3 tips for being true to yourself - even if you get sacked

“There is one certainty is this job,” said one leader. “There is at least a 50% chance that I will get sacked. This can be because I do not deliver the results, there is a change at the top or for some other reason. But I will be true to myself and do what I believe-in. I will stand or fall by following my principles.”

Imagine you are a leader taking over a team. Let’s explore how you can be true to yourself in that situation.

* You can clarify your principles.

“I believe-in following three steps towards building a successful team,” said the leader mentioned above. “First, to set the right goal. This sounds simple – but it is the hardest part. Great teams set the right goal at the right time in their ‘market’. Second, to build the right team. This means getting the right people in the right places, otherwise you are sunk. Third, to implement the right strategy in the right way – and keep going until you get the right results. Lots of ‘rights’ there – but translating these into practice takes tough decisions.”

What is your philosophy for building a successful team? What are the key principles you believe-in following to achieve success? Try completing the following sentence.

The key principles I believe-in
following to build a successful team are:

*

*

*

* You can communicate your principles.

Great leaders do this in two areas. First, they communicate their principles to their sponsors before taking the role. They may say something like: “These are the results I will deliver – the ‘What’. Are there any other results you would like to add?” After getting the sponsors over the emotional line where they want to ‘buy’ what is being offered, great leaders then say: “These are the principles I will follow to deliver the results.” Whilst continually reassuring the sponsors, they outline their approach to delivering the goods. Second, they then communicate the principles to their team members. Great leaders make sure that everybody knows the ‘rules’. It is then up to people to decide whether they want to contribute towards achieving the goals.

You will, of course, communicate the principles in your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
communicate these principles are:

*

*

*

* You can implement your principles.

Great leaders relish this part. They love following their principles –especially when it comes to making tough decisions. Why? They see these as necessary for achieving success. So they make such decisions quickly to create the right foundation and keep the team on track. They then encourage, educate and enable their people to follow the daily disciplines. Sometimes, however, they come to a crunch point with their team members or sponsors.

“That has happened for me on several occasions,” said the leader. “Early in my career I decided to fire a serial complainer – replacing him with a positive person. My sponsor, who I had worked for previously, backed me fully – even though I had failed to consult the HR people properly, something I learned to do in the future. Moving-on to another example, I took an Operations Manager role, with the brief to spread an initiative across Europe. When it came to the crunch, however, my bosses would not back me fully. They insisted that I should try to ‘influence’ people, rather than have any direct authority. I soldiered-on but, at best, it was only 50% successful. Since then I have learned to make clear contracts. I would sooner get sacked by being true to myself. I don’t want to fail on two counts: not delivering the goods and not being true to my principles.”

Let’s return to your leadership role. How can implement your principles? What may be the tough decisions? How can you enable your people to deliver the goods? What may be the crunch moments in relation to your sponsors? How can you be professional and polite at such moments – yet also follow your principles? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
implement the principles are:

*

*

*

Everybody encounters moments when they must make a crucial decision: do I be true to myself or do I put my principles aside for a while? Sometimes it is not ‘black or white’; but ultimately it is vital to be true to yourself. Then we can laugh at Groucho Marx’s joke: “Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others.”

3 tips for clarifying your decision-making authority

Imagine you have recently taken a new role in an organisation. You started with enthusiasm, agreed your goals and tried several creative ideas – but then met with resistance. You believed you had a clear brief and mandate – but several departments felt you were treading on their toes. How to tackle this challenge? One approach is to meet with your sponsors and stakeholders to make clear contracts about your decision-making authority. Let’s explore how to take these steps.

* You can agree with your sponsor about your decision-making authority.

You are prepared to be accountable – but you also need autonomy and authority. So it is vital to clarify the extent of your decision-making authority. Bearing this in mind, arrange a meeting with your key sponsor – the person who can hire or fire you. Looking at your role, get their views on the following topics.

The areas where I have the autonomy to make decisions are:

*

The areas where I need to consult with others are:

*

The grey areas are:

*

“The first step was to agree on the specific activities where I had the power to act autonomously,” said one person who tackled this exercise with their sponsor. “This proved relatively easy – though there was slightly less freedom than I had imagined.”

“The second step was to focus on the areas where I had to ‘consult’. My sponsor agreed it was important for as few people as possible to be involved in making certain decisions, otherwise there would be paralysis. So we agreed on: a) Where people should be fully involved in making a decision: b) Where people should be given a sense of ‘ownership’, but I had the final say: c) Where they had the final say and I had to try to work with them to get a ‘win-win’.”

“The third step was to explore the ‘grey areas’ – those where it was not clear who could make a decision. These were creating difficulty. So it was important to move these issues into either (a) or (b) - otherwise there would be continued confusion.”

You will, of course, take this step in your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to make clear contracts with
my sponsor about my decision-making authority are:

*

*

*

After agreeing on these areas with your key sponsor – or sponsors – it is time to move onto the next step.

* You can agree with the various stakeholders about your decision-making authority.

“My sponsor paved the way for these meetings,” said the person mentioned above. “Before I approached the other stakeholders – such as the heads of departments – he sent out a request for help. This read something like:

‘As you know, we are all aiming to achieve a clear goal. This calls for making clear contracts about each person’s – and each department’s - decision-making authority. Bearing this in mind, x will be meeting each of you to agree on the respective areas of decision-making authority. At the moment, you each have areas: a) Where you have the autonomy to make decisions; b) Where you need to consult with others; c) Where the areas are somewhat ‘grey’. I would like you to work together with x to make clear contracts about the respective areas of decision-making authority. Then we can quickly get the show on the road. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of your meetings.’

“My sponsor also talked with individual department heads to ease the way,” continued the person. “That meant I was welcomed, rather than pushed away. Although there were still some challenges, we worked together to find ‘win-win’ solutions. We managed to work-out the respective decision-making authority.”

You will, of course, take this step in your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to make clear contracts with the
various stakeholders about my/our decision-making authority are:

*

*

*

* You can continue to make & follow clear contracts about your decision-making authority.

Unexpected events – or poor communication – can jeopardise working relationships. So it is important: a) To keep following the clear contracts; b) To keep connecting with key sponsors and stakeholders to update how things are going and, if necessary, review or change the contracts; c) To anticipate future events and clarify the respective responsibilities when tackling these challenges. Everybody will then be clear about their roles in delivering the results. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to continue to follow and make
clear contracts about my/our decision-making authority are:

*

*

*

Great organisations focus on clarity, contracting and concrete results. This includes ensuring that people are clear on their decision-making authority. Such clarity provides an excellent platform for achieving success.

3 tips for managing potential difficulties

Peak performers always seem to be ‘one step ahead of the game’. One reason for this is because they continually explore the potential difficulties and opportunities in their chosen field. The Strengths Toolbox contains a piece that explores managing potential successes. So here let’s consider how to tackle difficulties.

* You can anticipate the potential difficulties that may happen.

“I started by looking at my life and work,” said one 40 year-old. “Looking ahead to the next 5 years, I brainstormed the potential difficulties in my personal and professional life. Some were simply changes – with the capacity for both problems and opportunities. Some were quite predictable, others less so, which called for a bit of brainstorming. Here are the ones that I came up with:

* Getting older – so the need to take regular health checks.

* Possibility of putting on weight – so the need to begin jogging.

* Pension fund at work being closed – so the need to look at alternative funding for the future.

