Best and worst

For the next 5 minutes, let’s elevate your career.

In today’s email:

• Best and worst

• How to receive efficient assistance

• Go analogue

• Forgive yourself

• Career wisdom from Judy Faulkner

ON YOUR CAREER

Best and worst

For several years, I was a member of Entrepreneurs Organization. We had a smaller forum of 11 people that met face-to-face each month. At the beginning of forum meetings, we shared the best and worst of what happened to us in the past month. Topics were for our businesses and personal lives. This led to several wonderful things:

• perspective on our individual successes and failures

• 10 people to share their wisdom, resources, and emotional support

• strong friendships that continue to this day

We can all benefit from having a group to share the best and worst in our careers. There are many ways to structure such a group - lunch with peers, over drinks after a game of pickleball, or on WhatsApp. Structured buddy coaching is another way to share our best and worst.

COMMUNICATION

How to receive efficient assistance

❌ Let me give you the full story

✅ Here’s a quick summary of the facts

❌ I need your help

✅ I’d like your help evaluating the project’s pros and cons

❌ Can I send you my PowerPoint to review?

✅ Would you review the summary slide to see if it’s persuasive?

We are best to be succinct, specific, and make reasonable requests of our potential helpers. This clarifies our thinking before we reach out. It also makes it more likely that people will assist us in the future.

PRODUCTIVITY

Go analogue

There’s freedom in shutting our digital devices and taking pen to paper. Writing and drawing. Going analogue. I drew the above mind map while travelling from Seville to Zaragoza by train. Plenty of space for a pen and small pad.

1 MINUTE TO LESS STRESS

Forgive yourself

We all mess-up. Sometimes, to move forward, we need to forgive ourselves. This is a 3-step process that can help move us forward:

1. Walk and reflect: Walking liberates our thinking. Consider what we want to do differently in the future.

2. Take responsibility: Apologize, without excuses, if we have wronged someone. Commit to actions that will lead to a better outcome.

3. Practise self-compassion: Treat yourself with the kindness you’d offer a friend. Challenge self-critical thoughts with positive affirmations.

CAREER WISDOM

Judy Faulkner

Judith Faulkner (1943 — ) was born in New Jersey. She studied mathematics at Dickinson College and completed a masters in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Faulkner is the founder and CEO of Epic Systems, a healthcare software company. She established the company in 1979 with an initial investment of $70,000 from friends and family.

Epic manages the medical records of 325 million people. Forbes named Faulkner “the most powerful woman in healthcare”. She has no plans to retire and has structured Epic so it remains independent and employee-owned in perpetuity. Some of her career wisdom: