Tag: 2016

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Leadership is Service – What I Learned From December 2016

Leadership is a collision

At its core, you are telling someone to do something they might want to do to help you do something you think is more important.

It is a tricky, messy business.

As a leader, you are going first into the breech, and because of that, you have to get comfortable with chaos. Take some time to figure out the terrain, and build a “map” if you have to. Even if plans help you, knowing that they aren’t “reality” opens your curiosity.

You’re going to need it, because once you decide to lead, your actions are tracked. So, it’s best to get simple and show your work.

Don’t show too much, though. Always giving the answer is dangerous, both to yourself and your team.

Make sure you listen, and most importantly, realize you are going to miss.

Leadership is a collision, and you don’t get away scot-free.

Remember, though, it’s for them. Leadership is service. However, when it works, real magic happens and you and the team are often better for it.

 

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Did you know I send a newsletter out every Sunday? It is more personal than the blog, combining my personal stories with an overarching theme.  I also throw in some great links that I’ve found on the internet.

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Blog Direction for 2017 – New Year Themes!

At the end of the year, I take the time to reflect. This post, and the others like it, are my lessons for 2016. My hope is by reading them; you get a sense of what my overall lessons were. My hope is by writing them; I’ll have a place to archive my memories. In the future, they are quickly sorted and filed when someone looks for insight.

2017 is on the way, and we can’t stop it.

Like I did last year, I want to make some changes with the focus of Life as Usual.

New themes and new opening posts

Next year, I’ll be bringing in a new set of themes. Like the last two years, each topic has its month. Unlike the last two years, I’m announcing the themes ahead of time.  Also, they are attached to one of the three tenets. Everything, for now, goes through self-awareness, direction, or execution.

Here they are:

  • Self-Awareness
    • Emotional Propulsion
    • “You” in Your Work
    • Cargo Cult Science
    • Comfort with Nothing
  • Direction
    • Mastery is Subtraction
    • Jeopardy Knowledge
    • What Do You Want
    • Good Creates Bad
  • Execution
    • The Water Down Effect
    • Keep Firing – The Consistency Effect
    • Get to the Punchline
    • Avoiding SINO – Symbol in Name Only

Video is coming in a big way

We are investing in video, heavy. First, the Life as Usual video blog is coming back. We’ve leveled up the audio and video. Also, at the start of each month, there will be a video part with each theme post.

Want a sample? Here (Pass – atbusy)

https://vimeo.com/181973716

Delivery

I want to make it easier for you to enjoy this blog, and part of it comes with fixing the “pipes” I’m using to deliver the information. I’m making a pledge to invest in this in 2017.

One of the changes starts with the branding. By the end of January, all branding will be consistent. After that, Social media, and from there, the world, hopefully.

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2016 in Review: The Major Lesson

At the end of the year, I take the time to reflect. This post, and the others like it, are my lessons for 2016. My hope is by reading them; you get a sense of what my overall lessons were. My hope is by writing them; I’ll have a place to archive my memories. In the future, they are quickly sorted and filed when someone looks for insight.

My Major takeaway: Leadership has three tenets – self-awareness, direction, and execution.

I spent a lot of time scrambling.

This blog is a big scramble. Many of the posts here are for me to figure things out.

On its best days, this functions as my over version of Meditations, from Marcus Aurelius. At it’s worst, it’s a mess of thoughts, half-finished.

In its chaos lies its beauty. The ability to keep attacking things day after day strengthens me.  This blog is my dojo.

This year I took away a ton of lessons through living and writing. However, one stands above the rest, and now I’ll use it to push this blog and focus my training here in the “dojo.”

The lesson: Leadership has many legs, the important ones are self-awareness, direction, and execution. If a leader doesn’t come to the table with all three, they may get lucky. However, they can’t sustain it.

If you want to know why, check here (and subscribe to the newsletter, it comes every Sunday).

Back to me? Great.

Why does it matter?