* Boss probably getting promoted – so the need to start looking for other good bosses.

* Company facing difficulties in the market – so the need to contact people in my network and explore other work options.

* Children leaving home – so my partner and I need to reassess what we want to put out time into doing over the next 40 years.

“It was good to get these issues out into the open – then I could pick them off one by one,” continued the person. “It felt like I had my hand on the tiller and was more able to chart the course ahead.”

People use this approach in different ways. Some focus entirely on their working lives – perhaps exploring the challenges they may face when leading a project. Some focus on all aspects of their lives. If you wish, choose an area where you want to anticipate the potential difficulties. It could be something wide-ranging, such as you getting older; or more specific, such as a project at work. Bearing in mind your goals – your picture of success - in your chosen area, brainstorm the possible difficulties that may happen on the journey. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific area where I want to explore the potential difficulties is:

*

The potential difficulties that may happen in this area are:

*

*

*

* You can anticipate how to prevent the potential difficulties happening.

Some people seem to take this step naturally – believing that ‘prevention is better than cure’. They ensure they have enough money to cover the bills; enough firewood for the winter; enough time to finish a project; enough potential income to cover their costs or whatever. Such people do what they can to prevent problems – yet also have a back-up plan. Some people seem to get caught by surprise. They are shocked the VAT bill arrives from the taxman; shocked their worn tyres skid on winter ice; shocked they are made redundant, even though the company was in trouble. Sometimes, of course, we have mixed ‘radar’. There are some areas where we think ahead – others we do not anticipate events.

Let’s return to the areas where you may encounter problems. Looking at the difficulties you identified, how can you prevent some of these happening? How can you ‘control the controllables’? How can you get sufficient resources? How can you get the required support and make clear contracts with any key players? How can you set things up to give yourself the greatest chance of success? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to prevent the difficulties happening are:


*

*

*

* You can anticipate how to manage the difficulties if they do happen.

Bill Beswick, the sports psychologist, describes how he helped a football team to prepare for a testing trip to Eastern Europe. Before setting out, the team brainstormed all the problems that could occur. For example: fog preventing the plane landing; being searched at customs; bus transport not arriving; not enough rooms at the hotel; bedrooms overlooking a noisy street; fire-alarms being let-off during the night; poor changing rooms at the stadium; the pitch being heavily watered; not enough practice balls; etc. Bill took all the ideas and compiled them into ‘bingo cards’. He issued these to the players and, when a problem happened, the player whose card it was on shouted: “Got one.” The team reframed the problems into an opportunity to have fun – and stayed ahead of the game.

Prevention is the best medicine, but some problems may still occur. Peak performers manage these successfully. Staying calm, they will establish clarity – the real results to achieve – then consider the choices, consequences and creative solutions. Settling on the conclusions, they pursue their chosen strategy towards achieving success. How can you manage difficulties that slip under the net? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to manage the difficulties that do happen are:


*

*

*

“Peak performers have a ‘memory of the future’,” says Arie de Geus, who worked as a scenario planner. Such people aim to anticipate and prevent problems. They always have a back-up plan, however, which enables them to buy time whilst gathering information about ‘dislocations’ – events that even they did not foresee. You can take this step in your own way by anticipating and managing potential difficulties.

3 tips for understandng your solid ground & dangerous ground

“I am great working on my solid ground - being with the people with whom I have a values-fit,” said one person. “This makes-up 90% of my job. But sometimes the role takes me into other territory - meeting people with whom there is a mismatch. My style probably upsets them because I speak and think differently. I don’t even look right! Sometimes they say things that are like a red flag. Feeling provoked, I speak out of turn. Although I only spend 10% of my time there, it is the dangerous ground where I make mistakes.”

Where for you is the solid ground? Where is the dangerous ground? Let’s explore how to deal with these different situations.

* You can clarify your ‘solid ground’.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe what for you is the solid ground. You feel comfortable in these situations - but also stretch yourself and do good work. You may be confident because three factors are in place: a) You know your subject; b) You know your audience and their agenda; c) You know how to succeed. Try completing the following sentence.

The situations where I feel on solid ground are:

*

*

*

* You can clarify your ‘dangerous ground’.

Describe what for you is dangerous ground. These may be situations where either: a) Your values don’t fit; b) Your communication style is too different; c) You do not respect the people and this occasionally slips through; d) You feel so passionately about a subject that you may become aggressive or opinionated; e) You commit a cultural ‘sin’ - and sometimes you don’t even know you have done it! Try completing the following sentence.

The situations where I feel on dangerous ground are:

*

*

*

* You can build on the solid ground and deal with the dangerous ground.

Let’s start by focusing on the solid ground. How can you continue to build on your strengths? How can you put yourself into more situations where you work best? How can you reach more people with whom you have a values-fit? How can you help them to succeed? How can you keep expanding the solid ground?

Let’s examine where you must tread carefully. How can you avoid putting yourself in these places? If you must do so, how can you prepare properly? How can you discover people’s agendas? How can you rehearse? What might be the red flags? How can you manage potentially difficult moments? How can you keep your concentration? How can you be super professional?

Peak performers tend to stay on solid ground. They do what they do best in the places where they perform best. Frequently this happens after years spent trying to reach different audiences - but then they decide to focus. Committed to constant improvement, they continually use their imagination to innovate. But they do this in places where their contribution - their art or work - is appreciated. Trying to change their offering to reach a different audience can become their own dangerous ground. It is important to connect with people, but not at the expense of diluting their ‘A’ talent.

Conclude the exercise by describing two things: a) How you can build on the solid ground; b) How you can deal with the dangerous ground. Do your best in every situation - but focus on the projects, people and places where you can use your strengths. Try completing the following sentences.

The things I can do to build on the solid ground are:

*

*

*

The things I can do to deal with the dangerous ground are:

*

*

*

3 tips for producing great design

Imagine you have been asked to design something. It could be a workshop, garden, house, furniture, solution, article or whatever. “Great design is simple, satisfying and successful,” we are told. Sounds simple in theory, but it can be hard to achieve in practice. Let’s explore how you can follow these steps for producing great design.

* You can make it simple.

Great teachers make complicated things simple – and so do fine designers. They produce things that are simple, beautiful and effective. Before embarking on your own design project, however, try clarifying your philosophy of design. Different people have different tastes, so think a design that you admire. You make like the original Sony Walkman, the Apple Mac or some other elegant solution. What are the characteristics of the design you admire? Try completing the following sentences.

The piece of design that I admire is:

*

The specific things I admire about this piece of design are:

*

*

*

Let’s move onto the specific thing you want to create - be it a garden, an article, a tool or whatever. Designers begin by asking themselves questions such as:

“What are the real results I want to achieve? Who is the target group who will be using the design? What do they want it to achieve? What are the resources available? What information do I need? How can I gather this information – then boil it down to its essence? How can I design something that works? How can I test it out? How can I improve the design? How can I make it as simple as possible?”

The final point is crucial. William Strunk and E.B.White produced the writer’s bible The Elements of Style, which still used widely today. The book urged writers to ‘keep it simple’. It also included rules such as: ‘Choose a suitable design and hold to it … Put statements in a positive form … Use definite, specific, concrete language … Omit needless words … Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.” Great design is simple, but not ‘simplistic’. Like great teaching, it often contains a ‘profound simplicity’.

