Dare Greatly, Teddy Roosevelt
Date: 22 November 2019
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
When was the last time you tried something new?
Date: 18 November 2019
A couple of years ago, I signed up for my first sprint triathlon which took place 6-months after I signed up. I know I will not have much trouble with the cycling or running sections (it may not look pretty but I will get through it) but it is the swimming section that concerns me because I have never taken any swimming lessons. My swimming stroke is best known as the surviving technique as this is the method that I taught myself as I literally jumped into the water many years ago.
This weekend, I had my first swimming lesson. Besides the instructor asking me if I was sure I signed up for a swimming lesson as opposed to a scuba lesson, it actually went better than I thought! I was as nervous, as were my 3 other classmates, but in the end we all survived. Each of us were at different levels, each of us had different fears and each of us had our own hesitancy but we all enjoyed and look forward to going back next week.
I have wanted to learn how to swim and do a triathlon for many years now and I ask myself why it has taken me this long to finally do it. Some of it had to do with just making the time, stop making excuses and just simply committing to it. But there was also the fear of doing something new for the first time. As we grow as adults, as we progress in our careers and as we are asked to act our age, that fear will at times stop us from doing something new for the first time because we are afraid of failing or even enjoying in being who we are or want to achieve. But I have learned over the years the pay back I get when I try something new outweighs the fear. I love the anxiety factor of preparing and committing to it, the energy is exhilarating. Most of all, I love the challenge to achieve and even over achieve. I have learned that we get over our failure by just practicing; practicing and practicing. Think of the first time you tried to kick a football or shoot a basketball or read a book, I am sure you failed but something kept you going. Confidence plays a big factor of course and at times we need to get this confidence on our own but hopefully there are times when others will help you get this confidence.
A couple of quotes that I think about and I have come up with
- Do or Do Not, but there is no Try … Yoda
- You don’t fail if you fall; you only fail if you do not get up
- Be comfortable being uncomfortable
Practice, practice, practice
Date: 15 November 2019
With winter upon us, people getting ready to receive EoY feedback and new resolutions in the works, it is time for each of us to decide how we want to change, improve and/or start afresh.
As you think about the changes, improvements or just fresh ‘restarts’ you want to make, do not forget the value in practice, practice, practice. We did it as kids growing up, learning to play a sport or a musical instrument and we tell this to our own children, but why do we not think about this and do it as adults? In my mind, I see the task of working on developing a new hard or soft skill as training a voluntary muscle into an involuntary muscle. For example, if I need to lift a heavy object, I would need to think, train and tell my brain and muscle what to do to lift this heavy object. This is all voluntary because I may need to develop the strength and skill to lift the heavy object or simply, I could also get someone else to do this for me. An involuntary muscle, like the heart and lungs, is a muscle I do not even think about, as it is natural. Another way to look it at this is that you want your new skills, your improved skill to be part of your DNA. But to get there, you need to practice, practice and practice until you are not thinking of it. The more you practice, the more it gets to be you, the less you need to think about it and you become that skill or ability you want to be.
I think we as adults are afraid of this because we are afraid to fail in front of our peers, our seniors, our co-workers and the people that work for us. We are afraid if others know what our failures are. But what if we had a culture of allowing us to fail safely and speaking openly on what we look to improve on.
If you think that would be tough, imagine if you are Gary Sanchez (NY Yankees starting catcher) waking up on Sunday and seeing this as the headline on the front page of the NY Times sports section:
Gary Sanchez Is One of Baseball’s Best Catchers, but there’s a Catch – Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, among the best at his position, has been working on his one weakness: catching the ball.
One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others - Lewis Carroll
Date: 14 August 2019
Even when one is going through their own challenges, it feels great to do something for others.
#thoughtfortheweek
How a small act of kindness can go a long way
Date: 07 August 2019
I see this person just about every morning. We do not know each other by name but we give our casual hellos and we each have our own regular morning routine.
The other day, as I was getting ready to do my next ‘regular morning routine’, out of nowhere, he came over and gave me a ‘tool’ I needed to conduct my next routine.
That small act of kindness stayed with me for the whole day. It just made my day that someone I do not know would go out of their way to help me. My next thought was that I needed to do the same.
We may not always be in a situation to provide an act of kindness to someone we do not know, but I am sure we have multiple times when we can do a small act of kindness to the people we see every day and do know.
#thoughtfortheweek
One of the best pieces of counterintuitive advice I have ever received
Date: 19 July 2019
I have started reading Robert Glazer's Friday Forward blog and this week's blog reminded me of the best counterintuitive advice I ever received. (I also share Robert's blog below).
