A downside of the amount of data and information we live with nowadays is the fact that one can cherry pick the metrics that better support their story of the day.
Story and evidence go hand in hand, and story-building is also about choosing what to measure and what to focus on. If tomorrow that has a negative trend, you can only defend the story by going out there and try to explain the reasons why it is so. When you present a different set of data, the story changes, inevitably.
There’s so many miniscule things we allow to much power to.
Our working day could be disrupted because we are asked to give a 10-minutes presentation in front of the whole company.
Our self worth could be jeopardized because somebody, caught up in their thoughts, has treated us unfairly or given us a harsh response.
Our self esteem could disentegrate because a person we have never met or talked to before is telling us they do not like our work.
Our relationship could go through a rough couple of weeks because our dearest one didn’t have time to answer our message the other day.
Putting things in perspective, relating them to the greater scheme of things, is a necessary skill for anybody who wants to make a change. And this question is still very powerful to achieve just this.
Honesty can only work when it’s two-way.
You can’t be honest if you do not accept others to be honest with you as well, and you can’t demand honesty if you are not honest in the first place yourself.
It’s about building trust and knowing that the other is going to be on your side when it matters. Sometimes by putting you in front of harsh truths, sometimes by telling you well timed lies.
Saying “let’s be honest with each other” is a commitment for the long term, something you have to start building day-in and day-out, with practice and consistency.
It’s not something for a two-hours meeting.
It’s impossible to talk about culture without taking behaviour into consideration.
You can read a book, spend time investigating what type of culture is a winning culture, have consultants come in and tell about the frameworks they have studied. But at the end of the day, culture is what you do. Culture is what the people around you do. Culture is in the actions and details.
That’s why it’s important to build cultures with examples. And in the long term, I am more and more convinced that coaching, both internal and external, is the only way to spread the culture as the company grows and the market changes.
Learning about culture is great, as it gives you the basics to discuss it in your organization and go about it strategically. Yet, remember that culture is not telling and cannot be commanded. Culture is action.
Whatever you are going to do this year, make sure you can express that in few, concise words. Being able to tell about your project with clarity, inspiring curiosity, unlocking questions that drive the conversation forward. These are features that can give a real edge in a world of short attention span and endless content availability.
If the eyes of the person in front of you wander away, if your audience had doubts you feel you have already adressed, if your visitors drop without any action. You are not there yet.
It takes time and effort, conscious thinking and some rehearsing.
It will be your jump start to the change you seek to make.
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