Tag: Work

Working together, could that be better?

Posted on by philipdodson


This is something that the human race has been doing since its very existence.

Yet, amazingly, we seem to taken a turn backwards rather than getting better. 

The key missing ingredient is our lack of skills in listening. No surprise given that it’s not on the school curriculum. There are no listening lessons. 

Listening with the only purpose of understanding the other person would dramatically improve working together. 

Many times we listen for a gap for when we can speak, jumping in at the first pause. 

Often we kind of listen at the same time as we are formulating our response and that’s while the other person is still speaking.

At times we do not listen at all. We have evaluated in advance, without hearing a word, what the other person is saying will be of no worth.

Imagine the change to work if we just listened, as in with our ears and not our mouth. Evaluating after the person has spoken, using questions to further clarify the other person’s views. 

Meetups, confusing generosity with an expected return

Posted on by philipdodson

Break out of the free culture and stop expecting people to do stuff for free, but we all have to be the leaders that we want to see.

This ‘Gary Vaynerchuk’ approach of ‘give, give, give and then boom, sock it to ’em’ is a bastardised version of manipulation with expectation that turns to disappointment when those expectations are not fulfilled. That is the thing, be a kind, generous person by default and that is different to giving your work away for free.

Being generous is when you do something without expectation, with no conditions, sure there is an intention that you want to do something that makes you feel good, but the moment you add an expectation of others to the intention, then it becomes a manipulation, and that is not generosity.

So give, but give as defined with no expectation. As regards your work, again give your work away if that is simply to make you happy and bring that great feeling to you that true generosity brings, and if you always have the mindset of needing a return, then don’t give. But people are abusing this situation and all the time we allow it to happen, then we are supporting it to our detriment too.

If you run a workshop or a Meetup or you give your time, then do that just because you want to do it and then not charging is fine and totally the right thing to do. However, if you are doing those things with the purpose of achieving an expected outcome of more business, then charge for it, as then it is clear to others and to you that is a business transaction and that removes disappointment from you and it brings clarity to the attendees. It may put off the people who may just come for something free or may choose on the day to simply not bother, as you have managed their expectations of what you are offering and that is of value and that your time is of value. You are clear that there is an expected return.

A Meetup, for example, could be used to generate value or it can be a frustrating journey of wrong expectations and disappointments. It is not the attendees or lack of them that is a fault it is the person who organises the Meetup. Actually, it is not even a mistake, it is learning to value your time and not to confuse giving with an expected return.

Give because you want and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Create value because that is the outcome you want to achieve. You expect something back so charge for your work. Be clear.