People say
“You always have
a choice!”
No.
You always have
options.
You don’t always have
a choice.
Choices
sometimes have to be acquired
through learning,
discovering,
or creating.
Category: Short Form
The Moment
There is a moment
when someone who judged leaders
for being unworthy
faces a challenge where they themselves feel
like they have no other choice,
but to become just like them.
At this juncture, we can judge
that we have no choice,
or we can perspective we need
that will allow us to see the situation
in a different way,
where we discover or create choices
we did not know
we had
Answers
“I want answers!”
he shouted,
in frustration.
“…”
“Did you hear me???”
he lowered his voice.
“I
want
answers!”
he shouted again.
“I have no answers.”
a response came back.
He stared at me,
breathing heavily.
“All I can do
is help you discover
what it is
you’re willing to take
responsibility for.”
Culture vs Strategy
Peter Drucker
never said
culture
eats strategy
for breakfast.
A great strategy
without a great culture
to
But a great culture
without a great strategy
isn’t great,
either.
Problem Solving vs Creating
If you hope
to get what you want,
frame it as a problem
to solve.
If you hope
to get what you didn’t know you wanted,
frame it as a paradox
to be dissolved.
The Cult of Gratitude
Gratitude
has somehow became
a panacea.
“Be grateful.”
some say.
“Be honest.”
I say in response.
If you don’t feel gratitude,
you don’t feel gratitude.
What you feel
is what you feel.
Irony
I lack empathy.
Sometimes.
We all lack empathy.
Sometimes.
Let those
who’s never lacked empathy,
judge others
for lacking empathy.
Let those
who’s never seen others lack empathy,
judge themselves
for lacking empathy.
Complaining
It’s ok
to complain.
In fact,
it can be healthy.
Except,
complain to someone
with skills.
The skills to summarize your complaint
far more succinctly
than you could
alone.
The skills to organize your complaint
far more clearly
than you could
alone.
The skills to guide your complaint
toward a resolution
you couldn’t reach
alone.
May we neither waste our complaint
on people who lack
such skills.
Nor leave such people frustrated
for lacking
such skills.
Playing Your Game
Stop playing to grow.
That’s your investors’ game.
Stop playing to survive.
That’s playing not to lose.
Start playing to win.
And play your own game.
Lacking Empathy is Normal
100% of the CEOs
who bragged to me
about their exceptional empathy
were proven wrong
when I asked
their direct reports
and their family members.
Not because they lacked empathy
absolutely,
but because we all lack empathy
sometimes.
Except,
that sometime
may be a critical moment for some
enough for them to remember
that we were not there
when they needed us
to be there for them
the most.