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On to something new

Heading there means leaving here.

Change becomes easier once we acknowledge that.

What will we gain?
But also, what will we miss?

What’s pulling us ahead?
But also, what’s holding us back?

Some change initiatives fail because they are framed as “here it’s bad” vs “there it’s glorious”.

But it’s hardly ever black and white.
In fact, it’s often not an easy choice.
For some team members, it’ll be a tough journey.

Instead of dismissing the “here”, it would make it easier for them if we embraced the fact that some things have actually been pretty good over here.

In moving forward, we do not have to forget the past.

We can carry forward our experiences, our lessons,
the very essence of who we are.

This is what transforms the journey into our journey.

How exciting is your pitch deck?

If you’re not excited by your pitch deck, chances are your audience won’t be, either.

It’s something that has always baffled me: how far some people will go to defend a mediocre presentation with rational arguments when there’s a very simple metric to decide whether you’ve nailed it:

Does it make you feel excited?

If it doesn’t, there’s no use in arguing that it contains all the facts. Or that it’s logically structured.

If all of that is true and it still doesn’t make you feel excited, it means that your story isn’t working.

Sometimes, it’s indeed because the facts aren’t right, but in my experience it’s much more often the words people use to speak about the facts that aren’t right.

How about your pitch? Are you excited by it?

Well done

How often do you personally hear “Well done!”?
It’s not something a leader hears very often, is it?

Leaders are supposed to be the ones giving team members recognition for their achievements.

But they are seldom on the receiving end.

Well, as the saying goes, if you need someone to praise you, you’re probably in the wrong place as a leader.

And yet.

That doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t feel good to hear a word of appreciation at times; not to feed your ego but as an acknowledgement that you – just as everyone else – thrives on being seen.

So.

When was the last time you gave some recognition to one of your peers in the leadership team?

When was the last time you said “Good job!” to one of them?

When was the last time you saw your peers and appreciated that they deal with struggles, challenges and opportunities all the time … and do it well.

Sure, that won’t put you on the receiving end. But it puts those in that spot who are likely to be in a similar situation.

It’s a gesture that costs little but can yield immense benefits in terms of morale, motivation, and the overall health of the organizational culture.

Culture might only change very slowly. But it starts with a first step.

Who will you reach out to today?

Swift action needed

It’s not that bad leaders are similar to good leaders, just less effective.

Bad leaders are much better thought of as the opposite of good leaders. They destroy the morale of a team and frustrate the members to a degree that leads to struggles and fights, greed and envy.

The same is true for a number of business related jobs.

A bad accountant isn’t slower, they make a mess of the books.

A bad marketer doesn’t spend a bigger budget, they burn the budget.

A bad speaker doesn’t need more time to explain things, they confuse the audience.

If you recognize any of this happening in your team, swift action is needed.

How do you deal with this?

Targeting your customers

What would happen if you stopped “targeting” your customers and started “serving” them?

The words we use to describe our work do matter.

What are yours?

A more “you” way

We’re living in a time where the best choice of words might not be trusted due to the overuse of them where they shouldn’t be used.

What used to be a “nice try” is nothing short of “revolutionary” and
a “setback” turns into a full-blown “crisis”.
An outcome that’s “unexpected” must be a “miracle”,
any “fun” event is “epic” at least, and
a minor “development” is a “breakthrough”.

Of course, literally anything is potentially “life-changing”.

We just don’t trust in the original meaning of these words anymore.
You say “revolutionary”? I say “meh”!
If I care to pay attention at all, that is …

Click-bait, bullshit, and sensationalist marketing have ruined an astonishingly large part of our language.

But, well, it’s the game we’re in. There’s not much use in complaining.

The better reaction is to find better words. Words that are relevant and truly you. Words that can’t easily be copied or pulled out of context because they’re deeply personal and heartfelt. Words that are so specific to your idea that they loose their impact when pulled out of context.

Make no mistake, though. Bullshitters and click-baiters will always find ways to take advantage of language. Misuse of words will always happen.

But you can make it a little harder for them.

The more personal, the more specific your words are, the more they will be connected to your story, not theirs.

Essentially, it’s about a shift from the generic to the authentic. When it’s an authentic story, the impact of your words doesn’t depend on how sensational the words are but on how relatable the story is.

When people can relate because it’s genuinely – and uniquely – your story, that makes for more meaningful conversations. People will listen more attentively and engage more deeply.

As is so often the case, when everyone zig-zags staying consistent can make an incredible difference. In this case, when others chase the most sensational language, you use words you truly believe in about the things you deeply care about.

These words, spoken softly with simple but heartfelt words might sound louder than you think.

PS: Thanks David, for the inspiration to this post!

Living like you could die tomorrow

This short film about Ezra Caldwell has got me thinking on so many layers. I highly encourage you to watch it: The Bike Maker

Be sure to watch it until the end.

PS: I would love to hear what the biggest takeaway was for you. If you’re open to it, just hit reply to this message.

What if you couldn’t fail?

Yesterday, my friend Shane Cradock asked “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

It’s a powerful question and I’d like to dig a little deeper on it.

It helps to set aside our fears for the moment and think about the things that can be done if only there was no fear, no obstacles, no setbacks …

Now, if we look a little closer at the list of things that come up as an answer, it turns out that there’s an interesting subset of answers that stands out.

The ones that also answer this question:

“What would you do even if you knew you would fail?”

These are the things that we wholeheartedly want to do; things that are driven by our values and beliefs; things that deeply matter to us and that we believe carry the potential of making such a difference that it’s worth the hassle even if we wouldn’t succeed; things we would never compromise.

It’s the sweet spot in the set of answers that Shane has encouraged.

They might not have surfaced without the first question.

But now that they’re there, why not go for it?

The missing element to trust

Trust can thrive when people say what they mean and mean what they say. Easy, isn’t it? Well, not quite …

Here’s the bit where everything can still fall apart:

Clarity!

Or lack thereof.

Saying what you mean doesn’t guarantee that the others get what you mean. But the equation only works if it’s clear to both sides what is meant.

Keep that in mind the next time you’re frustrated when someone didn’t do what they seemed to have promised.

Did they really promise what you thought they’d promised?

Or how about you? If you asked the others, what did they really understand?

But what do you do when there’s that subtle feeling that maybe, just maybe, they didn’t catch your point?

Why not just cut through the guesswork and ask them? Straight up.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s often missed: making sure you’re on the same page.

That’s key: If in doubt, ask!

I’m so excited

The crucial question that’s almost never asked when preparing a talk:

Am I excited?

Instead, preparation is dominated by “Does it make sense?”

Which is crucial, too. But does your gut agree? Are you excited?

Make no mistake: Logic is important! But the difference between good and great talks is often the passion that comes with the latter.

The good news is this: It’s not hard to find out whether you’re excited, is it?

“Does it make sense?” is tricky. You need research, fact checks, data, reasoning, etc.

But “Am I excited”?

That’s easy. Just listen to your gut. It’s an immediate answer.

Then, work with the answer:

If it’s a “yes”, go out there and light the path!

If it’s a “no”, dig deeper. What’s off? What’s missing? What’s just corporate speak that just isn’t you? Where could you be bolder? Shorter? More emotional?

That’s the beauty of it. You only need to start that process, even if it’s with the most boring story. If you let your gut guide you, you’re going to end up with a story that excites you – one that feels like this is how you always wanted to tell your story!

So, how excited are you about your story?

Spread the Word

Dr. Michael Gerharz

Dr. Michael Gerharz