Sometimes you need a critic, as they might take you back to earth and set you on a path of improvement. Sometimes you need a cheerleader, as they might give you that boost of confidence you are lacking to truly appreciate what you have just achieved.
And you always need a coach. They will see your trajectory and help you find what you need to get there.
You need to be able to discern between different shades and understand that most of what is good happens in the middle.
You can support a candidate even if their thinking does not match yours 1:1.
You can have a conversation with someone even when you do not share the same view of the world.
You can be committed to a project even when it’s a cause of stress and disappointment.
You can love someone even if your heart does not beat faster every time you see them.
You can appreciate a person even though you would not give them certain responsibilities.
Idealizing and romanticizing is the enemy of contentment.
It’s not that the ideas for ways to keep your team engaged are scarce – in fact here are 37 of them.
The point is that managers struggle to understand that these days – perhaps most of the time, but these days in particular -, people do not get excited for a new work project, for the last quarter extraordinary results, or for the announcement of the new CTO.
People seek meaning, and enabling connection with peers and colleagues is one sure way to give it to them.
The fact that with remote work the task is more difficult should merely be an incentive to explore new and creative ways.
Care is something under your full control that can give you an immense edge.
It works on three levels, which are deeply intertwined.
Care is not easy and it cannot be faked.
And when you care, you become unstoppable.
There is no fight you can win without losing at least a little of the relationship underlying it.
And there is no relationship for which you won’t regret having lost even a little piece.
Pick your fights very carefully.
You've got this 