All in Aspirations

We Can’t Assume Each Step Forward Is Permanent

We Can’t Assume Each Step Forward Is Permanent

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Management Consulting, Sales, Strategy, Teams

We can’t assume each step forward is permanent. And that’s just a fact.

I know there’s a tendency to view any positive progress with hope, with the earnest desire to see that momentum continue unabated. That’s natural and, frankly, we should maintain that positivity, particularly in difficult times such as these.

But it’s important to also recognize that plans and paths forward aren’t always (ever) straight-line. There will be twists and turns, back and forth on the road to getting to where we want to go.

Omerisms Podcast - Episode 30

Omerisms Podcast - Episode 30

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Management Consulting, Personal Codes, Private Equity, Sales, Strategy, Teams

In today's podcast, I continue this month's riff on uncertainty and risk, and talk about change. It's a topic that we all have to deal with, whether we like it or not.

Change is a critical part of our growth and how we deal with it is make or break. This episode discusses the two key steps that I believe we need to take to tackle the change we see in our lives, head on.

These Aren't The Expectations You're Looking For

These Aren't The Expectations You're Looking For

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Personal Codes, Teams

Many times, I think we’re so beholden to other people’s expectations of us, that instead of doing what we really want to do, we constrain ourselves with someone else’s expectations of us.

But it’s actually worse than that. More often than not, it isn’t actually what they expect of us, it’s our perception of their expectations of us.

Heroes

Heroes

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Life, Personal Codes

That’s a word we love. It’s also a word that we tend to hold to a specific standard.

Superhuman strength. Incredible bravery. Folks who demonstrate those traits are called heroes. The determined doctors, the brave firefighter, the courageous police officer tend to fit the bill.

We can accept that. Because that individual put themselves at risk for the betterment and gain of another, almost always someone they don’t even know.

The Idea Of Extremes...

The Idea Of Extremes...

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Communications, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Personal Codes, Teams

I don’t think there is anything or anyone that operates at one polar extreme versus another. Sure, some folks veer more in one direction than another, but rarely, always and only at the extremes.

But you wouldn’t think so from most of the public rhetoric which, by definition, is driven by a desire for attention and alignment (with a predefined ideology - ours or someone else’s).

What's Your Part In All Of This?

What's Your Part In All Of This?

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Communications, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Management Consulting, Personal Codes, Teams

We’re in an age of division. Everything seems to be either one side or the other. Red or blue. Black or white. With us or against us. You can’t read or listen to the news without hearing about it.

But while the social and political divisions in our discourse feel so much more pronounced these days, the fact is that this type of ‘one or the other’ mindset has been there all along, not least in our economic and personal lives.

Making or Breaking Partnerships

Making or Breaking Partnerships

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Communications, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Management Consulting, Personal Codes, Sales

The word “partnership” is used quite liberally these days, across just about all aspects of our lives - from the personal to the professional, whether we’re talking about our relationships, about our work colleagues or our suppliers and customers.

But what do we really mean, in any of these contexts, when we use that term?

War Stories: Self-Selecting Ourselves...Out!

War Stories: Self-Selecting Ourselves...Out!

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Life, Personal Codes, Strategy

Back when I was in Business School, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the Michigan/Ross Business School universe was a gentleman by the name of C.K. Prahalad. In fact, forget the Ross world, Professor Prahalad was, alongside Michael Porter of Harvard Business School, arguably the best thinker in the world on the subject of Corporate Strategy.

I mean, this was the guy who gave us the term, Core Competence of the corporation, and got us thinking about what it was that a business really did.

Time Away From Old Friends...

Time Away From Old Friends...

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Life, Personal Codes, Teams

The song “Born To Run” is probably one of, if not THE, most popular Bruce Springsteen songs ever. Written in 1974 and released in 1975, the song became famous as much for its lyrics as its “wall of sound”. Ostensibly, it’s a love song that, at its core, is about a young man’s desire to get out of Freehold, New Jersey, but, really, it’s about our desire for freedom, our passions and going after whatever we believe in.

It’s one of the most played songs by The Boss and it’s highly unlikely that anyone reading this hasn’t at least heard of the song. In fact, particularly in the days before digital media, when live radio was in its prime

"Is A Dream Alive If It Dont Come True?"

"Is A Dream Alive If It Dont Come True?"

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Life, Personal Codes

“Is a dream alive if it don’t come true, or is it something worse?”

I’ve been thinking a lot about Bruce’s words from The River. There’s a gravity in them - a sense of frustration, but more than that, a sense of finality and hopelessness. 

Now, I know the specifics of that song and the context within which he sang those words, but as with all things Bruce, his words apply to so much of how we live our lives and the paths we choose to take and the people we choose to love.

The Things We Say

The Things We Say

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Personal Codes

This is going to come out wrong but sometimes I feel the worst thing you can do is tell someone that they’re doing amazingly well.

Now, before you react, let me explain. I’m not suggesting it’s a bad thing to recognize great performance by someone you work with - I think that’s absolutely essential. I’m also not suggesting that we shouldn’t be positive or motivational with family, friends and colleagues - it’s important that we help each other along positive intent and actions.  

Freedoms We Miss (Or So We Think...)

Freedoms We Miss (Or So We Think...)

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Personal Codes, Strategy

“I remember perfectly well what life was like before (having my own kids). Well enough to miss some things a lot, like the ability to take off for some other country at a moment's notice. That was so great. Why did I never do that?

See what I did there? The fact is, most of the freedom I had before kids, I never used. I paid for it in loneliness, but I never used it.” - Paul Graham

What's In Front Of Us

What's In Front Of Us

Omer Abdullah
Aspirations, Careers, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life, Personal Codes

(SPOILER ALERT: While I’m not specifically giving anything away in this post, I do reference a key quote from the movie “Ad Astra”. If you haven’t seen the movie and plan to, you might want to skip this post until then.)

Long flights are pretty much the only place I catch up on my movies, and my recent international trip was no exception, when I caught up on the Brad Pitt film, Ad Astra. (Reviews are mixed but I found it to be exceptional.)

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