What I'm Reading

The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership - I’ve read this in the past and recently revisited due to its impactful insights. It outlines the idea that if you can become a better leader it will lead to a more fulfilling life.

There are two kinds of leaders: conscious and unconscious. Unconscious leaders don’t respond well to changes in their environment. They always view themselves as victims of circumstance and think their success and happiness, or lack thereof, is produced by outside factors. Conscious leaders live in the moment. They learn from whatever situation they are in and understand they have the power to change it.

The book explains that it is more important to understand where you fall – above or below the line. It is unrealistic to always sit above the line; however, it is important to be conscious and understand when you are below the line so you can shift your mindset.

You can aim to be a conscious leader by following the 15 commitments of conscious leadership – outlined in the image below. My personal favorite is #1 – radical responsibility. This means taking full responsibility for every aspect of your life. When things don’t go as planned, take accountability, and understand that every experience is an opportunity.

The Managers Handbook  is another great resource on this, and other, topics. 

Jesse Pujji on effective delegation X thread by Jesse Pujji

This thread was valuable because it delved into the topic of delegation, a challenge I've encountered and observed in other leaders.

It categorizes common mistakes into two groups: abdicating and micromanaging. Abdicating occurs when you assign a task or responsibility and then disengage, assuming it will be completed. Micromanaging, on the other hand, involves overseeing every minor detail of your report's work.

The thread also introduces two tools to improve delegation skills:

1. Ladder of Leadership (LL) and
2. Task Relevant Maturity (TRM)

Concept I’ve been studying

Interrupted time off contribution to flight risk

What is this?

Simon Sinek recently shared an intriguing study with a headline that caught my attention: “Should you tell your employees not to work on weekends?” Like him, I've always advocated for team members to be fully engaged during work hours and to ideally disconnect in the evenings and weekends.

A company named Watercooler utilized machine learning to analyze datasets and identify predictors of flight risk among employees. The results were quite revealing.

Summary of Findings:

1. Employees most disengaged from work rarely, if ever, work during the evenings or weekends.
2. Employees at high risk for burnout often work excessively in the evenings or on weekends.
3. The happiest, most engaged, and best-performing employees sometimes choose to work on the occasional evening or weekend. The reason is straightforward: they are deeply committed. They care immensely and appreciate the opportunity to contribute extra effort to support their colleagues, the company, and their own success.

I’m not suggesting that everyone should start working on weekends, but these findings are interesting and, from my perspective, fairly accurate. Sinek emphasizes in his post that the most effective thing a leader can do is express appreciation for these efforts, rather than discouraging work during off-hours.

Best podcast of the last 30 days

Todd Herman: Unleashing Your Secret Identity [The Knowledge Project Ep. #182]

With over two decades of expertise in performance, strategy, mindset, and execution, Herman shares valuable insights on how different identities, whether as entrepreneurs, athletes, or family roles, can be harnessed to maximize one’s potential. He discusses overcoming challenges, patience, fear, imposter syndrome, and his collaboration with Kobe Bryant on the "Black Mamba" alter ego. The episode delves into the concepts of execution, resilience, the perception of pressure, and the importance of meaningful focus. By exploring the relationship between identity and performance and providing practical strategies for goal achievement, Herman offers a comprehensive guide to realizing one's true potential.

My personal growth

How I’ve failed…

One of my struggles has been checking my phone too frequently. Every Sunday, I review my screen time from the past week, aiming to reduce the minutes spent on my phone. Despite my efforts, I've noticed an upward trend in my usage. This habit has made it challenging to maintain focus for extended periods, as even brief checks for emails or messages disrupt my concentration.

To address this issue, I recently bought a second phone—an old-school flip phone without internet access. Only my wife and mother have the number, and I've gently asked them to use it only for urgent matters. Since adopting this practice, I've relegated my smartphone to specific times, carrying the flip phone during work hours and evenings. This change has significantly improved my focus and reduced my screen time.

Personal development priority – more effective 1 on 1 meetings

Historically, I haven't excelled at structuring 1 on 1 check-ins. They have been informal and ad-hoc. Reflecting on the outcomes, I realized that adopting a more structured approach to check-ins with a direct report or teammate would be beneficial. To facilitate this, I have found and updated a template that I now use. Additionally, I send this template to my direct reports or teammates in advance, asking them to complete it and return it to me a day before our meeting.

The goal is to maximize the value of the check-in, focus on the individual, and provide as much career coaching benefit as possible within the time available. By having the template completed in advance, we can ensure a focused and productive discussion, centered on their needs and professional development.

Closing culture thought

In closing, I'd like to reflect on what I believe truly defines a great consultant and, conversely, where some may fall short. Great consulting is rooted in how we, as consultants, engage with our clients to tackle challenges together.

Great consultants understand that they are not merely service providers but partners. They don't work "at" their clients but "with" them, sharing both the bench and the burden of the problem at hand. This collaborative mindset fosters a sense of unity, essential for navigating complex issues and delivering tangible results.

Where some consultants miss the mark is by positioning themselves across the table from their clients, thereby creating an unspoken divide. The best outcomes are achieved in the middle ground, where consultant and client perspectives merge to form a comprehensive understanding of the problem and a tailored approach to solving it.

As we move forward, let's carry this mindset into every engagement. By working together, sitting side by side with our clients, and tackling challenges as a unified team, we can achieve amazing results and become long-term partners.