It’s essential to keep an eye on this question… Because the day-to-day will be a grind sometimes. Because there will be times when you need it as a lens to evaluate your attitude… … and the things you’re spending your time doing… and the attitudes and commitment of others. Because there will be times when the tasks are thankless (the…
Tag: values
In the space between finishing university and starting my first proper job I had a minor revelation. With my bank account running low and a few weeks before my first pay cheque would arrive I walked into Marks and Spencer* and experienced – I think for the first time in my life – the feeling of not being able to…
A good test of your values is asking when they last cost you something else that you wanted. For each of your values ask: Do you donate to the cause, or otherwise pay to make it happen? Do you give up opportunities? Do you pay a financial penalty for avoiding something? Do you work to change things by writing or…
My values are the best that I know; I assume you feel the same. Changing them is hard – it takes some combination of (delete as appropriate)… experience / evidence / awareness / engagement with an argument / a strong feeling… …of / with / about … the flaws in our existing values / the way that something we think…
This episode of Akimbo is a thoughtful look out our tendency to seek more of what we like – whether loud music or extreme sports or money or beauty. In a nutshell:It’s almost inevitable that we’ll experience diminishing satisfaction from a given amount of whatever brings you pleasure, so we’re always seeking to turn the dial to eleven (out of…
All things being equal,* a quick decision is better than a slow one. You can feel confident in making a quick decision if the decision… Is easily reversible at low cost; Has only trivial or short-term consequences (i.e. you will rarely notice the difference or will only have to live with a poor choice for a short time); Is between…
I’ve been reminded that even for those of us who get off lightly, our current situation – lockdown in response to Covid-19 – is going to be a slog. A marathon is different in kind from a sprint, and an involuntary slog of indeterminate length is different in kind again. Sprints – single events, urgent work, tight deadlines, sudden crises…
If you’re trying to work out your next step for your career or organisation, you could do worse than thinking about these things:
Being “responsive” is more than a question of timing. Your voice and “default” tone matter. Your voice What do you sound like as you respond to others? What would you like to sound like? It might help to make a list: Friendly, open and available – even when saying “no”; Positive / “can do” / constructive / helpful; Interested /…
Here’s great mission statement from Airbnb. Our Mission: Create a world where anyone can belong anywhere It’s an audacious, incredibly rewarding mission that our increasingly diverse team is dedicated to achieving. Airbnb is built around the idea that everyone should be able to take the perfect trip, including where they stay, what they do, and who they meet. To that…