Night at the museum

Success comes from creating a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, helping each other out, and wearing different hats when needed.

Last year, I started volunteering at a local museum and I am thoroughly enjoying the experience. It has been a refreshing shift, walking through an ancient Egyptian gallery and uncovering a world I had never explored. After years in leadership roles, where I was often the one answering questions, it’s a change of pace to be the one asking for guidance and learning from others.

Navigating the ins and outs of art exhibits and museum operations has given me a fresh perspective on what it means to be part of a team – lessons that feel as timeless as the hieroglyphs on display. And these insights? They are just as relevant in the workplace as they are in a museum:

1. I am the new guy. This is an art and science museum. While I understand a majority of the science, the art exhibits and the overall museum operation are new to me. Therefore, I have to be open to learning. The museum has wonderful staff who are knowledgeable about all the exhibits. When one gallery is renovated, they quickly adapt and learn information about the new exhibits.
   As the new guy, I have made myself open to learning. As leaders, this is not always our comfort zone. We need to remember that continuous learning not only expands our knowledge but also helps us make better decisions by seeing different perspectives and hearing other ideas.
2. This staff welcomed me with open arms and has never dismissed me as an outsider. They have shared tips and stories about the exhibits, all to make me a better volunteer. And this isn’t just with me. As new exhibits opened, I watched them exchange knowledge with each other. If they learn an interesting trivia fact about a particular artifact, they gladly share it with colleagues, who are equally open to hearing it.
   Ask yourself, are you open with your coworkers? Some managers fall into a competitive trap of withholding information to make themselves look better. As company leaders, have you created a competitive environment, or have you encouraged collaboration and a “we succeed together” culture?
3. It took me a while to learn the names of the staff. But what was harder was learning everyone’s title. No one was limited to one particular role. Yes, I am sure they all have daily responsibilities. But everyone is willing to do anything to help and make guest experiences better. I have watched directors help school kids find the bathrooms. I have seen managers “guard” the back door to the loading dock while security personnel dealt with something else. And I cannot say enough about the all-hands-on-deck attitude for the annual fundraising event.
   How does your office behave? When that occasional late night comes around to finish a project, who is ordering pizza and turning the music up? And who is heading out the door because it is not “their” project? Does anyone pick up that piece of trash blowing around the parking lot?
4. I’ve learned to be more patient and know my audience. Like a lot of museums, summer camps and school trips make up a significant portion of the guests. I have learned how to be patient with these young children, watch their attention spans, and how to speak at their level. Obviously, first graders don’t know as much as the fifth graders or as the teenagers. When I explain an exhibit to them, I modify the information to their level, not the other way around. I use analogies or comparisons they can relate to: “This meteorite weighs as much as three of their classmates. This dinosaur was as long as a school bus.”
   I see a language barrier in some offices. I recently heard a group of young project managers complain that listening to company leadership was like seeing a group of hieroglyphs without the Rosetta stone. “We need to increase the NSR and DLM to fix the OH and EBITDA on the P&L for the FY.” Make sure everyone involved in a project understands the terminology at the beginning of an assignment.

Looking back on my time at the museum, I am reminded of how powerful a team can be when everyone is willing to share, pitch in, and keep learning together. Whether it is a museum or an office, success comes from creating a space where people feel comfortable asking questions, helping each other out, and even wearing different hats when needed. These experiences have shown me that when we focus on building a team that values openness and flexibility, everyone benefits – and we all get a little better at what we do. 

Greg Sepeda is a former engineering manager and is currently rewired as a management consultant. Connect with him on LinkedIn.