Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley came to Microsoft and shared some insights on leadership. There was one thing in particular that she shared with us that stuck with me.
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Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley came to Microsoft and shared some insights on leadership. There was one thing in particular that she shared with us that stuck with me.
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Before COVID seems like an easier time. It likely was not, but it feels that way. The amount of complexity that surrounds us is tremendous and we as leaders must find a way to navigate today and the uncertainty that is yet to come.
The only true way to figure out how to navigate complexity is to experiment. Jean-Philipee Courtois (JP) shared one specific experiment he ran as his role went from managing sales for the country of France to managing sales for all of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
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There is a common framework called the S-curve that came to life with new meaning for me this week when I married the concept with some numbers.
Abhijit Bhaduri has studied startups (with an extra focus in India but all over the world) and shared that there are three buckets startups land in:
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Years ago, Mark Zuckerberg took the world by storm with Facebook and the internal motto of “move fast and break things”. The motto was shortened in the industry to “fail fast”.
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This month I have been working with a few dynamic leaders on how to focus on product led growth.
In learning and development, I have helped design or been a part of several projects that have missed the mark on product led growth. We have been distracted by the solution and lose sight of the problem to be solved.
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Personal and professional growth is found in discomfort. There is no growth without pushing on our edges and leaning to spaces where we currently do not have competence or capability.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where I go to church, there are opportunities to serve for each of the members. All of the service is voluntary and can take many forms from teaching, to leadership, to working with toddlers. Recently I was asked to be the Primary Music Leader. This person is responsible for teaching kids ages 3-11 songs each week and helping to organize a program where the kids can then sing these songs for the congregation.
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Take a moment to think about something that you use many times a week. Why do you use that thing? What value is it providing to you?
One of these things for me is Microsoft OneNote. I use it as a place to capture all of my thoughts, study, and notes. It synchronizes to the cloud, is free, available on all my devices and even allows me to draw my ideas and concepts with a pen. I do not have to pay for storage (like some services) and it is effectively my second brain. If I want to make sure something does not get lost, then I will jot it down in OneNote.
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A few weeks ago, I attended an art exhibit based on the works of Vincent Van Gogh. The exhibit was fascinating. In a massive room of four blank walls, they had set up triangular columns with mirrors from floor to ceiling, benches were scattered throughout the room and dozens of projectors filled every square inch of the room with the art of Vincent Van Gogh.
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The leadership flywheel I wrote about recently also can also be converted into a cycle of learning.
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Here is a brief tale (but actually a real story) of one meeting, two presenters, and the energy flow of all involved.
The first presenter articulated with precision a customer need. A solution was presented, and a story was told on how the team overcame obstacles on behalf of the customer. The content was compelling and the one leading the solution was confident and strong.
The second presenter shared a challenge the organization faces and made a case for the value of solving this problem to the organization. This project was in an earlier stage so there were not as many details of obstacles that were overcome but the one leading the project was experienced, influential, and trusted.
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I teach and invite people to act. Proud husband, father and amateur pizzaiolo