Here are some tough questions to get one’s head around—continually: http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/79811/Be-Captain-Of-Your-Destiny-Not-Prisoner-Of-Wishful-Thinking.aspx
Global circle of control v circle of concern
Many are worried, really worried about China’s impending geo-political domination of the world. Reading articles and discussion on the web, one can tell that many intelligentia in the West want to do something about it but that vested interest – perhaps governments and big business – have sold out, to let this happen.
So if the real challenge is within, in the vested interests – how does one understand these vested interests and address them. Who are these ‘vested interests’ that are more powerful than the majority in our ‘democracies’? What have they to gain and could they get that in any other form? What would need to happen for these ‘interests’ to want something different from what they are getting? Could the aim of these ‘interests’ be an economically & politically dominant China and is it possible that this could be beneficial for the global economy and individual well being? Does the global economy have to operate in an ‘either or’ mode? Suppose China is not interested in ‘world domination’? Could a Western DemocraCapitalist system exist in parallel with an Eastern CommunoCapitalist system? Businesses could then choose which system is beneficial at different points in their development.. Perhaps the global economy would benefit from such choice and balance.
Leadership and uncertainty
In our personal lives, the consequences of actions often show up sooner than later. On the other hand, in organisational leadership roles where we instigate actions that are ultimately completed by others, the consequences of our decisions and their impact are often delayed. So, we are often unsure whether our last decision was the right one by the time we are presented with the next. If you are in a leadership role or planning for one, how do you handle uncertainty in a faster-changing world, even with the best laid plans? Are leaders always certain of their actions or do they proceed regardless of uncertainty?
It is kind of obvious that they proceed even whilst uncertain, otherwise they would stand still. They would be unable to act because the future is uncertain. Good leaders keep tuned into the external business, physical and social environment around them. They pick up signals of change to which they must respond flexibly, if they are to survive. Ultimately, they must trust that their decisions will be the best ones they could have made at the time. Enron is a textbook case of tremendous business success that went wrong. When did it’s leaders stop paying real attention to the world around them?
Making progress requires taking each step at a time, responding to the result of each action and the countless other occurrences in our environment as they unfold. The important thing is to be clear where you want to go. What is the organisation’s direction of travel? As I read recently in the ‘Word for Today’, “Pencil in your plans, but write your vision in ink!” Then, act with conviction, your mind and senses open.
Do you know and play to your strengths?
Heavily influenced by reading the book “Discover your strengths” by M. Buckingham and D. Clifton, I have become an advocate for playing to your strengths and just managing your weaknesses to minimise their impact. This article applies it for those who worry about networking. Enjoy it.
An Introvert’s Guide to Networking – Lisa Petrilli – Harvard Business Review
So, you want your colleagues to be more creative?
‘Colleagues’ for me captures, the work as well as the non-work context and is appropriate in a discussion of creativity. It creates a picture of “side-by-side”.
As I participated in a discussion about creativity, I realised how the same word with a clear dictionary meaning could evoke different pictures and emotions in a range of people. For many, creativity is about coming up with the idea and for others, it is about putting the idea to use. For some creativity is only linked to ‘creatives’ like artists and musicians who are inspired, whilst for others, creativity is about creative thinking. Still for others, creativity has to be new and original but for others, there is nothing like ‘completely new’. I have my views and am sure you have yours.
Creativity for me is about coming up with the idea. The source could be a dream, an insight, divine revelation, a conversation overheard, building on a colleagues work and many others. This idea could be about a painting, a scientific discovery, improvement of a process. Putting the idea to work is the next stage and it is possible to be creative about putting the idea to work.
So when you say you want your colleagues to be more creative, do you really want them to be more creative? Creativity thrives in certain environments and requires considerable nurturing. It could be slow and is likely to surprise, could even upset you. Yes, you cannot turn it on and off but you can make it more likely to happen by creating an environment in which it thrives and is shared. What do your colleagues believe happened to the last 10 ideas they came up with? The answer to that question would affect the likelihood of you hearing of the next 10 ideas. •
Here is another thought. Does high creativity mean low productivity? Not when there is clear focus, meaningful urgency and some space to think.
