About cynics
And some other stuff about teams, health and delegating work.
And then suddenly, you find yourself surrounded by cynics.
How did you not see them coming? Cynics are loud. You've probably seen them around corridors of large corporate businesses, their habitat.
You know who I am talking about.
They usually invite the motivated newbies for a coffee to "explain how things work here."
They like to say "I told you so" to those who try without trying anything themselves.
They hold on to the little knowledge they acquired and believe there is nothing else to learn.
They hold to their job titles as a character trait, but only for them; whoever else got it was just lucky.
They like to complain about their work to their friends like there is nothing they can do about it. And they won't do anything about it.
They will try to feed on your energy as if you owe it to them, "how could you be an optimist amidst such hopelessness?".
When you find yourself surrounded by cynics, a natural temptation is to try to argue them out of their attitude with some rational optimism.
Don't try to convince cynics with reason, it won’t help. Offer kindness instead. Kindness might help cynics regain some lost hope in themselves and the future.
But, make sure you are kind at an arm's length; cynicism is contagious and spreads quickly.
God forbid, you might even turn into one.
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Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying “yes” begins things. Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge. “Yes” is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say “yes.” - Stephen Colbert
Things I’ve been thinking about.
Articles, music, videos, software, books, quotes, anything that I think is interesting.
→ Great teams break the rules all the time
Because of my work as a consultant, I get to work with many teams in big and small companies. The most successful teams I’ve seen optimize for learning above all else. They don’t follow a specific process or framework.
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→ Is metabolic health behind cognitive decline?
As a person with the APOE 4/4 gene (high risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s), I am ultra conscious of my overall health. I might even write a series of posts about how I do it in the future, but for the moment, I wanted to share this very nicely done in-depth piece from Levels about the link between cognitive decline and our metabolic health.
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→ Delegation is art, not science
I decided 2022 would be "the year of delegation" for me. Looking for resources online, I recently came across another great post from Lara Hogan where she provides a "delegation template" that prompts the manager to describe, in one sentence, the outcome they want to see, as well as three phrases to complete when delegating. I need to implement this ASAP.
On a personal note.
I am alive!
I've been sick for the past week with some weird viral meningitis, it wasn't fun, but I am already feeling much better. Not even close to one hundred percent, but we will get there.
Besides feeling tired all the time because of the above, life feels rich at the moment. I am away in Lake Tekapo celebrating my 5th wedding anniversary with my lovely wife. She is my mental support, friend, companion, and the witness I exist when no one is looking.
Finding the right life partner is an underestimated life hack, and I am grateful I found such a great one in Bruna.
Tchau.