Picking a title for this little riff was harder than it usually is. “Bias for inaction” popped up, among other things. But the correct naming of what I wanted to reflect on is more akin to aiming. I believe in action. Doing lots of stuff, eventually figuring out what stuff is good. Having lots of ideas, eventually having one that’s good. But I also believe that there’s a spectrum involved. So it’s not binary, action or inaction....
In early 2020 I set a few goals and established a tracking method to stay aware of them. A year has passed, and it’s time to round up and post a status, before setting the new targets for 2021. Here’s the 2020 goals with comments on how they went and why. Play music every week I set this goal in the very beginning of 2020, and only lasted 2 months. I think there are a few reasons for that....
In a performance culture, measurement matters a LOT. Hitting targets matters a LOT. In a performance culture that’s moving fast, there’s a part of creating results that can easily get lost/dropped/forgotten – process evaluation. So while maintaining an outcome focus, how does a team focus on process evaluation at the minimum effective dosage? And what about when a process spans multiple teams? That’s some next level shit. So let’s unpack:...
If you coach poorly, people have an almost allergic reaction to it. It probably feels like suddenly being with a life-coach/shrink without having signed up for it. If you do it well though, it doesn’t look like “coaching”, and you just make change happen. So how do you think carefully about delivering a message that makes change, without seeming like you’re totally off your rocker for trying to play games with someone?...
This is a short riff on spotting potential. Sometimes you need someone with epic skills ready to plug in, but that’s not what this is about. This is about what potential looks like. When someone took the time to prepare for their interview, that might be potential. When someone has a beautiful CV that’s not a stock template, smells like potential. When someone presents a portfolio of things they’ve made, the potentiometer starts jittering....