Let’s return to the thing you want to produce. How can you clarify the results you want to achieve? How can you collect information? How can you boil it down to its essence? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can to do to make the design simple are:

*

*

*

* You can make it satisfying.

Great design is satisfying on a number of levels. Physically – it looks and feels good: practically – it works and is user-friendly; psychologically – it is aesthetically and sensually pleasing. Herman Miller’s famous Aeron chair, for example, embodies many of these elements. The website http://www.designfeast.com provides a massive repertoire of tools, knowledge and ideas that people can use. It also offers an array of quotes on the topic. Here is a selection.

Design is art that makes itself useful.

1984 poster for Die Neue Sammlung, design museum, Munich.

Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don't hesitate to make it beautiful.

Shaker lesson.

One of the main criteria for the design of the everyday, though, is sensuality. Something that is sensual evokes a response that's not just visual or intellectual: It’s suggestive.

Deborah Berke, Principal, Deborah Berke Architect PC.

Let’s return to the piece you want to produce. How can you make it satisfying on different levels? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can to do to make the design satisfying are:

*

*

*

* You can make it successful.

Great design works. It does the job. The Amazon web site made it easy for customers to buy books with ‘one click’. First Direct made it easy for people to manage their banking. Terence Conran said: “Good design is probably 98% common sense. Above all, an object must function well and efficiently - and getting that part right requires a good deal of time and attention.” Human beings are designers by nature. They love to follow the process of design, development and deliver. Looking at what you want to produce, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can to do to make the design successful are:

*

*

*

Human beings still face many design challenges. Perhaps the most urgent is to build a ‘win-win’ world. This will be one where every person has the physical and psychological opportunities to fulfil their talents. They will then be able to say: “Life has been great. I have done what I was meant to do on Earth.” This calls for adding sustainability to the other design elements. People can continue to add to this spirit by creating things that are simple, satisfying and successful.

3 tips for using the three keywords: 'What, How, When'

These were the three keywords I learned when working with young people in therapeutic communities. At the time there were many models for encouraging people, but most boiled down to asking them. “What do you want to do? How can you do it? When do you want to begin?” Let’s explore how you can use these keywords to help people to succeed.

* You can focus on the ‘What’.

“Most people want similar things in life,” said one of my teachers in the therapeutic community. “They want to be loved, happy and successful. They also want to find peace. But people try to achieve these goals in different ways. Some strategies work, but others cause trouble. People who come to this community want to take responsibility for shaping their futures. We help them to clarify what they want out of life - then find healthy ways to achieve their goals.”

Imagine somebody has asked you to help them to shape their future. You will probably start by clarifying their aims. Depending on the topic they want to explore, you will ask questions that revolve around the ‘What’. For example:

“What is your goal? What are the real results you want to achieve? What is your picture of success?”

You may also use exercises to help a person clarify their short, medium and long-term goals. One of the most popular is called Success. Looking back when they are 80, what for them will mean they have had a successful life? If they prefer to simply focus on their professional life, they can tackle the exercise called My professional legacy. What do they want to leave behind after finishing a certain project or completing their career? There are many similar exercises that encourage people to clarify their ‘What’.

“But what about the ‘Why’ question?” somebody may ask. “Don’t they need to know why they want to achieve a goal?” I have found that people often find it easier to uncover their motives by asking them: “What will be the benefits of achieving the goal? What will be both the pluses and minuses? Bearing in mind the whole package, are you prepared to work hard to reach the goal?” In terms of deeper motives, I return to the key things that most people want out of life. They want to be loved, happy, successful and find peace. This means different things to different people. So quite a bit of time is spent on the question: “What are the real results you want to achieve?” Establish the ‘What’: then move onto the next step.

* You can focus on the ‘How’.

This is the opportunity to ‘sit alongside’ the person to do some brainstorming and creative problem-solving. When working with the young people, for example, I asked: “How can you get what you want?” This led to them exploring the specific actions - and successful patterns - they wanted to pursue in the future. Many had got themselves into trouble, so we also considered: “How can you stop yourself getting what you want?” This enabled them to describe their self-defeating patterns and the choices they could make. Bringing it all together, the next question was: “So how can you do your best to reach your goals?” Let’s imagine you have established the ‘What’ and the ‘How’ with the person, it is then time to move into action planning.

* You can focus on the ‘When’.

“When do you want to reach your goal? When do you want to pass the various milestones along the way? When can you get an early success? Bearing in mind these answers, when do you want to begin?” These are the key questions when enabling a person to clarifying their action plan. The crucial part, however, is that the person must ‘own’ the plan: they must believe in it and want to translate it into action. They must also be prepared to work hard to reach the goals. Before concluding a session, return to the beginning and double-check:

a) The ‘What’ - the person’s picture of success.

b) The ‘How’ - the person’s strategies for achieving success.

c) The ‘When’ - the specific action plan for doing their best to success.

The model sounds simple in theory - but you can practice it on many different levels. If you wish, try tackling the exercise at the end of this piece. Clarify how you can use the three keywords for helping people to achieve success.

3 tips for filling a vacuum with a positive vision

Great leaders believe it is important to: “Set the agenda, otherwise other people will fill the vacuum with their agenda.” This is one reason why governments run out of steam. They lose energy, forget their idealism or are taken over by outside influences. Harold McMillan, the former Prime Minister, said the greatest challenge to a politician who wanted to become a statesman was: “Events, my dear boy, events.” The same rule applies in other areas of life.

Pioneers often fill a vacuum with a positive vision. How can you take this step in your own way? One approach is to set the agenda – for your life, a meeting, a task, a project, an organisation or whatever. When other people are involved, it is vital to make sure that – as far as possible – the vision is based on creating a ‘win-win’. People are then more likely to work together to achieve ongoing success. Here are three steps for making this happen.

* You can fill the vacuum with a positive vision.

You will already have taken this step many times in your life – such as when shaping your career, recovering from a disappointment or taking charge of your health. Progressing in your career, you will find increasing opportunities to shape the agenda. (That is if you choose to work for a ‘committed’ company, rather than a ‘committee’ company. The former gets on with the job, the latter just talks about the job.) Let’s explore one scenario.

Imagine that you are leading a business that is heading for turbulent times. Everybody in the building is discussing the potential difficulties in the market. During such times, some leadership teams go into a ‘bunker’ for months. That leaves people without direction – and the vacuum is filled by negativity. You can act swiftly, meet with your leadership team and agree on the strategy. Then communicate this to the whole company. People are intelligent, so it is vital to explain the route ahead. Your role is to set the future agenda by being as honest as possible. You may say something like:

“Everybody in the business knows that we face certain challenges. At this point, our options are to do nothing; to play the blame game; or to do everything we can to deliver success. We have obviously chosen the latter route. Looking at that road, the possible ways forward we have are: a) To __________ b) To __________ c) To __________ Each option has both pluses and minuses – there are no ‘minus-free’ options. We have decided to take route (a). Other people may have chosen another option, but this is the route we have chosen. Here are the specific things we are going to do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success:

1) To __________________________________________________

2) To __________________________________________________

3) To __________________________________________________

“This is what we see as each person’s role in implementing the strategy. The leadership team’s role is: To _______ The managers’ role is: To ________ The colleagues’ role is: To _______ Everybody in the business knows the challenges ahead. Providing we follow this strategy and work hard, however, we believe that we stand a great chance of success. I am now happy to answer any questions.”

