The Strengths Way

Moving on - new blog site

2007-12-20T21:46:00.002Z

Thank you for reading my blog on this site. My Blogger served me well in the early days and then I chose to move to my new site as we wanted to add a lot of new features, etc.

If any Google reviewer ends up reading this.......We have tried to set up redirects to help people get to the new site more efficiently. Also we are trying everything we know to try and stop any duplication of material by placing metatags on this site hoping Google does not index both sites as duplication. If you can suggest any other action we can take so that we can direct our visitors to the new site and avoid duplication please contact us and let us know.

In short we are doing everything we are aware of.... to make this switch as clean as possible.

Mike Pegg's blog has now moved to:

http://www.strengthsacademy.com

Hope to see you there.

Mike.

3 tips for recognising that 'everything is food'

2007-12-17T21:23:00.000Z

“Everything is food,” say the Zen Buddhists. Everything we expose ourselves to affects our mind, body and soul. For example, our environment, friends, work and the influences we absorb. Frequently a person is faced by a decision: “How should I spend my time? Should I boost myself by taking-in some ‘positive food’? Or should I hurt myself by consuming ‘poisonous food’?” Let’s consider how you can enrich your mind, body and soul.

1) Positive food.

“My Eureka moment came one morning on the M25,” said one person. “Sitting in the traffic jam listening to politicians arguing on the radio, I found myself getting more depressed. So I switched off the radio, put on my favourite music and let my mind wander. It didn’t shift the traffic, but something changed within me. Now I start the day by listening to music, rather than arguments. Instead of ‘garbage in, garbage out’, I go for ‘good things in, good things out’.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by identifying the ‘positive food’ you want to consume in your life and work. These may include, for example, meeting encouraging friends, spending time in the countryside, doing satisfying work, visiting the theatre or pursuing creative activities, such as painting, writing or gardening. Try completing the following sentence.

The positive food I want in my life and work is:

*

*

*

2) Poisonous food.

Describe the poisonous food you don’t want to consume in your life and work. One person took this literally. He said: “For years I ate unhealthy white bread and felt heavy. Now I have a wheat-free diet. I feel much better and, over the last 6 months, have lost 3 kilos.” The equivalent things for you may be, for example, listening to serial complainers, working with dispiriting clients, meeting in windowless rooms, staying in hotels that have ‘sick building syndrome’. Try completing the following sentence.

The poisonous food I don’t want in my life and work is:

*

*

*

3) Positive food in the future.

“Planning is needed to change the habits of a lifetime,” explained the person who changed his diet. “My job involves travelling around the country by train. Now I get to the station 20 minutes before the train departs - building-in time to buy salad and fruit at one of the recently opened food outlets. Previously I arrived 5 minutes before the train left - then ate crisps and starchy sandwiches during the journey. Now I feel more energetic and creative.”

Describe the specific things you can do to consume positive food in the future. Focus on the people, projects and places you find inspiring. You are then more likely to feel healthy, rather than heavy. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to get more positive food in the future are:

*

*

*

3 tips for clarifying the goals for a development session

2007-12-16T18:16:00.000Z

“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.

1) 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 have your own methods for clarifying 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:

*

*

*

2) 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:

*

*

*

3) 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 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 focusing on strengths, sponsors and success

2007-12-13T21:43:00.000Z

“The world of work keeps changing,” people may say, “so how can we help people to shape their futures? It is hard to know what skills they must learn to be successful.” Perhaps, but as the saying goes: ‘the more things change, the more things stay the same.’ At least, some things stay the same. For example, freelancers have followed certain themes throughout history. They have built on their strengths, found sponsors who paid them and delivered success. People who develop such eternal skills are more likely to shape their futures. Let’s explore how this works in practice.

1) You can build on your strengths.

Michelangelo, Anita Roddick and Steve Jobs had at least one thing in common. They all built on their strengths. They did what they did best and got somebody to pay them for doing it. This has been a key skill throughout history. Some customers will always be interested in buying quality - and the best way of producing quality is to develop your top talents. The Strengths Toolbox provides many exercises for identifying what you do best, but you will obviously find your own way. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to build on my strengths are:

*

*

*

2) You can find sponsors.

Anybody can do work they love, the art is to get somebody to pay you for doing it. Creative artists have had faced this challenge throughout history. They have asked themselves: “Shall I be true to my art, stay in a garret and wait to be discovered? Shall I publicise my services, sell my soul and do whatever is necessary for money? Shall I be true to myself, find patrons and try to get a ‘win-win’ solution?” People will continue to face this challenge in the future.

So how do you find sponsors who will pay you for doing what you do best? There are several rules. a) To understand the sponsor’s agenda - their picture of success; b) To provide services or products that will help them to achieve success; c) To reach out to these sponsors and show you understand their agenda; d) To make clear working contracts about how you can help them to achieve success. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to find sponsors
who will pay me for doing what I do best are:

*

*

*

3) You can deliver success.

“My role is to help my sponsor to reach their goals,” said one freelancer. “I go through several steps when working for a person or organisation. a) To make sure I really want to work for them. b) To make clear contracts about what must be delivered. c) To keep them informed, go the extra mile and provide great service. Going through these steps produces lots of repeat business.” Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to help
my sponsors to achieve success are:

*

*

*

“Change is the only certainty in the world of work,” we are told. Perhaps, but there is another certainty. People will need to build on their strengths, find sponsors and deliver success. Developing these eternal skills will enable them to shape a positive future.

3 tips for focusing on fun, freedom and fulfilment

2007-12-12T19:24:00.000Z

How can you find professional fulfilment? During the past 40 years I have met many people who have found satisfaction and stimulation in their work. Such people often demonstrate three characteristics. They focus on fun, freedom and doing work that is fulfilling - both for themselves and their ‘employers’. People who hate their jobs demonstrate the opposite characteristics. For them work is a chore. They feel imprisoned and frustrated. So let’s explore the following steps in your work.

1) Fun.

“I’d like to do work I enjoy, but it is so difficult,” somebody may say. Perhaps, but try doing work you hate. That is more difficult. What the person may mean is: “I would like to do work I love, but it is hard to find somebody to pay me for doing it.” Peak performers often begin their professional journeys by doing work they enjoy - then developing the skills for finding the funding. Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I have a sense of fun in my work is: ___ / 10

The specific things I can do to continue or
increase this sense of fun in my work are:

*

*

*

“After completing this exercise, I decided to go back to doing what I enjoy - my specialism - rather than general management,” said Jenny, a brilliant marketer. “I feel really happy focusing on what I do best. General management was just an endurance test. Now I have much more fun in my work.”

2) Freedom.

People like to feel free. They want to feel in control of shaping their destiny. Many fulfilled people seem to have a ‘freelance mentality’. They may or may not be freelancers - but they feel in charge of shaping their futures. “I now feel more in control of my professional life,” said Jenny. “I still work for the same company. But now feel more in control of my diary and contribution to the business.” Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I have a sense of freedom in my work is: ___ / 10

The specific things I can do to continue or
increase this sense of freedom in my work are:

*

*

*

3) Fulfilment.

“Now I concentrate on what I do best,” said Jenny. “I am able to use my imagination, set clear goals and make a positive impact.” So how do people find professional satisfaction? They put themselves in a place where they can flow, focus, finish and, as a by product, find fulfilment. Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I have a sense of fulfilment in my work is: ___ / 10

The specific things I can do to continue or
increase this sense of fulfilment in my work are:

*

*

*

People who do satisfying work often focus on fun, freedom and fulfilment. Feeling stimulated in their work, they build on their strengths, set specific goals and deliver success. They develop a ‘win-win’ - both for themselves and their employers.

3 tips for being fully alive

2007-12-11T20:20:00.000Z

1) You can clarify when you feel fully alive.

“I split this into the personal and professional sides,” said one person. “On the personal side, I feel fully alive when encouraging our children, walking in Scotland, gardening, listing to certain music, painting and spending time with friends. On the professional side, it is when doing one-to-one coaching – rather than running workshops, working with high-tech companies and, strangely, travelling by train to assignments – rather than getting stuck on motorways. The coaching part provides an important pointer. I can run workshops, but feel more comfortable working with individuals. Sometimes I have five sessions a day and still have energy.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Looking at your personal and professional life, describe the times when you feel fully alive. Be as specific as possible and complete the following sentence.

The times when I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

2) You can do more of the things in which you feel fully alive.

Let’s start this part by exploring what you are doing right when you feel fully alive because this highlights principles to consider when shaping your future life. One person said:

“My partner and I enjoy walking together in Scotland. Looking at this activity, the things we are doing right then are: a) Planning and spending quality time together – this takes discipline, but the alternative can be to drift along; b) Doing something we both enjoy – going on an adventure; c) Being in our element – feeling able to reflect yet also getting outside stimulation. We now go to Scotland four times a year – but we also try to follow these principles elsewhere in our lives.”

Let’s return to your life and work. Looking at the activities you wrote in the previous section, how can you do more of these in the future? Then go deeper. Choose one of the activities in which you feel fully alive. What are you doing right then? How can you follow these principles more in the future? Bearing all these answers in mind – and being as specific as possible - complete the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to do more of
the things in which I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

3) You can base your life on doing the things in which you feel fully alive.

This may seem radical - perhaps unrealistic – but it can provide a good starting point. Let’s imagine your life is an empty white room. Start by putting your family and friends in the white room. Then move onto the personal and professional activities in which you feel fully alive. Put those into your white room. Focus on the professional activities. How can you make these the basis for your future work? One carpenter said:

“Ten year ago I worked as a builder and carpenter, erecting ‘assembly-line’ houses. Then I was approached to build a house extension in French Oak. I set-up my own firm, managed the whole project and satisfied the customers. Their friends saw the ‘work in progress’ and asked me to do something similar in their house. Now I have a waiting list of customers. People say, ‘You have to wait a year for him – but he is worth it.’ I am doing carpentry work I love and it pays the bills. What more could you ask?”

Different people will employ this approach in different ways. Looking at the fulfilling things in your professional life, for example, consider how you can expand some of these activities. The answers will not always appear straight away but, with some creativity, they may well emerge. You will then be able to keep developing the areas in which you feel fully alive. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to base my life on
doing the things in which I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

3 tips for following the peak performer's path

2007-12-10T21:45:00.000Z

How can you continue to do your best? One approach is to follow the peak performer’s path. Let’s explore how you can pursue these steps in your own way.

1) You can follow your passion and translate it into a clear purpose.

What are your passions? Which of these could you translate into peak performance? How could you channel the passion into a specific ‘project’? You may want to write a book, design a garden, lead a team, invent a product, encourage other people or whatever. Clarify your goals – the real results you want to achieve. Ask yourself: “Will pursuing this project give me a sense of peace?” After settling on the goal, clarify the 3 key things you can do to give yourself the greatest chance of success. Then move onto the next stage.

2) You can be professional, solve problems and achieve peak performance.

Be super professional and establish good habits. Keep doing the right things in the right way every day. You are certain to hit problems, so develop strategies: a) To encourage yourself on the journey: b) To be calm during a crisis: c) To find creative solutions to challenges. Master the art of finishing. Do whatever you can to deliver peak performance and get a 10/10. Sometimes you will reach the goal by adding that ‘touch of class’. You can then go onto the final two stages.

3) You can pass-on knowledge and perhaps find peace.

Isaac Newton said: “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” How can you pass-on your knowledge to other people? Some do this by simply being good models. Others by producing articles, books, seminars, works of art or whatever. Try tackling the exercise called The peak performer’s path. First, describe a time in your life when you followed some - or all - of the steps along the path. Second, describe what you did right then. Third, describe how you can follow similar principles in the future.

The time when I followed some - or all - of the
steps along the peak performer’s path was when:

*

*

*

The things I did right then were:

*

*

*

The steps I can take to follow
similar principles in the future are:

*

*

*

People who feel they have done their best in life are more likely to enjoy a sense of fulfilment. Sometimes this takes the form of leaving a ‘legacy’. They may wish, for example, to provide a happy childhood for their children, create something beautiful or make a positive difference in the world. As the sages say: “Live, love, learn, labour and leave a legacy.” What do you want to be your legacy? Everybody makes their own choices on the way towards finding peace.

3 tips for understanding the 'strengths' and 'shortcomings' approaches to growth

2007-12-09T16:14:00.000Z

During your life you will encounter many different approaches to working with people. You will meet teachers, leaders, managers, coaches and others who believe in different ways to help people grow. They may all believe in encouraging people – but the way they express this will take different forms. They will probably come from one of two traditions. They will adopt the strengths approach, the shortcomings approach or a maybe combination of both. Let’s explore how you can spot a person’s philosophy for working with people.

1) You can recognise the strengths approach.

People who use this approach start by looking at your strengths. They focus on who you are - your assets - rather than who you are not. Building on your successful style, they encourage you to set specific goals. They then enable you to superb work, find solutions to challenges and achieve ongoing success. They say things like:
“This is where you can deliver ‘As’. Let’s focus on what you do best and enable you to do it brilliantly. If you are ever interested, we can also provide some practical tools for managing the consequences of your ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’.”

Looking back on my life, I have known many people who followed this model, such as my parents and several key mentors. These included Alec Dickson, the founder of VSO and CSV, Tony Manocchio, a family therapist, and George Lyward, who ran Finchden Manor, a remarkable community for troubled teenagers. They each created a ‘garden of encouragement’ - but they also drew the lines clearly if anybody over-stepped the mark. Everybody knew what behaviour was and was not acceptable. ‘Students’ who met these people emerged with at least ‘take aways’: a) They knew their own strengths; b) They knew, in some cases, how to make a living doing what they loved; c) They knew how to manage the consequences of their weaknesses.

Looking back on your own life, who have been the people who used the strengths approach to helping you to grow? Perhaps it was your parents, a teacher at school, a sports coach, a particular leader, a manager or whoever. What effect did these people – and this approach – have on you? Try completing the following sentences.

The people I have known in my life who
have used the strengths approach have been:

*

*

*

The effects this approach had on me were:

*

*

*

2) You can recognise the shortcomings approach.

People who use this approach start by looking at your weaknesses. They focus on who you are not - your deficits – and what you lack. They then go deeper to analyse your shortcomings. They say things like:

“This is where you deliver ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’. Let’s analyse these in depth and explore why you fail. We will also consider all the barriers that prevent you performing. Then, when everything is sorted out, we can move onto where you may deliver ‘As’.”

Such an approach is adopted by certain kinds of managers, teachers, coaches and therapists. It is also used by some of the ‘newer’ psychology movements. They claim to build on people’s potential – but quickly move into getting people to identify their internal barriers to growth. The new psychology claims it can remove these barriers – at a price. Older style organisations also adopt this approach. Performance development plans can encourage people to build on their As – whilst also learning tools for managing the consequences of their Bs and Cs. Some ‘development plans’ ignore people’s talents, however, whilst spending masses of time analysing their weaknesses. Certainly it is important to minimise the impact of your shortcomings, but not at the expense of ignoring your strengths.

Looking back on your own life, who have been the people who used the shortcomings approach? What effects did this have on you? Try completing the following sentences.

The people I have known in my life who have
used the shortcomings approach have been:

*

*

*

The effects this approach had on me were:

*

*

*

3) You can clarify which approach you want to follow in the future.

“Certainly I wanted to pursue the strengths approach – but the key was making it real in my work,” said one manager. “So I asked my 8 team members to highlight: a) Their strengths – and how they could use these more to help the business; b) Their shortcomings – and what they planned to do to manage the consequences of these weaknesses. We also devoted 70% of the personal development sessions to developing their talents.

“The effects were interesting. Two people were promoted and four re-crafted their roles to focus on what they did best. Two people left the team but, in a way, that was good. They had spent years trying to adapt to roles where they would only ever achieve a 7/10. Both moved onto positions that they found were a better fit. Fortunately we recruited several hungry people and have gained a reputation as an incubator of talent. This brings its own challenges, but I prefer it to the old method of working with people.”

Looking to the future, which approach would you like to follow? How could you adapt this in your own way? Can you think of a specific situation where you can translate it into practice? What do you hope would be the effects? Try completing the following sentences.

The approach I want to follow the future is:

*
The specific things I can do to
translate this into practice are:

*

*

*

The effects I hope this will have on people are:

*

*

*

There are many models for that are dedicated to helping people to succeed. Suffice to say, there is no ‘perfect model’ – each has pluses and minuses. The keys are: a) To be true to yourself and find an approach you believe-in; b) To be clear with people and explain the model you will be using; c) To be super-professional and enable people to achieve ongoing success.

3 tips for 'welcoming' crises

2007-12-06T18:11:00.000Z

Stefan Edberg, the former Wimbledon tennis champion, explained that peak performers have an interesting approach to crises. Speaking about encountering difficulties in a match, he said: “I welcome crises - providing there aren’t too many. Why? My opponent will also have crises during a match. Tennis matches often hinge on what happens during such special moments. The way we each react to problems can therefore decide the match. I am good at overcoming crises, so that gives me an advantage. Beating a crisis early shows my opponent that I have inner strength, which gives me momentum. Then we need to see how he reacts when meeting problems. That is why I welcome crises.”

Let’s explore how you can take the following steps towards managing critical events.

1) You can anticipate & rehearse the crisis.

Looking ahead to the next few months, do three things. First, brainstorm the potential crises you could encounter - then focus on one of these possibilities. Second, describe how you might prevent the difficulty happening. Third, describe how - if it does happen - you can overcome the crisis. Consider all the possible knock-on eventualities, then settle-on a clear action plan. Try completing the following exercise.

