October 19,2018
Recently, members of our ownership team and our Board of Directors were here for a Management Meeting. As we prepared for the meeting, Todd and I made sure to include materials that showed how we thought about the business personally. We also spoke beforehand about the importance of speaking in terms that were real to us – about being ourselves. See, it’s not uncommon when company comes, that we somehow change our behavior. We try to be someone we aren’t. And in the end, a few things happen: we come off as less than genuine; we set a standard we can never replicate; and we set ourselves up to disappoint others in the future. But when we just show up as ourselves, good people will see the good in us anyway and want to be a part of what we’re doing.
And that’s the point for the week.
In my first month, I’ve spent a lot of time just walking around, watching and listening. It’s how I learn. Sitting with people won’t tell me what I really need to know. Because often I’m going to see the side of them they want me to see and a process that is either not the best one or if the right one, not the one they use every time. So I walk around. And I watch. And I listen.
And when I do, I want you to be yourselves. Because when you are, others will know it. Authenticity matters. Its a core currency in the economy of trust. When others regard you as real, they will see you as someone they can rely on, learn from, and confide in. When all of us spend less time caring about what each of us thinks of each other and more time thinking about what we can do for each other, something incredible is going to happen. We’ll recognize the true capability that exists in our organization and it’s going to surprise us. Because then the power of multiplication will take over. Each of you times every other one of you aligned toward the common goal of growing this business – instead of your own self image.
So just be yourself.
And win.
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