2023 Year in Review
Hello peeps! As we approach 2024, I wanted to put together a three-part series. The first will focus on 2023, which includes:
Review and give myself a grade for the goals I set out of myself at the beginning of the year
Then, share the ‘Best Of’ content on the blog: best quotes, best articles, best visuals, best thoughts, best frameworks and best books.
Come back next week, where I will lay out my goals and plans for 2024.
And then, I will lay out some options for more content on this site and my personal social channels.
Review of 2023 Goals
My 2023 Word of the Year was ENERGY. My energy and enthusiasm has always been a way to describe me ever since I was a little kid.
REVIEW: As it comes naturally to me, I doubled down in 2023 with this soft skill and being more intentional about it. I will keep this top of mind beyond 2023, of course, as I do believe it’s a super power. B+
I also told myself I would do the following:
Being deliberate with my time: building in time for all aspects of life: work, play, rest.
REVIEW: Could do better. B+
Reach out to the people I care about more. I get into modes/grooves where I might not reach out to those I do care about and my relationships become passive where I only interact with people when they reach out to me first.
REVIEW: Never a strong suit for me, so something I’ll want to double down on in the coming year. B-
Create content ,week by week, as a thought leader
REVIEW: I created content each week, and even published a blog post every single week in 2023. That’s a huge success in its own right as consistency yields results. However, I’m not fully satisfied with the constant quality. B
Practice patience B+
Personal
12 books in 12 months
REVIEW: I only read 5 or 6 books throughout this year. Not close to my goal. C+
Live in the moment and appreciate the experiences I have (even if that means the craziest of times with three little children) A-
Personal Board of Directors
REVIEW: Haven’t put any real effort in establishing a routine. C+
Professional
BRW.com - posting content each week
REVIEW: I created content each week, and even published a blog post every single week in 2023. That’s a huge success in its own right as consistency yields results. However, I’m not fully satisfied with the constant quality. A
I don’t like to post about the actual work I do in my professional job, so I’ll just say: create energy for my team and others, be someone who gets things started – and pushes things forward and through the finish line. A-
Health
Fitness, centered around Peloton (cycling and core strength) = Work out at least 5x/week A-
I hope to play a decent amount of golf in 2023, and when I do, I’ll try to walk the 18 holes as opposed to take the cart. B+; but need to walk more often.
One aspect of ‘health’ that I have probably neglected throughout my life is eating. While I have remained physically active, I usually just eat what I want (maybe a humble brag?). Now that I’m in my mid-30s I want to take more carfe of what I’m putting in my body. C+
Wealth
Lock down intentional budgets and investing plans for my family. Enough said. B-
Review ‘Best Of’ From The Blog
Best Quotes
“School: your paper must be a minimum 5 pages. Real world: explain it to me in seven seconds or I'm out of here.” - Morgan Housel
“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.” - Ben Franklin
Novelist Paulo Coelho on taking action: “One day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.”
“If you wish to persuade me, you must think my thoughts, feel my feelings, and speak my words.” - Cicero
“If you need 10 of something, make 30. Then pick the best.” - Rick Rubin on the secret to creating hit records (or making anything great
Best Articles
Notes of Appreciation Can Boost Individual and Team Morale (via Harvard Business Review)
Why Notes of Appreciation Are So Impactful
They help people see their strengths.
They focus our attention on what’s working.
They signal to people that they matter.
What do hotels and hospitals have in common? (via National Library of Medicine)
What are the take-home messages for the hospital from the hotel industry?
Work hard to improve the first 15 minutes of a patient's experience, which is critical to the overall customer experience.
Stress the importance of enhanced communication with patients and their caregivers throughout their hospital stay.
Track patients’ level of satisfaction on an ongoing basis and intervene as soon as possible when problems arise.
Follow-up with our patients after they are discharged from the hospital to obtain feedback that can then be used to improve future performance.
Management should aim to create an environment where all hospital employees are happy and productive so that they can take the best care of their patients.
The Best Parenting Advice I’ve Ever Gotten (via Ryan Holiday)
Ryan pulled these from some of history’s greatest thinkers and parents. My favorite of these is the famous quote by Jerry Seinfeld:
There is no such thing as “quality” time. He says that garbage time—eating cereal together late at night, laying around on the couch—is the best time.
Famous Conductors (via Seth Godin)
Famous conductors are often judged for an hour or two on stage. They wear expensive clothes, make dramatic gestures and receive ovations. They also get paid a lot to carry a very little stick and they’re the only one on stage who doesn’t make noise. But it turns out that none of these things are what makes a great conductor.
What we’re not seeing:
Conductors set the agenda.
