1-2-3: How to understand and address subtext, a legendary coach's secrets to a successful & fulfilling life, the best indicator for smartness

1 Actionable Concept, 2 Best Tweets all under 3 Minutes

1-2-3:

“1 Actionable Concept, 2 Best Tweets all under 3 Minutes”

Good day, readers! 🫡

This is Career Geek here.

We’ve got exciting stuff this week.

What’s in store 🏠

1. How to understand and address subtext

2. John Wooden’s 9 Promises to a Successful and Fulfilling Life

3. The best indicator for smartness

Let’s begin! 👏

1 Action

How to understand and address subtext

Imagine this scenario:

You are rolling out a project to cross-functional stakeholders.

You arrive at the Q&A part.

The audience’s questions are endless and very rudimentary.

Your answers are not landing.

You find yourself repeating the same answers over and over again.

Your audience continues to appear skeptical.

WHYYY is this happening??? 😠

Because there’s subtext behind their surface questions. 🌟

When someone asks a question, they may be seeking deeper insights or reassurances.

However, their intent may not be obvious in the surface question.

Often, it’s because they might not know how to articulate those subconscious thoughts.

Understanding the subtext can lead to more effective responses.

The million-dollar question is:

How do we understand and address the subtext?

Here’s how: 📚

1. Don’t blindly engage in an endless back-and-forth

Step back and think about what their true concern might be.

For example, they might be looking for reassurance, better logic from you, or a different type of evidence than what you’re sharing.

2. Ask probing questions

Don’t be quick to answer the surface question. Instead, ask probing questions.

Your question-asker might not know how to articulate what they want.

Take the time to figure it out together.

You may ask: “Great question. If you could share a bit of context on what's top of mind for you, it'll help me figure out what to share that’s most relevant for you.”

3. Know your audience

Is my audience a numbers-driven person? A strategic person? Or a person who is unfamiliar with the background of what’s being discussed?

If your audience is numbers-driven, your answer has to be quantitative. Focus on using hard data to address their questions.

If your audience is strategic, your answer has to be less tactical and more on the “vision”. Focus on the why, not the what or how.

If your audience is unfamiliar with the background, take the discussion offline. Organize a separate session to bring them up to speed.

2 Tweets

John Wooden’s 9 Promises to a Successful and Fulfilling Life

John Wooden is the greatest NCAA basketball coach of all-time.

During his remarkable tenure as UCLA’s head coach, he transformed the little-known & poorly funded program into a national powerhouse, winning ten NCAA championships, including a record seven consecutive titles from 1967 to 1973.

Since then, no other college teams have managed to win three titles in a row.

John believed that "success and happiness come from making and keeping nine promises."

Here were his nine promises:

1. I promise to talk health, happiness, and prosperity as often as possible.

2. I promise to let all my friends know there is something in them that is special to me and that I value.

3. I promise to think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best in myself and others.

4. I promise to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own success.

5. I promise to be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

6. I promise to forget the mistakes of the past and press on towards greater achievements in the future.

7. I promise to wear a cheerful appearance at all times and give every person I meet the gift of a smile.

8. I promise to give so much time too improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

9. I promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit trouble to press in on me.

John Wooden (center, holding trophy) with his UCLA basketball team

The best indicator for smartness

“The best indicator if someone is smart is if he has a good life.”

— Naval Ravikant

Thank you so much for reading up to this point. I thoroughly enjoyed the actionable concepts & tweets I shared with you. 💖

I hoped you enjoyed reading them too. If you did, please subscribe for more “1-2-3” weekly digest.

Take care and till next time! 🫡