Category Archives: Leadership

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3 Types Of People We All Encounter – Are you an Abductive, Inductive or Deductive type?

& How to Get Through To Them

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Ok it happened again. They said ‘Yes’ and then did nothing.

Do you ever get frustrated with the fact that

  • the message sometimes does not get through
  • there is plenty of communication but still people don’t ‘get it’
  • those you are leading are not reading off the ‘same page’. Sometimes it even feels like they are reading a totally different book and odds are you are right.

The challenge, working with people, is that you have to be on the ‘same page’ if you are going to make progress. As a leader we feel drawn to people who are on the ‘Same Page’, who ‘Get it’. We get excited by their contributions. At the same time you may be missing out on vital contributions of others in your organization. The people you don’t gel with, who frustrate you and highlight their differences by reading the ‘other book’ in meetings. Their contributions seem to act as a ball and chain to possible progress. You want them all on the same page. You know they have a valuable contribution to make. If you could help them understand what you are trying to achieve.

The solution is simpler than we realize and requires a slight change in how we communicate. People you work with will see exactly the same situation in three different ways. Focusing their attention and processing the information differently. Understanding these differences provides key insights on how to get the team on the same page.

Let’s take a scenario of three individuals viewing a forest.

Person one: Classified as Forest People. (Deductive Thinkers)

forestThe Forest People see the forest first and then make deductions. Because there is a forest there must be a variety of trees, animals and other interesting features.  Their mindset is one of the philosopher. Once they understand the big picture behind a concept the rest of the picture falls into place. For them, the starting point of conversations should be the Big Picture. Then work from that point to the details that need to be discussed, which to be honest they do not love but will find it more palatable now they know how it all fits together. Forest people are deductive thinkers and like to work from the big picture to details.

Person two: Classified as Tree People. (Inductive Thinkers)

alberoThe Tree people’s attention is on the details of what they are seeing. They see individual trees, count how many trees there are, tabulated their genus, species and ecology. They then induce that because there are X amount of trees, it fits the criteria to be classified as a forest. Their mindset is that of the scientists where interpretation of the detail builds an understanding of the bigger picture for them. The starting point of their communication is the details. Understanding the details will help them begin to grasp the big picture. Often, they may find the big picture fluffy and abstract but will embrace it because it is backed by proof.

Tree people like details to be the starting point of communication. They are inductive thinkers who work from the details to the big picture.

Person Three: Classified as The (more…)

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Donald Trump’s Top 4 Persuasion Techniques

What can you learn

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles during a campaign stop, Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Bluffton, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Love him or hate, him the USA electoral process has been surprised by Trump’s ability to garner support. The question has to be asked how does he do it? Enlisting people into the dream is the second most important task of leadership that follows identifying a direction to lead in. I was not a fan of ‘The Don’ but decided I needed to investigate what was drawing people to his message.

You may have heard it called engagement, vision casting and generating buy-in but they are all synonyms for an essential leadership skill. It is the ability to ENLIST people into the dream, not to just to get them to buy into the message but feel passionately engaged with the dream. With this in mind, I decided to watch his campaigns. I spent copious amounts of time watching the news channels and unpacking what I consider to be his keys to success. I must admit that the more I watch him the more I could sense what was drawing people in.

The caveat to this discussion is that enlistment needs to be backed with robust strategy and implementation. That aspect of his campaign is still to be determined and is not the scope of this discussion. In this blog, we are going to investigate what techniques is ‘The Don’ using to enlist people.

You may also raise the objection that he has many detractors and opposition. Agreed but that is also the nature of leadership. However, he has gathered an ardent following. Not everyone will enlist in his dream but that is true for any leader trying to sell his vision.

Trumps Persuasion Techniques.

Technique 1: Pathien before Sapien

Trumps rhetoric is peppered with phrases like (more…)

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Leadership Tip: Two Questions Leaders Must Ask

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Blog Lion

There is an old Chinese proverb where a martial arts student approached his teacher with a question. “I’d like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I’d like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?”

The old master looked intently at the young man, then delivered his pearl of wisdom, “The hunter who chases two rabbits, catches neither one.”

As a young leader, I was sitting at a seminar where an International leader was discussing the ‘Power of Focus’. He asked what was a simple and yet powerful question. He then explained if we could answer the question and stay focused on the answer it would

  • Increase the level of achievement in our personal lives
  • Makes us better leaders
  • Bring alignment to organisations
  • Increase your motivational skills as a leader
  • Give your life more energy and drive

I have found that his bold claims had merit but not for everyone. Yet after adding a second question, which must be asked in tandem, the success rate of his assertions increased dramatically. I will explain why later.

