One Red Hot Country Mama!

I just saw the movie Sharkwater last night (as you can see from my new header ), a beautifully-filmed underwater documentary about the dwindling shark population. Because sharks are feared predators, they don’t insight a compassionate response from conservationists and their funders. People would rather save cuter animals such as panda bears and seals. But, the threat of shark bites is largely exaggerated and it tiny (100 deaths a year out of millions of swimmers) in comparison to the threat of human-created deaths such as illegal drugs and traffic accidents.

Meanwhile, the shark population has diminished by 90% (according to the movie) and it continues to be threatened. The main threat is "shark finning". Shark Fins are an ingredient in the decadent shark fin soup, found in upscale Asian and fusion restaurants. Now, I have had this soup, and the fin does not add much taste – it is more the presentation, texture and the decadence of having such a delicacy. After seeing hunters in the movie cut off the shark fins, then throwing the rest of the shark away into the ocean, I will definitely never eat it again! You can also find shark cartilage in health food stores – it is believed to help joint-pain.

But, those things are not necessities. It is not like people are dying without shark products, but here we are putting our ocean eco-system at risk in order to get them. So, one thing I am doing is writing a letter to the Canadian Prime Minister encouraging him to ban the importation of shark fins to this country.

To: pm@pm.gc.ca <Prime Minister Stephen Harper>

Subject: Shark Fin Importation – Please Ban

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

I am writing to ask you to stop the importation of shark fins, which are not a necessity, into Canada. I recently saw the movie Sharkwater, made by Canadian film maker Rob Stewart. In the movie, he explains that some of earth’s most ancient creatures, older than the dinosaurs, are now threatened – with the population of them diminished by 90%. One of the biggest threats to the population is hunters getting their fins. The main demand for the fins is for the delicacy shark fin soup, found in high-end Asian and fusion cuisine. You can also find shark cartilage supplements in health-food stores.

As you can see, these demands are non-necessities… yet we are threatening the ecological balance of our oceans by pushing its top predator into extinction. So, I think that this is an excellent argument to stop the importation of shark fins into this country. I think Canada making this decision would have a positive impact, since we have a large Asian population here. I think that heightened awareness in this country would make waves back to China, Taiwan and other countries which drive the demand for shark fins.

Also, Stewart is a Canadian film maker and the film has our flag all over it. Banning the importation of shark fins into this country would be a strong endorsement of his cause. People often accuse Canadians of not standing up enough for what we believe in. Now here is our chance.

Respectfully,

Stefanie Sigurdson

I picked up a Runner’s World magazine at lunch the other day and read an article about Chris Bergland, an athlete who has won three iron man competitions and has the Guinness World Record for the most distance covered on a treadmill in 24 hours (153.76 miles).

His dad was an MD and one-time chief of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He specialized in the effects of pain and pleasure. The article says the following about Bergland:

We all have these neurochemicals flowing through us. What separates Bergland is that he’s developed ways to tap into them and use them on demand. He’s able to do this because of neuroplasticity, which refers to the brain’s ability to change its structure and function by expanding or strengthening certain neural circuits while shrinking or weakening others. "Neurotransmitters released during exercise can contribute to neuroplasticity," says neuroscientist Ronald Duman, Ph.D., a professor at Yale University’s School of Medicine. "Neuroplasticity within the brain’s motivation and reward pathways may play a role in the perception of experiences, including exercise."

Bergland’s translation: Positive thinking builds positive neural pathways. The more you think optimistically about something, the more apt your brain is to choose that path. "A neural pathway is like a trail in the woods," he says. "The more hikers take it, the more worn it gets, and the more likely it’ll be taken in the future. You can reshape your brain to think and behave like a better athlete.

It makes you think about which paths you are wearing down… hey? Or not wearing down for that matter…

I have been thinking about the concept of the Toxic Handler in the past few days as I’ve seen some colleagues struggling through work issues. A Toxic Handler is a person in an organization who buffers the negatives for the rest of the team  – by negatives I mean layoffs, change or dealing with difficult people. It is the guy who takes the brunt of the pain from a difficult boss for the rest of the team stoically. It is the woman who will shoulder the sadness, anger and frustration for everyone else, while continuing to make sure that high quality work gets done. This is the kind of person that most organizations would love to hire because they produce great work in even the most difficult circumstances.

I have both worked with toxic handlers and been a toxic handler myself. While it is noble to help people while in need, it can actually be hard on the person’s health. According to the original article by Peter Frost and Sandra Robinson they are at a higher risk for burnout and even physical issues such as heart attacks.