The potential crisis I could face in the future is:

*

The things I can do to prevent this crisis happening are:

*

*

*

The things I can do to manage the crisis if it does happen are:

*

*

*

Rehearse everything until you are completely happy - perhaps even looking forward to such a crisis - then move onto the next step.

2) You can ‘welcome’ & manage the crisis.

You will follow your own plan for tackling the problem. But it can also be good to learn from how peak performers behave in critical situations. They focus on the 3 C’s – calmness, clarity and concrete results - to solve crises. Calmness: they start by being very calm and, if appropriate, buying time to get an overview of the situation. Clarity: they focus on the real results to achieve. Concrete results: they brainstorm: a) the possible ‘conventional’ solutions - tried and trusted ways that have worked before; b) the possible ‘creative’ solutions. Choosing their way forward, they then keep working hard, get concrete results and solve the crisis. Bearing these ideas in mind, try completing the following exercise.

The specific things I can do to perform
superbly during the midst of the crisis are:

*

*

*

3) You can gain strength & develop from the crisis.

Athletes who win Gold Medals have often gone through personal crises. One memorable example was Sebastian Coe. The official Olympic site records what happened:
“Sebastian Coe arrived at the 1980 Moscow Olympics as the world record holder and favourite at 800m. However he ran what he called ‘the worst race of my life’ and finished second behind compatriot Steve Ovett. Six days later, a determined Coe redeemed himself in the 1,500m. During the final curve, he drove past Jürgen Straub and won the gold medal by four metres.”

Can you remember a time when you drew strength and wisdom from a critical event? People show their true character in adversity - often drawing on lessons they have learned from setbacks. Try completing the following exercise.

The specific lessons that I have learned from crises in the past are:

*

*

*

The specific things I can do to apply these lessons in the future are:

*

*

*

Crises can be the making of a person. Peak performers use these to show their ability to overcome adversity. This is a crucial step on the road to delivering success.

3 tips for working with people who are making the new rules for work

2007-12-05T20:31:00.000Z

“I like working with people who are making the ‘new rules’ in their chosen field,” said one person. “Certainly I can help those who are trying to be creative inside the ‘old rules’, but sometimes institutions can squash people’s enthusiasm. It’s great encouraging individuals and teams who are pioneering the way.”

Let’s imagine you want to work with people who are making the new rules. Here are three steps you can take towards helping them to succeed.

1) You can identify the people who are making the ‘new rules’.

Start by identifying the people who are either pioneers or working in pioneering fields. The first group will probably be people who believe in following certain principles to achieve the ‘prize’. They won’t be into ‘painting by numbers’. At the same time, however, they know it is vital for them to produce the goods. This will be especially so if they are aiming to do pioneering work in an established organisation. They recognise that: “If you are going to be a deviant, you have to over-deliver.” The second group will probably be in the ‘newer industries’. These may include new media, social networking organisations, marketing, high tech and even parts of retail. Both groups of people believe it is vital to ‘show a better way’.

Looking around your network – and elsewhere – who are the people who fall into these two categories? Try completing the following sentence.

The people who are making the new rules are:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify what you can offer to the people who are making the ‘new rules’.

You can tackle this part by doing three things. First, clarify the specific products or services that you can offer to the people who are making the new rules. Second, clarify the specific challenges that these people may be facing. Third, clarify how what you can offer can help these people to succeed. “I found this part difficult,” said one person. “It called for getting inside the customers’ heads and clarifying the benefits of what I offer. Certainly I should be doing this anyway, but it was a good discipline.” Try completing the following sentences.

The specific things – the products or services – I can
offer to people who are making the new rules are:

*

*

*

The specific challenges facing the people
who are making the new rules may be:

*

*

*

The specific benefits these people
can get from the things I offer are:

*

*

*

3) You can work with these people and help them to succeed by making the new rules.

“Five years ago I started this recruitment business which specialises in working with new media companies,” said one 35-year-old MD. “Now I have 30 employees, a turnover of £10 million and a profit of £500k. We built this company by offering something new in our field. Certainly we could make shed-loads of money by operating like a ‘traditional’ recruitment agency. But we really aim to put the right people in the right places in the right companies. This calls for making sure there is a ‘values-fit’. Once I spent my time getting out to customers, building relationships and satisfying their demands. But now I spend my time supervising our people and fire-fighting. My senior colleagues and I need to get into the market and stay close to our customers, but it is proving difficult to do that and run the business. Have you any suggestions?”

How would you work with this MD? The person who did so helped the MD and their leadership team:

* To communicate the vision throughout the business;

* To hire an operations director – a ‘co-ordinator’ – who took care of the day-to-day operations;

* To get the senior partners to do what they did best – building relationships with key decision-makers in client companies;

* To practice what they preached to other companies – clarifying their own company values, then recruiting and rewarding people who lived these values.

* To stay strategic – continually asking themselves: “What are the 3 key things we can do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success?”

Putting these principles into practice, the company increased its profit to 10% of turnover. It also improved its ratings on customer satisfaction and internal morale. (The latter called for starting again with a blank piece of paper and asking: “If we were to start this business again tomorrow, which of our people would we rehire?” Then acting on this information.) The company went from strength to strength.

Let’s return to your potential clients. How can you help them to succeed by following the new rules? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to work with these people
and help them to succeed by following the new rules are:

*

*

*

Everybody knows the rules of work have changed, but many organisations still operate as if they are in the 1970s. Certainly it is possible to help people to get more oxygen in these organisations. But you may prefer to work with those that are making the new rules for work.

3 tips for getting positive energy

2007-12-04T19:33:00.000Z

Energy is life. So what gives you positive energy? What gives you negative energy? How can you get more positive energy in the future? You may then be able to give even more to other people. Let’s explore three steps for making this happen.

1) You can clarify the things that give you positive energy.

Start by describing the things you find stimulating. For example, the people, projects and pleasures that put a spring into your step. Later we will look at how you can do more of these things in the future.

People who are ‘Givers’ sometimes find it hard to give to themselves. Sheila Cassidy is such a ‘Giver’. During the 1970s she was imprisoned in Chile for providing medical care to opponents of the Pinochet regime. Returning to the UK after being tortured, she went on to become Medical Director of St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth. Sheila gave to others, but starved herself of pleasures. Hard work took its toll, however, and she began taking more care of herself. Writing in her book Sharing The Darkness, Sheila explains:

“Perhaps the final fall from my self-styled perch of grace came at the beginning of the winter season when Brideshead Revisited was serialised for television. Until then I had stalwartly refused to have more than a transistor radio and tape recorder, but now I could bear it no longer and rushed into town to buy myself a TV.”

Sheila found that, far from corrupting her contribution, she gave even more to other people. Try completing the follow exercise.

The things that give me positive energy are:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify the things that give you negative energy.

Stimulation is crucial - but sometimes it can also be good to identify what saps your energy. Describe things you find draining, such as serial complainers, ‘observer critics’ or whatever. Try completing the following exercise.

The things that give me negative energy are:

*

*

*

3) You can do more of the things that give you positive energy.

“Nowadays I spend more time with encouragers,” said one person. “They help me to feel more real, more myself. Music also lifts my soul. So now I start the day with upbeat music, rather than listening to bad news on the radio. During my twenties I became so depressed that I made Eeyore look cheerful. Certainly I keep abreast of current events, but now I focus on doing what I can to improve the world.”

Looking to the future, you may want to consider two things. First, do more of the things that are inspiring. Second, stop doing some of the things that are draining. Try combining these elements to complete the following exercise.

The steps I can take to do more of the
things that give me positive energy are:

*

*

*

People can choose their attitude. They can choose to be givers or takers, creators or complainers, encouragers or stoppers. Givers also need encouragement, however, so it is important to keep getting positive energy. You will then have even more encouragement to give to other people.

3 tips for recognising were you go 'a, b _ then leap to _ z'

2007-12-03T20:25:00.000Z

Peak performers see the destination quickly. The architect walks onto a site and visualises the finished house. The footballer sees the defence-splitting pass that will create a goal. The counsellor greets the troubled child and knows how they want the child to be feeling after their conversation. When entering the situation in which they excel, peak performers quickly see the picture of perfection. They go ‘a, b ___ then leap to ___ z’. Let’s explore where you have this ability.

1) You can clarify where you quickly go ‘a, b ___ z’.

Everybody has a place where they think strategically and quickly see the solution. The MD of a High Street chain explained: “I love retail. Put me in any shop anywhere in the world and I show how it can make better profits. My wife thinks I am crazy, because on Sundays I want to take her shopping. Every Saturday morning I went shopping with my mother. I remember gazing at the fishmonger’s shop and, in my mind’s-eye, imagining how it could be rearranged. Now I do that for a living.” Where does this happen for you? Depending on your natural talent, you may quickly see the destination when fixing a car engine, solving a financial problem, designing a workshop or whatever. Try tackling the exercise on this theme and complete the following sentence.

The specific situation in which I go

‘a, b ___ and then leap to ___ z’ is:

*

2) You can clarify what you do right to actually deliver ‘z’.

Peak performers are often intuitive. Asked to explain their technique, they reply: “I just do it.” A gifted sales-person, for example, may start by imagining what they want the customer to be saying, thinking and feeling when leaving the shop. For instance: “The sales-person really listened to me. They found out what I wanted and offered several options. Nothing was too much trouble. I got what I wanted and will recommend the shop to friends.” The sales-person will approach the customer, quickly try several different strategies and see what works. They will then do whatever is required to ensure the customer is satisfied when they leave the shop. Every achiever has their individual approach to delivering ‘z’. Going beyond the “I just do it,” explanation, however, many go through the following phases.

a) Preparation.

Because they are fascinated by the subject, they rehearse many potential scenarios. They have what Arie De Geus called ‘a memory of the future’. When preparing for a particular assignment, they ‘practice until they can forget’. Before entering the ‘arena’, they relax, re-centre and refocus.

b) Professionalism.

Going into the situation, they feel alive and alert. Using their ‘antennae’, they scan what is happening and look for patterns. Seeing the desired goal, they clarify their strategy. Putting their plan into action, they keep doing the right things in the right way until they reach their goal.

c) Peak performance.

“Sometimes I win games by producing 8/10,” said one tennis player. “Other times I must play to my full potential and produce 10/10.” Achievers sometimes also add that ‘touch of class’ and do something special to deliver the goods. How do you reach the goal? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I do to actually deliver ‘z’ are:

*

*

*

3) You can put yourself into more situations where you quickly see ‘z’.

Wayne Gretzky, the greatest ice-hockey goal scorer in North American history, was once asked: “What is the secret behind why you score so many goals?” His reply was: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Gretzky aimed: ‘to skate to the part of the rink where the puck will appear.’ Geniuses have this sixth sense: they know what is going to happen before it happens. Keep putting yourself into situations where this happens for you, because this is where you have natural genius. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to put myself into
more situations where I quickly see ‘z’ are

*

*

*

3 tips for finding 'win-win' solutions

2007-12-02T16:08:00.000Z

Imagine you have been asked to find positive solutions to difficulties between people. You may have been invited to solve deep-seated conflicts, ongoing arguments or fundamental differences. Such situations are often the result of long-term patterns, so there is not a quick fix. The best route is to go for a ‘win-win’ solution, but this takes creativity and patience. ‘Win-lose’ creates ongoing problems; whilst ‘lose-lose’ spells trouble for everybody.

Looks simple on paper – but we know it is extremely difficult in practice. Let’s explore three steps towards making it happen.

1) You can make sure the conditions are in place for finding a ‘win-win’ solution.

Two conditions must be in place before it is possible to solve deep differences.

a) People must want to solve the conflict.

b) People must be prepared to work hard to - as far as possible - find ‘win-wins’.

Timing is everything. Many conflicts only get solved when the parties are exhausted. For example, couples feel wary from fighting a divorce, terrorists became too old or tired to fight, employers and strikers are exhausted after an industrial dispute. People get fed-up with the negative energy. They are then more willing to sit down and find positive solutions. Before getting involved in any conflict resolution, it is important to ask the following questions:

* Are people ready to work together? Do they really want to solve the problem? (Remember, some people are addicted to conflict.)

* Are they prepared to co-operate to find - as far as possible - a ‘win-win’ solution? How high is their motivation to do this on a scale 0 - 10? (7+ is necessary to produce success.)

* Are people ready to focus on how things can be better in the future, rather than simply argue about the past?

Providing people want to solve the problem, it is then possible to move onto the next step.

2) You can clarify what each party wants and build on common ground – before then going onto the differences.

Start by clarifying what each person or party wants. Focus on what people have in common - rather than the differences. Some may try to draw you into arguing about the differences, but return to the similarities. You will have lots of time later to explore the differences. Mediators, for example, create a safe environment in which people feel at ease. They listen to what each person perceives as the challenge. They then aim to build a common agenda. Doing this calls for following certain rules.

a) To show respect and recognise the authenticity of each person’s feelings. Everybody must feel that they have been heard.

b) To encourage people to look to the future, rather than fight about the past.

c) To get people to be super specific about the desired outcome. Ask people: “What are the real results you want to achieve?”

d) To encourage the parties to put the challenge in positive terms. For example: “How can the two departments work together to achieve success?” Rather than: “How can they stop fighting?”

e) To build on the common ground, get some quick success and begin to build confidence.

You can use the following framework to map out what people want, what they have in common and the potential differences.

Party ‘A’ wants:

*

*

*

Party ‘B’ wants:

*

*

*

The common ground. The common goals – the
real results - that everybody wants to achieve are:

*

*

*

The differences. The potential
different things that people want are:

*

*

*

The things we can do to build on the common
ground and get some quick successes are:

*

*

*

Build on what people have in common. Get some early successes, create confidence and build trust. Then go onto the next step.

3) You can then keep working until you find – as far as possible – ‘win-win’ solutions.

You can now move onto the differences. Start by establishing clarity. Looking at each difference in turn, clarify what each person/party wants. Then use the 5 C model for creative problem-solving. Focus on the challenges, choices, consequences, creative solutions and conclusions. (You can find an adaptation of this in the piece called 3 tips for facilitating a mentoring session.) Stay calm and invite people to use their creativity. When it comes to the sticking points, keep asking:

How can we find a ‘win-win’ solution?

Be patient. People are incredibly creative - so keep asking this question until they solve the problem. (If appropriate, you can share possible ideas, but it is vital to show that you respect each person’s agenda.) If tempers rise, take a break and have a cooling-off period. Return to the beginning and establish if people still want to solve the problem. If so, resume the exploration. Keep going until they find, as far as possible, a ‘win-win’ solution. Again, build on the good work by getting an early success. Encourage people: a) To set clear goals; b) To make clear contracts about each person’s contribution; c) To get a concrete result. Success breeds success and mutual confidence. People can then move onto the next topic where they want to find a ‘win-win’ solution.

Let return to the situation where you may have be asked to help with a difficult situation. Focus on one specific difference and try completing the following sentences.

The specific topic where people have differences is:

*

The specific things that party ‘A’ wants are:

*

The specific things that party ‘B’ wants are:

*

The potential options that could be –
as far as possible – a ‘win-win’ solution are:

*

*

*

Sounds easy in theory - but it is obviously much harder in daily life. So how do painful problems get solved? There are several answers. Some don’t - people go on fighting. Some do because people lose interest - they get tired, accept the differences or move-on with their lives. Some do because people work hard at solving the problem.

You can focus on situations that fall into the latter category. Equipping people to find ‘win-win’ solutions can provide them with a gift for life.

3 tips for getting the right people implementing the right strategy in the right way

2007-11-29T23:17:00.000Z

Super teams have a core leadership team that set the overall direction. They clarify ‘What’ they want the team to achieve, ‘Why’ they want to achieve it and ‘How’ they will reach the goals. They then get the right people implementing the right strategy in the right way. Let’s explore these three themes.

1) You can get the right people.

Imagine you are a leader. Looking at your team, to what extent do you believe you have got the right people? Rate this on a scale 0 – 10. Imagine you were starting again with a blank piece of paper. Which people would you re-hire? What would you hire each of them to deliver? People make the difference. They must all have the right attitude, ability and application to do good work. “But it is so difficult to get right people,” somebody may say. Maybe, but just try the alternative: it is even more difficult working with the wrong people. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things we can do to make sure
we get the right people in the team are:

*

*

*

2) You can implement the right strategy.

Good leaders keep people’s eyes on the goal and strategy. They make sure everybody knows the overall game plan by saying something like:

“Here are the key strategies we will follow to reach the goal. Several points are crucial. First, make sure that whatever you do follows these principles. Second, you will be given freedom within these parameters to deliver results. Third, make clear contracts with your manager and colleagues. People must know each person’s contribution to achieving the goals. Finally, whenever there are conflicts, try to find ‘win-win’ solutions. When in doubt, go for the solution that is best for the whole team. Keep following the key strategies to reach the goals.”

Looking at your team, to what extent do you believe they are implementing the correct strategy? Rate this on a scale 0 – 10. Then complete the following sentence.

The specific things we can do to make sure
we are implementing the right strategy are:

*

*

*

3) You can ensure that people implement the strategy in the right way.

Super teams deliver. How can you make this happen? First, make sure that people have the practical and emotional support they need to do the job. Second, hold monthly update sessions where they present: a) The things we have done in the last month towards achieving the goals; b) The things we plan to do in the next month. Third, make the tough decisions required to ensure that people keep on track. Looking at your team, to what extent do you believe they are implementing the strategy in the right way? Rate this on a scale 0 – 10. Then complete the following sentence.

