1. Having empathy and humility are huge productivity hacks! Think of all the time you’re wasting butting heads. Naturally, you have to stick up for yourself but you can minimize a lot of stress by starting with agreement. Empathize with your partner. Grant Cardone talks about starting in agreement when selling to prospects. Never argue with a prospect! Show empathy. You’ll be amazed how quickly you can move beyond disagreement by displaying a little good faith empathy. Move on - get to the real work of completing the mission.
Think of the exercise bike company Peloton’s infamous commercial that many hated. Peloton failed to show empathy - quite the opposite! They blamed their target market for not getting the commercial! It backfired. Humility has become a buzz word for management scholars. Be a good person - what a concept! Humble leaders foster more collaboration, engagement, and encourage more information sharing between team members than those who are ego-driven.
Jim Collins said it years ago when he coined the term level 5 leader - a leader who is completely passionate and a go-getter yet is able to accept feedback. Level 5 leaders give credit to the team and not themselves.
2. In early March, a Biogen corporate meeting in Boston had three people with Covid. This led to 100 more cases. It was described as a super spreader. And how ironic that a company working to combat Covid would inadvertently spread it. I was struck by the names of the workshops that took place in that conference: Living Up to Our Purpose, Orchestrating Agility in the Matrix (not exactly sure what that one was about), and Where Science Meets Humanity. All fascinating titles for workshops. I would’ve loved to be there listening in if it weren’t for the pandemic. Just reading about workshops that explore purpose and good works gets me revved up! I love big bold plans. In Biogen’s defense, they donated $10 million dollars to help the fight of the virus.
3. One of my favorite things about great writing is how its details activate our senses. And with the sensory stimulation comes emotion. One example is the phrase “tin of cookies.” A plate of cookies is pleasant but a tin adds a new level for me: fancy, decorative, special, and a sparse few cookies in a beautifully-crafted tin. The transfer from thought to emotional state reminds me of transcendental meditation. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi explained when you focus on an aural mantra (of a syllable or word that has no meaning) you gradually perceive that stimulus as a feeling - perhaps of contentment. We severely overlook the power of tapping into connecting our feeling states with performance. As I am typing these words, I have Pink Floyd’s double live dvd, Pulse, playing in the background at just the right volume - as to be with me but not a distraction. It’s a huge enhancer. I’m very happy typing away and I have that content feeling throughout my body while I write. It’s not a happy coincidence. I know I enjoy writing but I have to set the mood with the background music.
4. Parallel play is when children play near one another and watch one another but don’t actually play together. The current issue of the Harvard Business Review draws comparisons to start-ups. These are companies that are in brand new markets where there isn’t a clear path. Whereas, in traditional businesses, companies strive to differentiate themselves from the competition, when companies are in brand new markets, there is no true path to follow - so founders must observe, copy, and test things out before committing fully to a strategy.
I love learning about creative play in children - it’s so powerful! It’s also super creative. When I think of identifying our life roles, I think of a child’s box of favorite toys. We must think big when identifying our roles. It’s disempowering to have a role of chauffeur or house maid. Think big - plan big roles for your future!
5. Speaking of leaders, I’ve noticed a trend. I often see leaders with their head buried in their computers at their desk when they could be making a much bigger impact if they were in the game. I realize there are things that need to be done on technology and correspondences to get to but jump in there. Think of one of the greatest leaders - Captain James T. Kirk. That guy was never hiding in his living quarters during emergencies - he was the first to beam down and get to the bottom of things. This is one reason I’m recording my voice more now - it’s a huge time saver. Dictate your thoughts and have someone complete the action. As a leader, allow your empathy and humility to come forward. Do that magic that only you can do!