Inspire, Writer's Block, Feedback and FAST
Issue No 42
Welcome to Issue No 42. There are so many fascinating things happening around us. Our lives are getting transformed. You may have heard the cliche about change being the only constant (yawn). But this is not change. Change assumes that there is one big change. When that change happens, things are not the same.
When there is transformation, all the variables change at an exponential pace. That makes transformations hard to comprehend. Our first story is about the ten principles that helps us drive transformation.
Before you read that, if you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please hit the subscribe button and make me happy!
Inspiration - not incentives, drive transformation
When organisations manage change, they incentivise the teams. On successful completion of the project, the team is rewarded. The “go-live'“ of the project is reason for champagne bottles to be popped.
Transformation never gets completed. Transformation has no end-date. Things will always be in Perpetual Beta.
Greg Satell writes for HBR, Forbes etc. He invited me to do a #sketchnote for the ten principles that make transformational change happen. My favourite tip from the ten that Greg suggests:
Deal with the opposition. Do not engage with attackers until you have built momentum.
Read about the 10 Principles for Transformational Change
Writer’s block
When an author is unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown, it is called a writer’s block.
It was a term coined by a psychiatrist named Edmund Bergler. Bergler studied writers who suffered from “neurotic inhibitions of productivity,” in an attempt to determine why they were unable to create—and, if anything, could be done about it. Maria Konnikova writes more here.
Creative people are often envied but rarely understood. Few people believe that creativity is a muscle that can be built with very simple methods. But first you have to diagnose, whether you need help in phase 1 or is it phase 2 that you need help in.
How to give feedback
You may have been told about how to give feedback: “Start with the positive. Then go for what needs to be fixed. End with a positive.” Here is the bad news. It does not work.
“When people hear praise during a feedback conversation, they brace themselves. They’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it makes the opening compliment seem insincere. You didn’t really mean it; you were just trying to soften the blow.”
When you end with a positive, that stays - but the area of improvement does not stick. Read more
Which of the two method’s of giving feedback would you recommend to someone who wishes to offer you feedback? Leave a comment
The Future of Creativity
Taking day-dreaming breaks during your workday will actually make you more creative. That “do-nothing” time can be powerful and refreshing. I learned about it in a Clubhouse chat where I joined @GregSatell and @NatWNixon in a freewheeling chat about the future of creativity. Here are some ideas that appealed to me. I am sharing my notebook.
If you ever get bored, remember it is a trigger for creativity Read this
Is creativity a luxury that only the rich can afford?
FAST goals are better
The whole world knows about S.M.A.R.T. goals. We all know that SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Time-Bound. But do you know about FAST goals? I like those better.
With a rapidly and constantly changing world, goals must be discussed frequently. They need to build in the right amount of stretch (not too easy and not impossible either).
That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to join my live chat with David Kidder. I will be talking to him about designing a Growth Operating system. So join me on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook at 7pm IST
Here is a doodle I did this week in a style I have not used before. What do you think of it?
Till the next Monday at 9am, stay curious. And do tap the heart sign below if you liked this newsletter.