The specific things we can do to make sure we
implement the strategy in the right way are:

*

*

*

Super teams do the right things in the right way every day. Building on these good habits, their people then do everything possible to deliver great results.

3 tips for working with people with whom there are different kinds of 'clicks'

2007-11-27T13:26:00.000Z

During your career you will work with both colleagues and customers with whom you have different kinds of ‘clicks’. With some people there is both a personal and professional ‘click’, with some there is a professional ‘click’, with some there is no ‘click’ at all. Let’s explore these three themes.

1) There is both a personal and professional ‘click’.

You share similar values and have a similar view of the world. Connection is easy, because you start from common assumptions. You therefore begin at 7/10 - which provides a springboard for getting to 10/10. Let’s consider how you can build with such people, beginning with colleagues. Who are the colleagues with whom you share similar values? How can you help them to succeed? How can you co-operate to achieve success?

“During the past 15 years I have co-operated on several projects with two colleagues I met when working at my first company,” said one person. “Since then we have set-up and sold two online companies. We know each other - warts and all. We also know how to work with each other’s strengths and weaknesses. People describe me as a ‘serial entrepreneur’. Wherever I go, however, I will always take these two people.”

Let’s move onto your customers. Who are the customers with whom you get on well? What are their personality characteristics? How can you do more work with these customers? How can you help them to succeed? Of course, they may recommend you to similar kinds of customers, but that should not be forced. Providing you do good work, it may well happen naturally. Looking at both colleagues and customers, try completing the following sentences.

The people with whom I have both
a personal & professional click are:

*

The specific things I can do to
build with these people are:

*

*

*

2) There is a professional ‘click’.

You may find this happens when you co-operating with somebody in your professional life. Whilst having differing personalities, you both strongly believe in achieving the goal. Many famous comic partnerships in show business, for example, comprised of people who seldom saw each other socially. Once on stage, however, they produced fine performances. Similarly, you may have customers with whom there is little social talk or banter. It is quickly down to the matter in hand.

You will probably take several steps to manage such relationships. a) You will prepare properly. Looking ahead to any interaction, you will ask yourself: “What will be the person’s goals? What will they want to achieve in the short, medium and long term? How can I help them to succeed?” b) You will be professional. For example, when starting a meeting you will double-check what they want to achieve in the session. You will also make crystal clear contracts about what must be delivered by when. c) You will keep your promises, reassure the person and deliver the agreed results. Try completing the following sentences.

The people with whom I
have a professional click are:

*

The specific things I can do to perform
good work with these people are:

*

*

*

3) There is no ‘click’.

Sometimes you find yourself in work situations where there is absolutely no connection between you and the other person. It is best to avoid such problems, but circumstances may mean it is necessary to work together to achieve a specific goal. You may feel on guard and unable to relax. How to deal with such difficulties? You will aim to be absolutely super-professional. It will be hard work: because you must rehearse every situation, be fully alert and always make crystal clear contracts. Similarly, you may prepare yourself for getting no positive feedback, possibly getting criticised even when you deliver the goods. Try completing the following sentences.

The professional situations where I may be
with people with whom there is no click are:

*

The specific things I can do to be super
professional in these situations are:

*

*

*

We frequently do our best work with kindred spirits - but that is not always possible. It is therefore useful to clarify your strategies for working with different types of people. You are then more able to do good work in different situations.

3 tips for moving between roles successfully

2007-11-26T17:20:00.000Z

Imagine you are finishing one role and moving-on to another. The new role can be inside or outside your present organisation. One ending leads to a new beginning. So how can you manage the transition successfully? Let’s consider three steps for making this happen.

1) You can move-on from the present role successfully.

Finishing is a key skill in life – so how can you move-on in a positive way? One approach is to say: “Let’s imagine I was going freelance – but I also wanted to be able to return and get work from my present organisation. How would I behave? How would I complete the outstanding jobs? How would I hand-over the ongoing projects? What would be the actual words I would like people saying about me after I left? What reputation would I like to leave? How can I leave my present role in a positive way?” Bearing these answers in mind, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to move on
from my present role successfully are:

*

*

*

2) You can manage the transition successfully.

Perhaps you are planning to take some time-out. If so, do whatever is necessary to get yourself in shape - whether it is to take a holiday, move house or whatever. You will then move into the next stage – preparing properly before taking up your new role. Rightly or wrongly, people will make early judgements about your performance. So it will be important to hit the ground running. Let’s assume that you have made clear contracts with the key sponsors about ‘What’ must be delivered, ‘How’ and by ‘When’. You have a clear brief and mandate – plus the support required to do the job. Before starting the new role, ask yourself the following questions.

* Who are the key sponsors? What are the key challenges they face? What is their picture of success? What are the results I must deliver? How can I help the organisation to achieve success?

* What are the Dos and Don’ts in the culture? How can I be true to myself, yet also respect the culture? Who are the positive people in the organisation? How can I spend time working with them? Who may be the difficult people? How can I get alongside them and help them to succeed? How can I show respect to my new colleagues?

* How can I hit the ground running? What must I do before the first day? What can I do on the first day? Who will I meet? Who do I want to meet? How can I reassure people they have made the right decision to hire me? How can I deliver some early wins? How can I then sustain the momentum over the next weeks and months? What do I want people to be saying about me – and my contribution – after six months? How can I do my best to make this happen?

Rehearse everything. Picture arriving on the first day; meeting your colleagues; meeting your sponsors; attending the first business meetings; talking with customers; leaving at the end of the first day and so on. Practice everything so there will be no surprises. Or, at least, there will be fewer surprises. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to manage
the transition successfully are:

*

*

*

3) You can move into the new role successfully.

“During the old days new leaders were given at least 100 days to acquaint themselves with the job,” said one MD. “Nowadays it is different. People make judgements almost immediately. So leaders must set the tone much earlier - otherwise employees say: “Nothing has changed.”

The same rule applies in any role. People will make quick decisions about whether you can perform the job. So do whatever you can to be positive, professional and deliver peak performances. Starting well is essential – and so is maintaining the momentum. Be crystal-clear on your aims and make a road-map for the first six months. Get some early successes in the bank, because these will buy you time. Then press on with encouraging other people, doing great work and helping the organisation to achieve success. People are then more likely to see you as an addition to the business. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to move
into the new role successfully are:

*

*

*

3 tips for knowing when to 'drive it, delegate it or ditch it'

2007-11-25T18:33:00.000Z

“My inbox is full and there are so only many jobs I can tackle,” said one person. “My days should be spent driving strategy, but they get consumed by catching-up on tasks. I only have so much energy, so it is important to channel this into the activities that will make a real difference.”

“Be selective to be effective,” is the motto. Let’s see how this works in practice. Imagine you are a leading a team. The first step is to agree with your sponsor on the results to achieve - this is the ‘What’. Here are three suggestions for then implementing the ‘How’.

1) Drive it.

Start by clarifying the things that you personally want to drive. Agree with the team on: ‘The 3 key things we can do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success are: … ” After identifying the top three strategies, you will find there are many projects, tasks and actions to be implemented. Looking at this list, clarify the ones that you personally want to drive. Then lead these - as if your life depended on it. Try completing the following sentence.

The things that I want to drive – and
the ways I want to drive these - are:

*

*

*

2) Delegate it.

Clarify the things you want to delegate – but then comes a key point. Give these to people who will deliver the goods - otherwise you will get worried micromanage and become a cop. How to delegate? One approach is described in the piece called 3 tips for clarifying each person’s contribution to the picture of perfection. That style of ‘delegation’ encourages people: a) To clarify their strengths and how they want to contribute towards achieving the team’s goals; b) To make clear contracts about their contribution; c) To deliver. Try completing the following sentence.

The things that I want to delegate – and
the people I want to delegate these to - are:

*

*

*

3) Ditch it.

Clarify the things you want to ditch. “I find this easy in theory, but more difficult in practice,” said one person. “I start out with good intentions, but then get guilty about neglecting certain activities.” This highlights a key point. It is vital: a) To clarify the consequences of ditching certain things: b) To anticipate and manage any difficulties that may arise. You will then feel more able to focus on the tasks that really matter. Try completing the following sentence.

The things that I want to ditch – and the ways I
will manage the consequences of doing this - are:

*

*

*

The work place becomes increasingly complex and people continue to be inundated with information, emails and requests. At the same time, they are urged to ‘work smarter, not harder’. Priority management is vital. There are consequences to this approach - but there are more minuses in trying to fill the day with 12 hours of fire-fighting. Peak performers focus on the key strategies that will give them the greatest chance of success. This calls for being able to ‘drive it, delegate it or ditch it’.

3 tips for establishing a coaching contract

2007-11-24T12:21:00.000Z

Imagine that somebody has asked you to be their coach. Before embarking on the coaching process it is vital to establish their goals. Setting specific targets increases the likelihood of success. Here are three suggestions for clarifying the coaching contract. (While the following process sounds very structured, you can do it in your own way. It will provide the basis for building a successful coaching relationship.)

1) You can invite the person to fill-in the coaching contract.

“Will plus skill can thrill,” they say in sport. How does this apply to the coaching situation? Establish the person’s will before embarking on helping them to learn the skill. One way to start is by inviting them to complete the coaching contract. The person is asked to describe: a) The specific goals I want to achieve. b) My role: the things I see as my responsibility in achieving the goals. c) The coach’s role: the help I want from the coach. d) The measures: the things that will show I have reached the goals. The person is to send the contract to you ahead of the first meeting. You can gauge their attitude and aspirations by the amount of work they put into creating the contract. So here is the contract that is to be filled-in by the learner.

Coaching contract

The specific goals. The specific goals I want to achieve are:

*

*

*

My role. The things I see as my responsibility
in working to achieve these goals are:

*

*

*

The coach’s role. The knowledge, tools and
support I would like from the coach are:

*

*

*

The measures. The specific things that will be
happening that will show I have reached the goals are:

*

*

*

2) You can meet with the person to explore the coaching contract.

Clear contracting is vital in any relationship - and especially so when coaching. Set aside at least an hour to discuss the contract in depth. Invite them to explain what they see as their responsibility in the relationship. Move onto discussing the help they want from you as a coach. Encourage them to consider the challenges on the way – including potential setbacks – and how they plan to deal with these situations. Conclude this part of the session by asking them to describe their success criteria - the things that will show they have reached their goals. Providing you are happy, move onto the next stage.

3) You can finalise the coaching contract and, if appropriate, embark on the actual coaching.

Create a short ‘time-out’ to enable the person to reflect and make any alterations to the contract. Time permitting - and if appropriate - you may then both want to launch into the actual coaching. If so, invite the person to explore the first topic they want to tackle. You can help them: a) To build on their strengths; b) To learn tools for tackling areas for improvement; c) To do what is necessary to achieve success. Conclude the session by asking them to clarify what they have learned and inviting them to do any relevant homework before the next meeting. Finally, evaluate your own performance. Describe: a) Three things I did well in the session; b) Two things I can do better in the future - and how. Relax, reflect and then look forward to the next session.

You can find more ideas on this theme in the book Strengths Coaching in 90 Minutes, that can be found here:

strengthscoaching

3 tips for choosing a mentor

2007-11-22T16:12:00.000Z

Imagine you are looking for a mentor. Good mentors are wise and trusted advisers. They pass-on knowledge in a way that helps the mentee to achieve their personal or professional goals. Mentors are now used by many people in organisations. Why? Despite being successful, individuals sometimes like to take time-out to reflect, get an overview of their situation and make good quality decisions. They also like to draw on the mentor’s knowledge so they can be even more effective in their work. Mentoring plays a key role in organisations that wish to nurture talent. Let’s explore how you might choose a good mentor.

1) You can clarify the qualities you want in a mentor.

Choose somebody who has similar values. Look for a mentor who expresses the values you believe in - and seems able to do so successfully at a high level. When working with young people in the 1960s, for example, I sought out several ‘grandees’ who ran famous therapeutic communities. Travelling to sit at their feet, listen and learn provided remarkable insights. Each one had a common characteristic; they wanted me to ‘take the best and leave the rest’. They encouraged me to make my own decisions - they did not want followers. Values-fit is vital.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme called My ideal mentor. Describe the qualities you want in such a person. Different people will, of course, want different qualities. One person said:

“Credibility is crucial - they must know their onions. They must be a good listener and respect my views but, at the same time, I don’t want them to pull any punches. They need to be somebody who has lived - who has had ups and downs - but still has a positive spirit. It’s great if they can understand the way I think—which is in pictures—and provide practical ideas I can use in working life. Do you know any such perfect people?”

My ideal mentor

The qualities I want in a mentor are:

*

2) You can find a mentor – or mentors – with these qualities.

Some organisations have formal schemes that provide a list of potential mentors. They then invite mentees to choose from this faculty. Several things are worth bearing in mind if this is the case. It is important:

a) For the mentee to choose the mentor - rather than have one assigned.

b) For the mentee to, if possible, choose a mentor who is ‘outside the line’ - not the mentee’s manager or manager’s manager.

c) For the sessions to be confidential and focused on the mentee’s agenda - not acting as another form of management.

What if your organisation does not have a formal mentoring programme? Start by clearing it with your manager and HR department that it will be okay to have a mentor. They will normally be supportive. You can then do what many people have done before - approach somebody to ask if they would be your mentor. Surprisingly, this often works. (You can have different mentors for different topics - for example, a technical mentor and a career mentor.) If you decide to approach a potential mentor - inside or outside an organisation - take the following steps.

First, do your research thoroughly. Get to know about the person, their values and how they are regarded. Do this by asking around - blind dates seldom work. Second, clarify what you do and don’t want from the mentor. Finally, clarify how to approach the person. You will need to position the mentoring in a way that works for them. They are probably busy people - so you must do all the leg-work and fit in with their diary.

3) You can make clear contracts with the mentor about what you would like to cover in the mentoring sessions.

Start by having an informal meeting with the potential mentor. Explain the topics you want to cover during the mentoring sessions. For example: how to manage difficult customer situations, how to take the next step in your career, how to manage your life-work balance. You will obviously discuss these topics with your manager - but would also like an outside view. Explain how often you would like to meet and how you will prepare for the sessions. You may want to start, for example, by having 3 sessions - then reviewing the contract. If the chemistry works - and both parties agree - set a date for the first formal meeting.

You can find many more ideas on this theme in the book The art of mentoring:

theartofmentoring

3 tips for focusing on design, development and delivery

2007-11-21T22:36:00.000Z

Human beings are designers at heart. They love the process of design, development and delivery. Where does this happen for you? Let’s explore the three stages in this creative journey.

1) You can focus on design.

What do you love to design? You may enjoy creating a kitchen, house, garden, computer programme, learning environment, training workshop, article or whatever. Design is a fulfilling activity. You feel in control and able to create a new ‘world’ - which is what human beings love. “Great design is often simple, satisfying and successful,” we are told. Looking ahead, what would like to design in the future? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific thing I would like to design in the future is:

*

2) You can focus on development.

Development frequently involves doing ‘hands-on’ work - testing your ideas, exploring new avenues or working alongside customers. You can only develop a design so far by working in isolation. At some point you must get a reality check. You need to see what works, what doesn’t work and what must be improved in the future. Considering what you want to design, try completing the following sentence.

The specific steps I can take to
develop what I want to design are:

*

*

*

3) You can focus on delivery.

You can now translate your design into a finished product. Everybody has a successful pattern for finishing. So it is good to find and follow the route that works for you. Looking back on your life, think of two or three ‘projects’ that you finished successfully. What did you do right then? How can you follow these principles in the future? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific steps I can take to ensure
I deliver what I want to design are:

*

*

*

What happens next? Everybody is different. Some people feel the design and development is complete - so they continue to concentrate on improving the delivery. Some people move onto the next project and return to the joy of design. Some combine both approaches - with different projects at different stages. You will choose your own way to enjoy the journey of design, development and delivery.

3 tips for building a super team

2007-11-21T08:47:00.000Z

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.

1) 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.

2) 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.

3) 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 working with people who are making the new rules for work

2007-11-20T20:36:00.000Z

3 tips for focusing on what you really care about

2007-11-20T18:52:00.000Z

“Nowadays I am doing something I really believe in,” said one marketer, “but it hasn’t always been the case. During my 30s I got stuck in a job that was pointless. I stopped caring and it showed. Fortunately I got out sooner rather than later. Nowadays it’s good to go to work with a spring in my step.” Let’s explore how you can take similar steps in your own way.

1) You can clarify what you really care about.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme called The caring dimension. Start by brainstorming the things that you really care about. You may feel strongly about supporting your family, encouraging people, creating beauty, caring for nature, passing-on knowledge, fighting for justice or whatever. After completing your list, return to each activity and rate the extent to which you care about it. Do this on a scale 0—10.

The things I really care about – and the extent
to which I care about them on a scale 0 - 10 - are:

*

The extent to which I care about this is __ /10

*

The extent to which I care about this is __ /10

*

The extent to which I care about this is __ /10

2) You can focus on one thing that you really care about and translate it into a specific ‘project’.

“Taking this step acted as a wake-up call,” said the marketer. “I returned to the activities that made my heart sing. My marketing career had been successful, including winning several industry awards, but something was missing. During the early years I generated false ‘excitement’ about branding a soft drink, car or travel company. But success caused me to reflect. Did I really want to tell my daughter that my legacy was: ‘I got more people to buy fizzy drinks’? The answer was obvious - I must focus on useful products. This led to me going freelance and running marketing campaigns that I considered worthwhile.”

Looking at your list, focus on one thing you really care about. How could you translate this into a specific ‘project’? Try completing the following sentences.

