Project Hustle

Atlanta Airport  

We hear it all the time. Work hard! Put in the work! And it is true, you do need to work hard because nothing worthwhile comes easy. You do need to put in the work because no skill comes without practice and repetition. 

But have you ever stopped to think about what you are working on? What you are really working towards?  

A question I will never forget was told to me by a friend when we were in the trenches of a job we both hated.  

He said to me who works harder: A coal miner or Bill Gates? This obviously being a trick question I decided to give him a witty answer.  

Well naturally a person could say the coal miner works physically harder but the corporate guy works mentally harder, I said with a smile thinking I nailed that question.

Then he said to me they both work equally hard. One physically and one mentally. The difference is that one focuses on creating value for others while the other focuses on getting a paycheck for themselves. 

Two people. Same hours in a day. Same energy. Different focus. 

Oh yes... Greetings from the USA.  

Important Management Lesson in two words

When I am often asked to do things that don't play to my strength zone and could impact on the affectiveness of the team, two words often come to mind.

Diego Forlán.

I don't often use sports analogies but when they describe a situation perfectly it's hard to resist.

The story of Diego Forlán's unsuccessful career at Manchester United, is one of those perfect examples.

When Forlán joined Manchester United on the 22 January 2002, for an estimated £6.9 million he  must have thought he was making the best career move of his life. After all, MU was a legendary football club with lots of money and with arguably the best head coach in the world in the form of Sir Alex Ferguson. 

With his talent and a pocket full of money, the stars seemed aligned to give him a stellar career. But unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. 

He scored a few goals, made a few headlines but never seemed to really fit in with the big red machine. He eventually left Manchester for a smaller club in the form of Villarreal and his skills and ability seemed to really takeoff. Even becoming the star performer at the 2010 World Cup.

You need to recognize when your leader is not playing you in your strength zone and do something about it. 

Sometimes you will be blessed with a wonderful boss or manager who understands your position and wants to help you play to your strengths.

Hey, It doesn't happen often but it's been known to happen.

For most of us unfortunately, we won't have that luxury. We can't sit down and have a heart to heart with our boss about what we feel they are doing wrong in leading us so we have to get smart about how we lead ourselves.

Doing well at our jobs inspite of our bosses not because of them is an important lesson to learn.

This will require a lot of internal motivation, so don't be expecting any "High fives", pats on the back or that a boy! while you work on getting this process right.

I recently read a wonderful quote that said, and I'm paraphrasing here: "Everybody has genius within them. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it could go the rest of its life believing that it is stupid."

My challenge to you:

Know what game you are playing.

Are you an employee or an entrepreneur?

Are you going to do this thing you are passionate about as a hobby or are you going to be a professional? Decide and own it!

Know what plays to your strengths. And focus on your strengths.

And play your position to the best of your abilities. Not someone else's.

So the next time your boss wants you to operate from a position of weakness or you find yourself continually in an environment that plays against your strengths. Remember these 2 words.

Diego Forlán.

Question:

What do you think your strengths are and how can you operate more from them? Leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you. 

Manic Monday Morning

Vodacom - VodaWorld. Daytime Hustle

Monday morning. Just caught the red-eye flight to Joburg. And to think if I was touring more this would be a regular...

Thinking about the destination is always such a buzz kill these days. I've been trying to embrace the whole enjoy the journey mentality. Because truly life can be more interesting if you plan to make the most of every moment. Otherwise, most of your time will be spent idly waiting. And that's really no fun!

Opportunities and ideas are really endless. What matters most is execution. Honestly, i can't say it enough times and in fact bears repeating.

Opportunities and ideas are really endless. What matters most is execution.

Choose the ideas and opportunities you believe are right for you at this present moment. Say no to the others. Shelf them if you must. Then focus and execute like crazy.

Start one. Finish one. Move on.

Building a Blog

Building Site

Building a blog takes time. 

To an untrained eye the beginning stages don't look like much. Dirt here, cement there, people running backwards and forwards. 

Sometimes it seems like chaos. Sometimes it is chaos.

Sometimes it all makes perfect sense. Somebody had to have come up with a plan, a blueprint that helps guide the way. 

And no matter how tough the building process may seem, you can always take solace in the fact that new building projects go up all the time. You are not the first and you won't be the last.

Embrace the process. Each step is filled with promise and potential.  

Sampling Lyrics

I recently read an article that gave me food for thought. In a world were it seems that indeed nothing is new under the sun, why should lyrics be any different? I remember when I first came across the words: "contains an interpolation of... ". It was in the CD booklet of 2 Pac's Me Against the World. 

And I was like, what is that? Sounds fancy. It was then I learnt that it was kinda like sampling lyrics or lifting a phrase or riff from another song. And now I've been noticing this technique of songwriting has become a growing trend. 

To read more on this checkout the full length article on The Guardian: Copy-and-paste songwriting for a switched-on world.