Monday, February 25, 2013
Let go the status quo when same no longer serves you or humanity
The great folk at Tomorrow Today began there most recent newsletter with the following
"The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the story present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty and we must rise with the occasion. As our situation is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves if we are to save our country."
Abraham Lincoln, December 1862
My favourite is
"Dogma is living with the results of other people’s thinking."
Steve Jobs
Make this week the first of many where you let go the status quo when same no longer serves you or humanity.
Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian
More sparkenations here.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The Value of Mentoring

1. Work with the best.
If you're going to use a mentor, you might as well get the best. I've had the privilege of Glenn Capelli mentoring me in presentation skills, Matt Church mentoring me in my thought leadership and intellectual property, Creel Price mentoring me in entrepreneurship, Paul Counsel mentoring me in wealth creation, and David Penglase mentoring me in sales and business development. Some of these names might not be familiar to you, but believe me when I say they are all masters at what they do. And these are just the people I've paid for mentoring. There are many others I've followed and learned from, of course.2. Make an investment.
I don't think it's necessarily true that free advice is only worth what you pay for it, but I do think it's easier to be motivated to take action when you pay for the advice. Paying for mentoring helps me keep myself accountable for the return on investment. I suggest you do the same. (By the way, the going rate for one-on-one mentoring seems to be around $3,000-$5,000 for a three-month program)3. Make a commitment.
Paying for mentoring is a good start, but it's not necessarily a commitment. Do something more to commit yourself - set up a support group with other mentorees, announce it publicly, hire a staff member you can't afford in anticipation of your success, whatever. [pullquote]Paying for mentoring helps me keep myself accountable for the return on investment.[/pullquote] The first year Matt was mentoring me, I spent more time sitting in airplanes flying between Perth and Sydney than I actually did sitting down with Matt. That was a huge commitment of energy and time, but it really motivated me to make the most of the mentoring.4. Set a goal.
Come to your mentor with a clear goal. My best mentoring clients are those who come to me with specific goals and plans in mind, and we can then work together on how to achieve those goals. I've learned that it helps my mentors if I do the same when the roles are reversed.5. Do it their way.
Whenever I learn something new, I immediately start thinking of how I can improve it! I suspect I'm not alone! But this isn't appropriate for a mentoring relationship, so I have to keep stopping myself from "improving" my mentor's advice. Ask lots of questions, but don't argue. They've got the experience, so do it their way, not yours. For example, when David Penglase was mentoring me in business development, the path he suggested for me was very different from the path I had in mind. But it would have been crazy for me to insist on doing it my way.6. Follow through.
There's no point getting the advice if you don't use it. Mentoring is not like reading a book, watching a keynote, or attending a training course, where you sift through the information and figure out what's relevant to you. It's not for you to pick and choose. That's your mentor's job; yours is to do it. (From the other side of the table, I know my favourite - and most successful - mentoring clients are those who follow through with their actions)7. Just do it!
I believe mentoring is the fastest way to accelerate your growth, in whatever area of your business you'd like to improve. So please do it sooner rather than later. Even if it seems like a big investment, it's worth it!Wednesday, February 20, 2013
The Pull of Purpose
Pulling is simpler and more attractive. And nothing pulls like purpose particularly if you are pulling in a clearly defined niche or niches.
A lot of people still think that profit is the reason for being in business. In the 21st century having profit as the reason for the existence of your organisation is a recipe for going broke. And it is a sure sign of pushing.
Profit is not a reason for being in business, never has been. Profit is a result of being good at business.
When I made the above statement to a group of CEO’s in 1992 there was laughter in the room. No thinking person is laughing any more.
Are you confusing reason with result?
And are you pushing or pulling?
Making a profit is one measure of being successful. There is nothing evil about profit. If profit is your reason though it drives you and confuses your customers/clients. As Simon Sinek exclaimed in a great book Start With Why “people don’t buy what we do they buy why we do it.”