The thing I really care about that I want to focus on is:

*

The way I can translate this into a specific project is:

*

3) You can do what you care about, perform creative work and deliver concrete results.

Caring can be a tremendous motivating force behind doing memorable work. Dame Cicely Saunders set-up St. Christopher’s Hospice, Bob Geldof launched Live Aid, Nick Park created Wallace & Gromit. You can always tell when somebody has put their heart into cooking a meal, designing a garden or painting a picture. Caring feeds your craft and can be translated into fulfilling work. Reflect on the activity you want to concentrate on - then make an action plan. Bearing in mind your chosen project, try completing the following sentence.

The steps I can take to set a clear goal, perform
creative work and deliver concrete results are:

*

*

*

3 tips for being at your best at big moments

2007-11-20T07:17:00.000Z

“Great performers produce great work on great occasions,” we are told. Some people have a positive approach at critical moments - others become paralysed. As Martin Luther King Jr. said:

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Imagine you are going to face a tough situation in the future. Let’s explore how you can be at your best when it happens.

1) You can clarify your successful pattern at big moments.

Looking back on your life, recall the times when you have performed well at big moments. You may have been giving a presentation, passing an exam, playing crucial match, solving a crisis or whatever. Looking at each of these situations, what did you do right then to be successful? Can you see any patterns? Try completing the following sentences.

Looking back, the times when I have
performed well at big moments have been:

*

*

*
Looking at these examples, my successful pattern
for performing well at such big moments is:

*

*

*

2) You can rehearse being at your best at a future big moment.

“I always practice before giving tough news to patients,” said one doctor. “During our training we did little on the ‘human side of medicine’, so I took the initiative to attend many workshops on the topic. Every doctor has their own way of giving difficult messages. It may be routine for them - but each time is special for each patient. I normally say something like: ‘I am afraid it is not good news. This is the situation …… And here are your options.’ Normally the patient has prepared themselves for the news. But the way you communicate means a lot for them and their family.”

Describe the potential critical moments that you may face in the future. Focus on one crucial time and do two things. First, clarify the real results you want to achieve in the situation. Second, describe how you can do your best. Try completing the follow exercise.

Looking ahead, the big moment I may face in the future is:

*
The specific results I want to achieve at the big moment are:

*

*

*
The specific things I can do to perform well at the big moment are:

*

*

*

3) You can be at your best during the big moment.

The true test comes when you are in the midst of the tough situation. Suddenly you think: “This is no longer theory. It is actually happening. Now it is up to me to behave in the way that I believe-in.” Be true to yourself, follow your principles and do your best during the critical moment. This is your opportunity to grow as a person. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to concentrate and keep
doing my best during the midst of the big moment are:

*

*

*

3 tips for getting the right balance between consuming and creating

2007-11-19T21:18:00.000Z

People are living systems - so they must get the right balance between consuming and creating. And that is not just about food. For example, if a person consumes too many ideas without creating something, they may begin to feel stodgy. If they consume masses of bad news about the environment, they must create something that improves the world - otherwise they will feel weighed down. In order to live healthy lives, living systems must balance ‘getting things in’ with ‘getting things out’. Let’s explore how to make this happen.

1) You can clarify the things you want to consume.

Start by considering what you want to ‘take-in’. One person said: “I began by listing the physical and psychological things I want to consume. On the physical side, I want to eat good food, use renewable energy, spend time in the fresh air, etc. On the psychological side, I want to get stimulating ideas, watch exciting sport, read uplifting articles, work on energising projects and spend time with encouraging people. The hard part was figuring out how to do this in my daily life. Some things were easy to cut-out, such as watching trash on the television, but others took more thought.” So what do you want to take into your mind, body and soul? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I want to consume are:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify the things you want to create.

What do you want to create or ‘give-out’? You may want to encourage other people, cook tasty food, build good relationships, write inspiring articles or whatever. Creativity takes many forms - such as solving problems, producing something new or giving pleasure to other people. Great design, for instance, is simple, satisfying and successful. Sometimes you may simply get satisfaction from nurturing your garden, playing music or helping other people. Describe what you want to create - or give to others - in your life and work. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I want to create are:

*

*

*

3) You can get the right balance between consuming and creating.

People often know intuitively whether they have got the right balance in their lives between consuming and creating. Try answering the following questions. On a scale 0 - 10, to what extent do I think I have got the right balance between consuming and creating? What are the specific areas where I think I need to improve the balance? What are the specific steps I can take to make this happen?

“I found the psychological side relatively straightforward,” said one person. “I find it relatively simple to get stimulating in-put and do creative work. On the physical side, the first step was to start with the daily essentials. For example, to switch our electricity account to green energy - which takes 10 minutes on the internet – and to shop locally. The next stages will be more difficult, but it is a challenge I want to tackle.”

Consider what you can do to get the right balance between taking-in and giving-out. Taking this step can provide the foundation for sustainable growth - for both yourself and other people. It can also help you to stay healthy. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to get the right balance
between consuming and creating are:

*

*

*

3 tips for finding, accepting and forgetting yourself

2007-11-18T20:29:00.000Z

“You are most yourself when you forget yourself,” we are told. People often reveal their true talents when completely immersing themselves in an activity. Writing in his book Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explains that during such times people: “find their concern for self disappears, but paradoxically their sense of self emerges stronger.” Embarking on this adventure often involves taking three steps: finding yourself, accepting yourself and forgetting yourself. Let’s explore these stages.

1) Finding yourself.

Individuals continue to ask the eternal questions: “Who am I? Where am I going? How can I get there?” Different people embark on different journeys towards finding their answers.

“The first 25 years of my life were spent gathering experiences,” explained one person. “Fortunately my parents encouraged me to pursue my own path, providing I learned from my mistakes. My ‘gap year’ turned into 3 years. After travelling the world, I spent two years working in refugee camps in Asia. Returning to the UK, I decided to work for human rights. The world may be unfair - but I want to help as many people as possible to get a fair start in life. This sense of mission gets me up each morning.”

So how do you ‘find yourself’? “Go out into the world”, is the mantra. Live, learn and find your labour of love. Then clarify your legacy - the things you want to give to the world. Try many experiences. Sometimes you will say: “This feels right - this is what I was meant to do.” Continue adventuring and, when you are ready, clarify the patterns. What are your passions? Where do you feel at ease yet excel? Clarify your strengths and translate these into specific goals. See if you enjoy the sweat—the hard work required to achieve success. If so, you may have found your vocation. You can express this vocation through many different vehicles on the way towards doing valuable work.

2) Accepting yourself.

“During my 20s and 30s I attended many workshops where the tone seemed to be: ‘What do you want to change about yourself?’ said one person. “So I focused on ‘Who I’m not’, rather than ‘Who I am’. One day I just get fed-up and said: ‘I am going to be myself.’ Since then I have felt more at peace. I try to do the work I like, dress the way I like - within limits - and spend time with the people I like. Certainly I can keep improving but, if I fail, I am going to fail doing what I believe-in.”

People reach a point where they accept their strengths. They build their ‘As’ and manage the consequences of their ‘Bs’ and ‘Cs’. Setting specific goals, they go onto the next stage.

3) Forgetting yourself.

“The coaching session is all about the other person—it is not about you,” explained the course leader, as we each prepared to do a practice session watched by the whole group. “Concentrate on the person in front of you. Give them 100% attention. Be calm, clarify their goals and help them to get concrete results. The temptation will be to ‘show off’ by using clever techniques, but that is not the point. Success depends on what the person gets from the session - not whether you impress your watching colleagues.”

Try tackling the exercise below on this theme. Describe the activity in which you lose your self but emerge feeling fulfilled. Perhaps it is when you are painting, solving a problem, climbing a mountain, teaching, gardening, giving to another person or whatever. What do you do right then? You may feel as if you are simply channelling energy towards achieving a specific goal. Far from this being ‘new age’, it is because you have respected the task. Giving 100% attention, you have done the hard work required to achieve 8/10. Then you begin flowing to fulfilment. How can you follow these principles again in the future – both in that and other situations? Try completing the following sentences.

The specific activity in which I ‘forget myself’ yet emerge feeling fulfilled is:

*

The things I do right to ‘forget myself’ in that situation are:

*

*

*

The things I can do to follow these principles again
the future – both in that and other situations - are:

*

*

*

“Life is full of paradoxes,” we are told. Perhaps, but the paradoxes may simply be part of a circle - such as finding yourself, accepting yourself and forgetting yourself. You are then more likely to be your real self and give what you can to the world.

3 tips for knowing when to 'debate, decide, deliver'

2007-11-17T20:38:00.000Z

Imagine you are leading a team. The ‘debate, decide, deliver’ model is a good one for involving your people in owning parts of the strategy. Let’s look at how this works in practice. Start by giving people clear guidelines about the freedom they have to operate with the 3 D’s.

* Debate: describe the topics that are not up for debate – because these have already been decided - and those that are.

* Decide: describe the parameters within which people can then make decisions.

* Deliver: describe the deadlines by which people will be expected to deliver.

Great teams know which part of the model they are operating in. They know whether they are debating, deciding or delivering. Poor teams get the three parts mixed up. Bearing these principles in mind, let’s consider how you can guide your team through the three steps.

* Debate.

Describe again the areas that people can and can’t debate. You may say, for example:

“The big ‘What’ - the result we must deliver - is not open to debate. The key strategies - the ‘How’ - have also been handed-down. What we can discuss, however, are the tactics within each of these strategies. Here are the topics that we can debate as a team.

a)

b)

c)

“Are there any other topics to add that perhaps fall under our remit to discuss? Let’s add those to the list. Right, let’s explore the first topic.”

Embark on the debate process. Clarity is crucial. Looking at the first topic, start by defining the results to deliver. Move onto the choices and consequences. Brainstorm all the possible options - together with the pluses and minuses of each option. Discuss the options, then move onto finding possible creative solutions. Eventually you will find the group start moving towards their conclusions.

Good facilitation will be required. Get the right balance between ‘opening up’ - clarifying the result to achieve and exploring ideas - then ‘closing down’. Create an atmosphere in which people share their ideas. Business meetings sometimes close down the discussion too early. On the other hand, some teams open-up subject after subject and never make any decisions. Get the right balance when discussing the first topic. Then, when appropriate, move onto the next stage.

* Decide.

Time to make a decision. You may say something like: “Looking at the first topic, let’s return to results to deliver. Now is the time to decide on which option - or options - we want to pursue. After making the decision, we must then decide who will do what by when. Okay, looking at the first topic, let’s decide on the route forward.”

Clarify the action plan for the first topic. Continue the session by repeating the ‘Debate’ and ‘Decide’ steps for other items on the agenda. Conclude the session by summarising what has been agreed. Encourage people to ‘play back’ what they understand to be the action plans for delivering the team’s goals. Then move onto the next stage.

* Deliver.

People must then work hard to deliver. Provide the support they need to do the job. Super teams are made up of people who are positive, professional and peak performers. But sometimes they get thrown off-course. If people become paralysed in long discussions, investigate the reasons. If appropriate, return to the ‘debate, decide and deliver’ model. Check that the ‘debate’ and ‘decide’ parts have been agreed. If so - and if the decision still fits - then ensure they deliver. If not, then ensure people make a decision and deliver. (Sometimes, of course, it can be a case of ‘just do it’.)

Super teams have crystal clear goals. People know what mountain they are climbing, why they are climbing it and when they will reach the summit. Within this framework, people work best when they can ‘own’ their part of the strategy. Providing it is used properly, the 3 D model is a good tool for making this happen. People then develop the habit of knowing when to debate, decide and deliver.

3 tips for inviting team members to explore their successes and challenges

2007-11-17T15:38:00.000Z

This is a simple but effective exercise for getting a team to explore its successes and challenges. It is especially effective as a kick-off activity to a regular meeting or an off-site. The exercise encourages people to learn from their successes – then move onto exploring their potential challenges. People often say they find the exercise both reassuring and stimulating. Imagine you are bringing the team together for a one-day session. You can take the following steps to kick-off the meeting before pursuing any other topics you want to cover.

* You can invite people to describe their successes and challenges.

“Welcome to today’s session,” began one leader. “It is two months since our last meeting, so I would like to start by asking you to do two things. First, describe your own and, if appropriate, your team’s successes over the past 2 months. For example, you may have finally recruited a full team; beat your sales target; dealt well with a difficult disciplinary session or whatever. Second, describe the challenges that you – or your team – may face over the next 2 months. For example, how to manage a difficult team member; improve profit whilst reducing costs; get sales-people buzzing in the peak period running up to Christmas or whatever. Take 10 minutes to make this list, then I will invite you to share these in the group.”

You will obviously approach this in your own way. But here is a framework you can use to invite people to clarify their achievements and focus on future issues.

The successes I/we have had in the past two months are:

*

*

*

The challenges I/we face in the next two months are:

*

*

*

* You can invite people to describe and learn from their successes.

Invite the first person to describe their achievements. Write these on the flip chart and build a catalogue of the team’s successes. Listen carefully, then ask them to go into more detail. You may want to say something like:

“Let’s explore these a little deeper. What did you – or your team – do right to achieve your first success? Try to be super specific. Great performers continually clarify and repeat good habits. So it is important: a) to find the principles you followed; b) to follow these principles again in future. Some people overlook the importance of following successful patterns. They immediately leap to ‘what went wrong’. Certainly it is vital to improve, but you often reach 7/10 by going back to basics - which calls for following good habits. So what did you do right to achieve your first success? Building on these foundations, we can then look at how to achieve the 10/10.”

Here is a framework you can use to invite people to build on their successes. Continue around the room until everybody has shared their achievements.

The specific success was:

*

The specific things I/we did right to achieve the success were:

*

*

*

The specific things I/we can do to follow these principles in the future are:

*

*

*

* You can invite people to describe and explore their challenges.

Invite the first person to describe their challenges. Write these on the flip chart and start building a catalogue of the team’s challenges. Listen carefully and be crystal-clear on the challenge. Invite the person to phrase the issue in terms of: “How to ____?” Get them to put it in positive terms. For example: “How to improve morale?” rather than: “How to stop negativity?” Once the person has explained the challenge, you then have two options:

a) To invite the person to describe any ideas they already have for tackling the challenge and, if appropriate, add any suggestions.

b) To go around the whole team, collect all the challenges and highlight any common themes. You can then focus on each challenge and work together to explore possible solutions.

Whichever route you take, here is a framework for inviting people to explore their challenges.

The specific challenge I/we face is:

*
The possible options for tackling this challenge are:

*

*

*

The specific route I/we will probably take to tackle the challenge is:

*

“Exploring this exercise properly can take quite a while,” explained one leader. “So we have got into the habit of doing it 3 or 4 times a year. Acting as a model, I kick-off by sharing my own successes and some potential challenges. People are then more likely to open-up and share their own experiences. The exercise provides a framework we use to keep improving our performance. ”

3 tips for focusing on where you make complicated things simple

2007-11-15T20:39:00.000Z

Great performers make complicated things appear simple. They see patterns quickly, get to the heart of the matter and deliver success. Let’s focus on where you have this ability.

1) You can clarify the situation where you make complicated things simple.

Great educators share their knowledge in a way that is simple yet profound – while great athletes demonstrate grace under pressure. How do such performers make things appear so natural? The usual answer is: “Because they work at it.” It is also because they are using their ‘A’ talent. Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Begin by describing a specific activity in which you make complicated things simple. You may be fixing a computer problem, cooking for 20 people, skippering a yacht or whatever. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific situation where I make complicated things simple is:

*

2) You can put yourself into the situation where you make complicated things simple.

Betty Edwards has helped millions of people to learn how to draw. In 1980 she published Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. As a child she got praised for her ‘special gift’ of being able to draw. She writes: “But in the back of my mind, I felt that the praise was misplaced. I knew that drawing was easy and that all anyone had to do was to look at things in that certain way.” Betty communicated her secrets in the book. This has enabled many people to free their ‘right brains’ and become more creative in their lives. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to keep putting myself into
the situation where I make complicated things simple are:

*

*

*

3) You can pass-on your knowledge about the situation where you make complicated things simple.

Passing-on your wisdom may be a challenge - because what you do may seem so ‘natural’ - but have a go. David Attenborough, for example, has translated his love for nature into memorable TV series. You may not have access to such a big budget, but there are many other vehicles. For example, you can run coaching sessions, lead workshops, give presentations, write articles, create a website and publish books. Try completing the following sentences.

The things I can do to pass-on my knowledge about the
situation where I make complicated things simple are:

*

*

*

The benefits of doing this will be:

*

*

Sharing your wisdom will encourage other people to make good use of their talents. They may also discover where they make complicated things simple.

3 tips for focusing on drive, detail & delivery

2007-11-14T20:41:00.000Z

There are many ways to build on your strengths. One approach is to identify the activities in which you score highly on drive, detail and delivery. “I score at least 8/10 in all three areas when I am running workshops,” said one person. “I love sharing knowledge; enjoy designing and facilitating the workshop; and get good feedback from delegates. It feels like I have discovered what I do best.” Where does this happen for you?

Start by brainstorming all the activities in which you score highly on the 3 D’s. Then focus on one activity in which you want to specialise.

The 3 D’s. The specific activities in which I
score highly on drive, detail & delivery are:

*

*

*

The specific activity in which I would like to specialise is:

*

Looking at this activity, let’s explore how you rate yourself on the 3 D’s.

1) Drive.

Motivation is crucial – so make sure your motivation to do this activity is at least 9/10. Sometimes we find our desire to do some jobs begins to diminish. One customer service director said: “People say I am great at running customer service initiatives, but my drive to lead yet another project is only 3/10. Now I want to take on an MD role and run a complete business. Yes, I must develop the knowledge required to lead a company. But I am prepared to do everything possible to produce at least a 9/10 in delivering success.” Looking at your chosen activity, try completing the following sentences.

