Category: culture

Own the silence

FabrizioLeave a comment

It’s ok to be quite.

There is no rule that tells you should be taking your turn in meetings, dumping words in an email threads, using a stopwatch to measure how long has been since you have said something.

Relevance is not measured by how loud or vocal you are.

It’s ok to be quite, and it’s ok to take a break from the constant hustle of demonstrating you know.

Try any of the following to better direct your effort.

Is there anything in particular you would like my input on?

I am not familiar with the issue, so I feel I can’t contribute much.

This is a topic I would like to discuss separately.

I agree with what was discussed so far.

Silence can be valuable, once you take ownership of it.

Whenever you are ready

FabrizioLeave a comment

Languishing is very real. And the best place you can start from is to acknowledge it is.

You might not yet be able to get out of this state, this weird absence of mental health, but self-awareness is always the first step towards something better.

Doing (without interruption) and connecting (with the intent to share) are great second steps, whenever you are ready.

Your audience

Fabrizio1 Comment

Imagine if you would have to act as the perfect employee to impress your boss and at the same time as a lazy employee to get along with your peers. If you would have to pretend to be the family man at home and at the same time the ruthless playboy with your friends. If you would have to be sloppy and quick at work and at the same time meticulous and detailed in your free time.

At best, everyone (including you) would have some serious issues figuring out who you are.

This is the same impression many B2B companies give.

They have one story for the investors, one for the customers, one for the partners, one for the analysts. Each department tells it in a different way, using different language, and focusing on different themes. The result is total confusion.

If you want your brand to be authentic, define what that means, check regularly whether the definition is still relevant, and stick to it.

That’s how you find your audience.

It does

FabrizioLeave a comment

I wish I could say that cutting corners does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that being mean to others, shouting, and badmouthing them does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that underpaying employees and pursuing loops to avoid taxes does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that hiding, pretending to work, faking a smile does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that being bossy and controlling does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that dumping trash in the environment, not caring about the community, avoiding regulations does not work, but it does.

I wish I could say that not acknowledging your mistakes does not work, but it does.

The point is, what does “work” mean to you? What is success? Are you happy with the way you carry out your business, your hobby, your profession?

Also, how would you expect others to behave when you are on the receiving end?