Why do you do what you do? What is your reason?
Reason is another word for purpose. There is power and pull in purpose. It draws people like a magnet to us.
Recently I added Randy Gage’s great book Risky is the new safe to my recommended reading list. Randy refers to a leading expert in the field of purpose Ian Percy who says “You can’t have peak performance without first having a peak purpose.”
What is your peak purpose for being in business?
Randy proposes three great questions to help us find our real reason (purpose) for being in business.
“What do I love?
What makes me cry?
What is the injustice I want to right?”
What would be your answers to these questions?
In one of my most read articles since I began sharing my thoughts in 1991 I wrote the following about purpose:
“The Macquarie Dictionary defines purpose “the object for which anything exists or is done, made, used etc; an intended or desired result; end or aim; intention or determination”
Poet and writer Gita Bellin said “success depends on where intention is.” This is a very powerful statement. To change an outcome we must modify or change behaviour, because continuing to do the same old thing expecting a different result is a good definition of stupidity! In my experience before behaviour change is lasting we must first modify or change our thinking and to do that we often must modify or change our feeling and to do that we often have to modify or change our intention or purpose!
So what is your purpose? What was your aim when you got up this morning? What were you feeling and thinking literally? If you are like me the answers to these questions can be elusive and often the day is over before it really seemed to begin.”
The above is from my article A pathway to achieving possibility. You can read the full article here. I propose a formula in this article
Principle before passion; passion before purpose; passion and purpose during practice = possibility
I recommend this formula as one way to really zero in on your purpose.
Find your purpose and you will be able to pull more than push. You will stand out. And soon people in your niche or niches will be coming to you in droves.
Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian
Creator of the Enhancing Their Gifts System™
- the simple framework that profoundly unleashes employee talent.
Easy to implement.
People focused.
ROI tangible, not just talk.
Experience the Enhancing Their Gifts System™ first hand here.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Leadership Learning from Flying Trapeze

- Life is about seizing the Opportunities it offers. There is just that moment that is available to the flyer to leave the bar and get caught by the catcher. In the same way, there are always opportunities thrown at us to leave our comfort zones and fling ourselves towards our goals. But often, you refuse to let go of your ‘bars’ out of fear or lack of confidence. People who have been successful first prepare themselves for these moments and when they arrive, lunge at them with full vigor and intent.
- A Lot of Hard Work goes behind each Successful Act. The trapeze artists spend weeks if not months, to strengthen their muscles, and build expertise on their ability to swing, let go of the bar in mid-air, do acrobatics and transfer themselves to the other bar. They practice their acts again and again, both physically and mentally till the time they are sure of themselves. In real life too, you need to make a habit out of working hard towards gaining success in your endeavors.
- Trapeze Flyers are not afraid of Heights. Trapeze artists are well aware of the heights that they are supposed to perform at- they have to be comfortable to perform at these heights. This is a very useful lesson for life too. Each business/industry has some inherent risks. It is important to know if you have taken these risks into account before investing your effort and money into them.
- It is important to build Trust. A majority of the act by trapeze artists comes after they launch themselves into the air, knowing that their partner will be there at the right moment, with arms outstretched, to lift them off and continue the act. And this trust is mutual. Similarly, you need to be able to build trust in your children, colleagues, bosses and parents, and in return, their trust in you.
- The Secret is in making the Act Look so easy, that everyone gasps in Awe! If anything makes trapeze flying so watchable, is the fact that all artists are so accomplished that they make the act look so do-able that the audience remains spell bound, because they know its not so easy. Similarly, it is important to gain such finesse in whatever we deliver, that the finished product/service is extremely simple and loaded with offerings, that it becomes a Wow factor. See the major products and services that have become brands around you, and you will know what I mean.
