Month: September 2020

Processing Critique

Feedback is so important developing yourself, relationships, and being effective. It’s essential for all three parts of my coaching framework.

Often we must intentionally open ourselves up for feedback. Ask specifically how you’re doing. Build a rhythm of critique and feedback. But also be ready to hear it.

I find a healthy way to hear feedback is to listen to someone else so you can then listen to yourself.

Not solely about someone else’s opinion but what that opinion causes in you.

Respond from who you are in the end. Of course you first need to get to know yourself but if you know yourself, you can hear feedback and then hear yourself.

Idea came from John Maeda and Becky Bermont’s book Redesigning Leadership

Innovate Inside of Relationships

Some people will appreciate the simply ship it attitude. The innovative spirit. The churn and refine. Those people need you to respond with clarity and vision. From me, those people need me to come prepared with succinct yet exciting engagement.

A second group of people will deeply loath the roll the dice, innovative spirit. They want process as usual. Only give me what I ask for. Top down control and oversight. From me, these people need me to come with specifics and clarity. I must do my homework and try to stretch their thinking a little but overall build trust from consistent reliability.

One common theme is that both these groups of people need me to be well prepared. I am an Eagle Scout and from my time in the Boy Scouts, I engrained the motto, “Be prepared.” Recognizing someone’s disposition and coming prepared to speak to that narrative. The narrative and stories we tell ourselves are reality not what we want people to be telling themselves.

While it is important to appeal and curate towards your audience, it is also important to curate your audience. Find people that value what I have to offer and go after them. Realize that what I have to offer is not for everyone. While also trying to stretch that circle of people little by little. Being a little bit of an evangelist for ideas and innovation while also going after the right people.

Overall, I hope to be more prepared and thoughtful in my relationships. Take risks to stretch a person’s perspective and when I do plan to stretch their thinking, I will come well prepared. Because that doesn’t happen with off the cuff interactions. I will also prepare by being thoughtful to realize those whom I can have the most impact. I must clarify who I am and understand who specifically will value and benefit from that.

I have distilled a personal life theme…”Invoking people’s truest selves.” What I must do is come prepared to offer that theme to others while also curating the right people to bring myself to.

This idea came after watching Guy Kawasaki’s TED Talk on the Art of Innovation

Problem with Authenticity

Being authentic is all about me. You. Individual.

Sure we want to be real, true, but also we cannot live in a space all about us all the time.

We need to also show up as a professional.

Serving those around us.

Start with authenticity to find yourself but know we also must show up for other people.

At least that’s the life I’m looking to live. One of a professional. One of service. One of love.

Seth Godin talks about this idea a lot. His episode on Akimbo (Episode “Industry and it’s disconnects” at 24:22 time) talks about it at the end in Q/A segment which sparked my thinking on it.