๐ช ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐๐ป๐? ๐๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฝ?
๐ช ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐๐ป๐? ๐๐ณ ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐ต๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฝ?
The phrase “sharpening the saw” originates from a parable popularized by Stephen Covey in his 1989 book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, where it represents the practice of self-renewal and personal improvement.
๐ Covey begins his chapter on this habit with a story of a man struggling to cut down a tree with a dull saw and refusing to stop and sharpen it because he’s “too busy sawing” โ illustrating the need to regularly invest in growth to remain effective.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ช๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ “๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐”
AWS applies this concept by embedding continuous improvement, self-renewal, and learning processes at both organizational and individual levels. In my role as Solutions Architect, I’m incentivized to reserve time in my calendar to sharpen my saw โ in this case, to learn about new technologies and services as well as my customers’ industries. This is also embodied in the Amazon Leadership Principle “Learn and Be Curious.”
โ๏ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฐ๐
Like everything in life, it’s counterbalanced by other demands. In my role, the Leadership Principle “Customer Obsession” clearly states that customers are always the focus. At first glance, this might imply that I can’t take time for sharpening my saw, but rather should spend all my time on customers.
๐ก It took me a while to realize that one aspect of customer obsession is really caring about myself โ about my skills โ so that I can better help my customers.
โ ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐:
ย ย How do you keep up to date? ย ย How do you manage to reserve time for this? ย ย How do you justify it for yourself and in front of your stakeholders?
๐โโ๏ธ ๐๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
This post has been inspired by Kobi Omenaka’s post I read this morning on my commute. He compares corporate professionals and professional sports athletes. The former are pushed to perform 99% of their working time, while the latter spend 90% on training and perform “only” 10% during competitions. The question he raises is: how sustainable are those approaches? His post: https://lnkd.in/eVj_VRDh
Cross-posted to LinkedIn