Category Archives: Leadership

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Productivity: Does Your Life Metaphor Help Or Hinder?

How your Unconscious Metaphor can help you enjoy life

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If you only have 30 seconds, see the summary at the end of the main text  & welcome to 47 new subscribers who have joined us this week from Denmark, USA, Belgium and UK.

Introduction

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I recall feeling like punching the speaker repeatedly in the head. A little harsh I know but I was tired. I sat in the conference listening to a well-meaning ‘Time Management Guru’ rattle on about having balance. I was getting a few hours of sleep a night as my 1 year old son had displayed an early Olympic talent as a sleepless wonder. Balance was a panacea that sounded like a myth and only induced a sense of guilt as I felt my life resembled some type of YO-YO fitness test shuttling between cones.

I understood his sentiment and applaud the natural presupposition that we should not live lives out of balance or out of kilter. However, each day as I dragged my sorry ‘you know what’ into work, balance was the last thing I felt like I could attain. I realised that living a life of perfect balance was not only a great cause of guilt but was impossible. The stage of life that I was in and the demands of the situation meant balance was a poor metaphor for where life was at.

If balance was not the best metaphor, then what would be more useful? More on this LATER.

Science: How Metaphors Impact Reasoning and Problem Solving

The metaphors we choose are powerful and govern our thoughts and lives. A recent academic study by Paul H. Thibodeau and Lera Boroditsky showed how the power of a single metaphorical word altered the entire diagnosis and operations of how people reason through a situation.

When the academics changed one metaphorical word in a problem, people offered very different solutions. Their solutions were consistent with the metaphor that they were presented with by the academics. In one of their studies, participants were told to predict the solutions offered by two politicians who were advocating for different approaches to the crime problem. Half of the participants were told that the politician was describing crime as a BEAST. The other half was told the politician was describing crime as a VIRUS.

Interestingly, the participants presented with the beast metaphor, advocated solving the crime problems with solutions such as increased law enforcement and punishment. Alternatively, those participants who were presented with the virus metaphor advocated solving the crime problems with solutions of social reform, improving the economic health and educational system. One word changed their reasoning, interpretation and solutions.

Let’s unpack the metaphor of ‘Balance’tightrope

Balance would insinuate that all competing priorities are of equal value and can therefore be balanced against each other. A person walking across a tight rope would want the balancing bar to be balanced rather than heavily weighted on one side. Naturally, this type of balance is attainable IF you can choose the bar.

However, when facing the demands of work or family it may be something that you don’t have full control over. In life, demands of various weights and shapes are thrust upon you, without your consent.

For example, the mother and father trying to feed, bath and dress their children for bed. Not to mention the inevitable hours coaching them to sleep. The entrepreneur in the early stages of a business start-up who is not only business development manager but also accountant, marketer, HR manager, CEO and coffee getter all in one.

This notion of balance is often impractical for a leader in today’s high-velocity environments. It is virtually impossible to give equal time and attention to two things at once. There is a better analogy for today’s leader that can alleviate stress and increase productivity.

Cue a new metaphor: Seasons

I left the seminar and realised I could fight my current reality in a vain attempt to get balance. I would probably waste a lot of energy and still not attain the nirvana of balance. Not only would I waste energy I would miss out on the enjoyment that I could be embracing. I had a young family, was in a new stage of life and was now a father.

Perhaps a better metaphor would be (more…)

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Procrastination Buster: The ‘2 to 3 Rule’

Do you know it?

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The Annual General Meeting started and the General Manager stood up and said: “If there’s one thing I won’t stand for, it’s procrastination!  All that this organisation ever does is procrastinate, procrastinate, procrastinate!”

An eager staff member stood up, and asked, “What do you propose we DO about it Sir?”

“Well, for a start,” said the General Manager, “I suggest that we take a long and serious look at this problem when we meet for our next Annual General Meeting!”

