18.10.2024 From here (link) - I love the idea all opportunities come from people:
We also realized that Atlantes (our community) are a bank of social capital. We believe that all opportunities come from people, all decisions come through interaction with people, and all transformations happen through people.
11.10.2024 Ben Horowitz "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" (link).
In a good workplace, people have the opportunity to focus on their work, and they are confident that how well they do it will contribute to the overall success of the company. Working in such a company is a real pleasure. Every morning, each employee wakes up knowing they are about to work efficiently and productively, and that their efforts will play a significant role for both the company and themselves. This is how motivation arises.
If the company is a bad workplace, employees spend a lot of time overcoming organizational problems, dealing with internal conflicts, and fixing disruptions in the production process. They don’t even fully understand what their job entails, so they have no way to assess whether it is done well or not. And if, by some miracle, they manage to do it, they don’t know how it affects the company or their careers as a whole.
01.10.2024 Connections Map - I just did a very interesting exercise - reviewing my Connections! the idea is to sit down and draw all possible connections I have in life now. The idea is to see the whole situation from a very high point of view to identify possible gaps and missing pieces.
Once you draw all your connections (I used big streams - family, friends, work, my events), reflect on the following questions:
whom you would like to have on the Map, but he/she is missing? I used a light blue color for my husband and my grandmother. And I realized that among all my beautiful girls (friends) I don't have any local Finnish girls! missing part;
who gives you energy (green highlight) and who takes energy from you (red highlight)?
who pulls you back to your past and reminds you about failures and who you used to be (red highlight) and who shows the future to you and expands your vision (purple highlight)?
Very interesting findings! highly recommend!
27.09.2024 How to hire (from the book of Geoff Smart and Randy Street Who: Solve your #1 problem) - how to announce an open role? It is super important to list down RESULTS you would like to get from the candidate and when:
The result lists what you expect to achieve from the candidate. Take another look at the task description example. Notice the wording of the first point: "Increase revenue from $25 million to $50 million by the end of the third year." In other words, the new Vice President of Sales will either be able to grow the revenue to $50 million within three years or not. An A-player will be able to do this; B and C players will not. This is a very specific result, and because of its clarity, it allows you to eliminate unpromising candidates right from the start.
25.09.2024 Reading a great book about A-players and how to hire strategically (link). I was wondering recently what is world-class Customer Success, made my definitions, and this is a very good continuation of the same self-reflection. Check this quote below, applicable to any expertise and industry!
Professional qualities of A-players:
Productivity: Able to achieve significant results with minimal costs.
Integrity and conscientiousness: Does not violate ethical principles.
Self-confidence: Does what is right, not just what is advantageous; communicates clearly and unambiguously.
High intelligence: Capable of learning quickly, absorbing, and applying new information at work.
Analytical skills: Able to structure and process both qualitative and quantitative data and draw constructive conclusions; demonstrates a curious and active mind.
Attention to detail: Pays attention to the small things that can affect the overall result of the work.
Proactivity: Acts independently without being prompted; offers new ideas to the company.
Ability to find Class A players (for managers): Can identify top players and make deals that are beneficial for the company.
Ability to train employees (for managers): Acts as a coach for subordinates in their current positions – develops them and prepares them for career growth.
Flexibility and adaptability: Quickly adapts to changes in priorities and work conditions; effectively handles challenges and changes.
Ability to stay calm in stressful situations: Able to continue working under pressure or stress.
Strategic thinking and imagination: Capable of large-scale thinking and seeing the big picture positively; identifies potential opportunities and threats through comparative analysis of current and future trends.
Creative approach, drive for innovation: Able to find new, sometimes unexpected approaches to problems.
Enthusiasm: Shows a caring and optimistic attitude toward work; believes in their abilities.
Work ethic: Sincerely strives to work to full capacity and sometimes even overtime if the situation requires it; this is confirmed by the candidate’s track record.
High-quality standards: Expects excellent results from both themselves and their subordinates.
Ability to listen: Allows colleagues to express themselves and considers their viewpoints.
Receptiveness to criticism and new ideas: Creates an environment for feedback and calmly responds to negative reviews and criticism.
Communication skills: Clearly expresses thoughts both verbally and in writing without being overly verbose; this also applies to electronic communication.
Teamwork: Gets along well with both subordinates and superiors, creating optimal conditions for cooperation.
Ability to inspire others: Can convince colleagues of the correctness of the chosen path.
04.07.2024 Simon Sinek "Start with Why" (link).
What I am taking for myself from this book:
when you got a successful result, do you really understand why it happened? what lead to the success?
we achieve our desired goals only through discipline, doing what needs to be done in the direction of our goal;
people don't buy what you make, people buy why you make it;
frame your values as verbs, not nouns. Nouns never inspire action. For example, instead of "innovation," use "challenge assumptions"; instead of "honesty," use "always do the right thing."
