Tag: team work

Bullet points

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Why are bullet points still used in presentations? And what about flow charts? Diagrams? Crammed 11-points text? Evocative pictures that have no relationship with what is being told? Tables that touch the margins of the slide? Icons choosen after googling “icons”? Paragraphs used as scripts?

A presentation is for the presenter, because it helps them refining their thoughts and ideas, making them digestible and appealing, preparing them for further elaboration and improvements. And it is, of course, for the audience, who has allocated time on their calendar to give the presenter attention.

Make the extra effort, the rules for a decent presentation are not rocket science. And they apply to yours too.

Help is a gift

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When trying to help, you have to leave your ego behind.

Because of course, the other person might be listening with no intention to change, your advice might remain unfollowed, your words might actually produce an effect opposite to the desired one.

Giving help is like giving a gift: it’s up to the receiver to decide what to do with it, and we should not let the outcome reflect negatively on the act itself, on our benevolence, on our future actions.

The world around us

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How do we understand that the world does not revolve around us?

That a person we barely know is behaving in an unpleasant way not to make us feel bad?

That our dearest friend is not calling anymore not because they no longer find our company pleasant?

That our boss has not picked our work not because it is of a lower quality?

That our partner is being more silent lately not because they are mad at us?

We are all main characters to our own story. Once we unlock this understanding, we can start approaching the facts of life with empathy and openness, instead of seeing them as a confirmation of our unworthiness.

It is time.

Undeserving

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There’s a feeling that often arises when we achieve something we’ve been working on for long. The feeling of not deserving it.

Our minds work in a weird way.

In the very moment we should be the proudest of ourselves, when our efforts have finally turned into results, we feel like it was all a huge mistake, we really are not worthy of it, and eventually, soon, someone is going to find out and take it all away.

When that happens, do two things.

First, voice your fear. Tell it to somebody close to you and, if possible, also to somebody close to the achievement. If, for example, the achievement is professional, tell it to a colleague, or even to your boss, in case there’s enough trust established between the two of you.

Second, understand that this is what makes it important. You would not feel that for something you would not care about. The very fact you are in that position means it was an achievement worth pursuing and that it matters to you.

We can’t escape the feeling, but there’s no need to let it take control of us and govern our next moves.

Two failures

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Let me know if I can help.

Of course, this is not really establishing a relationship in which one is going to help the other. It is more of a mantra we repeat to be nice, or because we are in a position in which we are expected to help yet we have absolutely no idea how to do that (nor we want to bother figuring that out by ourselves).

In fact, it is not surprising that when an actual request follows, the person originally offering help often fails to give just that. Not because they are mean, simply because they did not intend to help in the first place. Perhaps they are busy, incompetent, unfit, disorganized, sick, committed (to something or someone else).

Let me know if I can help and the subsequent failure to help on a concrete request are two of the major failures of managers in organisations nowadays.

They are perfect, because they work wonders both in case you are one of those managers who believe it is not your job to serve – I am the boss, I can’t bother, and in case you are one of those modern managers that are all for freedom and flatness – I am very hands off, I am giving your freedom.

Next time try: Here is what I am going to do.

Figuring out what’s to be done is a job for you to complete before showing up in the conversation.