From the Desk of Caspar
What time frame are you working to?
I observe we so often get caught in the daily to-do list, the weekly targets, the monthly goals, the 100 day plans, the 6 month plans and so on. And we forget the bigger goals we are working towards.
One of my core beliefs is that we all need a story to guide us to the future - a story for ourselves, a story for our family and a story for our work team.
My friend Rahul Moodgal shared this insight last week from Jeff Bezos:
“If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a lot of people. But if you’re willing to invest on a seven-year time horizon, you’re now competing against a fraction of those people… Just by lengthening the time horizon, you can engage in endeavors that you could never otherwise pursue.”
Tip: Write your story of the future and don’t be afraid to give a healthy time frame to make it happen. It’s often quoted people overestimate what they can do in a year and massively underestimate what they can do in 10 years.
In the Spotlight
It was an absolute pleasure to be the opening speaker in Vilnius, Lithuania to Middle Managers in business on the topic of "Managing Uncertainty & Change in a Team".
The 6 steps I shared to leading in times of uncertainty shared through both business & adventure stories were:
Write the Bold Story - have the powerful simple commanders intent so that each person in the team is clear on the overall goal & are empowered to make decisions.
Create the Culture of we, not me - passion alone is not enough - you have to build the team & stare hard at the challenges that stand in your way.
Create the growth habits & rituals to overcome the skills gaps that both you & your team has - the difference between where you & where you want to be is wrapped up in a set of skills.
A happy team is a fast team - find you & your teams superpowers (which are often overlooked) & get each person playing to their strengths.
Create resilience - build the mindset of resourcefulness before challenging times hit so that you can innovate & not just when you're under pressure.
Create belief - belief is a skill set which you need to build into the mindset in your team.
The man in the picture with me is Egidijus Ciutas is the Battalion Commander for the armed forces of Lithuania. He was the closing speaker at the same event and shared a brilliant insight which you’ll hear about in the leadership tip of the week below.
Tip: We all have a part to play in building our teams at home and at work - leadership is a state of mind, not a title.
Don’t Miss the Boat
Last week I spoke at a conference for head teachers and leaders in the education sector today.
One of the messages I share is all about thorough and detailed preparation. And if that’s not your forte to make absolutely certain that someone on your team has this covered.
Today’s case in point. If you put the post code into Google Maps for the Haven Hotel you end up on the other side of the water and needing to take a ferry! (I arrived 2.5 hours early and on the right side of the water)
Tip: Make sure someone in your team has the detail covered!
Be a Better Leader
It's all about trust (with subtitles as it was windier than I thought!).
Thought for the Day
Your skill level at avoiding distraction. It it getting better or worse?
“Caspar’s recent keynote speech at our Nuffield Health corporate Summer Session was an informative and insightful journey through leadership, bought to life in Caspar’s unique and captivating way with thought provoking and moving stories of his own epic adventures. His attention to detail in understanding our audience, and the subject matter being delivered by our other guest experts fitted together perfectly and helped round off an excellent session on the challenges facing UK employers. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Caspar Craven as an outstanding speaker and thoroughly nice gentleman too”