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Four takeaways from the past week

The Friday Takeaway2 min readSam Page

Four takeaways from the past week...

It's been a while since I wrote a Friday note. They turned into a bit of an activity recap, and I don't think people need that on here.

However, I've had a few people tell me they do miss the insights, patterns or lessons that I shared. So, I'm bringing them back, with a shift in focus.

Less what I did, and more what I learnt. I hope it's genuinely useful to people!

  1. Don't try and write a brief in isolation. Given how fast the world is moving, I think it's no wonder it's almost impossible to do this right now. Lean on external partners to help unpick the problem and brainstorm the solution. I think it's some of the most valuable work we do at 7DOTS to help line our clients up for success.

  2. Internal thinking always benefits from external perspective. I've been talking to some incredible CEOs, business leaders, company founders, advisors, and friends this week, including (in chrono order) Dafydd, Carl, Claudiu, James, Ben, Vicki, David, Sophie, David, Damien, Howard. It reminds me that good businesses are driven by incredibly passionate and smart people, and that outside perspective helps to steer that. I'm fortunate to sit on both sides of that fence at times. What's clear is that good leaders surround themselves with people who can help feed their passion, and help translate their thinking into something that resonates with the world outside.

  3. "Leaders bring the weather" we're running a coaching course for the management team at 7DOTS with Bruce O'Brien and Chang Zhang and this phrase stuck with me. How I turn up impacts people. I'm learning the discipline of not trying to fix things (on a daily basis). If it's not high risk, not very urgent, or there's not a clear answer, coach the team to solve it.

  4. Don't undervalue non-transactional moments. I attended the Kingston Chamber of Commerce Kingston Borough Business Awards launch evening. It's always a good reminder life is about people. Support, friendship, genuine smiles, and the occasional hug (thanks Mark Attwater) are invaluable. It was a privilege and lovely to see everyone including Forbes Low, Sandra Porter, Peter Burch, RBKares Kingston Upon Thames, Katya Bridges.

Please reply and let me know if these are helpful (or not)...

And if you feel inclined, I'd love to hear something you have learnt this week too.

First published on LinkedIn.

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title: "Four takeaways from the past week"
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# Four takeaways from the past week

Four takeaways from the past week...

It's been a while since I wrote a Friday note. They turned into a bit of an activity recap, and I don't think people need that on here.

However, I've had a few people tell me they do miss the insights, patterns or lessons that I shared. So, I'm bringing them back, with a shift in focus.

Less what I did, and more what I learnt. I hope it's genuinely useful to people!

1. Don't try and write a brief in isolation. Given how fast the world is moving, I think it's no wonder it's almost impossible to do this right now. Lean on external partners to help unpick the problem and brainstorm the solution. I think it's some of the most valuable work we do at 7DOTS to help line our clients up for success.

2. Internal thinking always benefits from external perspective. I've been talking to some incredible CEOs, business leaders, company founders, advisors, and friends this week, including (in chrono order) Dafydd, Carl, Claudiu, James, Ben, Vicki, David, Sophie, David, Damien, Howard. It reminds me that good businesses are driven by incredibly passionate and smart people, and that outside perspective helps to steer that. I'm fortunate to sit on both sides of that fence at times. What's clear is that good leaders surround themselves with people who can help feed their passion, and help translate their thinking into something that resonates with the world outside.

3. "Leaders bring the weather" we're running a coaching course for the management team at 7DOTS with Bruce O'Brien and Chang Zhang and this phrase stuck with me. How I turn up impacts people. I'm learning the discipline of not trying to fix things (on a daily basis). If it's not high risk, not very urgent, or there's not a clear answer, coach the team to solve it.

4. Don't undervalue non-transactional moments. I attended the Kingston Chamber of Commerce Kingston Borough Business Awards launch evening. It's always a good reminder life is about people. Support, friendship, genuine smiles, and the occasional hug (thanks Mark Attwater) are invaluable. It was a privilege and lovely to see everyone including Forbes Low, Sandra Porter, Peter Burch, RBKares Kingston Upon Thames, Katya Bridges.

Please reply and let me know if these are helpful (or not)...

And if you feel inclined, I'd love to hear something you have learnt this week too.