Last year we did a couple of performance reviews at work, where we assesed what we did good and what we could improve. And I struggled to talk about both sides, specially when it came to highlight my strenghts at work.

And that got me thinking about something I read in "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth", a book by Chris Hadfield, where he talks about "aiming to be a zero" in your contribution at work or in a team environment.

From Hadfield:

Over the years, I've realized that in any new situation, wheter it involves an elevator, or a rocket ship, you will almost certainly be viewed in one of three ways. As a minus one: actively harmful, someone who creates problems. Or as a zero: your impact is neutral and doesn't trip the balance one way or the other. Or you'll be seen as a plus one: someone who actively adds value. Everyone wants to be a plus one, of course. But proclaiming your plus-one-ness at the outset almost guarantees you'll be perceived as a minus one, regardless of the skills you bring to the table or how you actually perform.

So in a way I didn't know how to talk about my strengths because during the year I was not actively thinking about them and was also not trying to get recognition whenever I did a good job. In the same way, I was not harming anyone else's work or getting in the way. I was aiming to be a zero, trying to let my work speak by itself.

This also reminded me of an interview Time Ferris did with Spotify's CEO Daniel Ek, where he mentioned having a motto at Spotify encapsulated by the swedish word "Lagom".

From the interview transcript:

Lagom in Sweden is—I think the best translation I could give is it’s just about right. It’s not too much, and it’s not too little. It kind of, I think, encapsulates the Swedish spirit more maybe than anything else. In Sweden, it’s very much a culture of you shouldn’t stand out. You’re part of a collective being, and the best thing you can be in the Swedish society is being lagom, just about right, not too much and not too little. That’s kind of what every Swede aspires to be, which feels crazy if you’re an American because that’s about individuality and expressing yourself and don’t be afraid to kind of take space, but it’s completely opposite in the Swedish society.

And I actually like that approach a lot, and is something I should aspire to do as a team member at work and as part of a society. I will keep doing my best and don't try to stand out, but also being mindful of not being too lazy or having a negative contribution.

Being good enough is good enough.