Key Question

The simple question he asked was “What do you want”. Sounds so simple but when asked authentically it stops people in their tracks.

Whether it is a project, a meeting, or establishing the direction of the company it is far too easy to bypass the one question that will bring focus. Instead we jump to

  • What we will do and
  • How we will do it

Failure to start with the fundamental question “What do we really want to achieve here?” leaves people, teams and organisations wasting effort and energy.

The question, ‘What do you want’, takes advantage of some key aspects to our human wiring. Neuroscientist, Daniel Bor explains that the human nervous system is ‘future obsessed’. Unconsciously we constantly filter the world for what we want even though we do not always honour it. Author of the best seller “The How of Happiness” and Psychology professor, Sonja Lyubomirsky, states we are happier when we are living with intention. All of which resonates with the 1968 breakthrough research by Dr. Edwin Locke which found that those who had a form of objective or goal performed higher and operated more effectively.

If this is true why does it not work for everyone? The reason this question is not as effective when asked by itself is because the answers are classed as an abstraction. Abstractions are concepts. Ideas that are not tangible and cannot be visualised in concrete terms. They include concepts such as justice, peace, success. All these words are ideas that cannot be pictured in our head. We can picture an event that reflects the concept but not the concept itself.

Abstract concepts are energising. They excite us. So when people respond to the question “What do you want”

You may garner responses like

  • I want to be rich
  • I want a successful company
  • I want ..[you fill in responses you have heard]

All of which will excite and energise them. However at this point it is only a concept and is not enough to really make a difference for most. The reason is that they cannot picture rich, or success. This is where the second question is so crucial.

It is the second question that turns the abstraction into something to truly aim for. A visual target.

Second Key Question

(more…)

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Keeping in the Leadership Zone – Part 2

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SPORTS (52)

In the previous article we began to discuss what is required to help leaders get into the zone? Here are three more keys to ensure that you find the Zone…..

3. Monitor your Emotional Gauge

Our personal emotional gauge is often under-monitored. You may be intellectually inspired, physically fit, yet ‘emotionally depleted’. Figuring out how to replenish our emotional levels is vital. I like to audit my life by using a tool I call the (more…)

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Keeping in the Leadership Zone

- Part 1

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SPORTS (70)

You do not need to watch much sport before you will hear commentators talk about the sportspeople being in or out of the ‘Zone’.  The elusive ‘Zone’!  It is in the zone that these athletes seem relaxed, perform at the higher level and are able to win games against the odds.  At the Olympics there are a number of athletes who can compete at the same level. Many have beaten each other at previous athletic competitions. However, often it is the athlete that feels like they are ‘in the zone on the day’ that stands on the dais with a medal.

This notion applies to leadership as well. We have moments when we are really hitting the mark and other times when we feel off our game. Before we uncover how to get in the zone lets uncover what it is like, when we are not in the zone.

 Assess yourself on this TEN point checklist.

As leaders, we are NOT in the zone when.

  •  Our decision making tends to take longer.
  •  You gravitate towards mundane activities as an escape
  •  We become reactionary towards those that we lead.
  •  We may become a little short tempered.
  •  We feel the pressure of our work more than usual.
  •  Work lacks the enjoyment that it used to.
  •  We feel threatened when ordinarily we would feel confident.
  •  You forget what you are actually trying to achieve.
  •  You begin to feel numb relationally.
  •  You find yourself tidying your desk again.

Unfortunately, these symptoms tend to cause individuals to strive harder. To push more with little or no discernible results. This effectively drives them further out of the zone rather than into the zone.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi pioneered much of the initial understanding about ‘the zone’ and wrote the book “Flow”. This breakthrough notion of the zone has become a fundamental concept for those coaching people into peak performance. Sports psychologists over the years have realised that this is not some ethereal topic but rather when athletes feel relaxed and confident, they get into ‘their zone’ that results in superior performance.

What is required to help leaders get into The Zone? Here are a few keys to ensure that you find the Zone…..

1. Know your Balance Indicator (BI)

Balanced pressure is essential to getting in the zone. For many, people pressure equals performance and certainly we can occasionally peak perform under pressure.  But, we cannot consistently peak perform under pressure for an extended period of time.

