All in Leadership
To become a Yokozuna (or Grand Champion) in Sumo Wrestling, there are, broadly, two sets of criteria that have to be met.
The first relates - as we might expect - to power and and skill, specifically performance in recent tournaments with a standard of two consecutive championships as an Ozeki (or an equivalent performance). This is reasonably objective, quantifiable criteria, one that is reasonably objectively measurable.
This month's podcasts discusses the idea of happiness. It's such an important ideal and the next few podcasts talk about how we define it, grapple and fight for it, and ultimately, continue to pursue it.
In today's episode, I share two thoughts on happiness. The first is about the path to happiness and that it starts with kindness - to ourselves. The second is what happy people are actually like i.e. they aren't assholes.
Diving into something new can be daunting.
We don’t know ‘the ropes’ - what exactly to do, what constitutes success, whether we have what it takes, or whether we’ll even get “there”. Despite our interest and our passion, we get nervous, especially when the results are in any way public.
One of my favorite quotes is “Own your outcomes”, and speaks to the need for us to take ownership for whatever happens to us.
It doesn’t mean we can control whatever happens to us, because many times we can’t. Things happen, whether we like it or not.
But what we can do is take ownership for our situations, stop complaining or commiserating, and control how we respond. In other words, run the problem and don't let the problem run you.
An uptick in responsibility is the natural accompaniment of career advancement. This can come in many forms - managing more people, greater accountability for specific results, etc.
And the natural accompaniment to that increased responsibility is increased stress (at least if you take your role seriously).
Which isn’t, of course, a bad thing.
One of the hardest things to get our heads around is this idea of culture, and specifically, cultural fit, in terms of people we work with.
We’re well versed in assessing technical capabilities and the “how” we do the work that we do. You need to have these specific qualifications or you need to show those particular process skills, or you need to demonstrate that you’ve delivered on that defined platform in your prior experiences. All defined, all measurable, all tangible.
I think it’s ingrained in us, this desire to get things done by ourselves. In many ways, it’s a compulsion, and the bigger, more complex the issue, the stronger the desire to go it alone.
It might be an issue of strategy or one of people; a difficult relationship or a complex initiative. When we’re in its ‘throes’, we absorb ourselves in, well, ourselves.
This month's podcasts focus on people - the teams we work with, the people we surround ourselves with, and how we should think about them. People make all the difference.
Today's episode focuses on the power and value of community. We weren't meant navigate the world alone, no matter what we might think. And the last few months have shown the value and need for human connection, more than ever before.
There’s a mythology that's built up around the idea of growth that’s only accelerated in this age of on-demand news and ubiquitous social media.
We’re so enamored by the pursuit of growth (and scaling and valuations) that we discount those who aren’t interested in that ethos. That the idea of lifestyle businesses and staying “small” is a “settling” of sorts. That not growing is a failure of some sort - of the idea, the offering and the entrepreneur.
I moderated a panel discussion this week about the topic of Sustainability, particularly as it relates to the Procurement function within organizations. It’s a big, meaty topic, one that has been getting plenty of airtime over the last decade and much more so in recent years.
And precisely because the subject is so big and meaty, there are many angles to it, many aspects to rethink, many stakeholders to get aligned. And, as a result, there are many actions that can be taken to effect change on this front.
This month's podcasts focus on people - the teams we work with, the people we surround ourselves with, and how we should think about them. People make all the difference.
Today's episode discusses that the worst thing that can happen to an organization is for its most passionate people to go quiet. The truth is that we need their passion and despite how difficult they might seem to be, we need to nurture them, not turn them off.
It’s a romantic notion, the idea of silver bullets.
It’s exciting (and oh so promising) to believe that there’s something out there - a solution, a framework, a technology, etc. - that has the potential of solving all of our problems or, at the very least, delivering a material, manifold improvement in our situation immediately.
I think we overstate the idea of originality.
We’re too caught up in this belief that being original means doing something that has never been done before. That unless we create something profoundly unique - the likes of which no one has ever before seen - then we aren’t original.
This month's podcasts focus on people - the teams we work with, the people we surround ourselves with, and how we should think about them. People make all the difference.
In today's episode, I discuss the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you. As much as you need to believe in yourself, it's as important to have an open, welcoming, encouraging environment for us to flourish.
A couple of weeks ago, ahead of the Chelsea-Liverpool game in the English Premier League, a reporter asked the Chelsea Manager, Frank Lampard, how he felt about facing Liverpool considering where each team finished at the end of the prior season. (For those who don’t know, Liverpool won the league with 99 points, and Chelsea finished in fourth place, a whopping 33 points behind.)
This month's podcasts focus on people - the teams we work with, the people we surround ourselves with, and how we should think about them. People make all the difference.
In today's episode, I talk about something Warren Buffett said about the best thing about being rich. It isn't what you (or I) might have originally expected, and it has everything to do with people.
We seem to have arrived at a place where, for many, the measure of a person’s worth and value to society is based on their net worth. And the proxies for this are in the titles we hold (and covet), the toys and trinkets we own and the clothes we wear.
We talk a good game, though. We talk about the value of hard work, the need to be happy, that love and caring trumps all.
There’s a quote attributed to the Portuguese writer, Saramego, that says, “old age starts where curiosity ends”.
When we’re young, we’re ‘naturally’ curious. We’re willing to try new things, take new paths and push ourselves (often to the point of discomfort). When we’re old, according to conventional wisdom, we seek comfort and contentment. We seek safety, and are willing to trade excitement - indeed, believe we’re required to trade it - in return.
This month's podcasts focus on war stories, recounting situations and experiences that were unique, intriguing and (always) educational.
In today's episode, I talk about my early experiences traveling - something I originally wasn't happy about, but soon came to realize that it is, actually, a hygiene factor today.
Overnight successes are all the rage. We see or hear a success story and we marvel at how they’ve come out of nowhere. Clearly, they had an idea that resonated, got their message out at the right time and were able to capitalize on the opportunity. I wish I could be as lucky as that!
Of course, overnight successes are almost never that.
