Topsoil Property Co

We often promote people who know how to present clearly and argue strongly for their views. If you come to conclusions behind closed doors and then advocate for your team to "adopt" them you're missing key insights and passing blind spots onto your team. The goal is to balance advocacy and inquiry. You do this first describing your reasoning and thinking, and then second encouraging others to challenge it. Here is my view and here is how I have arrived at it. How does it sound to you? What makes sense to you and what doesn't? Do you see any ways I can improve it? The goal is to find the best solution, and the best solution comes from being vulnerable to explaining your thinking, identifying your own shortcomings and inviting critical feedback. When people and organizations create a culture of balancing advocacy and inquiry the results can be a true competitive advantage. Don't care about your ideas getting implemented. Care about finding and implementing the best ...

I volunteered with a guy who owns most of the bars in downtown Raleigh. A couple of lessons from his journey: Luck was a HUGE factor: He opened the first bar and it was the “right place at the right time.” Shortly after opening a major business moved to the next store and all the employees needed a place to meet for fun after work. They were so successful he decided to open up a second bar and this time serve food. He failed miserably. The profits from #1 covered the losses of #2. If he had opened #2 First, he would have been done and wouldn’t be operating any businesses. Perfection is the enemy of risk-taking: He told me that the majority of people (95%) don’t take a risk to create something because they incorrectly correlate achieving “success” with “executing perfectly.” They then think “Well I know I can’t do x perfectly so I just won’t even try.” This belief is totally wrong. You actually achieve “success” because you keep going. You try so many different things and most fail. But...

  A lack of self worth will destroy you from the inside out: We are all insecure. No matter what armor one projects to the world, everyone carries deep uncertainty and anxiety about themselves. These insecurities breed a lack of confidence in ourselves. There are two paths: Know you are whole and complete simply by being yourself. This path allows you to check your ego at the door and treat your insecurities for what they are: an object in your mind that does not have to be reality. This path is like driving your car down the road and waving to your insecurity on the side of the road. You see it. You acknowledge it. But you're not stopped (or defined) by this thing on the side of the road trying to distract you and take you off course. Believe you are deficient and lacking something before you can accept yourself. Short term positive changes can come from this path. You work out for 3 months, you lose a lot of weight. This path can focus you on short term goals, and it feels good ...

Accepting what is "Every decision in the world is made by the person who has the power to make that decision. Make peace with that." -Peter Drucker We often go through our lives complaining about what should be at the expense of accepting what is. In every perceived conflict do the most simple cost-benefit analysis: Is this battle worth fighting? If yes: Speak up, speak clearly Commit to being the champion for fighting this battle for the long term If no: Put the decision behind you Plant your flag where you have a locus of control and can make a positive difference Thank you MG.

The dark and the light are braided and bound. - Marc Ian Barasch As light brings brightness, it also casts shadows. The unknown of those shadows can bring fear, but never forget their presence also suggests the brightest of light. I believe it is our greatest blessing (if we choose so) to shine our own lights as bright as we can by working everyday to better figure out what are the very narrow set of tasks that we are most uniquely good at, and then saying no to everything else so that we can share our deepest strengths (gifts) with others.

Tell yourself this every morning - I am complete I am whole I can do this, I already have all the tools I need to be successful in my vision Do this long enough and your outlook on the world and actions will change for the better. Thank you TW .

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is  that really successful people say no to almost everything.”   - Warren Buffett A “stop-doing list” is the best way to increase your productivity. I need to stop doing: Worry too much what other people think Being a perfectionist and hold back on "shipping" my work Not believing in myself Everyday, I will continue to: Commit to deep work Schedule my time so I batch meetings & phone calls so I can deep work outside of these appointments Do a morning routine journal Do a end of day reflection Complete a weekly review Thank you JG & JC .