Skip to main content

Oh, there must be a catch!

That little bit you can ask to prod and make someone think outside the box makes all the difference. You may not see it beyond your instinctive input, but it can do whole lot for someone who sees that coming. 

No matter our area of work, it boils down to templatizing our response. Make it structured, have points to say, an argument to make as it relates to the topic. Everything is planned and orchestrated to narrate the story that is the making of our first thought. But what if it does not resonate with the recipients? Then the assumption that our perspective about our work is relevant to others collapses.

The good news is that those who engage you have different goals. Some are eager to receive what you have. And then, few others are there to experience your offering and that of many others like you. 

The goal these people carry when they engage you is to tap into the energy in the room. They probe you, make you uncomfortable, ask difficult questions, and suggest ways to improve your work. All that, without you asking. You must see someone like that beyond feeling the discomfort of unsolicited meddling. 

This very frame of mind makes you miss the whole learning experience it brings on its back.

Be open to the discomforting lines of attack; they are healthy for your growth. Sustain the hurt that comes from it. And then, you see the merit in what you experienced.

The biggest fear is such input comes with a catch. What if there isn't!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Checks and balances!

Defining a good purpose, setting a target goal and getting people working on them is usually not enough! There are too many aspects involved in getting the results we want. For example, there is an aspect of painting the big picture, working on motivation management, productivity tracking, building experimentation labs, and erecting resilient systems that systematize the workflows. Just putting bodies to work and defining milestones rarely achieves the right results. The other aspects that help march towards the milestones in an orderly manner, they are equally important. At the very least, they make objectives widely understandable and results more attainable. The job of a thought leader is to enable progress and enable recovery. Therefore, it is never enough to have just ideas. Those with ideas also have the responsibility to assemble the work environment in such a way as to create situations containing the energy disperses. Energy dispersal from lack of clarity, loss of motivation, ...

Choking the communication channel.

There are instances where everything looks in order. Structures are rightly in place. Right roles are defined. Responsibilities are distributed. Bi-directional open communication is expected to take place. And with that, collective work is expected to turn out productive. Yet, when the action begins, everything breaks apart. Productivity dwindles, cooperation is missing, and ad-hoc interactions are common-place That creates chaos. No one appears in charge even though there is someone responsible. It clearly is a sign of broken communication channels. A well-orchestrated workplace focuses on methods to communicate grounds-up and top-down. It encourages patient listening, internalizing and responding rather than reacting. All effective open communication channels are a result of making such communication possible. Often, the structures are set such that you centralize communication of every bit of your activity to someone in the hierarchy. Over time it turns into a permission-based inter...

The hyacinth at the surface - nectar - just beneath!

The envy of comparison is an unconscious, quietly growing emotion, like water hyacinth spreading unnoticed on a pond's surface. It surrounds the nectar of the water, creating the illusion of poison. The water itself, however, is inherently sweet, with the nectar infused deeply within it. But just cast off the tangled trap of those creeping vines, and the water will reveal its true nature—flowing freely, tirelessly, with a sparkling clarity. Water’s existence, its entire journey, is one of cooperation, of giving endlessly with a pure heart.  Even in the face of numerous obstacles and thorns along its path, water remains undeterred—a divine miracle, no doubt, but one forged through relentless effort. Who notices this journey? Who understands it? Water has no respite—it constantly battles friction and wear. "Why is this thorny life my lot?" It may ask, as feelings of resentment, anger, jealousy, hatred, sorrow, and helplessness arise. Just when it seems trapped, its spirit s...