1.Strength builds from within. Good food. Water. Silence. Exercise. learn new things. This builds personal sustainability. Those who do are prepared for the marathon that lies ahead.
2. Sleep is more important than zoom. Agree a time that the calls will stop. Agree times you will take calls. The rest of the time is for deep work. Slumped off the last video call of the day people are slipping into the numbing task of watching more. Leaders that thrive switch the whole lot off.
3. Days have no names. They are there to be managed so you can be at your best. Be clear with those you work with what your outputs are. When they will be delivered by. The best results happen when you guide things.
4. Commuting is a thing of the past. Allow your staff to choose the location of their work. Some are working in local shared offices, others at home, some are preparing for 1 rather than 5 days in the office. Great work happens where people feel safe.
5. Create a sense of urgency that has a clear focus. This builds alignment and collective understanding for everyone to ‘roll up their sleeves’ and provide support where it’s needed. Its not job description led but need driven.
6. Empty calendars create the best deep work. Follow in Basecamp and Cal Newports steps to ensure superb work is successfully delivered. Meetings should be the exception rather than the rule. Switching to remote means a different format is needed. Serendipity can be done through social events and more.
7. Time is compartmentalised. Do your best work at the times of day you are most energised. Find time to relax, exercise and spend time with your family.
8. Curiosity doesnt ‘kill the cat’ but build resources for the future. Place 30 minutes in your diary today to allow your thoughts to take you.
9. Trust creates autonomy. Autonomy creates trust.
10. Better is the new perfectionism. Do your best in that moment and be better each time.
11. Onboarding / induction is not required. You are hired for your expertise . Ask the questions when you need to know something. How do I get paid? Who is x? Where do I find y? Create your personally designed induction process through what you need in the moment.
12. Rookie mindset wins the day. Liz Wiseman book Rookie Smart shares this. When we have the approach of a new person to our environment it allows to keep a fresh approach.
13. Being better than yesterday is the best development tool. You can completed two types of learning formal and informal. Formal gives you certificates. Informal further supports your curiosity beyond the constraints of formal learning. Allowing your curiosity to lead the way you can be better each day.
14. Communities are the best places to embed new learnings. As Seth Godin would say find the people like you who do things like us. Share with others and allow people to bring their ideas. Share learnings and evolve better each time.
15. Remove the rubbish. Metaphorically and physically. What is left matters? Ask yourself if a Tsunami was on its way what would you keep hold of. Ditch the rest.
16. Understand people by understanding the tools they use e.g. coding for coders, the books they read and the stories they share. Take the time to understand. Understanding builds trust.
17. All the best stuff is created in chaos. We may like order but when things feel chaotic it can bring in things that are the very product of the chaos.
18. There is only one zone of success. The one that is best for you. Respect other approaches and perspectives.
19. Helpers high is a great drug. Give people permission to embrace it.
20. Ask the best questions by being late. Fashionably late allows you to ask the best questions. You may feel you have missed the boat. But coming late means you can bring the questions that need to come to the surface when status quo has set in.
21. Remove the unwanted habits. What didnt you like before and how can you take these things from your routine and add new that you do like.
22. Embrace your needs not the process. What business model are you following? There is no one size fits all. Even if you follow a recognised format the way you approach it will be different. Embrace your needs not the process.
23. Lack of time is an excuse of a lazy person. We can all be guilty of keeping the status quo. Those that make and find the time find solutions and opportunity. Are you being lazy with your time?
24. Time is important and valuable. Do what is right not what is easy.
25. Motivating others is a myth. People are already motivated to do what they are passionate about. You can assist by allowing them to do what fuels them. In a space that they feel safe in.
26. Learning is the secret fuel. It is a continual process. Sharing learnings can help you and others.
27. Being busy is a victim of choice. Busy may bring the feeling of importance but doesnt help you do your best work.
28. Next normal is more relevant than new normal. Things are constantly evolving. Being adaptable through having resilience for the business, tech and people skills. Mark and measure resilience for value not rules.
29. Give people the gift of space. We know from research, which was shared in Daniel Pink’s book Drive, that Autonomy is a gift for motivation. Allow people the space and opportunity to do their best work.
30. Kindness rewards. Kindness is caring and doing things to support others improve their lives. We and so are those we are kind to are rewarded. It could be people in the community, the business and ourselves.
31. Listen more and talk less. Listening builds understanding and clarity. We can gain new perspectives and see how we can best support.
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