It's not about strengths & weaknesses, it’s about trajectory & levelling-up! you can improve at everything always :)

By Duncan Anderson. To see all blogs click here.

One sentence summary: I believe that all skills are cultivated; be it playing video games, problem solving or empathy; as such there is no thing a strengths and weaknesses, but instead areas where you have levelled up and areas where you are yet to level up :)

Summary:

• I think it’s better to view the world as ‘levelling-up’ vs ‘strengths and weaknesses’.

  • It doesn’t matter if it’s a relative strength or relative weakness you still want to level up (the weakness or strength).

  • This is growth mindset stuff :).

  • For reference this is a development of a previous blog called ‘ho ho ho, merry feedback-mas’.

• You can level up indefinitely :).

• 0. Quality Feedback = 1. Feedback is accurate * 2. Feedback is understood by other person * 3. Person receiving feedback wants action it

  • When giving feedback if you talk about levelling up instead of ‘weaknesses/strengths’ then it’s far more likely ‘3. Person receiving feedback wants action it’

• Researchers say personal growth (aka levelling up) is one of the top three things that gives you happiness. So do it with the right language :).

• Easy vs hard levelling up:

  • Levelling up the hard way = trying ambiguously to improve

  • Levelling up the easy way = 1. Clear area of focus on where to level up * 2. Clear understanding of what the next level looks like * 3. Clear plan on how to get to the next level

• Ideall you have:

  • ‘1. Clear area of focus on where to level up’ for 1x EQ area and 1x IQ area at all times

    • EQ = emotional intelligence

  • ‘2. Clear understanding of what the next level looks like’ for each area.

  • ‘3. Clear plan on how to get to the next level’

  • If you don’t have this I suggest working on it with your manager

• Sometimes there minimum levels of sufficiency needed. If you are below the minimum sufficient level then focus the majority of your energy on getting to ‘the sufficient level’ ASAP.

• Jingle: let’s not be fearful of feedback, let’s love levelling up!

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Details: ‘strengths & weaknesses’ vs ‘trajectory & levelling-up’ OR ‘feedback gifts’ vs ‘level-up cheat codes’!

• Old view:

  • One has strengths and weaknesses.

• New view:

  • Everything is on a continuum and can never not be improved. You should be looking to Level-Up on everything.

    • This doesn’t mean you should try to level everything up at once, often best to have a few key focus areas.

    • The areas you are looking to level up might be ‘relative strengths’ or ‘relative weaknesses’, it depends on what you are trying to do.

  • What matters is someone’s trajectory. Current skill levels are of much less importance.

  • What is good / bad for someone who is a Novice (eg new to a role) is likely totally different for someone is a Master (eg 10 years in the game)

    • It’s a continuum, levelling-up is limitless :).

• If you are Novice ‘relative strength / weakness’ might look like this:

• But if you are a Master ‘relative strength / weakness’ might look like this:

• So basically the Weakness of a Master might we wildly higher than the Strength of Novice.

• What DA sees as core cultural values:

  • Trying: at school you might be weak at something because you don’t try. It is not optional to try at Edrolo.

  • Growth mindset: you also need to believe in yourself, you can improve at things if you apply yourself. (See Esteem Team blog for more detail)

• If someone has these cultural values, what are possible reasons for someone being ‘relatively weak’ / ‘not improving’ at something?

  • 1. Relative weakness because someone has never done the task before.

  • 2. They have an incorrect view of what 'good is'. Ie what the next level looks like.

  • 3. They don’t know how to ‘level up’ (ie get to the next level).

  • 4. They need to be reminded that their 'automatic' response might not be optimal. Rewiring automatic responses takes time and effort.

  • Again, I don’t see trying and not believing in yourself as optional. See ‘esteem team’ email.

• Outcomes of looking at the world this way:

  • When you are giving someone feedback (everyone should be doing this at least once a week IMO) then couch it in ‘levelling-up’ language; not in ‘strengths & weaknesses’ language. It’s not feedback, it’s a way to help someone level-up.

    • OR not feedback gifts but level-up cheat codes :)!

