Join thousands of people starting their week on a positive note. Every Sunday afternoon, I send out an upbeat idea to set you up for the week ahead.
"What do you want from a new Pope?"
|
Hi Reader, Welcome to Rev Up for the Week. A simple thought to help you power through the next few days. This week, I was listening to a radio phone-in and the question was "what do you want from a new Pope?". My first reaction was "what a strange question. Nothing much that I can think of..." I'm not Catholic (or religious generally) and it just struck me as such an alien thing. "How absurd to be worrying about something like that!", I caught myself thinking. And then... I remembered that for many Catholics, this is exactly the right question for them at this time. It matters. It's pressing - urgent, even - and carries all kinds of emotional weight. Also this week, I accidentally found myself in the middle of a gathering of the Austin Healey club. These are all people who've all lovingly restored beautiful old cars. One of the guys came bounding up to us and expectantly asked us "Are you Healy people?!". I had to disappoint him, and for a moment, also disappointed myself that I wasn't part of their gang. It looked fun. It's all a useful reminder of something that, in our silos and bubbles, is too easy to forget: that humans are weird. And whilst there are huge territories of common ground between us all, and things that universally we all might want or need, it's often our weirdnesses that set us apart or make us interesting to others. We can fall into the trap of thinking of weird as meaning "alien", as I did for a brief moment about the Pope question. Or instead, we can choose to think of weird as interesting, valuable, unique, and a cause for curiousity. In the weird, quirky or unique stuff can be moments of wonder, things we can learn, or stories of someone's painful quest for acceptance. In life, the embracing of weird inevitably leads to more empathic connection with those around us, and a richer tapestry. At work, breaking out of the mundanity actually drives higher performance. The quirky ideas around the table often drive the most innovative solutions or generate healthier and more critical thinking - "group-think" is what happens when nothing feels weird. And feeling safe to embrace your own version of weird can often lead to better risk-taking, critical interventions or bolder leadership. This isn't a given - it's on all of us, especially the leaders, to foster the psychological safety that we all need to allow weirdness and diversity of thought really thrive. So this week I invite you celebrate the "weird", rather than dismissing it. Look out for the opportunities to be curious, broaden your perspectives and learn new things. And I invite you to embrace your own "weird" too - publicly if that feels safe where you are, or privately and creatively if that's more appropriate for you. Humans are weird, and it's one of the most beautiful things about us. Have a great week, Graham |
Rev Up for the Week with Graham Allcott
Join thousands of people starting their week on a positive note. Every Sunday afternoon, I send out an upbeat idea to set you up for the week ahead.
Hi Reader, Specificity improves almost everything. When we write down to-do list items, our brains are lazy. We write down single words that are akin to the nags in our heads - "report", or "garage", or "conference". What we really need to get momentum is to get clear. And what we need to get clear is always two specific things: the next phyical action we need to take (with verbs and extra words so that our brains can picture it happening); and the desired project outcome ("how will we know...
Hi Reader, Welcome to Rev Up for the Week, where every Sunday, I give you an idea to kick-start Monday. Today I want to share a couple of thoughts about AI. As you may know, I've been experimenting with AI for a while now, and my free AI coach has definitely been a useful way to get 'under the hood' of AI a little bit, and figure out where this stuff may be heading. As ever, there are two factors at play: the first is how the tech develops, and the second is how we, as humans, habitually,...
Hi Reader, A few years ago, I co-wrote a book with the brilliant Colette Heneghan, called How to Have The Energy. Colette is a nutritionist who has worked with some of the UK's leading companies and sports teams. She's a voracious reader, constantly on top of the latest science around food and nutrition. When I first met Colette, I asked her to become my nutrition coach. I sent her every meal I ate on Whatsapp, and over time, she built up a great picture of what I was doing well and less well...