They work to establish the culture of the organization.
They figure out which voices to focus on, when.
It’s a form of leadership that happens in private, but once in a while, we see it on stage.
The doctor’s visit of the future will be like having coffee with a friend (via Healthcare Dive)
Solv Health CMO Robert Rohatsch contends that digital healthcare transformation will help providers finally get back to what most of us really want to do in the first place — keep patients healthy.
While some view these technologies as a threat to traditional care, Healthcare Dive argues that they have the potential to empower physicians and improve the healthcare system. Currently, general practitioners struggle to excel in all areas of their responsibility, leading to long wait times, limited face time with patients, and a lack of focus on preventative care.
However, digital health technologies like telemedicine, asynchronous chat, and wearable devices can help alleviate the burden on providers. These technologies can handle triage, chronic care, medical coordination, and preventative care, allowing providers to focus on what they do best - care. With access to these tools, providers can prioritize preventative care and act as healthcare coaches for their patients.
To fully realize this vision, there needs to be a shift towards value-based care models that reward doctors for keeping patients healthy, rather than the number of tests or procedures conducted.
The Parable of the Farmer
I recently heard this parable in a team meeting and it struck me with its power of perspective. There is an age-old Chinese parable about a farmer and his fate, and it goes like this:
There once lived an old farmer who had diligently tended to his crops for many years. He relied on his trusty, hard-working horse to plow the fields. But one day, the horse broke through the fence and ran away. Upon hearing this news, the farmer’s neighbors rushed over to the farmer to voice their concern. “What bad luck this is,” they said, “You will not have your horse during the critical planting season.” The farmer listened intently, nodding his head as if in agreement, smiling slightly. Then he spoke softly, “Bad luck, good luck — who really knows?”
A few days later the horse, accompanied by two wild horses, returned to the farmer’s stable. The farmer immediately realized that he could train these two new horses to help him plow his field more efficiently. Soon after, the neighbors heard about this and visited the farmer. “You are now blessed with three strong horses,” they said in unison, “What great luck this is!” But the laconic farmer simply replied, “Good luck, bad luck — who really knows?”
The farmer gave one of the untamed horses to his son. While riding the horse, the son was thrown off and broke his leg. The farmer’s neighbors came around again and expressed their worry, “It is a shame that your son will not be able to help you during planting season. This is such bad luck!” The farmer smiled faintly, and said “Bad luck, good luck — who really knows?”
A few days later, the Chinese emperor’s army rode ominously into town under gray clouds. The general’s order was to draft the eldest son from every family into the army. One of the soldiers took one look at the farmer’s son’s broken leg and motioned to have him left behind. The army marched out of town while tearful residents waved goodbye to their sons, knowing that they may not see them again. Later in the day, the neighbors gathered at the farmer’s house. “You are the only family that did not have their son drafted into the army,” they said. “This is such good luck!” The farmer, who was busy with his chores, looked up and said, “Good luck, bad luck — who really knows?”
One should never feel down and hopeless because challenging times lead to happier, better days ahead. The proverb also introduces a very important metaphor about life — every situation in life is transitory; gray clouds that create dark days will eventually pass, allowing the sun’s radiant light to shine through.
What the chaos era for Netflix and Disney spells for healthcare (via Becker’s Healthcare)
In the evolving landscape of healthcare, a significant shift towards delivering care in patients' homes is underway, driven by digital health advancements and payment incentives. Drawing parallels to the streaming industry's chaos, the proliferation of home care options demands a holistic approach to ensure coordinated and comprehensive patient services. In an era marked by uncertainty, strategic thinkers in the healthcare sector must adapt to this paradigm shift.
The Biggest Opportunity in Customer Service (via Shep Hyken)
The answer is: The Speed to Happiness!
The meaning of this short answer is simple. If a customer has a problem, issue or question, the speed in which you move them from concerned or upset to happy could be the difference between the customer coming back or not.
Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule (via Paul Graham)
One of my all-time favorites, and not a terribly long write-up. This is one I routinely read, every since I first discovered it about 10 years ago.
This piece highlights the fundamental clash between two distinct schedules in the workplace: the manager's schedule and the maker's schedule. It's quite relevant in today’s business world.
So, the manager's schedule, which dominates the corporate world, is all about hourly blocks and frequent meetings, ideal for those in authoritative roles. On the other hand, the maker's schedule, often favored by creative minds like programmers and writers, thrives on longer periods of uninterrupted time, such as half-day blocks, for deep work and innovation.
Paul Graham talks about how meetings are a huge disruption for makers, slicing their time into fragments too small to accomplish substantial tasks. A single meeting can throw off an entire afternoon and dampen the creative spirit for the rest of the day.
