Tag: team work

Incremental

FabrizioLeave a comment

It’s difficult for any content creator to accept that people – some people, most people – don’t want to hear from them. Just as it is difficult for a founder to accept that customers – some customers, most customers – don’t want to do business with them.

It really is nothing personal. We are all overwhelmed by constant busyness, plus not everything is for everybody.

Of course, the only way to overcome this is to make what you do indispensable for 1, 10, 50, 1000, 10000 people. It’s incremental, and it starts from just a few. If you think at 1000000 from day 1, you have lost already.

Walls

FabrizioLeave a comment

We only see our side of the story.

That’s why when we go to someone with something that’s important for us, that becomes urgent.

That’s why when we read through an email we only notice the parts that confirm what we already know.

That’s why when we find new evidence we are sure that’s the one that will convince everybody.

And that’s also why we should be extremely careful when giving judgements, passing sentences, and building walls.

The target is to be convinced (of your values, your purpose, your views) and open (to other perspectives and versions) at the same time.

Can you do that?

Capability and capacity

FabrizioLeave a comment

There are two things you can consider when building a team.

  1. What are the things that we are not doing because the people in the team do not have the skills to do them?
  2. What are the things that we are not doing because the people in the team do not have the time to do them?

In the first case, you are looking to build the capabilities of the team. That is fairly typical for small teams, or teams that need to grow into unexplored territories.

In the second case, you are looking to build the capacity of the team. That is fairly typical of large teams, or teams that need to scale fast.

The problem is when small teams hire for capacity, and therefore do not get the type of knowledge and expertise they would need. Or when large teams hire for capabilities, and therefore get the type of knowledge and expertise they don’t need.

Be aware where you stand and what you are hiring for.

Not possible

FabrizioLeave a comment

It’s not possible is a sentence that should always make you alert.

Certainly, somebody must have said it’s not possible for any of the things we today take for granted. It’s an easy way to safeguard someone’s own experience, to avoid facing possible shortcomings, to retain power.

And challenging it’s not possible does not mean that everything is possible. It just means that you are open to a different world and you are seeking a more thorough explanation about why that should not be achievable.

It’s the way of change.

Like it or not

FabrizioLeave a comment

The distinction between personal and professional is dated.

Not because you are supposed to work 80 hours per week, but because human beings do not have a siloed mind.

If you face personal challenges, you will struggle to shine at work. If you face professional challenges, you will most likely be distant and grumpy in your private life.

That’s a great reminder for leaders. You take charge of the full package, whether you like it or not. Better go at it intentionally then.