SILA Career Journey Skills – Macro to Micro.

By Aamir - May 7, 2023 - External | Skills | Toolkit

Welcome to life risk management, tools, techniques and survival workflows, optimization and maximizing efficiency masterclass.

Pause. It’s Okay to NOT Run All The Time

In the process of building your future, remember to be in the moment. Before you have a chance to blink, this wonderful time right now with the dirty screen with be a distant memory.

Logical Goal Driven Mind and The Ego

Since you are career driven and 100% focused, please allow me to address your ego and logical brain first. The emotional side will take 6-12 months as it’s an subconscious intensive set of tasks with many false flags from the ego.

Design, Build and Manage Your Story

My number 1 recommendation is to start a blog, then build your own brand. Learn these skills now and get ahead of the curve, over the years many of your current competitors (that you think you have right now) will drop out one but one. Your most important asset is your personal brand value and your ability to produce relevant outputs at a high level, year over year, decade after decade. If you adjust your mindset now, you will enjoy the process and find the magic just flows effortlessly. In turn, future mid-week Wednesday’s will be significantly less exhausting. Hopefully those day’s will become neutral effect or even energizing.

Centered: Multiple Daily Energy Self Check-In’s

Observe: For example, daily check in scale of 0-10, 0 being Wednesday evening and 10 being 100% in relaxed SILA flow. Now, let’s break that down into the red and yellow zones.

Red Zone Rating 0-3

Red is 0-3 where emergency protocols need to be started immediately.

Yellow Zone Rating 7-10

Or 7-10 where after the high, buffer time needs to be allocated to avoid mid-term burn out. As a human, man or woman, it’s not possible to run a 100m pace marathon.

Green Zone Rating 3-7

In general this would be the ideal place to be. Imagining a line diagram with time on the x axis and the rating on the y axis. The bodily, emotional and mental energy fluctuates during the day. Sometimes a sudden crash can happen despite all precautions. And that is okay.

Breathe! Ready? Are You Sure?

It’s okay, you got this…

Wait, before we get started it’s ‘Much appreciated’ with a ‘d’ at the end, I taught business English in Madrid many years ago. Also, please don’t say thank you. I don’t want anything from you, zero, just your good health and wellbeing. Honestly. My weakness is smart, driven, well dressed dreamers who work incredibly hard If my pain and struggles could help you a little, that is enough for me.

OODA Loop

I’ll start with OOD Loop. Observe. Orient. Decide. Act
Plan and prepare for success, get ahead of the curve
The number one rule in business: “keep your a$$ covered”.

Understand Your Landscape and Interconnecting Parts

Our Personal Landscape

Your personal goals, brain, knowledge, experience, expertise. Mental energy and high low productively times.

Are you using your tools efficiently?

CMD C
CMD Shift V
CMD Tab
Calendar
Triggers
Reminders.

We Are All Human

Work is about doing the work to meet the business objectives and remember, we are all humans. Each of us are individual’s and each have unique communication styles and quirky nuances.

Communication is key. Whether it’s clarifying the objectives, outcomes, outputs, interfaces, budgets, timelines or simply updates.

Clear Business Interactions and Next Steps

There is no shame is saying ‘sorry I don’t understand, from what I understand this is required.. is this correct?’ Always move forward with clear immediate next steps. If you agree to follow up for review, add it to the calendar immediately.

20:80 Tech Efficiency Skills/Tools

Device Shortcuts: Mac/Excel (F2)
Brave Browser Setup
- Cross Platform Sync
- Reduce Digital Ad Noise
- More Secure
Password Manager
- Bitwarden is what I recommend
  - Opensource
  - Cross Platform
  - One Long Password, then generate a unique password for each site
Authenticator App
Multi-Factor Authentication
- Add 2FA/MFA on all your digital accounts Priority 1/Must/Urgent Important
- Google Auth or any other App
- Only use SMS if there is no other option
Chat/SMS
- SMS messages are not secure
- WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram are better options
If using Apple, Google or any online resource
- Disable Location Access
- Unselect Personalized Ad’s
Reduce Eye Fatigue
- Keep the screen’s clean
- Use the night time features on all devices
  - Almost all devices now have this, likely under system settings
  - F.Lux is a third party software you can use on PC/Mac.

