Theme.
This week's #founderhacks are about knowing ourselves.
Seen.
Know Thy Team
A team we work with were working incredibly hard.
They've been hands on, but now need to start delegating and engaging the rest of the organisation.
But they struggled.
They took some time out to explore why this was. It led to a penny drop moment: They realised they had been solely focused on themselves. "As leaders we must..." "As leaders we should..."
It hadn't worked.
They realised their focus needed to be on the people they wanted to delegate to. Sometimes knowing yourself is realising it's not all about you.
Read.
In Yer Ear
Not all insights come from books about business.
The Secret Political Advisor: The Unredacted Files of the Man in the Room Next Door by Michael Spicer is a satirical commentary on our political leaders over the past few years. Told from the perspective of the long suffering advisor whose job it is to help them avoid looking foolish.
He doesn't mince his words, and often finds the perfect turn of phrase to express his view on the frequently awful performances of those he advices.
It made us reflect: As a founder, who would be your person-in-the-room-next-door - giving an unvarnished perspective on your performance?
The truth can be painful and challenging and is essential. Could giving a trusted someone permission to share this with you help you know yourself that little bit better?
Learned.
Real You
Over the last year many of us have had a unique experience. Perhaps for the first time, our partners, children, housemates and others have born witness to us at work.
Most of us would probably concede we show up a little differently at work compared to how we show up at home. Maybe more formality, maybe a little less tolerant and more aggressive.
Asking what your parents, children or loved ones would think of you at work is a coaching cliché. Of course, in this last year, they may have found out.
Maybe this has opened the door to a more human way to work with each other. No less effective but maybe kinder and more tolerant.
Can we preserve this as the world slowly shifts out of pandemic times and into whatever's next?
And finally.
This week's #founderhacks podcast was our first ever recorded in person.
Taking advantage of the briefest burst of dry spring weather, we were able to record outside (and appropriately socially distanced) on Alex's lovely deck looking over London.
It was great - and we wonder if our listeners can hear a difference in our conversation?
Or maybe you'll just hear a normal #founderhacks with some aeroplanes?
Don’t forget to check out the accompanying podcast version of #founderhacks for a tantalising live experience of team atomex!