“When one is mentally involved in a project and gets intrinsic rewards from it, they can be both creative and productive”—J. Benjamin Forbes & Donald R Domm, 2004
You, your values and your New Year resolution
It is that time again. Where do our New Year resolutions come from anyway? Perhaps from previous years’ un-achieved resolutions; from past challenges & conflicts. Or from pressures in our environment (including our neighbours’ new car, gadgets, …)? From dreams as yet un-realised; from incremental long terms goals previously set; anticipated work challenges; feedback received from friends & family? How much does it matter, provided we keep the resolution?
Do we choose with an intention of keeping them or of trying? Experience shows that we are more motivated to easily remember and achieve what is really important to us (values). This is because the fuel/energy comes from within us and we do not unconsciously sabotage and apply the breaks.
So perhaps the 1st step is to take a quiet moment or 2 to confirm those 4 or 5 things that are really important to us, that when we have them we feel fulfilled & complete; without which we feel uneasy. Knowing these values enables us to test whether a new year resolution will run counter to anything that is really important to us. After all we want to succeed, do we not?
Find and pay attention to your strengths
Steve Job’s biography once again confirms to me that very successful people have ‘sharp edges’ and are not ’rounded’. He focussed his efforts on a few areas where he had enough talent to excel. He developed them and did not appear to pay much attention to his weaknesses.
You can achieve more, easily.
Start with your values and end with achievement! Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder among others maintain that passion is a crucial ingredient to entrepreneurial success. So what role does passion play? Most achievement requires focus and energy but it is difficult to sustain them without passion. Passion is however not enough when it is at odds with other matters that are really important to you. For instance, you are passionate about robotics and want to spend all your waking hours working on inventions but your family is also very important to you …
So it is crucial to set up your goals, projects, job properly to ensure you have the fuel to stay the course. The greatest effort goes in at the start. After a good set-up, it take much less effort to maintain, just a quiet moment or two before you start off.
Knowing what is important to you as a person, what must be present for you to feel fulfilled, is important to effective performance. These are often not the values we would describe to ourselves and others, but those that are consistently evident in our day-to-day actions. For example, if fairness is really important to me, there will be evidence of fairness in my daily actions. When I have been fair, I will feel fulfilled, even if I have suffered an inconvenience or loss in the process.
A vivid vision of what achievement will look, feel, smell is also crucial to achievement. Such a description of the end goal proposes that one clearly focuses on the future and enables all parts of the person to move in synch towards one destination.
When the person anticipates that this vision will be achieved by behaving in line with values, a considerable amount of energy is released from within, energy which can sustain the journey towards the goal, project or task. I, personally have found that with alignment of vision and values, this journey usually feels easier than without such alignment. Success is more certain.
Leave a voicemail for a valued customer
I can only say what works for me, combined with inspiration from Derek Pilcher of The Ladders. Remember that having to chase-up suggests you are not top of the priority list and this may be an “amber warning” for you to address outstanding issues. Having to leave a message could itself hold a message to you about the timing of your call. So leave a message that nurtures the relationship.
Decide how important this person is to your long term interests and consider how willing you are to lose their custom. Make it easy for your listener by taking a minute to plan the message.
- Your Name when you start and last thing when you finish.
- Your phone number, twice, the 1st at normal speed, the 2nd slowly enough for writing it down.
- A reminder of your relationship and how you have previously interacted
- An upbeat message about why you are calling and a benefit for them. People do not like associating with guillt feelings, so do not say they have not returned your call
- A pleasant reiteration of your interest and request an action.
Life lessons from fighting
Fighting has negative connotations but it is really about survival. On the streets, serious fights end quickly, in seconds. Trained fighters and martial artists say that to fight well, you must concern yourself with what is in your control and be in the present. In the present, you can take opportunities as they come and defensive action as you need to. Yes, a high level aggression is also needed.
They will tell you that in a fight, once you start worrying about what your opponent will do, you get hurt. Your focus shifts to anticipation and you begin to be led by the opponent, fighting your opponent’s fight. Your focus must therefore be on what you are doing with your strengths and abilities, in the moment. Fight your fight and let the opponent worry about theirs.
As Steven Covey would say, be in your circle of control. Do not dwell in your circle of concern, where you have neither control nor influence. This has application to daily life, individual achievement and competition between organisations.