Surprising advice from a lifelong coach

We’re about to change the format of the newsletter as well as announce some very exciting stuff, but please enjoy the last of its kind!

In a recent podcast from Thiago Forte, the author of Building a Second Brain, Thiago interviews Joe Hudson. Joe is a very experienced executive coach and I found the conversation was a refreshing take that resonates with a lot of what we are interested in with Time Alchemy.

Here are the five themes they drilled into the most:

• Clarity and Enjoyment in Leadership: The importance of being clear about your wants and focusing on your own enjoyment as a leader. This approach not only empowers others but also ensures that work remains efficient and fulfilling. It makes sense, if you’re having a good time and know what you want, it allows others to have certainty and relax too.

• Empowering Through Autonomy: True empowerment comes from granting others autonomy and trusting them to achieve goals in their own way, rather than trying to control or directly empower them. I found this particularly refreshing having worked with huge egos in the startup space. (Notice that you need to have clear goals for this to work!)

• Energy Management Over Time Management: Focusing on managing energy and enjoyment rather than just time. Enjoyment is a key indicator of efficient energy use and leads to better work outcomes and a healthier work environment. I completely agree with this point, we tell people this all the time.

• Setting Boundaries in Parenting: In parenting, setting clear boundaries while staying close and insisting gently, rather than imposing strict discipline, helps children develop autonomy and emotional regulation. I do find it funny that parenting and managing employees find an overlap here. It’s a little weird.

• Emotional Awareness and Expression: The significance of acknowledging and expressing emotions openly, both in professional and personal settings. Teaching children to recognize and manage their emotions is crucial for their development and maintaining healthy relationships. (I would go further to argue that understanding our own pattern of emotions comes first. It actually allows us to be better at understanding others.)

Thats it for now! If you have an hour to listen to the whole thing, it’s a great time and a hidden gem: