This week was highlighted by a particular type of experience.
Experiences where I found myself thinking, "Who are we listening to?"
Specifically, there were issues with website function, questions on branding effectiveness, comments on how to properly document expense receipts, and Cormac McCarthy's book, The Road.
Part of being human is the tendency to internalize and interpret experiences through our personal lens. When something is working or not working, we think in terms of "what's the best way to fix this?" loosely translated to, "what can I do right now that will make this better, according to me?"
Part of being human is the ability to pause. If there is a loud noise, my cat is gone, hiding under the bed. His life is stimulus/response. Humans can add the pause in there, stimulus/pause, then response.
Before taking action, pause and consider who you're listening to.
Websites need comments from users along with uninterrupted observation of customers on the site to improve function.
Branding is a uniform representation of quality, so focus on delivering that to improve brand effectiveness.
Bureaucrats have no power over output, so they focus on controlling input. Note it, properly expense receipts, and move on.
In McCarthy's book, The Road, the father fights to protect his son while the boy constantly wonders what others are thinking and doing. The father can't find good people, the son does.
I'm taking it all as a reminder to pause and ask myself, who am I listening to? And who should I be listening to?
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