Arjun Ram- 🌟 Values that matter to me
- 🤔 Curiosity
- 🤗 Curiosity and empathy
- 👂 Actively Listening
- 🔧 Problems vs Symptoms
- 🚀 High Agency
- 📈 Progress > Perfection
- 📚 Preparation
- 👥 Manage up
- 💪 Inputs > Outcomes
- 🤔 Rate of learning
- 🔍 Details matter
- 🍃 Simplicity
- ❤️ Awareness
- 🫶🏼 Genuinely care
- 🧠 Biases & Opinions
- 🎁 Feedback
- 🙌 Be Vulnerable
- 📢 Evangelize
- 💆 Things I am working on
- 👂🏼 Active Listening
- 🧘🏻 Patience
- ⚖️ Finding balance
- ❤️ Awareness
As a leader, I believe it's crucial to articulate my value system because these principles and beliefs serve as the foundation of how I lead and interact with my colleagues. They are essential to me because they guide our collective efforts, foster a positive work environment, and ensure that we are all aligned in pursuit of our common goals.
🌟 Values that matter to me!
🤔 Curiosity
I value curiosity because it fuels our quest for understanding. Understanding a situation better equips us to address it effectively.
🤗 Curiosity and empathy
I genuinely believe that curiosity & empathy are two sides of the same coin enabling us to understand context better. They also open opportunities to build trust.
👂 Actively Listening
Listen more than you speak. Valuable insights can come from unexpected sources. Actively listening to your teammates can lead to the best ideas.
🔧 Problems vs Symptoms
Always aim to identify root problems, not just symptoms. This approach ensures we address issues at their core, leading to more sustainable solutions. It might take longer but it’s the right thing to do.
As Gen. George S. Patton remarked, “I don’t like paying for the same real estate twice!”
🚀 High Agency
I encourage you to take initiative and ownership of your work. Actions speak louder than words, so demonstrate your commitment and dedication through your efforts and contributions.
📈 Progress > Perfection
While we should aim for excellence, we prioritize progress over perfection. It's crucial to keep moving forward, learn from our mistakes, and continuously improve.
📚 Preparation
Be proactive by preparing in advance. Anticipate challenges, plan accordingly, come up with options and remain adaptable to changing circumstances.
👥 Manage up
Effective communication is key. Keep me informed and share how I can empower you in achieving your goals. Your success contributes to our collective success.
💪 Inputs > Outcomes
Focus on the effort you invest rather than fixating on the end result. We appreciate and reward hard work, acknowledging that outcomes are not always guaranteed. The lessons learned along the way are invaluable.
🤔 Rate of learning
Embrace a growth mindset and constantly seek opportunities to learn. Mistakes are part of the learning process, so don't hesitate to share your experiences and lessons. Try not to repeat the same mistakes multiple times.
🔍 Details matter
Pay attention to small details because they can make a big difference. Care a lot about what you & your team put out in the world, few do! Remember, Good & bad things compound.
🍃 Simplicity
Simplicity is challenging but worthwhile. Strive for simplicity in your work! It is elusive for most but when you do achieve it, you will treasure it.
❤️ Awareness
Awareness is what makes us human! We work with people to achieve greater things. None of us are perfect and emotions can amplify or complicate things.
🫶🏼 Genuinely care
I genuinely care about you and your goals. Remember that we only have one life, so prioritize your well-being and extend the same care to others.
🧠 Biases & Opinions
Recognize that we all have biases and opinions. Embrace diverse perspectives and different viewpoints.
🎁 Feedback
I offer feedback early and often and am very receptive to receiving it. Constructive feedback is a valuable gift for growth and improvement.
🙌 Be Vulnerable
Remember that I am human too. I make mistakes, and I don't have all the answers. Vulnerability fosters trust and openness within teams.
📢 Evangelize
We live in a noisy world and everyone is trying to do their best so it takes effort for things to permeate & get attention. Make an effort to evangelize what you are working on, especially if impacts the greater good.
💆 Things I am working on
We all have areas for improvement. I have learned to embrace them & am actively working on them with my coach. My coach talks to my colleagues and the conversations are confidential. I have also included workarounds & tips that can help you navigate, I’d appreciate it if you could consider them. If you’d like to add to the list and/or are open to providing feedback, please let me know.
Here is my current working list:
👂🏼 Active Listening
To some, this comes naturally but for me, this is one of the hardest things I have to work on. I have grown a lot better at this, but at times find myself falling prey to old habits.
- 💁🏻♂️ Tip: Don’t hesitate to let me know if you think I could have done better, you would be doing me a big favor!
- 💁🏻♂️ Tip: I have also learned to pen down my thoughts and write a note. Don’t be surprised if you get one
🧘🏻 Patience
I can come off as being impatient at times, feel free to push back if I am being impatience on something long-term. One of the meanings of my kid’s name is patience! So I am reminded of it on a regular basis 😅
- 💁🏻♂️ Tip: Proactively suggesting timelines to address things goes a long way!
⚖️ Finding balance
In my eagerness to power through and get things to the finish line, I can become razor-focused on what I am working on. This might lead to you feeling neglected,
- 💁🏻♂️ Tip: Scheduling a quick 10-time call to talk tends to get attention.
❤️ Awareness
Awareness is what makes us human! But humans are also habitual creatures. I can and will from time to time fall into the same trap. Trust me, it is not because I am intentionally doing so. It has taken me years, my share of painful mistakes, and a lot of courage to pen these down. I try and read this document every two weeks.
- 💁🏻♂️ Tip: You’d be doing me a huge favor by nudging me when I am out of congruence with what I have written above. I’d gladly buy a coffee ☕️ or a drink 🍻 and hear you out!
🙏🏼 Thank you for taking the time to read it, I am grateful for it.