I usually publish random thoughts about managing remote teams, communication and leadership on LinkedIn.
Those thoughts are usually based on an interesting experience or conversation I had, or on something I recently read.
So I thought I’d consolidate the last few posts and share them here.
On Sending Confidential Emails
If you’re sending a confidential email, it’s a good idea to:
- Use an ambiguous subject line (and type “Confidential” as a prefix)
- Avoid referencing the topic in the first two lines of your email message
Way too many people inadvertently share their inbox or have email notifications turned on that everyone can see during a meeting.
On Speaking Up During Meetings
A Plato quote that applies to meetings:
Wise people speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”
Speaking up in a meeting is a good idea as long as what you’re saying is relevant, adds value, and moves the conversation forward.
Speaking up just for the sake of speaking up ends up becoming more of a liability in the long run.
On Advancing Your Career
Working professionals should consider being in “Permanent Beta” when planning their careers (particularly during those uncertain times).
This was an idea coined by Reid Hoffman (who was the co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn) and Ben Casnocha in their book, “The Startup of You.”
I was looking through my notes and came across an insightful paragraph that I highlighted from the book a few years ago.
“…[Andy Hargadon] says that for many people “twenty years of experience” is really one year of experience repeated twenty times…If you’re in permanent beta in your career, twenty years of experience actually is twenty years of experience.”
Pushing yourself to take on different challenges and experiences is the best way to keep your skillset diversified and immune to external factors.
More quotes from “The Start Up of You” in my post here.
On Life Mottos
I once had to summarize my life motto in exactly 7 words (for a leadership program I attended at Cisco).
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I chose:
Family Always First. Keep Learning. Keep Grinding. ⠀
That was around 2 years ago and the statement still serves as my North Star.
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So I had it custom made as a quote to hang above my home office.
On Problem Solving
Step 1: Define the problem
Step 2: Determine how big the problem is
Step 3: Come up with a solution
Most skip step 2.
There’s a limit to how many problems you can effectively solve (on a personal and organizational level).
And starting with the most impactful ones gives you the best ROI.
On Kindness at Work
Kindness over everything.
Disagreeing about an opinion? Be kind.
Negotiating a contentious request? Be kind.
Reprimanding someone about negative behavior? Be kind.
How you say something during difficult conversations is sometimes more important than what you say.
And people always remember the former more than the latter.
On the Future of Work Trends
As the adoption of remote work accelerates, organizations now have access to a broader talent pool.
For employers, this means that their current employees have more options, so taking care of their top talent matters even more now.
For employees, this means that their current employers have more options as well, so continuously adding value matters even more now.
Have some thoughts to share on any of the above? Connect with me on LinkedIn
