A Love Affair With Truth.

Hi! My name is Parissa. This is "Modern Badass: A Field Guide", where Modern Badasses can feel seen, understood and valued. And, it's also a place for others to crack the code on the Modern Badasses in their lives (and maybe learn some badassery themselves). Want this in your inbox 2x/month? Hit the “subscribe” button above!

Happy 2024! I wish you all the best for you this year. If you're Persian like me (or Persian adjacent), you'll celebrate the vernal equinox as the start of a new year, too. In other words, there's always a second chance!

I've mentioned before that Badasses have a complex love affair with risk. They rush to embrace it AND they are usually the first ones to (loudly) call out risk as soon as they see a proverbial ship heading for the proverbial iceberg. Embracing or calling out risk can set anyone back or be a powerful tool for success. It's really about choice.

Underlying the love affair with risk is the love affair with truth. What makes a Badass embrace risk is that they choose to tell the truth. Every time.

A Personal Anecdote.

A while ago, I led a team in creating a new product business plan to pitch to the company CFO. Our work included research, value proposition creation, financial forecasting, etc. The pitch included 3 scenarios ("good", "better" and "best") to make it as thorough as possible.

A green light meant millions of dollars so a lot was riding on a "Yes" from the CFO. My leader didn't hide that he was banking on it.

After pitching, the CFO asked for my recommendation. I said that I loved the "best" scenario but chose the "better" one because we'd get great ROI from that investment. He asked what I would say if he would choose the "good" one. I told him that ROI would not be like the ROI if he put the same funds in a different company division and suggested that instead.

He listened. Our division got $0.00. And I got into a lot of trouble for my honesty.

What's the lesson?

No, it is not to be dishonest. It isn't even to be partially honest. ??.

The lesson is that we can be all-in for unvarnished truth ALL the time as long as we've set up the conditions for it in advance.

In my case, I was so excited and caught up in the opportunity that I didn't do the critical work of alignment on values, who we were as a team and as a business before we started the actual work.

Here's what I could have done to set up the conditions for aligned honesty:

1. Established Agreements. I made the ill-founded assumption that our values were aligned. I assumed that saying no to "good" would be rewarded.
2. Critical Conversations. I knew what the desired outcome was (dollars) and yet we didn't have critical conversations about what was important to us as a team. I never knew why my leader was banking on the money, for example, just that he was banking on it.
3. Scenario Planning. We were so excited to create an opportunity that we became blind to the risk of hitting an iceberg. Scenario planning would have helped us prepare for what the CFO asked of me such that I could have still answered honestly and made a counter-proposal to him.

These are three things I could have done. What would you add to this list?

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Loving Honesty,

Parissa

P.S. I'd love to work with you regardless if you are a Badass or lead one. Book time to talk about any of these options that may intrigue you.

1. What Sparks You??Let's talk if you're ready to channel your edge and power. but you're unsure as to how to start. Let's have a conversation so that we can identify your blocks and get you back on the badassery road.
2. What's Your?Bold Vision??I'll design a Sixense Vision a half-day workshop?just for you. We'll talk about your past, and your present to design a strategy to craft your future. It also includes a Hogan Assessment and debrief.
3. Make Your Next Bold Move.?Retain me as your advisor and coach. My Modern Badass clients love working with me 1:1 because I am an objective thinking partner and strategist who champions (and challenges) them as they create their futures. I don't hold anything back and I speak truth to power with power.