I doubt myself sometimes, and I know from experience that you do too. It’s OK, no one is listening – this is just between you and me. My own doubt is partly driven by the fact that I believe so many of the things we need to do to make work better are so utterly simple, that when I think them, let alone propose them, they, and therefore me, seem somehow ridiculous.
I believe we work better together. Some of the things that help us do this are:
- Giving, building and having trust
- Noticing ourselves
- Noticing one another
- Getting to know ourselves better
- Getting to know each other better
- Keeping things simple wherever possible
- Accepting that small things can and do make big differences
- Having open access to information, which means we can cocreate power with each other, not exercise power over one another
- Recognising that creativity is not binary. You don’t just switch it on, you adjust the dials and tease it out. Don’t fear it, play with it, iterate.
- Having meaningful conversations
- Taking breaks
- Finding out what brings joy to one another, and then – try to cocreate the conditions to make that happen
- Agreeing that respect is not a zero sum game. I want to lift you at the same time as you lift me, or put another way, my success is not dependent on putting you down.
- Being coactive – that is to say doing things with, for and by each other, not to each other
- Smiling
- Practicing – our work is our art
That’s enough for now. Oh, and one more thing. Don’t forget to doubt yourself from time to time:
Footnote #1
Thanks Sharon, Julia, Meg, Gareth, John and Richard for a crescendo of compelling conversation yesterday. I’ve had this post in draft for months and you all helped contribute and free it up.
Footnote #2
For every pack of Stop Doing Dumb Things ordered in December I’m making a small donation to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity. If you’ve been meaning to order some cards for yourself or as a gift to others, now might be a good time? Thanks for your support.
