Michael

stream of craftsmanship

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Hey, I’m Michael and I mentor people in my spare time on things like communication skills, consulting, career, critical thinking, navigating uncertainty, etc.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Go for the life you want, with urgency. There are no style points.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Play it safe and risk your chance for living a differentiated life

[MATT GRAY @matt_gray_]

the most dangerous risk is playing it safe.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

America: even the people who hate us won’t leave

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Happy semiquincentennial birthday America. I haven't always appreciated you the way I should. These days I know that I'm among the most blessed people in the world to get to call this place my home. #America250

[Michael @mcolumbus]

@TRHLofficial What about the original version with the word “suckers” in it 😅

[Michael @mcolumbus]

https://t.co/UQ7y6U0euR

[Michael @mcolumbus]

@AlexHormozi Yes - focus is the courage to say no to everything else

[Michael @mcolumbus]

@stephsmithio I mean, you gotta draw the line somewhere.

I do appreciate that they differentiate parts of the body.

For instance B’s arm didn’t count as offside, but toe/foot does because it’s eligible for contact.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Sad for @FreddyLA7

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Most managers try to turn you into a little copy of themselves.

The best ones help you become the best version of you.

Here’s how they do it:

(1) They set the same clear expectations for everyone on the team.

(2) Then they work with each person individually to help them actually meet those expectations in a way that plays to their strengths.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Project Managers,
Plan your project so that when the weather comes, you’re ready.

Establish strong trust with your team and clients before you need it.

Do this by establishing
1 - Credibility
2 - Rapport
3 - Momentum

Context 👇

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Most apologies suck.

People saying “sorry” because they think it’s what the other person wants to hear.

It’s not about them, it’s about giving yourself permission to relieve yourself of any guilt.

Nah.

This is better:

“I’m sorry that I did that. I’m sorry you had to deal with the consequences. How can I make it up to you?”

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Someone I know got married last week.

People were surprised when I gave this advice:

Never compromise.

Compromising is well-intentioned lose-lose thinking. Do it enough and you slowly sacrifice your standards (and theirs) until you become a curmudgeon full of resentment.

Instead: Hold your standards high. Respect theirs. Get creative and find the win-win.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

@usgraphics I agree, earned complexity built from iteration after iteration makes things hit differently.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

Building trust with someone is counterintuitive.

Tell them something you’d only tell a person you trust.

Then watch what they do with it.

Repeat this over and over.

Trust will either increase, decrease.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

A sure-fire way to grow:

We have so much access to external resources — videos, AI, mentors, books. But they only really change us when we turn them into internal ones we actually carry.

Like GPS: use it to learn the route, then turn it off and drive it yourself a few times. That’s when you really learn.

[Michael @mcolumbus]

@nunezl6 @nvidia @grok go ahead