Previously I've written about how you can glean someone's focus by the metrics they talk about and incentives they offer. But today I'd like to add a third - the people they talk to. If Ted Lasso spent all of his halftime talks speaking to the attackers I dare say the defenders would get the … Continue reading Talks to who? →

When the definition of success is 'give your best' life seems simple and easy. If that's the case success is within your reach every single day. But when that answer is unsatisfactory and it provokes the question - but what if my best isn't good enough? That's when life gets stressful, never feeling that you … Continue reading Best is good enough →

The problem with reassurance is you can never get enough and you'll drive everyone around you crazy figuring this out. Better to develop your powers of assertion. 'I don't have the luxury of knowing which is the best option with certainty but i assert it's option X' 'I'll happily be proven wrong but for the … Continue reading Seeking reassurance →

"Share the power and get out of the way" This was George Mumford's advice for leaders. I like it! I think it makes sense and avoids the inefficient set up of the 'one genius and a thousand helpers' organisation. A big hindrance I see to George's advice is the love of control. What if the … Continue reading STPAGOOTW →

Recently I was at a fundraising event where sports players from my local club tried stand up comedy. During the night, one player took to roasting the other player/amateur stand-up comedians. This one player picked one trait per stand up comedian and told 3/4 jokes off it. Now, what I found interesting was that the … Continue reading Boring was too far →

'You don't expect your leg to hit the ball well unless you've put in the hours of practice so why would you expect anything different from your mind?' A great question, I thought, and a convincing argument for training oneself mentally. Also, arguably it's the mental side that plays the most important role. If you're … Continue reading Mental training →

I think some of the best comedians are those that are self aware. They realise how the audience views them and they tell jokes that align with that view. It would feel disingenuous if Ricky Gervais were to tell a story about his life as a minority because we can see, and know him to … Continue reading Self aware comedian →

I think a quick and easy measure of a culture is how do the minions react when they see the CEO using the meeting room they booked. Is there enough trust built that they can politely and professionally kick the CEO out of their room. Or do the minions scurry off to the canteen, without … Continue reading Meeting room stolen →

To offer an alternative reason for micromanagement other than perceived lack of trust. It could be that they somehow came to the conclusion that they need to be in control for success to happen. It may have nothing to do with you and everything to do with their craving for certainty.

I reckon the people who annoy us most remind us of ourselves.