Focus on what someone is doing well…
In building a life and in building products, what someone is doing well is usually what makes them successful, in spite of their many flaws.
Jan 10, 2021
The past 12 months sucked, top to bottom. Millions of people are struggling. Some of our friends will tell us, some of our friends won’t. Many of us are frazzled; just not the same.
If we read any major news source or talk to our relatives, it’s endless finger-pointing and negativity; a giant cloud of stigma, loss of faith, and dehumanization.
Take a moment to remember what leads to positive outcomes — an ability to emphasize positive attributes, and the capacity to empathize with struggles or non-ideal traits and absorb that understanding into a nuanced and more enlightened path together.
This is true in life, and in business.
In life, when we focus on the negative in others, we easily create enemies and lose faith.
In building products, when we focus on the imperfections of a system or the imperfections of a business space, we easily talk ourselves out of the chance to try and succeed where we see potential.
In life, when we focus on the positive in others, we make them feel good and add another potential ally to our cause. It also makes us feel good to work toward/with something positive.
In building products, when we focus on the positive aspects of our approach or the uniqueness of our experience in the field, we might just take the chance to build a successful new thing that can provide for self and loved ones.
Negativity doesn’t work as well. It doesn’t make grateful people, or happy products. It may bring success, but in spite of looming calamity and within protective and fear-laden custody, not within a framework of gratitude.
I’m writing this as much to remind myself. Finding imperfections in people and products is easy. It means that we don’t have to do anything for the rest of the day, stifle ourselves, and we move on to the next imperfect idea without being uncomfortable. That is not a good strategy for dealing with people, making friends, making the world better or happier—nor is it a good strategy for success in building products.