We all may know a quintessential ‘PUT IT OFF’ person. Who seem to live by the mantra ‘After all is said and done, more is said than done’! A colleague I know describes them as “A lot of Talky Talky and not much Doey Doey”.

The desire to reschedule is ubiquitous. It gives people the feeling the task has been attended to. However, the end result is burgeoning inboxes and escalating ‘to do lists’.

Over the years I have coached 100’s of leaders and the following simple rule has helped many crush procrastination and making them far more productive.

Processing time

In the science of personal productivity is the notion of ‘Processing time’. This is the moment when you are taking control of your week and tasks to be done. It is the reviewing emails, monitoring projects, constructing your actions and to do list.

However, there is a very powerful key that needs to be adhered to during your “processing time”. The Maxim is as follows

If Scheduling = Application, then Action straight away.

The rule of thumb in this regards is (more…)

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Productivity 2: Do you Suffer from ‘To Do Psychic Anxiety’

Reduce Anxiety and Increase Capacity at the same time

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I was working at the university and it was exam time. As is the custom the atmosphere changes. People scurry to exam venues blurry eyed as they show the remnants of a late night cramming session. Stress and anxiety written all over their faces.

As I walked down to get a coffee I saw a colleague who was doing some postgraduate study and en route to sit an exam. He looked at me, smiled and said “DON’T  talk to me; I am off to sit an exam and I don’t want to LEAK any information”. After an all-nighter, he felt like his brain had reached capacity. Like someone carrying an overfull cup across a room, he did not want to spill any of the precious information.

I am sure we have all had that feeling of “being at capacity”. There is no more room for work, distraction or information.

Capacity is not an infinite resource. We all have our limits but what you don’t know is that you can FREE UP some capacity. More on this later.

Question: How many times have you been asked or asked someone else

  • “Can you remind me about  _________________ ?” or
  • “Please don’t let me forget _________________ ?”

The reason people say this is because a ‘task to be done’ is weighing on their minds. They are fearful they will forget and it is causing them psychic anxiety. This fear indicates they do not have a system that they trust to ensure the task will get completed. With this in mind their solution is, make someone else responsible for remembering the task.

To make matters worse, a collection of little tasks all start to weigh heavily on the individual. These ‘to do’s’ take up cognitive (brain space) capacity that could be used for more productive activities.  Instead, consciously they are trying to ensure all tasks are remembered.

The end result is a form of Psychic Anxiety. A constant worrying about possible missed tasks.

  • Jobs that you don’t want to forget.
  • Bills to be payed,
  • People to be contacted or
  • Subscriptions to cancel.
  • Items you must remember to buy at the shops

It’s all true

Psychic Anxiety2You may have heard yourself saying “I have a lot on my mind”, chances are you quite literally do. Unconsciously, we may be mentally juggling tasks. Shuffling cognitive resources in a vain attempt to give our full attention to a project at hand.

According to research, our ability to think creatively gets lost when our minds are trying to keep track of the ‘to do’s’. The end result being that you feel preoccupied and you lack focus and attention.
Psychic Anxiety3cThe notion that these mental “to do’s” are using up precious brain power is being validated by the scientific community. Professor John-Dylan Haynes from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, has through functional magnetic resonance imaging been able to map what part of the brain is unconsciously active while we hold these ‘to do’s in your head. Unconsciously using up mental capacity that could be put to better use.

The Solution is Cognitive Off-Loading

Science is revealing that when people (more…)

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Productivity: Are you OBT or TBT?

Do you know the difference?

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I recall early in my career starting a new job and proudly ticking all the items off my to-do list. I was very happy with myself. Strolled down the hall looking for someone to celebrate my achievement with. Upon meeting an older mentor, I waited for the inevitable questions. “How are you doing”, he asked. Just the question I had expected. “Up to date and Just cleared ‘my’ to do list … Feeling great” I proudly announced. To which he responded, “Wow, I have not been up to date for 25 years”.

I smiled but inwardly thought to myself. ‘Talk about unorganised. How can you not complete all the tasks on your To-Do list’?

