Friends of Dave #243: smells like ikea meatballs
A Quick Reminder about Trust
Really busy week here, so this is going to be a quick intro Friends.
One topic that seemed to dominate more conversations I had this week was trust.
I dedicated an preamble way back in the early days of the FoD on the topic which you can read >HERE<
Trust is kind of like an egg shell. It is fragile and can be broken or cracked with some force. But eggs are also be extremely resilient.
Go to your fridge, take out a fresh egg and try to crush it in your hand. You physically cannot do it.
You cannot have any type of group success without creating trust amongst all of the members of the team. It is something that is gained over a period of time and should not be taken for granted. And like respect, you cannot demand that it is given to you or others.
But the quicker you can find a path to establish trust amongst the team, the quicker the team can become strong and resilient. It's like the egg you cannot crush in your hand. So as a priority, it is absolutely worth investing the time and effort in cultivating trust as a leader. It may be one of the most important jobs a leader has.
And like an egg when a crack forms, the structure and integrity of the team is greatly at risk if trust is ever broken. It doesn't take much for it to happen either. It can also be especially tragic if that crack is created by someone in a leadership position.
If you are trying to achieve a goal or accomplish something big with a group of people, check in with where you stand on the topic of trust. Are you good? Is your egg strong?
If not, I suggest doing some work to make sure a crack does not surface. Otherwise you may soon have a mess on your hands. And then, if that happens, at the very least you better know how to make an omelette....
Hard to believe August is now half over. Hope you can take some time to relax and recharge your batteries over the coming weeks before that last quarter push. Enjoy the articles this week.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
Teamwork is a dance between focus and coordination.
A bit of a longer read, but a good reminder that as teammates and as leaders, we need to constantly listen to our team’s focus and coordination needs, and adapt accordingly.
For Your Day Job...
How Gong’s Product Strategy Cultivates Raving Fans
“The only thing that matters is the customer’s opinion.”
Great read about the importance of building a user centric product and culture vs. a buyer centric product and culture.
'Be Humble,' and 5 Other Pieces of Terrible Advice
OpenView polled a number of leaders and asked them to share the worst advice they’ve ever gotten, and here’s what they said.
What The Rise And Fall Of Lumber Prices Tell Us About The Pandemic Economy Lumber prices soared during the pandemic, sparking inflation fears. Just as quickly, prices then dropped, but that's not the end of the story.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
Ikea Releases Limited-Edition Candle That Smells Like Its Famous Swedish Meatballs
FUN FACT: my oldest offspring made me a Father's Day gift this past year -- it was a candle she bought from Michael's or some craft place and then she just printed and affixed a label that said "Probably What Prince's Farts Smell Like." Yep....
How Minor League Baseball Teams Hype Hyper-Local Food Root, root root for the...Hartford Steamed Cheeseburgers?
Why is the English spelling system so weird and inconsistent?
"O ya, well your weerd." -- says the English spelling system.
And The Last Word....
What Do You Do with a Billion Grams of Surplus Weed? — thewalrus.ca
Cannabis legalization was supposed to be a license to print money in Canada. Three years on, nobody is turning a profit. Will this happen in the US as well?
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