Being able to categorize my thinking gives me the structure to go deeper and mine these ideas to sharpen my skills. The money is in the depth, and I am just getting started.

I’ll use the lesson to inform my thinking and blog and ask, is this helping my self-awareness, how I execute, or how I set direction.  You’ll see it on the front page and through the themes of next year. It will come up in any talk I give.

These three tenets can help you get stronger for the people around you. Make it count.

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2016 in Review: Eleven Book Recommendations

At the end of the year, I take the time to reflect. This post, and the others like it, are my lessons for 2016. My hope is by reading them; you get a sense of what my overall lessons were. My hope is by writing them; I’ll have a place to archive my memories. In the future, they are quickly sorted and filed when someone looks for insight.

Reading is fundamental

I used to laugh at that slogan, “reading is fundamental.” It always ended with me saying “fundamental for what?”

It took me years to get serious with my reading habit. Now, I read over 60 books a year. Reading made my life better.

I like to end the year clarifying my favorite books of the year. If you don’t read regularly, start. Pick one of these books.

Must reads

  • A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.– Sometimes one bright spot can blind us to other great work. The “I Have A Dream” speech may have propelled Dr. King into our country’s heart. However, the bright lights of inspiration blind us from the practical. This book contains selected sermons, speeches, and essays that lay out Dr. King’s platform, much of which is still relevant today. Read this a little at a time and consume it. It’s a masters class on how to make your point in the face of adversity and a great history lesson to boot.
  • Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger, 3rd Edition – How often do you think about how to think? One of the tenets of leadership is “direction.”  You use a map to give direction.  In building a plan, it is important to think about the tools you use.  Seeking Wisdom is an excellent primer for that, as Peter Bevelin takes great effort to distil several tools great thinkers have used, from Charles Darwin to Charlie Munger, to do that. This is an expensive book (cost me $50.00 or so) and worth every penny.
  • Finite & Infinite Games – We play two types of games, finite and infinite. Finite games are winnable; the infinite game is not. The infinite game affects us much more than finite ones. However, we can catch ourselves bowing to finite games. We often give too much power to the smaller things in life, and let them affect the big picture. This is a great book to help you set perspective and add some play in your life.
  • Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – All work is not created equal. As much as we like to use time as a barometer, it fools us. Cal Newport gives you a recipe to help create the circumstances where getting a ton of stuff done is the “norm.” Why is this practical? Professor Newport used these tools to become a tenured professor at 34(extremely young) while writing and speaking all over the world.  He also shuts off his computer every night at 5:30 PM.
  • Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders– The secret to leadership is your vulnerability, all things equal. If you need proof, I’ll suggest this book, where the author, David Marquet, takes on the “worst” submarine and makes it the “best” in a short period. Give respect, responsibility, and agency to the people around you, and often their success will far outweigh the risk.
  • Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition – The key to fixing problems is to ask the right questions. This book from Jay Abraham gives you the tools to keep asking the right questions. This is my genius book, because every time I go into it and use the solutions, it makes me look like a genius. Seriously, the book is that good.

Nice to haves

What to Do When It’s Your Turn (and it’s Always Your Turn) – Seth Godin gives you a tome to help you execute. This book is beautiful and full of relevant information on performing.

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future – Think big, do the work and risk it all. This book can inspire you to take action on the ideas worth doing.

80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More – Eliminate. Always eliminate. The Pareto principle helps you work on the things that matter.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life – Love yourself. The only way you are going to get to yourself is if you listen.

Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration – Pixar opens to the books to give a blueprint for consistent success.

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2016 in Review: Successes

At the end of the year, I take the time to reflect. This post, and the others like it, are my lessons for 2016. My hope is by reading them; you get a sense of what my overall lessons were. My hope is by writing them; I’ll have a place to archive my memories. In the future, they are quickly sorted and filed when someone looks for insight.

Success is Fun

It is also surprising.

At the end of last year, I had an inkling of where I wanted to go in 2016. Here, at its end, most of the success I got I didn’t know until it happened.