Drive. The extent to which I have a
strong drive to do this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*

2) Detail.

Peak performers have great attention to detail in the activities where they excel. One marketing director told me: “I get bored with the detail.” When preparing for a TV interview, however, he kept rehearsing until he had an answer for every possible question. “But that is different,” he said. “I love doing television interviews and want to make sure I have covered every angle.” What he meant in his original statement was: “I get bored with the detail in those areas that don’t interest me.” Looking at the activity in which you do superb work, rate your attention to detail. Make sure it is at least 8/10. Try completing the following sentences.

Detail. The extent to which I have a attention
to detail when doing this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*

3) Delivery.

How good are you at finishing? People buy what you complete - so rate yourself on delivery. “Exploring this aspect was illuminating and changed the direction of my career,” said one environmental journalist. “Looking back at the magazine articles I wrote, there were differences in their quality. They all got published - but some were more satisfying and made more impact. Looking at the best, they highlighted practical initiatives taken to improve the environment, rather than spreading more ‘doom and gloom’. Now I concentrate on writing articles that provide people with practical hope.” Looking at the activity in which you do superb work, rate your delivery. Try completing the following sentences.

Delivery. The extent to which I deliver the
goods when doing this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*
Great performers excel at the 3 D’s. So keep putting yourself into the situations where you score highly on drive, detail and delivery.

3 tips for finishing

2007-11-13T21:19:00.000Z

Finishing is a key skill in life. “Flow, focus, finish and, as a by-product, find fulfilment,” is the motto. Sounds easy in theory, but how does it work in practice? For example, how can you complete a book, perform well to the final whistle in a sporting event or finish a project successfully? Here are three tips for finishing.

1) You can clarify your successful pattern for finishing.

Try tackling the exercise called Finishing. Looking back at your life, describe something you have finished successfully. What did you do right then? Be super specific. For example, one person said:

“Five years ago I finally completed work on refurbishing the ‘Granny annexe’ at our house, something I had delayed for years. First, I decided whether or not I wanted to do it. Certainly I could have hired a local builder - which would have freed up time - but I chose to finish it myself. Second, I set aside time to do the job, booking long weekends over a period of 12 months. I ring-fenced this time, rather than allowing it to become cluttered by other events.”

“Third, I established a working ritual, starting on Friday morning, working all day and most of Saturday, then allocating the rest of the weekend to the family. Fourth, I made it as pleasurable as possible, playing my favourite music, listening to the radio and having frequent coffee breaks. Fifth, I followed the discipline and kept working until it was finished. Now my teenage kids have moved into that part of the house - so Granny will have to wait.”

Clarify your successful pattern for finishing. Consider how you can follow similar principles in the future. There may also be other strategies and skills you can add to be an even better finisher. (You may have different patterns in your personal and professional life. For example, when moving-on from a relationship or completing a work project.) Try completing the exercise on this theme – then go onto the next step.

Finishing

The time I finished something successfully was:

*

The specific things I did to finish it successfully were:

*

*

*

The steps I can take to finish things successfully in the future are:

*

*

*

2) You can choose something you want to finish.

Looking into the future, choose something you want to finish. Be selective to be effective. You can’t complete everything in life. Providing you accept the consequences, it can be okay to say: “I don’t want to finish it.” Then focus on other priorities. Identify what you want to finish and treat it like a ‘project’. Employ good planning exercises. For example, start by clarifying your picture of perfection. Identify the pluses and minuses involved in reaching the goal - and decide whether you want to go for it. If so, clarify the three things you can do to give yourself the greatest chance of success. Create a road map - a project plan - for achieving the picture of perfection. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific thing I would like to finish in the future is:

*

3) You can follow your successful pattern - then flow, focus and finish.

Set aside time to finish, otherwise you are destined to fail. Divide the task into reasonable chunks and set yourself a realistic goal for each time period. Reaching it will give you a sense of achievement. The next step is to follow your successful pattern. Writing in her book The Creative Habit, the choreographer Twyla Tharp recommends establishing daily habits. Now in her 60s, she starts her day at 5.30 am, walks out of her Manhattan flat and hails a cab. This takes her to the gym for a two hour workout. Twyla believes that starting the day properly propels you towards your goal. She writes:

“Being creative is an everyday thing, a job with its own routines … The routine is as much part of the creative process as the lightening bolt of inspiration (perhaps more). And it is available to everyone. If creativity is a habit, then the best creativity is a result of good work habits.”

Make good use of your prime times - the times when you have most energy. Eat properly, take time to relax, rest and recover. Encourage yourself. Surround yourself with positive things - people, music or whatever. Everybody experiences setbacks. When you hit difficulties, lift your eyes to focus on the picture of perfection. See things in perspective. If possible, learn to love the process as much as reaching the prize.

Do the right things in the right way every day. Be calm, controlled and centred. Keep working hard and, almost as a by-product, you will finish. Relax. Clarify what you did well - and how you can do more of these things in the future. Clarify what you can do even better next time - and how. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to flow, focus and finish are:

*

*

*

Finishing is just another name for beginning. Soon it will be time to find another challenge to tackle, another dream to pursue. You can then again follow your successful pattern for finishing. Enjoy the journey.

3 tips for employing your personal radar

2007-11-12T20:04:00.000Z

Peak performers have a sixth sense in the areas where they perform brilliantly. They seem to know ‘what will happen before it happens’. Al Siebert, author of The Survivor Personality, called this gift ‘personal radar’. Let’s explore where you might use your radar and repertoire to deliver great results.

1) You can clarify where you have good radar.

What are the situations in which you have good radar? Where do you quickly see patterns? Where do you quickly see the desired picture of perfection? Different people have different kinds of radar. Great footballers, for example, seem to have more time and space than other players. Demonstrating superb positional sense, they seem several moves ahead of the opposition. Great retailers have an intuitive ‘feeling’ for their business. They can predict what will be happening in the market in the future. Ellen MacArthur, the round-the-world yachtswoman, reads the waves to anticipate future sailing conditions. Processing the information, she then works-out the strategy for reaching her destination.

So what happens when people use their personal radar? Entering the situation in which they excel, they feel alive and alert. Employing their antennae, they rapidly gather information about three things. a) They see patterns and, extrapolating the patterns, they envisage potential scenarios. b) They see the desired picture of perfection. c) They see how to pursue the best strategy for achieving the picture of perfection. You will have good radar in some situations, but not in others. For example, you may work well with certain clients, but not with others. (Be aware of where you have bad radar and develop a strategy for dealing with those situations.) Try completing the following sentence.

The specific situation in which I have good radar is:

*

2) You can clarify what you have in your repertoire.

Radar provides lots of information - but it is only the starting point. People must dig into their repertoire to reach their goals. There are normally three components in your repertoire. a) Strengths - the natural talents you have been given. b) Strategies - the life-experience, knowledge, models and wisdom you have gathered. c) Skills - the skills, tools and techniques you have developed. Radar is given: but the greatest area of growth lies in expanding your repertoire. Try completing the following sentence.

The strengths, strategies and skills I have in
my repertoire that I can use in this situation are:

*

*

*

3) You can use your radar and repertoire to deliver great results.

Faced by a challenging situation, peak performers reach into their repertoire to use the right technique to achieve the desired goal. “Every client is different, but I do follow a certain model,” said one counsellor. “Meeting a troubled person, I make them feel welcome and quickly look for behavioural patterns. I then imagine what I want them to be feeling, thinking and saying when they leave the session. Moving on, I try many different strategies to make contact and clarify their goals. Drawing on my experience - yet also staying fully in the present - I then use different tools to help them to succeed.” How do you do this in your own way? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to use my radar and
repertoire to deliver results in this situation are:

*

*

*

Consider how you can keep putting yourself into situations where you have good radar. You will then increase your chances of doing outstanding work.

3 tips for being real in role

2007-11-11T16:04:00.000Z

People sometimes go through three stages during their professional career. First, they begin by being real. Second, they became wrapped in playing a professional role. Third, they are real in their professional role. Let’s explore these three steps.

1) Being real.

People often show passion when starting out on their chosen career. They are real, raw and may be classified as a ‘rough diamond’. Throwing themselves into their work, they sometimes make mistakes - but this is part of the adventure. Their spark transmits energy and fire. Singer-songwriters, for example, sometimes produce great work early in their careers. Belying their youth, they write songs that convey wisdom beyond their years. The same happens in many fields. Stoked by idealism, people look forward to going to work each day - then comes the next stage.

2) Being in role.

People may climb the career ladder and, at a certain point, feel they must get into ‘role’. Certainly they must be professional - but sometimes they bury their personality and become wrapped in the role. This may manifest itself by, for example, losing touch with customers, collecting ‘badges’, talking in long sentences, making things complicated or whatever. “I stopped doing what I do best,” said one person, “and spent my life acting as a middle management supervisor. Two years into the job I felt confident enough to begin showing my real personality.” This brings us to the next stage.

3) Being real in role.

Confident in their professional ability, they are real yet also able to fulfil their role. Great leaders, for example, show the ‘human touch’. They feel more able to ‘be themselves’ and, far from diminishing their authority, this increases their credibility. How can you continue to be real in your role? Three principles are worth bearing in mind. First, be passionate. Do things you feel passionately about and let your passion shine through. Second, be professional. Fulfil your professional obligations - and do these superbly. Third, be a peak performer. Do something special that adds that touch of magic. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to continue be real in my role are:

*

*

*

3 tips for balancing money, meaning & magic

2007-11-11T15:53:00.000Z

People want three things from work: money, meaning and magic. Money feeds the stomach; meaning and magic feed the spirit and the soul. Let’s explore how you can get the right balance in your work.

1) Money.

“I’m not sure I will ever have enough money,” said one person. “I seem to spend whatever I get.” Different people have different relationships with money. Researchers tell us that, once people go beyond a certain financial threshold, then increased money does not mean increased happiness. On a scale 0—10, to what extent do you feel you get enough money in your work? Would you like to improve the rating? If so, how can you make this happen?

One key point: How a person spends their money - and whether they can do so more wisely - is a separate issue. Many excellent books have been written on this subject. The Seven Laws of Money, by Michael Phillips, remains one of the best. Published over 20 years ago, it shows how people can enjoy a better relationship with money. Providing you have enough money to live, the issue then becomes one of lifestyle - making money your servant, rather than master. As Gandhi said: “The world has enough resources for everybody’s need, but not for everybody’s greed.” Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I feel I get enough money in my work is: ___ /10

The specific things I can do to maintain or improve this rating are:

*

*

*

2) Meaning.

On a scale 0—10, to what extent do you enjoy a sense of meaning in your work? “I love my job,” said one person. “I provide solutions that help people to take more charge of their lives. Like many people in the service business, I aim to help customers to succeed. And that gives me an enormous buzz.”

“Looking at my professional life,” said one knowledge worker, “I must get the right balance between innovation, implementation and impact. The final phase, impact, is important - because I like to see positive results. In my last job, however, I spent all my time implementing other people’s tactics. There was little scope for innovation or impact. So I returned to what I do best. Now I can see results - which is what I find fulfilling.”

Looking to the future, how can you maintain - or improve - the sense of meaning? Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I enjoy a sense of meaning in my work is: ___ /10

The specific things I can do to maintain or improve this rating are:

*

*

*

3) Magic.

When do you enjoy a sense of magic in your work? When do you get a creative high? When do you flow? When do you go into your equivalent of the sporting zone? Looking to the future, how can you create more of those spell-binding moments?

“I started by giving myself treats - visiting customers again,” said a sales director, “which was far more rewarding than boring internal meetings. Slowly I pieced together these visit like a string of pearls, until 80% of my week was spent with customers. The orders rolled-in and, because our team burst the bottom-line, I was given extra heads. So I did three things. First, found a co-ordinator to manage the team. Second, got everybody to write down their strengths and how they could use them to achieve the team’s goals. Third, gave the co-ordinator power to harness these strengths and fill the gaps. That released everybody to do what they do best. Now we have a superb team.”

Richard Florida’s book, The Rise of The Creative Class, describes how millions of people are being more creative in their work. If they cannot satisfy this drive inside an organisation, they go outside. Companies that harness this spirit will create ‘win-wins’ - both for the organisation and the individual. Bread is vital to stay alive but, as we are told, people do not live by bread alone. Many are taking steps to get the right balance between money, meaning and magic in their lives. Try completing the following sentences.

The extent to which I enjoy a sense of magic in my work is: ___ /10

The specific things I can do to maintain or improve this rating are:

*

*

*

3 tips for communicating the vision, values & visible results

2007-11-09T14:19:00.000Z

Imagine you are a leader. You want your leadership team to communicate what your organisation does – and do it in a succinct way. One approach is to educate people to communicate the vision, values and visible results. (Let’s assume that you are already clear on the values.) Here are three steps you can take to communicate what your organisation does.

1) You can communicate the vision.

Gather your team together and make three flip-charts headed: ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ and ‘Visible Results’. Give each person a pack of Post-It Notes. They are then to write their views on what can go under each of the three headings. Later they will each go to the front and place their relevant Post-Its under the specific headings. To begin with, however, ask them to complete their Post-Its for the individual sections.

Invite people to write a ‘one-liner’ summarising what they believe is – or should be – the vision. This sounds simple, but many organisations find it difficult, because it should crystallise the big ‘What’. So you may want to outline some guidelines. For example, it is: a) To be a one-liner that summarises the vision. b) To be no more than 13 words. c) To set an inspiring tone – the direction – for the organisation. Remind people that, despite their best efforts, it will be impossible to get ‘everything’ into the one-liner. But it should provide a starting point for being able to give examples that bring the vision to life. So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The vision we want to achieve is:

*

2) You can communicate the values.

Invite people to complete their Post-Its for the second part of the exercise. They are to write the values they want employees to follow to achieve the vision. You may have already done considerable work on defining the values – especially in terms of choosing to ‘live the values, rather than just laminate the values’. If so, great. If not, then this may be a good starting point for clarifying the values. Different organisations will, of course, choose different values. One company, for example, settled on theirs being: “Deliver results; Take responsibility; Care for people; Love change.” So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The values we want people to follow to achieve the vision are:

*

*

*

3) You can communicate the visible results.

Invite people to complete their Post-Its for the third part of the exercise. They are to describe specific examples of how employees have actually lived the values and produced visible results. Federal Express, for example, continually highlighted stories of their couriers going that extra mile to deliver exceptional service. So invite people to complete the following sentence.

The specific ways that people have demonstrated
the values and delivered visible results are:

*

*

*

Give people ten minutes to write Post-Its relating to the headings of ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ and ‘Visible Results’. Invite each person to then go up in turn and place their ideas under the respective headings. They are also to explain what they have written. Follow this with a short discussion about any of the points that have been raised. Explain that you will write up the flip charts and also aim:

a) To consider the Post-It Notes relating to the vision – then settle on a specific one-liner that summarises the ‘What’;

b) To meet again with the team and agree on the ‘script’ they can follow to communicate the company’s ‘Vision’, ‘Values’ & ‘Visible Results’;

c) To carry-out a plan for constantly collecting and communicating specific examples of what people are doing to deliver visible results.

This approach sounds simple – and it is – but that does not mean it is easy. The hardest part is often clarifying the vision – the ‘What’. But that is a vital step in defining what the company does. People can then transmit the whole picture by communicating the vision, values and visible results.

3 tips for being fully alive

2007-11-07T18:53:00.000Z

When do you feel fully alive? You may be teaching, fixing a problem, renovating a house, selling to certain customers, leading a team or whatever. What are you doing right then? How can you follow these principles more in the future? How can you base your life on doing the things in which you feel fully alive? Let’s explore some ideas for making this happen.

1) You can clarify when you feel fully alive.

“I split this into the personal and professional sides,” said one person. “On the personal side, I feel fully alive when encouraging our children, walking in Scotland, gardening, listing to certain music, painting and spending time with friends. On the professional side, it is when doing one-to-one coaching – rather than running workshops, working with high-tech companies and, strangely, travelling by train to assignments – rather than getting stuck on motorways. The coaching part provides an important pointer. I can run workshops, but feel more comfortable working with individuals. Sometimes I have five sessions a day and still have energy.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Looking at your personal and professional life, describe the times when you feel fully alive. Be as specific as possible and complete the following sentence.

The times when I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

2) You can do more of the things in which you feel fully alive.

Let’s start this part by exploring what you are doing right when you feel fully alive because this highlights principles to consider when shaping your future life. One person said:

“My partner and I enjoy walking together in Scotland. Looking at this activity, the things we are doing right then are: a) Planning and spending quality time together – this takes discipline, but the alternative can be to drift along; b) Doing something we both enjoy – going on an adventure; c) Being in our element – feeling able to reflect yet also getting outside stimulation. We now go to Scotland four times a year – but we also try to follow these principles elsewhere in our lives.”

Let’s return to your life and work. Looking at the activities you wrote in the previous section, how can you do more of these in the future? Then go deeper. Choose one of the activities in which you feel fully alive. What are you doing right then? How can you follow these principles more in the future? Bearing all these answers in mind – and being as specific as possible - complete the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to do more of
the things in which I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

3) You can base your life on doing the things in which you feel fully alive.

