OK, I’ll admit it. I have this problem.
Let me explain.
Some of you know that music, in particular playing guitar and songwriting, are passions of mine. I love the technical aspects as well as the pure musical, creative aspects of it.
All in Entrepreneurship
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 100
As the podcast hits 100 episodes, I close out this month's focus on lessons from popular culture.
In particular, today's episode talks to the idea of putting our past in context. That we need to not only prize our prior experiences but also focus on moving forward. That our past doesn't define us - we continue to define ourselves.
Why Do We Want It In The First Place?
We have these conversations with kids every now and then.
When they decide they want something, they’ll determine all the different benefits of having it. Solid benefits that are passionately communicated.
But what isn’t so well reasoned out is whether they need the thing in the first place. They just know they want it because their best friend has one, or all the kids at school are talking about it.
This week’s blog and podcast have been about this idea of leaving a legacy, and I’d like to tack on one last thought on the topic.
And that is that leaving a legacy suggests - at least to me - that we must become “enlightened” in some way. I’m using the term ‘enlightened’ not only in the spiritual sense, but in any context, including in our craft. There are those, for example, who understand their industry so well, who have ‘mastered’ their technical work, who are so well versed in their disciplines, that we might consider them to be enlightened in their specific domains.
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 99
This month's podcasts draw lessons from popular culture.
Today's episode is about legacy. I've always been intrigued by the fact that, when we leave, our world tends to go with us. So how do we leave something behind? How do we ensure that some part of our world, our experiences, remains well after we are gone?
The Idea Of Legacy (And Omerisms Turns Five)
I don’t think any of us want just to be visitors.
We don’t want to pass through our lives having simply gone through the routine, without having felt like we’ve contributed in some meaningful way.
Of course, ‘meaningful’ is different for each of us. Our scales will vary as will the nature of it, from the psychic to the economic.
The Only Thing That Matters
There’s something to be said for persistence as being the single, overriding factor that leads to success.
That sounds like the right thing to say but that’s not always how we talk in practice.
We tend to think about the brilliant idea as being the most important thing, or perhaps the creation of a detailed plan of action, or (as is more usually mentioned) copious amounts of money (aka funding).
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 98
This month's podcasts draw lessons from popular culture.
Today's episode speaks to the importance of self-talk and our choice of words. But not simply in the most overt sense that we need to recite affirmations, but even in our most casual conversations with ourselves. Our self-talk matters.
Comfort Is The Enemy of Growth
Is comfort the enemy of innovation and growth?
It’s a constant pursuit, this pursuit of comfort, at so many levels. We long to be free of our problems and our issues, to achieve some sense of calmness in our lives.
Deciding What You Want To Get Good At
It’s important to take the time to get good at something.
A spike in a specific area is important and helpful on multiple levels. You’re able to contribute via that particular skill, to a level that’s considered “expert”, which means you become sought after, and develop something of a reputation. That’s always a positive, both personally and professionally.
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 97
This month's podcasts draw lessons from popular culture.
In today's episode, I discuss a quote from Thom Yorke of Radiohead about this idea of exposure and vulnerability and the role it plays not only in art (which we tend to accept) but also in business (which we often don't).
When We Stop Asking Questions
At what point do we stop asking questions?
It comes very naturally to us when we’re young, but at some point, so many of us, simply stop.
There are many reasons for this. It could be that it wasn’t encouraged at home. Or it could be that our schools and our teachers didn’t want to hear them. Or it could be peer related, not wanting to seem ‘out of place’ with our friends. (I can’t quite decide which of those is the worst.)
Education, Tests And Learning
I really don’t like the idea of standardized tests.
Ostensibly, they’re designed to be a pure measure of talent and intellect - a way to measure our depth of understanding of the specific subject matter in question.
But the fact is, they’re not - well, not in the way we’d like to think anyway.
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 96
This month's podcasts deal with matters of culture.
In today's episode, I speak to how the most important subject in business is also the least valued at business schools: soft skills and specifically, working with people. It's a tension that isn't likely to abate anytime soon, but it's still one we need to maintain a laser focus on.
Be The Fifth Beatle
George Martin is often referred to as The Fifth Beatle for the contributions he made to the band’s recording process.
Without question, the core of their creative genius came from the four band members themselves, but there’s no doubt he facilitated and enabled their creativity in very real, very direct ways. From the classical instrumentation we hear in so many of their songs to pushing the technical envelope with the technology available to them at the time.
The Idea Of Our 'Purpose'
I was struck by a paragraph in The New York Times “The Morning” briefing today that spoke to the alarming decline in life expectancy in the US in recent years:
“For many, daily life lacks the structure, status and meaning that it once had, as the Princeton University economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton have explained.
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 95
This month's podcasts deal with matters of culture.
In today's episode, I discuss the problem of apathy - that is, when apathy arises in an organization, then we're all in trouble. The only solution - for everyone - is to engage.
Why We Get Worked Up About Competition
I have this hypothesis that we get more worried about the competition when we’re not actually focused on being something.
What I mean by that is that, when our business or product doesn’t have a defined mission or overarching goal, when we’re not focused on moving towards becoming, then we tend to become fixated on what others in our space are doing.
Consulting's Most Important Takeaway
If you were to ask me what the most valuable part of my education was from a decade in Management Consulting, I’d tell you it was the ability to craft a story. That is, putting together a slide deck or telling a message that was logical, coherent and that clearly communicated its central message.
As I learned when I left Consulting, that’s not a widely available skill. It’s a bit of a rarity, actually, but it’s critical to the success of any initiative.
Omerisms Podcast - Episode 94
This month's podcasts deal with matters of culture.
In today's episode, I speak to the value of assessing cultural fit when we're bringing new people into our teams, and when we're evaluating the long term impact of existing team members. It's not easy and it's tempting to look at hard metrics, but these soft ones can be the most critical to our success.