Tag: entrepreneurship

Disappointment

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Disappointment is about anticipated rewards.

Sometimes the anticipated rewards are the result of our ambitions, aspirations, dreams, desires, experiences. We are active part in building up our expectations, to the point that it often becomes impossible for the actual thing to satisfy them.

Sometimes they are set by others with their ads, content, hype-building tactics, public relations, supposed culture. They prepare a mental image for us that buys us in and eventually turns out to be just too good to be true.

Disappointment is a fundamental part of life. The first type helps us stay grounded, adjust our course, understand how things work. The second type tells us about relationships, who to trust, to what extent and in which circumstances.

And most of all, disappointment is a reminder that while we often govern the inputs, we have little to no power over the outcomes.

That is fine.

Bridge

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When one gets squeezed between two opposing forces, it is quite usual to start depicting both forces as enemies.

Lousy middle management is a great representation of this.

Middle managers are at the crossroads of contrasting needs and ambitions, and the result can easily get to “management has unreasonable expectations” and “my team is lazy and ineffective“.

Of course, this is a divisive approach. Soon enough everybody hates everybody, nobody is happy, and things never get done.

Being in the middle, though, also means having the opportunity to build a bridge. To stop and sit down and listen to what those needs and ambitions are about, help each part to formulate them in a way that makes sense to the other, and finding ways to be helpful and support action in a common direction.

It takes time, energy, and a lot of confidence in ourselves and others. And it always pays off.

Building relationships

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The way you communicate reality is often more important than reality itself in building bonds. Or breaking them.

Say you have to share a decision with your team, one that is not fully fair, one you were not involved in making, one that will not make them happy.

You can state the fact, and say there is little that can be done to change reality. You can say that “little” is something your team will have to pull off, and that the deadline for it is in one week.

Or you can still state the fact, and say you are sorry for the situation. There is still something that can be done, and you will drive the effort, coordinating the work of the different team members.

Reality has not changed between option 1 and option 2.

Relationships have though.

Putting off

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When you put off something repeatedly over a period of time, you should face the fact that it is never going to happen. And so, you should either delegate that or remove it entirely from your schedule.

Every other action you are taking (marking as unread, moving to tomorrow, making a post-it, setting a reminder on your phone) is just additional clutter.

That thing is not important to you.

Get over it.

Ideas out

FabrizioLeave a comment

When you put your idea out, it is the whole world to you.

For anybody else, it is just one of the hundreds heard in the past few days.

This is a gap that drives a lot of misunderstanding (“that’s not what I meant!“), frustration (“they do not care!“), and missed opportunities (“I give up!“).

It is a gap that is your responsibility to fill.

And so, when you put your idea out.

Go straight to the point. We might get interested in the background story at some point, definitely not the first time we get in touch. What do you do? Why do I care? Keep it short, actually shorter.

Make it stand out. You will not break through the noise if you just repeat what others are saying. The way they are saying it. My idea will increase your team’s productivity! It will save you money! It will make your floors shine brighter! Pass.

Make it relevant. And I am not sure if I should rather say specific. Generic messages that aim for the masses are doomed these days. Aim carefully, and craft it as if your audience’s well being would depend on it.