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Three Things: Three phrases our mentors gave us which have changed our team and business.
Three Random Things I Learned This Week in Saas, Sports, Tech & Live Events
The best leadership advice we've gotten from mentors smarter than us. Each one we've used time and again and they almost always work:
1) "Help me understand." It takes managers a loooong time to learn the vast majority of mistakes and politics aren't actually nefarious by intent. Took me years. Most situations are fluid and complex yet managers tend to treat them as relatively black and white. "Why did you do X?" is offensive. It is similar to a bad coach barking "what are you doing?!" at a stunned kid. Try to understand intent first so we can spot these things in the future. I'm still surprised at what's uncovered. (Spoiler: I learn over and over my assumptions are very often wrong).
2) "As opposed to?" Complaining is a necessity in business and in life. We all need to dump our baggage on someone. Sometimes new founders are so personally hurt when they hear complaining. Don't be. It's normal. Work with your team to find solutions and teach them when and where it is okay to complain. An easy example: "Yes, we may not like X, but as opposed to what?" It often leads to the understanding and agreement the changes are necessary and, in some cases, they come up with better ideas.
3) "Say OK and extend the play." In most scenarios, more information is helpful. When in a tough spot, it's always easy to answer simply with "ok" and see what comes next. I'm shocked at how often this works and changes the conversation. It's a free timeout. Always worth a try.
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By Tony Knopp
5
11 ratings
Three Random Things I Learned This Week in Saas, Sports, Tech & Live Events
The best leadership advice we've gotten from mentors smarter than us. Each one we've used time and again and they almost always work:
1) "Help me understand." It takes managers a loooong time to learn the vast majority of mistakes and politics aren't actually nefarious by intent. Took me years. Most situations are fluid and complex yet managers tend to treat them as relatively black and white. "Why did you do X?" is offensive. It is similar to a bad coach barking "what are you doing?!" at a stunned kid. Try to understand intent first so we can spot these things in the future. I'm still surprised at what's uncovered. (Spoiler: I learn over and over my assumptions are very often wrong).
2) "As opposed to?" Complaining is a necessity in business and in life. We all need to dump our baggage on someone. Sometimes new founders are so personally hurt when they hear complaining. Don't be. It's normal. Work with your team to find solutions and teach them when and where it is okay to complain. An easy example: "Yes, we may not like X, but as opposed to what?" It often leads to the understanding and agreement the changes are necessary and, in some cases, they come up with better ideas.
3) "Say OK and extend the play." In most scenarios, more information is helpful. When in a tough spot, it's always easy to answer simply with "ok" and see what comes next. I'm shocked at how often this works and changes the conversation. It's a free timeout. Always worth a try.