
In this episode, Mridula Jayaraman (MJ), Senior Engineering Manager at Honeycomb, mentors us on choices within career paths, the benefits of focusing (or not), past experiences and why we might need permission to change our minds.
One way that I do my own clearings is by taking a month off every summer. I’m about to spend August with my family and friends, doing a little traveling and mostly attempting to get BORED. After a very busy first half of the year, I’m ready for some unstructured time.
Happy summer, see you in September!
xo Jen
P.S. Lest he feel overlooked, here is Petey, who never needs to do clearings. This guy enters every room balanced and boss AF.
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