Hello from Thailand!
Finally, after two months, I have reunited with my family on the beautiful island of Koh Samui in Southern Thailand. We are going to stay here at least for a year and get ready for our next move. My current plan is to work remotely for a couple of my clients in digital marketing and Chinese e-commerce industry, and enjoy time with my family.
The two months I spent in Shanghai were quite fruitful: I taught a lot of classes and workshops, closed some old projects, passed the leadership, and created new opportunities.
This week I have also completed my #50days50lessons challenge and wrote the last five essays for my students and people I care about. On life, leadership, mastery, and capoeira. Enjoy!
Journey to Formatura
About a year ago, my first capoeira teacher, Diego, invited me to a big capoeira event in Italy. He also suggested that it would be a good time for my “formatura”, a high-level graduation, involving a change in my belt and title to “professor”. I wasn’t sure in the beginning, but after thinking it over and consulting with people I look up to, I’ve accepted the invitation. My journey to formatura has begun.
Continue to read about my toughest lesson of the year
The camel in the room
My final advice to future leaders. Let’s talk about the camel in the room. It’s a blend of two sayings — “the elephant in the room” and “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“The elephant in the room” refers to an important topic that everyone avoids discussing, despite its obvious presence and impact. The “camel’s back” story teaches us that major issues are often the result of a series of smaller actions or decisions. It’s not the last “straw” which broke the camel’s back, but rather a few errors in judgment repeated many times.
How few straws every day may destroy any community
Don’t Send Your Ducks to Eagle School
As we discussed before, the capoeira group can be considered a leadership and personal development factory that people join voluntarily and stay for various reasons.
Two classical mistakes in leadership (and among capoeira teachers) are:
- Sending “ducks” (less talented or unprepared individuals) to “Eagle School” prematurely, expecting them to take on roles or responsibilities they are not ready for.
- Sending “eagles” (talented and confident individuals) to “Duck School,” holding them back from their potential by assigning them roles that do not align with their current capabilities.
Teacher is a tool
Once, I asked Mestre Edan, a capoeira master and the teacher of many great capoeiristas worldwide, about the key quality that transforms a student into an extraordinary capoeira player. His response was unequivocal: “To be an autodidact.”
Third-party tools
You have three options: to be right, to win, or neither of both.
You can’t be right and win. You may be the smartest person in the world, knowing everything, but you won’t win the game or make a point like this.
Winning the game involves understanding that sometimes your job is to disappear and let other forms or third-party tools pass on the information.
“The less you speak, the more they learn”
Until next week,
Alex Maltsev
Digital Creator, capoeira teacher, proud father