When the thing you want to stress doesn’t accord with what your audience wants to hear, take a moment to think about what that means. Perhaps you need to improve your delivery. Perhaps you need to better understand the audience’s needs. Or, perhaps, you’re just not aligned with the audience. Is the discord a signal that you’re not on the right path, for the long … Continue reading Picking your audience
Attending to a difficult situation today, I needed to pull together some fragmented perspectives to figure out what was really going on. I wanted to build a complete picture so that I could fairly assess the right course of action. The same events were recalled differently by almost everyone. If the events were recalled the same, then the assumed intent was often different – even … Continue reading The complete picture, or a composite
It’s usually easier to be right than to convince others. The latter is much more important. Quietly stewing over how they didn’t get it isn’t helpful. Working out how to be more convincing, is. Being helpful is better than merely being right. Continue reading Can you convince them of that
My memory isn’t what it once was. Or at least, what I think it was… Nowadays I care more for people’s experiences and input than I ever did, which helps bridge that gap. To succeed isn’t to know everything, it’s to make a positive difference. Kindly, keep going. Continue reading Memory loss is asking a lot
The adage goes that you should never meet them, lest you be disappointed. It’s more helpful for me to connect and see that they’re also flawed. We all are in some way. We can still do great things. Kindly, keep going. Continue reading Meet your heroes
Teddy famously asserted that ‘comparison is the thief of joy’, and I keep working on making only appropriate and helpful comparisons. I read one such helpful comparison you can make, as you progress (or desire to): “Compare yourself only to who you were yesterday, not who someone else is today.” Let another’s example inspire you, while remembering you’re on a unique journey. Take the steps … Continue reading Comparison needn’t be theft
Reading an account of the difficulty of moving ideas forward, I was struck by this sentence: ”It is a very false radical politics that thinks progress comes without loss.” It reminded me of the this more widely quoted sentiment: “You can have everything you want, but you can’t have it all at once.” Work out what you want and consider carefully what the cost of … Continue reading Progress and loss
A mental game I used to play was to pick holes in arguments. Having found one, I’d dismiss the entire argument and perhaps its proponent. I’m pleased to have left this game behind and today I read a sentence that cemented why. “A partial insight maybe, but still a precious one.” Take what’s useful and let go of the rest. Partial insight can be built … Continue reading Baby and bathwater
What’s the most impactful, helpful, or powerful question you’ve ever been asked or asked yourself? Do please share with me – privately if you prefer. For me, it’s been “is this a useful response”. It’s not an answered and done question. It’s a recurring nudge towards better behaviour. It reminds me of the difference between reaction and response, and to choose the latter. It reminds … Continue reading Most useful question
Is the world short of profound insight, or merely short of it being applied? What does that mean for you? Continue reading Profound insight
Sometimes You Learn 