There is this Cantonese saying which says, “反轉豬肚就是💩“, (the underbelly of a pig is poop …) I find this to be a very common reaction from people towards managers giving candid feedback, with one interesting exception. Have you ever had a “tough love” kind of boss? Do you remember how they made you feel? One…
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In video games, {Level: 99} is the maximum level. When you reach {Level: 99}, your character has achieved the limits of the game. So what are “{Level: 99} professional skills” like? This is the kind of stuff I work on with my clients. Let’s start with {Level: 99} 🗣Discussion:🤔How did you feel after having a…
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And I am applying them at work. Dr. Lee is a renowned family therapist. I took her courses because they offered live sessions for us to observe. I THINK YOU ARE RIGHT A wife complained about her husband’s lack of involvement. When asked how he saw the situation, after a long silence, the husband muttered, “I was…
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I ended my 20-year corporate career and started my own leadership coaching gig 6 months ago. During these first 6 months, a few very courageous souls and start-ups gave me the chance to beta-testing the corporate rah-rah I have hoarded over the years. Here are few observations: 1. “High-Performance; Low Potential”: Too often we divest from…
Read more“Yea, video-tape your axx all you want. You think Kobe Bryant got great by only by watching VHS?” 6 months ago I decided to end my 20-year corporate career and started my own leadership coaching gig. There was one person that I blame this whole mid-life crisis on: One of my bosses at Nike. This was…
Read more“The Value of Not Knowing.” https://www.flickr.com/photos/n0r/276318217/in/album-72157594467105582/ Being genuinely humble is such a common challenge. I see that especially in highly capable founders and managers that I get to work with. I tried to be humble too because humility was such a sparkly clean and powerful virtue: A humble leader liberates the team by personally welcoming…
Read morehttps://snarkyinthesuburbs.com/2016/11/14/dear-snarky-kill-me-now-because-my-office-has-12-days-of-secret-santa/ One Christmas, a boss gifted us a book on mindful leadership. “Ok, so you are a mindful jerk.” Someone quipped. “I want to reciprocate with ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’ book.” Joked another. Another time we received cans of artisanal Baltic sardines. Greg the vegan tweeted, “It’s not personal. It’s not personal.💆🏻” And those…
Read moreEnso “Muichimotsu” by Kobayashi Taigen “This is so complicated!” We endure complicated processes, meetings that are littered with “break-outs,” “share backs,” and those damn “parking lots,” and we tend to blame these on our managers. Then when we become managers, we begin to accept simplicity is merely an aspiration that sits cross-legged at the highest…
Read moreDieter Rams Braun Lectron Radio 1967 “Be candid! Be honest! Yay, #teamwork !” Being “radically candid/brutally honest” isn’t instinctive because of the fear of losing relationships, the uncomfortableness of honest conversations, or any other fears for self-preservation. To tackle this, first consider these two beliefs you might lead your teams with: “We are radically honest with each…
Read moreChange is hard because it leads to failures. And failures are scary. 99% of us already know this. 🥱 The Jack Mas and Ray Dalios give us reasons and tips to bear-hug fear, and then every protagonist of any “zero to hero” movies explains to us, “It’s the fear of the unknown!” Or is it?…
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