Hello hello!
I hope your year has been going well. Mine has been quite busy to say the least. 2023 feels like yesterday and February 2024 is almost ending.
I thought it’ll be nice to have a personal chat today. I didn’t feel up to writing a serious article so I’ll be sharing some random things that I’ve either been reading or listening to and watching. Make sure you read to the end as I share some of my favorite movies and music.
Books
I’ve been intentionally reading books that’ll help me be come a better leader and here are some of the ones that I’ve found interesting so far.
I’m about halfway through this book and I have learnt so much already. As the title suggests, the writers used to be in the US Navy seals. After leaving service, they have gone on to share and help companies implement the same principles that helped them win battles. One phrase that stood out to me the most is “There are no bad teams, only bad leaders”. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure your team wins. If failure happens, you should take full responsibility rather than passing blame. It’s never a good look to your senior managers when you think it’s everyone else except you.
This made me think back on some of the best managers I’ve had and I would say they are the ones who have practiced this concept of extreme ownership. Your team needs to trust you and believe that you have their back.
Another important insight I’ve learnt so far, is to always ask WHY? As a mid-level manager, sometimes senior management will bring up new decisions. It’s your job to fully understand the reason behind this, because that is only when you can communicate it to your team with confidence. I’ll stop here for now but this is a book totally worth reading.
I’ve highlighted so many pages in this book that I’ve lost count and I’m not even done with it yet. I really love how practical this book is and the concepts are very easy to remember.
Here are some of my takeaways so far
Be a T.E.A.C.H.E.R. and you have meaningfully set yourself apart as a manager. If you are transparent, empathetic, adaptable, a clear communicator, humble, empowering and responsive, you exude natural leadership competency. Managers who embody these characteristics build the strongest teams, and the ability to build and grow outstanding teams is the number one attribute organizations look for when filling higher-level leadership roles.
Admit mistakes. It’s difficult to admit when you mess up, but doing so only increases people’s respect for you. Accept that you don’t have all the answers. Get comfortable with ambiguity. Know when to take charge and when to let go.
Communication should virtually always be a two-way interaction. Listen more than you speak. Ask questions. It’s important that the other people feel heard, but that’s also your vehicle for understanding how well your communication is being understood.
I’ll stop here for now because there’s so much more I could have shared. If you’re looking to move into a leadership position or become a better leader, this book is also for you.
Podcast
I recently listened to this amazing podcast episode titled “How to Speak so You Blow Your Listeners’ Minds with Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic”. My mind was blown to say the least. I was actually taking notes and sharing with everyone because of how helpful it was for me. Cole is the author of best-selling Storytelling with data and other amazing books. Here are some of the tips I wrote down.
Think about the audience you're presenting to. Try to answer 'so what' in the presentation. Why is this data important to them? What decision will it help them make? How does it connect to the overall business goal?
Include prompts in the presentation that engages the audience. Take pauses where necessary and let it sink it to the people listening so they have time to think and ask questions.
Having genuine interest in the topic you're speaking about is critical, your audience can tell
Study the body language of your audience, this allows you adjust and move around the room to draw their attention more.
Try this tips out in low risk places first to test things out and build confidence/credibility
Memorize the main points you want to get across. You can write it down to make it more comfortable
If you’re looking to get better at engaging your audience and business users, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy this episode.
Music/Shows
I discovered that I like Jazz this year and I want to share my favorite playlist right now. It’s a great combination of Afrobeats and Jazz.
My favorite song right now is Praise by Brandon Lake, Chris Brown and Chandler Moore
I’ve been enjoying the reality show, Love is Blind across different countries. I’m watching the ongoing US Version and I just finish Sweden’s. I’ll be starting Brazil soon and I’m also looking forward to the UK edition.
I hope you enjoyed reading through this. Let me know what you’re reading, listening to and watching.
Enjoy the rest of your week!