Here are my top 10 successes in 2016.

  • Quitting my job – In 2015, I realized that I wanted to try something new. At the beginning of the year, I decided to leave my job at DTCC and see where this year took me. I left, ending one chapter of my life and starting a new one.
    • The lesson – When you aren’t into what you are doing, figure out a way to leave, and leave. There are more adventures in life, and you stop yourself when you decide to stick around out of “obligation.”
  • Giving value– In May of 2015, I started a journey. I wanted to increase my network. At the end of the year, I did that. This year, I wanted to work on giving better value to my network. I’ve gotten better at that through using my newsletter, one on ones with people, and holding office hours.
    • The lesson – Attaining numbers is easy, learning where you give value is much tougher. It forced me to narrow my focus and listen more. I also found out that people want to help as well, so I better be ready.
  • Cofound Harlem – I found Cofound Harlem last year. They hosted events. I even volunteered. One of the things I got from that was a chance to build with John Henry.After the first cohort, we went our separate ways. Fast forward eight months and they announced the second cohort. I just closed up a few projects and loved the mission. A few coffee chats later, I joined to help John with Cofound as the “director of strategy. ”
    • The lesson – Keep contacts warm and clear your schedule when needed. Things start to happen.  Your failures can create value. Some failures I had from this year (like Barbershop Books and Arcade School) prepared me to help John with the second cohort.
  • Writing Everyday – Last year, I wrote on this blog over 300 times. This year, I had a goal to write every day. I’ve done it. Through sickness, hectic schedules, travel – you name it, I’ve done it. I’ve become a better writer in the process.
    • The lesson – Consistency is a fantastic teacher and “busy” is no excuse. It’s doable.
  • Life as Usual Video – I made a couple of videos last year. I made them around my apartment. It was an experiment, just something I wanted to try. It didn’t “blow up” (no video is over 100 views). However, I learned a lot.
    • The lesson -I got better at talking about what this blog is about and connecting with people (some people just love video). It also gave me the confidence to “step it up.” The second season of the “Life as Usual Video Blog” premieres here next month.
  • Newsletter – I started 2015 happy I launched a newsletter.This year, I wanted to make one people enjoyed. It went through a ton of changes, however, by the end of the year I think it’s starting to find its footing. It has its voice with a long-form piece of writing from me and some links I find useful.  I’ve increased the subscriber count by 70 (200% growth) and get more feedback on Facebook and email.
    • The lesson – Don’t be afraid to try new things. Everything is a scratchpad, particularly in the beginning.
  • altMBA – For a program, I didn’t think I could get in (which applies to the last two “successes” as well), I was surprised at how welcoming the community was. altMBA is a challenge, and if you attend, you’ll have the pleasure of being around some smart and driven folks. However, the biggest surprise is how quick you create a bond and how much work you get done in such a short period.  This program shifted how I thought of work and group projects writ large.
    • The Lesson – Always apply. Show up. People want you to succeed. Projects can create a bond with pressure.
  • Coaching altMBA – I had to give this a separate space because coaching was its “beast.” The amount of work increased as a coach, I now had to add guidance counselor and mentor to the list of duties. As much as I grew as a student, I got the opportunity to double down as a coach. It was an honor to be selected and have a chance to help shape this program – one that will help students for years to come.
    • The lesson – Show up every day. Your opinion matters. Be sharp. Work with people. Sometimes those around you need time to vent. Communicate.
  • Harvard Business School CoreX – This was hard for other reasons. I think there would be little overlap between altMBA and this, however, the workload was about the same. The difference with this was it was less about my creativity and more about the details. It turned me into a better entrepreneur regarding X’s and O’s.
    • The lesson – Consistency matters. Number matter. Studying matters. Study groups help. Don’t be afraid to go over things multiple times.
  • StartingBloc – After being told about this, I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a leadership institute much different than the ones I’ve previously attended. This had a bite to it I’ve rarely seen. Every day I was exhausted. I didn’t even attend the “party.” I walked away from it a changed leader that understood himself more, along with a network of fantastic people who have become a new tribe.
    • The lesson – Try new things. Seek adventure. Give value. See what happens.
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2016 in Review: Failure

At the end of the year, I take the time to reflect. This post, and the others like it, are my lessons for 2016. My hope is by reading them; you get a sense of what my overall lessons were. My hope is by writing them; I’ll have a place to archive my memories. In the future, they are quickly sorted and filed when someone looks for insight.

