Not at your desk. But for your work. For what you do. What do you deliver? What you strive to do the best day in and day out. No one can ever fault you for giving your best, for trying to accomplish your goals, and for standing up for what’s right. And if they do, then it’s their problem and not yours.
I’ve had a few meetings I start this way. If there is dissension in the room and we’re discussing a key problem, I’ll throw out this statement – “Are we all on the same page?” If we are not on the same page, there is no reason to move forward. Everyone needs to be on the same page, to understand the problem, the reason that you are all here, before you start getting to solutions.…
This is one of the hardest questions to ask at the end of a meeting: “Did we accomplish our goal?” This is why it is so rarely asked: no one wants to hear the answer. If, meeting after meeting, you were to hear the answer to this question being “No”, how demoralizing would that be? Massively. But the hard questions don’t come with easy answers, because the answers that come require work, hard work, tough…
Product Fit. Team Fit. Market Fit. We used to care a whole bunch about “Fit” Tests. Then AI came along and made it all about “Can you get it done faster than AI Fit Test?” Or, maybe we’re not asking AI those questions.
There is a shift that happens internally when you take the lead. You’re no longer sitting on the sidelines complaining. You’re no longer putting your hand up in meetings to have your say. You’re no longer asking for permission. You’re taking the reins, you’re mobilizing the team, you’re moving forward. You’re taking the Lead.