It’s hard to say no to things … Invitations. Opportunities. Cake. Most of us know we should decline more often than we do, so why do we keep saying Yes? Leaving the cake to one side, we say Yes in business for a variety of reasons – we don’t want to let people down, we’re worried about losing a potential customer, or perhaps we could simply do with the income this month. Our intentions are
Boundaries have come up in a lot of my conversations recently. They need to be defined and understood – both by ourselves and the people around us, whether that’s at work or at home or at play. Clear communication is crucial. [As usual]. Some boundaries will be ‘hard red lines’, rarely crossed [“I don’t work weekends”] – while others will be more flexible [“On Fridays, I aim to finish work at 1pm”]. Either way, boundaries
“Education is a process of intergenerational transmission.” Zak Stein Much of our learning happens at school – and if we agree with Zak Stein [a co-founder of The Consilience Project], it doesn’t end there: our education is a continuous, ongoing process. Teaching is a crucial part of that transmission. When teaching beginners to play drums, I was very much ‘telling them what to do’ – “hold the sticks like this” – “your feet go here”
“I’m at low tide,” said a friend today. Even though I walk my dog along the beach every day, I hadn’t previously thought much about the tides as a metaphor. I like it … low tides are distant and calm, the ocean seems warm and inviting … and it’s also full of potential – the energy is still there, and you know a high tide is coming … How we talk about things shows how
Interesting read this week, helping me realise how much our language influences – and is influenced by – our perceptions and understandings of the world. As the authors say, “We act according to the way we conceive of things.” For example: Argument is War.“I destroyed his argument.” Time is Money.“I invested a lot of time in that.” Happy is Up. Sad is Down.“My spirits soared!” “I sank into depression.” Do we frame business as a
A jigsaw puzzle has a solution. There’s even a process for arriving at the solution – corners, edges, middle. Knowing what the puzzle looks like can help you solve it faster, but even without the picture, we can [eventually] solve a jigsaw. Once all the pieces are in place – it’s done. Complete. Finished. But lots of other things don’t have neat and tidy solutions – they don’t have a clear ‘end’. They are messy
PART 1 :: Changing my mind I first stumbled across Elon Musk in early 2015, when both Tesla and SpaceX were exciting companies, seemingly committed to solving big challenges. Musk’s ‘real life Tony Stark’ persona was a key part of the story. He truly did seem to be ‘The World’s Raddest Man‘. Turns out, he isn’t. Being in the public eye will always bring criticism, but evidence is growing that Musk is more than just
Communicating effectively involves paying attention to details. I was at a meeting recently that got quite heated, with three voices in particular standing out: PERSON 1: They should do XYZ. PERSON 2: They must do XYZ. PERSON 3: They want to do XYZ. Should = Morals [Often means doing the right thing – the maximum] Must = Obligation [Often means doing what is legally required – the minimum] Want = Desire [Often means doing what
We learn a lot about how people are thinking by paying attention to the details of the language being used – particularly in turbulent times. An obvious example is with sports fans. “WE won at the weekend!” as opposed to “THEY lost at the weekend.” Using ‘We’ indicates collaboration, and taking collective responsibility. Using ‘They’ is a sign of division, and apportioning blame. This isn’t only relevant to your favourite sports team. How do we
“Strong opinions, loosely held” is a concept I agree with – but it needs an addition … Strong opinions, loosely held – and moderately stated. The danger with having strong opinions is that we are inclined to also state them strongly, which closes the door to conversation and debate. At their most extreme, ‘strong opinions’ feel threatening and intimidating to the people around us. While we might believe our opinions are ‘loosely held’, it doesn’t
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
