Tag: feedback

Blame

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What good is it to blame it on others? People who might or might not be still around. People who’ve passed by, who stopped for a while, who’ve been a constant, whom we’ll never talk ever again.

And what good is it to blame it on the circumstances? What has happened, what might have been, what will be tomorrow. The weather, the economics, the politics, and the structural difficulties.

At the end of the day, we are the greatest enemy to our own achievements.

We are in control, just not of the things we tend to blame.

We can decide to wake up and do the work.

We can extend an hand and help a friend.

We can be kind, inspiring, and motivating.

We can say thank you and I am sorry.

We can still talk when nobody listens.

Or we can shut up when we decide it’s enough.

One way or the other, we can.

And we should.

Cautionary tales

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This one here from The New York Times is a cautionary tale.

It’s about never trusting the glamour and sparkles you see on social media. Even when they seem to be selfless and well-intended.

And it’s also a tale about not confusing the object with the subject. Just because the latter is rotten, doesn’t mean the former is as well. That is to say, it is still possible to pay a fair wage to your employees, build a good company, and not be a total asshole.

This other one from The Guardian is also a cautionary tale.

It’s about the inevitability of being caught at fault when you are a public figure. It’s about the fascination of newspapers of any kind and size for stories which are not stories. It’s about the need to accept that the better you are at what you do, the more others will try to take you down with frivolous items, leveraging both the inevitability and the fascination described above.

And it’s also a tale about letting all this wash over you and continue on your path.

Master emotions

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To be a good leader, you need to master emotions. Yours and others.

Yours, because you need to be in touch with them, be aware of them, be labelling them. And yet, you need not to be too attached to them. For example, when making decisions. In a way, you need to manage your emotions with some sort of detachment.

Others, because you need to be able to appreciate them and embrace them. You need to allocate time for others to express them, you need to be able to take them into consideration, and you need to be able to give the chance to release them.

Most leaders ignore emotions completely.

Some master theirs or others.

Few master both.

Keep things simple

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If the information can be shared in a Slack message, calling a meeting to discuss it will not make it more important.

If the product feature can be described in three words, writing four paragraphs to go through the ins-and-outs will not make it easier to sell it.

If the team is performing poorly, trying to shift the focus to a different subject, or goal, or KPI will not help them improve.

Keep things simple.

Get satisfaction

FabrizioLeave a comment

When we are close to something, it’s difficult to notice progress.

Just as you can’t see your kids grow day after day, it’s difficult to see your career develop, your relationship evolve, your project build the right momentum, when you are so involved.

Take a broader look, take an outside look if at all possible. Consider a longer time frame, list down all the achievements, own your own narrative, master the capacity to frame what you see today in a wider picture.

That’s the key to satisfaction.