Maybe I should...

Lee and I have known each other forever, and although an exaggeration, we did start our careers together a very long time ago. I was in sales and he was my trusty Product Manager — we were a small group, misunderstood, laughed loudly, and most importantly, were very, very profitable. All in all, it was a great way to start a journey.

As with most starts, you ultimately find yourself moving forward and taking paths you never expected — mine had me wandering around North America and Lee found himself enjoying Europe. Our paths would cross once in a while and we would pick up where we had left off, and we always laughed. Social Media has made it easy stay connected and a quick note is always a click away.

One such note found its way to me the other day. It was a message that simply said,

“Graham!  saw your latest post. Sooner or later you are going to end up on a business video on the airplane entertainment system.  Best wishes...”

It made me smile and couldn’t help but imagine the celebrity that comes with closed circuit TV — it also had me saying, “Maybe I should”. Although there are a few hurdles that I’ll have to overcome, particularly the fundamental loathing that comes with having myself filmed or listening to my voice, none are show stoppers (something that will need to be addressed though). And when I weigh it against all the new skills I’ll develop, this really should be categorized as a no brainer.

To Lee’s point, it’s not that I don’t have a reasonable amount of content…

So here I am preparing for a little adventure that has nothing but upside because at the very least I will end up learning something new. There is some work to do for sure — I need to think of my formula, the production qualities I’ll use, what voice to use, the content needed (and a number of other things I don’t know enough to think of). What I can say is that there’s already a working title for my fledgling video series:

“Fasten your seatbelt”

It does feel right, and I’m certain it’ll position me well to enter the challenging and competitive world of airline entertainment. At the very least, I will ensure I do right by Lee.

iamgpe

PS: If Derek, Marc, Doug, Natalie or Francois happen to be reading this, I hope all is well.

Sometimes it's just hard to do something...

I have been posting a blog every Sunday and Wednesday for a while now and have been true to my schedule. Some blogs have been well received, while others not so much. But I have always published. Today, it has been hard to come up with something to write about.

Today... every idea I have come up with keeps crashing in the proverbial "ball of flame". I just can't get it together, and in fact have been wrestling with it for over a day now. 

The big question I have been asking myself is, "do I just not post today, or do I at least publish something?". If you have gotten this far, I guess you have the answer. As I write this, it strikes me that there is a message in all of this. When it is hard, do you just put it off, or do you put the best foot forward you can? Is it better to do something, or nothing at all?

If it was another day, I suspect I would have something to say about this, but because it is today, the best I can come up with on this day is ... 

Do something!!

As a consolation for reading this far, I have attached the link on a great talk by Dr Brene Brown on vulnerability. Click here. It is very inspirational.

Tomorrow is another day,

gpe

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it."

Amelia Earhart said this... 

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it"

If you are not familiar with Amelia Earhart, she was an American aviation pioneer and the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During an attempt to fly around the world in 1937, she disappeared over the Pacific Ocean; she was declared dead in absentia in 1939 at the age of 41.

I really like what Amelia has said, as it gets to the heart of an important component of effective execution... now having said this, I know of at least one lovely, yet skeptical friend, who thinks that this contradicts previous thoughts I've had on effective execution. I believe it is with the words "do it" and the possible perception that they are "fanciful" or "spontaneous", creating an air of something "less effective or trite" when it comes to effective execution. I look at it a little differently, and in fact, see great power in the words "do it".

For the sake of illustration, let's change Amelia's quote to - "The most effective way to execute, is to execute." Now this feels more formal, more "business like", more structured... something to this effect:

• There has been a formal review of the situation.
• A formal process to develop a plan of action.
• The appropriate resources were aligned to implement the plan.
• A time and event schedule has been developed with regular operating mechanisms to keep us on track.
• Testing where applicable is conducted.
• Reviewed readiness.
• Approval to "implement".
• Implement.
• Gather feedback 

All very structured, very measurable, very actionable and very intellectual. Sometimes though, particularly as you get closer to "implementation", it never gets fully implemented, delayed or never quite happens. But how can that be, it seems so well thought out? Simply put, decisions and actions are not simply intellectual activities but also emotional.

We have to contend with our feelings, as these emotions can bring the best laid plans to a grinding halt... the risk of being wrong, being misjudged, making a mistake, compromising your security, compromising status, etc. can result in a range of negative emotions such as fear, shame, dread, disappointment, embarrassment and frustration. All of which will challenge the most well thought out plans.

So back to Amelia's quote, "The most effective way to do it, is to do it" speaks to the power of how the words "do it" resonate with the emotional side of the human spirit... drawing out the human energy of courage, tenacity, sacrifice, and confidence, just to mention a few - Allowing a person to overcome their doubts and fears and make the emotional decision to "do it". You just have to look as far as the motivational quotes that are hanging everywhere, feeding our emotional resolve... something to this effect: 

• "You only need your approval. Anyone else is a bonus."
• "The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
• Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow".
• "Dreams come in one size, TOO BIG, so you can grow into them."
• "What would you attempt if you knew you couldn't fail."
• "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing"
• "On the other side of fear lies freedom"
• "The number one skill in life is not giving up"
• "Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.

At the heart of all effective execution is the emotional decision to "do it" and setting the energy of the human spirit in place to get it done. With that resolve established, all you need is a well thought out execution plan.

Rest in Peace Amelia Earhart.

gpe