Mind the Grass
Mind the Grass
When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers –African proverb
If you’re one of the elephants, who’s the grass?
Leadership
The Right Diagnosis
The Right Diagnosis
A child will always have one response to any trauma: crying. Is it from bullying? Concussion-induced memory loss?
It’s hard to pacify him and resolve the issue without knowing the cause.
Projects may fall flat, but it’s hard to fix them without knowing the cause.
The right diagnosis clears the path for the best treatment option.
Living the Dream
Living the Dream
While passing by someone in the hallway, a casual ‘how are you doing’ is typically answered by ‘fine, and you.’ Some, however, respond with an interesting answer: ‘living the dream!’
If you aren’t living your dreams, then you’re living your fears –Daymond John
Everything that you want in life is on the other side of your fear –George Addair
Delete
Delete
Many, in preparation for the upcoming week, open their inbox on Sunday night. While sorting out relevant emails, they delete any unnecessary, noisy emails that get in the way. Delete. Delete. Delete….
When sorting through future hours, days, weeks, and years, what work will we do that counts? How much of our future activities could just be noisy action? Delete. Delete. Delete….
“Where you decide to put your time and attention says a lot about who you are as a human being” –Merlin Mann
Gift
Gift
In our career, our position is a fragile gift.
It’s fragile because there are a million forces acting against it…yet somehow we have it.
It’s a gift.
A gift that is given despite all odds must be given by someone who CARES.
Where Are You Going?
Where Are You Going?
“I’m [[going to work]]”
Vs.
“I’m [[creating a brighter future]]”
Or
“I’m [[offering my efficiency at the feet of the Lord]]”
Or
“I’m [[…]]”
If you could replace “going to work” with anything else, what would it be? Words can set into motion destiny’s trajectory—both yours and your world’s.
The quote is so popular, it’s hard to tell who said it first:
Watch your thoughts for they become your words.
Watch your words for they become your actions.
Watch your actions for they become your habits.
Watch your habits for they become your character.
Watch your character for it becomes your destiny.
Context Matters
Context Matters
It’s hard to differentiate your product when your customers INSIST that they’re all the same.
Are you serving a solution to customers who believe that MAYBE there’s a problem? Do they understand that MAYBE there are dangers to status quo?
What can you do to prime the market?
Great content is predicated on context.
Effortless
Effortless
Overnight successes are mythical.
The foundation that they stand on was built over years, decades, and even lifetimes. Effort and care of many were responsible for this moment. It takes effort to be effortless.
Inventing the Future
Inventing the Future
It’s thrilling to believe that the work we’re doing will create a legacy that will outlive our time at the organization.
We all get to create the future. The future isn’t just a place we go to. It’s a place that we get to invent. —Nancy Duarte
What issues do you have with the status quo? What could the new norm look like?
Postmortem
Postmortem
Smart teams typically conduct a postmortem after the completion of a large project.
Too often the breakdowns are put under the microscope during the 1-hour meeting.
Rarely do we acknowledge the breakthroughs, and how they can be reciprocated.
It’s hard to put in a 2 weeks at a place where our sacrifices are acknowledged and appreciated.
If there are no breakdowns on the agenda, STILL schedule a postmortem to acknowledge the breakthroughs. If no one else, at least YOU show up with acknowledgements. Seek out the silent linchpins.