Failure sucks.

Even so, it is a bridge to our future. There are lessons with our failure that inform our growth if we decide to listen to them.

To listen, here are my top 10 failures for 2016.

  • My love for comedy – Last year I wrote about doing more comedy in 2016. This year, not only did I not do more comedy, I did much less.It wasn’t a matter of time, it was want. At the heart of it, I lost my love for it. As a result, my pulse on funny has faded, and I lost a step in public presentation.
    • Change for 2017: I am not sure. I’ve thought about comedy a lot. Was, is escapism or do I love it? Perhaps it is both. Before I go any further, I have to answer this question.
  • My Health – In 2015 I wrote about losing weight at the end of the year. As the new year started, I got even better. Then, I just stopped. I ended up gaining the weight back. When I had the time to invest in my health, I decided to do other things. I regret this. I prioritized anything and everything else, and I paid the price. Physical health influences my mental and spiritual energy.
    • Change for 2017:  The next year of my life is dedicated to my health in many ways. I’ll change my diet and spend more time in the gym. The good thing about this year is I got to pay attention to how I failed and pivoted from there.
  • Using Social Media as a Tool – Like my health and comedy, at the start of the year I had some great experiments going on, like investing in Facebook ads. I stopped. My focus went elsewhere and I missed an opportunity to learn more. I think this is going to be important, and I failed. At some point, I just turned on automation and stopped thinking about it entirely.
    • Change for 2017: I know the importance of this, and might consider outsourcing here. Social media, in particular for this blog, extends its reach.
  • Guest posting / distributing content – I completely whiffed on this. I missed the chance to share some of the posts here through creating fantastic content. Some of this is because I have been scared of distribution. Hearing no makes me defensive. As a result, I miss opportunities.
    • Change for 2017: I came up with a way to change this. I am going to experiment with combining my newsletters and creating guest posts for folks. Once I perfect, I’ll “keep firing,” which is a philosophy I am going to double down on in 2017.
  • Barbershop Books – This didn’t end the way I wanted. I resigned in October because I didn’t feel the engagement of the folks around. I had to make a choice, and I decided to leave.
    • Change for 2017: I’ll support this organization when and where I can. My lesson, though, is in fostering engagement. I learned a lot on this journey and will make that a priority for any leadership position.
  • Delivery of Material – An old mentor told me once “you deliver filet mignon, it’s just you have the tendency to put it on a garbage lid.” I find that in my work on this blog sometimes, and in a world where your attention splinters easily, I can’t afford to lose people because of the presentation. This played into my lack of distribution.
    • Change for 2017: I am working on my presentation for all projects in 2017 as a priority.
  • Money as flexibility – I could spend money in a better way. I could save money in a better way. With wasteful spending, I cut down on my flexibility. Freedom is in flexibility.
    • Change for 2017: Create automated systems where I make sure that I can’t waste money.
  • Arcade School – I created a startup feasibility project in 2016. It was called Arcade School. After four months of work, we realized it wasn’t possible, and the barrier to entry was too high.I put myself in a box.I didn’t put a test early enough and backed myself into a corner.
    • Change for 2017: Having a test to market out faster on all future projects.
  • Distraction – I spent a lot of this year seeking. I also spent a lot of time distracted. Time is one of our only true resources. I rationalized a lot of my distracted time, pretending I was seeking. Distraction is hard to avoid.
    • Change for 2017:  I’ll make space dedicated “seeking” and work to reduce distraction with tools like Pavlok.
  • Online Classes –  I didn’t finish any of the ones I started (outside of altMBA / Harvard Business School CoreX). In a way, it started me down the path to Arcade School, however, I still lost a lot of time. Too many classes and not enough engagement.
    • Change for 2017: Taking the lessons from Arcade School about engagement (adding a partner, raising stakes, being public) to increase my hit rate.

