Hey,
I hope you are doing safe and well and having a good start to the week.
We have a series of Bank Holidays (public holidays) here in May, so it's been nice pottering around and getting some household chores done. I'm also heading to Germany with my family soon and then off to Antwerp for a conference in June. And also a speaking gig in Cornwall! So, plenty going on.
In this edition:
Solo Waffle about posters and books
Article - Insulate yourself from the madness
Interesting links
I'm nearing the end of my poster creation for Take A Day Off.
I've extended the creative goals by creating two variants of each poster - so it will be a few more weeks until they see the light of day. Then it's all about getting this artwork and text into an online "print on demand" service to start testing out a physical book!
I will then share the posters - and maybe make a few available to buy as A3 prints. I'm working with a local print company to test some of the better posters (I'm still learning). I am having a lot of fun with this project but I do need a deadline as I also want to get Zero To Keynote released this year too.
This week I've been thinking about "insulating yourself from the madness". In today's shifting economy and world events it's no longer, at least in my mind, the case that a job is a “job for life", as my parents once believed.
The following is a chapter was one I omitted from Take A Day Off.
Insulate yourself from the madness
The business world is fickle. One minute the investment is pouring in, then it's redundancies. The market is buoyant one day and crashing the next. You're flavour of month due to your commitment and hard work, then someone else is. You're all doing great work in one direction, then the leader chooses a new path. You're looking good for promotion, then the execs' mates come in and take the role.
It is business. It is madness. Don't be down about it, insulate yourself from it.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve told every single person I’ve ever managed to insulate themselves from the madness. That madness being the world of work and the reality that a good leader will put the longevity of their business before their people. They will do what needs to be done to keep the business alive, and that may mean making people redundant and closing offices.
As much as I’d like to ensure I always do everything right by the people under my supervision, I remind myself that I work for the organisation that employs me. My duty lies with the company - to do the right thing for the business. And that right thing for the business may not always be the right thing for the people in it. Of course, my job is to challenge certain decisions and look for more appropriate solutions, but sometimes, it’s innevitable that a reduction in staff is needed.
I learned this early in my career when I worked for a very cool company on the South Coast. We were enjoying good times, and I for one was thriving. Then the financial market collapsed and 80% of our business went away overnight. The management team had to do the right thing to protect the business – they had to let good people go.
I learned that employment is not as permanent as many people believe. To insulate from this madness, I suggest you consider the following 5 activities:
Deeply understand what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Don’t stop learning, and learn how to learn effectively.
Keep networking and building relationships outside of work - and this is done by developing outstanding communication behaviours.
Consider a side project that could build to something.
Show your strengths publicly on a blog, or on social media, or at conferences.
This won’t be easy to many people and of course, these aren’t the only way to insulate yourself from the madness, but I’ve seen these ideas work.
The trick is being prepared to find a new job if needed but not worrying about it constantly. Networking and keeping your CV up to date may be enough.
But one day, that madness at work may arrive. You may find yourself on the job market, or in a situation where leaving the company is the only logical choice. And if that happens, you’ll be prepared. And being psychologically and physically prepared will mean you can move quickly - and you'll hopefully have options open to you.
Interesting Links
The appeal of overwork. When we're successful at something it's natural to jump into and do more of it - until of course, all you do is the work that makes you successful. Cal Newport on the dangers of overwork.
Oh my, no. Bosses are training people to be "influencers". This feels so very wrong, or am I just too old?
How perfectionism is making us ill (video)
How the drive for efficiency changes us. You know my view: let's be effective first, and then efficient.
Ways to spot if someone is thinking of resigning - and what to do about it.
If you're a manager you'll see some of these signs.
And if you've been taking the time to get to know your staff - by building a good relationship - you'll easily spot them - and the truth is, they'll have already told you they're looking to leave or not happy.
Don't skip the relationship building. It's makes everything as a manager easier.
Until next week
Rob..