  • When thinking of yourself, think, ‘where do I need to level up and how can I level up there?’ Strengths and weaknesses is fixed mindset talk ;).

  • Just to nail this point once again:

    • No one is able to talk or walk when they are born. Einstein wasn’t born epic at physics, he levelled up from a baby to relativity. Wholly sh1t!

    • If you started playing a video game and you’d never played video games you are going to be crap. But if you play for ages you’ll slowly level up again and again… and again.

  • So help yourself and others level up constantly!

0. Quality Feedback = 1. Feedback is accurate * 2. Feedback is understood by other person * 3. Person receiving feedback wants action it

• 1. Feedback is accurate = 1.1 make sure you understand what happened * 1.2 confidence in the feedback (ie way to help someone level-up).

  • 1.1 make sure you understand what happened

    • Almost always the first questions I ask are clarification / confirmation questions.

      • *aside: this wasn’t what I did enough ~2 years ago :(.

    • Examples: ‘Can you please take me through how you go to this conclusion?’ / ‘Just so I understand, is this what you meant?’ / etc etc.

    • As per ‘upside down happiness’ email I think the most ‘right’ you’ll be in ‘90% right’, so before you try and give someone a ‘level up cheat code’ make sure you aren’t wide of the mark.

  • 1.2 confidence in the feedback

    • Taxonomy: 1.2.1 Low Confidence / 1.2.1 Medium Confidence / 1.2.3 High Confidence

    • 1.2.1 Low Confidence

      • If you have low confidence then I’ll basically do an investigation.

        • These are largely the same questions as ‘clarification questions’.

      • You can move from seeing possible sign of something to being:

        • 1. Nothing to see here. Or,

        • 2. Holly crap, we are pointed in total opposite directions. Feedback needed!

      • Basically just ask questions until you get to sufficient confidence of ‘what is going on’.

        • Cultural value: having your heart in the right place.

        • If you have your heart in the right place then this process is an opportunity to grow / level-up someone. We do not want someone to feel like a fool!

        • Cultural values: be vulnerable and humble.

    • 1.2.3 high confidence

      • Almost always do feedback 1:1. Not in front of others.

      • ‘Hey [person] I think I have a way for you to ‘level up’, wanna hear about this sweet level up cheat code?’

• 2. Feedback is understood by other person = 2.1 what the next level looks like * 2.2 how to get to the next level

• 3. Person receiving feedback wants action it

  • Taxonomy: 3.1 wants to action / 3.2 indifferent / 3.3 doesn't want to action

  • Example of feedback someone ‘3.3 doesn't want to action’

    • Duncan you are weak at X, don’t do it again.

  • Example of feedback someone ‘3.1 wants to action’. Feedback giver = FG. Duncan Anderson = DA.

    • FG: Hey Duncan, did you enjoy the problem solving we did last week.

    • DA: Yeah I really liked it, so much fun!

    • FG: I was thinking about ways you might be able to level up at problem solving.

    • DA: Hell yes, I love levelling up.

    • FG: Alright, I think it’s really useful to write down clearly the ‘Job To Be Done’ of the problem before you start to try and solve it. I’ve found that clearly specifying the ‘Job To Be Done’ means solutions are much more on point.

    • DA: Oh yeah, I’ve heard one of the founders crap on about ‘Jobs To Be Done’, I’ll give it a try next time.

    • FG: Sweet. Loop me in when you problem solve next so we can check in on this.

  • Comment:

    • When done well this seems like you are helping someone, not pulling them up on a weakness. Or painful ego hurting feedback vs ‘level-up cheat code’.

• *aside: Firstly, at the start of the year I thought it would be fun to try and give feedback in every 1:1 that I did. Initially it was tough but now I think ~80% of them I can find a ‘level up cheat code gift' to give someone. It's so much fun. I enjoy 1:1s more than ever and this is one of the key reasons.

  • "People are the best of times, people are the worst of times." I find one of the ways to have people be the best of times is 'mutual level-up cheat code giving'.

Onwards and level-up-wards :)!