Hello! It's been a few weeks, I know. 😅
Since I last wrote, I spent the better part of a week in Limburg with our longest-standing client, 2Moso. We were making footage & photos in preparation for Wahoo's re-launch of Speedplay along with content for other products they carry from Princeton CarbonWorks, Megmeister & Aftershokz and partner brands including Bliz & Lake. With a COVID rapid test beforehand, this was my first work trip like this in a year!
Thereafter, I was able to go get my son & daughter for their first week back here in eight months! While they were here, my friend Stephan got some snaps of the whole fam in Amsterdam. ❤️(We even managed to make some music!) It was a whirlwind week with 6 days of combined travel to make it happen but without a doubt worth all the effort. I'm already 'Merica bound again this week.
Also since the last issue, the whole Twotone team has been on blast with launches, interviews, and announcements! March madness was real! More about some of the news we were busy with below.
This past week, I wrapped up with our current intern, Sven & interviewed our next two; one for Twotone & one for Workspace Six. As a former intern myself, I take great pride in offering the same opportunity to students every year.
Teamwork makes the dream work whether is colleagues, intern or even kids, so this issue's bullet-pointed intro aspect revolves around delegating well. I added my .02 to Sam Warner's 9 Keys to Delegating Successfully:
- 🤝 Get to know your team – even as the boss, you need to understand preferred styles of communication. Like Sam says: "appreciate their world as it stands - before you add to it."
- 🔗 Share the vision – If your team understands the direction & objectives that need to be achieved they can better understand how they can contribute & will be motivated by solidarity too!
- 🙋 Ask for help – Sam referenced the phrase: “your success is only achieved through theirs”, meaning that by showing your vulnerable side, i.e. where you are not perfect, where you make mistakes and that you don’t have all the answers fosters mutual respect and value.
- 🤹 Share and develop skills – ensure that you have no silos (individuals with special skill sets that are potential single-point-of-failures if absent), delegating tasks across the team will upskill them and ensure that no one, when they return from holiday or other absence, is faced with a pile of work – as it will have been absorbed by the team. This can create a harmonious team working environment where everyone has each other’s back. With this mindset, people should be ready to take on other initiatives to help.
- 📝 Give useful feedback – without this, it is very challenging for you to delegate a second time. Give specific examples. Pro tip: praise in public & criticize in private.
- 💡 Encourage ideas – If you don’t want people to bring you problems to solve – ask your team to bring you solutions and ideas instead. Goal: empowerment to try to figure out how to fix things before approaching you for approval to go ahead.
- 🤔 Be specific and say 'why' before 'how.' – why a task has to be done is key to the value of what they are delivering. Don’t be tempted to focus on how they get there - focus on the results achieved.
- 💪 Play to their strengths – Getting to know your team will help you to build mutual rapport, trust, and respect. It’s also important to get to know your employees’ limitations so that you can push them a little but not drown them.
- 🧘🏻♀ Improve self-awareness – is important to understand your impact on others; especially as a manager! Listening is the most useful skill you can cultivate. It validates the person speaking and makes them feel heard. Ask for feedback from your team (it’s not a one-way street) and respond to that feedback if you can so they know you are paying attention and adapting.
I've learned first-hand from leading a team for 6+ years that I simply cannot do everything. So, honing my ability to not get frustrated by pressure but rather continually learn to delegate better has been a life-saver!
as always, thank you for reading & sharing!
Jon
p.s. Share the stoke & please pass the newsletter on to your friends & colleagues via a tweet, a post on LinkedIn, or a share on FB.
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📷: this week's banner image by Leon van Bon for 2Moso.
Cycling
Albion Ultralight Insulated Jacket from 99g, packs warmth in breathable, recycled fabrics
Twotone client & UK-based cycling apparel brand Albion recently added incredibly light, packable weather protection with Ultralight Insulated Jacket & minimalist companion backpack to their lineup.
Click thru here to page 25 for an interview with the founders courtesy Fairlight Cycles.
More news from Albion real soon too!
Update on the F/AR from Fara Cycling
Fara Cycling is stoked to bring everyone an update on the brand new F/AR. These are the first studio shots of the bike!
Marginal Gains TV Interview with Josh Poertner of SILCA & Jens Voigt Part 1
Josh and Jens talk about a range of topics including Jens as a young cyclist to growing up in East Berlin, Jens' experience as a pro & more.
Cities
Rideout with Ampler Ep.1 | How Cycling Affects Our Cities and Quality of Life
In this first episode, we talk about the future of transport, predict what will happen to the bicycle boom, will it sustain into 2021 and beyond, and share some simple tips on how to improve your quality of life via cycling.
I’m grateful & honored to have had the chance to talk about how cycling has transformed my life for the better & can ultimately do the same for societies all around the world. Watch my interview here.
Ampler is one of our longest-standing #twotoneclients and they make light electric bikes for the urban cyclist.
E-bikes outsold electric cars more than fivefold in Europe in 2019
I'm, for one, excited to see cycling not only grow for all kinds of enthusiasts but also everyone as more viable than ever transportation alternative!
Check out the BBC's short video piece about this trend as well.
The City Where Cars Are Not Welcome
As automakers promise to get rid of internal combustion engines, Heidelberg is trying to get rid of automobiles themselves!
Industry Improvements
'All Bodies on Bikes', a film about body inclusivity and the cycling community
"Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky want to change the perception of who is a 'bike rider'. In their film, they discuss society's obsession with weight and why they are reclaiming the word fat without its negative connotations."
What a wonderful thing to see so much positivity about this film all week! Nice work, Shimano & everyone involved!
Sign CIP – Radical Adventure Riders
Twotone signed the Cycling Industry Pledge (CIP) last year and we'll be back on board this year too. The ida is to hold companies accountable to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the cycling community.
Rad Women of Bikepacking: Part 4
At its core, cycling shouldn't be about bikes or gear, it should be about people. And in Part IV of Bikepacking.com's Rad Women of Bikepacking series, they paid tribute to women building community in the bikepacking scene globally.
Radness
Powell-Peralta Presents: "SEEN HIM" a Zenga Bros Film Featuring Andy Anderson
End your weekend or start your week with this.
Tell me if it doesn't inspire you!
What a rad film!