About 25 years ago, when management / leadership style was all and purely about results, numbers, profit, working people hard and giving people a hard time when they do not perform, my manager gave me the following advice when one of my team members was not performing well ... He said that maybe I should give him a hard time when he is performing, confident, upbeat about himself and comfort him when he is not performing and down on himself. This was very counterintuitive at the time and based on what everyone else was doing.
I am glad I was a person who listened, reflected and tried to understand any advice, feedback, criticism and viewpoints because that advice has never left me and has made me the leader / manager I am.
Thank you Danny
Robert Glazer's blog below, posted on 19 July 2019, reminded me of this moment.
Going Down - 7/19/19
Last week, I wrote about my grinding climb up Grouse Mountain. Fortunately, I didn’t have to climb down as the traffic is only one-way.
While we were able to enjoy a leisurely gondola ride back to the bottom, there are many mountains where this luxury is impossible, such as Mount Everest.
On incredibly steep, high-altitude mountains, the descent can be far more perilous than the ascent. In fact, many don’t realize that the majority of hikers who have died on Everest have met their fate going down. 2019 has been one of the deadliest years on the mountain.
When people are headed up a mountain, they are typically vigilant and focused; they’re locked in on the goal of summiting. On the descent, however, they are tired, their adrenaline is lower and their concentration is less acute.
In thinking about all this, I found it to be a poignant metaphor for leadership.
Consider what it takes to be a good leader. Whether a company is on a rapid growth trajectory or on a downward-facing decline, steadfastness and focus is imperative. In situations of stress, crisis and panic, strong leaders must be the voice of calm and encouragement. They provide the vision for how to navigate the rough patches and slippery slopes that are ubiquitous in any company’s journey.
Conversely, poor leaders tend to panic during precarious times. They often lose their cool and make the people around them even more nervous and defensive, which only serves to exacerbate the situation. As my friend and former United States Navy SEALs commander, Rorke Denver, likes to say, “Panic is contagious. But so is calm.”
Almost anyone can be (or give the appearance of being) a “good leader” when things are going well, whether that’s within a company, in politics, in team sports or in family relationships. What sets a good leader apart from a great one is how they act above and beyond what’s expected.
Great leaders take it one step further by leading when the need isn’t as obvious, such as on the descent down Everest when there are no long queues of climbers and the weather is calm. They don’t let complacency set in or allow for over-confidence. They remain vigilant and see success as an opportunity to coach, point out areas of improvement, reinforce high standards and demonstrate the level of excellence that they expect at all times.
Years ago, I read how legendary New York Yankees baseball manager, Joe Torre, would get on his players’ case if they made mental mistakes or started playing lazily when they were winning a game. If players didn’t sprint to first base, even when their team was ten runs ahead in the ninth inning, they’d get an earful from Joe when they got back to the dugout.
However, if a player made a crucial mistake during a close game, Torre would be the first person to pat them on the back, tell them to shake it off and move on. He never yelled at them or gave them a tough time when they were down and needed support.
Weaker and inexperienced leaders take the easy road when things are going well. They bask in the accolades and often attribute success to their astute leadership. Guards go down and performance gradually declines; when an unexpected obstacle appears, no one is prepared.
What every person and company deserves is a leader who is alert and dedicated when others are losing sight and frustrated. Who’s encouraging and motivating when those around them are tired and fearful. A leader who holds them to high standards, even when things are going well.
We’ll all be called upon to step up and lead during a difficult situation at some point in our lives, be it for a brief moment or for many years. The question to ask yourself is, when the time comes, what kind of leader do you want to be?
