Got Advice for Someone? Write It Down. Then Follow It Yourself.

The more you worry about what someone else is doing wrong, the less you see your own shortcomings

There’s always something outside of you that can be fixed. Your cell network drops calls sometimes, or your coworker doesn’t start meetings on-time.

When you look outside of yourself for things to fix, it starts a vicious cycle. The more you worry about what someone else is doing wrong, the less you see what you’re doing wrong.

There’s a great book by Cy Wakeman called No Ego. It’s a leadership book, but it is full of lessons that can help anyone be happier and more effective.

Cy is the creator of the concept of “Reality-Based Leadership.” Lots of leadership advice focuses on driving “engagement” amongst employees. Supposedly, you should let your employees vent their frustrations, then work to fix them.

But, Cy says, the more you invite people to find what’s wrong outside of them, the less they see what they can do to make their situations better. If you encourage them to deal with reality, they become more accountable, and happier.

Here’s one great lesson from the book:

Take Your Own Advice. Do you have advice…