It only took a couple months before I realised I was going to be in the same boat. As the department grew and pressure mounted I came to the swift realisation. I WILL NEVER BE UP TO DATE. Projects and tasks need to be prioritised and SOME would NEVER get done.

It was then that I realised I need to ask myself a new question. More on that to come.

The Science Behind our Challenge

At any given moment, we are constantly bombarded by signals from our five senses. With this onslaught of input, how do we manage to not go completely insane? The key is that we pay attention to only a small proportion of that information and throw much of it away. This process is known as selective filtering or selective attention, and most people do it all the time.

Our Brain is constantly trying to resolve what it should Focus on. Where should the focus of attention be. To do this it resolves questions we ask ourselves. This means that the quality of questions they ask will determine what we focus on. When I coach my clients, I do so with the understanding that the questions I ask influences the direction of their thinking.

For example, if I ask you “What will ‘X’ get you?” you will tend to think about specific things (more money, less stress, more time). However, if I ask you “What will that do for you?” you are more likely to come up with more value based abstract answers (freedom, contentment, acceptance).

Your brain unconsciously filters out unimportant details as it resolves ‘what to focus on’. However, you can consciously control what you brain Selectively Filters and Increase your productivity.

The Question that boosts Productivity

Considering the many demands for your attention you NEED to DECIDE in advance what your brain is going to filter for and hence focus on.

If you are like any person working in a pressured environment, you could probably end up with multiple to-do list items that need to get done While you neatly prioritise them with the obligatory A, B and C’s next to each item, you know they will be replaced almost immediately with new tasks and you will never again in your life get a clean slate. It may leave you feeling like Sisyphus, in Greek mythology, who was condemned to roll a rock up to the top of a mountain, only to have the rock roll back down to the bottom every time he reaches the top. For Eternity.

To make matters worse people often allow someone or something else to control their focus. The first step toward taking back your focus and achieving more is to ask a new type of question.

Outcome Based Thinking vs Task Based Thinking

The challenge is that many people are focused on Task Based Thinking (TBT). At the start of every day they ask themselves some form of the following questions

“What do I need to do today?”

With this in mind the Selective filter is now set. Your brains ‘Focus of Attention’ is on TASKS, Things to do. It will have no problem coming up with enough tasks to fill your day, perhaps even many days to follow. Leaving you feeling behind the eight ball and overwhelmed with the magnitude of what needs to get done.

Alternatively, you can engage in ‘Outcome Based thinking” (OBT). Outcome Based thinking is a key element to leadership productivity that starts by determining what our mind pays attention to.

Instead of asking “What should I do?” Outcome based thinking starts by asking

“What Outcomes Do I Want?”

A focus on outcomes will quickly change your selective filtering system. Bringing to attention the outcomes you want rather than the tasks to be done. A focus on outcomes will change what you should be spending your time doing. It may begin to deliver fresh ways that you can achieve an outcome rather than get stuck in the daily grind of operations.

Naturally, there may be many derivatives of asking outcome based questions. For example, you could ask

  • What is the ultimate outcome?
  • What is the goal I am trying to achieve?
  • What results are we looking for?
  • What will make today successful?

Leaders who know what they ‘want’ see the world differently. More importantly people selectively attend to things that interest or excite them. Often these are positive outcomes, goals and results.  So, when you decide what you want, your mind filters for how to see that outcome fulfilled.  It’s like buying a new car. You start seeing it everywhere

Value OF OBT

1.      Greater Creativity

Outcome based thinking can lead you to more creative insight due to directing your thinking in a way that requires a creative answer. It may disregard the traditional process to achieving an outcome and find creative ways to achieve the same result.

2.      Greater Connection to ‘Why’

Outcome based thinking helps people to connect to what is important rather than the mundane.

3.      Higher Energy

People enjoy attending to things that interest or excite them.

4.      Improved Teamwork

Outcome-based thinking gets everyone aligned first, before you even begin to think about your individual tasks. This way, creating measurable results is effective and achievable.