This sounds a risky strategy, but it is even riskier to do nothing. It is vital to set the agenda, rather than leave it to others – or events – to do so. Great leaders are decisive: they do not let things drift.

Looking at your own life, can you think of a situation where you want to fill a vacuum with a positive vision? It can be in your personal life – such as taking charge of your time, improving a relationship or whatever. It can be in your professional life – such as returning to doing work you love, making clear contracts with your boss, giving tough messages to a poor performer or whatever. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific situation where I want to
fill a vacuum with a positive vision is:

*

The specific things I can do to set the positive vision are:

*

*

*

* You can get support for the positive vision.

The question is: How much support do you need? Let’s imagine you want to achieve a positive vision in your personal life. You may then simply need: a) to commit yourself to achieving the goal; b) to encourage yourself and get the backing of your loved ones; c) to get the right infrastructure in place for doing the grunt work, whilst releasing yourself to do the great work. Let’s imagine you want to achieve a vision in your professional life. You may then need: a) to get support from your sponsors – your bosses; b) to get support from other stakeholders; c) to get support from others who want to fulfil the vision. Many people have vested interests in retaining the status quo, however, which is why pioneers often choose to build ‘prototypes’. They focus on the positive people who want to make something happen, rather than waste time trying to convince a whole system. Believing that ‘success provides it own arguments’, they find allies, do great work and publicise the success stories. Let’s look at one person who took this route.

Alec Dickson, one of my mentors, gave birth to two organisations Voluntary Service Overseas and Community Service Volunteers. His view was:

“We have many thousands of young people who have energy and idealism: we also have many unmet needs in our societies. Let’s marry the two together. We can give young people the opportunity to serve others. They can care for disabled children, build adventure playgrounds, act as auxiliary nurses, teach others to read and do many other tasks to improve society. In the process of giving, the giver often learns as much as the receiver. So we can enhance the spirit in our society by giving young people the chance to serve.”

Alec began by developing prototypes – finding children’s homes, hospitals and detention centres whose leaders were prepared to give youth its chance. Cataloguing the achievements, he recruited more establishments and volunteers. Eventually he began approaching government bodies. They resisted at first but, after a few years, adopted the approach. The vast majority of ‘projects’ proved successful though, of course, there were occasional problems. Alec helped to craft a ‘win-win’ agenda for both young people and societies.

Let’s return to the situation where you want to pursue a positive vision. How can you get the support you need? How can you show the benefits to potential sponsors? If other stakeholders are involved, how can you try to – as far as possible – create a ‘win-win’? If things get difficult, how can you focus on a specific niche and ‘build a prototype’? How can you make clear working contracts with the key people? How can you give support to colleagues and other stakeholders? Bearing in mind the situation you have chosen to focus on, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to find the
support I need for the positive vision are:

*

*

*

* You can do superb work and fulfil the positive vision.

Pioneers often translate their vision into reality. Bob Geldof delivered Live Aid; Dame Cicely Saunders founded the modern hospice movement; Tim Smit gave birth to The Eden Project. Let’s return to your ‘project’. Get some early wins to build confidence and maintain energy. Build on what works and spread the success stories. Sometimes you will encounter setbacks. You can then use the ‘5C’ model. Clarify the challenges, choices, consequences, creative solutions and conclusions. Looking at the challenge, clarify the ‘real results’ you want to achieve. Explore the choices and consequences - the respective pluses and minuses – and find creative solutions. Settle on your conclusions and make clear contracts about the way forward. Do superb work and deliver concrete results. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to do superb
work and fulfil the positive vision are:

*

*

*

“Without vision, the soul perishes,” we are told. Pioneers continue to be proactive rather than paralysed. They fill the vacuum by providing a positive vision.

You can read about many people who have taken these steps in The Strengths Way, which can be found here:

Thestrengthsway

3 tips for passing-on experience

“Life is about gathering experience, making sense of experience and passing-on experience,” we are told. Human beings love to share their knowledge. So how can you take this step in your own way? Here are three ideas you may wish to consider.

* You can gather experience.

Start by focusing on something you want to study. You may want to learn about architecture, playing music, carpentry, solving a problem, becoming healthy, different cultures, communicating clearly or whatever. Lifelong learners pursue the themes they find fascinating. The term ‘go with your positive energy’ – sounds flaky, but it is true. As Peter Senge, the educational writer, said: “The learner learns what the learner wants to learn.” They also learn in the way they want to learn. After deciding on the topic you want to explore, pursue your own method for gathering experience. You may prefer to learn by doing, reading, thinking, studying positive models or whatever. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific topic I want to explore is:

*

The specific things I can do to explore, gather
experience and learn about this topic are:

*

*

*

* You can make sense of experience.

“This is the fascinating part about learning,” said one teacher. “You can quickly spot if a person has a ‘feeling’ for a topic. How? They are able to ‘see patterns’. Some people simply record this experience. Those who go on to become gifted practitioners take two further steps. They have the ability to predict and shape future patterns.”

How do you make sense of experience? You may take time-out to reflect, write your thoughts, discuss ideas with kindred spirits, learn from great teachers, gather more information, make models – then test the ideas or whatever. My own style, for example, is: a) To study success – be it studying individuals, team or organisations: b) To find patterns – then translate these into models and tools; c) To share the models and tools with people to see if these resonate and can be used successfully. If the answer is “Yes,” these are added to the repertoire. You will, of course, make sense of experience in your own way. Looking at the topic you want to explore, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to
make sense of the experience are:

*

*

*

* You can pass-on experience.

“The best way to learn is to teach,” we are told. Why? As a teacher, you feel responsible for giving people relevant and useful information – so this forces you to know your subject. You also want others to learn from your experience. Great educators are generous. They want to give people knowledge that they can add to their repertoires and increase their chances of success.

People share their experience in different ways. You may want to become a coach, mentor, educator, writer, photographer, artist, entertainer, parent, leader or whatever. It’s crucial to find your preferred vehicle – the niche that ‘comes naturally’ – then work at improving your art. So what is your vehicle? Who are your ‘perfect target group’ – the people to whom you would like to pass-on knowledge? How can you communicate this information? Once you have share your wisdom, how can you keep improving? Bearing in mind the topic you want to explore, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to pass-on my experience are:

*

*

*

3 tips for building a team based on talent, tenacity and teamwork

There are many models for building a team. One approach that is used in sports, for example, is to base it on talent, tenacity and teamwork. Whilst this model has both strengths and limitations, it can be translated to other areas of work. Let’s explore how to make this happen.

* You can focus on talent.

Imagine you are leading a team. Looking at the challenges ahead, you believe it is important to improve the team’s performance. The question is: “How?” Begin by assessing the team in terms of ‘talent’. Different team members will obviously have different levels of ability. Looking at the overall picture, however, how would you rate the talent level in the team? Do this on a scale 0 – 10. One key point. You will obviously bear in mind the level at which you want people to operate successfully. Here is one such example.

“I gave our team 5/10,” said the manager of a promoted football team. “Last year we were in a lower division where, in relation to our competitors, we rated 8/10 in terms of talent. But winning promotion meant we had to improve the talent level to compete at a higher level. Fortunately we had the budget to bring in three good players. The season will still be difficult, however, if we suffer injuries to key people.”

Looking at the field in which your team are expected to perform, rate it in terms of talent. Then describe the specific things you can do to improve the rating. Sometimes this means working hard to find the right people and also taking tough decisions. Try completing the following sentences.