- Believe in Yourself! The most important factor in ay success – You! It’s only after the trapeze flyer was convinced that he/she could actually fly amidst a web of bars and other flyers at such heights, that the act could finally take shape. At work and in life as well, unless you believe in what you are doing, it is just not going to work. You often make the wrong choice only because you feel convinced by others and not yourselves.
- The Comfort Zone exists only in your Mind. There is no comfort zone really. In actually is a manifestation of your fear of failure, your lack of understanding of your own self and procrastination. Look at the trapeze flyers. Once on the trapeze bar, there is no looking back. Each and every moment has to be run through, without any chance of not happening. There is a choice theoretically, but really speaking there is no choice. What you can do this moment, you will not be able to do in any other moment, because the entire dynamics will be different! So go, and perform!
- Be in Control. Between the moments of leaving the bar and reaching the catcher and vice-versa, the trapeze flyer has only himself/herself to rely upon. There is a great degree of control required to create the same act as was done during the practice control on your mind and body to ensure the precision of the act is not affected. In our work also, you need to have a total control on the critical factors during the execution stage.
- Do your Best and Leave the Rest to Happen. When all the preparations have been made and rehearsals done. The trapeze flyer starts the swing and goes through the process fully aware of the moment; he/she simply goes through the moment with a prayer on his/her lips and the faith in the unseen power that is orchestrating all this. In a similar fashion, as you go about your important meetings, deadlines, presentations, and other important decisions, having done the best you could, simply go and do the best you can, leaving the results in the hands of the other powers that be – there is just no point in fretting over what could have been.
- One Moment in the Air, and Another on Ground. The trapeze flyers are appreciated when they delight the audience, but in other times they are in removed from the performance, both in their own minds and in the minds of the audience. There are other priorities that must be attended to. Similarly, success at work is a part of your lives and there are other aspects to your lives that are equally necessary, and need to be attended to with the same vigor, even if you may not play a central role in these. Life is a lot more, full of happenings which you need to be totally recipient to, so that you can play your role, however big or small,to lead a complete life.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
You have leaders but do you have leadership?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Google+ is more than a social network
More sparkenations here.
Google+ Content Strategies with gratitude to originator Maria Peagler for making it possible to share the infographic.
I think Google+ is way ahead of the other social networks and as Maria says in this article, "Google+ isn’t only a social network. It’s the very backbone (and future) of Google itself."
Best wishes
Ian
Author of Changing What’s Normal
Creator of the Enhancing Their Gifts System
- the simple framework that profoundly unleashes employee talent.
Easy to implement.
People focused.
ROI tangible, not just talk.
Experience the system first hand here.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Principles can solve the centralisation - decentralisation puzzle
Governments are bureaucracies. It makes sense given they are funded by tax payer dollars and therefore need to be accountable.
They generally have limited funds and are therefore constantly trying to control how money is spent to ensure that it isn't wasted while also ensuring that every cent is properly accounted according to their rules and policies. This attitude to controlling money tends to spread to all operations of government. All policies and rules tend to be centralised.
In this context governments tend to be highly centralised in the way that they operate.
In reality, such centralisation doesn't work, not on its own anyhow. I have recently been working with a government organisation where the frontline employees have informed me that many of the rules that are applied to their part of the organisation are not applied in practice and that an informal system exists to "get things done", and to work around the rules and policies. They have informed me that the reason they do this is that while the rules and policies might make sense for some parts of the organisation, in reality they don't make sense for their part of the organisation. They believe that the rules and policies are impossible to implement while also being financially responsible, so they have created their own way of working around the rules so that they, once again, can, "...get things done."
What has been interesting about my recent work is that the employees recognise that there are dangers with the informal system, particularly as they relate to people with power who may be the ones deciding what policies get implemented and which ones don't. While they have reported that the informal system works well most of the time, they recognise that sometimes it doesn't 'work' at all.