 

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Merry Christmas

Enjoy the Break

More than likely, today, I find myself opening presents, talking about old stories, and hopefully settling into some basketball.

I’ve given a few away today and with that I wonder why is today so special?

Giving gifts is something we can do all year long, we don’t need a tree to bring a smile to someone’s face and give them a warm feeling.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or even based on money. Two of my favorite things about today have nothing to do with what happens next to the tree, rather, what we enable because of it. We all slow down and get to enjoy each other.

So, wherever you are, Merry Christmas, and enjoy the time with those around you.

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Taste is the Key to a New World – Lessons From November 2016

A New World Exists Based on Taste

It comes through the work.

Good taste is hard to find because it’s hard to cultivate.

There is no way for you to get to where you are going without putting yourself out there, without being vulnerable and doing the work.

The biggest lesson for me unpacking this theme was how much all of it went back to doing the work. If you look at any master, they have their dojo, and they set up performances. You can talk all you want; remember that there is no substitute for being there.

It also isn’t free. You have to give to get. Some of the pain comes from showing your work, but if you don’t, you end up with more of a headache.

Your brain adjusts to seeing things with “taste” that you can’t see without doing the work.When it comes to paintings, artists see things that laypeople can’t see. Musicians hear music differently. Your superpower grows with you. It is unique to you –  There is no one “real” taste. We are all different.

The payoff, though, is tremendous. Ship.

Growing taste opens up a whole new world.

Books – My Goodreads Account

Newsletter – Subscribe Here

Did you know I send a newsletter out every Sunday? It is more personal than the blog, combining my personal stories with an overarching theme.  I also throw in some great links that I’ve found on the internet.

 

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Hiding is Tricky – Lessons From October 2016

Being in front is difficult, so we get used to hiding

If you aren’t hiding, you’re vulnerable.

When you make a mistake in the crowd, it’s simple to dismiss. If you do so out front, it’s magnified. We clearly see our flaws.

As a result, we hide. 

We tell ourselves it’s far easier to do nothing or work with no discretion. We dismiss our creativity in the name of perfection. We use it as an excuse to stop showing up.  Therefore we need to pay attention to what we need to show up every day.

We also see safety as a way to avoid the pain.

Except, by avoiding it, we stagnate ourselves and fill ourselves with regret, which brings us to the shame and guilt game.

You avoid that by showing up in the face of that potential pain, because it isn’t suffering, it’s a lesson.  Lessons aren’t free.

The lesson of this month, for me, is that hiding isn’t saving us from pain, it’s blocking us from growth. Internally we sense this, so we replace that feeling with regret.

Pain heals, disappointment stays.

Therefore, all the pain in the world isn’t worth an ounce of regret.

Don’t hide.

Books – My Goodreads Account

Newsletter – Subscribe Here

Did you know I send a newsletter out every Sunday? It is more personal than the blog, combining my personal stories with an overarching theme.  I also throw in some great links that I’ve found on the internet.

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Freedom is… Lessons from August

Freedom Is...

Complicated

So, I think back to the coffee shop where someone asked me “What is freedom?”

I didn’t have an answer then. I don’t have one now. Freedom in both complicated in expression and concept.

However, I spent a month thinking about it.

A few lessons:

Freedom requires clarity.

It requires commitment.

You can’t run to shiny new objects, yet you have to understand yourself.

You can’t find perfection.

Freedom means taking on problems in different ways.

You have to take a step back and understand the whole problem.

While all of this is happening, you have to keep your vices in check by listening to them.

In short, it’s pretty complicated.This month gave me better questions. Questions lead to greater understanding, which leads to empathy. There is a lot of freedom just in that.

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