Future Work/Life is my newsletter in which I explore the changing relationship between work and our personal lives. Every week, I share something I’ve written, a few things I’ve enjoyed reading, and something great to listen to. If you find it interesting, please share it!
The Writing:
If you want to future-proof your business and career, don't ignore the power of sharing ideas.
This week, I've been out IRL (in real life) more than I have done in the previous two years. I've spoken to dozens of people, many of whom told me that things are tough out there. It's harder than ever to lock in great talent, and pipelines aren't moving along quickly as the impact of macro events impacts clients' willingness to kick off new projects.
The result?
• Time is stretched thinner than usual as you firefight more issues
• Increased pressure on you and your current team.
• Higher recruitment fees as you 'battle' for talent.
• Rising outbound sales costs.
In uncertain times, it's easy to revert to tactical approaches and focus solely on the hustle for more business - I've certainly done this plenty of times in the past. However, short-term thinking like this ignores an underlying problem.
To attract new clients and the best talent, you need to consistently share your ideas with the world.
You're probably thinking - "How am I supposed to start doing this when I have so many other priorities?" In over ten years as a founder and CEO, this was my biggest mistake. There are always other things you could be doing and, no doubt, if there are some important client or prospect calls to make, then make them! But if there's one lesson I've learned through working with hundreds of business and thought leaders over the past couple of years, it's the power of ideas.
Specifically, why sharing YOUR unique point-of-view unlocks incredible new opportunities.
So, take action this week to begin collecting and organising new ideas that you can use as the launchpad for the next phase of your career and business.
I wish I'd known this ten years ago. If I had, those inevitable slower and more challenging times would have been a little less slow and a little less challenging.
Why?
Doing your thinking in public is the most effective way of demonstrating what makes you and your business different and is a fantastic example of the Work/Life Flywheel in action. Experimenting with creative ideas leads to new connections, who bring different perspectives and knowledge, which gives you fresh insights.
Most importantly, within months, you'll see tangible results as it:
Allows you to enjoy the process of sharing your ideas, not dread having to find the time to do it.
Makes you a go-to person for thoughts and opinions about the future of your category.
Builds trust and credibility with potential clients, future employees and partners.
Reduces the amount you spend on outbound sales and marketing.
Lowers your recruitment costs.
It takes less time than you think to share your ideas with the world - it's all about creating the right system.
Check out the Future Work/Life website and get in touch if you'd like to hear how I approach it.
My book, ‘Work/Life Flywheel: Harness the work revolution and reimagine your career without fear’, will be published on 17th January 2023. You can pre-order your copy, HERE.
The Reading:
Andrew Hill references legendary business writer, Roger Martin’s new book, A New Way to Think in this article from the Financial Times, in which he explains: ‘How leaders find a way ahead in chaotic times.’
Although during times like these, it’s worth concentrating only on “what you can execute”, rather than things outside of your control, don’t use that as an excuse not to plan for unexpected events.
If you missed my conversation with Andrew Hill on the podcast in March, you can listen, HERE.
According to Steve Gutzler, we’re only able to effectively manage our relationships and our work 83% of the time. So, what do we do with the other 17% - i.e. how we do respond to adversity, change, criticism, failure, pressure, and stress?
Gutzler suggests mastering these 17% moments, by following 12 specific steps.
Why are some of us so obsessed with following a sports team that it changes our personalities so dramatically when watching them? I came across this explanation from baseball writer, Roger Angell, who died this week. It’s about as good a breakdown as I’ve seen:
“It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitative as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look - I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable. Almost.
What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring - caring deeply and passionately, really caring - which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives. And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved.
Naïveté - the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing in the middle of the night over the haphazardous flight of a distant ball - seems a small price to pay for such a gift.”
The Listening:
Rachel Botsman is a ‘trust expert’, academic at Oxford University, and the author of What’s Mine is Yours and Who Can You Trust? She’s also been named one of the world’s 30 most Influential Management Thinkers by Thinkers50.
During this conversation with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes on The High Performance Podcast, Rachel explains how to successfully speak in public by letting go of the need to be liked and focusing on sharing ideas. She also discussed why “trust is a confident relationship with the unknown”.
If you missed my conversation with Damian on the Future Work/Life podcast at the end of the last year, it was a brilliant one, so check it out, HERE.