Quote of the Week“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
#thoughtfortheweek
Less is Better
Date: 23 May 2019
Dieter Rams (born 20 May 1932 in Wiesbaden, Hessen) is a German industrial designer closely associated with the consumer products company Braun and the Functionalist school of industrial design. His unobtrusive approach and belief in "less but better" design generated a timelessness nature in his products and have influenced the design of many products, which also secured Rams worldwide recognition and appreciation. The work and principles of Dieter design thinking influenced Johny Ives work at Apple. Rams says that Apple is one of only a handful of companies existing today that design products according to Rams' ten principles of "good design (see below). Dieter articulates much better than I can ever do in regards to the experience that a colleague and I wanted us to create for our clients in regards to the digital user experience with our institution. The three most important aspects for me are user processes, emotional connection and to use Dieter's words Less, but Better. User Processes We strived to create some amazing forward thinking processes. Processes that create efficiency and gives back the user time to think about the real important aspects of their day, week, month. A simple example is in our FX alert prototype ... immediate chat with a Credit Officer, follow up alerts and action tracking Emotional connection How are we going to compete with all other single bank and multi bank platforms? How do we have the individual stay connected to our platform as much as possible? We need to somehow create and make our banking an emotional experience Less, but Better This really says it all and is so pure. We should take this design principle not just for our UX but for everything we do. Our writing, our meetings, our possessions and of course our design. This principle is very hard, we experience this when we try and take a 3 page document in shrink it down to 1/2 a page. It is the above three aspects that make me love certain products. We strived to do the same for the Digital product we were developing. Dieter Rams Ten Principles of “Good Design”
Good Design Is Innovative : The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.Good Design Makes a Product Useful : A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasizes the usefulness of a product while disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.Good Design Is Aesthetic : The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products are used every day and have an effect on people and their well-being. Only well-executed objects can be beautiful.Good Design Makes A Product Understandable : It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product clearly express its function by making use of the user’s intuition. At best, it is self-explanatory.Good Design Is Unobtrusive : Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.Good Design Is Honest : It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be keptGood Design Is Long-lasting : It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.Good Design Is Thorough Down to the Last Detail : Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.Good Design Is Environmentally Friendly : Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimises physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.Good Design Is as Little Design as Possible : Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWoprlPMBnA
#thoughtfortheweek
There is no 'I' in team ... but there is an 'I' in win!
Date: 22 May 2019
Michael Jordan, one of my three favorite basketball players of all time, and in his mid-50’s is still the benchmark for all professional basketball players, had said the quote above.
When I first heard it, I really did not understand what he meant by it ... did he really mean to say that it is the single high performing competitive individual that wins games? Even he knew that he could not win games by himself; in fact, he has on many occasions recognized his team-mates and coaches through out the years, for winning games and championships.
I have been thinking about this quote for the past few weeks, but I have been thinking about the 'There is no I in team' part ... Why?
I have been fortunate to have been involved in many initiatives where we were getting more and more to a place where the success of the initiative was out of my hands and into of the hands of the team.
In some aspects, it is frustrating not to be able to accomplish and do the things they each did; but it is also exciting to learn from each of them and see them achieve the things they did.
These moments remind me on the priority of the team over the 'I' and the role each team member has to play in making the vision succeed.
I will do what I can, but it will not be as impactful as what each of the team members do.
During Michael Jordan's induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame, he told the story of this quote. It came from an interaction he and one of his assistant coaches, Tex Winter, were having after a game where the team was losing in the final few minutes but came back to win, predominately because of Michael Jordan.
I can remember a game, we were down [by] about 5 to 10 points, I go off [scoring] about 25 points, we come back and win the game, we're walking off the floor. Tex (Winter) looks at me and says "There's no "I" in team!" I looked at Tex and say, "There's not, but there's an 'I' in win!"
Michael Jordan was one of the most competitive athletes ever and he went on to say that what he meant by this quote was that he will do what it takes to win, whether that is to play as a team or play as an individual if that is what is needed.
We will all have our 'I' moments but I know that my 'I' moments have been because of the people I have worked with.
#thoughtfortheweek
16 personal development goals that will make you happier
Date: 21 May 2019
We all want to enhance the quality of our lives, become better people, achieve more, and overall be better rounded individuals. That’s why we set personal development goals.
Below you’ll discover 16 personal development goals that will make you happier
Become More Confident. Your self-esteem, or your self-confidence, is basically what you think about yourself: how competent you think you are in dealing with life’s challenges, and how worthy you feel of happiness and success. One of the reasons why bolstering your self-confidence is important is because is there’s a strong correlation between confidence and success.
In his book, “The Magic Lamp”, Keith Ellis refers to a study conducted in 1921 by Dr. Lewis Terman of Stanford University involving over 1,500 gifted children. The study revealed that IQ is not the most important ingredient for success. Instead, Terman found that there were three factors that were much more important than intelligence in determining success.
One of these factors was self-confidence (the other two were setting goals and persevering).
2. Improve Your Body Language. Body language is nonverbal communication which involves gestures and movements. Studies have shown that the right body language can help you with all of the following:
It can help you to connect with others and get your message across more effectively. It can communicate confidence and assertiveness. The right body postures can make you more persistent. Certain body postures can improve your performance. You can read about seven ways in which body language can positively influence your life here.
3. Learn to Get Along With Others. Yesterday I was watching a TV show called “Person of Interest”. One of the main characters–Reese–is working as a detective and his supervisor tells hims that he has to start meeting with a psychologist. During his first appointment Reese does the following:
He takes coffee for the psychologist. He notices a photograph of the psychologist with her cat and initiates a conversation about the animal. He leans in when he talks to her and tells her a personal story. The psychologist quickly calls him on it: He was trying to manipulate her by giving her a gift, talking to her about her interests, and simulating trust and closeness.I’m telling you this story as an illustration that there are things that you can do to create rapport with others. Of course, you should be honest and your objective shouldn’t be to manipulate other people, but it’s always a good idea to learn ways in which you can better relate and get along with others.