This may seem radical - perhaps unrealistic – but it can provide a good starting point. Let’s imagine your life is an empty white room. Start by putting your family and friends in the white room. Then move onto the personal and professional activities in which you feel fully alive. Put those into your white room. Focus on the professional activities. How can you make these the basis for your future work? One carpenter said:

“Ten year ago I worked as a builder and carpenter, erecting ‘assembly-line’ houses. Then I was approached to build a house extension in French Oak. I set-up my own firm, managed the whole project and satisfied the customers. Their friends saw the ‘work in progress’ and asked me to do something similar in their house. Now I have a waiting list of customers. People say, ‘You have to wait a year for him – but he is worth it.’ I am doing carpentry work I love and it pays the bills. What more could you ask?”

Different people will employ this approach in different ways. Looking at the fulfilling things in your professional life, for example, consider how you can expand some of these activities. The answers will not always appear straight away but, with some creativity, they may well emerge. You will then be able to keep developing the areas in which you feel fully alive. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to base my life on
doing the things in which I feel fully alive are:

*

*

*

3 tips for clarifying what you deliver

2007-11-06T20:00:00.000Z

“So what can you deliver for us?” This is a question that employers ask potential suppliers. They say: “Don’t tell us what you can do. Tell us what you can deliver – and what will be the benefits.”

Many people find these questions difficult to answer. Some embark on long explanations about ‘who’ they are – their background - and ‘how’ they will work. This may be interesting – but employers want a headline. They want to know how you can help them to achieve their picture of success. Let’s explore how you can make this happen.

1) You can clarify ‘what’ you can deliver and the benefits – the ‘why’

What can you deliver to a potential employer? Depending on offering, you may begin by saying something like: “I can … help children with learning difficulties … nurse patients … fix computer problems … run an efficient office … organise conferences … mentor talented people … renovate houses.” How can you crystallise what you offer? How can you communicate this in a compelling way? How can you show the benefits? “But I don’t like to sell myself,” somebody may say. Let’s explore this and other principles when clarifying your offering. It is important:

a) To aim to help the potential customers to succeed – you are not selling.

b) To understand the customer’s world, the challenges they face and their picture of success.

c) To clarify the specific things you offer, the results these will deliver and how these will help the customer to achieve success.

Let’s consider these steps. The starting point is to want to help the customer to succeed. Certainly you want to get paid – but the key is helping them to reach their goals. Understanding the customer is crucial. So identify the right target group – and the key decision-makers in that group – and look at the world from their point of view. What are the challenges they face? What are their goals? Most people want to be healthy, happy and successful. Translated into the organisational world, however, ‘success’ often means focusing on the 3 Ps. Leaders want to continually improve their profits/performance, products and people. If you are targeting the organisational market, you may need to show how what you offer can improve some – or all – of the 3 Ps.

Try tackling the following exercise. This focuses on ‘what’ you want to offer and ‘why’ people might be interested – the potential benefits. First, describe the specific thing – the service or product - you want to offer to potential customers. Second, describe the specific results this would deliver. Third, describe the potential benefits for the various stakeholders, such as the individual clients/employees, teams and organisation.

The specific thing – service or product –
I want to offer to potential customers is:

*

The specific results this will deliver will be:

*

*

*

The specific benefits will be:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify ‘how’ you will work, with ‘whom’ and ‘when’.

You have already explored ‘what’ you will offer and ‘why’ it might be of benefit. The next step is to go deeper into ‘how’ you can work with ‘whom’ and ‘when’. Great performers explain this in a crisp and compelling way. They outline their working style by moving from the ‘concept’ to the ‘concrete’. They describe the strategy they will follow, but bring it to life by giving specific examples – preferably from the customer’s world. Previously you identified the ‘whom’ in terms of your overall target group and, in particular, the decision-makers. Now it is time to explain to the customer the types of people with whom you can work. If it gets to the agreement stage, you can then settle on ‘when’ the work can be done. Bearing in mind your offering to people, try completing the following sentence.

The specific way I will work – ‘how’
with ‘whom’ and ‘when’ - will be:

*

*

*

3) You can communicate what you can offer, help others to succeed and develop what you can deliver.

How to get work? First, you can be crystal clear on what you offer – which you have already done. It is vital to be clear within yourself about what you want to offer to the market. Second, you can show how what you offer can help customers to succeed. There are many ways to reach-out to potential customers. But it is vital to employ an approach with which you feel comfortable. Here are some suggestions for taking this route.

a) Write a ‘mini-brochure’ based on the sentences you have already completed.

First, describe the specific thing – the service or product - you offer, the specific results you can deliver and the potential benefits for customers. Second, describe the way you work. Third, describe a little about yourself. You may never send out this brochure – but it is an excellent discipline for your ‘script’ or the basis for a website.

b) Find a way to ‘package’ your knowledge – such as via articles, books and a website.

The future world of work will be full of people trying to sell their services, so credibility will be vital. Find ways to package your knowledge and make the ‘intangible’ tangible. Build on the work you do and turn these projects into ‘products’, such as short articles or ‘success stories’.

c) Get out into the world. Encourage the colleagues and customers in your network.

Everybody talks about the importance of networking, but it is good to remember one key rule. Real networking is about helping other people to succeed. It is not about selling yourself. Find a way to get alongside people – colleagues and customers – and understand their picture of success. Then offer ideas, tools and knowledge that they can use to reach their goals. Get out into the world, because customers buy ‘face-to-face’. They may be interested in what you offer, but will often wait until the next time you meet before mentioning a potential project. Sometimes it takes several meetings before such an opportunity appears. Keep encouraging the people in your network and eventually a customer will say: “How can we take this further?” Get back to them quickly with a possible framework for achieving their goals.

d) Do great work – then keep developing what you can deliver.

Let’s imagine you get a piece of work. Start by making clear contracts. Clarify the sponsor’s picture of perfection – the real results they want to achieve. Play-back your understanding to make sure you share the same picture. Double-check the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for working with them, especially the way they want to be kept informed. Get some early wins to reassure the sponsor and do superb work. Fulfil the contract – and add that touch of class. After completing the work, gather information about: “What went well – and how can I do more of these things in the future? What can I do better next time – and how?” Employ this information to develop and refine what you can deliver.

“This sounds like hard work,” somebody may say. Yes, it is – but the alternative is to stay home waiting to be discovered. As I mentioned earlier, reach out to the world in a way that fits your values. You will then look forward to going out and helping other people to reach their goals. There are many ways to ‘go to market’, but this is one that works. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to communicate what I offer, help
others to succeed and keep developing what I deliver are:

*

*

*

3 tips for inviting your team to consider they are running their own business

2007-11-05T19:15:00.000Z

Several years ago I worked with a leadership team that were encountering severe problems. Fortunately they overcome the difficulties, but it called for radical surgery. They began by imagining they were running their own business – then went on to find ways to satisfy their key sponsors. Imagine you are a leader. Let’s explore how you apply this approach in your own team within an organisation.

1) You can invite the team to consider they are running their own business.

“We are the European arm of a global company,” explained the MD of the team mentioned above. “Looking back at the difficult time, we faced several key issues. First, we knew which of our products made money in the European market. Second, we knew how to run the business in this part of the world. Third, we were in trouble, however, because we spent masses of time satisfying head office. They wanted us: a) To sell the products they believed should be sold – but that didn’t fit the market; b) To follow complicated internal procedures that satisfied the bureaucrats but didn’t help us to make profits. We needed to do something radical – otherwise we wouldn’t be in business.”

You may or may not face similar issues – but it is still worth applying the thinking followed by that team. Gather your team together and invite them to go through the following steps. Say something like.

“I want you to imagine that we as a team are running our own business. Each of us has borrowed a significant amount of money – and we may get further backing from a potential investor. We are going to make a presentation to that investor, so I want you to produce a 3 year plan. This should cover the following areas:

* Profits. (Or performance if you work in a not-for-profit organisation).

Outline the profits you believe it is possible for the team to achieve in: a) One year; b) Two years; c) Three years. It’s also important to produce an estimate of the various items in the budget. These will be governed by what you include in the next two areas – products and people.

* Products.

Outline the ‘products’ that you would put into the business. Imagine you are starting the business again and can choose the team’s products, services and other offerings. You probably know what is profitable, so use this as a starting point. There may also be other products you want to include that will create future profits. Back-up your thinking with data about potential income.

* People.

Outline the people you would put into the business. Imagine everybody left tomorrow and offered their services back to the company. Who would you hire and what would you hire them to deliver? Which other people – or roles – would you hire into the business?”

Give people an hour to complete this part of the exercise. They are then to make presentations to the team. The presentations and discussions will probably take several hours. Continue for as long as you feel is appropriate before calling time. Explain that you will consider what people have said – then get back to them with a further piece of work to tackle.

Imagine you are doing this exercise with your own team. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things we would focus on if we were
running the team as our own business – including
the profits, products & people – would be:

*

*

*

2) You can invite the team to clarify the principles they would follow to run the business.

Gather your thoughts – then decide on the team’s potential future focus. Put together the proposition in terms of the profitability, products and people. Go back to your team with the suggested ‘positioning’ – the products it would offer, the potential customers and the desired profit. Agree on this with the team. That is the ‘What’. The next stage is to clarify the ‘How’ – the principles the team will follow to make this happen. Invite them to brainstorm and then agree on: “The 3 key things we would do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success would be: a) To _______ b) To ________ c) To _________” . Imagine you are doing this exercise with your own team. Try completing the following sentence.

The principles we would follow
to run the business would be:

*

*

*

3) You can enable the team to follow some of these principles in the present organisation.

This is the difficult part – but it is a role played by many ‘protectors’ of great teams. They satisfy the centre, but ensure their team has the space to employ its talents. The team must also fulfil their part of the bargain, of course, and deliver the goods. It calls for you being able:

a) To encourage the team to focus on what they believe will deliver success – and the team then producing great results.

b) To know what must be done to satisfy the centre – then doing what is necessary, but not what is over-necessary.

c) To act in a super-professional way to connect with your key sponsors, making clear contacts with them and ensure your team delivers the ‘profits – the results that really matter.

“Deviants must over-deliver,” is the rule. Aim to exceed your targets – otherwise you may get fired. Be super-professional when dealing with the centre. Keep talking about the ‘What’ – the result you will deliver. This may call for saying something like:

“We will deliver x in terms of profits. We can do this by focusing our time on doing ‘a, b & c’. If we are also asked to do ‘d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k & l’, then this will have knock-on effects regarding the time spent with our customers and producing profit. We must, of course, follow the key principles within the business. But some of the complicated ‘add-ons’ produce unnecessary meetings and bite into the time spent with customers. Our goal is to produce great results. So we are willing to be judged by whether we deliver the goods.”

The MD of the ailing team took these steps. Going to the centre, he explained: “We can hit our targets in Europe. But it calls for radical measures. These include: a) focusing on the products the customers want to buy; b) spending all our time in the market, rather than on internal meetings; c) putting our people in the places where they perform best. Taking these steps will deliver the results.” He got backing to follow these principles – and the team over-performed.

You will follow these steps in your own way. Looking at your own team, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things we can do to follow some of
these principles in our present organisation – and
run the team as if it was our own business - are:

*

*

*

Many organisations like to say: “We combine the structure of a big company with the spirit of a small company.” The art lies in making this happen. You can enable your team to think like entrepreneurs - but also make their best contribution to the organisation.

3 tips for being positive & professional - but not trying to persuade

2007-11-04T16:43:00.000Z

“Be positive and professional, but don’t try to persuade,” was the approach of a therapeutic community I ran in the early 1970s. Young people applied to join the community – frequently wanting to escape from detention centres, mental hospitals or troubled families. Our approach was to outline what we could offer – the ‘results’ – plus the ‘rules’ to follow and the potential ‘rewards’. It was then up to the young person whether or not they decided to join. We did not try to ‘persuade’. Why? We did everything possible to present the offering in a professional way, but it was important to respect the individual’s right make their own choice. The same approach applies in many others situations. Let’s explore how you can follow these steps in your own way.

1) You can be positive, professional and prepare properly.

Imagine you are being asked to pitch for a piece of business. Some sales-people see this as a competition. They want to ‘persuade’ the client to ‘love them’ and win the business. Other people see it as a positive opportunity. They can do their best and ‘control the controllables’ – but they cannot guarantee the outcome. They must aim to understand the customer, clarify their own offering and present in a professional way. The client can then decide what is right for them. Let’s explore how you can pursue this latter route when working to get business.

a) You can be crystal-clear on your own offering to the market.

Great performers are niche-suppliers. They focus on what they do best and do it brilliantly. They are crystal-clear on: ‘What’ they offer; ‘Why’ they offer it – the potential benefits to customers; ‘Who’ they offer it to – their specific target group; ‘How’ they offer it and ‘When’. So start by being clear on what you can offer to potential customers.

b) You can be crystal-clear on what the customer wants – their picture of success.

Clarify what the customer wants. You need to clarify who are the key sponsors – the decision-makers; the real results the customer wants to achieve; the challenges they face; the strengths they can build-on; the things they can and can’t control; the resources they have available; the ‘dos’ & ‘don’ts’ for working with them; the things they have tried before; the possible quick wins; the best way they receive information – such as through slides, stories, etc; and any other key information. Build-up a picture of what the customer wants.

c) You can clarify what you can offer to help the customer get what they want – plus the way you would with them – and prepare for the presentation.

Then make a decision. Ask yourself: “Bearing in mind what I/we offer and what the customer wants, do I/we want to work with them?” If so, continue with your preparation. If not, be prepared to walk away.

Assuming you want to go-ahead, do everything possible to set-up the session to succeed. Prepare your presentation and then double-check everything. Contact the client to confirm the time of the session; the people who will attend; the specific goals of the session; the guidelines – the topics people will and won’t want you to cover; the physical set-up; the dress-code. Rehearse everything – going into the building; meeting people; setting-up the presentation; giving the presentation; the questions people could ask and the potential answers; the things that could go wrong – and your back-up plan. Rehearse – then relax and look forward to the presentation.

How might you follow some of these steps in your own way? Start by thinking of a situation where you will be ‘presenting’ something to ‘the market’. For example, you may be making a business pitch or outlining what you offer to a potential client – a customer, mentee, student or another person. Identify the specific person – or target group – to whom you are presenting. Then, bearing in mind the stages mentioned above, try completing the following sentences.

The specific person – or target group –
to whom I will be presenting will be:

*
The specific things I can do to be positive,
professional and prepare properly are:

*

*

*

2) You can present positively and professionally – but not try to ‘persuade’.

Great performers know their chosen market. They master their specialism – as chefs, singers, business people or whatever – and present the benefits to the market. Certainly they are prepared to customise what they offer to get ‘win-wins’, but not to the point of diluting their offering. The ‘80%’ of what they offer stays the same – because that is what interests the potential buyer. The other ‘20%’ can be altered – within parameters – to make sure customers get what they want. Let’s imagine you have taken this approach and are ready to make the presentation.

Getting to the venue early, you will again mentally rehearse everything that is going to happen. Meeting people, you will be professional, polite and connect with them in your own way. Moving into the presentation, you will establish credibility, then focus on clarity, connection and concrete results. Let’s explore these points. Credibility: establish this by showing people that you understand the world from their point of view. Clarity: show you understand the results they want delivered - and how you can contribute to achieving this picture of success. Connection - connect by giving people examples from their world. Concrete results: again outline ‘What’ you would deliver; ‘How’ you would deliver it – including the guidelines for working together - and ‘When’. This latter part to include some early successes.

Move onto the question and answer session. This is your opportunity to really connect with people. Listen carefully and, if appropriate, ‘play back’ the question to make sure you heard it properly. Give your answer – complete with real-life examples. Move between the ‘concept’ and the ‘concrete’. You may start by answering on strategic level, but then outline specific examples that bring it to life. Dare to describe both the pluses and minuses of your answer or approach. Check that you have answered the question, then move onto the next. Conclude the session by thanking people for their time and finishing in a positive way.

“But shouldn’t you try to persuade people to adopt your point of view?” somebody may say. You can only do your best – and some things are beyond your control. The best ‘persuasion’ is showing you can help the customer to succeed. People have the right to make up their own minds. If it is the right ‘fit’, there will be the chance of long-lasting success. If not, then it won’t work anyway. Let’s return to the situation in which you would like to make a ‘presentation’. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to present in a positive &
professional way – without trying to persuade - are:

*

*

*

3) You can get positive results.

This approach obviously has both pluses and minuses. The pluses are: You stay true to yourself; you do your best; you get to know the customer and their picture of success; you offer what you believe will help them to succeed; you try to connect and show how to deliver concrete results; you increase the chances of getting business with customers with whom there is the right ‘fit’. The minuses are: there is lots of time and energy spent preparing and making the presentation; the customer may not want what you offer; you won’t get business with customers who don’t ‘get it’ – but you don’t want that anyway.

Bearing these factors in mind, what are the possibilities of success? Providing you have reached the right target group – and do the right preparation and presentation – the chances are pretty high. You won’t ‘win’ every piece of business but, in the long term, you will get enough to continue prospering.

Let’s return to the situation in which you will be presenting. Looking at all the steps we have covered so far, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to do
my best to get positive results are:

*

*

*

“What happens if you get a piece of business, but then the client does not fulfil their part of the deal?” somebody may ask. “Isn’t that a situation where you should try to persuade them to adopt your approach?”

Let’s return to the ‘contracting’ process I described in the therapeutic community. Sometimes a young person would ‘sign-up’ for the programme, but then break the contract. They knew the goals and the guidelines – so it was not a matter of trying to ‘persuade’ them to behave differently. We acted immediately and they left the community. Certainly they could re-apply to re-join at a future date – normally around 2 months - but they must then be prepared to follow the rules. They had chosen to break the rules – and there were consequences.