Productivity Protocols and Tools

2 hour work blocks
Pomodori technique
- 25m work 5m rest or
- 50m work 10m rest
Posture. Repetitive Strain Injury
- Alexander Technique
- Ergonomic Keyboard
- Logitech G604 Mouse
Physical Energy & Priming
- Brain Food
- Anti Inflammatory Nutrition
- Exercise
- Suppleness & Pliability
- Breathwork
- Diaphragmic Breathing
- Vocal Exercises
Phone and Mac alerts – Turn off and check intentionally
Use integrated call and sync features
Emails
- Create email templates with pre written responses
- Delete, move to monthly or quarterly folders
Files
- Rename all files starting in YYYYMMDD or YYMMDD or YYMM
- Use version control on all documents you create. v0.1 (draft) -> v1.x
- Add correct details in description of file
- Learn to save and create PDF documents
- Only share PDF’s with those external to organization
Simple prioritization and workflow status’
- A, B, C or P1, P2, P3
- Example workflow status:
  - Backlog, ToDo, Doing, Review, Done, Publish
  - Example task timeline
- Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, Future (link to backlog).

Learn the cloud. Start with M365 or GSuite – it doesn’t matter which, what matters is the collaboration competency.

Create a shared KB/folder of possible – eliminate time delays.

Constant Risk Assessment and Adjustments

Business Drivers, Goals and Objectives

Understand stakeholder, business and customer/end user. Your role within this space. In addition to the internal and external alignment.

Everyone’s language is different. As are the goals and objectives.

Why Research? – Protocol

Whenever dealing with a new contact. Do some basic research, be prepared. Whether men or women, everyone appreciates being appreciated and many more are willing to help in your objectives than you realise.

This should take you no more than 5 minutes per company/person once you develop your workflow it will become automatic.

Key Data Points: Company/Org

Industry, culture, structure, global 1000? FTSE, CAC, services, revenue, profit (Investor section is a great place for rich data).

Customer base, competitor’s regulatory challenges. YoY growth/decline. Investors.

Share price is not that reliable for me as some budgets are elastic and others like marketing are more inelastic.

Key Data Points: Individual/Team/Stakeholders

Person: male/female, career progress, words used. Curated or copy pasted. Hobbies, interests. Dept. Manager. Education subject and Uni.

There’s a difference in short term impact vs long term leverage, influence and relationship building. Depending on the situation, adjust the weighting as required. Either way mentally note the words used in all forms of communications.

Results driven executive = sales, numbers Solution’s design = data and analytical Helping, supporting, leading, managing… All this info ads up to build a quick baseline profile. Then you can leverage accordingly to maximize rapport to build trust and move things along to a mutually win-win scenario.

Step 1 – Google name. See what shows up. Add company name or city if needed
Step 2 – Linked in. There’s a little known trick, you can download the profile as a PDF
Step 3 – Depending on person, they might be part of the leadership team section. Check, if they are not, see who they would likely report to and likely their style/dialogue will feed down to them.

Yes, it’s that simple. So simple that no one bothers to use their brains and apply a little effort.

Key Data Points: Interconnections

Now let’s look at any organization on a generic level. There are 2 key things. Power and influence. Where are the power center’s, who are the influencers and of course you have the key role players. A CFO driven organization will respond differently to a sales or marketing led organization.

Got it? I knew you would. Great job so far. Thank you for investing in yourself!

Well done, I’m just happy I can get my ideas out someone has the ability to understand this.

It has been over 7 years since someone has seen this part of me. I decided to shut this off to fix me emotional self sabotage and this year I was just waiting for some inspiration – overcome my writers block and let the magic flow again from my fingers.

I Will Close On This…

Baz Luhrmann – Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen

Thank you for the great inspirational energy!

Until Next Time – Yes, Yes, You Guessed it… LOOK AFTER YOUR EMOTIONS!