While not everybody celebrates this much commercialised day, it does seem relevant to think about how we choose to engage and connect with people in the world around us, and even more importantly in the relationship we have with ourselves.
At Futureboard we also believe our relationship with the world is something we choose everyday, and if we want a different one, we need to get busy imagining it.
Consciously choosing who we spend our time with, or how we spend our time - is the best business investment you will make and on this special day - hopefully there is some fun in it too!
Thanks to our Valentine's Day Top 5 for exploring this with us:
Austin Kleon
“You don't want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”
Inspired to create a better, brighter world for ourselves and those we love around us, we look to our heroes for hope, insights, influence and those tasty nuggets that will bring their light into our world. Often romanticising the process - we might reach for the exact, tangible thing they have - hit copy | paste and hope to escape the MAC rainbow wheel while loading!
Ideally we can take a step back, and look at what it is about our heroine we love so much - authenticity, bravery, kindness, creativity, courage, generosity, a really sleek-user-interface ;) or perhaps the ability to just get-it-done - and see how we can integrate these values into our daily to-do list, without the extra baggage.
Rachel Muscat
“I love what I do because of the people I work with. I think there's something to that. You always get the younger generation asking, " How do I make a decision about my future?" You just have to enjoy what you're doing, and I believe the rest comes. That's really something I've followed in myself. What is it in me that's making me want to do this? What's making me want to get up everyday?"
Finding your people is a win! Finding your people at your place of work is a win-win!
While having a job is a win! Having a job that you love is a win-win! And in the case of Ms Muscat - working with Pharrell is a win-win-win!
While we might not all be that lucky, these are good questions to ask ourselves - to check in on who is taking up the space in our daily mirror, reflecting back to us what we see in our world everyday. And if we are as lucky as Rachel, knowing the answers to those questions brings your people to you.. and even the job you love.
Fernando Machado
“Creativity can bend reality".
While it is often the case that we live in a business-driven world focusing on activities that drop straight into the bottom line and where your GL codes on the budget most likely don't include one called "creativity" - research demonstrates how creative leadership, creative skills and creativity in general can create desired business results.
Mr Machado goes on to share with us that "It can do things our regular, straight forward thinking isn't going to do for you". In my creative experience - simply watching or looking at something creative shifts something, connects more dots or inspires me to approach a solution in a different way.
Imagine just taking 10 minutes (come on Apple watch!! How about yellow line for a creative circle!?) that was just to be creative with no other agenda. What would that look like for you - a Netflix Abstract episode, gardening, a loud favourite song, a letter to an international friend, a favourite artist on Instagram? And how did that moment help you think differently ...
and even create a new reality.
Muccia Prada
“My obsessions were all already there"
In attempting to imagine something new - we often look to start from scratch and to look outside, out there across the pond, where the grass is greener to be a bit better at who we are. At Futureboard, we believe you already have everything you need to do great things and even if you don't recognise what they are - you are more than likely already doing them.
When I worked in our Innovation Lab, some of the team would ask - when can I also work on an innovation project? We would always look to find one. However saying that - those who truly wanted to innovate (blood, sweat, tears to find a way to do that thing differently over many many hours) already were, scrapping for any budget we could find on a project that a client wasn't even ready to buy.
My business coach, Lynn Kristafor always asks: Where do you spend your time? Where do you spend your money? These are the X-marks-the-spot in your treasure map - and you have probably been obsessed about them all along!
Anita Bitton
“Everyone has to feel like they're being heard. You have to give people attention. They have to know their needs are being met"
Well this might sound like a client service mantra ready to explode, at Futureboard we know that when we don't listen - it just gets louder... And while we don't have to take onboard every idea or every person's agenda - we can look at why things are being said - and truly listen for the nugget in the middle of the messy plate. There's usually something there that makes our world better and our experience in the world with others brighter.
And on this day - let's look at Anita's mantra through our own individual lens - to listen to ourselves, and really hear what our own needs are. Especially to pay attention to the small things... or they will just get louder.
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