What do you say to someone who has recently lost someone they care deeply about? I can think of five different individuals that were close or very close to my wife and I and we have always struggled to know the right thing to say and the right thing to do.
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As we walked up the hill, the sun was at the point of setting and shadows of empty chair lifts stretched across the lawn and families that had gathered on the hill. Nearly everyone was wearing patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. The Utah Symphony warmed up their instruments as we found our own patch of grass on the Deer Valley resort hill. Surrounded by families with their coolers, lawn chairs, and picnics it felt truly American.
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I have been thinking about this post for a long time because I want to learn and “get it right” so I can put out into the world something I feel is meaningful.
This is not the “right” version but a first draft. I hope if you read this you are willing to reach out and help me to be better in my thinking.
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I am afraid to be judged. I am afraid to do what I need to do to achieve my potential. I am afraid I will not be able to provide for my family. I am afraid I will go all in and not find the success I am looking for. This fear of failure is getting in the way of the progress I need to make. I know all of this, and I still struggle to do what needs to be done.
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Lately I have been reflecting on how to help leaders to take action in the work of leadership. My mind has gone back to this post about the role neuroscience plays in the creation of habits.
The action part is where many (including myself) can get stuck. The process from my previous post is simple: stories lead to insights that generate actions and when repeated turn into habits. I may learn a theory or something new and interesting but getting to meaningful action means I need a powerful story and a strong insight. Then I am compelled to act.
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Since as early as I can remember, I have had an interest in making a special birthday cake for each of my children when their birthday comes around. When it comes to making birthday cakes, I am no cake boss, but I do enjoy creating something that makes them smile and is also delicious. Building and decorating cakes is outside my wheelhouse so I look to Pinterest and YouTube to teach me how to bring to life these birthday cakes for my children. Most times I don’t have any idea what I’m doing so I ask lots of questions and I don’t feel dumb for asking questions because I really don’t know what I’m doing.
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Shabnam Erfani is a futurist at Microsoft who focuses on modern work and productivity. She has an incredible talent to investigate the future and make forecasts while connecting those forecasts to practical actions we can take today to realize the forecasted future.
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In 2002 Sir Dave Brailsford became the head of British Cycling. At the time, the winning record of the British cycling team was essentially non-existent. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics his team won 7 out of 10 gold medals. The following Olympics in London, Dave and his team achieved the same result – 7 of 10 gold medals. The impressive record and sustained performance is attributed to improving each component of the cycling experience by 1%.
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A few days ago I watched my daughter as she attempted to draw a picture of a unicorn. After a few pencil lines she would crumple the paper and start over on a new sheet of paper. I soon learned she wanted the picture of her unicorn to be perfect and if it wasn’t perfect she didn’t want to keep it.
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I teach and invite people to act. Proud husband, father and amateur pizzaiolo
