“I will seek motivation, instead of lamenting its lack.” I wrote these words in my journal, having acknowledged the feeling that a day of forlorn activity beckoned. A quick look around at my life offered nothing in particular to get revved up about. No joyous event or pursuit leapt to mind. So I went searching. Actively enquiring. Looking for things to be grateful for and … Continue reading Searching, instead of merely looking
I quote here directly from James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter, which I love: “Improvement is a battle that must be fought anew each day.Your next workout doesn’t care how strong your last one was.Your next essay doesn’t care how popular your last one was.Your next investment doesn’t care how smart your last one was.Your best effort, again.” (Subscribe on James Clear’s website) Absolutely spot on. … Continue reading Your best effort, on this, again
Today I was pleased to read about carefully noting how our emotions drive us, in three different forums. Each was a independent variation on the same theme. This wasn’t a waste, because the theme is important and my brain, being an associative machine, absorbed the message better for quickly comparing, contrasting, and building connections across the different words. If there’s a message you want to … Continue reading Same thing, different words
One of the most helpful things I find with colleagues, is when I know they’ll just take care of something. Aligning expectations and setting up feedback loops helps, of course, but some people more readily demonstrate ownership of their work. Given a little direction they go a long way, checking in only for course correction and without a blow-by-blow account of the obstacles. They roam … Continue reading Taken care of
While out for a run this morning I listened to an auto-generated playlist based on one song that I love. Trotting along, I realised I hadn’t heard anything that grabbed me and thought about switching to a curated list I’ve created instead. That one song I love I only stumbled across on a different auto-generated list a couple of years back, I remembered. There aren’t … Continue reading One hit wondrous
It’s easy to find yourself with more to do than there are hours in the day, especially with a habit of involving yourself in lots of things. When paralysis is looming, it pays to ask what’s going to move the needle most. Not how many easy tasks you can knock off the list. Not what is someone shouting loudest about. No. What will move the … Continue reading If overwhelmed
While I’ve been interviewing candidates recently, I’ve often described the ‘t-shaped individual’ that we like to hire. We find that specialist knowledge has limited application without the collaborative and inter-disciplinary skills to build effective teams. The candidates with breadth have often consciously pushed at the edges of their roles. They’ve embraced opportunity outside of their core skill set, and often wrestled a steep learning curve … Continue reading Breadth and depth
The same box of cereal can be bought in two stores near me for surprisingly different prices. But you’re not really paying for just the cereal. You might be supporting an employer to pay the living wage at the more expensive store. Choosing a firm that values people’s rights and collaboration, over presenteeism and automation. Aiding investment and innovation, instead of cashing in and copying … Continue reading What you’re paying for
Some of my most important lightbulb moments are when a friend has kindly pointed out a mistake I’ve made. Perhaps a flaw I have. Maybe some behaviour that needs discouraging. That’s been uncomfortable at times, but has built trust that I can later count on, comfortably. I like a friend that doesn’t just smooth the way. They will shine a light and help me find … Continue reading What good friends are for
It’s wise to look ahead, to anticipate difficulty and consider your response. But it’s a step too far to imagine intractable conflict without a clear hint that this will be so. You stop thinking about ways to defuse or improve a situation, and turn instead to how to deny or avoid it. Changing the world demands influence, not abstention. Kindly, keep going. Continue reading Imagined difficulty
