Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
We all have that story. Whether it was a teacher, or an ex, or a co-worker, or a supervisor…but we all have our story. If you don’t, then sorry but give it time. You’ll get your story and it’ll suck for a while but it’s absolutely necessary for personal growth.
Working with — or for — someone that is just plain the f***ing worst.
I’m not going to turn this post into a blog therapy session and get into details, but it was awful and we’ll leave it at that. It impacted me spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, and even physically. I hated it when it was happening, but absolutely love having that experience in my history and under my belt. I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of, while also learning everything about what kind of person I absolutely did not want to be.
Turns out that knowing what you don’t want is half of knowing what you want.
Diamond in the rough
Of all the nonsense, deceit, manipulation, and mind games, there was one shining little gem of advice that was given to me which I still keep with me today. A solid, actionable, and valuable piece of advice:
Build yourself your own personal board of directors.
I know. Seems a little weird, but trust me. It’s amazing.
The sooner you realize that life is a constant work-in-progress, the sooner you’ll see that we all need help. A lot of help. ALL the help.
You, LLC
With a business, or any other kind of formal organization that typically have boards of directors, the board is strategically built to keep the vision on track, despite the constant changes in the market environment, while always keeping advice and interests focused on the integrity of the organization — not any single character within.
Well guess what? Your life — in that way — is kind of like a business. Life is full of decisions that can have huge impact, has perpetually changing environments, and contains traps that can eventually lead to complacency, regret, and disappointment. I know…womp womp. But wait…
…what if you had a board of directors? A small group of people that were built to help you think through decisions all the way around and completely through. A group of people that had the success of your life in their best interests. A league of extraordinary people that understood certain dynamics in your life that are otherwise difficult to explain and understand.
My guys? They’re good friends who understand me 360 degrees around — professionally and personally. They know how I prioritize my family, they know what I need even more than I do sometimes. They get it, and they aren’t afraid to tell me that I need to get my shit together or that I am about to make an awful decision.
They’re my biggest fans, and do their best to make sure I keep giving them reasons to stay that way.
See? Get it? Yeah, I know. Amazing advice. Get you a board of directors, man. For real. Like now.
I recognize the irony that the best advice about surrounding yourself with the best people came to me from one of the worst people I have ever had to deal with, but hey…you take what you can get when you can.
How to pick your people
Here’s the thing: I have no idea. I guess it depends. I will say that all of this only works when none of them feel the need to push an agenda with you. They need to know how to convey their ideas, but also understand that the decision is inevitably up to you. There can’t be any “I-told-you-so”s in the bunch and no one that talks shit behind your back.
In other words, they have to be some of the best people you know.
What also helped me was the idea of surrounding yourself with people that cared about me, that are much smarter than I am, and are comfortable with disagreeing with me.
Smart people that care about you and disagree with you are gifts in life. Keep them close and keep them around forever.
So maybe you already have your own personal board of directors. Good for you. If you don’t, you should consider it.
Life is a team sport.
#bewhatyoumake