The rating I give the team in terms of talent is: _____ / 10

The specific things I/we can do to improve the rating are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on tenacity.

Talent is the starting point - but people also need tenacity to succeed. Talented people can find things easy during the early part of their careers. They are always the first to be picked – for the sports team, theatre production, business team or whatever. Gifted people do not have to work as hard as others in order to shine, but this can become a disadvantage. Climbing the ladder, they meet people who as talented as themselves. They must then adopt a work ethic – otherwise they will fail to develop and fall into the trap of saying: “I could have made it.”

Take a look at your team. How do you rate your people in terms of tenacity? What percentage of the team has a positive attitude? Who are the people who work hard to overcome setbacks? Who are those who hide or blame others? Looking at the team overall, try completing the following sentences.

The rating I give the team in terms of tenacity is: _____ / 10

The specific things I/we can do to improve the rating are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on teamwork.

You can have talented and tenacious performers – but teamwork can sometimes make the difference. “That may be so in sports,” somebody may say, “but how does it apply elsewhere?”

Great teams set crystal-clear goals. They know each person’s strengths – so they put the right people in the right places in the team. Everybody knows each person’s best working style and contribution towards reaching the goal. People then focus on working together. Great sports teams, for example, are often made-up of ‘pairs’ and ‘trios’ who perform superbly within their part of the team. They may shuffle the ‘players’ around until they find the best combinations – because those combinations that look good in theory do not always work in reality. Once the game plan and combinations are set, people then keep practicing. They practice ‘until they forget’ – until working together comes naturally. People then go ‘on stage’ with a positive attitude. They perform superb work and encourage each other, especially during difficult times. Great teams work hard until they finish. They are made-up of people who combine their talents to deliver success.

How can you ensure your people have a crystal-clear goal? How can you get people to play to their strengths? How can you put the right people in the right places and combinations? How can you ensure they ‘practice’? How can you encourage people to stay positive? How can you make sure they combine their talents to achieve success? Try completing the following sentences.

The rating I give the team in terms of teamwork is: _____ / 10

The specific things I/we can do to improve the rating are:

*

*

*

There are many models for building teams. Talent, tenacity and teamwork is just one approach. Providing it is implemented properly, however, it provides a springboard for achieving ongoing success.

3 tips for developing rituals for re-centering

Peak performers develop rituals for re-centering. The actor follows their favourite routine before stepping on stage. The golfer practices their stroke before making a putt. The mediator takes a short break to regain composure when negotiating between warring parties. How do you keep calm when events knock you off-centre? Here are three ideas to consider when developing rituals for re-centering.
* Relax.

“Be calm, controlled and centred,” is the advice. Sounds easy in theory, but it can be harder in practice, especially in the heat of battle. A key element of ‘anger management’ programmes, for example, is educating a person to stay calm when provoked. This involves three stages.

a) You look ahead to anticipate difficult scenarios.
b) You choose a technique for staying calm in the situation – such as using a keyword that becomes your ‘mantra’ and enables you to ‘count to 10’ before reacting.

c) You role-play the actual scene and learn to walk away from trouble.

“I have a ritual for emptying my head and relaxing when thinking negative thoughts,” said one person. “I put my hand to my head, grab the ‘thoughts’ and ‘throw them away’ into the air. Sounds crazy, but I find it clears my head and makes me more open to positive thoughts.”

What is your way to regain composure? Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by thinking of a potentially challenging situation in which you would like perform at your best. Then complete the following sentence.

The specific situation in which I would
like to relax, re-centre and refocus is:

*
The things I can do to relax in this situation are:

*

*

*

* Re-centre.

“The key is to see things in perspective,” said one person. “Faced by a difficult situation, I do several things. First, I return to my personal values. These provide a compass – a centering mechanism – for making decisions. Second, I focus on my long term goals. Third, I then choose my way forward. Looking beyond the moment, I ask myself: ‘What are the real results I want to achieve? What are the possible ways forward? Which of these routes do I want to follow? Will it help to achieve my long-term goals?’”

How can you re-centre? How can you see things in perspective? How can you then make good decisions? Looking at the potentially challenging situation, try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to re-centre in this situation are:

*

*

*

* Refocus.

Peak performers choose their strategy - then re-focus on the ‘now’. They find a technique that will enable them to ‘snap into action’ before pursuing their chosen strategy. Then comes the hard part. They must be fully present in the moment - yet also keep their eye on the end goal. Sounds impossible? Eugen Herrigel describes pursuing this quest in his classic book Zen in the Art of Archery. After years of practicing archery, he finally learned how to relax his body until the moment of the bow's release. He wrote:

"Bow, arrow, goal and ego, all melt into one another, so that I can no longer separate them. And even the need to separate has gone. For as soon as I take the bow and shoot, everything becomes so clear and straight forward and so ridiculously simple."

How can you snap into action? How can you be fully present in the moment? How can you then pursue your strategy towards the end goal? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to refocus and
be fully present in this situation are:

*

*

*

You will find your own way of concentrating on the process and the prize. Sometimes you will get knocked off-course - and will return to your inner compass. You will then relax, re-centre and refocus. Developing these rituals will increase the chances of success.

3 tips for clarifying the goals for a development session

“Agree on the goals when starting the session,” is the golden rule. This sounds so obvious, much like ‘teaching granny to suck eggs’. But it is a vital step in achieving success. Certainly I have hit trouble by wrongly assuming a person - or a group - wants to focus on certain issues. Fortunately it has been possible to recover by going back and making clear contracts about the agenda. The old rule applies when facilitating any coaching, mentoring or other development session – see below. Let’s explore three tips for making this happen.

* You can clarify the person’s – or the team’s – goals for the session.

“Normally I email a mentee one week before a session,” said one person. “I invite them to let me know the kind of topics they want to explore during the meeting. Sometimes they do not get round to replying, so I check their goals at the start of the session.”

“I follow the same process when running a workshop, but in much greater detail. It is absolutely vital to be crystal-clear on the goals ahead of time, otherwise you can get into deep trouble. So I always talk with the key person to ensure everybody wants to achieve the same aims. Agreeing the ‘What’ gives me time to prepare ‘How’ to reach their goals. Obviously I also re-contract at the start of the workshop to make sure everybody is still on the same page.”

You will find your own ways to clarify the goals for a coaching, mentoring or other development session. For example, you may ask the person or leader: “What are the topics that it would be useful to explore? What would you like to take away from the session? What for you would make it a successful session?” It sounds obvious, but ‘knowing your destination is a vital part of the journey’. It’s amazing how often this gets overlooked. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to make sure that I clarify the
person’s - or the team’s - specific goals for a session are:

*

*

*

* You can communicate what you can & can’t offer to help them to achieve their goals.

This is a vital step in clear contracting. Once the person - or the group - has said what they want, explain what you can and can’t offer. You may say something like:

“I can provide practical tools that will help you to achieve goals a, b & c. Some of the other goals may require more specialist attention. If you would like to go-ahead, it would be good to clarify the respective roles. My responsibility to help you achieve the goals is to … The help I would like from you - or your team - is to … Providing we do these things, I am sure we have a good chance of reaching the goals. Would you like to go ahead?”