Storytelling That Drives Bold Change (via HBR)
When tackling urgent organizational problems, leaders usually work hard to identify underlying causes, tap a wide range of knowledge, and experiment with solutions. But once they’ve mapped out a plan, there’s one more crucial step they must take: crafting a story so compelling that it will harness their organizations’ energy and direct it toward change.
Suggested here are four key steps: (1) Understand your story so well that you can describe it in simple terms, (2) honor the past, (3) articulate a persuasive mandate for change, and (4) lay out a rigorous and optimistic path forward.
Best Thoughts
A Key Principle: FOCUS is everything
Our greatest asset is time – and that will always remain true. That being said, intense focus and prioritization is the best way to ensure you're making efficient and consistent progress and decisions that you are happy with.
Trade offs must be made as doing less but better always trumps doing more but worse.
As we all know, less is more.
Do less but do better.
Focusing on what matters is crucial. If you spend energy on what doesn't, it takes away from what does. By investing some extra time, you can elevate the standard from just okay to excellent. Concentrate on fewer things, raise the bar, and distinguish yourself from the rest.
Stay curious
The world is your oyster. If you’re constantly wondering how this got there or why someone did that, then you are thinking strategically and poised to make valuable contributions.
I borrowed this idea from Jim Collins in “Built to Last”, but when rating something 1-10, never include a 7. It forces someone to choose between a 6 or 8, a 6 being clearly bad and 8 definitively good. Use that next time and see yourself standing firm on a decision you make
The internet rewards consistency. B+ content with A+ consistency is often a winning formula.
Besides 1 or 2 superpowers, you are mediocre at most things. So, what does that mean?
1st - focus on those superpowers.
2nd - hire all-stars for everything else.
Don’t wait for permission. Step up and take initiative
McDonalds sells the most french fries and hamburgers. But it's not like they're the best you can get, right? That's the power of a brand.
Achieving grand visions always requires a burst of energy. Motivation and inspiration energize people. Strategy and tactics important, but don’t underestimate the power of energy.
I do not want to be in the business of playing it safe, I want to be in the business of creating possibilities for greatness. - Bob Iger from The Ride of a Lifetime
Business executive Jay Ferro reveals a truth about work: the three stages of career development are:
1. I want to be in the meeting
2. I want to run the meeting
3. I want to avoid meetings.”
The person who focuses on fewer things goes further than the person distracted by many.
Best Frameworks/Models
The Betty Crocker Effect
I heard this a few years ago and it was recently brought up in a work call. Perfect chase to share with you: The Betty Crocker effect refers to the tendency for people to place a higher value on something that is perceived more as homemade. In the 1950s, General Mills introduced cake mixes under the Betty Crocker brand that included all the dry ingredients, including powdered milk and eggs. Despite the product's convenience, it did not sell well due to feelings of guilt among consumers.
General Mills brought in psychologists who discovered that people felt guilty about using the cake mix as it saved so much time and effort compared to traditional cake baking. To address this, General Mills revised the product and relaunched it with the slogan “Add an Egg,” requiring homemakers to add a fresh egg and water to the mix.
The added step made the process more fulfilling and meaningful, and sales of the product soared. This innovation in consumer psychology teaches companies the "subtraction technique" of taking out a key component and adding back a little activity to create a sense of ownership and fulfillment for the consumer.
Best Visuals
Forget the Pecking Order at Work (via Margaret Heffernan, TED)
We watched this video as a team this week. Really great message… Organizations are often run according to "the superchicken model," where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn't what drives the most high-achieving teams. Business leader Margaret Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It's a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. Because as Heffernan points out: "Companies don't have ideas. Only people do."
The Person Who Writes It Down:
If you're early in your career and want to stand out, start writing. Take notes. Write the plan. Take charge of the next internal memo.
— David Perell (@david_perell) October 4, 2023
"The person who writes down the thing has tremendous power." — @pmarca pic.twitter.com/EikjcgnKKG
This Fire Porsche Ad (from years back!)
Two Parting Thoughts
Watching a young child when they are playing or absorbed in painting or some other activity is a true lesson in mindfulness.I saw my 5-year old daughter painting a couple days ago (it’s becoming a daily habit!) and she was just entrenched for 30 minutes focusing on her work. It truly is magical to see her engrossed in a creative activity like that. Plus, we only had a few spills! ;)
Thanks for reading along, engaging with me, and being super humans. Happy New Year to you and your families! On to 2024!
Stay tuned next week for my Part 2, which will focus on 2024, including: my goals, what I’m looking forward to, and a look into what we can make this site together.