This highlights that while bureaucracies believe that they have a centralised system, a de-centralised system, the informal system, also exists. Dr. Dave Snowden from Cognitive Edge calls this the realities of a complex adaptive system. The world is not 100% ordered as a bureaucracy would like it to be. The existence of an informal system highlights that the world of a bureaucracy is not as ordered as it assumes.
So how should a bureaucracy manage such a situation? It wants everything to be centralised, has established rules and policies to establish centralisation, but the existence of the informal system means that, in fact, everything is not centralised. Local departments and teams have established their own rules, meaning that there is a strong element of decentralisation in the way the organisation operates. While the decentralised system works most of the time, it is open to misuse which could place the bureaucracy at the mercy of the very risks it is trying to control through its centralised system. What a dilemma!
One way to manage this system is for the bureaucracy to identify which policies and rules aren't, in reality being applied across the entire organisation. There will definitely be a lot of rules and policies that are being properly applied across the entire organisation, so these also need to be identified. In other words, the bureaucracy needs to identify which centralised policies are working at the local level, and which ones aren't.
For the ones that aren't working at the local level the evidence will be that different informal systems will be operating at the local level to fit the needs of each local area. Across the entire organisation there will be a range of informal responses that have been created by the various local departments and/or teams within departments to 'work around' the rules and policies.
There is no use pretending that these informal systems don't exist. So they need to be acknowledged.
The bureaucracy then needs to identify the principles that can provide the guidance for local departments and teams to then devise their own system that 'works' for them. This means that the bureaucracy will have consistency across the entire organisation (provided by the principles) while also having a decentralised response at the local level. Such a system also reduces the risk that the informal system may be abused by local leaders who have the power and authority to do so.
As an example let's look at a typical work from home policy. In an effort to be seen as flexible workplaces, bureaucracies often create policies that enable staff to work from home. While some departments find it relatively easy to implement such a policy, other departments find it effectively impossible because of the 'hands on' nature of their work. As an example it is pretty difficult for a garbage collector to do their job working from home!
In this example the centralised policy doesn't work. In fact, it causes problems because the employees know that the policy exists but also know that it won't be implemented in their department. So they rightly wonder, "What's the point of the policy if we can't use it?".
What if the bureaucracy was to create a set of principles for workplace flexibility? Some of those principles may include:
- A range of flexible workplace options, selected from the approved list of options, must be available at the local level;
- Local teams must be involved in the selection of the range of flexible workplace options that 'work' for them and support rather than hinder local workplace performance and financial accountability; and
- Employees have the right to discuss flexible workplace options with their supervisors that fit the above criteria.
The result. Organisation wide principles that are being implemented across the entire organisation. Yet the exact implementation of these principles would vary across the organisation depending on the needs of the local teams. As such the bureaucracy would have the best of both the centralised and decentralised views of the world.
Gary Ryan provides consulting services to enable organisations to move beyond being good.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Social Media Myths Busted
Social media is, of course, big news in the business world. If you're a business owner or business leader, it's not surprising if you're feeling overwhelmed by everything you see, hear and read about how to get ahead with social media. The good news is that it doesn't have to be as difficult as it seems, especially if you ignore some of the buzz and hype, and focus on the few things that really make a difference.
Here are some common social media myths that can make your life seem far more difficult, but which you can safely ignore ...
MYTH #1. It's all about the numbers.
This is the biggest myth: That success in social media depends mainly on your reach - that is, the number of fans, friends, followers, Likes, retweets, shares, or whatever other measure you choose. Although that seems logical at first glance, it simply isn't true. Having millions of "followers" on your account doesn't mean any of them are actually following you in any meaningful way. Even worse, most of them probably don't even see your posts at all, because they get lost among all the others they follow.
So stop trying to get more followers and friends. Focus instead on consistently delivering value to the people you want to reach, and they will spread the word naturally, and that will get your more followers and friends. More importantly, that approach will get you the right followers and friends.
MYTH #2. It's all about engaging customers.
