Being really human

Devastatingly effective

When was the last time someone paid you a compliment? A meaningful one?

Troy Hawke is a comedian who, in his purple smoking jacket, accosts strangers and compliments them lavishly. (And, yes, the pic above links to a TikTok video, the?only?one you’ll ever see on 5MSM).

Why?

Well, it’s fun performance art, but Hawke also belies a greater truth.

Most of us are not validated sufficiently. Especially, I notice, the people I have as my typical clients: CEOs and Chairs of Boards of Directors and the like.

Now, I hear you thinking, “My CEO gets plenty of positive comment!”

You might think so, but I’ve been stunned when I do my own version of Tony Hawke, at how well received my compliments are. For instance, this week:

a) I told a very senior person at a leading university that her humble confidence (or confident humility) seems to me to be a key factor in recent strategic successes that translated into $100m+ of economic benefits for her institution;

b) I told a CEO in an educational bureaucracy that his ability to rapidly ‘join the dots’ strategically was enabling his direct reports to think far more creatively than they would have otherwise.

c) I told the CEO of an aged care organisation that her capacity for opportunism is unparalleled and that her infectious energy makes her a compelling attractor of partnership proposals.

In each case, these people smiled broadly. More importantly, the compliment was not shut down, but let to a broader conversation on a factor in their, or their organisation’s success.

Now, have these people ever been told these things before? Possibly. But, think about their roles. They have no peers. They have enormous pressure to perform ‘upward’, and enormous pressure to direct, guide and motivate ‘downward’. They’re often in a feedback vacuum, except for that they create for themselves.

So, do them a favour. And, everyone around you. You know what to do.

Question: Who could you compliment meaningfully today?

Dollar Street

I can watch Tony Hawke for just a few minutes, but I can trawl through?Dollar Street?for hours.

The concept is simple, yet brilliant.

Typical families are surveyed, by video and photo, on their monthly income, and how they live on that income. Whether the family earns $50 a month, $500, or $5000, the same living factors are photographed: where they get water, what the kids play with, how they travel, where they cook, eat, sleep, entertain.

It shows, sometimes confrontingly, that we all have the same basic needs - just a very different ability to afford it. They profile families on very ‘real’ things, too: women for example are asked to show, “your nicest shoes”, “your menstrual pads” and “where you put on makeup”.

For those who remain mostly in one country, and compare living standards by that one country, this presents a truly global view. What struck me most is the existence of a very large global ‘middle class’ of about $500 a month (give or take $200) that is occupied by huge numbers of families in countries as diverse as Serbia, the Philippines, Turkey and Bolivia.

Question: What does your own ‘dollar street’ look like, and how are you making the most of what you have?

Measure what matters

Our government here in Australia is finally getting around to measuring more than our economic prosperity. From next year, we’ll know how happy, healthy, sustainable, cohesive, secure — and prosperous — we are, as a nation.

The?“Measuring What Matters”?Framework is a way of detecting improvements in what people say matters most to them. So, we have measures on air quality, and waste generation, acceptance of diversity and social connections, digital preparedness and educational attainment — as well as the more traditional economic metrics of income per capita and work productivity. Are all of these of interest to me, personally and professionally? Absolutely. And, gratifyingly, there is also an overall life satisfaction indicator.

The numerate amongst you, though, will probably be asking the same three questions I did.

How many measures? There are 50. Not all are as precise as others. As Einstein said, “Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts”. Secondly, are they weighted? No. That’s certainly a step too far at this stage, and I understand why they elected not to.

Lastly, and most importantly, “What’s it to be used for?”

Naturally, it will drive government policy, but it’s also intended to be used as a public dataset by any number of commercial, philanthropic, or non-profit endeavours - pretty much by anyone wanting to improve anyone’s life.

Question: When you take a look at the 50 indicators can you pick the 10 that are most relevant to your organisation’s clients?

I always love knowing what you’re enjoying, so as a minimum, please click the "Like" below - also consider dropping me a line to let me know what thinking in you any of the above has stimulated.

This week, double the number of compliments you normally give, and notice what happens.

Until next Friday, stay well.

Andrew