Avoid mess up to level up

Hey Friends,

Hey there, guess what? I've decided to dive headfirst into the world of Badminton at the Hong Kong Gay Games. I've been swatting those little shuttlecocks around since I was a kid. Over time, I've turned into quite the badminton enthusiast, whooping it up for players like Lin Dan, Lee Chong Wei, and Alex Alexarsen, all from the cozy confines of my sofa. And let me tell you, watching those pros play is like comparing a Ferrari to a tricycle. But therein lies our roadmap from being a couch dweller to a pro player!

Now, let's not beat around the bush – we're no match for the pros. They've got us cornered when it comes to speed, power, and skill. They're like Iron Man, and we're... well, regular folks. They have this "base capability" that's sky-high, and it's not all natural. It's the result of countless hours of practice, gym sessions, and who knows what else. You've heard of the 10,000-hour rule, right? There's no magic wand to becoming a pro - it's all about the grit and grind.

But here's the thing - you know what really separates the pros from the rest of us? Their amazing ability to bounce back from mistakes. They might fluff a shot now and then, but they'll bounce back with a stunning save, dodging a flurry of shots like they're Neo in the Matrix, and even scoring a point! This, my friend, is the secret ingredient we should aim to master.

We may not all have the chance to buff up our badminton skills to Olympic levels, but we can definitely learn from the mindset to supercharge our careers. Paying a tad extra attention to potential pitfalls and potential solutions can go a long way.

For instance, I recently assisted my manager in hosting a two-day workshop for a bunch of C-level minus 1 senior management from a Japanese client. As the new kid on the block, I had to handle a bunch of logistical and administrative tasks. This adventure taught me the importance of anticipating potential issues or, as I like to put it, pondering over "what might mess up?”

A major part of prepping for this workshop was creating a detailed checklist. This wasn't just a to-do list; it was a preemptive strike against potential problems, ensuring the event ran like a well-oiled machine. Let me give you a few items on the list for your reference:

• Have the Wi-Fi User Name and Password ready and ensure all the guests would have their own copies
• Turn on the “Do Not Disturb” feature on both email and team notifications when setting up the screen sharing
• Ensure both HTMI and Clickshare button works for my ThinkPad computer
• Bring an MacBook adaptor just in case of some of the presenter might be using it
• Have a satanized USB and One Link ready just in case the Wi-fi doesn’t work
• Contacts of the drivers who were responsible for the guest pickup

While these are some of the non-exhaustive example from the list, but you can clearly see the purpose of the checklist to provide backup options when things potentially messed up.

Checklists are like a life-raft in a sea of complex tasks. They're a secret weapon for medical professionals to manage the risks of surgical operations. Documenting your thought process and approach to tasks serves as a handy knowledge management tool, helping you fine-tune your operations over time. Moreover, as there’s a common saying in consulting - “Never reinvent the wheel”, the checklist later can easily be leveraged to be a knowledge asset even a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the team, so that we wouldn’t have to do all the brainstorming all again from scratch next time.

In our professional journeys, it's important to recognize that our personal experiences and thought processes are unique and valuable. When documenting tasks or creating a standard operating procedure (SOP), ensure to use your own words. It may not be comprehensive initially, but as you grow and learn, it will evolve into an invaluable resource. These consolidated documents and checklists can serve as an anchor for our future growth, much like climbing a mountain.

And with that, I'll draw the curtain on this week's newsletter. I hope you found these insights handy. Always remember, the journey to becoming a pro starts with a keen eye for what could go wrong and proactive thinking about potential fixes.

Things that I found interesting this week:

🎬 Video — OpenAI DevDay, Opening Keynote

The opening keynote was primarily delivered by Sam Altman, focusing on the recent developments of ChatGPT. He highlighted the new features of the latest ChatGPT 4 Turbo. I don't want to spoil the details by revealing all the key points that Sam Altman and his team covered. However, I would like to emphasize the potential of the ChatGPT model to enhance the quality of our work. For instance, it can effectively play the role of a devil's advocate, challenging us on potential issues within our current plan, echoing to what we talked about in this piece of newsletter.

📃 Blog — The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

The blog provided a concise summary of the book "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right" by Atul Gawande. It highlighted the significance of creating checklists, even for expert practitioners in medicine, finance, and engineering. Checklists, while being condensed forms of knowledge, don't need to be overly detailed or exhaustive. Instead, they should serve as effective tools for reminding us about the most critical aspects of a specific process, such as during surgery.