Good morning,
I pointed out in my first post that a key characteristic of a business bro is the ability to speak knowledgeably in areas of little to no knowledge. A tongue in cheek definition, of course, but the underlying truth that we often must make decisions despite our uncertainty defines the role of a manager.
The critical step forward in my own business bro decision making ability involved applying lessons from very different books. The first, Religion For Atheists, noted that human beings forget things. The antidote to forgetfulness being writing things down, I immediately started writing down anything I thought might help me make a decision in the future (1).
The second book provided an organizing principle for my notes. In this book, a limited high school quarterback with coaching ambitions joins a powerhouse college football program as a practice player. His goal is to prepare for a coaching future through observation of the methods of this school's elite coaches. In order to retain his knowledge, this player writes down everything- practice techniques, strategy concepts, training philosophies, etc- and sorts them into a binder- his 'coaching playbook' (2).
I put this idea into action by creating my own binder. Sections with titles like 'Training New People', 'Job Interviewing Tactics', and 'Basic Teaching Principles' organized my notes. Over time, I had a working version of my own manager playbook.
Initially, I used this in a way similar to how I used notes to prepare for college exams. I 'studied' it before making decisions and tried to set aside regular time to simply review when no pressing decision needed to be made.
I have a few recommendations for anyone considering making the same. Like class notes from any course, the more you pay attention to the lecture or to your assigned reading, the better the note-taking will be. So, pay close attention to your own experience- you never know when something relevant might come up.
Next, get in the habit of writing down anything that might be helpful to recall later. Unsure? Write it down anyway- you can always delete it later.
It is also good to note what not to do. It is common to talk about learning from mistakes but less so to discuss exactly how one does this. I always wrote down the circumstances or thought process that led to past errors. Later on, I found it very useful to review these notes to identify possible warning signs about mistakes that I was in danger of replicating.
I recommend taking notes on things that happen outside of work, within reason, for uninterrupted leisure time is critical. But excluding life experiences entirely from professional thought process just to maintain an arbitrary 'work-life balance' prevents you from drawing on your full self to make good decisions.
Finally, make sure to edit relentlessly. A football team's playbook changes constantly to remain in line with one overriding principle- list only plays that will help the team win. Each play is crystal clear in terms of when and how to use it. So, review often to keep the entries clear, organize them in a way that makes them easy to find, and always make sure that playbook entries help you make better decisions (3).
Signed,
The Business Bro
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. Write it down...
The ideal tool for this task is a pen. Preferably, this is one of those pens that clicks each time you use it. That way, each time you take down a note, you can dramatically click your pen a couple of times first so that everyone around you immediately understands that you are having a deep, important thought.
Over time, I suppose a successful business bro might even use the click of a pen as a substitute for giving positive feedback- just click the pen after someone speaks so that they know you are preparing to write down the wise words just uttered in your presence.
2. What is the name of this wonderful sounding book?
Actually, I forget. I read it in junior high and, back then, I had yet to read Religion For Atheists. So, I never even realized that I should be writing these things down.
My apologies, readers.
3. This last paragraph sounds a little obvious...
Agreed. I included this last one because the manager job is a difficult one psychologically. Often, it is hard to understand the extent to which your contributions are making any impact. The tendency in these cases is to trumpet your own horn a little bit.
If you use something like a manager playbook, you are going to show it to other people. That is all well and good. So when I say that each entry must help you make better decisions, the kind of entry I am warning against is one that appears intelligent on paper without setting clear direction on when or how to use it.
One such entry is actually another lesson from the Religion For Atheists book. This entry- 'Art is a powerful tool for reinforcing simple messages'- is both true and insightful. Retrieving such wisdom from the rubble of a fortune cookie will fill any diner with the satisfaction of a meal well completed.
But these types of comments are irrelevant in the manager playbook context. A better entry describes when to use art instead of words when stating a simple message.
Endnote: I still use this today...
Longtime readers of this blog will recall that I was recently laid off from my manager position. However, I'm pleasantly surprised to report that I am still making use of my 'playbook' today.
One way has been through blogging. If I am running out of ideas, I go back to that and write about what originally inspired an entry. My post about teachers being 'the smartest person in the room' came from it. An upcoming post about 'manager math' is another such example.
It also came into play just a month ago as I prepared for a job interview. Prior to my interview, I reread the twenty or so pages in my playbook to refresh myself on my own (developing) managerial philosophy.
Each entry, I discovered, linked back to someone or something from my prior role. It turned out to be great preparation for answering the specific questions about my management techniques that I was asked during the interview- how did you on-board new hires, how did you handle career development, what do you consider important in a leader, etc.