TEAM EXERCISE

Question 1: The Outcome we want to achieve is?

Get the team together and work toward coming to consensus on the answer to the question:

What is our outcome we are focusing on?

Have each person write down what they think it is on a piece of paper. (All of the answers may be different – maybe extremely or slightly so, but they certainly won’t be 100% alike.)

Question 2: What can we stop doing and still achieve the outcome?

This helps to evaluate activities that do not best serve the outcome.

Question 3: What will help us achieve the outcome faster?

This helps prioritise what needs to be done.

By Aiden Holliday

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Have You Experienced Vujá dé

Fact: You Have Experienced Vujá dé … so what is it?

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“That’s just what I needed to hear” I proclaimed to a friend as we all shared a meal together. My wife looked at me incredulously, “I have been telling you that for years, then ‘THEY’ say it and you think it is a great idea”. Deep down inside I knew it was true but I could not help the feeling that it seemed to make MORE sense NOW than BEFORE.

Everybody has heard of Deja vu, right? That “I have been there before” feeling. The French origins actually directly translate “already seen” (déjà, already + vu, seen)

But have you heard of its opposite ‘Vuja de’ (pronounced as “voo zha-day”)”.

Vujá dé is that moment of clarity when something becomes “all of a sudden clear” You discovering something new in something you’ve already seen a million times before.

In our innovation seminars, we often discuss a technique called “Fresh Eyes”. Which was aptly described by the French novelist Marcel Proust when he said, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.”

I am sure when the young Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree in his mother’s garden in Lincolnshire, it was not the first time that had occurred in his life. It was not “WOW I have never seen an apple fall before” moment. Rather, Newton experienced a Vujá dé moment, had fresh eyes and went on to devise his theory of gravity after witnessing an apple falling from a tree.

Right Time Right Place

In my life, I have often been surprised by those moments where knowledge turns into insight. Call it what you like

  • A Eureka moment
  • An Epiphany
  • A moment of clarity
  • A moment when a thought moves from the head to the heart
  • A revelation
  • A moment of insight

What has been surprising is the fact that for some reason old information makes sense at a level it did not before. Despite the fact you have known a concept for years, like a ‘bolt of lightning’ the right person, in the right place and the right times says it in the right way and you have your Vujá dé moment.

You then respond, “Wow, what a great thought”. It then impacts us in a way that is enlightening and its motivational force is profound. People look at you “What is the big deal”.

The big deal was prior to that time your mind was not open or ready to receive the information. You did not really believe it. Then one day it hits you like a sledgehammer. On that day you were at a point in your life when you were ready to hear it, ready to absorb it and ready to act on it. Thus, it created the illusion that it magically made its appearance at that particular moment. 

Leaders FLICK the SWITCH and FACILITATE VUJADE

We often encounter people who make dramatic changes in their lives. It may be fitness, diet or some level of success that is impacting. It is impacting because it was a struggle for the person and then a metaphorical switch gets flicked and their lives change.  A common denominator you will notice is they were ready.  They were ready for success, ready for change, ready to see themselves better than they were.

Many have heard of the old maxim “When the student is ready the teacher will arrive.”

This alludes to the moment when we are ready to gain insight. The teacher is not necessarily a person but rather metaphorical. That moment when you see a situation slightly differently and it hits you like a ton of bricks. That moment of clarity. An epiphany. The essence of Vuja de is not merely seeing things with fresh eyes. It is getting yourself ready to receive an insight that is more than head knowledge. It is facilitating a moment of clarity.

It is a leader’s role to facilitate this ‘Readiness’’ for people, teams, and organizations.

How do Leaders Facilitate

Here are four tips for cultivating VUJA DE.

