Trent365

This is my new process for communicating and sharing important news, events, happenings of a personal nature.

I realised last night, as I wanted to share some news, that my first reaction was to just post it on Facebook. That's where many of the people who I wanted to share this news with 'live'.

But then I thought about the potential to draw a negative reaction from other, 'lesser friends' on the platform.

Some might be happy for me. Some will be envious. Some jealous. Some would disagree with my decision. Some would even politicise it.

So, in the end, I decided to...

Internalise - just take a moment to appreciate the news for myself ;

Rationalise - identify the 3-5 most significant people in my life and just share the news with them ;

Publicise - only then would I contemplate sharing it more broadly across social media...if I must.

I reckon that's a pretty process.

What do you think?

#socialmedia #selfawareness #perspective

If we've learned one thing as a result of this pandemic...it's that behavioural change is possible.

But if we've learned two things...it's that it can be hard.

Think about all the changes you've made in your behaviours over the past year.

Then think about how hard some of those changes were.

Now think about how much 'help' you had in making those changes.

The government close the borders, shut down the airlines, hotels, spa, restaurants & bars and mandated mask wearing and temperature checking.

And even with all that 'help' it was still hard.

There are still times we forget our face mask or to social distance.

Not because we are evil or stupid. Just because behavioural change is hard.

We have a tendency to assume that as long as we are ready to accept and embrace that behavioural change, everyone else should be too.

But it doesn't always work that way.

So spare a little patience and tolerance for those who are still trying to get on board.

NB: On a similar note, if you have a business plan that says 'We're changing the way people do...X', you're trying to change people's behaviour. And as we've learned...that's not easy.

#behaviouralchange #COVID19 #lessonlearned

Who are you?

Invariably, who we are is closely linked to what we do.

And that means, for many people, their job or career are a major part of their identity.

I am a Spa guy. I am a Hotel Guy. I am a Painter. I am an Engineer.

But what happens when that job goes away, for whatever reason?

For many, it means they lose a big part of their identity.

I guess it's what happens when someone retires after a long career in the same job or industry. All of a sudden, a big part of their identity is missing.

Given the massive uncertainty in the world right now, many people at a risk of losing a big part of their identity, either for a short time or maybe forever.

So maybe now is a good time to think about how much of your identity is linked to your job and how much is linked to other things you do.

If not, you run the risk of being lost if and when that job goes away.

#identity #selfworth #uncertaintimes

We talk a lot about the data. The metrics. Our KPIs.

And fair enough. These things are all important.

But as Nick Day reminds us, there are other things that simply can not be measured.

We can't measure the passion our employees have for the business.

We can't measure their intent.

We can't measure the impact they can have on an individual customer at a specific point in time.

But all of these things are equally, if not more important, than all the metrics and data that we pour over.

#whatmattersmost #intangibles #metrics

The Worst Case Scenario...almost never happens.

That might seem a little silly to say right now, given the global pandemic we're living through.

But I would argue that a big part of the reason we're in such a mess right now is because of exactly that...something like this almost never happens.

And so we don't have the systems, processes and experiences in place to cope with it.

So, if the Worst Case Scenario almost never happens, you should be using that as an Enabler, as a motivator.

But be careful. You could just as easily fall into a habit of using the Worst Case Scenario Test as an Excuse.

Here's a link to Ep. 246 of the Show where I first spoke about Worst Case Scenario - https://bit.ly/3gRlZIy

#enablers #excuse #worstcasescenario

The more experiences you have, the more people you meet, the products and services you try, chances are, the luckier you get.

You will start to be exposed to new opportunities

As you increase your 'Surface Area', you will be able to recognise potential synergies and opportunities where perhaps you wouldn't have before.

So, the next time you find yourself lamenting the lack of good luck you're having, try to find ways to increase your 'Surface Area'.

Get out there and expose yourself to more people, products, services, experiences, etc and you might just find your luck improves.

NB: Thanks to Julian Shapiro for the inspiration!

#lucky #dothework #selfimprovement

I am a huge fan of Disruption.

I think the word itself is overused these days, but the concept is important.

The idea of looking at things differently, trying to find new ways to do the same thing, or new ways to do new things is critical to all businesses.

BUT...and this is the big BUT...

Maybe now is not the right time?

Why?

Simply because we have all been through a year of hell!

Our entire lives have been disrupted.

Right now, what most markets really need most is a bit of stability and familiarity.

So, by all means, keep looking for ways to disrupt your business.

But maybe jus take a breath on implementing those disruption plans. Just for a while.

#postCOVID19 #disruption #stability

Famed Tech Venture Capitalist wrote a post back in 2010 titled 'No Conflict, No Interest'.

Suggesting that sometimes the trade off of having people interested and invested in your thing is that they may have a conflict of interest.

But that's ok. At least they're interested! 

And that means they will hopefully have some knowledge, skills, experience and abilities in areas specifically related to your thing.

As long as there is integrity, a conflict of interest doesn't have to be damaging.

So don't worry too much about avoiding conflicts of interest.

First, worry about getting the interest.

#conflictofinterest #integrity #transparency

Nobody likes to feel dumb.

Sometimes, however, in our effort to show how smart, intelligent and valuable we are, we can lose sight of that fact.

When creating information for our customers and clients we tend to favour the smart side.

And that's completely understandable, of course. After all, if we don't, why would they chose to pay us for our expertise?

But just be careful that in doing so you don't end up making your customers feel dumb.

#knowyourcustomer #smartpeople #customercommunication

Oftentimes, when we think about making a good first impression, we focus on the physical elements.

How we look, how we dress, how we're groomed.

And from a location point of view, we focus on how our office or shop looks.

But as suggested in a Tweet from @AscendantPower, if we don't bring the right energy and presence to that first impression, it just won't be that impactful.

Certainly, the physical elements can be an important part of the energy and presence too.

But don't underestimate the importance of the energy of your people in creating that good first impression.

You won't get a second chance.

#firstimpressions #positivevibes #energy