Recently I had the privilege to listen to Satya Nadella speak to a small group of leaders at Microsoft and there was a question Satya was asked about how leaders can step up to the challenges that are ahead of us as leaders. His answer was full of wisdom.
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In the early days of powered transportation there was a practical limit to speed. This practical limit existed because there was no reliable way to slow down. Safety, or protecting what matters most, was also a critical reason for not passing this practical limit of speed. After a reliable brake system was created, a system designed to slow a vehicle, the speed of vehicles increased and the safety of the passengers at those speeds also improved.
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Scaling is one of the hardest things to do in a business. It sounds much easier than it is. Bob Sutton, Standford Professor, has taught me that scaling has a few core principles when adhered to will make it much easier to find success in scaling one’s efforts.
One of the lessons Bob has learned in his research has to do with removing the extra.
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A few weeks ago, my wife visited a doctor who, as part of the diagnosis, prescribed 3 months of the keto diet to replenish and reset enzymes in her liver that will appropriately regulate glucose in her body. This typically means one must eat 30 to 50 grams of total carbohydrates a day. This prescription requires my wife eat a total of 15 grams of carbohydrates each day. This is intense and very difficult. She is executing brilliantly and with a good attitude – she’s climbing a hard mountain and making tremendous progress.
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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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Recently as a family, we each set a goal to do something hard. My son, who at the time of this writing is 6 years old, decided he wanted to do a hard hike. The hike we chose together was a little over one mile (one way) with an elevation gain of over 1,000 feet. That type of elevation gain in such a short distance is difficult for an adult – and my boy was a champ.
About half way up the mountain he said something that caught me by surprise.
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I teach and invite people to act. Proud husband, father and amateur pizzaiolo
