Be Brave!

Right?

This caught my eye and resonated immediately. It’s funny how I never want to be “bad” at something. It’s also funny that I also believe in “practice makes perfect” and that I learn more from people that are better at doing something than I am. I used to complain about playing racquetball against certain people (Hi Dad!) that could make me run around the court chasing my tail, but I came back as a better player the next game. Why? Because I learned something. If I play someone that’s far beneath my level, I’m not as likely to learn…but I can help their game get better and be part of the learning process.

It's only when I can set aside my ego and become willing to learn that I can actually grow. And that requires that I get uncomfortable sometimes. It’s oxymoronic to say that we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, but that doesn’t make it less true. And that’s where the bravery comes in. Trying to do something new in front of others can be embarrassing, but that doesn’t kill us. A really good example is the people that attended video meetings with no pants that let the camera drop accidentally; they learned *very quickly* that it’s still a good idea to wear pants for hybrid/remote work meetings.

Trying something new can be scary. Transitioning to new methods and ideas requires a learning curve, where you acknowledge that it’s going to take time to acquire some level of competency in the unfamiliar process. I still want to take new ideas and apply old ways of thinking. This is self-defeating; as I narrowly define the new concept and LIMIT IT to what I think it should do.

A perfect example is hybrid/remote work over a web call. I am not here to argue that it’s perfect, but am going to say that I firmly believe the advantages outweigh the challenges. I love being able to engage fully with the speaker by actively listening because the meeting is being recorded with transcription, rather than fumbling to take poor notes and missing the context. Third party apps for the web meeting platforms are becoming more and more sophisticated, such as adding personalized bio cards that show what the weather is like where people are. We can now meet with our global colleagues anywhere at basically a moment’s notice that used to require two weeks’ planning, a small fortune for plane/hotel fare and inconveniencing everyone involved.

It will be of no surprise to anyone that we strongly encourage everyone to sign up for a free Clixie account to start adding interactivity to their recorded content (meetings, trainings, and/or otherwise). Clixie makes this whole process simple, fast, & easy to diminish the learning curve so you aren’t left feeling like you suck at something new.  But please don’t stop there! Try out new things with an open mind and be willing to fail and try again. You will become memorable and open new paths for yourself and others. How many countless accounting classes have I had with countless final exam reviews that I’ll never remember? But I will always remember the University of Michigan accounting professor, Dr. Ryan Ball, that gave his final review over Zoom as a talking potato. 

"I taught the whole two-and-a-half-hour review session as the potato," the University Record quoted Ball as saying. "The fact of the matter is, people were paying attention, and that’s all I care about. It’s hard to capture people’s attention on Zoom."

 Brave, brilliant, unforgettable and unapologetic. And with over 50 million views on Tik-Tok, he will always have more students signing up for his classes than the physical spaces he has available.

Be the brave little potato.

#webex #teams #zoom