Archive of posts from November 2018

The ability to focus for long periods of time is a rightfully-celebrated skill. But we should remember to celebrate time spent outside of focus too, where we can zoom out and see the bigger picture:

• Electric cars don’t save you money: But they’re trying to save the planet. Only when we see the bigger picture can we make sense of these expensive machines.
• This advert must get their attention: But not at the expense of who you are. Bring...

How many times have you said that to yourself, in your head?

If you’re like most, probably at least once a day:

• Outside of my reach: Or maybe steps simply need linking together to make that reach possible. A bit of dedicated thought should clear that up.
• Beyond our abilities: Or maybe it’s entirely doable, and we need to simply divide up the training among us to make it possible.
• A problem too big to fix: Or maybe we...

The human effect on our work is profound, particularly for those who consider themselves logical and pragmatic:

• Hours worked vs bonds forged: Hours are trackable, billable, valuable. But bonds are untrackable, invaluable, emotional.
• Problems solved vs problems shared: When we solve problems, we’re compensated in proportion to the problem solved. When we share problems, we’re bound relationally in proportion to the problem shared.
• What happened vs what we’re capable of: Ending an engagement because of something bad that happened...

So do you. Though the words we choose are important:

• “I should do this”: Thinking about doing something never gets anything done. Otherwise, we could all meditate our way to project completion.
• “I must do this”: Raising your necessity gets you moving, but can feel like a grind after a while. Here, we toil without fulfillment.
• “I get to do this”: Adding gratitude to our musts allows us to toil with fulfillment. Same work, more fulfillment, better results.

It’s cool to hate on Facebook at the moment.

They have work to do. Quite a lot, in fact.

But they’ve also built us one of the most accessible advertising platforms in the world. If and when used correctly, it can help good businesses help good people solve important problems.

Don’t judge it exclusively upon the spammers who use it, or the leaders that currently lead it (although the latter is a big issue at the moment). Let’s also remember...

“It’s not how we do things” can be an empowering or limiting statement, depending on its context:

• Because it’s not what our industry does. So do it. Un-learning industry rules and playing a different game frees us from commoditization and marginal service.
• Because it’s not our culture. So don’t do it. Standing up for your team’s culture is a rarity that attracts others with similar values, be they comrades or clients.

Sometimes rules are for breaking. Sometimes they’re...

We quite like getting ready for things. But it’s a bad habit:

• Getting ready: An opportunity knocks, but you can’t yet answer. You’re under-resourced, ill-equipped, out of practice. Opportunity passes.
• Staying ready: An opportunity knocks, and you answer. The fire truck has gas in it. The script is memorized. You’re ready, already.

Getting ready is what we have to do when we don’t stay ready. Are you?

Yesterday we talked about quitting. Today we’re going the opposite route:

• But they didn’t respond: They were probably busy and missed it. The sale isn’t dead because they didn’t pick up.
• But the pitch was a flop: Your communication skills and your vision are two vastly different things.
• But I’m not fast enough: Is it a capability/quality problem or a training/quantity problem? It’s normally the latter.

There’s usually more we can do.

Not very often, but sometimes.

• The right time is when you know you’ve done all you can, but it won’t work. There may be another way to succeed, and now’s the time to go find it.
• The wrong time is when you haven’t done all you can, yet. Most things are much harder and slower than we expect, so the toil should be expected, not resented.
• The other wrong time is weeks, months, or years after the right time...

Ever asked yourself this question? What do you think the answer is?

• Because you filled the gap with something else: Be it daily tasks, busy-work, or recreation, there was no room for critical thinking, the place breakthroughs are born. This is the better problem of the two.
• You did, you just didn’t act on it…then forgot: This is worse than the first. When faced with a breakthrough, your daily grind killed it. This makes you a negative environment for...

Every day, we’re faced with both types of work:

• New work: This is the scary thing you’ve not done before. Lead the important call. Get on video. Embrace the new programming language. You feel like you’re not really working, and that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Old work: This is the thing you’re used to doing. Check off the to-do. Solve it the same way as before. Do what you did yesterday. You feel like you’re working, not growing, and...

Grit is more than hustle, it’s perspective in practice:

• The market will crash again: Perhaps even at a really bad time. We sometimes forget this happens cyclically, making silly decisions in lieu of consequences. When it does happen, grit happens. Or we’re out of the market.
• Your campaign will flop: Perhaps even a really important one. We sometimes forget this is always a possibility, thus we forget to prepare for either outcome. When it flops, grit happens. Or we’re...

Teams: build a life business, not a lifestyle business.

• A lifestyle business means you have to spend your life maintaining the lifestyle. This means forgoing family for feature requests, or health for higher income.
• A life business means you have to spend your lifestyle to maintain your life. This means chasing contribution not cash, fulfillment not fancy offices.

The life business tends to gift you with the best of both worlds when your whole team is in it...

Small teams seem to look up at larger ones and think, “They must be smarter, better, and faster than we are.” Smarter systems. Better talent. Faster production.

It’s our choice:

• Smarter: They may have more practice, but that’s not to say they’re smarter. You’ve equal opportunity to out-smart the competition or disrupt your space.
• Better: They may have been at it longer, but that’s not to say they’re better. You’ve got the same potential to create the same results...

…are that there are no longer any rules.

• Deliberate focus on intrapreneurship? So be it. Nurture a team of irreplaceable individuals that stand shoulder-to-shoulder for the long haul.
• Deliberate focus on automation? So be it. Systemize operations so that it needs no single individual, and let it run all by itself.
• Deliberate focus on **manualization?** So be it. Make every touch-point with your business human, one-of-a-kind, intimate, unique.

The worst thing we can do is accept that there...

Some things in a company can’t be measured on a balance sheet:

• Extras for those you serve: An email is more efficient than a letter in the mail. But the mail lets you wrap and send gifts. It’s more work, but the value exceeds the effort.
• Extras for those you serve with: Following the script is more efficient than going the extra mile to make comrades feel special. It’s more work, but the value exceeds the effort.
• Extras for...