Creatures of habit

The place where I usually do grocery shopping recently changed the small bags for fresh produces. They used to have a type with strap handles, and now they have one with no handles. That bothered me. Because before it was easy to close them, while now they are left open, and fruit and vegetables come out when I am at the counter.

Today my 7-years old daughter came with me. She took a small bag with no handles, put pears in it, and closed it with no efforts. She took another one, put tomatoes in it, and again closed it with no efforts.

The point is that we are creatures of habit.

We tend to do things the same way we always did, even when things change, even when it does not work anymore. And that’s why it is valuable to have somebody who does things differently around, somebody who has a different background, who thinks in a different way, who never before had the chance to get used to small produce bags with handles.

The first step is to recognize we do not have all the answers. It is easier said than done.

The most important person

The most important person in the world is you.

There is no job that will make you feel great, successful, complete if you are not well.

There is no relationship that will make you feel appreciated, rewarded, loved if you are not well.

There is no friend that will make you feel important, happy, improved if you are not well.

Take good care of yourself. Before you reach out, before you help, before you start, before anything else.

Take good care of yourself and make a practice of it.

You will always be ready.

Like what you do

Like what you do is a much better advise than do what you like.

There is fulfillment, completeness, pride in shipping. It is an opportunity that is here and now, while on the other hand embarking in the search for a passion pushes our target always a bit farther.

Doing is all there is, and when you make of it a habit, you have already achieved your success.

They started it!

If someone does something you would not, that is not a good reason to go and do it yourself.

Sticking to your values, your best behavior, the best version of yourself is easy when everyone around is nice, pleasant, and accommodating. But can you do it also when you meet the asshole, when your boss sets a negative example, when your group is up to something you would not normally be proud of?

They started it! is a weak excuse for grown ups.

Questions and answers

Leadership means asking questions.

What is the problem?

What can we do that is new and better?

How do we tackle this issue?

What if we do something else?

How can I help you?

If your days, your meetings, your interactions are filled with answers, you are doing something else entirely.

Take Gary Kaplan, who changed the culture of a hospital in Seattle. He took his top people to Japan and said, “Look what they’re doing over here. Do you see anything that might apply to our hospital?” He was very humble. He knew they had to fix the hospital, but he didn’t know how to do that. He was also very autocratic about, “We’re all going to go to Japan”; he managed the process. But the content and what they actually ended up doing, he built from the ground up.

Edgar Schein, In Conversation with Edgar Schein