Tag: change

Fine print

FabrizioLeave a comment

Company principles and values should be literal and absolute.

Saying that you care about people is a powerful statement. If you then put that in practice only when people do what you want, not so much anymore.

Saying that you foster collaboration and learning is a powerful statement. If you then do that only after everyone has achieved their own personal goals, not so much anymore.

Saying that you pursue innovation at all costs is a powerful statement. If you then keep quiet every time someone makes a mistake, not so much anymore.

Companies add fine prints to culture statements all the time. Employees figure that out in no time, and they get disengaged.

Start from how things work, from what is actually happening, from reality, and work your way up.

It’s the only way to build an effective culture.

Master of time

FabrizioLeave a comment

I don’t have time for this.

It sounds a lot better when you say instead.

I have made a decision not to invest time in this.

That is a more honest thing to say. It also shows awareness and determination. It denotes you are in control of how you spend your day and it holds you responsible for the things your are not doing.

Time is not an entity we can control. What we do with it, instead, is something we can learn to master.

Every day

FabrizioLeave a comment

If you want kindness, be kinder.

If you want gratefulness, be grateful.

If you want support, give support.

If you want transparency and openness, be transparent and open.

If you want candour, be candid.

If you want honesty, be honest.

If you want trust, give trust.

Our environment is a reflection of how we behave, and we have the immense power to influence it.

Every day.

Art and craft

FabrizioLeave a comment

Art is about creating content that is meaningful primarily to you, as it is an expression of your inner world. Of course, art can have a market. That happens when the expression of your inner world resonates with someone else’s inner world. That is not its main purpose though.

Craft is about creating content that is meaningful primarily to an audience, as it is an expression of a common world view. Of course, craft can be artistic. That happens when the expression of the common world view is so peculiar that it clearly stands out among similar other expressions. Again, that is not its main purpose.

There is space for both art and craft in the world, and both paths are available to most people.

You just need to be aware of where you stand.

A good rule of thumb: if you can deliver work through consecutive iterations, reaching a point where the work does not look like something you would have created yourself, and still be working to smooth the corners and be proud of the final results, you are most likely a crafter.

Free of hubris

FabrizioLeave a comment

You need to be able to keep success and self-worth separated.

For two reasons.

First, because success is the outcome of many inputs, most of which out of our control. Luck, for example, plays a huge role. Others do as well, whether we recognize their contribution or not.

Secondly, because we need to be ready to maintain the same distance when success turns into failure. We are not worst human beings (or writers, fathers, marketers) merely because we are failing.

Understanding that success is not a reflection of how good we are keeps us grounded and maintains our horizon wide open. Ready to appreciate the complexity of things and continue learn from it.

Free of hubris.