MEETINGS
Speaking Personally
Boy, we have a lot of meetings.
Weekly catch-ups, updates, huddles, check-ins, and stand-ups.
They can get tedious and samey.
I think it's essential to set the mood and the right tone at the beginning of the meeting.
So, I start each of the meetings that I organise with a personal story. In particular, I like each participant to share something new to their lives from the last week. I'm not fussed if it's a film, a book, an app, an insight - just something that supports our intent to have a Growth Mindset.
I've shared with my team about the BBQ I made on the weekend, the new app I've installed to become my 'Second Brain', the book I've just finished (and how close it was to my own experience), and something I've bought for my family Kris Kringle(My Crazy Creative Curated Christmas Gift Suggestions).
Each team member now knows that we start each of our weekly team meetings with a contribution from them that will add to my life - anything.
They always have something.
For major presentations, or when I'm compering a conference, I tell a personal story from my younger days to start proceedings. I can see people lean in, and they physically lean forward in their seats.
The story is not always flattering. Let's face it, any story from our Uni days is never flattering. (Ask a politician trying to claim some public credibility).
But it makes the connection and always generates discussion at the next break in proceedings.
FEEDBACK
How to Act on Feedback
People generally have two emotional states when giving you feedback: rational or emotional. They might be telling you something that they rationally think you should improve, or something that has been bothering them for some time.
It’s important to make the difference because if it’s emotional, you will need to treat the feedback more carefully. This leads us to the first rule of taking feedback in.
1. Don’t interrupt, encourage
You will frequently disagree with feedback, but interrupting is a grave mistake:
Interrupting shows that you’re not listening attentively and that you might not be that receptive to feedback.
Interrupting might feel like you’re telling them they’re wrong, which they might dislike.
The person giving feedback might be in an emotional state. An interruption might scare them or anger them further.
If you’re thinking of an answer, you’re not really paying attention, so you will lose information.
2. Separate poor actual performance from poor expectation management
The other person has feedback for you because they have a perception of something wrong. If they have that perception, other people are likely to have it too.
The perception of something to improve can come from something you actually did wrong or from something you did right but the person perceived to be wrong. Either way, you have a piece of valuable feedback:
You might learn the thing that you did wrong.
You might learn that you didn’t manage expectations well, and as a result, people perceived that you did something wrong, even if you didn’t.
So any piece of feedback you get, whether you disagree with its content or not, is actionable: either they’re right, and you should take it, or they are telling you that your communication style wasn’t right, that you didn’t manage expectations properly, that you didn’t convey your work well enough, and so you must work on that.
3. Thank the feedback giver and celebrate feedback
4. Rephrase
Show that you heard them by rephrasing the feedback
5. Ask for more details
People don’t remember the specifics of conversations, but they do remember how they felt. The problem is, when getting feedback, they will generalise based on the general feeling they have, and that’s not actionable. So you need to press them for details.
6. Separate the signal from the noise
Any piece of feedback that comes back, again and again, is a signal. The rest is noise.
7. Try to avoid telling them they’re wrong
8. Apologise precisely
Sometimes, feedback will demand an apology. An apology implies a change in behaviour.
9. Don’t tell them you already know
10. Dissociate identity from behaviour
Choose to interpret feedback that you are great, but that your behaviour could be improved. You could have worked harder, or paid more attention to your delivery, or rehearsed more, or whatever.
11. Act on the feedback
Even better: show that you act on it. Come up with a plan on what you’re going to do about the feedback, share it with the person who gave you the feedback, do it, and give updates along the way.
18. Make it regular
Expect to receive feedback regularly. Ask for more feedback every week if you have a 1-on-1, or with whatever frequency suits you. That way, the person can expect to give feedback and will be more likely to observe you.
“One of the only true shortcuts in life is finding an expert and apprenticing under them.” - James Clear
LINKS
RANDOMS
Now that we’re able to travel, somewhat, here’s an online collection of airline safety cards
Spotify list of Beatles covers by black musicians - the Black Beatles
Street Art (Being a Rebel)
Gartner HR Survey Finds Australian Employees Less Willing to Go ‘Above and Beyond’ at Work
Parkinson’s Law - “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”