Still one of my favourite pictures. We can lose all credibility in the details.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Fear, Failure and Anxiety
By my desk I have a card from a coaching friend that says, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” It is fairly standard coaching question. It is also a good question. I think about it from time to time and occasionally am motivated to step out and do something even though failure could be an option.
This week I am doing something I’ve never done before. The problem is I don’t know if I will fail or not. I think a real growth question is: “What are you doing that might result in failure?” That takes it into the real world. There are lots of things I’d do if I knew I could not fail. In fact, the guarantee of success makes it pretty easy.
Doing something with an unknown outcome is a challenge. The best part is in a few days I’ll be on the other side of it. Fear, failure and anxiety will all be replaced with the inevitable growth that comes from doing something new, stretching myself and learning from the after action review.
A Good Overview from Catalyst Foundation
Social Media is conversation many people are engaged in and there is no shortage of good and bad examples of how to do it well. Chris Wignall provides some good insight in this post. What is one thing you could do to make your presence stronger? Is it consistency? Is it strategy? Is it simply getting started?
Filtering the Purities Right Out of Conversations
Basic communication courses talk about the role filters play in our conversations. Originally a filter was something that removed impurities from liquids. Over time the word has evolved to mean everything from cigarette filters to camera filters.
In conversations we can be unaware that our filters might be removing the purities along with the impurities. Our biases may make it difficult for us to hear the truth. The way we feel about someone, the way they are dressed, our fatigue, the people we are with, etc. all play into how we receive what someone is saying to us.
How are you filtering your conversations? You might be surprised at what your missing.
