One Piece of Advice Series – Rich Williams, CTO of Frollo

Our One Piece of Advice series asks leaders across the business one simple question: what is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? This time we spoke with Richard Williams, CTO of Frollo.

The question: what advice completely changed the way you view leadership, manage teams, or build relationships with others?

For Richard, the answer traces back to a leadership course, where he was working alongside senior stakeholders and managers from a very large business. One of them shared something that has stuck with him ever since.

“She said to me, of everything I’ve learned in life when it comes to business and professional relationships, it’s this: don’t take anything personally.”

Why it matters

The reasoning behind the advice is what gives it weight. Over the course of a career, you will find yourself in plenty of situations where you might feel attacked, where something seems biased against you, or where you feel unsupported. The instinct in those moments is to react as though it is a personal attack.

The advice is to resist that instinct.

“You mustn’t always react in a way that it’s a personal attack. There are things that lead to different outcomes, and people might simply be looking at those different outcomes.”

In other words, most of what feels personal in a professional setting is not about you at all. People are weighing options, protecting priorities and pursuing outcomes, and sometimes you happen to be standing where those forces collide.

The emotional shield

Richard describes the practical effect as having an emotional shield: the ability to sit in a difficult conversation, a challenge to your work, or a decision that did not go your way, and not feel attacked by it.

“It’s like having an emotional shield, being able to not feel attacked. And that’s how you build your rapport and your strength working in a business, and in professional conduct and relationships.”

Whilst it’s simple advice, it’s no less easy to practice, but invaluable when you do.

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