Unspoken messages are sometimes the loudest

As leaders we sometimes neglect to pay attention to the unspoken messages we send to our people. 

True story #1: At a company-wide celebration event, where staff at different offices gathered at their respective meeting rooms for cake and light refreshments (this was before COVID-19), the CEO called in to give her speech via video conferencing, instead of being present in person. What does this say about the importance of this event to her? 

True story #2: At an online training involving participants across multiple offices, the Manager Director dialed in too from the start of the session and stayed connected (with video off) throughout the training, even though he was not a participant. At the end of the session, he gave a short speech touching on a few key learning points of the session. What does this say about what he thinks of the training session? Without explicitly saying it, he is communicating that he takes the training very seriously and expects all attendees to do the same. 

True Story: Rule #13 - Never let people know how hard you work

A friend called me for a favour. It was something I could do and I agreed to help. He then sheepishly told me he needed it in about 2 hours. I needed to make preparations, and it meant I had to immediately drop whatever I was doing to get it done in time for him. I simply said leave it to me. 

I didn't complain about the tight timeline. I didn't put my friend on a guilt trip, hoping I could get a big return favour in future. I didn't try to make it sound like a difficult task, so that my friend would appreciate more the help I was giving. I just got it done, and I did the best job I could, so that he achieved the results he needed. 

This is Rule#13 from Richard Templar's book The Rules of Work. Be cool. Be relaxed. Be good at what you do. You'll have to work hard to be good, but never reveal how hard you work. Don't complain about how tough your job is. Just get it done and show people the results. And smile.  

Sekaibu Online Youth Exchange Event

I participated as an international moderator in an Online Youth Exchange Event organised by a group of Japanese high-schoolers. The event had more than 400 participants, mostly from Japan and many from all over the world. It is amazing what these students managed to put together. I spoke to participants from Fiji, Greece, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. We even did an online prom! 

A friend you have not met in 5 years

There are some friends in life whom you don't meet all that often. Sometimes it is years between catch-ups. Yet when you are in trouble, you don't hesitate to ask for help, because you know they will be first to stand up to help. 

Marketing Tricks #14 - Keep people in suspense

True Story: This particular guru has a methodology called XYZ which will help you overcome your financial difficulties and live the life you want. He has a fantastic ad, with absorbing copywriting and eye-catching images. You sign up for free to join an exclusive Facebook group. He offers multiple videos you can watch and learn from. After spending hours reading text, watching videos, and waiting days for the next bit of information to be released, you still don't know what XYZ stands for. But you are so hyped up about it that you decide that even if you don't buy the product eventually, at least you want to continue following this guru until you know what XYZ stands for. This is a clever and effective way to build hype and keep people interested in your product. 

What to do with this information: 

When you are a buyer, recognise these tricks and don't let them affect you making the right decision. Don't hate marketers. It is their job to help sellers connect to their target audience. As a buyer it is your responsibility to understand the product and whether it fits you. 

When you are a seller, this is a trick you can use. No matter how well you market, you must still have a good product if you want to stay in business. Do right by your customers. 

Be critical of praises

 That sounds ungrateful. 

But here's the thing. When friends and family praise you, it may not be very useful feedback. They may be just being supportive and encouraging. Don't let kind praises get to your head. 

To tease out more constructive feedback from your friends and family, ask them questions. Which part do you like most? If there's one thing you can improve, what would it be? What can be added (or removed) to make it better? Is there anything you would do differently? 

Also, remember to get feedback from strangers and your target audience. 

Power Tool: 5 second rule - how to kick your own butt

Power Tool: 5 second rule - how to kick your own butt

You know the times - you know you should be doing X, but you just don't have the energy / mood / motivation / determination to get it done. Here's how to kick your own butt. 

https://youtu.be/2n41e9su3fM  

What would you do? - the stern manager

What would you do? - the stern manager

Scenario: You have a manager running a team of 6 people. One day you find the whole team working very late, and some seem to be idle not doing much work. You later find out that one of the team had made a mistake, resulting in an issue which had wide impact. The manager made the whole team stay until the issue was resolved. Some could work on the issue, but some couldn't contribute much. You think it's unreasonable to ask people to stay when they aren't able to help solve the issue anyway. When you privately speak to your manager, he says it's for the sake of establishing the right team spirit. The person who made the mistake needs to understand the severity of his carelessness, and learn to be more careful. The team as a whole needs to have the mindset that in times of hardship, they should help one another and simply be there for one another. 

What would you do?  

The Problem with Plans

The Problem with Plans

You create a plan to make yourself think through all scenarios, prioritise your work, and have clarity on your direction. These are all important. Always start with a plan. 

Your plan keeps your disciplined as you execute. It encourages you when you are on track. It is a warning system when you are behind. Always use your plan. 

Plans should never set in stone. Be ever ready to challenge your plan and its assumptions. The trickiest bit about plans is deciding when to persevere and when to regroup. Always be critical of your plan. 

Recent thinking on the human brain

“Once you realize how education systems are set up not just to nurture but also to cull,” Sarma and Yoquinto write, “you begin to see it everywhere. We winnow in how we test, and we winnow in how we teach.”

https://hbr.org/2020/11/unartificial-intelligence