Never deify anyone

 

We have our idols. They represent ideals we believe in. We wish we could be more like them. They inspire and encourage us. But it is important we do not deify them. When we do so, we set unrealistic expectations, we become blinded in many aspects, and we set ourselves up for frustration. 

In the past few years I started working with a manufacturer based in China. From the get-go I was highly impressed with their speed and professionalism. The quality was top-notch, and the price was good. They certainly earned a high Net Promoter Score from me. However I am grateful I stayed grounded and never assumed perfection. For one of our projects, I detected an error which would have resulted in disaster had it not been identified and fixed before mass production. No one is infallible. By staying real, we completed that project together successfully. 

Admire, respect, and learn from the people we meet, but do not deify them. Is there someone whom you deify without realising it? 

Growth mindset and fixed mindset comes down to just one thing

 

Are you able to or willing to change?

The term "growth mindset" sometimes sounds rather cliche. After hearing so many different people talk about it, we conveniently lump everything good to a growth mindset, and everything bad to a fixed mindset. We start to lose grasp of what these two terms actually mean. By framing the growth mindset as a simple question - "are you able to change?", we understand these are what it means. We can be wrong, and we are ready to learn. We can continue to improve and do better. We may not have the answer to a problem now, but we can work on finding a solution. When you are ready to change, you are ready to grow. 

Managing team morale through hardship

As a business leader, how do you maintain team morale when the going is tough?  

Tell your team they always have the option to quit the job and look for something else. People are demoralised when they feel they have no choice. However, at work we always have a choice, just that sometimes we don’t realise it. Or that choice is uncomfortable. When you realise you have a choice, you are more empowered and you want to make your choice work. If you consciously choose to stay at a tough job, you put things into perspective. You know your why. If you choose to leave, that’s a liberation too. 

In tough times, choose to do what you can, instead of just being a victim of circumstances. There is always something to be gained. At worst you learn how to survive a bad situation. 

As a leader, don’t be afraid to be candid with your people.