INDIVIDUALISM VS COMMUNITY
Are you a lone wolf or do you thrive with a tribe? Blindly soaking up media narratives is problematic; looking closely, you’ll notice an embedded theme. Division. I’ve experimented with the headline: Individualism vs Community. The keyword is vs (or versus) because by pitting one ideology against another what do you think quickly happens? Divisive human behaviour. Why is this? Picking a side is almost a given because you’ve been offered two choices; pick one or the other. We see it in sports. For example, in basketball — LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics, baseball — Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees, boxing — Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier, the list goes on. In politics — Republicans vs Democrats. If there are only two choices we can easily be coerced into choosing one over another. What I’m gently saying is that there’s always a third option and beyond. You don’t have to fall into the trap of this ubiquitous media polarising. The benefit of increasing awareness allows us to take a step back and think about what content we’re absorbing into our psyche. It’s important to be mindful of this because, as an individual, the consequences of not doing so could be detrimental to your life. The choices you make may not only affect you solely but the wider community. The reason is that groups of people make up communities, whether organised or not, conscious or subconscious. You have more control than you think. One way or another we are all connected to each other.
“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals.” — jean Vanier
This pandemic highlights how important it is to think differently and collaborate with others. We have been ushered into lockdown within our homes. Post-pandemic ways of working, especially within offices, have changed forever. Remote-working and distributed teams are now the norm. Jack Dorsey CEO of Twitter and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook announcing permanent remote-working for all office staff marks a decisive milestone, especially for office workers. Whether we like it or not it’s likely we must begin preparing and adapting for different working environments at scale. How have you been adapting to multiple zoom meetings and increased distraction? What’s most critical is embracing the power of community. Collaborating with your team online, so to speak, is key. Working on your own is commendable, being self-reliant and independent is a good thing. But what supersedes good is great, greater is contributing to a team, to a wider community because everyone will go further and prosper as a result of consciously choosing community AND individualism.
Enter The Pack ‘Lobby’ for a sneak peek at The Pack an engaging online accountability community and productivity accelerator HERE
OPTIMISM
Do you always look on the bright side? Or do you sometimes get down? Either way being a human being in modern-day society is challenging. In any given moment, often it’s more complex than simply being happy or sad. We humans are peculiar creatures embroiled in emotional and intellectual pursuits, and sometimes the world is unpredictable. You’ve only got to mention ‘Covid-19’ and I’m sure you’ll be feeling and thinking an array of emotions and thoughts.
“At its simplest, optimism is an expectation that good things will happen and that things will work out in the end.” — Victor Perton
Whatever your outlook the benefits of practising optimism are boundless. For example, did you know that optimism can improve your health? Studies show that being optimistic reduces stress and pain and enables stronger immune function. As lockdown restrictions subside we’ll begin to relish increased freedom to roam within reason. I am an optimist and I’m optimistic about the future and human potential. One thing that we all share is the ability to choose one thought or another. It’s certainly a skill requiring practice. With conscious effort and focus, an optimistic mindset will be developed. That’s if you choose to. Surely, stronger immune function is a solid incentive?
Listen to Victor Perton share insights on our special episode of Faiaside on optimism and leadership through the pandemic and beyond HERE
LEADERSHIP
What does leadership mean to you? If you ask one hundred people what good leadership is, you’ll likely get one hundred different answers. Here’s one:
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” — Lao Tzu
I love this quote on leadership because it expresses humility, purposeful productivity, community and most importantly, embraces how leadership cannot happen without a leader AND a team. That’s my individual interpretation. You may see something different. Please reach out to us at hello@faiacorp with your insights on leadership. We love hearing others’ perspectives.
Listen to EP08 of the Faiaside podcast — Blockchain Tech, Collaboration, Community & Leadership with Steve Barnes Advisory Board Member of Faiā, C-Suite Executive & Leader HERE
I’d love to leave you with a final thought and question to ponder over the weekend: How will you lead yourself and what one thing will you commit to doing for yourself AND others.
Thank you for your valuable time
