Tag: team work

Fine print

FabrizioLeave a comment

Company principles and values should be literal and absolute.

Saying that you care about people is a powerful statement. If you then put that in practice only when people do what you want, not so much anymore.

Saying that you foster collaboration and learning is a powerful statement. If you then do that only after everyone has achieved their own personal goals, not so much anymore.

Saying that you pursue innovation at all costs is a powerful statement. If you then keep quiet every time someone makes a mistake, not so much anymore.

Companies add fine prints to culture statements all the time. Employees figure that out in no time, and they get disengaged.

Start from how things work, from what is actually happening, from reality, and work your way up.

It’s the only way to build an effective culture.

Every day

FabrizioLeave a comment

If you want kindness, be kinder.

If you want gratefulness, be grateful.

If you want support, give support.

If you want transparency and openness, be transparent and open.

If you want candour, be candid.

If you want honesty, be honest.

If you want trust, give trust.

Our environment is a reflection of how we behave, and we have the immense power to influence it.

Every day.

Three sources

Fabrizio1 Comment

In any role, there are three sources of motivation.

First is what the company you work for values. This is not about the principles you read on the website, but what happens at the company at certain critical times. Is it an environment where people generally care about each other? Is there a lot of control, processes, red tape? What happens when somebody disagrees or fails? Who gets promoted?

Second is the relationships you have. Both with your peers and with your managers. When the first source fails, this becomes incredibly powerful. How often do you hear from them? Do you know them on a personal level? Do you have supporting people around you, and do you have people you feel like giving your support to? What happens when somebody leaves?

Third is the work you do. When the first two fail, this is all you have left. How do you feel about the tasks you are being assigned? Are you proud of what you do? Are you learning something new? Would you do this somewhere else? Can you?

The most important question: where do you get your motivation from right now?

Art and craft

FabrizioLeave a comment

Art is about creating content that is meaningful primarily to you, as it is an expression of your inner world. Of course, art can have a market. That happens when the expression of your inner world resonates with someone else’s inner world. That is not its main purpose though.

Craft is about creating content that is meaningful primarily to an audience, as it is an expression of a common world view. Of course, craft can be artistic. That happens when the expression of the common world view is so peculiar that it clearly stands out among similar other expressions. Again, that is not its main purpose.

There is space for both art and craft in the world, and both paths are available to most people.

You just need to be aware of where you stand.

A good rule of thumb: if you can deliver work through consecutive iterations, reaching a point where the work does not look like something you would have created yourself, and still be working to smooth the corners and be proud of the final results, you are most likely a crafter.

No solutions

FabrizioLeave a comment

People who come to you with a problem is rarely asking you to find the solution.

It is about talking it through with someone, letting it all out, righting thoughts that might be taking the wrong turn.

We hear a problem, we want to fix it.

And that harms the relationship.

Stay with what you have heard, sit there and listen, nudge the other in the direction they want to go – what else? and tell me more about his.

This helps.