“But you can’t behave that way with clients,” somebody may say. “They are paying the wages.”

Let’s assume you have made clear contracts with a client. Everybody has agreed on the ‘What’, ‘Why’, ‘How’, ‘Who’ and ‘When’. Three months into the work several things are happening. First, you are fulfilling your part of the contract. Second, you have produced some early successes. Third, the client is not fulfilling their part. They are failing to provide resources, failing to pay bills, failing to meet deadlines or whatever. You can be polite and professional – but outline the options. Start by revisiting the goals and saying something like:

“Let’s go back to the results we aiming to deliver. These are: 1) To _______ 2) To ________ 3) To _________ Bearing these goals in mind, there are several options as we go forward together. Option (A) is to follow the original contract. Option (B) is to follow some parts of the contract. Option (C) is not to follow the contract. There may be other options – and each has consequences. We would like to continue working and follow the original contract, but would like to hear your point of view. Which route do you want to follow?”

Sounds tough – but you are simply stating the agreed contract. It is up to the person, team or organisation if they want to continue working with you. If so, great. If not, you must be prepared to move on. Great performers are niche-suppliers – so this calls for continually reaching out to potential customers. The more opportunities they have, the more power they have to say ‘Yes,’ to some people and ‘No,’ to others. They can then continue to be positive and professional – but not try to persuade.

3 tips for managing potential successes

2007-11-04T16:36:00.000Z

“People often rehearse the possibility of things going wrong and how they will react,” explained one sports psychologist. “But it is just as important to rehearse things going right. Some people seem to have a more positive attitude when they are playing ‘catch-up’, because they have nothing to lose. Great performers, however, feel just as at ease when leading. They then focus on how to maximise the opportunity.”

The same rule applies in many areas of life. So let’s look at how you can anticipate and manage potential successes.

1) You can anticipate the potential successes.

“Prepare to win the peace after you have won the war,” is a time-honoured rule for armies. It is vital to build on what has been achieved – because the people in a nation will want food, water and a healthy infrastructure. The failure to look beyond ‘victory’ can leave a vacuum, which is then filled by warring factions. Many leaders win the war or the revolution, then stare at each other saying, “What next?”

Great performers foresee how to deal with setbacks – but they also anticipate how to deal with successes. Superb football teams, for example, rehearse what they will do if they go 2 – 0 up after ten minutes. Poor players then start looking at the clock. Good players say: “How can we build on this advantage?” They continue playing the positive game, rather the percentage or paralysis games.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme which invites you to look at your own life and work. Start by deciding on the area that you want to explore. You may want to focus on one specific area – such as a project at work. On the other hand, you may want to look at all areas of your personal and professional life. Looking ahead, what are the potential successes that you may achieve in the future? These can be big or small achievements. Try completing the following sentences.
The potential successes that I may achieve in the future are:

*

*

*

2) You can anticipate how to build on the potential successes.

“I spent 3 months searching for work when I became a freelancer,” explained one person. “After getting my first contract, I redoubled my efforts. It was like being a gold miner. They spend ages looking for gold. After hitting the seam, they then work even harder. They do not say, ‘Well, now we have found the seam, we will take a holiday.’ Certainly I take time out to recharge my batteries, but it is vital to capitalise on your good fortune when hitting a winning streak.”

How can you build on your potential achievements? Great performers keep going back to basics. Whether you are facing a setback or seeing the fruits of your labours, you can keep asking yourself: “What are the real results I want to achieve? Bearing this in mind, what are the 3 things I can do to give myself the greatest chance of success?” Clarify your key strategies – then pursue them relentlessly. Looking at the potential successes you may achieve in the future, select one you want to work on. Then try completing the following sentences.

The potential success I want to focus on is:

*

The things I can do to build on this potential success are:

*

*

*

3) You can actually build on the potential successes.

“My biggest challenge was to be ‘fully present in the moment,’” said one tennis player. “I needed to focus on the next point – rather than look at the scoreboard or prematurely celebrate victory. My task was to ‘focus on the principles, rather than the prize.’ It was to concentrate and build on the achievements.”

Think of a success that you have capitalised on in the past. You may have won a new client, taken the lead in a sports event or whatever. How did you build on the achievement? How can you follow similar principles in the future? You may want to be fully present, keep doing what works, give 100% or whatever. Looking at the success you have chosen to focus on, try translating your ideas into a specific action plan.

The specific things I can do to be fully present
and actually build on the potential success are:

*

*

*

“Kipling’s famous phrase is written above the entrance at Wimbledon,” said the tennis player. “It says: ‘If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster/And treat those two impostors just the same’. I was actually quite good at dealing with ‘disasters’ – or setbacks – in games. The times I choked were when dealing with ‘mini-triumphs’ during a match. Eventually I learned how to build on the successes and up my game. That helped me to become a much better player.”

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

2007-10-31T20:23:00.000Z

“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

2007-10-31T15:31:00.000Z

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

2007-10-29T17:33:00.000Z

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

2007-10-28T19:51:00.000Z

“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

2007-10-27T16:30:00.000+01:00

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'

2007-10-25T19:44:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-24T14:42:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-23T13:36:00.000+01:00

“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

2007-10-22T21:38:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-21T21:46:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-21T21:37:00.000+01:00

* 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

2007-10-17T21:24:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-15T20:59:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-15T10:21:00.000+01:00

* 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

2007-10-11T15:58:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-10T21:16:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-09T19:55:00.000+01:00

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

2007-10-08T18:16:00.000+01:00

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:

*

*

*

The benefits of reaching the goal will be:

*

*

*

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:

*

*

*

* 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.

3 tips for 'playing your natural game'

2007-10-07T21:12:00.000+01:00

“Play your natural game,” is the instruction often given to footballers when making their debut for the national team. “You have been chosen because of your ability in a certain role, so we want you to continue doing what you do best.” That sounds obvious. But elsewhere in professional life people often put themselves in situations where they fail to play their natural game. Let’s explore how you can continue to do what comes naturally and perform superb work.

* You can clarify your natural game.

When do you feel able to be yourself and use your talents? Everybody has a natural way of learning, creating and working. What is yours?

“It took years for me to fully understand my natural style – even though I knew it intuitively,” said one business leader. “Looking back to my time in school, I now realise that my learning style was about doing things, being with people and getting results. It was not about sitting still and answering questions on a form. I think best when I am moving around. So I left school early, began working in a shop and soon topped the sales-charts. During the next few years I twice won ‘sales person of the year’.

“Swift promotion meant that, when I was 27, the company asked me to take a ‘strategic role’ at head office. This was creeping death. People spent their days in meetings and it felt claustrophobic. The computers, for example, were lined up in ‘chicken rows’, which drove me crazy. The company refused my request for a laptop – they were not common then – so I bought my own. That way I could move around the building – plus visit the shops – and work away from the central office. Fortunately the sales region I led always exceeded their targets. This made it hard for people to criticise my working style, but they still had a few pops. Finally, however, I left to join another company - becoming Sales Director, then Managing Director.

“Now I follow my own working style. This means getting close to people in the field. But hopefully I give them support, rather than interfere. We have an ‘open collar’ culture in the company, but people are smart, rather than scruffy. Personally, I do not fit-in well with pompous ‘older-style’ directors and I don’t go to formal dinners. I am in my element, however, running a business of ‘can do’ people who want to deliver success.”

What is the role or ‘project’ where you play your natural game. You may feel at home building a prototype, doing a ‘turnaround’, conducting research, teaching a class, shooting a film, leading a team or whatever. What are the characteristics of the people – customers and colleagues - with whom you get along? What is your preferred ‘place’ – culture and environment? Try completing the following sentences.

The kind of role or ‘project’ where I feel most able to ‘play my natural game’ is:

*

The characteristics of the people – customers & colleagues – with whom I feel most able to ‘play my natural game’ are:

*

The kind of place – culture and environment – where I feel most able to ‘play my natural game’ is:

*

* You can put yourself in places where you can play your natural game.

This is simple in a game like football – providing you have a manager who capitalises on your talents. They will hopefully play you in your best position. It can be more difficult in other fields. Taking charge of your career, however, calls for putting yourself in places where you can play your natural game. This means creating the opportunity to use your talents. Sounds difficult: but the alternative it to dwell in situations where you feel uneasy. Certainly it is possible to do that for a time – and many of us do – but ultimately we pay a price. Some people still remain institutionalised – expecting organisations to provide them with the right role.

Alison Fulford is somebody who has been proactive in shaping her career. (You can read more about her story in The Strengths Way.) She is an expert at building successful prototypes – often around delivering superb customer service. She has done this for organisations such as Marks & Spencer and the Environmental Agency. She prefers a two year ‘project’ - but within that time frame also builds a self-managing team that sustains the good work. Finding new opportunities calls for staying in touch with her network. She gets alongside key decision makers, clarifies the challenges they face and find ways to help them to deliver better customer service.

“My kicks come from getting my hands dirty, working hard and seeing tangible results, especially in improving customer satisfaction,” says Alison. “Impact is important. I want to build something that works for both the company and the customer. Finally, it is crucial to recruit my successor and ensure the improvements are sustainable. Only then will I move on to the next project.”

Shaping your career calls for thinking like a freelancer. You need to find the projects, people – customers and colleagues – and places where you can do fine work. How can you make this happen? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to keep putting myself in the places where I can play my natural game are:

*

*

*

* You can play your natural game – and keep improving.

You can then flow, focus and finish. Build on the pluses – and minimise the minuses – of your natural game. Some people ‘snatch at opportunities’. They become nervous, try too hard or aim to over-impress. Be true to yourself. Relax, rehearse and then deliver results. Be positive, be professional and deliver peak performances. Commit yourself to constant improvement. Ask yourself: “What went well – and how can I do more of those things in the future? What can I do better next time – and how?” Integrate the learning and keep improving. Looking at the situation in which you work best, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to play my natural game – and keep improving - are:

*

*

*

Looking at the school population, what percentage of students are encouraged to learn in their natural way? Looking at the employed population, what percentage of people are working in their natural way? Which camp do you want to be in? How can you continue putting yourself in the places where you function best? Peak performers keep playing – and improving - their natural game.

You can find more more tools on this theme in the book The Strengths Way, which can be found here:

thestrengthsway

3 tips for channelling the power of triangles in a team

2007-10-05T16:07:00.000+01:00

Imagine you are a leader. How do you get people to work well together in teams? Certainly it is vital to ensure that everybody knows: a) What mountain they are climbing; b) Why they are climbing it: c) How they are climbing it; d) Who is doing what; f) When they will reach the summit. That is the strategic part. People must then do the grunt work and great work required to achieve the goals. The whole team must have a game plan - but within this framework it is often small groups that implement parts of the strategy. Let’s consider one combination that frequently works well in teams.

* You can recognise the power of triangles.

Football teams may consist of 11 players, but there are many ‘teams within the team’. Great teams are built on ‘triangles’. For example, the goalkeeper and two centre-backs working well together; two strikers and a midfield-player supplying them with defence splitting passes. Training consists of the follow routine. First, the coach outlines the game plan for the whole team and they spend 15 minutes practicing this plan. Second, the ‘teams with a team’ break into small groups - often triangles - and practice their part of the plan. Finally, the coach brings the whole team back to ensure the parts work together to achieve the common goal. Let’s explore how this might work in organisations.

* You can build triangles in the team.

Imagine that you have been asked to implement a customer service initiative across Europe, but unfortunately you have no direct authority. You are supposed the ‘influence’ the country leaders to make it happen. Let’s consider the options.

a) You can try to do it by yourself, but this can be lonely. You can ask the country heads to implement the initiative, but this is hit or miss, because it can fall off their radar.

b) You can pair-up with somebody, but it may still be difficult.

c) You can build a ‘triangle’. You can head the customer service project - but get two energetic people to build successful prototypes in their respective countries. The 3 of you will spur each other on to deliver the goods.

Certainly it is possible to expand such a core triangle to 4 or 5 people, but then it can become unwieldy. Some of the best brainstorming sessions, for example, happen when there are 3 people. You share enough common assumptions to quickly get to 7/10 - then harness the creative energy to get to 10/10. The more people in the group, the more you have to keep checking that everybody has the same values. Three really can be a magic number.

* You can give each triangle the support they need to support.

It is vital to give the triangle - or any group - the backing they need to succeed. Try tackling the exercise on this theme called Building triangles. First, describe a specific project that must be delivered. Second, describe the ‘triangle’ you can build to deliver these results. Third, describe the support you must give people. You can then do everything possible to help the triangle to succeed.

3 tips for using the '3 waves' approach to shifting a culture

2007-10-04T22:33:00.000+01:00

Imagine you are a leader. You have been given the authority to do whatever is necessary to shift an organisation’s culture. Some leaders invite the employees to ‘change’ - but this seldom works. The most effective method is to build successful prototypes that embody the desired culture. You then invite people to choose whether or not they want to join this new organisation. If they do, great. If not, then you move-on without them. Here are 3 tips for making this process happen - which often takes the form of going through ‘three waves’.

* You build successful prototypes that embody the desire culture.

Clarify your picture of perfection. Start from your destination - perhaps 18 months in the future. Describe what you want to see happening at that date. Working backwards, describe the things that must be achieved at 17 months, 16 months and so on, right back to the present day. That is your road map towards achieving the picture of perfection. Then move onto the next stage.

Looking around the organisation, identify where you can build some prototypes that will embody the future culture. These must stand at least a 7+ chance of success. If you are running an EMEA organisation, for example, identify the country leaders who ‘get it’. Tell everybody in the organisation that you are building the future business - and would like volunteers who want to act as models. But make sure you have already ear-marked 3 such places. Others may want to join - but make sure these are prepared to work hard to succeed. Do everything possible to help people to build the successful prototypes. Get people to share the success stories at an organisational event. Then go onto the next stage.

* You ask for more volunteers who want to follow the principles that embody the desired culture.

People have shown the approach works - so now ask for other volunteers to model the desired culture. There are certain Dos and Don’ts during this crucial stage.

- Do be certain you have the right leaders in place in each of the next wave of models.

- Do work with them on clarifying their picture of perfection.

- Do make sure they follow the principles embodied in the new way of doing business - rather than simply modify their present ways of doing business.

- Do encourage them to work through the potential tough decisions.

- Do provide the support they need to do the job and encourage them to get some early wins.

- Do help them to do whatever is required to achieve success.

- Don’t back leaders who say the right words but don’t translate these into action.

- Don’t accept half-measures - such as people thinking they have made radical changes by simply shaving parts of their present procedures.

Deadlines focus the mind. Give people a deadline for presenting their success stories at another organisational event in, for example, 6 months. At the same time, encourage the first wave of prototypes to move onto a higher level. They can also present their new successes at the next organisational event.

* You make the successful principles mandatory and do whatever is necessary to build the desired culture.

The first and second waves of prototypes present their success stories. You then give people clear messages about the behaviours that are necessary for the future culture – but the future is now. The message you are giving in the third wave is that:

"The new way of working is now mandatory."

People can choose whether or not they want to opt-into the new way of working. They are to communicate with you - or their manager - within a month to show how they would like to contribute to the organisation’s goals. If they do not want to take this route, then it may simply be a matter of ‘fit’. The organisation will do its best to find a good way for them to move-on.

Sounds tough? Perhaps - but not tackling this issue is even tougher. The future is beckoning, however, so you present the organisation’s new picture of success - plus the benefits. Then explain that you will be seeking volunteers to run the prototypes. People realise that you are announcing the next first wave. They can be part of shaping the future.

3 tips for recognising that 'vulnerability is a great teacher'

2007-10-03T20:14:00.000+01:00

“Vulnerability is a great teacher,” we are told. Sometimes we learn key lessons when we are vulnerable. We recognise our values, what we value and how to live our future lives. Sometimes we learn from the experience. The wisdom seeps into our bones and we apply the lessons in our daily lives. Other times the messages dissolve into the mist. Let’s explore what we can gain from such times.

* You can recognise that vulnerability is a great teacher.

Can you think of a time when you felt vulnerable? You may have suffered a debilitating illness, lost someone close, experienced an unexpected setback or whatever. Suddenly you felt out of control – unable to shape everything in your world. Certainly you aimed to ‘control the controllables’ – but many levers lay beyond your reach. What did you do next? After a while you may have begun to reflect, go deeper and listen to your soul. “Everything is temporary, nothing is permanent,” we are told. But it is when we feel vulnerable that this lesson strikes home. We have chance to consider what is important on life. When has this happened for you? Try completing the following sentence.

The times when I have found ‘vulnerability to be a great teacher’ have been:

*

*

*

* You can learn about your deepest values during the vulnerable times.

“My wife suffered a serious illness,” explained one person. “To make matters worse, my job then came under threat. At first I said: ‘I just want everything to be like it was before.’ But I soon realised we must go forward. We scoured the internet to gather information about her illness, met self-help groups and planned the way ahead. Then we took stock of our assets - our finances, relationships, professional contacts and other resources. We soon realised how lucky – how rich – we were. We talked about ‘downshifting’, moving to another part of the country – perhaps near my partner’s parents – and starting a different kind of life. Our children were also very supportive.

“My wife recovered and the job survived – but we also heeded the lessons. The troubles brought us together. One year later we moved closer to my partner’s parents. She returned to part-time teaching – which she loves. I set-up my own business and our daughter now shares a horse! Our son changed his chosen subjects at university. Rediscovering his youthful idealism, he plans to become an environmental journalist. The whole experience taught us to value the precious things in life.”

