Tag: taste

Good Taste Takes Work; Time is Limited

Post author By jrlsage
Post date November 10, 2016

Good taste takes work.

Taste is a skill, not a talent.

Since it is a skill, and needs to mature, you have to work. You’ll need vulnerability. You’ll need strength. Bad taste comes before good.

It takes time, and sometimes public failure, to get there.

Biographies, like this one of Ben Franklin, are a great reminder.

The best, well-researched biographies make us cringe when we read them. They lay the subject bare, and remove some of that luster that made you read their biography in the first place.

So, think about your biography. What failures created your good taste?

If you don’t have any, you are running out of time :-).

Tags biography, taste, time

Blog Post

Answering the Unasked Question Creates Trust

Post author By jrlsage
Post date November 7, 2016

How do you answer and unasked question?

You can answer a question before someone asks it. It isn’t magic. It can happen during your pitch.

Before you show up, think about what the other side needs. If you base your discussion on that point, then you’ve done the first step. If you follow that up with the right research and confidence, then you’ll find yourself answering things they want to know.

They won’t need to ask questions.

You’ve done the work beforehand to understand what they will ask; your pitch is a compilation of your work and their questions. You will demonstrate that you know the client.

It is preparation and domain knowledge. This work builds trust.

Trust opens the door for you and as a result, the opportunity to use your taste.

That is when things will get interesting.

Tags asked, question, taste, trust

Blog Post

Work with Impact Requires a “No”

Post author By jrlsage
Post date November 4, 2016

We have limited energy, so focus on impact

Learn how to say “no” for the sake of your impact.

Good taste requires it.

Working without intent is another form of hiding. It frees us from responsibility. It allows us to say things like “I’m busy” which in turn creates “faux importance.”

Busy gives us a place to hide. Focusing on things like e-mail or social media can signal “faux importance” due to the low impact they have on the work that we do.

We think people respect those who are busy, however, they respect impact a lot more.

You can’t stay “busy” all the time and make a meaningful impact.

So don’t choose yes constantly and stay “busy.”

Say no and get back to the work that matters.

Tags busy, taste, work

Blog Post

What is Taste? How Will We Remember Yours?

Post author By jrlsage
Post date November 2, 2016

Your taste is worth developing

Taste is the ability to intuitively decide something based on a pattern.

Taste is important when you do work without an instruction manual.

It helps you make sense of things in front of you, even if you can’t explain it. Taste helps you set direction in the face of complicated work. Every leader needs it.

If you can improve your taste, you can improve your work even in the face of complicated problems. When it’s honed to the highest levels, it is your calling card. Every time we use an iPhone, we see Steve Job’s taste.

How will we remember yours?

Tags remember, taste, work

Blog Post

Taste – You Can’t Do Much Without it – November 2016

Post author By jrlsage
Post date November 1, 2016

How well do you “see?”

Seeing in the creative sense, not the visual one, is what I’m discussing today.

What does the future look like? How do we get there?

Answering those questions, and a few more, are why taste is important. “Taste” is in the intersection of awareness and direction. It sets us up for executing, directing how we execute with our work.

The difference between a common project and a great one is often taste.

How do you get “taste?”

Well, I think you get it through the “work,” going through projects and learning along the way.

That’s why we are spending November talking about taste, because without it, we waste much of our effort.

This month’s theme ties into execution

At the end of last year, I wrote a post that resulted in my picking four themes for 2016. They are the guiding light (strategic) for my ideas. Each month on this blog, I break things down into the practical (tactical). This year I want to tie them together, so each month, I have to write the reason they connect.

Reread candidate

Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin To Munger by Peter Bevlin– Charlie Munger has great taste. Here are some of the tools that he uses to make the decisions to lead Berkshire Hathaway with Warren Buffet.

Tags taste