What you will get today (10 min read)

1. Updates from our community

2. The content of the month

3. The framework of the month

4. The illustration of the month

5. Zoom on The Slim Method

1. Updates from our community

Autumn is here! Days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping.

I find Autumn challenging & exciting! Here is why.

Challenging because September is usually a month in which people try new habits such as gymming or a new diet. Unfortunately, after the motivation boost you get at the beginning, it is tough to make it stick. Difficulties rise up to test your mental strength.

Exciting at the same time because when you are tested, you really see what you're made of. And when you manage to put the excuses away and keep your discipline, the feeling of accomplishment releases a high dose of dopamine!

That's one of the topics of this newsletter: discipline. On top of being disciplined, we will also discuss about the rules of the game you're playing: working in a changing & complex business environment.

As always, some gratitude for the existing readers and the new joiners: the community continues to grow and currently sits at 118 readers, +5% growth compared to last month.

Thank you for subscribing and for being the pioneers of this community!

Feel free to share the content to your friends & colleagues :) 

2. The content of the month

We talked about discipline earlier. I find sports absolutely fascinating and inspiring when it comes to this topic.

Sports highlights a lot of human virtues to the point of being leveraged in the world of business all the time. No wonder we see more and more athletes facilitating workshops, conferences and seminars in companies.

One of the most iconic athletes of the past two decades, not to say of all time, is Usain Bolt. It is music to my ears when he says: "I trained 4 years to run only 9 seconds. There are people who do not see results in 2 months, give up and leave. Sometimes failure is sought by oneself."

Do you want to get results? Show up, every single day. It's okay to have setbacks now and then. I have them as much as everyone else. We are all human with complex lives. Just pick yourself back up and get your head back in the game. Paradoxically, I believe being disciplined requires self compassion.

If you want to deep dive this topic, the documentary "I am Bolt" is available on Netflix.

3. The Framework of the month

Vision to Values framework

I often discuss this exact topic with tech leaders who built amazing products & saw their company grow exponentially. It usually comes, understandably, with a sense of pride.

After congratulating them on the great achievements, I ask a question they cannot hide from: what is your company vision? Either you know it or not. Either it comes in a split second or you hesitate and then admit the sad truth: "I don't have one yet.".

When you are going through uncertain times as we are now, especially for the tech industry, you HAVE to have solid foundations with a true north.

How to do that?

Jeff Weiner, former LinkedIn CEO, shares an amazing framework to build your company foundations and help you keep growing rapidly while keeping a safe & steady trajectory.

Article available here.

And a 3h LinkedIn Learning course here.

4. The Illustration of the month

5. Zoom on The Slim Method

Today we are going to zoom in on Section 2: Master your Outer-Self.

Topic #3 in this section: KNOW THE RULES OF THE GAME YOU'RE PLANING.

I/ Why do rules exist in Business?

• 1: Protecting

  • Human Beings, as many other species such as bees, ants or lion tribes, don't like chaos. In chaos, we get completely lost. Look at how we behave in the middle of riots or when there is a natural disaster. We get overwhelmed, start panicking and we lose our rational thinking. In order to thrive, we need some order and regulations. For instance, each bee has a role and knows exactly what do to, from the builder to the queen. The same goes for us, it's important to know our role.
     

• 2: Achieving

  • Each one of us has a role in a specific entity wether it is with our family, at sports or at work. We all have responsibilities and expectations. This role helps us to achieve something big, as a group. If we take the example of football or soccer:

    • A goalkeeper will protect the goal to prevent a ball coming in.

    • The defender will block the opponent to prevent a goal.

    • The midfield will bring the ball forward to the striker.

    • The striker will shoot the ball to score a goal.
       

• 3: Belonging

  • With clear rules, you can also make the decision to play the game or not, depending on what suits you. Imagine you are looking for a job. You take the time to prepare for the interview and you look at the company website. You discover the company values, the team and the history of the company. If that resonates with you and you feel you can thrive in this environment, you will apply. If you feel you won't belong, you will look at the next company. Rules help you belong to a group and share common points to achieve something together.

II/ How to play with them?

• 1: Get to know all the rules and fully understand them

  • Last month I had a coaching session with a client who was arguing about an internal process. It seems this internal process was causing some issues with customers. The coachee was complaining about losing clients due to this process. So I asked few questions:

    • Did you know about this process?

    • If you did, did you share your concerns before it was rolled out?

    • If you had concerns and the process was rolled out, did you anticipate issues with clients?

    • If you anticipated issues, did you come up with a plan to address them?

    • Business issues often come from a lack of knowledge. Make sure you take the time to know the rules of your business, company and organization. That will avoid many tricky situations.
       

• 2: Leverage them with your strengths

  • Now that you know the rules, it's time to reflect and see how you can play with your own strengths. Take the time to connect the rules and your assets, you can find creative ways to play and win the game. And do not assume the strongest, the smartest or the loudest will win.

    • Look at sports and how many times did the underdogs win against all odds.

    • Look at myths & fables: David vs Goliath, the Tortoise & the Hare

    • Look at the winning characters in movies and tv shows such as Forest Gump, Aladin or Arya Stark in Game of Thrones.
       

• 3: Be ready to adapt

  • What makes it more challenging is that rules can change over time. We live in a changing environment and we constantly have to adapt. It means that what successfully worked in the past could not be enough today. Reflect, adjust, test and execute.
     

III/ What are the rules in your work environment?

• 1: Company Culture & Values

  • Each company has its own culture & values even if they are not documented or clearly communicated. I agree with Jeff Weiner when he says Culture is the company's personality and Values are the principles that guide day-to-day decisions. You have 2 jobs: 1/ If they are not clearly communicated, help the company leaders to document it and seek alignment. 2/ Embrace your company culture (culture fit) while also contributing to it with your own personality (culture add).
     

• 2: Goals & Expectations

  • To play the game and have a chance to win it, do your very best to achieve the goals that have been set and meet your management expectations. To do so, clarify as much as you can your goals & expectations. Have them written down and try not to change them. If they change, understand the new rules and adapt. Those who know these rules stay focused on what matters and win the game.
     

• 3: Social/Company etiquette

  • Remember your first days when you joined your current company. There is a high chance you didn't understand some of the vocabulary or even jokes your colleagues were referring to. That's the social etiquette. The challenge is that nobody wrote a playbook to teach you what it is. Yet it is consistently used. You have to be a strong observer and quickly embrace your company social etiquette. The mastery will be to even create trends that your colleagues will follow.
    I remember a Sales Leader in one of my previous companys who, one day, came to the office riding a scooter (it was in 2014). Few weeks later, I saw few colleagues coming to work with their scooter. This lead not only played by the rules, he also created rules that employees followed!
      

How can I help?

2 ways:

• 1: You have no clear rules in your company yet.

  • I will help you build yours. Jeff Weiner's style.
     

• 2: Your company has already set rules.

  • I will help you navigate them and win the game.

Do you want to deep dive into this topic?

Do you want to leverage The Slim Method?

That's it for this month!

I hope you enjoyed the content. Feel free to share it around you and spread the word :)

If you have a question or feedback to share : theslimethod@gmail.com