Blow Up The Box Chronicles

Your credibility is hard to build, but easy to destroy. We will talk about destruction at another time, maybe never…

But in building your credibility, are you hamstringing yourself? Are you using words that undermine your brilliance? Think about it (and maybe spend the day after reading this extra self-aware!) how many times do we use the following words:

• Just - as in “just my two cents,” or in prayer when we say “I just pray…” You may have said the most profound, life-changing thing, but the moment you say “just my opinion” you tell your audience that they can disregard what you said and carry on. When you pray, you are doing the most powerful thing you can do - talking to God. Do it with the authority with which it is intended. CTA - STOP SAYING “JUST!”

• Hate - as in “I hate to interrupt.” Hate is a powerful word when used in the correct context. We can hate evil. We can hate oppression. But when thrown about “I hate to bother you” not only do we water down its meaning, but we are actually lying. If hate is such a strong word that elicits visceral feelings, then we would hate to interrupt someone so much that we would not interrupt them. CTA - say what you mean “Excuse me, do you have a moment.” is much more honest and authentic!

• Feel - as in “I feel like this is a bad idea.” Ok, this one is a bit dicey, because I often tell people to go with their gut. But I only do so after we have established the knowledge that they have the expertise to trust their gut, which moves it from a feeling to knowledge. In ordinary interactions, when we are discussing issues that we should know well, using the phrase “I feel like…” serves the same purpose as just. Your feelings are competing with someone else’s knowledge and will lose the argument every time. CTA - Replace “I feel…” with “I know we should do this because…(and then state the historical fact that brings you to this conclusion.”

There are many other common English words that we mindlessly say that, when said, undermine our credibility.

FINAL CTA: Cut out filler words and undermining words.

January 30 is National Vacation Planning Day!

Taking time away with your family (and maybe even by yourself) is a healthy way to keep going. Nobody was designed to work 365 days a year, so you need to take the time to recharge and explore.

This is also your friendly reminder that I have a side hustle as a travel planner.

Why does a Fractional General Counsel and Lobbyist have a side hustle as a travel planner?

I am glad you asked!

Several years ago I was talking with a counselor and mentioned that, for me, part of the joy of a vacation was the planning process. An escape when things got stressful was by planning vacations, even if I never took them. He encouraged me to do just that - plan vacations! just for fun.

Flash forward a few years. We have become known in several circles as the people to talk with when vacation planning. So, I finally decided to affiliate with an agency and make some cash on the gig - at no extra cost to the clients. I don’t do it full-time, because my priority is to serve my GC clients, but if you are thinking of taking a trip, give me a buzz.

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