#25: Back to work
Getting back at it and setting new goals
Hey friends,
Welcome to the 25th edition of this newsletter, and there are some changes that I plan to bring to it.
I don’t see a newsletter as something fixed; as we change and evolve every day, our writing, our craft, and our output evolve also.
So, for now, this letter will consist of three parts:
1. A personal update
2. Explaining a framework or concept I used or thought about this week (it could be something about peak performance, career growth, leadership, psychology, or anything that I found interesting for that matter)
3. A recommendation (book, video, movie, a new religion I’m getting into, etc)
Why this change? Simple. From an altruistic point of view, I think you get the most for your time with these 3 topics. From an egotistical perspective, I enjoy writing about them too more than other topics.
So, let's get it going.
Back to work
I have to be honest; after two weeks of being disconnected from everything, it was not so easy to get back on track.
I had to spend a few days going through emails and catching up with stuff at work. I've also started running and training more seriously, as I have my 21K race in a couple of weeks (I'm excited about that).
I didn't manage to get on track with creating content and engaging on social media, not as much as I did. And I plan to change this as well, and I declare October: content month!
What does that mean? It means I will write one a longer-form post every day and publish it on my Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. I need to re-build the discipline I once had and write for one hour in the morning before work.
I'll tell you next week how it went.
Until then, read my posts on X and LinkedIn (Sorry for the shameless promotion)
Oh, and I learned how to make stickers on the latest iOS, so I’ve spent some time creating lots of these :)
How a defect can become a quality
I was a shy and introverted child. I still think I am (an introvert, not a child), but I don't show it that much these days.
I lived with my grandparents until I was 6. I played with other kids, but I mostly enjoyed the time I spent by myself, watching TV.
When I would get home to my parents during the weekends, the other kids were not very keen on playing with me. I was quiet, a bit fat, and overall a lonely kid.
I continued to be like this during most of my school years, but with age, I also wanted to fit in.
So I made extra efforts to do it. I would do some bad things during class so my colleagues would notice me, start smoking really young, and do whatever I could to become popular.
In the long term, this didn't make me an influencer, but it did make me a good communicator. I started being comfortable around people, and people were comfortable around me.
We already know that communication is the most important thing for a leader. From my point of view, my desire to become "popular" is one of the main contributors to the success of my professional career. And not only that.
It's the typical case of "fake it till you make it.". But it goes a bit deeper than that.
I recently found out about the "compensation theory". Alfred Adler, one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, believed that people are primarily motivated by an innate drive to overcome feelings of inferiority, which he referred to as the "inferiority complex".
Everyone, according to Adler, begins life with a sort of "inferiority complex". As babies, we are weak and dependent. These feelings of inferiority can persist as we grow, and for some people, they become deeply ingrained and shape much of their behavior.
To counter these feelings, people develop a drive to be competent and to feel valuable.
In this process of striving for superiority, individuals develop skills or traits to compensate for their perceived weaknesses. And sometimes, this drive is so strong that the individual not only overcomes their deficiency but excels far beyond the average.
This so-called "overcompensation" can lead to exceptional achievements.
Interestingly enough, Adler believed in a concept called "community feeling", meaning that a fully developed individual strives not only for personal superiority but does so in a way that benefits society as a whole.
Giving back to others, in a nutshell.
It's crystal clear to me that my initial feelings of shyness and social inferiority fueled a desire to not only overcome these feelings but to excel in social situations.
The good news is that, because of the brain's plasticity, we can do this over and over again with our weaknesses, not only with the ones we had during our childhood.
And I think everyone has something to improve.
Here's a quick framework to do this:
1. Acknowledge Your Weakness: Before you can compensate for a perceived weakness, you need to acknowledge it. The key is not to dwell on inferiority but to use it as a starting point for growth.
2. Set Specific Goals: Identify areas where you'd like to improve or compensate. Break these down into smaller, achievable steps. For instance, if you're socially anxious, a goal might be to initiate a conversation with a colleague each day.
3. Celebrate Small Wins: Recognize and celebrate even the tiniest progress. Every step forward, no matter how small, is a move towards overcoming your perceived inadequacies.
4. Seek Feedback: Engage trusted friends, family, or mentors to provide feedback on your efforts. They can offer valuable insights, encouragement, and even constructive criticism to help you improve.
5. Engage in Continuous Learning: Read books, take courses, or attend workshops that address your areas of perceived weakness. Knowledge is empowering and can provide practical strategies for improvement.
6. Develop a Growth Mindset: Embrace the idea that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. A growth mindset, as proposed by Carol Dweck, fosters resilience and a love for learning, both essential for compensation.
7. Develop a Support System: Surround yourself with supportive individuals who uplift you. They can provide encouragement, share their own experiences, and offer a different perspective on challenges.
8. Reflect on Past Successes: Remember times in the past when you've overcome challenges or turned weaknesses into strengths. Use these memories as motivation and proof of your ability to adapt and grow.
This is it. I'm curious if you had a weakness that you turned into a strength.
If so, reply to this email.
The Diary of a CEO: 33 Laws for Business and Life
This was one of the books I read during my vacation, and it was a very fine read. It is written by Steven Bartlett, the founder of several companies and an investor in the BBC One show Dragons' Den (something similar to Shark Tank).
The book contains his principles for excellence as well as lessons from the great entrepreneurs and leaders he talked to on this podcast, people ranging from Sir Alex Ferguson to Sir Richard Branson and Jordan Peterson.
Some of my favorite laws:
- NEVER COMPROMISE YOUR SELF-STORY Mental toughness is required for enduring success, and it’s principally derived from having a positive self-story. To build your self-story, you need evidence, and that evidence is derived from the choices you make in the face of adversity.
- ALWAYS PRIORITISE YOUR FIRST FOUNDATION Take care of your body; it is, after all, the only vehicle you get to own, the only vessel you’ll use to explore the world, and the only house you can ever truly call a home.
- THE FRAME MATTERS MORE THAN THE PICTURE What you say, is not all that you say. What you say is determined by the context in which your message, product, or service exists. If you change the frame, you change your message.
- YOU MUST OUT-FAIL THE COMPETITION Failure is not a bad thing, and to increase your chances of success you need to increase your failure rate. Every time something is tried and found not to work, valuable information is gained that can be shared with your team.
- YOU MUST MAKE PRESSURE YOUR PRIVILEGE Pressure doesn’t have to be a negative thing, and – if framed correctly – it can be energizing. Recognising, owning, and using pressure can be a powerful tool when it comes to achieving our aims in business and life.
- LEVERAGE THE POWER OF PROGRESS To solve problems, encourage and celebrate small wins. This provides continuous forward momentum, which creates an atmosphere of success and a positive sense that a team is moving towards its bigger goals.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you liked something in particular in this newsletter.
Until next time,
Leo
P.S.: If you would like to read my content daily, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and Linkedin.
P.S. 2: If you want to take your productivity to the next level, check out my extensive Productivity course that can accelerate your career.