Thanksgiving and unproductive extremes
The magic lives in between.
It’s that time of year already, October is upon us. The weather is fresh and cool, and the leaves on every tree offer bright and vivid colours, full of beauty, some of the best spectacles nature has to offer.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Please enjoy a wonderful long weekend with friends and family and many moments of love, joy and support.
At home, when cooking in the kitchen, you don’t clean every utensil, plate, pot and pan the second you use them. Nor do you let the dishes accumulate in the sink for days.
Instead, you tackle the dishes after dinner or, better yet, start the dishwasher when it’s full.
At work, when leading your teams, you don't nitpick everyone's behaviours when they don't match what you want as soon as you see them. Nor do you let issues and poor behaviours accumulate and share feedback only at the end-of-year review.
Instead, you create a feedback culture where regular feedback is expected and find just-in-time opportunities to discuss behaviours that impact the outcome and the team.
As Seth Godin wrote, somewhere in the middle is the steady state of productivity.
Anything at the extremes leads to crises and breakdowns, not breakthroughs.
The same applies to our home and work relationships, decisions, finances, and health.
The magic is finding a balance that allows us to come back every day happily, do our best work, and make the change we seek while feeling energized and ready for more.
Miguel,
Sparknotion — Think Differently.