Recently, I published my idea of facilitation on LinkedIn: We are all facilitators. Many readers and friends found it relatable. That got me thinking. What is a running theme of the people I enjoyed working with? What exactly is it that I cherish about some of the people I worked with over the years? Why do people want to work with those people? In short, what is so special about their facilitation? I don’t know. I couldn’t come up with any answer right away. But with enough thinking, I understood that they provide eustress (good stress) to their associates. Here, we don’t want to get into the classic “good stress” or “bad stress” comparison. Comparisons don’t get us anywhere. What do people say about them?What do people say about someone they enjoy working with? You will never hear them say “I love working with him/her because I don’t need to work at all!” No, but what you’re most likely to hear is “I just learn soo much while working with him/her. Sure, sometimes we work overtime, but it is fun.” This is a consistent theme. So, how can we evolve to become somebody with whom people want to associate? But before that, let’s understand eustress firstIf we ask anyone today, most people end up complaining about how depressive the world is getting, or how they’re yet to get their much-awaited promotion, and that keeps them up at night, etc. In general, stress levels are high. That is the kind of stress that makes people burn out, and not feel alive. That’s because we have eliminated eustress from our livesEustress is also known as beneficial stress. Think about the joy that we get by doing something that we normally don’t get to do. Things like:
If you’re getting to do many of the similar things, chances are, you’d be an optimistic, above-average fellow. But most modern people don’t need to indulge in these tasks due to the convenience of modernity. And in such a world, someone pushes youAnd…in such a boring, too-convenient world, someone at work pushes you. They know how much to push you. And they do it in such a respectful, ambitious manner that you can’t help but give in. That’s how you get into your growth zone as discussed a few weeks back in: There are more comfort zones than you think, use them effectively​ When the work is complete, we feel thrilled. Joyed. Why wouldn’t we?I mean why wouldn’t we feel that thrill? That joy? Learning that you can push your boundaries and accomplish something, is one of the best thrilling experiences one can have. People talk about the IKEA effect, but it is not the IKEA effect alone. It is knowing that we assembled a tedious piece of furniture and did it with grace. Completed it beautifully. That joy is incredible. So, shall we start challenging people?Before we decide to challenge people around us, we have to develop an understanding of their personality, competence, strengths, and whatnot. Mere challenging someone doesn’t create eustress. It has to be well-planned, and well-intentioned. We shouldn’t look for challenging people. But to help them reach their next potential version in a way that aligns with them. I know today’s letter might be heavy with words, but what needs to be said, needs to be said. What are some of your memories of working with some amazing people? Hit Reply and share it with me. Reads of the week: If you haven’t heard about Google’s latest Gemini scandal, it is okay. Most of the legacy media outlets have suppressed the story as if nothing happened. Google had programmed its Gemini AI to be “diverse” — which it has done with its search results for years. But now, with the AI, things become easily detectable.
And that is what happened. Gemini AI was indoctrinated with the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion” ideology, so much so that it didn’t generate a single Straight White Male image, even for historical reference. Thinking people saw this coming many years back. Here are two unmissable pieces on the entire Gemini Saga and what it means for users like us. Balaji has been the voice of free expression, and government-free governance for a long time. When he writes, I can’t help but read. ​ I have shared Mike’s techno-ideologic pieces in the past too. This one is enlightening as the Pirate Wires team interviews Google staff to understand how they operate. One thing is clear, with the current leadership and the DEI hivemind, Google is never going to out-innovate other firms such as OpenAI or Tesla. What’s more, AI is going to eat up Google’s search ad revenue and it will begin falling in itself like a dying star. Unless. Unless there is leadership and wide-scale cleaning inside Google. |