Tag: altmba

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Not Doing It – Stop Adding New

No, we don’t need anything but you.

“Would it be cool if we…”
“How about if we add…”
“We don’t want to miss…”

The answer: no.

You don’t need more of anything with the projects you have. I saw a lot of this when coaching at altMBA, especially early in the program. Students would wonder about “what else” instead of what was there. As a result, the project lacked power. Instead of focus, they went for features.

A notice: If you are reading this, you more than likely have enough tools and your brand/tool/product has enough “features.”

So, that new thing isn’t a need. It’s a way to distract you from what matters.

What matters is doing the hard work of getting the most out of the ideas you have.

It means dealing with the “I don’t know what to do!”

Building the endurance to sit in the tough part and see instead of searching for new is a valuable skill. One of the beautiful things about altMBA is that it teaches you to recognize fear. It takes a lot of shipping to dance with it with reckless abandon, but the first step is recognizing it.

We all look for the juicer when life hands us lemons because that is the only way we get to make lemonade.

Be the juicer.

Note: I am a former student and coach of altMBA.

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Thank You, altMBA

The altMBA is powerful.

When I started writing this, that is the first thing I thought of, so I figured why not start with it? The program was a rousing success for me. I learned a ton of tactics that change the path of the projects I engage in. I learned how to ask better questions and how to give feedback.

There was one change that may have set my life in a different direction, and that is the idea of “direction” (no pun intended).

Before doing this program, I was a ball of energy with nowhere to go. I often sat, shaking, generating, but with no way to understanding of direction I missed making a real impact. I dismissed it.I made it a point to avoid direction at all cost because it felt wasteful. Even in my first post in the program, I dismissed goals.

Now, because of the work of altMBA, I have changed.

When I did the work, and saw how powerful asking the question “Who is this for?” was, and how much clarity that question had when it’s asked earnestly and with an open mind, it was shocking. This led me down a path of understanding someone’s world view. I’m now more particular about the transformation I want to make. Most importantly, I’m shipping more impactful work in a much shorter time.

Direction is a force multiplier, and with this new strategy regarding my work, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Still Sick – More Insights From AltMBA

Still not feeling well, so I am giving you some more insights gathered from my AltMBA journey 🙂

  1. The default of “Adam shut up” comes from a lack of confidence, which stems from impostor syndrome.  I used to limit the number of questions I asked because I assume that I have a question count (think like a pitchers count in baseball). I try to keep the number low because I know it keeps me safe. This is a habit I need to break if I want to contribute in a significant way, to any worthwhile project. I have to make myself keep asking. This isn’t going to extreme land, but I want to get in the habit of satisfying my curiosity even when I think it’s best to “let it go”

  2. Doubt, in the form of that “question count” will make me less effective. Also, over confidence also leads me to lower the “question count.” Either way its bad news.

  3. I have to start with why. Understanding the team around me and where they are coming from allows me to be more inclusive. Being a rebel doesn’t help anyone, and a subtle way to rebel is to “mentally clock out.” Level-set expectations and make sure that I get a chance to get involved. Reset and reload.

  4. I could have added tension to the meeting in an inclusive way. The ideas that we had were tremendous.  I didn’t push on different ways of looking at things. What if the bracelets were for sale for children as a income model that fed a non profit? What if the person-X tool worked on a favor system, how could that work?  What if the story generator could be re-purposed as a tool to keep the lonely and depressed from feeling alone?  Great tension comes from questions, and its a quick way to build on the “question count” in a positive way

  5. This exercise is built for more practice. I want to do it again. For a task that wore me out emotionally, I sure did get a good mental stretch as well.

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