If there is only one thing you are going to dedicate more time to in the future, make it be listening. Do not rush to tell your piece, learn to sit still with your assumptions and conclusions, give others the space to come up with their own version, accept that silence is not you giving … Continue reading The greatest gift
All the time
We will act fairly. Once this bad period is over. As soon as we have launched this very important new service. When the new manager will be up to speed. If only we would win this next bet. The fact is, integrity does not allow conditions. You are either fair, or you are not. And … Continue reading All the time
Existential threat
When failure knocks at your door, you have to greet it, invite it in, make it feel comfortable, and eventually ask it to move in. Failure needs to be absorbed, somehow, in order for the learnings to become a part of you, to make you better, to prevent it from happening again. If you deny … Continue reading Existential threat
Just stick with it
At the end of the day, all you can control is what you do. And all you can do is to behave in such a way that aligns with your core values, with what you want to achieve, with everything that matters. Of course, this is something you have to figure out. The sooner, the … Continue reading Just stick with it
My people resist change
Three ways to go about change in companies. Engage with the people affected in time. Instead of going for behind-closed-doors decisions and big reveals, make everyone part of the process. You won't lose control, and you will win a variety of perspectives and a clear view on what the major problems will be.Meet people where … Continue reading My people resist change
Protect or build
You can protect your name, your reputation, your prestige. Or you can build it. Rarely you can do both at the same time. Protecting is about public relations, networking, promising, giving speeches. It is a reactive game. It is about ensuring that what you do determines who you are, how others see you. It is … Continue reading Protect or build
Be dumb
When you ask dumb questions, people get often irritated and dismissive. But if you explain that you are asking simply because you do not genuinely know, they are usually happy to help. They can also go great lengths to make it click for you. There are benefits in taking a dumb approach to things, new … Continue reading Be dumb
How far
At some point, you have to realize that busyness is hurting people around you. It hurts your boss, who cannot count on you to deliver what you should. It hurts colleagues and team members, who have to deal with somebody who is unprepared and unresponsive. It hurts your partner and kids, who never know when … Continue reading How far
Overestimating
We are bad at communicating in written form. We overestimate our capability to share meaning via a written message, and most importantly to share the underlying emotions, mainly because we fail to understand that our audience is often in a different state of mind. Two considerations. If you are about to send a written message, … Continue reading Overestimating
Fair
If you look around for fairness, you will find little of it. Different people see the world in different ways, and fair becomes a fluid concept when you change perspective. If you look inside for fairness, on the other hand, that is something you can more easily work with. You can train it, build it, … Continue reading Fair