You will obviously communicate these messages in your own way. People often find it reassuring to know what you can and can’t offer - rather than you claiming to offer every possible service. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to communicate what I can and can’t offer
to help the person- or the team - to achieve their goals are:

*

*

*

* You can make clear contracts about the goals for the session.

Conclude this part of the discussion by making clear contracts. It is good to recap ‘What’ you aim to achieve and ‘How’ you intend to work together. Bearing in mind what you have covered, you may say something like:

“Let’s just recap on the goals for the session. You want to achieve a, b and c. My role in making this happen is … Your role is …”

You can then embark on the real work in the session. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to conclude the contracts about
what we will cover and the respective roles in the session are:

*

*

*

Contracting is crucial in any relationship, especially when you are providing a service. It’s vital to take the time to be crystal clear on the goals for a session. This will provide the foundation for achieving success.

3 tips for understanding the positive, percentage & paralysis approaches

Sports psychology provides many concepts that people can use in other areas of life. Here is one that provides food for thought. If you are a football manager, for example, you can play a match using the positive, percentage or paralysis approach. Sometimes you might pursue all three approaches in one game. Let’s explore these themes - plus how they might apply to other areas of life.

* The positive approach.

People often do their best work when they adopt this attitude. “Be positive, take the initiative and impose yourself on the game,” is the football manager’s advice. “Believe in yourself, win the ball and play the game in the opposition’s half of the field.” Sport - and life - is to be enjoyed. Being positive must be coupled with being professional, rather than being reckless. People who embrace this attitude are more likely to flow, focus and finish. Let’s consider the next theme.

* The percentage approach.

People may sometimes choose to adopt this style. “Sometimes we must play the percentage game - but do it with a positive attitude,” says the football manager. “Defenders must defend. Be professional, clear the ball but, whenever possible, pass to one of our players. Some teams base their whole playing style on a negative percentage game. They line-up defensively, kick long balls into the opposition half and pray for a lucky break. Certainly we may be forced to use this tactic when under enormous pressure. Adopting it as the main strategy is risky, however, because it is easy to fall into the paralysis game.”

* The paralysis approach.

People sit back. They wait for things to happen - rather than make things happen. Everybody has experienced this during their lives. After suffering a setback, for example, we must spend time in a sanctuary, before shaping our future and working to achieve success. Spending too long in a sanctuary causes the muscles to whither, however, and makes it difficult to start moving.

“Players who lose confidence often experience paralysis,” explained one sports psychologist. “They achieved success by being able to flow but, consumed by fear, they freeze. My role is to help them to play the positive game and, when appropriate, the percentage game. They are then more able to flow, focus and finish.”

How can you apply these lessons in your life and work? Looking to the future, try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the specific situations where you can apply the positive approach. Second, describe where it may be appropriate to adopt the percentage approach. Finally, describe the situations where you must make sure you don’t fall into the paralysis approach. Try completing the following sentences.

The positive approach. The specific situations where I can use the positive approach are:

*

The percentage approach. The specific situations where it may be appropriate to use the percentage approach are:

*
The paralysis approach. The specific situations where I must make sure I do not fall into the paralysis approach are:

*

3 tips for understanding the fulfilling and Faustian roads

There are three routes people can take in their professional lives. These are: 1) The fulfilling road; 2) The Faustian road; 3) The fulfilling road - plus finding funding. There are, of course, pluses and minuses to following each road. Let’s explore these possible routes.

* The fulfilling road.

Some people simply focus on doing work they find fulfilling. They pursue their passion - be it music, dancing, painting, teaching, inventing, designing, architecture, computing, selling, psychology, cooking, nurturing or whatever. They do what they enjoy and are not too concerned about money - providing they have enough to live on – rather than listen to advisers who urge them to: “Study something that will give you a guaranteed career.” People who go their own way often learn ‘meta-skills’. They ‘learn how to learn’ - rather than to simply remember and reproduce text books. Many peak performers took the fulfilling route early in their working lives and later learned how to get paid for following their passion.

Take a look at your own life. Can you think of a time when you could have taken – or actually did take – the fulfilling road? What would be the pluses and minuses of following this route? Try completing the following sentences.

The time when I could have taken – or actually did take – the fulfilling road was:

*

The pluses of following this route are:

*

The minuses of following this route are:

*

* The Faustian road.

Some people sell their soul for money and status - hoping that one day they will be free to do what they really want. They accept messages such as: “Climb the ladder and get a good position that will provide security … Take a job that has prospects – it may be boring, but you can do what you enjoy on the weekends … The work may be mind-numbing – but the job has a good pension.” If a person sells their soul, however, they may find it hard to reclaim their life and enjoy the anticipated rainbows. Some in the ‘lucky generation’ of high-tech employees gained enough money to get the choices they wished - but some got stuck in corporate no-man’s land.

Take a look at your own life. Can you think of a time when you could have taken – or actually did take – the Faustian road? What would have been the pluses and minuses of this route? Try completing the following sentences.

The time when I could have taken – or actually did take – the Faustian road was:

*

The pluses of following this route are:

*

The minuses of following this route are:

*

* The fulfilling road – plus finding funding.

Some people learn how to do fulfilling work and get funding. Being both soul-wise and street-wise, they find potential sponsors - people who will pay them for doing what they do best. They then use their talents to help those sponsors to succeed. Such people learn to balance their soul-work and salary work, their mission and mortgage. Some do it by going freelance. Other create their perfect role in a company. They use their ‘nous’ to craft a role that is a ‘win-win’ for both themselves and the employer. One person said:

“Two years ago I reached a crossroads. Promotion beckoned - but it meant more internal meetings, flying twice a week and spending more time away from the family. Previously I had been driven by achieving ‘badges’, expanding my ‘empire’ and becoming a Board member. Deep down, however, I wanted to return to what I do best - which is selling. So I said ‘No,’ to the promotion and returned to spending time with customers. The life-work balance is still a hard circle to square - but I am now much happier in both my personal and professional life.”
Let’s imagine that you want to travel this road. How could you make it happen? The answer may not come straight away and sometimes people need a ‘halfway house’ – a staging post on the transition. But many more people are now choosing to balance their finances and fulfillment. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific things I could do to pursue the fulfilling road – plus finding funding - are:

*

*

*

The pluses of following this route are:

*

The minuses of following this route are:

*

You can find many more ideas on this theme in The Strengths Way, which can be found at:

thestrengthway

3 tips for building a super team

Super teams are special. They have a compelling purpose and translate this into a clear picture of perfection. People choose to opt-into the team and make their best contribution towards achieving the goals. They do professional work, solve problems and deliver peak performance. People then do everything possible to achieve the picture of perfection. The super teams approach comes with three health warnings. First, it works. Second, it looks simple on paper, but that does not mean it is easy. Third, it calls for taking tough decisions, especially about people. There are normally seven steps towards building such a team – see illustration – but we can break these down into three main stages.

* You can clarify the purpose, picture of perfection and principles.

Start by creating a compelling purpose. This is the team’s reason for being. Translate the purpose into a clear picture of perfection. What does this mean? Pick a date in the future. Describe the actual things that will be happening then that will show the team has reached its goal. If possible, produce an inspiring ‘one-liner’ that sums up your aim. Draw a road map towards achieving the target. You can do this by starting from your destination and working backwards. Describe the milestones – the specific things the team must achieve at each stage of the journey. Outline the ‘actual words’ you want to hear different groups of people saying along the way. After clarifying the ‘What’, revisit the ‘Why’. Clarify the benefits of reaching the goals – for the organisation, the customers and the team members. Move onto the ‘How’. Clarify the key principles – the key strategies – the team can follow to give it the greatest chance of success. You are now ready to communicate the purpose, picture of perfection and principles – but then comes the crucial step.