I pointed out in my first post that a key characteristic of a business bro is the ability to speak knowledgeably in areas of little to no knowledge. A tongue in cheek definition, of course, but the underlying truth that we often must make decisions despite our uncertainty defines the role of a manager.
The critical step forward in my own business bro decision making ability involved applying lessons from very different books. The first, Religion For Atheists, noted that human beings forget things. The antidote to forgetfulness being writing things down, I immediately started writing down anything I thought might help me make a decision in the future (1).
The second book provided an organizing principle for my notes. In this book, a limited high school quarterback with coaching ambitions joins a powerhouse college football program as a practice player. His goal is to prepare for a coaching future through observation of the methods of this school's elite coaches. In order to retain his knowledge, this player writes down everything- practice techniques, strategy concepts, training philosophies, etc- and sorts them into a binder- his 'coaching playbook' (2).
I put this idea into action by creating my own binder. Sections with titles like 'Training New People', 'Job Interviewing Tactics', and 'Basic Teaching Principles' organized my notes. Over time, I had a working version of my own manager playbook.
Initially, I used this in a way similar to how I used notes to prepare for college exams. I 'studied' it before making decisions and tried to set aside regular time to simply review when no pressing decision needed to be made.
I have a few recommendations for anyone considering making the same. Like class notes from any course, the more you pay attention to the lecture or to your assigned reading, the better the note-taking will be. So, pay close attention to your own experience- you never know when something relevant might come up.
Next, get in the habit of writing down anything that might be helpful to recall later. Unsure? Write it down anyway- you can always delete it later.
It is also good to note what not to do. It is common to talk about learning from mistakes but less so to discuss exactly how one does this. I always wrote down the circumstances or thought process that led to past errors. Later on, I found it very useful to review these notes to identify possible warning signs about mistakes that I was in danger of replicating.
I recommend taking notes on things that happen outside of work, within reason, for uninterrupted leisure time is critical. But excluding life experiences entirely from professional thought process just to maintain an arbitrary 'work-life balance' prevents you from drawing on your full self to make good decisions.
Finally, make sure to edit relentlessly. A football team's playbook changes constantly to remain in line with one overriding principle- list only plays that will help the team win. Each play is crystal clear in terms of when and how to use it. So, review often to keep the entries clear, organize them in a way that makes them easy to find, and always make sure that playbook entries help you make better decisions (3).
Signed,
The Business Bro
Footnotes / imagined complaints
1. Write it down...
The ideal tool for this task is a pen. Preferably, this is one of those pens that clicks each time you use it. That way, each time you take down a note, you can dramatically click your pen a couple of times first so that everyone around you immediately understands that you are having a deep, important thought.
Over time, I suppose a successful business bro might even use the click of a pen as a substitute for giving positive feedback- just click the pen after someone speaks so that they know you are preparing to write down the wise words just uttered in your presence.
2. What is the name of this wonderful sounding book?
Actually, I forget. I read it in junior high and, back then, I had yet to read Religion For Atheists. So, I never even realized that I should be writing these things down.
My apologies, readers.
3. This last paragraph sounds a little obvious...
Agreed. I included this last one because the manager job is a difficult one psychologically. Often, it is hard to understand the extent to which your contributions are making any impact. The tendency in these cases is to trumpet your own horn a little bit.
If you use something like a manager playbook, you are going to show it to other people. That is all well and good. So when I say that each entry must help you make better decisions, the kind of entry I am warning against is one that appears intelligent on paper without setting clear direction on when or how to use it.
One such entry is actually another lesson from the Religion For Atheists book. This entry- 'Art is a powerful tool for reinforcing simple messages'- is both true and insightful. Retrieving such wisdom from the rubble of a fortune cookie will fill any diner with the satisfaction of a meal well completed.
But these types of comments are irrelevant in the manager playbook context. A better entry describes when to use art instead of words when stating a simple message.
Endnote: I still use this today...
Longtime readers of this blog will recall that I was recently laid off from my manager position. However, I'm pleasantly surprised to report that I am still making use of my 'playbook' today.
One way has been through blogging. If I am running out of ideas, I go back to that and write about what originally inspired an entry. My post about teachers being 'the smartest person in the room' came from it. An upcoming post about 'manager math' is another such example.
It also came into play just a month ago as I prepared for a job interview. Prior to my interview, I reread the twenty or so pages in my playbook to refresh myself on my own (developing) managerial philosophy.
Each entry, I discovered, linked back to someone or something from my prior role. It turned out to be great preparation for answering the specific questions about my management techniques that I was asked during the interview- how did you on-board new hires, how did you handle career development, what do you consider important in a leader, etc.
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