ANDs and ORs

We are always forced to believe that the choices we face come with the dilemma of the “OR”.
You are either chasing market share or profitability.
You are either making profits or losses.
You are either a success or a failure.
You are either engaged or disengaged.
You are either good or bad.

We are constantly faced with the binary choice of 0 or 1. Asked to take a side. Required to defend that side. Destined to die on that side. Never living the whole.

This is why I love the concept of “Strong opinions, weakly held”.

You can chase market share and profitability. You are leading.
You can be making profits and losses. You are innovating.
You can be a success and a failure. You are growing.
You can be engaged and disengaged. You are thinking.
You can be good and bad. You are human.

It is in the ANDs of life that your genius is born.

You can even have ANDs and ORs. 

No one should limit your ANDs.

- Osasu Oviawe

Short Term Wins

The 8 Step Kotter Model of Change Management is a gold mine of leadership. 

We will address all the Steps, but I am starting at Step 6 because that is what came to me today.

There is value in creating and celebrating short term wins, while on the journey to long term sustainable gains. 

This celebration is not a distraction, it is an enabler of the right behaviors. Winning behaviors. 

Celebrating short term wins, incentivizes winning, and winning is why we are in the game.

Long term gains cannot be reached without short term wins. Why? 

1. Not everyone will reach the long term, but everyone needs to feel it is worth trying.
2. Long term commitment is by itself, hard work.
3. People repeat what is celebrated. Willingly or unwillingly. What people repeat, is culture.

It is thus shocking when I see leaders get scared of celebrating short term wins, using the excuse of maintaining a sense of urgency. I agree, a sense of urgency is always required, but if you get stuck in a sense of urgency, you better be building a Fire Service Department.

As a leader, you cannot afford to always bring, promote and incentivize a "burning platform" syndrome. Sometimes, it is the dance floor that should be burning with the dancing shoes of your team. 

In the long run, the long term goals change.
In the short term, there should be signposts that you are in the right direction.

As you journey along, you are allowed to raise your hands up in a "V" at predetermined signposts and then put them back down and get on the grind.

Create and celebrate short term wins, but don't let up.

- Osasu Oviawe

A thought

As the features in a gadget improves, the casing/form becomes more fragile.


Same applies to humans.

A day in my journal

I shared a part of my journal entry with a friend recently. So I decided to share it with the world, because what is good for one can be expanded to all.

 

Journal entry on May 22, 2018.

 

Thankful

• Successful start of Line Management.
• Transfer of stipends to loved ones.
• Tithe payment.

Do better

• Proactively manage meeting times and duration, to ensure prompt conclusion of the agenda.
• Ignore what adds no value. Not all calls for my opinion need to be answered.
• Decline meetings that only need me for credibility. Value addition or No-No.

Learning

• People want more responsibility, but what helps them really grow, is smart trust.

 

- Osasu Oviawe

Pull out game

There are parallels between men that brag about their pull out game in sexual escapades and men that brag about their pull out game in investments. Sinister parallels.


Let us talk about some.

You really should not be in it
If you have a pull out game as a strategy, you really should not be in the game in the first place. No matter how disciplined you are, in the moment of truth, it is really tougher to follow through on such a strategy, except you were never into it in the first place.

You are not playing fair
You are obviously working with insider information and actually playing other stakeholders for a fool. It is only a matter of time before you get caught out.

You have been lucky
Maybe your pull out game is actually weak and you have had many failures, but somehow, it never showed, so you still walk away from the room with your chin up.

You have done many ineffable things
A good number of abortions have followed your failures, just to keep up with the image.

You are in it for the short term
This is always a short term strategy, with no planned long term horizon. Short term strategies do not compound and they ultimately are a waste of irredeemable time.

You are risking it all
While avoiding a commitment, you are actually risking it all, because the greatest risk is getting into a noncommittal engagement without any protection.

You are betting against nature
Unfortunately, nature always has the last laugh.


- Osasu Oviawe

It depends

What is your reaction to a ringing phone?
It depends.
It depends on who is calling.
It depends on where I am.
It depends on the frequency of calls from the caller.
It depends on the perceived value of the caller.
It depends on me.


What is your reaction to a broadcast?
It depends.
It depends on who is sharing.
It depends on where I am.
It depends on the frequency of broadcasts from the sender.
It depends on the perceived value of the sender.
It depends on me.


What is your reaction to a notification?
It depends.
It depends on what is popping.
It depends on where I am.
It depends on the frequency of pop-ups from the sharer.
It depends on the perceived value of the sharer.
It depends on me.


- Osasu Oviawe

Curtains

When you go to the theatre, curtains are used to:

• Separate the auditorium from the stage,
• Act as a backdrop,
• Decorate.

When you go to a home, curtains are used for:

• Light and air control,
• Privacy,
• Decoration. 

In a theatre, the audience, guests or visitors are treated to the front side of the curtain (beautiful view), while the performers soak in the back side of the curtain (ugly view), until they are allowed in. Very few guests are allowed in, to see the backstage. It is usually reserved for those that are enchanted by the performer.

In a home, the crowd, guests or visitors can only view the back side of the curtain (ugly view), while the owners soak in the front side of the curtain (beautiful view), until they are allowed in. Very few guests are allowed in, to appreciate the home. It is usually reserved for those that are trusted by the owner. 

 

Curtains of a theatre – Externally motivated. Look good. Drive fast. Live large. Travel in front. Party hard. Bright lights. 

Curtains of a home – Internally motivated. Feel good. Joy. Care. Commitment. Courage. Kindness. Integrity.

 

While some individuals live in a theatre, others prefer to be at home.

  

Your choices - Put up a show and let enchantment filter the crowd you let in or Create beauty within and let trust filter the crowd you let in. Choose what works for you.

“The big question about how people behave is whether they've got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an Inner Scorecard.” - Warren Buffett

- Osasu Oviawe