Let’s return to your vulnerable times. What did you learn about your values, about what you valued and what you wanted to value in the future? Try completing the following sentence.

The things that I found to be my deepest values during those vulnerable times were:

*

*

*

* You can follow these values during your less-vulnerable times.

People recognise phrases such as: “Near death experiences focus our minds.” Our deepest learning, however, is in our bones - not just our hearts or minds. Vulnerability can affect us on the primary level and teach us to re-evaluate our lives. Sometimes we embrace the lessons; sometimes we don’t. Human beings must become slightly immune, otherwise we would not function. But it is also important to take on-board the lessons from difficult experiences. How have you applied the learning from your difficult times? How would you like to follow these principles in the future? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to live my deepest values during the less-vulnerable times are:

*

*

*

Sages throughout history have ‘journeyed into the wilderness’ to overcome hardship. They emerge humbler, stronger, wiser. Sometimes, however, the wilderness comes to us. We then gather our forces, focus on what we can do and embrace lessons for the future. Successes help us to grow, but so do setbacks. Vulnerability can be a great teacher.

3 tips for focusing on having 'a sense of wonder' - rather than 'winning'

2007-10-02T11:41:00.000+01:00

What is your philosophy of life? Do you focus on enjoying ‘a sense of wonder’? Do you focus on ‘winning’? Do you focus on both? You can, of course, enjoy a sense of wonder whilst also striving to do your best. There are no good or bad philosophies, but there are consequences – both for yourself and other people. Let’s explore these various approaches to life.

* You can focus on having a sense of wonder – rather than winning.

When do you experience this feeling? You may be walking on the beach, painting a picture, writing an article, playing with your child, watching a nature programme or whatever. You feel pure, appreciative and a part of something greater than yourself. When writing, for example, it feels like you are channelling the creativity. Certainly you have worked hard to get to that point – to reach the 8/10 – but then you are ready to flow, focus and finish. You enjoy the journey as well as reaching the goal. The whole experience provides you with a sense of wonder. You do not think about ‘winning’ – beating other people. When does this happen for you? Try completing the following sentence.

The times when I enjoy a sense of wonder without any thought of ‘winning’ are:

*

*

*

* You can have a sense of wonder and strive to do your best.

“But I believe competition is vital,” somebody may say. “Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser. Life is about testing yourself against other people.” Perhaps – but there is another way of being. Many great performers have an almost zen-like approach to life. They aim to be the best kind of person, athlete, musician, teacher, artist or whatever they want to be. Certainly they follow their passion and principles – and sometimes win the ‘prize’. But the reward falls like fruit from a tree. If they do ‘compete’, it is often against themselves, rather than other people. Such people have a sense of gratitude. They appreciate the gifts and opportunities that life has given them – so they aim to continually perform at their best. Sometimes, as a by-product, they are awarded ‘badges’ or trophies. But the key is to be true to themselves and their talent – rather than ‘win’ by beating somebody else. When do you experience this feeling? Try completing the following sentence.

The times when I have a sense of wonder and strive to do my best are:

*

*

*

* You can ‘win’ by having a sense of wonder.

This sounds philosophical but, for you, what is ‘winning’? “For me it is appreciating life, being a good parent and partner, and using my talent to make a positive difference in the world,” said one person. What is your definition of winning?

Perhaps I am biased – because I am not competitive. Determined, resolute, tough – yes, but not focused on ‘winning’ by beating others. School seemed strange. It was obvious that people were good at different things, so there was little point in ‘league tables’. Later on in life, when asked to ‘pitch’ for business, I wanted to do my best, rather than beat the opposition. If the ‘fit’ with the hiring company was right, then I may get the business. If the ‘fit’ was not right, then it would not work anyway. The same approach applies to sharing – rather than hoarding - knowledge. Several decades ago I ran 5 day courses in ‘strengths building’, which were set-up by an agent. Two years into these courses, the agent arrived in a rage, saying: “Look at this book. The author was on your course last year. He has taken all the material, made it into a book and called it his own.” My response was: “It does not matter. The course is based on eternal truths, so we just move-on.” Each person could do what they wanted with the information.

“But what about sport, isn’t that about winning?” somebody may say. John Wooden is recognised as the USA’s greatest-ever college basketball coach. John Vallely, one of his students, said: "On the first day of practice, I remember him (Wooden) saying, 'I'm not going to be talking to you about winning or losing because I think that's a by-product of our preparation. I would much rather be focused on the process of becoming the best team we're capable of becoming.” Wooden’s teams won 10 national championships– even though he never talked about ‘winning’. His created a model called the ‘pyramid of success’, which is quoted by leaders in many fields. The base of the pyramid consists of several building blocks, one of which is: ‘Enthusiasm. Your heart must be in your work. Stimulate others.’ At the top, Wooden’s pyramid reads: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

So how do you win? One approach is to maintain a sense of wonder, be true to yourself and use your talents to build a better world. Sometimes you will gain plaudits, sometimes you won’t. But you will always show respect to life, which is one of the greatest wins. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to maintain a sense of wonder and do my best in life are:

*

*

*

3 tips for focusing on warmth, 'wants' & wisdom

2007-10-01T07:05:00.001+01:00

How can you help people to reach their goals? One approach is to follow the steps taken by good mentors and workshop leaders. First, warmth. They provide a warm environment in which people feel at east. Second, ‘wants’. They find out what the person – or the people – want to achieve. Third, wisdom. They use their wisdom to help people to get what they want.

Imagine you are facilitating an individual mentoring session or a team workshop. Before the session you will anticipate what people want to achieve. If you are meeting an individual, you will set-aside time to rehearse the possible scenarios – including the challenges they may want to tackle. If you are running a team workshop, you will have talked with the leader and agreed on crystal-clear goals. Whether working with an individual or a team, you will then take the following steps.

* You can focus on warmth.

Great mentors make people feel valued and the centre of the world. They are warm - but in a real way. Why? There are at least three reasons. First, they are generous and want to encourage others to succeed. Second, they are educators at heart. So they pass-on tools and knowledge that people can use in their own way. Third, they want to provide an environment in which people can explore - which is why they create a stimulating sanctuary.

Great workshop facilitators also make people feel welcome. They start by ‘getting the physical things’ right. So they will go out of their way to create a learning environment in which people feel at ease. The room, chairs and food have to be right. They then open the workshop in an inspiring way. Why? Creating a warm environment encourages the participants to explore, receive honest messages and work hard to reach their goals. Warmth – rather then sternness – is more likely to deliver great results.

Everybody has their own style of creating these conditions. How can you do it in your own way? Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe a specific situation where you want to help people to achieve their goals. Second, describe what you can do to create an environment where people will feel at ease. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific situation in which I want to help people to reach their goals is:

*

The specific things I can do to be warm and create an environment where people will open-up are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on ‘wants’.

You have already anticipated what people want from the session - but now it is important to make this ‘official’. Mentors do this on several levels. First, they obviously ask the person what they want to explore in the session. Second, they get the bigger picture by inviting the person to describe their longer-term aims - such as the legacy they want to leave – and listen for the key themes in what the person is saying. Third, they link the short and long-term aims to agree on what the person wants to take away from the session. Workshop facilitators explain the anticipated goals and check these fit with the team’s agenda. If appropriate, they may ask if people want to add any other topics. They then embark on the workshop.

How can you do this in your own way? Let’s return to the situation in which you want to help people to reach their goals. You have already established a warm atmosphere – now it is time to clarify their aims. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to clarify people’s ‘wants’ – the specific goals they want to achieve – are:

*

*

*

* You can focus on wisdom.

Great mentors pass-on their wisdom in a way that enables people to reach their goals. They offer practical tools that the mentee can use in their daily work and life. Bearing in mind the results the person wants to achieve, the mentor ask: a) What is the person doing well – and how can they do more of these things? b) What can the person do better – and how? c) What are the models, tools and knowledge I want to offer to help them to reach their goals? How can I pass these on in a way the person can accept? Mentors aim to add to and expand a mentee’s repertoire. The person then has more options for making good decisions and achieving their picture of success. Workshop facilitators also pass-on their ideas. But one of their greatest talents is creating environments in which people share their knowledge. The participants can then draw on many resources to reach their goals.

Let’s return to the situation where you want to help people to achieve success. How can you pass-on your wisdom? How can you channel the wisdom of a team? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to pass-on wisdom – or channel a team’s wisdom – to help people to reach their goals are:

*

*

*

“Warmth, ‘wants’ and wisdom,” sounds simple in theory – but it can be hard in practice. People who follow these steps, however, are more likely to help others to reach their goals.

You can find out more about this approach in The Art of Mentoring, which can be found here:

Theartofmentoring

3 tips for developing where you have a photographic memory

2007-09-27T20:24:00.000+01:00

How can you find your top talent? One clue can be found in the activity where you have the equivalent of a photographic memory. Peak performers can recall incidents in great detail. The golf champion recalls the exact lie of the ball on the 13th hole of a tournament; the chef recalls the texture of ingredients in a special dish; the dancer digs into their ‘muscle memory’ to recall the steps in a ballet they performed 20 years previously. Let’s explore where this happens for you.

* You can clarify the specific situation where you have a photographic memory.

“This exercise changed the direction of my career,” said one person. “For years I had made a living by facilitating workshops for companies, but then I began doing individual follow-up sessions with people. Suddenly I discovered that I had total recall about what happened in the one-to-one sessions - on both a visual and feeling level. I remembered every detail about the individuals - their personal background, experiences, talents, learning style, challenges, everything they said in the session. So I concentrated on doing more one-to-one coaching - which became my new career.”

Try tackling the exercises on this theme. Start by identifying the specific activity in which you have the equivalent of a photographic memory - then move onto the next step. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific situation where I have the equivalent of a photographic memory is:

*

* You can develop your skills where you have a photographic memory.

Photographic memory is only the start – you also need the right skills to capitalise on this gift. One famous footballer had almost total recall of what happened in matches, for example, but it took time for him to learn how to use this ability when becoming a manager. During the early days of his managerial career he gave the players specific feedback about their performances. He only highlighted their mistakes, however, which he recounted in great detail. It took several years of pain - and poor results - before he shifted his philosophy. He then developed the skills required to help players to build on their strengths, whilst also tackling areas for improvement. Try tackling the second part of the exercise, which asks you to do two things. First, describe the skills you already have in this area. Second, describe the other skills you want to develop to make good use of the talent. Try completing the following sentences.

The skills I already have in the situation where I have a photographic memory are:

*

*

*

The skills I want to develop in order to capitalise on where I have a photographic memory are:

*

*

*

* You can keep putting yourself into the kind of situation where you have a photographic memory.

Nicky had difficulties at school - but then it was discovered she had a form of dyslexia. Backed by supportive parents, however, she excelled in drama and organising social events. Leaving college, she took a job selling over the phone, before joining a fledgling computer company. Showing a great aptitude for sales, she has become their top account director. Nicky knows everything about her customers and puts together packages that enable them to achieve success. She can recall virtually every deal she has done in her life - both inside and outside work. She is committed to constant improvement, however, and continues to build on her ‘A’ talent. One day Nicky may run her own company, but for the moment she is aiming to become the ‘best account director in the world’.

How can you keep putting yourself into the situations where you have a photographic memory? How can you keep developing? How can you deliver peak performance? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to keep putting myself into the kind of situation where I have a photographic memory are:

*

*

*

3 tips for being a good co-ordinator

2007-09-27T13:15:00.000+01:00

Great teams always have a co-ordinator. Why? Getting creative people to combine their talents can be challenging at the best of times. The co-ordinator’s role is to ensure people channel their talents towards achieving the team’s goal. Let’s see how this works in practice.

Clarity is vital. The leader’s role is to chart the way towards achieving the picture of perfection. The team member’s job is to clarify their best contribution and commit to achieving the goals. They must then do creative work, co-operate and achieve concrete results. Sounds simple in theory - but things can go wrong, especially during the creative work stage. Strong orchestration is vital - otherwise individuals may do their own thing.

“But isn’t that the leader’s job?” somebody may ask. Great leaders often follow the STAGE Model of leadership. This covers the Strategy, Tactics, Administration, Grunt Work and Emotional aspects of teamwork. They focus on the strategic and emotional leadership - whilst hiring the right people to manage the tactics, administration and grunt work. Great leaders have a co-ordinator who makes this happen - otherwise they get sucked down into fire-fighting. Let’s explore three of the key steps in being a good co-ordinator.

* You can establish clarity.

Clarity is crucial if you are going to play the role successfully. Start by clarifying: a) The leader’s specific goals - the picture of perfection; b) The strategy for achieving the goals; c) The leader’s role in reaching the goals and the role they want you to play as the co-ordinator. Clarify the Dos & Don’ts involved in your role. Good leaders communicate your role to the team. People then know your areas of accountability, autonomy and authority.

Credibility is also crucial - especially in the eyes of the team members. Good co-ordinators gain respect by showing: a) Showing they respect the team members and their knowledge; b) Showing they want to support people, rather than becoming a hindrance; c) Showing some early successes - such as getting resources, removing obstacles or producing quick visible results.

* You can do the co-ordination.

Good co-ordinators ask questions such as: “What are the results we want to achieve - the picture of perfection? What are the resources available? What is each person’s ‘A’ talent? How can we co-ordinate these talents to achieve the goal? What support will they need to achieve success? How can I provide this support? What are the Dos and Don’ts with each person? How can I make clear contracts with them about their contribution towards achieving the goal?”

Good co-ordinators then make things happen. They are like sheepdogs, especially with knowledge workers who may fall into following their own agendas. Approaching such a person, they say things like: “Tell me how things are going……That is interesting. Now, remember the agreed picture of perfection. Is that something you still want to contribute towards achieving? If so, can you get back to me as to how you would like to continue contributing towards achieving the goals? Then I will provide the support you need. Great if you can get back to me within the next day.” Like sheepdogs, they are friendly, but sometimes bare their teeth. They get away with it because the team members respect them - and also know they can be tough.

* You can deliver concrete results.

Good co-ordinators get some early wins, rather than embark on long process analyses. Success breeds success. It also buys time to tackle the more long-standing challenges. Good co-ordinators see their role as proactive - rather than that of a glorified progress-chaser. So build-in weekly meetings with the leader to look ahead to the next week, the month, the next quarter. Clarify the challenges facing the team and agree on the potential solutions. Some team members may try to split you - like a child approaching different parents till they get the ‘right answer’. The co-ordinator may also need to ‘manage’ the leader - to ensure that person makes their best contribution to the business.

“When it was first mentioned to me, I did not understand the role of the co-ordinator,” said one leader. “Looking back at my earlier career, however, I realized my best work had been when I had someone who made things happen. They are now the first person I look for when taking over a new team. A good co-ordinator is worth their weight in gold.”

Great leaders and co-ordinators get their act together. They know that clarity is the starting point for any venture. But co-ordination is the bridge to producing concrete results.

The Strengths Way

Moving on - new blog site

3 tips for recognising that 'everything is food'

3 tips for clarifying the goals for a development session

3 tips for focusing on strengths, sponsors and success

3 tips for focusing on fun, freedom and fulfilment

3 tips for being fully alive

3 tips for following the peak performer's path

3 tips for understanding the 'strengths' and 'shortcomings' approaches to growth

3 tips for 'welcoming' crises

3 tips for working with people who are making the new rules for work

3 tips for getting positive energy

3 tips for recognising were you go 'a, b ___ then leap to ___ z'

3 tips for finding 'win-win' solutions

3 tips for getting the right people implementing the right strategy in the right way

3 tips for working with people with whom there are different kinds of 'clicks'

3 tips for moving between roles successfully

3 tips for knowing when to 'drive it, delegate it or ditch it'

3 tips for establishing a coaching contract

3 tips for choosing a mentor

3 tips for focusing on design, development and delivery

3 tips for building a super team

3 tips for working with people who are making the new rules for work

3 tips for focusing on what you really care about

3 tips for being at your best at big moments

3 tips for getting the right balance between consuming and creating

3 tips for finding, accepting and forgetting yourself

3 tips for knowing when to 'debate, decide, deliver'

3 tips for inviting team members to explore their successes and challenges

3 tips for focusing on where you make complicated things simple

3 tips for focusing on drive, detail & delivery

3 tips for finishing

3 tips for employing your personal radar

3 tips for being real in role

3 tips for balancing money, meaning & magic

3 tips for communicating the vision, values & visible results

3 tips for being fully alive

3 tips for clarifying what you deliver

3 tips for inviting your team to consider they are running their own business

3 tips for being positive & professional - but not trying to persuade

3 tips for managing potential successes

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

3 tips for clarifying your decision-making authority

3 tips for managing potential difficulties

3 tips for understandng your solid ground & dangerous ground

3 tips for producing great design

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

3 tips for filling a vacuum with a positive vision

3 tips for passing-on experience

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

3 tips for developing rituals for re-centering

3 tips for clarifying the goals for a development session

3 tips for understanding the positive, percentage & paralysis approaches

3 tips for understanding the fulfilling and Faustian roads

3 tips for building a super team

3 tips for focusing on where you are calm

3 tips for a person feedback

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

3 tips for delivery

3 tips for 'playing your natural game'

3 tips for channelling the power of triangles in a team

3 tips for using the '3 waves' approach to shifting a culture

3 tips for recognising that 'vulnerability is a great teacher'

3 tips for focusing on having 'a sense of wonder' - rather than 'winning'

3 tips for focusing on warmth, 'wants' & wisdom

3 tips for developing where you have a photographic memory

3 tips for being a good co-ordinator

3 tips for recognising were you go 'a, b _ then leap to _ z'