johnmaconline

A craftsman masters his domain.

The master turns from consumer to producer.

He does stuff, and he continues to participate. He takes the information, finds his voice in it, and starts producing. The master makes the phone calls.

The master gets comfortable being uncomfortable. She tries the things that might not work. 

Mastery requires going through the hard. There are no shortcuts, or ways around, or tunnels underneath. There is only through. 

The guru on the mountain may be a master, but not because he’s got a robe and a label. He’s a master because he’s dug into it, struggled with his own beliefs, argued with his teachers and peers, written about it, lived it, and is willing to teach it to you. The guru produces. 

The social media influencer may be a master, but not because she’s beautiful and has a team of people around her. She’s a master because she’s built a network, mastered her distribution channel, mastered her content, adjusts the content accordingly, and exposes herself to the emotional danger from the public. The influencer produces.

The master may talk a good game, but maybe not. Because talk doesn’t matter. 

Masters are producers.

A craftsman masters his domain.

What is mastery? How good do you need to be? How do you become a master?

Mastery starts with a beginner mindset.

The master started by setting his ego aside and becoming a beginner.

The beginner is humble and recognizes he will need help. The beginner steps out of his comfort zone. He sets aside what he thinks he knows and is willing to start fresh.

Beginners gather information. They learn from other masters. They may go to school, read books, listen to podcasts, and take courses. They definitely invest.

But information only takes you so far. Information cannot make you a master.

The amateur stops at beginner. He stops at gathering the information.

The amateur can make good dinner conversation, but he hasn’t made a contribution that matters. That’s where the line is drawn, because across the line of contribution lies the emotional danger.

A master starts at the beginning. 

I’m committed to helping you work the way you want.

Because I want to work with craftsmen, and craftsmen care about the way they work.

But also…

Craftsmen keep up with the times. Craftsmen look out for new and better. Crafstmen adapt to new tools when needed or when the benefits become clear. They take the industry’s pulse to see if anything new will help them at their craft.  

They adopt new if new brings forward progress. And they discern forward progress from shiny objects.

If you want to know about the latest tools, gizmos, methodologies, and science in your industry, ask a craftsman.   

If you work for/with me, I will do my best to allow you to work the way want. 

I apply this to environments, platforms, tools, applications, and methodologies. We have standards and agreements, of course, but for the most part, I’m on board. Want a mac or Linux? I’ll get it for you. You need a license for your favorite IDE? I’ll approve. 

Because I want to work with craftsmen and craftsmen care about the way they work. They care about their tools. They care about methodologies. They care about what they produce and how they produce it.

Empowering you to work your way, I believe, is a key element in creating a productive, innovative, and vibrant work environment. I respect your professional expertise and want to equip you with what you need to be successful. In turn, I anticipate the passion, commitment, and high-quality output that craftsmen are known for.

By enabling this level of autonomy, we foster a culture of respect, personal responsibility, and a sense of ownership over one’s work. It’s not about conforming to a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather, embracing diversity of thought, style, and approach to drive innovation and foster personal growth.

By working the way you want, we all get better. 

Where are you trying to go? What is your endpoint?

Project management maps the journey to the endpoint. Without an endpoint, you don’t need a map. If you don’t need a map, you don’t need project management. 

Razor sharp focus on the endpoint saved and built companies like Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Amazon. Choose the endpoint. Unite the project managers. Distractions be damned. We’re on the road to our endpoint. 

However, Twitter (podcasting platform), Slack (game), and PayPal (security software) all became what they are because they chose a new endpoint in the midst of their journey. OK, project managers, throw out the map. Let’s build a new one.

Commitment and adaptability are two sides of the same coin. But in both cases, you need to know your endpoint. 

When you get your team around the table, what does it look like?

Are you at the head, everybody facing you, everybody looking to you to tell them what to do?

Are you the best at all the jobs?

Do all the decision flow through you, up and down the chain?

If so, consider a new order.

Trust is the cornerstone of the new work paradigm.

Trust builds strength, fuels cooperation, and helps team members feel valued. Trust must be actively built and consciously maintained. You build trust through transparency, consistency, and accountability on both the leadership and team sides of the fence.

It starts with transparency and open and honest communication. Leaders should strive for a culture of open dialogue, where concerns, ideas, and feedback are exchanged freely. And team members must contribute their voice, respect the voices of others, and be mission-focused.

Trust follows from consistency. Consistency follows when leaders’ words align with actions, and team members bring their pro game to the table.

Accountability rounds it out. We’re going to try things that might not work. We’re going to make mistakes. We’re going to learn along the way. We’re going make each other better.

Trust is how you win.

Multitasking is a myth. Busy is a distraction.

That’s nothing new, of course, but it’s important to remember, especially in the new work paradigm. The new work paradigm requires leadership to empower rather than micromanage and to entrust individuals with responsibility, nurturing self-reliance and initiative.

Which makes setting priorities critical. Because if everything is important, then nothing is. Empowerment without clear priorities can be a recipe for chaos, leading to diffused focus and diluted results.

Effective leadership in the new work paradigm creates the vision, sets the standards, enrolls the team, and ensures each member understands their objectives and significance. Teaching and empowering to focus on the important, not just the urgent.

This marriage of empowerment and priority transforms the work environment into an arena of focused impact. A shift from busy to significant.

Show and tell was a big deal for us in kindergarten.

I have fond memories of my classmates bringing in their favorite toys, stuffed animals, and vacation souvenirs. We had a friendly contest going about who brought the best item.

My favorite thing that I showed was my hockey stick. This was the mid-70’s in the Broad Street Bully era, and I was proud that I was a “real” hockey player. I remember it having the intended effect as I puffed out my chest just a bit for a few minutes.

And then one day, Jenny walked up to the front, waved at the classroom door, and in walked Jenny’s mom with a furry little puppy. Pandemonium broke out.

Jenny won show and tell.

In the new work paradigm, job descriptions, org charts, and seniority get replaced by impact. New leaders will empower you. They’ll expect you to speak up. They’ll need your courage.

The new work paradigm, and especially remote work, rewards the winners of show and tell.

Which methodology wins in the new work paradigm?

Commitment versus flexibility. Structure versus fluid. Quality versus quantity.

Take (historic) Apple. Meticulous planning, clear objectives, focus on the design. Don’t release until it’s perfect. Refine before anyone sees it.

Each new iPod, iPhone, or Mac fully developed before release. No ambiguity. No uncertainty. Just precision. The result? Device experiences that echo the Apple ethos – sleek, intuitive, impeccable.

Take Microsoft. More experiments, more releases with the bare minimum, focus on the functionality and the roadmap. Release it quicker. Cover up the chinks in the armor with the next release.

Each new version of Word or Windows more capable than the previous, and also full of little gotchas around the corners. No worries, release the fix next week. The teams quickly adapt, evolve, iterate. No long, drawn-out development stages. Just quick responses to ever-changing software needs. The result? A software suite that is constantly evolving, always at the cusp of innovation.

Apple and Microsoft, different approaches. Both successful.

So which methodology wins in the new paradigm?

It doesn’t matter. Both can win, and both can lose. Religion around it is futile. Because methodology is just an agreement among the team — this is how we agree to work.

And agreement is about leadership and followership. Can you enroll the team?

The new work paradigm requires new leadership.