The Manager - Edition 77 - Comparison, Behaviours and Self - by Rob Lambert
THE MANAGER - EDITION 77 - BY ROB LAMBERT
WELCOME
Hi,
I hope you've had a cracking weekend and are looking forward to the week ahead.
It's been a quiet and relaxing weekend here at Lambert HQ. Usual weekend routine of kids sport and shopping. I did find some time to rebrand my Communication Workshop ahead of EuroSTAR conference in a few weeks in Prague. I've added lots of Godzilla references for no other reason than I thought Godzilla seemed like a reasonable character to use to explain Communication. I guess you have to be there.
This weekend though I read an Instagram post that spoke to me. So I've taken the core aspects and written a few thoughts about it below. As usual, there are links to goodness too.
Have a great week.
Rob..
PERSONAL GROWTH
I'm quite active on Instagram and follow a remarkable person with the handle of Yung Pueblo who writes about philosophy and meditation amongst other things.
He posted a post recently that really spoke to me and it sums up an approach to management I believe we could all benefit from.
In his post he states: " 3 Things make growth easier:
saying no to comparison, you get to where you want to go by moving at your own pace
not measuring yourself by your thoughts, instead notice your progress in your actions
consistently making time for learning, self healing, creativity and rejuvenation "
Saying no to comparison, you get to where you want to go by moving at your own pace
For managers in modern companies it can be quite tempting to go online and read articles about how others have done X, Y and Z. The entreprenuer and fast paced startup stories surround us, but they are not to be used as comparison. They sell media and they get clicks in. They are fodder for our ancient brains that crave positivity, drama and a sense of awe. But we are running our own race. We on our own course. And ours is not better or worse than anyone elses. It is our journey and we will arrive when we arrive.
Try not to compare yourself to others. It is hard, but compare leads to despair. Instead, focus on your own goals and dreams, and steadily work your own way to them.
You are where you are in your journey - embrace it and enjoy it. And try to focus on your own path.
Not measuring yourself by your thoughts, instead notice your progress in your actions
I spend a lot of time in my own head. I think of the future and the past and I often miss the present. I am practicing more and more mindfulness to enjoy the moment, to live life as it actually happens and to put my energy towards the right actions now - not the thoughts of the past and future. It is hard. But it is working and I feel better for it.
I would spin this one a little and also make sure you consider behaviours - not just action. As we grow and learn and change we will change our behaviour. We will modify ourselves to become the people we need to become to live the life we want. And the only way we get to make this change is in the present moment - through choice. We are able to slow down and make choices on how to behave - that's a skill and trait of being human.
Our behaviours are important - they set the tone for others to copy. As managers we must set ourselves high standards and live up to these standards. Others will mimic and copy - our business will thrive.
Consistently making time for learning, self healing, creativity and rejuvenation
The whole philosophy of Cultivated Management is about balancing pillars of life, education, family and health and more. It's about scheduling this in and sticking to it. It's hard but without taking time away from work and spending time relaxing we will tire and burn away. Trust me - I've been there and seen it and it's no fun at all.
The best way I've found is to ensure I have dedicated time in my calendar for the pillars that are important for my season of life right now. And then forcing myself to follow the routine. It gets easier over time. You may find another way to balance, but be careful, we are the easiest person to delude through our own thinking, and I've seen many people delude themselves in to thinking they have balance when they do not.
Schedules in calendars show you where you are planning on spending your time. Look at it and ensure it aligns with your goals, dreams and needs. It will make you a much better manager.
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Until next time.
Rob
FOOD FOR YOUR MANAGEMENT BRAIN
1 - 3 ways to boost your performance at work - through sleep. As an insomniac I'm intrigued - but it's harder to solve most sleep problems than through 3 simple hacks.
2 - 5 Things leaders do that stifle innovation. Seen all of these - and more :)
3 - What to do if you hate your boss. Hmm - interesting but tread carefully - and come back to your pillars and season of life before doing anything drastic.
4 - Surfers secret to happiness. There are, of course, many other "types" of people who are happy and many others ways to be happy.
5 - Business card etiquette around the world - from Moo.
6 - The science behind storytelling and why stories often go places facts cannot.
7 - Seth Godin on the value of education versus getting certificates for courses.
8 - When to give feedback to an employee - good stuff from Signal Versus Noise.
9 - Apparently the youth of today are typing as fact on smart phones as they are on keyboards. Interestingly I was buying something from the Apple store this weekend and the lad serving me was indeed very fast at typing on the iPhone. However, it took him about 29 attempts to authenticate to the phone, as his speed was clearly not effective. Over and over again - at a pace that was impressive. He only got the right combinations for his password when he slowed down though :)
10 - This how you make your kids awesome. Similar activities work in the workplace too :)
11 - There's hope for me yet. Apparently it's a good time in your 40s to start a business. Rock on Parent Brain - here I come.
Thanks for reading this week's edition of The Manager.
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Thanks
Rob..