Read This If You Want To Go Faster

Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash

One of the things that makes us efficient with our time is repetition.

If we do something for the first time, it's usually clunky and awkward.

After a few practice runs, we get the hang of it, and we become faster at the same motion.

This is true if you're practicing piano, learning to ski, or playing chess.

It's true for both physical and mental types of work.

So, naturally, one of the ways to get improve your efficiency is repetition.

Repetition makes us faster.

And one of the benefits of going faster is that we can do the same thing we used to do but with more brain capacity.

So, now, instead of thinking really hard about which chord to play on a guitar, we can just rock out and kick some amps over like rockstars because we just have to think "play an A chord" and our hands just do it by themselves.

The same goes for work and business.

Once you have your process in place, you get your time back so you can focus on new improvements or new innovations.

The important thing to realize is that the only way to do this is by iterating and reiterating.

We start on one, small, valuable thing first--and then move on to the next layer, feature, service, profit center, or business unit.

One. At. A. Time.

Looking back, you'll see all the amazing progress.

You'll say, "oh my gosh, I can't believe we used to do things like that."

But today, it's just going to look like today.

2 Minute Action:

What is the smallest but still valuable step you could take, today?

It doesn't even matter if you have a vision or not--sometimes just taking the first steps to help you see what's possible or what you want.

Here are some examples of first steps:

• If you were just laid off, a first step might be posting to your social network and letting people know you're looking for work.
• If you are developing a new program for a school, a first step might be creating a list of reasons programs have failed at that school before.
• If you are building a website, a first step might be building a Powerpoint that "fakes" the site's features and can still be used as a walkthrough on a sales call.
• If you are learning to play the piano, a first step might be watching a YouTube video on how to hit a C chord.
• If you are opening a food truck, a first step might be a cookout with family and friends.

Take 2 minutes and do something small and valuable to move forward.

It has to be both.

Read This If You Think You Should Be Yourself

Photo by mari lezhava on Unsplash

"Be yourself and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Stick to your guns."

"Not everyone will like you, just keep doing you."

Have you heard any of these before?

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with being yourself--sort of.

I mean, let's get real here.

What if you're a jerk?

Here's an example:

Steve Jobs did some impactful work, but there are 2 things that Jobs fans often forget.

1. Steve Jobs didn't do anything by himself, he had Steve Wozniak as his chief integrator to get stuff done.
2. Steve Jobs was a jerk to a lot of people.

What's important about this is the outcome and then also "how" the outcome was achieved, specifically, I'm talking about working relationships.

It's great if you're making an impact, but it's not great if you're not treating others with respect. Impact and respect are NOT mutually exclusive!

So, do you think "keep doing you" is good advice for Steve Jobs? Maybe in part.

I think better advice might be "be true to your beliefs and empathize with others."

Or maybe something like "be genuine, honest, and respectful."

So, be yourself AND make sure you're auditing the feedback that's around you.

This gets harder if you've built a lifetime reputation of being difficult to work with because, at some point, the feedback people are willing to provide you might not be honest since honest feedback has gotten them nowhere with you in the past. But that's a deeper story.

2 Minute Action:

Every couple of years, I put together an anonymous feedback form and send it to the folks who know me best or who have worked with me closely.

Some people fill it out. Some of them just call me and say "let's talk through this in person."

There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's, here.

In 2 minutes, you can call a trusted friend or create an anonymous Google form that you can send out.

Do you (iterate). Get feedback (measure). Understand the feedback (learn). Revise your approach (reiterate).

Here are some questions you can steal from me, for your own feedback form:

• What are 3 of my superpowers?
• What might be 3 of my biggest weaknesses?
• What do you think is the best part of working with me?
• What might be the most challenging part of working with me?
• If you had telekinesis, what would you make me automatically understand?