Going for the Hell Yeah and 14 other things I learned in 2020.
2020 saw my 30th anniversary in the (full time) world of work. Through the ups and downs of the last twelve months, here was a reminder about the things that really matter:
Having more than one string to your bow is handy. I’ve always been multidimensional and this year it came into its own. I’d thought I’d be doing in-person workshops, talks and Fuel Safaris in 2020. We know how that turned out. So everything went online. And I also revamped my storytelling proposition, to help organisations and leaders tell their stories - something we’ve needed more this year than ever. It was a good year to have more than one product on the shelf.
“Is it a Hell Yeah?” I have this question from Derek Sivers pinned to the board above my desk. It’s a fantastic filter for whether to take on a project or not. In the summer I was offered a big project but it wasn’t quite right: if it wasn’t going to excite me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do my best work. It wasn’t a Hell Yeah. In September I was offered something more in my sweet spot: that was a Hell Yeah! And these two words have also become a great shorthand in one important relationship: if Sally loves what I deliver, she responds with a ‘Hell Yeah’. It’s what I aim for in everything.
Let’s celebrate our pioneering spirit. There was a morning in spring this year when I stepped back and surveyed the scene around me. I was struck that amid all the uncertainty, we were rising to the challenge. My youngest son was on Microsoft Teams, unmuting himself to say ‘yes Miss’ to the morning register. My eldest son was on FaceTime with friends, trying to replicate the collaborative classroom environment. My wife and I were on our own calls. It was being repeated all over the world as adults and children realigned themselves to this new way of doing things. Of course there have been hiccups and bumps along the way. But as we close the year I think we should celebrate the pioneering, go-for-it spirit that’s brought us this far.
If you want to know where you’re headed you need to figure out where you’ve come from. As a storyteller for hire usually I’m helping others unearth their stories. During the summer I had an urge to go through old boxes in the loft, unearthing photographs, stories and artefacts from my past. I found it really valuable. I chatted about it to my friend Jerry Colonna who, as is his wise way, put it in context for me: “During a period where death and mortality were right in front of our eyes you opened up the box of your past and flipped through the photographs of your past selves. In that process you came to look at the question again of who am I?”
A walk & talk is always grounding. I’ve had to get creative this year, swapping my regular routes through Soho and Fitzrovia for the Leigh-on-Sea coast and the Kent countryside. I experimented with a walk & talk on a phone call: Nick was in Regents Park while I looped my neighbourhood park. Whatever the backdrop, the walk & talk continues to be my tried and tested method for unearthing stories and helping people navigate their careers.
Emotional connections can happen at distance. In one workshop I run, there’s a section where participants share their personal stories. I’ve run it in person over many years and it’s always produced moving moments. I wondered how it would work with people based in a wide variety of locations, on different time zones, communicating via video? I was surprised - the goosebump moments transcended the screen. It didn’t matter that people were contributing remotely. People were open; the stories flowed. It was hugely humbling. Thanks Monica, Maria Elena, Marcela, Ryan, Patrick, Marisa, Hanna, Margarita and Paola. And thanks to the nine entrepreneurs who are members of the we are radikl Accelerator - it was great to work with you too around the virtual fireside and to hear your inspiring origin stories.
Curiosity-fuelled side projects can be liberating. This year I’m glad I carved out time for projects motivated by curiosity. When you’re not thinking about the ROI, you can experiment, play and see what happens. This year I launched a couple of creative experiments: Meet The Storytellers, a video conversion series; and The Unplanners podcast with my old creative partner David Sloly. There was no checklist I had to complete before embarking on these, other than ‘do you want to do it?’ (Hell Yeah!)
Know how you best switch-off. With so much of the year spent on screens, I soon identified it was important for me to get away from them in order to switch off. This year was hard: dealing with so much uncertainty, moments of commercial precariousness, projects pulled, the kids homeschooling under the same roof. Reading novels was a wonderful way to decompress and take my mind off the daily pressures. Matt Haig, Emily St John Mandel, Curtis Sittenfeld, Roddy Doyle and many more: I loved escaping into another world every evening.
Personal development starts with reflection. It’s at the heart of my work with others, this year I was grateful for the opportunity for self-reflection. Pressing pause, thinking about what I learned, how I have changed and what happens next. Thank you to Keith Yamashita and his team for creating the outstanding This Human Moment, and to Dan and Jim for last week’s Reboot Your Year workshop. The first was perfect for taking stock in the moment of tumultuous change, the second for getting focused on the year ahead.
Stay in touch with the good people. This year the quality of my professional relationships has mattered more than ever. I like to work with people where we’re on the same page and where there’s mutual trust. And this year I was pleased to reflect on how deep rooted some of those relationships were. An entrepreneur who I worked with because she read my book in 2012 (lovely to work with you again Sarah - and Claire too!). A founder in Tennessee who I’d not seen for ten years but we keep in touch on Twitter and Instagram (Hey Jose!). A business leader who I took on a Fuel Safari five years ago. Strong relationships endure. I’m grateful for the good people in my life. Now more than ever.
..and at the same time, keep your Rolodex topped up. Meeting so many inspiring female founders who are part of the we are radikl community. Connecting with Steve and Aimee in Seattle. Amy on my doorstep in Essex. Monica in San Salvador. Mike in Boston. Farhaan in London (and many more!). I thrive too on meeting new people. They give me new perspectives and fresh thinking from other worlds. When meeting up IRL has been hard I’ve enjoyed making brand new connections over video this year.
Two heads are better than one. I have been reminded there are some things I can do by myself and some things I can’t. And when it comes to the creative process, two heads are better than one. This year it’s been great to work more closely alongside my wife and partner Zoë, to benefit from her smart ideas and clarity she brings to every project. And it’s also been good to get fresh thinking on creative projects from trusted outsiders like Lizzie, Kate and Jeff.
Let’s hope for more hope. Amidst what was on the face of it a gloomy year, I have got some stand out memories fuelled by hope. Driving back home on the M25 and hearing about the vaccine on Radio 4’s lunchtime bulletin. Dancing around the kitchen on a Saturday night with a glass of wine as we heard the news coming in from the US about a hopeful new president. Clapping for the NHS. WhatsApp community groups in our neighbourhood. Let’s put hope on our Christmas list.
Nail your system. I used to run away from systems and processes - it just didn’t feel me. But this year I realised I do have a system: it’s tuning in to what really matters, sticking to who I am. Paying attention to my system is what got me through a challenging year (watch my two minute video).
Count the things that count. There’s more to measuring success than a spreadsheet. In my seventh year of my Good Times habit - where I keep a list of those daily moments that fuel me/ make me feel alive - it reminded me how lucky I am. How even when times got tough, there are many things to be grateful for. When you can’t do so many things you focus on what you can do. Pockets of light are brighter when surrounded by darkness. Living by the coast turned into a bit of a life saver when we’ve been unable to travel. This year I clocked up ninety swims in the estuary. Those swims, whether in the heat of August or the shock of November, always fuelled me.
Thanks to everyone I’ve met and worked with - old and new - this year. Phew, I think I need a sit-down…
