Diann Wingert

Incorporating self-awareness into the experience of encountering, adopting, and integrating new technologies into our business is a must. No one has time to waste, so making better decisions about what, when, how & why we adopt something new is worthy of doing thoughtfully and strategically. Some of us are impulsive, latching onto new technologies simply because of their novelty, and then there is FOMO. Neither of these are optimal motivations for early adoption. Recognizing your patterns (jumping in head first and abandoning soon thereafter or waiting so long that all early adopter advantages have been lost) and figuring out whether you need to speed up or slow down can help your decisions with new technologies age well.

One of the most frequently cited sources of employee stress, disengagement and resignation is a lack of clear expectations. Employees should not be expected to figure out what their priorities are and neither should they guess or assume what constitutes the desired outcome of their efforts. Most employees want to do their job well and be satisfied, if not proud of their accomplishments, but they are robbed of the opportunity when goals are not communicated clearly, and when support to achieve them is non-existent. People become frustrated, angry or apathetic (as in the phenomenon of quiet quitting) when they are deprived of leadership which at it's core consists of providing direction and support to achieve the organization's goals.

To err is to be human and to be human is to have biases and blindspots. The human brain continuously filters new information to suit existing information and the evolutionary necessity of the brain's negativity bias also skews both memory and perspective. Seeking feedback from trusted advisors is a must to counteract the natural limitations of biases and blindspots, and because biases are innate to the human brain and not character defects, leaders should freely avail themselves of such feedback. Leaders do need to be selective though, as not all sources of feedback will yield useful information. Many people hesitate to speak directly and offering even the most constructive criticism can feel risky, even when invited.

If you ask most entrepreneurs if they value resilience, you will get a universal "yes" but resilience is not only a trait, it's a decision, a habit, and a skill. Resilience requires risk tolerance, mindful but decisive action, and the willingness to constantly dance with the prospect of failure. We don't become resilient by doing everything right the first time, it's quite the opposite. Resilience requires failure, uncomfortable and awkward situations, often public exposure, and occasionally guilt. Resilience is required of entrepreneurs and it must be earned. In coaching clients on resilience, we work on increasing their curiosity, activation energy, and internal dialog while implementing progressive risk-taking strategies.

Not everyone I meet at a conference has the same potential to become a strategic partner, a potential client, or a biz bestie. For those I have identified as high-value connections, I do my best to schedule follow-up meetings (usually on Zoom) before I even leave the conference. Waiting until I get home to reach out increases the likelihood that I will forget, despite my best intentions. For everyone else, I connect with them within 1-2 weeks after returning home.

Self directed learning is extremely appealing in theory. All the marketing campaigns for digital courses entice us to "Learn from the comfort of your own home, when it's convenient for you, learning on your own terms!" In reality, unless you are extraordinarily self disciplined, it will be unlikely that you will have the systems, structures and accountability in place to insure you will benefit from the courses you sign up and pay for. I encourage my clients to use tools like www.focusmate.com to create external accountability, in addition to scheduling study time on their calendar and reminder texts on their phone. Good intentions are great, but what gets the job done is systems, supports, and habits that we reinforce.