Tag: start

Keep meetings relevant

FabrizioLeave a comment

Never walk into a meeting in which you have a relevant role – people expect you to present, to coordinate, to moderate, to organise -, without some careful preparation.

When you don’t prepare, you will either be talking too much or too little, the audience will get bored, the conversation will get all over the place, arguments will be shallow and discussions pointless. And there’s not going to be any concrete outcome. If you are not prepared for a meeting in which you have a relevant role, just cancel it.

This is also a great way to keep the numbers of meetings to a minimum. None of us is paid to prepare for meetings.

What to aim for

FabrizioLeave a comment

The biggest problem with self-help books, business reviews, parenting blogs, marketing podcasts is that they give you a kick when your mind is at peace and make you feel awful the exact same moment things get hectic and you fail to follow their advice.

Hearing about what somebody else has done in similar circumstances is not going to shield us from pain, frustration, anger, and thousands of other feelings when the situation comes to us.

Life is tough, no matter what.

Finding your way, the way you can call your own and be proud of, is what you should aim for.

The ocean of sameness

FabrizioLeave a comment

Messaging is the equivalent of defining. And when you define something you put a limit to it.

If I say tree, everybody understands what I am talking about, but at the same time everybody will have their own image of a tree in their mind.

If I say birch, fewer people will understand what I am talking about, but those who do will have a clear image in their mind.

If I say betula pendula, most people will not understand what I am talking about, but the very few who do will have a very powerful image in their mind, and a very strong connection with me.

Messaging is ineffective for many products because the limit is pushed further and further and further again, until the message itself loses any power to define what the product actually is. And for the fear of losing opportunities and market shares, all you end up selling is trees. Just like anybody else.

If your work involves some messaging, remember that your goal is to limit, not to expand. You can have different messages for different people and for different channels, but each one of them needs to be limited in order to resonate and actually mean something.

The alternative is drowning in an ocean of sameness.

Speed eats quality

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Speed gives you an edge.

Not in the sense of cutting corners, rushing through things, hustling or muscling through. But in the sense of getting things through the finish line, often and consistently. Understanding when something is good, pressing the button, and moving to the next item.

Speed eats quality for breakfast.

The good enough time

FabrizioLeave a comment

We know we should add the salary ranges to our job ads, but we are reviewing the salary level for internal employees and we do not want to send the wrong message. As soon as we are done with that …

I know I should take on new challenges and find something new, but I have this very important project to take care of. As soon as I am done with that …

I know I should spend more quality time with my family, but I am having a very busy period at work. As soon as that is over …

We know we should get to posting more often on our blog, but we have no good writer in our team. As soon as we can hire one …

The fact is, there’s never a perfect time to do the things we are supposed to do.

There’s a good enough time though.

It is now.