If you're in a customer service role, then yes, social media channels give you a powerful way to engage with customers. And if you wear a marketing hat, again you can use social media for market research, marketing campaigns and building better engagement with customers and clients.
But if you're in a leadership or advisory role, that's not the best use of your time. You might occasionally dip into your organisation's Twitter feed or Facebook page to observe what customers are saying, but you wouldn't spend every waking hour having conversations with customers. That's not your job, and if you are spending too much time doing that, you're not doing your real job!
Instead, use social media as another way to share your key messages and ideas. For instance, if you're a thought leader, use it to share your blog posts, videos, articles and special reports. Or, if you're a business leader, use it to share your key strategic messages - both internally and externally.
MYTH #3. It's all about Facebook and Twitter.
When most people use the term "social media", they are referring to social networks like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. These are important, but they are mainly for amplifying your message.
The real value comes from the tools where you state your message. These are tools like blogs (for articles), YouTube (for videos), SlideShare (for presentations), e-mail newsletter providers, Amazon.com (for e-books) and the iTunes Store (for podcasts and e-books). Use these tools for crafting and delivering your messages, and then use the social networks for sharing them more widely.
MYTH #4. You have to do it all yourself.
When you use these tools, you're engaging as a person, not an organization or brand. So you do need to be authentic, and show your face (literally in videos and profile pictures, metaphorically in your style and voice). This does mean you should be personally responsible for the core message, but you can delegate or outsource some of the other tasks in distribution and promotion.
For example:
- You can be the presenter in your YouTube videos, but your team can publish it to YouTube and share it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter and other networks.
- You can write articles, and your team can publish them on your blog.
- You can use services to publish blog posts to Twitter and Facebook automatically.
- You can use services to send you articles and news stories of interest, but you decide what's worth sharing with your networks.
MYTH #5. It needs a lot of time and effort.
It's true that this all takes some time and effort, but it doesn't mean you have to spend hours a day on social media. Far from it.
Create a realistic schedule for yourself, and stick to it. As a rule of thumb, aim to create one key message a week to share - for example, write a short article (400-500 words) or record a short video (2-3 minutes).
The key is consistency. Building an online platform is a process, not an event. Build your reputation one step at a time, and you'll be building a strong reputation that creates real value for your stakeholders and boosts your bottom line.
How Do We Want To Make A Difference In 2013?
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The simplicity and significance of standing out
Who are you serving? Who is your tribe? Who is your niche?
My niche is open-hearted and open-minded business owners and leaders who
*Truly believe that when you look after your people they will look after your organisation.
*Know intuitively that helping people achieve their personal goals leads to people better helping your organisation achieve its goals.
*Value authenticity and candor.
*Admit that at least in some areas you are stuck in the status quo (normal) and want to change what’s normal.
*Recognise that people outside your organisation do inspiring and innovative work that can greatly enhance what you are doing.
Answering the question Who is your niche/s? is the hardest part of standing out (assuming you have products/services people in your niche/s want). And perhaps you have a belief hurdle to overcome first - a belief that you are not worthy or that it is a “sin” to standout. Overcoming our belief hurdles can be hard too. The rest of the standing out equation is simple!
All change is personal first. You are not your beliefs. You are the one-of-a-kind human being who has decided to believe what you believe. You can decide to change what you believe any time you choose. This is often not easy yet it is simple.
You may find the following helpful about beliefs.
I change what I believe in regularly as new evidence and personal experience dictates (I once believed in politicians for example). I have not changed my philosophy of life for me though, the why of what I do. My philosophy of life is We get what we gift. Implicit in my philosophy is giving without attachment to getting back.
What is your philosophy of life, your why of what you do?
Answering this question is a key to finding your niche/s because people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
In a very insightful statement Oscar Wilde once remarked
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Are you taking this seriously. Out of 100 billion people who have lived on planet earth there is only one you. To not be all you are capable of being is the only “sin” which actually means to fall short of the mark.