The Golden Ratio Principle in Business:
WHAT we do, what is the product, what is our market, who are our consumers;
HOW we do that, what are our unique selling points;
WHY we do what we do, why I am waking up every morning, why we develop this product.
15.05.2024 Created "Working-with-me" tutorial to simplify communication with me, inside my team and around.
My rule #1
What I like and what is important for me at work
What I don't respect at work
My drivers and strengths
Warnings about my blind spots
How is easier for me to communicate
One pager is on my Drive (link).
The idea is from the interview with Claire Hughes Johnson, COO Stripe (link).
14.05.2024 Formulated in my own words, inspired by this interview by Sergey Ivanov, COO of EFKO (link):
07.05.2024 Started to read The Strategist's Handbook by Timothy Galpin (Säid Business School, University of Oxford) - link. It is not a book you will read overnight, I read, stop, reflect, come back, read, make notes, stop, come back..
Author is talking about the evolution of strategy:
1950-2000: growth economics and "economic strategy".
2000 - today: value economics and "value-creation strategy".
This is very interesting! I see it by my eyes, now confirmed.
"Value-creation strategy" embraces the concept of "transient competitive advantage." "Value creation" begins to replace "competitive advantage" as a dominant strategic pursuit. The blurring of industry boundaries and a fundamental shift from "firms" to "ecosystems and platforms" business models gives rise to more complex market contests with varied actors.
23.04.2024 Interesting metaphor for a failure - from here:
The beauty of weight lifting is that failure is baked into the practice. The whole goal in weight lifting is to work your muscles to failure, which we sometimes forget. When you can't squeeze out that last rep or lock out those elbows before dropping the weight, it's not uncommon to feel a flash of frustration, but then you have to remember that your failure on that particular lift doesn't mean you've lost somehow. It actually means that your workout was a good one, that your muscles were fully fatigued. It means you did the work.
In the gym, failure doesn't equal defeat, it equals success. It's one of the reasons I've been comfortable pushing the limits in everything I do. When failure is a positive part of the game you play, it's much less scary to search for the limits of your ability..
22.04.2024 From Arnold Schwarzenegger "Be Useful" - why it is important to sell your big vision:
..the one thing I tell them that they should be doing more of is promoting. Communicating. Selling. Sell, sell, sell! You can have the most amazing idea, the most fantastic plan, the best in class of virtually anything, but if nobody knows that it exists or knows what it is, then it's a waste of time and effort. It might as well not exist at all.
When it comes to realizing your dreams, you cannot allow that to happen. In fact, it should never happen, because no one is better equipped or motivated than you to sell your vision to the world.
And one more:
It might sound scary right now, but you can do it, I promise you. I've been around a long time. I've met a lot of happy, successful people from all over the world. Famous people. Powerful people. Interesting, creative people. Normal, good, hardworking people. What they all have in common is that they never let anyone else write their stories. They know how to sell their vision better than anyone, and they walk peacefully through the world confident in that knowledge.
17.04.2024 Reading the last book from Arnold Schwarzenegger "Be Useful" - a very good book! will share many thoughts and quotes from there.
The purpose of all this hard work - all the reps, all the pain, all the follow-through, all the long hours - was the same in every phase of my career. It's the same for anything special you could ever want to do with your life, whether it's owning a business, getting married, being a farmer, becoming a watchmaker, traveling the world, earning a raise and a promotion, going to the Olympics, managing an assembly line, starting a nonprofit organization, whatever it is. The purpose is to be prepared. It's to be ready to perform when the spotlight turns on, when opportunity knocks, when the cameras roll, when a crisis arrives. There is value and meaning in doing hard work for its own sake, don't get me wrong, but the real reason is so that when the moment arrives for your dream to come true and for your vision to become real... you don't flinch and you don't falter.
12.04.2024
15.02.2024 From Jay Nathan, Head of Growth:
“If you are saying ‘yes’ to this, what are you saying ‘no’ to?” The strategy question clarifies tradeoffs. Strategy is nothing by making choices about where to focus time and energy.
From his article.
01.02.2024 finished Leadership strategy and tactics, field manual by Jocko Willink (Former US Navy SEAL) - good book, basic, but super straight to the point!
..fundamental principles of combat leadership, what I would eventually call the Laws of Combat: - Cover and Move - Simple - Prioritize and Execute - Decentralized Command
Cover and Move is teamwork:
Two teams working together, covering and moving for each other, don't just double their effectiveness; they multiply their impact and capability exponentially.
