This Sticky Note Changed My Life
Summary
- I learned that showing strong reactions to news, whether excited or frustrated, affected my leadership and openness with my team.
- To counter this, I put a sticky note on my computer with the reminder "be neutral" to guide my reactions during virtual meetings.
- This simple reminder helped me maintain a neutral demeanor, allowing team members to feel comfortable sharing news, whether it was good or bad.
- By being more neutral, I avoided punishing my team with negative reactions, thus encouraging openness and communication.
- It was important for me, as a CEO, to remain calm and gather more context to make informed decisions, and the sticky note was a constant reminder of this.
- The realization that most situations aren't business-ending but merely inconvenient or frustrating helped shift my perspective.
- This approach contributed to me being the kind of leader my team could trust and come to with any issues, ensuring better decision-making and company culture.
Video
How To Take Action
I'd suggest starting by putting a simple sticky note on your computer or somewhere visible with the reminder to "be neutral." It sounds simple, but this can be a powerful tool to manage your reactions, especially when receiving news or updates. Staying neutral maintains an open space for your team or even your loved ones to share openly without fear of a negative reaction.
Consider that most situations aren't critical. They're often just inconvenient. Adjust your mindset to see challenges as part of growth rather than threats. This shift can have a big impact on reducing stress and improving decision-making.
Practice pausing before you react. Listen fully to what someone's saying before showing any emotional response. This helps in gathering more context, which is key to making informed decisions and ensures people feel heard and valued.
Encourage openness by being approachable. When people know they can trust you with both good and bad news, it strengthens the team or personal relationships and fosters better communication.
Finally, remember to stay calm under stress. A calm demeanor not only helps you think more clearly, but it also sets a positive example for others. This approach will build trust and create an environment where everyone feels comfortable being honest and working towards shared goals.
Full Transcript
when I'm on meetings when I'm talking to people people will say things that piss me off that make me upset that I feel stressed about maybe I'm super excited about something that was interfering with me being a leader that people could tell anything to was reacting quickly to what people said with my face right cuz I might not say it but my face would show it so I put the sticky note on my computer because at the time our company was completely virtual and the sticky note just said be neutral it sounds crazy but that sticky note changed how I showed up for my entire team for the next 6 years because all I thought about when I'm receiving news whether it's bad frustrating stressful Etc be neutral because the likelihood that this is going to end the business is so low it's probably just inconvenient and frustrating and if I show that when somebody delivers me the news it interferes with my goals of being someone they could come to because it punishes them in a way because they feel like they've upset me with the news for me to be the right CEO for this business I need to have more context than anybody to make the right decisions all I had to do is put a sticky note on my computer