Strategic positioning (standing out) in your organisation
Strategic positioning is simple. It’s
Doing what others don’t do or doing what others do just better, differently, or more uniquely, and segmentation (niches).
Achieving strategic positioning is also simple and has everything to do with feeling valued, delivering value, and living values.
Feeling valued
Do you truly value yourself? If not please reread above!
If I was to ask your employees do they feel valued at work would the majority say yes?
If you feel uncertain or know that the majority of your employees would answer no, then we need to talk immediately if not sooner.
When people feel valued they perform accordingly.
Delivering value
Are you delivering the value to all your stakeholders that they demand, desire, and feel that they deserve?
If you feel uncertain or know that the majority of your stakeholders would answer no, then again we need to talk immediately if not sooner.
Living values
What your values are is important however how you live them is what really matters. Are the values on your wall lived in the hall?
My story below may help you to be certain of your answer.
I finished reading a great book about standing out last weekend. It inspired this article. It’s called Becoming a category of one - How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison by Joe Calloway. I bought this book via Amazon Kindle for $9.99. In the book Joe provides a great case study of the Tractor Supply company. Joe says “At Tractor Supply their values are the rules of the road for how they do everything, every day, all day long.” There you have it in a nutshell. Anything less is hurting you.
Employee performance is the great barometer of standing out. The performance of your employees means you’re either standing out or slipping away. There is no standing still in the 21st century.
Standing out is simple and the most significant path to success in your organisation. It’s about doing what others don’t do or doing what others do just better, differently, or more uniquely, and segmentation (niches). The keys are people feeling valued, delivering value, and living your values.
Please standout. The world needs you to and so too do you.
Best wishes
Ian
Author of Changing What’s Normal
Creator of the Enhancing Their Gifts System
- the simple framework that profoundly unleashes employee talent.
Easy to implement.
People focused.
ROI tangible, not just talk.
Experience the system first hand here.
PS To standout maybe you even have to be ridiculous. Seth Godin says Ridiculous is the new remarkable. His article here worth a read.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Trust is power only if your intention is not about power
Last week, in an attempt to take away speculation and focus on policies, the Prime Minister of Australia announced our election will be on September 14th. She said the actual election campaign wouldn’t begin until August when writs would be issued. Yeah right.
The Opposition Leader immediately came out and said that the election would be about trust. Yeah right. No one in politics here has demonstrated in my experience that they can be trusted and this is not going to change anytime soon that I can see.
Think about this in every transaction and interaction in your organisation and all of your relationships - Trust is power only if your intention is not about power.
More sparkenations here.
Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian
Creator of The Enhancing Their Gifts System
- the simple framework that profoundly unleashes employee talent.
Easy to implement.
People focused.
ROI tangible, not just talk.
Experience the system first hand here.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Differencemakers: Don’t take your eye off the ball!
I once heard a speaker at a conference do an entire presentation about the time they “took their eye off the ball” and the impact this neglect had on their primary goal of building their new business. Being a fairly focused person, I couldn’t quite relate to their message at the time but the penny dropped some years later when I did something similar! Writing a book needn’t have precluded other important aspects of my life.
The message here – regardless of what other ventures and or exciting people and projects come along your way, is do not give up your original dream, project or intention in pursuit of the other. Continue to nurture your dream, goals and intentions. Like planting seeds in your garden – provide the best growth conditions you can – water it regularly, feed it the right nutrients and generally keep an eye on its ongoing requirements.
It can be a challenge to keep our commitment to our dreams, passion and goals while also maintaining other important aspects of our life. Our time and energy is limited on planet earth so why not grab it with zeal and give it your best shot. Research on happiness indicates that our sense of satisfaction comes through engaging in what is meaningful for us. Once you have identified these –stay on track and remind yourself when you take your eye off the ball for longer than desirable!
Jasbindar Singh is business psychologist who loves helping her clients achieve their goals and lead fulfilling lives.