It’s easy to join. There are a million reasons to say no, but few reasons to stand up and say yes. No requires just one objection, one defensible reason to avoid change. No has many allies–anyone who fears the future or stands to benefit from the status quo. And no is easy to say, because […]
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Tag: Training company in kenya
Time doesn’t scale…
But bravery does. The challenge of work-life balance is a relatively new one, and it is an artifact of a world where you get paid for showing up, paid for hours spent, paid for working. In that world, it’s clearly an advantage to have a team that spends more time than the competition. One way […]
Conflicted…
Everything we do that’s important is the result of conflict. Not a conflict between us and the world–a conflict between us and ourselves. We want to eat another dessert but we want to be healthy and skinny as well. Who is we? Who is the self in self control, and who is being controlled? We […]
Fear, scarcity and value…
The things we fear are probably feared by others, and when we avoid them, we’re doing what others are doing as well. Which is why there’s a scarcity of whatever work it is we’re avoiding. And of course, scarcity often creates value. The shortcut is simple: if you’re afraid of something, of putting yourself out […]
Too far from the center?
The action used to happen at court. In France, if you wanted to get ahead, you put on your outfit, called in favors and hung out near the King, because proximity was all. If you’re in Kibera, are you too far from Silicon Valley to write an app? If you live in New Zealand, are […]
Solving problems (vs. identifying them)....
Often, we’re hesitant to identify a problem out of fear we can’t solve it. Knowing that we have to live with something that we’re unable to alter gives us a good reason to avoid verbalizing it–highlighting it just makes it worse. While this sort of denial might be okay for individuals (emphasis on might), it’s […]
The chance of a lifetime….
A friend asked me the other day, “…given the sorry state of so much in the world, what’s possible to look forward to?” The state isn’t sorry. It’s wide open. Interest rates are super low or high, violence is close to an all time low, industries are being remade and there’s more leverage for the […]
No choice…
“I had no choice, I just couldn’t get out of bed.” “I had no choice, it was the best program I could get into.” “I had no choice, he told me to do it…” Really? It’s probably more accurate to say, “the short-term benefit/satisfaction/risk avoidance was a lot higher than anything else, so I chose […]
A great way to give thanks…
for the privileges we’ve got is to do important work. Your job, your internet access, your education, your role in a civilized society… all of them are a platform, a chance to do art, a way for you to give back and to honor those that enabled you to get to this point. For every […]
Open conversations (or close them)….
A guy walks into a shop that sells ties. He’s opened the conversation by walking in. Salesman says, “can I help you?” The conversation is now closed. The prospect can politely say, “no thanks, just looking.” Consider the alternative: “That’s a [insert adjective here] tie you’re wearing, sir. Where did you buy it?” Conversation is […]
The difference between management and le...
Managers work to get their employees to do what they did yesterday, but a little faster and a little cheaper. Leaders, on the other hand, know where they’d like to go, but understand that they can’t get there without their colleagues, without giving those they lead the tools to make something happen. Managers want authority. […]
Run your own race…
The rear view mirror is one of the most effective motivational tools ever created. There’s no doubt that many people speed up in the face of competition. We ask, “how’d the rest of the class do?” We listen for someone breathing down our necks. And we discover that competition sometimes brings out our best. There’s […]
Adopt vs. adapt….
An early adopter seeks out new ideas and makes them work. An adapter, on the other hand, puts up with what he has to, begrudgingly. One is offense, the other is defense. One requires the spark of curiosity, the other is associated with fear, or at least hassle. Hint: it’s not so easy to sell […]