After seeing a colleague go through the incredibly stressful experience of being a toxic handler for the rest of the team, I think that really it isn’t fair for one person to absorb the pain for everyone else. When a person feels pain, even organizational pain, they then have the choice to make a change to do something about it. Buddhist thought says, "pain is the prelude to enlightenment". If the Toxic Handler comes in to buffer that pain, the person will not notice enough to make a change, and the half-broken situation continues to break more. Instead of relying on themselves, the person in trouble continues to depend on the Toxic Handler. Since they might be buffering the pain of several colleagues at once, the stress of being a Toxic Handler is amplified.

So – even though some think of the Toxic Handler as an organizational hero, I think that they are actually people who prevent others from seeing what the true problem is. We are all grown-ups, we can take care of ourselves. We don’t need another hero .

I don’t know if it is Donald Trumpism or what… but lately I have seen a resurgence of the old fashioned business style. You know what I mean – it is the suits, the over-confidence, the aggressive attitude. It is the cut-throat and quick decision-making, even when the final decision does not make sense. I have seen it in a few of the younger people I have worked with lately, but it comes in all ages. But, none of them are "the real deal".

I remember one of the most successful Account Reps I worked with, said that 10-15 years ago she used to wear suits on her sales calls every day. She called mostly on designers and other creative people. One day, she was in the elevator and was getting off at one of her clients, and a man said "you are getting off at the wrong floor, you want to go to the bank". After that, she realized that no one was wearing suits anymore at her clients, so she stopped as well.

But, somehow, some people are reading and watching Donald Trump, and thinking that is "real business". In his industry, in Manhattan, his style and stance likely proves effective. I know someone who worked in Real Estate Development in New York and it is the type of atmosphere where that aggressiveness works… and everyone is wearing suits. But, I find that Donald Trump’s influence has expanded beyond that, influencing people to act in ways that might not be helpful to them.

For example, one tech head-office team from the West Coast I worked with looked more like a touring rock-group than they did executives. They had printed t-shirts, piercings, faux-hawks, the whole deal. They were casual… so acting like Donald Trump with them and wearing a suit would insight laughter, not results. Another executive, who was a bit of a mentor to me, was a woman in her 50s who wore absolutely no make-up, let her natural gray hair show and always dressed comfortably. She was very calm and peaceful but did not suffer fools gladly, and would argue vigorously against something if it didn’t make sense. She respected logic and forward-thinking – acting aggressive, over-confident, and being cut-throat would not be effective with her either.

I think being a good business person has a lot to do with understanding the atmosphere that you are in and adapting to it. It takes one style to bring out the best ideas and performance out of creative people. It takes quite another to negotiate the best deal. And another entirely to effectively manage a non-profit volunteer group. But – somehow this new guard of business people seem to think that all it takes is a suit and swaggering over-confidence. I’m sorry, but it doesn’t. A suit doesn’t suit every occasion.

I remember when I got out of school and started my first corporate job, some strange things were happening. Even though I was a Marketing Analyst, the receptionists told me that I would have to take the phones on their breaks. Also, people would give me their coats and ask me to take messages for my boss. Eventually I figured it out… because people were used to young women being assistants and receptionists in that office, they did not "get" that I was there to analyze the business and market products. So – my young looks and my gender trumped my education, good grades, skills or even job description to them.

My sister-in-law, who is a physician, had the same problem when she started interning – the nurses assumed she was a nurse too, and there was a very awkward moment when she was asked to change bedpans! My brother, who is also a physician, never had an issue. Of course, my sister-in-law and I set them straight, but if you think that the old-fashioned attitudes are gone – think again!

The opposite is also true. I worked with a man who owned a PR company, which he started in his early-20s. He said the secret to starting his business young was that he started balding when he was 22, so people thought he was older and more trustworthy at an early age. I guess I never had the ‘luxury’ of balding .

This weekend something else strange happened. During Easter, people kept asking me about my son – how old he was, what grade etc. My son? I don’t have a son! Then I figured it out – my 5-year-old nephew and I are very close, we kept playing together and he kept coming to me and there is a pretty strong family resemblance – so from that they assumed he was mine. Again, I set them straight – but it surprised me that people thought I was a Mom when I think of myself as a single-urban-career-chick ready for the next adventure.

So – maybe this isn’t all that revelatory, but I tend to think of the world on a pretty equal basis. Meaning, you are your ideas, your words, your warmth, your experiences… not your looks, your race, your age, your gender or your act. I remember my Psychology 101 professor saying he perceived people as "floating brains", culling away all outside appearances and seeing people for what they are. But, I see most people don’t think that way. Actually, some people laugh their heads off when I explain the "floating brains" thing. It’s too bad because I think it is a pretty good ideal to strive for.