#83 Be a Rule-Breaker
We have an abundance of rules and norms that regulate our behaviors and influence our judgement of what we think is right or wrong. To mention only a few common ones, in most countries and cultures there are rules and norms for how fast you can drive, where to park, on what to wear in […]
We have an abundance of rules and norms that regulate our behaviors and influence our judgement of what we think is right or wrong. To mention only a few common ones, in most countries and cultures there are rules and norms for how fast you can drive, where to park, on what to wear in different contexts, what time we have to appear at work and when we can leave, what you’re allowed to say and to whom, and what you can bring with you on airplanes, and so on. All these rules and norms make it easy for us to follow. We don’t need to think and evaluate how fast we should drive on this road, or when the most productive time is for us to do work (yes, most people still don’t get to choose). They also set the tone for what is regarded as right or wrong, so we don’t have to define those terms for ourselves and therewith become clear about who we really are and how we want to express ourselves. I am not suggesting that rules are ‘bad’ or not necessary. I merely urge you to view the obedience to rules and norms as a choice, rather than an obligation! Rules and norms are there to maintain the status quo, to keep things running smoothly as they are. Next time, when you’re not happy with how things are, keep in mind that norms and rules are man-made, no universal laws. They can be broken and changed, as long as you can justify and explain why breaking a rule is better than sticking to...
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RSS#82 Be Forward Looking
As a kid there was always something to look forward to – the possibility of getting the birthday or Christmas present I had so long wished for, the next summer holiday with my family and friends and all the fun we would have, or being finally old enough to ride my first little 50cc motorbike […]
As a kid there was always something to look forward to – the possibility of getting the birthday or Christmas present I had so long wished for, the next summer holiday with my family and friends and all the fun we would have, or being finally old enough to ride my first little 50cc motorbike and all the independence and freedom I would enjoy. In other words, there was always some promised future event that would spark my imagination with all the possibilities that it would open up. I was always fueled with excitement for life. When we grow older, this excitement for life often slows down or even completely vanishes. Maybe we are just too busy with our daily lives to imagine the possibilities of the future. Or perhaps, as we get older we’re just not as excitable anymore as we collect more and more experiences and believe we already know what’s going to happen. Some of us even think back with nostalgia, presuming that the best times lie behind them. But here’s the thing: When you take some time on a regular basis to look forward, to learn about the possibilities that lay ahead of us, you can’t help but get more excited and optimistic about the future. When you learn about the huge advances in renewable energy technologies that will enable us to live in a 95% renewable energy world within decades, with a handful of countries already living off more than 90% renewable energy, you begin to feel more optimistic about climate change. When you learn that within a few decades, you might be able...#81 Be Flowing
Tesh and me went for a walk on the beach the other day. It was full-moon the night before and the tide was unusually low exposing a field of rocks and pebbles at the end of the beach. We continued along, jumping from rock to rock at faster and faster pace. As we got more […]
Tesh and me went for a walk on the beach the other day. It was full-moon the night before and the tide was unusually low exposing a field of rocks and pebbles at the end of the beach. We continued along, jumping from rock to rock at faster and faster pace. As we got more warmed up and in tune with our bodies we began skipping those rocks faster than I thought would be possible without falling. None of us spoke, just a joyful giggle from time to time. With my attention entirely focused on where my feet would touch and push off next there was no room for me to focus on anything else. There was no fear of what would happen if I missed. No doubt that I can do it. Just thoughtless attention flowing from rock to rock. That’s when I realised that maybe this is the state that lets us achieve great things, things that lay beyond thinking and planning. This is not to say that planning and thinking ahead hasn’t got a place. However, no-one has ever solved a problem, created a piece of art, built a house or even completed a doctoral thesis solely through thinking. While thought is the important first step of the creative process, once we have made up our mind and determined a course of action, further thinking may not be useful. On the contrary, the constant urge to think it through one more time, to figure things out without doing them, may just be another form of procrastination. Only when we start doing and give undivided attention to...#76 Be the Expert
I was recently in a business meeting, with our team playing an advisory role to a major national retail chain, who are trying to build a new revenue stream in the field of our expertise.
I was recently in a business meeting, with our team playing an advisory role to a major national retail chain, who are trying to build a new revenue stream in the field of our expertise. My partner, an ex-CEO in the Telco industry, led the meeting. Instead of explaining the background of the complex industry-specific terms and concepts that made the Retail CEO’s eyes glass-over, he almost consciously ignored the signals of information overload from the other side of the table and confidently continued. The retail chain managed to ask some general questions around costs and risks with little depth. The Retail CEO was prepared to pay $3000 in advisory fees for a 1h meeting which seemingly didn’t further his understanding in that matter in any major way. What is happening here? My partner claimed the role of ‘Expert’. His assignment is to advise the Retail CEO on his decisions on if and how to implement this new business model. He gets paid a tremendously high rate, not because he is meant to educate the CEO and transfer his in-depth expert knowledge gained over decades of experience, but to provide him with the assurance that he makes the right decision for his company. Therefore, what the Retail CEO pays for is certainty. Now, most of us would agree that the world is no certain place and that the deeper you dig the less certain things become. So really it’s perceived certainty. Why the expert-jargon laden communication style then? Because if you painstakingly explain to people exactly why things are as they are and how they function, they tend to...