“I did it!” I hear this many times a day from my 2-year-old daughter, who’s just delighted by everything she can do. Sometimes it’s jumping off a step, sometimes it’s picking up a toy, but whatever it is, she joyfully shouts “I did it!” immediately. I think we can all learn a lesson from her….
Month: June 2023
I like the conversational writing tone of Michael Bungay Stanier, and really appreciated his book The Coaching Habit for distilling his coaching expertise into seven impactful questions.
I like the conversational writing tone of Michael Bungay Stanier, and really appreciated his book The Coaching Habit for distilling his coaching expertise into seven impactful questions. In his new book, How to Work With (Almost) Anyone, he attempts to take the same approach to building relationships, but it feels clunkier and less intuitive, perhaps…
This week is the end of June! Somehow we’ve reached the halfway point of 2023. Now is a good time to check in with yourself, reflect on the first half of the year, and consider how you will set yourself up to achieve your intentions for the second half.
This week is the end of June! Somehow we’ve reached the halfway point of 2023. Now is a good time to check in with yourself, reflect on the first half of the year, and consider how you will set yourself up to achieve your intentions for the second half. I suggest a holistic checkin across…
Opportunities appear when you pay attention.
Opportunities appear when you pay attention. My mom used to think I was lucky to have great opportunities appear whenever I was looking for a job. And there’s some truth to that. But I also believe that good opportunities were always floating around, and I only noticed them when I started looking for a new…
What’s your relationship investment strategy?
What’s your relationship investment strategy? Many of us have a financial investment strategy: — Perhaps you are living paycheck to paycheck, using credit cards to cover gaps, with the belief that your next job/raise will close the gap. — Perhaps you have taken out debt in the form of a mortgage or business loan to…
#AI will level the playing field by making the conventional wisdom available to everybody.
#AI will level the playing field by making the conventional wisdom available to everybody. I’ve been mostly ignoring this round of ChatGPT-led AI hype, in part because the few times I’ve asked a question, I didn’t get back anything useful or insightful. But I’ve had a couple conversations recently that helped me understand how these…
Leaders don’t wait for permission.
Leaders don’t wait for permission. Waiting until somebody gives you permission or a “clear swim lane” is what followers do. Leadership means wading into a messy situation and creating clarity for others, identifying a direction and doing the work to align others to that direction. When you see something that needs doing, motivate and influence…
Personality typing systems are maps to the complex differences among humanity.
Personality typing systems are maps to the complex differences among humanity. While such systems as Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram are often dismissed as pseudo-science on par with astrology, I find them useful to remember that other people aren’t like me. We often assume that everybody sees the world exactly the same way we do, and…
Show compassion (within boundaries).
Show compassion (within boundaries). One of the most common cognitive biases is the fundamental attribution error, where we attribute the failures of others to their innate characteristics (they can’t do X because they are incompetent, they are late because they are irresponsible, or they made me miserable so they are evil), but justify our own…
Communicate proactively.
Communicate proactively. Many of us live in an overwhelmed state where we are constantly reacting to whatever is coming at us. This is an effective survival tactic, but our actions are then determined by what others send at us. Living reactively can also lead to disappointing others because we didn’t manage to deliver on a…