(more…)

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Top Mistakes Leaders Make: Number 2

Failure to ‘Date the Vision’

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“SO-SO Busy, I am RUN off my feet”, Jane responded. A possible plethora of other responses ran through her head, to the very simple question “How are you doing?” Her new position was the opportunity that she knew could ‘establish her career’. She was known as a producer, delivered on outcomes which had been rewarded with promotion. Now the pressure to get results was even greater but she also needed to get the Big Picture. Whatever that meant?

All indications are that we are under pressure. People, like Jane, now days are suffering from BUSY-SICKNESS and admit to being TIME POOR. We feel like we are on the treadmill just trying to keep up. The end result is a lack of fulfilment and inspiration as we maintain our SO-SO Busy stance.

A TOP MISTAKE THAT LEADERS, if not all of us, make is (more…)

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Cooperation The Shortest Distance To Achieve Goals

3 Secrets to Cooperation

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Fred sat in his office contemplating the line from the movie, Jerry Maguire, “Help me help you.” Fantastic line but far from reality. It seemed he was always trying to crowbar some form of cooperation from staff. Fred was sure he was not alone in his desire to see people working together rather than at odds with each other. He knew that ‘Cooperation’ was the shortest distance to achieve organisational goals but eliciting meaningful long-term cooperation seemed to be a mystery.

GraphIt is interesting to note that the use of the word “cooperation” has increased dramatically since the times of the industrial revolution. It is as if the Industrial Revolution cued the ‘Need to Ask’ people to work together for a common purpose aka cooperate. Businesses became aware that success demanded cooperation and as the demands of business increased, cooperation became essential. Bizarrely prior to this cooperation was an assumed part of life.

Cooperation emerged as a primary task of leadership that focuses on getting people to work together in a systematic way. Having skilled players on a sports team does not guarantee success. The coach needs to find the magic that gets the team performing. Harnessing talents and actions of various players to produce a result that only working together can achieve.  Even the best CEO’s stumble in their attempts to encourage cooperation when they do not understand the secret ingredients. Those foundational secret ingredients that cannot be observed but essential to success.

Unpacking the Secret Ingredients to Cooperation

Why did the request for cooperation increase after the industrial revolution? (more…)

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Mid-Year Boost

Create A Halftime Strategy Using The “4 SO WHAT?” Questions And Transform The Next 6 Months

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Great teams can turn around a poor performance in the second half and great coaches appreciate the half time break. It is a time to adjust tactics, affirm what is going well and perhaps even turn around what has not been ideal first half. For you, it is half way through the year and you have 6 months ahead of you. Things have gone well and no doubt there have been challenges.

Whether you are looking at your personal life, leading a team or a corporation, the fundamental questions are.

  • How can I make the next 6 months better than the first?
  • What adjustments need to be made?
  • How can I keep tracking towards achieving my goals?

Today I want to introduce the “So WHAT” evaluation. However, my coaching has found that people have two paradigms when the words, ‘SO WHAT’ are uttered. It all depends on the intention of the person delivering them. For some, the ‘SO WHAT’ is a statement and for others it is an inquiry.

The ‘Statement’ Types

For those whom SO WHAT is a Statement, It can mean whatever they are assessing “is not important” and infers the statement “I don’t care”. You will hear responses like

  • “So what if I don’t achieve the targets. I am getting paid anyway!” and
  • “The CEO won’t like it, you know.” “So what – I don’t care what they think!”

For them, ‘SO WHAT’ is a full stop and shines the light on a fatalistic approach to their reality. They act as if ‘life is happening to them’ and little of what they do will make a difference. In truth, the outcomes of the past 6 months can be extrapolated for the remainder of the year and each year following. From my coaching experience, people with this intention tend to be

  • Uninspired by the life they are living
  • Achieve fewer goals
  • Get less career advancement
  • Do not maximise their potential.

The Inquiry Types

For those whom, ‘SO WHAT’ indicates inquiry tend to be flexible, more likely to succeed and have a positive attitude that puts them on the cause side of the equation. They believe what they choose to do will change the reality they experience.

