23 Things I Learned in 2023

After reading a great post by Shelley Johnson (her 23 things in 2023 are well worth the read), I was inspired to write my own, and it's a real random mix of things I picked up at work, as well as strategy, creativity, and personal development. It was such a fantastic way to reflect on what has been the toughest year of my life.

Many of these I guess I already knew (and you do too), but it was great to be reminded of them. Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Antwerp is an absolute gem of a city. I was fortunate to travel a fair bit this year. Antwerp was the most memorable. Historic, cool, attractive, friendly, grounded, inexpensive.
2. Robots are doing worse than stealing our jobs. They're turning us all into middle managers. Telling generative AI what to do all the time, prompt after prompt after prompt, might save us hours of time writing emails and blog posts, but it won't help us do more of what really matters more at the moment: reflecting, reframing, critical thinking. Anyway, that's my "old man shaking his fist at the sky moment"... on we go!
3. Thank you, farmers! I loved scribing at the recent Syngenta Awards day. Our agricultural sector is a massive unsung hero in Australia. Their levels of innovation are second to none. That said...
4. Connection eats innovation. We already have so many amazing solutions, but often they're not connected. We win when we leverage each others' solutions. Thank you to Good Design Australia for this reminder.
5. Make the boat go faster. In the game of product strategy, it's really hard letting some feature ideas go, and trying to prioritise roadmap items. I often come back to Ben Hunt-Davis' story of how he pushed the British rowing team to win gold at the 2000 Olympics, by ruthlessly focusing all activities - not just training - on what would make their boat go faster. Use a simple litmus test question to maintain rigour in your team's thinking, e.g. "Which option will convert more customers?" On a similar tack (pun, geddit):
6. Interview your solution. Often we get overly enamoured with a pet solution, or just what's most convenient, or what's right in front of us. Sharpen your thinking by asking "If this solution applied for the problem it’s meant to solve, how would it perform?" While on the subject...
7. Get a common enemy. I love a good value proposition as much as the next consultant, but to really resonate with your target audience, you often need to state a common enemy. Something you both want to rid the world of. Hat tip to Steven Kryger for this gem!
8. In change management, the journey really is the destination. Long live ADKAR, and everyone needs goals and a plan, but the best change happens in the ways teams improve how they work along the way. I'm pretty sure Dr Kate Byrne said this ;) Related...
9. Consistency counts. All year I kept coming back to James Clear's quote "We rise to the level of our goals but fall to the level of our systems". It's the little things we do, day in day out, that count the most.
10. People need to see the change to be the change. If your PowerPoint deck doesn't have clear visuals of what you're aiming for, and what will be different for your audience in ways that resonate with them, I can help... ;)
11. Don't just define goals, but feel them. Put yourself into the future. Visualise that goal achieved, and feel what it feels like. It makes them clearer and much more motivating. And whatever happens...
12. The obstacle is the way. Oh my word there's so much more growth and benefit for you by working through a problem than there is in trying to minimise it, trivialise it, forget about it, manage it, blame it, deny it, or anything-else it.
13. Capture don't create. For the perfectionists out there (hi!), trying to 'be creative' can be a real blocker. Cultivate one of the best skills related to creativity: observation. Just capture whatever sparks your curiosity, or whatever you learn, throughout your day. And screenshots don't cut it; capture everything in a notebook, or in any one place, in any way that's quick and easy for you.
14. Plan for when you need care. I'm hugely grateful to be working with Kate Harrison Brennan and the team at the Sydney Policy Lab. They're pioneering a multi-community conversation-based approach to policy formation, especially in the area of how Australians care for those that need care, in all forms. If you don't already have a carer of some sort in your life, sooner or later, you will. The care industry in Australia is desperately in need of care itself. We can all play a part, and our society will be richer for it. In a similar vein:
15. Tell your friends how much they mean to you. I genuinely would not have survived to December without mine.
16. Be here now. Being present is so important, rather than being focused on the past or future. Being present for yourself, your family, your friends, is a gift.
17. Don't settle for crumbs. And don't allow the important people in your life to get crumbs from you either.
18. You own your emotions and decisions, and others own theirs. Don't try to own them for them.
19. Talk to yourself the way you would talk to your best mate. Cheer yourself on, and leave the negative talk behind. It can be a tough habit to break, but guess what... 
20. You can change the record playing in your head. Some of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are helpful, and some are note. Observe. Reflect. Replace. Repeat.
21. Schedule positivity like anything else. Diarise 15 mins for gratitude. Schedule permission to be happy for 30 mins. Book 15 mins to celebrate your hard work.
22. Carrying the past robs you of the present. Let it go. A great mental hack I've learned: ask yourself "Why am I letting this affect me now?" Observe. Reflect. Replace. Repeat.
23. You can take more than you ever think you can. I've had to learn how to be nice to myself this year, for the first time in my life, and I really REALLY want you to be nice to yourself, and to recognise and appreciate yourself, your character, and your magnificence. You are stronger than you know. You are far more capable than you give yourself credit for. And I for one am freaking proud of how far you've come. I hope you are too. 

Take time to reflect. What you have you learned this year?