* You can get the right people.

This is the pivotal part. Get the right people with the right spirit – because otherwise you are sunk. Great teams are build on ‘similarity of spirit and diversity of strengths’. Diversity of spirit is a recipe for disaster. Get the right balance between ‘soul players’ and ‘star players’. Soul players embody the spirit of the team. They are consistent players who do the right things every day. Star players also embody the spirit, but they also add ‘little bit extra’. There is no place for ‘semi-detached’ players who are waiting to be motivated. One negative person can dilute the energy of many people in the team.

Clear contracting is crucial and is the hallmark of healthy cultures. There are three things you can do to make this happen. First, communicate the picture of perfection. Second, invite people to proactively get back to you to show how they want to contribute to achieving the picture of perfection. Third, bearing in mind each person’s strengths, make clear contracts about their part in reaching the goals. (You can find out more about this process in the piece called 3 tips for clarifying each person’s contribution to the picture of perfection.)

“But in his book Good to Great, Jim Collins says get the people first,” somebody may say. Jim Collins has written a tremendous book, but on this point he is sometimes misunderstood. When hiring people, it is vital to know roughly the kind of business in which you aim to achieve peak performance. If you are in the alpine climbing business, for example, hire people who have a passion for alpine climbing. Otherwise you may collect rock climbers, free climbers and scuba divers who have different agendas. Clarify the kind of ‘mountain’ you are climbing, then give people empowerment – within parameters – to finalise the goals and implement their part of the strategy.

* You can enable people to be professional, solve problems and achieve peak performance.

Great teams develop good habits. They keep doing the right things in the right way every day. Invite each person – or, in larger groups, each team – to describe the specific things they will do to deliver the goods. Ask them to proactively keep you informed about the actions they are taking to tackle the issues that are in the ‘Green, Amber & Red’ zones. Great teams contain resilient people who overcome setbacks. Educate them to stay calm during crises, solve problems and deliver the goods when it matters. Encourage people to keep working hard and achieve the picture of perfection.

One ending is a new beginning. Some teams disband after reaching the goal. Other teams refocus on the purpose and translate it into a new picture of perfection. Pacesetting teams, for example, have a special kind of psychology. They aim to take the lead, maintain the lead and extend the lead. Staying ahead of everybody else, they make the new rules for the game. Guiding your team to success, you may then want to repeat the process. As they say in sport: “First build a team, then a club, then a dynasty.” This calls for making even tougher decisions on the road towards building a second-generation super team.

3 tips for focusing on where you are calm

Calmness is one of clues to clarifying your top talent. So let’s explore where you display this quality. Can you think of a specific situation where you stay calm? You may be caring for a critically ill patient, solving a problem, conducting a mentoring session or whatever. What do you do right then? Let’s explore the following steps to doing great work.

* You can focus on calmness.

Great performers demonstrate ‘grace under pressure’. The negotiator remains cool when trying to free hostages. The footballer enters a ‘bubble’ when taking a decisive penalty kick. Class acts go into the ‘C Zone’: they become calm, controlled and centered. Let’s return to the specific activity in which you feel calm. Why do you feel that way? Perhaps you feel ‘at home’. Perhaps you have rehearsed the situation many times. Perhaps you have found ways to buy yourself time. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific situation in which I stay calm is:

*

The things I do to stay calm in the situation are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on clarity.

How do you quickly establish clarity – the real results to achieve? The paramedic who arrives at a pile-up is confronted by chaos on the motorway. They ask themselves: “Who can be saved? What must be done to free people from the wreckage? What must be done to ensure they make a full recovery?” “Sounds logical,” somebody may say, “but sometimes there may be multiple goals. How do you settle-on the priorities?” You quickly brainstorm all the results you want to achieve - then list these in order of priority. Looking at the situation in which you are calm, how do you establish the short, medium and long-term goals? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I do to establish clarity in the situation are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on concrete results.

Great performers start from their destination and quickly consider the possible strategies for achieving the goals. They consider: a) The ‘conventional’ solutions - the tried and trusted ways that have worked before; b) The ‘creative’ solutions - the new, imaginative ways needed to achieve the goal. Exploring the options, they consider the consequences - the pluses and minuses of each route - then settle on their conclusion. Committing to their chosen route, they continue to be creative until they achieved the goal. You will do this in your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I do to deliver concrete results in the situation are:

*

*

*

Mission accomplished, you clarify the learning and rest for a while. Soon it will be time to seek another challenge. Looking at what you have learned, how can you follow similar principles in the future? You can keep developing your skills to be calm, clear and deliver concrete results.

3 tips for a person feedback

Imagine a person has asked you to give them feedback on their performance. This sounds easy - but there are several reasons why it can be difficult. First, the person may or may not be open to your views - even if they say they want a reality check. Second, there is an art to giving feedback. Let’s explore three tips for making this happen.

* You can build-on what the person does well.

Start by watching the person in action or seeing an example of their work. Looking at their performance, ask yourself the following questions.

a) What is the person doing well?

b) How can they do more of these things - follow these principles - to succeed in the future?

Many people have been taught to give feedback by simply criticising what the performer does wrong. Spotting the person’s strengths - and building on what they do right - is a much more difficult skill. Sounds simple, but what do you look for in a person’s behaviour? You can focus on the 5 ‘As’ of their performance. Be super specific and try to give concrete examples.

- Attitude. Look for when the person takes responsibility and shows a positive attitude.

- Ability. Look for when the person shows real ability and flashes of talent.

- Application. Look for when the person really applies themselves, overcomes setbacks and works hard to reach the goal.

- Adventure. Look for when the person shows a sense of adventure, creativity and imagination.

- Achievement. Look for what the person actually achieves, delivers and finishes.

Build-up a catalogue of what the person is doing right - then move onto the next step.

* You can focus on what the person can do better – and how.

Looking at the person’s performance, ask yourself the following questions.

a) What can the person do better - and how?

b) What tools, knowledge and ideas can I pass-on to help them to improve in this area?

Build-up a catalogue of what the person can improve - then move onto the next step.

* You can put the feedback in a way the person can accept and use in the future.

Bear in mind that people can only take so much information on board at once. This is particularly so if there are many things they must improve. So you may want to use the 3:2 ratio.

* Three things the person can do to build-on their strengths.

* Two things the person can do to manage the consequences of their weaknesses.

This is not a hard and fast rule - but it is a reasonable guideline. Some individuals will say: “Just give it to me straight, no messing about.” That is fine, but it is still vital to encourage them to build-on their strengths - rather than devote all the time to their weaknesses.

Sort-out the messages you want to give to the person. Then comes the hard part: getting your messages across in a way the person can receive. Looking at what you want to communicate, ask yourself: “How can I put these messages in a way the person can accept and use to achieve success?” Finally, before giving the feedback, it can be useful to clarify the following themes.

Strengths

The key messages I want to give the person to help them to build-on their strengths are:


*

*

*

Weaknesses

The key messages - and the practical tools - I want to give the person
to help them to manage the consequences of their weaknesses are:

*

*

*

Giving Feedback

The specific things I can do to communicate these messages in
a way the person can accept and use to succeed in the future are:

*

*

*

Giving feedback is an art. It is often not about what you want to say; it is about what the person can receive. Great encouragers are good at giving feedback, however, and helping people to achieve even more success in the future.