4. Stop Procrastinating. Procrastination has been called the thief of time, opportunity’s assassin, and the grave in which dreams are buried. Fortunately, procrastination is not a character trait, but a habit. And just as you learned the habit of procrastination, you can unlearn it. Make better use of the time that you have by overcoming procrastination.
5. Become an Early Riser. There are many benefits to becoming an early riser, including watching the sun rise, getting some early morning exercise, being able to work on a project just because it’s important to you before the day officially gets started, and so on. In addition, studies show that early rises are happier, healthier, and more productive than their late rising counterparts.
6. Become More Proactive. In his best-selling book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen R. Covey explains that the first habit of people who accomplish what they set out to do is that they’re proactive. Proactive people do the following:
They see themselves as being the creators of their lives. They don’t identify themselves as victims of external conditions. They don’t allow others to dictate their fate. They take responsibility for the results that they get. If you’re going to create the life that you want for yourself, you need to be proactive.
7. Acquire Conflict Resolution Skills. Conflict is a part of life. After all, people can’t be expected to agree on everything (I once read that if two people always agree, one of them isn’t necessary). The question is whether conflict–when it arises–will be resolved effectively or lead to discord.
Having the ability to resolve disagreements rationally and settle disputes amicably will make you happier and more successful.
8. Release the Past. Most of us are haunted by the ghosts of our past: that opportunity that we let slip by; those kids who bullied us in the playground; that love interest who left us for someone else; that professor who graded us unfairly; that parent who was constantly putting us down; and so on. In order to be happy in the present, we each need to release the ghosts of the past.
9. Read More. You may have heard that knowledge is power, and one of the best ways to acquire knowledge is by reading. In addition, researchers have found that gaining new knowledge can satisfy our need for competence, which makes us happier.
Read books that will help you to learn skills that will allow you to do better in life. Here are three examples:
Read business books to improve your performance at work; Read parenting books to be a better parent; and Read personal development books to become better at setting goals, coping with setbacks, dealing with perfectionism, and so on.
10. Become More Resilient. Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity. It’s the difference between facing your problems bravely and confidently, and feeling helpless and like you can’t move on. Fortunately, you can learn how to bounce back from any problem or challenge stronger and smarter.
11. Manage Stress Effectively. Stress is the body’s reaction to anything that requires a response. Feeling stress can keep us alert and motivate us to pursue our goals. However, if there’s too much stress this can lead to distress. Distress can cause headaches, elevated blood pressure, and chest pain. It can lead you to have problems sleeping and can even make you sick.
Knowing how to manage stress effectively–using good stress to learn and grow, and being able to release stress once it starts to reach a negative level–is vital for personal development.
12. Overcome Limiting Beliefs. Limiting beliefs keep us trapped in our comfort zone and prevent us from trying new things and taking risks for fear of getting hurt. We can have limiting beliefs about anything–money, success, relationships, and so on. You can even have limiting beliefs about yourself and what you’re capable of.
Allowing limiting beliefs to hold you back is not sexy, and it certainly will not make you happy. Identify your limiting beliefs, overcome them, and replace them with positive beliefs that will allow you to achieve what you want from life.
13. Increase Your Willpower. Willpower is essential to your ability to accomplish anything worthwhile. It influences your health, your finances, your relationships, your professional success, and all other areas of your life. Whatever goals you’ve set for yourself, you need willpower in order to achieve them.
14. Become More Mindful. Being mindful helps us to recognize the abundance and the good that is already present in our lives. However, we spend a lot of time thinking about things that aren’t happening in the present moment: remembering the past or thinking about the future. This is called mind wandering. In addition, psychologists have found that mind wandering makes us unhappy.
An important component of happiness is learning to live in the moment; that is, becoming more mindful.
15. Learn to Make Better Decisions. I’ve written several posts on this blog on how to make better decisions. That’s because the choices–or the decisions we make–determine the quality of our lives and the outcomes that we get. Our decisions shape our lives, so the better you get at making decision, the better your life will be.
16. Work on Your Attitude. Your attitude is your state of mind. It’s also the way in which you respond to situations and to other people. One of the best ways to get what you want from life is to constantly adopt the attitude that is most conducive to getting you what you want.
#thoughtfortheweek
The Journey Begins
Date: 26 April 2019
Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton