3 ways to work better remotely

1. Use regular checkpoints

2. Set expectations at the start

3. Choose the right working environment

3 ways to work better remotely - Akachi's Leadership Yard - Episode #13

Join 900+ professionals to receive my weekly leadership development newsletter. Sign up for free at subscribepage.com/akachi

Starting a new job is exciting but creates anxiety as well.

How one starts at a new organization affects their level of engagement, satisfaction and happiness.

This is why assigning a 'buddy' to every new joiner in your firm is a great and important idea!

---

Why every new joiner in your organization should have a buddy - Akachi's Leadership Yard - Episode #12

How much do the environments in which we hold conversations at work matter?

Do you prefer having a coffee walk with a teammate to just another meeting?

A quite bite for your thoughts.

Does your environment affect your conversations? - Akachi's Leadership Yard - Episode #11

Why should you build a personal brand?

1. Unlike your job, no one can ever take your brand equity away from you. 

2. In trying to get ahead, visibility is half the game.

3. You will be nudged to develop your craft and step up your game

4. You learn to tame your ego

5. You will stand out more easily in professional circles

6. You will build trust and credibility

7. It's a more active way of building your network

9. You will develop better self-awareness

As Gary Vaynerchuk says,” Your personal brand is your reputation. And your reputation in perpetuity is the foundation of your career.”

Thanks for listening! Sign up to my weekly newsletters at bit.ly/akachisletters

According to our dear old friend, Wikipedia, " In time management, timeboxing allocates a fixed time period, called a timebox, within which planned activity takes place. It is employed by several project management approaches and for personal time management." 

In a nutshell, that's what it is.

I don't know why, but in the last two years, I've began using timeboxing and bullet journalling to organize my personal time. Has it worked? To some extent, yes.

But what's the biggest issue I find with it? Buffering! 

In a way, actually, that fault lies with me. Timeboxing is just a tool. It can be very very effective. But as humans, we experience the planning fallacy. (The planning fallacy, first proposed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in 1979, is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will be needed to complete a future task display an optimism bias and underestimate the time needed.)

And just like that, we create a major weakness in using this time management method.

Anyways, have a listen!

And follow me on Twitter @helloakachi

Are they though?

Some people like networking, some people hate it. I fall in the former camp.

Nonetheless, as I get older, I think it's best to really give these events more thought - especially as there's more competing demands for my time.

When going to an event, you need to know the main reason why: e.g. is it to get more leads and prospective customers for your business? is it to make new friends who are like-minded? is it to learn a new skill first and foremost?

Knowing a why will let you curate the kinds of events to go to, the kind of targets to have, and how to get the best results for your time and investment.

Anyways, have a listen.

And follow me on Twitter @helloakachi

Okay, so I've been excited about this one for a while!

I have this hypothesis that rejection breeds resilience, which in turns fosters anti-fragility, and results in courage. It might be a far stretch, but who knows?

I don't know how to test it either. All I know is that for some inexplicable reason, I had a light-bulb moment last week that made me wonder - would women be a lot bolder and bigger, if we become more used to the experience of asking people out on dates - instead of just waiting to be wooed and courted.

Will this social de-conditioning trickle down into other parts of our lives, e.g financial, professional etc, where we really need to become better at asking for what we want?!

Anyways, give it a listen.

And follow me on Twitter @helloakachi

If you're in university and are considering starting a business,  I would say, "go for it!".

You oftentimes have direct access to free or subsidized resources, dedicated entrepreneurial support centres etc.

And arguably, you have less to lose now compared to a few years in the future when you might have more responsibilities such as mortgages, a family, rent payments etc.

I am very pro-entrepreneurship though, so I might be a bit biased.

Anyways, have a listen!

And follow me on Twitter @helloakachi

What is coaching? Advice or Listening?

I believe the two aren't mutually exclusive!

There are various things to consider though, before ending a coaching relationship e.g. Is receiving advice really that bad? Are you just too familiar with your coach? Do you know how to receive heard truths? Have had talked to your coach regarding their non-listening behaviour?

I address all in this podcast episode.

Follow me on Twitter @helloakachi

Many organizations are now adopting a 'business casual' dress code, but what does that actually mean? [Hint: no one knows]

In this episode I mention three things you should always keep in mind, to be on the safe side.

~Have a listen, Akachi