3 tips for following the LOR model for guiding people to success

There are many models for building great teams. One that works is the LOR model. You can provide inspiring leadership, give people a sense of ownership and do everything possible to ensure they deliver results. Imagine you are a leader. Let’s assume you have already made clear contracts with your sponsors about your accountability, autonomy and authority. You have the brief and mandate for achieving the picture of perfection. Let’s explore how you can use the LOR model for making this happen.

* You can provide inspiring leadership.

Great leaders communicate a compelling story. People obviously want money when they work, but they also want meaning. Great leaders communicate: a) The ‘What’ – the goals; b) The ‘Why’ - the benefits for the company, colleagues and customers; c) The ‘How’ – the strategy; d) The ‘Who’ – the roles people will be invited to play; e) The ‘When’ – the road map towards achieving the goals. They then invite people to choose whether they want to proactively opt-into the journey. Great teams are made-up of volunteers – not victims. So it is then up to the colleagues to show how they want to contribute towards achieving the picture of perfection.

Leadership obviously consists of more than communicating a compelling story. It calls for being a good model, making tough decisions and building fine teams. The first step, however, is to provide an inspiring vision. How can you do this in your own way? How can you communicate the story? How can you show people the benefits? How can you then invite people to consider whether they want to opt-in? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to provide inspiring leadership are:

*

*

*

* You give people a sense of ownership.

Great leaders give people a sense of ‘ownership within parameters’. They communicate the ‘What’ – the picture of perfection - and the ‘How’ - the key principles they want people to follow. They may say, for example:

“This is the ‘What’ – the results to be delivered. Our key strategies – the ‘How’ - focus on the ‘3 Ps’: profit, ‘product’ and people. We want you: 1) To be profitable: 2) To provide a superb ‘product’ – with customer satisfaction being at least 90%; 3) To hire and get the best from superb people – with the internal morale scores also being at least 90%. How you make this happen is, within parameters, up to you.

“There are, however, certain rules. We want each team to do three things: a) To show the specific contribution they want to make towards achieving the picture of perfection; b) To outline their road map – with milestones – along the road towards achieving the goals; c) To describe the support they need to do the job. We will then make clear contracts about each team’s contribution to the picture of perfection.”

Great leaders ensure that the managers follow a similar process within their own teams. The managers invite each person to make clear contracts about their best contribution to the team goals. The individuals must then keep their managers informed about their progress on the journey. People are given ownership – but it is within the parameters of pursuing certain key principles. Everybody can then channel their talents towards achieving the specific goals. You will have your own way of making this happen. So try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to give people a sense of ownership are:

*

*

*

* You can ensure that people deliver results.

Great leaders do everything possible to ensure the team achieves success. They have the right people implementing the right strategy in the right way. Assuming they have communicated the strategy, they then go through the following steps.

a) They make sure they have right people.

Leaders are crystal-clear on the qualities they want people to demonstrate. They may aim, for example, to employ people who are positive, professional and prepared to work hard to be peak performers. Some of the toughest decisions are about people. But it is vital to get the right people in the right places – otherwise the team is sunk.

b) They make sure people implement the right strategy.

Leaders clarify and communicate the strategy. They then make clear contracts about each team’s – and each person’s – part in implementing the plan. They also give them the support to do the job.

c) They make sure people implement the strategy in the right way.

Leaders do this by continually asking each team – and the individuals within the team – to present their results. Every two months, for example, they ask each team to present: a) The specific things we have done in the past two months towards achieving the picture of perfection; b) The specific things we plan to do in the next two months towards achieving the picture of perfection; c) The challenges we face, the plans we have for tackling these challenges and the support we would like to do job. Leaders get people to proactively report back about the results they are delivering – the ‘What’. Paradoxically, this gives them greater ‘control’ - because they are judging people by their results – rather than by trying to micro-manage. People are expected to be adults and deliver – rather than be ‘supervised’.

Great leaders also build-in time for reflection – slow thinking – to get an overview and make sure the business is on track. Such ‘course correction’ sometimes calls for making tough decisions. They do whatever is necessary, however, to guide the team to success. You will do this in your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to ensure that people deliver results are:

*

*

*

There are many ways to climb a mountain. Similarly, there are many ways to build fine teams. The LOR approach is one way to guide your people to success.

3 tips for delivery

Great workers focus on desire, discipline and delivery. They begin by having a strong desire to reach a specific goal. They then follow daily disciplines and continue until they deliver. Looking back on your life, can you think of a time when you followed these principles? You may have been learning a skill, writing a book, launching a product or whatever. What did you do right then? How can you follow similar principles in the future? Let’s explore these steps to doing fine work.

* You can focus on desire.

Looking to the future, think of a goal you want to achieve. You may want to take care of your health, start a business, lead a team or whatever. Start by describing your goal, then consider your desire on several levels. First, be crystal-clear on what you really ‘desire’. Make sure you know the real results you want to achieve. Second, be clear on the benefits. You can keep focusing on these when times get tough. First, be clear on your level of motivation for reaching the goal. Make sure it is at least 8/10. Try completing the following sentences, then move onto the next step.

Desire. The specific goal I want to achieve is:

*

The real results I want to achieve by reaching the goal are:

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The benefits of reaching the goal will be:


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The desire I have to reach the goal – on a scale 0-10 - is:

____ / 10


* You can focus on discipline.

Great workers develop good habits. Tiger Woods, JK Rowling and Steven Spielberg, for example, follow their daily disciplines. So do people who want to change their life-styles. Sophie, for example, wanted to retake control of her life. She wanted to be healthier, happier and feel successful. That meant developing fresh habits. First, she began eating healthier food. Being an inveterate ‘nibbler’, she chose to eat fruit, rather than bags of crisps. Second, she returned to attending dancing classes on the weekend, rather than sit waiting for her husband to return from his golf. Third, she developed the habit of getting an early success at work each morning and this helped to set the agenda for the day. How can you follow this path in your own way? Bearing in mind the result you want to achieve, try completing the following sentence.

Disciplines. The disciplines I can follow to work towards reaching the goal are:

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*

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* You can focus on delivery.

Great workers are good finishers. They keep going until they deliver the goods. Professional writers, for example, break-down their assignment into chunks, establish a daily rhythm, encourage themselves on the journey and so on. “That’s the way I do it,” said one author. “Writing a book takes at least a year. So I set the goal of completing at least 3 pages a day. Reaching this target produces a sense of success.” What is your successful pattern for finishing? How can you follow it to reach your goal? Try completing the following sentence.

Delivery. The specific things I can do to do my best to deliver are:

*

*

*

“Delivery is crucial in my business,” said one MD. “So I also use this three step model when leading teams. First, I establish that the team really has the desire to reach a specific goal. I ask: ‘Bearing in mind both the pluses and minuses involved, are we prepared to do the hard work?’ Second, I encourage people to pursue the required disciplines. Third, I do everything possible to ensure that people deliver the goods. Previously I made mistakes by assuming people were motivated, but not checking this out properly. Now I go through all three stages.”

You will follow these steps in your own way. Whether you are working as an individual or leading a team, you will focus on desire, discipline and delivery. This will give you the greatest chance of success.