Every person needs to find his or her own “Balance Indicator” (BI) activity in his or her life.  There are some activities that you know, when done, replenish your life and act as an indicator that your life is in balance. These activities could be considered your ‘balance indicator’ highlighting your emotional well-being.  For some people it may be that they’ve attended gym regularly. For others it may be reading. For others still it may be time with their children or partner. It may be sitting on a couch and looking out at the ocean. Whatever it may be there are activities that act as the litmus test as to whether your life is in balance or whether you are under too much pressure.

 2. Manage your Confidence

Ironically many leaders leave confidence to ‘chance’ instead of learning to manage their confidence. A few tense meetings and a few minor failures can rob us of the confidence that is so essential to being “in the zone”. A lack of confidence, low self-esteem and second-guessing oneself does not facilitate being in the zone. Managing your confidence levels and being comfortable with ‘who you are’ is a critical element to performance. Something as leaders we must do proactively and not leave to chance.

Two practices to proactively manage your confidence:

  • Reclaim what you want. Beware of people pleasing. It is the desire to make others happy at your own expense. This can lead to an erosion of self-confidence. You lose sight of who you are, what you want and your personal goals.
  • Refocus on the positive elements in your life. So often we can lose confidence when we get focused on what is not quite going according to plan. The failures and frustrations.  Remind yourself to spend a moment every day to celebrate and be grateful for even the little things.

Part 2 coming soon

By Aiden Holliday

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Top Mistakes Leaders Make: Number 1

Not knowing the difference between a Maverick and a Rebel

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rebels-1438262-640x480

Some staff are such a Pain in the ‘Proverbial’ or perhaps some people may think YOU are. A key question is what category do they fall into? Are they a destructive Rebel or a constructive Maverick. The difference is subtle but essential for a leader to know.

The scene.

Business is going along well. Profits are up and progress is steady. Ok, there are competitors out there but you are doing well. You have got though the messy phase of starting the organization and are now established. A mature business with all the busyness of keeping the machine going.

Then there is Frank and Jim, or Frances and Jane, who are difficult. They consistently let you know how things could be better and bring a new hair-brained idea to every meeting.

In meetings their remarks border on insubordination, are confrontational and can come across argumentative.  They are the pain in the proverbial.

A top mistake many leaders fall into is not identifying whether they are dealing with a Maverick or a Rebel. Many leaders confuse ‘mavericks’ for ‘rebels’. There is a distinct difference between the two that every leader should know.

First, let’s understand the benefits of the Maverick.

As an institution grows, it can get fossilized in its ways. Not realizing there is a better way to achieve results or that they are out of sync with what customer’s needs. Organizations have a nasty habit of becoming institutions and institutions have this great tendency to fade into irrelevance. It is the Mavericks that will save this from happening by challenging operations. It is the Maverick that shakes a business out of its institutional arrogance. They challenge the status quo, operations and ask provocative challenging questions.

Iconic Mavericks include people such as

  • Steve Jobs breaking ground with Apple
  • Richard Branson Breaking ground with Virgin
  • Lee Iacocca for reviving the Chrysler
  • Daniel Ek of Spotify.
  • Madonna breaking ground in Pop music

Often they may get inappropriately branded as difficult, nonconformist, dissenters and Rebels, which they may be, or perhaps they are a Maverick.

We silence them by saying things like

  • “When you have been here longer, then come and suggest that what we are doing is wrong”
  • “We don’t do things that way around here.”
  • “Are you trying to be difficult?”

What is the difference between a Rebel and a Maverick? Considering they can look surprisingly similar.

Maverick

A Maverick will be challenging and even argumentative. They will see inadequacies, failings and missed opportunities. Their conversations will unconsciously believe there is a better way to get results. They want to share their thoughts with you. They are not malcontents but really believe there are some missed opportunities.

The Key difference is

They believe in the vision and what you are trying to do. They are passionate about the business. They want to see the business succeed. Their emotional challenges are not destructive in intent.

In essence Mavericks

  • Believein the vision
  • Believethere is a better way to achieve results

Rebel

Like Mavericks the rebels are also challenging, see inadequacies and failings. They take great pleasure in bringing it to your attention. They don’t like how things are operating and believe things should be done differently.

The Key difference to the Maverick is

They don’t believe in the vision. Have no passion for the business and are actually being obstructive, bordering on destructive.

In essence Rebels

  • Don’t believe in the vision and
  • Don’t believe in the process

By Aiden Holliday

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Personality Type Goal Setting

How do you choose your goals

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Do you make plans with determination, caution or excitement? And what does this mean when it comes to achieving your goals? Could you approach them differently for a better chance of success? Find out by taking the test.