I had a wise mentor who used to challenge me whenever I was in the throes of crafting a speech. “Aiden”, he would say. “Be plagued by the question “SO WHAT?” He paused and looked intently at me and said, “Ask yourself that every time you get up to speak.”

I have found that those with the inquiry approach to, ‘SO WHAT?’ quickly identify priorities and figure out what is important. It brings a focus and clarity to life that keeps them heading in the right direction.

Ask ‘SO WHAT’ 4 times.

To maximise the second half of the year ask, ‘SO WHAT?’ four times with a slightly different emphasis each time. If you are going to do this properly ensure you do it in writing. Get four pieces of paper and head each page with each of the questions and commit at least 5 min to answer each.

Number 1: SO WHAT Happened?So What Happened

It was the renowned educationalist David Kolb that taught us that reflection turns ‘experience’ into (more…)

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Does Your Team Have Energy Vampires?

6 Glass Ceilings of Team Performance and How To Break Through them. (Numbers 2-6)

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Are you ready for a surprise?  You blink about 15-20 times every minute —so frequently that our eyes are closed for roughly 10% of our waking hours.  Now, consider the 10 blink per minute average applied to a 15-minute drive, you would have blinked 150 times. That means on average you drive with your eyes closed about 10% of the trip. Who knows what you missed out on in those 150 blinks.

The phrase ‘Blink and you will miss it’ is very apt when it comes to the subtleties a leader needs to monitor to ensure team performance. Some of the subtle hindrances to team performance can easily go unnoticed.

Every team has ‘plateau points’ where they come up against a glass ceiling hindering their potential. Points where the performance will begin to Plateau for reasons that seem irrational. They are very subtle and if they are not monitored they cannot be remedied. This can leave you frustrated with why your team is not performing to the level that you know it is capable of. Being aware of these six ceilings enables the appropriate actions to be taken.

In the last Blog, we dealt with the first glass ceiling, ‘The Communication ceiling’. Today we will cover the remaining five.

2. The Energy Ceiling – Do you have an Energy Vampire?

(more…)

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What are the 6 Glass Ceilings of Team Performance?

and How To Break Through them. (Number 1 )

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Sometimes a little insight can mean the difference between success and frustration.

I was sparring with a friend who was a multiple title holder in Mixed Martial Arts. I was getting a pummelling and bewildered by his speed. He was super-fast and seemed to be able to predict all my moves and counter them before I had even begun to execute my techniques. In a thinly veiled attempt to get some respite from the pummelling, I asked, “How did you develop such speed?” Thankfully he paused and delivered some insight. “I am not actually that fast” he explained. Yeah right, I thought but resisted saying that out loud just in case he ended the lesson and resumed the training. “I am just observing what you are missing.”

He then went on to explain where the focus of his attention was. Once you have the fundamental skills of sparring you need to place your attention on much smaller cues. The “tells” that inform me of your intentions. That way I can react earlier than others do. My attention was on his fists, which seemed natural considering that was what I needed to avoid. The problem was his fist were halfway to my face before I realised what he was doing. Again and again, my reactions were just too slow to get out of the way. My defence was informed by watching his gloves. By contrast, he explained his attention was on my hips and shoulders. “They are the earliest, “tells” of your intentions. Before you throw a punch you will be loading up your hips or shoulders. That is what I am observing and why I am able to read your moves so early.”

Likewise once the fundamentals of teams are in place you need to begin to read some of the subtle “tells” that may hinder performance. I call these the 6 glass ceilings of team performance. Leaders can find themselves banging their heads on these glass ceilings unnecessarily. These ceilings can be broken through but first, you need to know that they are there and what you are dealing with.

The First Glass Ceilings of Team Performance

Every team has ‘plateau points’ where they come up against a glass ceiling hindering their potential. Points where the performance will begin to Plateau for reasons that seem irrational. They are very subtle and if they are not monitored they cannot be remedied. This can leave you frustrated with why your team is not performing to the level that you know it is capable of. Being aware of these six ceilings enables the appropriate actions to be taken.    (more…)