Simple is a goal:
Everyone on the team must understand that goal. It must be clear. In addition to the goal being simple and clear, plans and directives must be communicated up and down the chain of command in a simple, clear, concise manner that can be comprehended by everyone. Simplicity is key, because if the team members cannot understand the goal or the plan to accomplish that goal, there is no possible way they can execute. So keep it Simple.
Prioritize and Execute:
There will be multiple tasks that need to be accomplished or numerous problems that must be solved. If the leader or the team members try to accomplish too many things at once, they will likely accomplish nothing. The most impactful task or the biggest problem must be addressed first, then the next, then the next, and so on until everything is handled.
Decentralized Command: everyone on the team must step up and lead.
Only if the fire team leaders understood that intent could they execute anything. And their execution also depended on their confidence to make decisions and the level of empowerment they felt. Only if the fire team leaders felt they were empowered to make things happen would they step up and lead. That empowerment had to be ingrained in the minds of the subordinate leaders; it had to be imbedded in the culture of the team.
It is all about balance - like everything in life!
The Dichotomy of Leadership describes opposing forces that are pulling leaders in contradictory directions at the same time. To lead properly, a leader must be balanced. For example, leaders must talk, but if the talk too much, they overwhelm their subordinates with information, On the other hand, if they talk too little, the troops aren't properly informed. So the leader has to balance between talking too much and talking too little. A leader must be aggressive, but if they are too aggressive, they might expose themselves to unnecessary risk. Contrarily, if they are not aggressive enough, they will never make progress. So once again, a leader has to be balanced.
About relationships with the boss or direct manager - agreed! As an employee, I might not know the higher goal and obstacles that my +1 see on their level, so, I must subordinate:
Instead, you have to play the game. That means I try to support my boss and perform my duties to the best of my ability. In playing the game, I am building up trust with my boss; I am building a relationship. Why it is so important to build a good relationship with my boss? Is it so I get promoted? Is it so I can get assigned easier tasks? No. I am not trying to build the relationship for my own personal gain; I am trying to build a relationship with my boss so we can better accomplish the mission.
About emotional reactions:
There are times when people will say and do things that make no sense. There are times when things will not go the way you want. When this happens, good leaders remain levelheaded. Don't get agitated. Keep your emotions in check. Take measured account of the situation. Keep your opinions to yourself as you analyze, logically, what is actually happening.
Remember that anything you might say at the moment is based on incomplete and likely inaccurate information. Allow for the situation to unfold and for a more solid picture to appear before you speak up.
24.01.2024 Leadership strategy and tactics, field manual by Jocko Willink (Former US Navy SEAL)
Don't care. When you are a leader, not caring is a very powerful tool as well. You want to utilize your plan instead of mine? Cool, I don't care. You want me to do some crappy job for you that others find demeaning? Fine, I don't care.
20.01.2024 Ray Dalio, "Principles".
Still reading it; briefly:
“Knowing yourself” is the first step in the conscious life of anyone. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do something that matches your inner world and your aspirations.
07.01.2024 Ray Dalio, "Principles".
I think I can make so many quotes from this book! First, I listened an audiobook and after that, I bought my own paper book. Read it, come back to it. Leave it, come back to it. Very good book.
For example, the part about How to make efficient decisions:
Remember that each particular case is just a repetition of the past, determine what category of events it belongs to, and then apply carefully thought-out principles to it. This will allow you to radically reduce the number of decisions and also improve their quality.
Make decisions based of your expected benefits:
- It's always good to increase the likelihood of being right, no matter what the current state of the deal is. - Knowing when to leave is just as important as knowing when to make a bet. - The best choice is always the one with more pros than cons, and not the one with no cons.
30.12.2023 Just finished Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord (VP HR Netflix)
Her approach to hiring and leading people is very sharp: she insists, we should own our career and, for example, don't expect bonuses based on long working history in the company. Own your career path, make your goals, work towards it and be ready to change project anytime!
Patty's algorithm:
It is a fact that sometimes a company hires you to do a specific job. You do it and it's all over. If I hire people to rebuild a garage, I don't want them to rebuild the whole house after doing the job.
My algorithm: when evaluating a team, I advise managers to use a simple rule that I call the “algorithm.”
- What does this person like to do?
- What is he exceptionally good at?
- Why do we need someone who does this flawless?
22.12.2023 Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility by Patty McCord (VP HR Netflix)
Wouldn't it be great to create a company that we both really wanted to work for? Oh, I wish I could come to work every day and solve these problems with these people.
Can not say better - my main driver!
Great teams enjoy challenges. Great teams are formed when you need to get to the bottom of things. When I hire an employee, I look for someone who is truly inspired by the problems we have to solve. You want them to wake up thinking, “God, this is hard! I want to do this!” Getting a problem that you would like to take on and colleagues with whom you would like to take on is the best incentive of all.
Comentarii