This blog is closed

Thank you for visiting.

This blog is now closed.

Please check out the posts on my personal blog here.

Gihan Perera, the most regular contributor to this blog will also be guest posting on my blog.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The underlying cause and solution for your 69.2% challenge

When I first met Susan (not her real name) she told me in confidence that she was sick of being ignored and that she was planning her exit from her employer (my client).

Susan, like many people I meet, was deprived of both appreciation and accountability, the underlying cause in my experience as to why 69.2% of the workforce (to use Gallup's number) is not fully engaged in their work.

Susan's boss engaged me to find out why she was disengaged. "She used to be a really great employee" he told me.

I shadowed Susan for a time and witnessed a highly competent employee passionate about her work.

I discovered it had been a very long time since she was given any kind of appreciation for her obvious value. I also discovered, that because of a mistake she made several years ago, that she hasn't been allowed to be accountable relevant to her gifts.

The pivotal role of The Appreciative Leader is both to be a mentor for the motivated and a disrupter for the demotivated. Appreciation and Accountability are central to both. This is the subject matter of today's Monday Morning Momentum video below and the update to handbook #4. You can download the handbook here.



I worked with Susan and her boss over a few weeks to disrupt some old thinking and provide some mentoring to help them to see the humanity in each other, forgive each other, and to close the door on the past. The experience was a lesson for them about the so-called 'soft stuff' that's hard in real life ... yet it yields the greatest sustainable ROI of anything you can do to boost your business.

Maybe you're wondering why some people in your workplace are disengaged. My educated guess is that a feeling of being appreciation and/or accountability deprived is at the heart of it all.

Take action today in your own best way. You don't want the Susan's of this world working for your competitors right? Begin here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

It's not a question of what I should do but who should I be.
Aristotle

PS Personal and Business Development Opportunities

1) Following the success of last week's Appreciative Leader Accelerator I've decided to conduct this complimentary event every 4th Monday. Details of the 27th June gathering are here.

2) The Appreciative Leader Online Master-mind is a one-time-only opportunity. Details are here.

The Future of Healthcare

Every industry is facing change, but none more so than healthcare. Big data, predictive analytics and the consumerisation of healthcare are just a few of the trends affecting the way we will look at healthcare in the future.

For example:

• What if your doctor could e-mail images (like X-rays) to you, instead of you having to go in to pick them up?
• What if heart patients could do an ECG themselves for less than a dollar?
• What if an iPhone app could take a photo of some food and automatically tell you the number of calories in it?

These “what if” scenarios aren’t in the future; they are available right now. I talked about these in my webinar last week.

Even if you don’t work in healthcare, you will find this webinar useful because some of the themes are common across other industries – e.g. consumers taking more control, big data providing smart diagnosis.

After the webinar, I asked participants “What was the most useful thing you learned today?” Here are some of their answers:

“All the coming technology”

“Patients want to connect to technology but healthcare professionals find the practice change difficult”

“The positive take on where we’re going – very refreshing! (sadly…)”

“Increasing use of technology in health care”

“How much more advanced technology already is than I thought!”

“Information in a field I would not normally have accessed”

The Future Proof Webinar Series

This webinar is part of my Future Proof webinar series, which will keep you in touch with our future - what's ahead, what it means for us, and how to stay ahead of the game.

In each webinar, I'll cover an important topic about the future - for example, the shift of power to Asia, the changing workplace, healthcare technology, the shift to customer-centric business, big data, and more. This is not just theory; I'll also give you practical examples and ideas for you to future-proof your organisation, teams, and career.

Here are six compelling reasons to attend the Future Proof webinar series:

1. You'll understand how the Internet is affecting your world, which means you can take advantage of the opportunities and avoid the risks and threats.
2. You'll be consistently getting updates on what has changed, so you don't fall behind.
3. You'll be learning what most of your competitors are not learning, so you get a competitive edge.
4. You get the chance to ask me questions live on the webinar, so you get your questions answered. I won't hold anything back – I'll answer in as much detail as I can in the time available
5. You tap into my 15+ years of experience in helping people understand the future, so you'll learn from real businesses and get practical, relevant ideas.
6. There's some really cool stuff happening! So attend the webinar series and I'll show you what's on the horizon - for both your personal and professional life.

When you register, you'll get automatic e-mail reminders before each webinar, so you don't miss any. You're registering for the entire series, but there's no obligation to attend every webinar (of course).

(On that page, you can also see the webinar time in your own time zone)

"Success depends on where intention is"

Two of the best-selling business books of all time are 'In Search of Excellence' and 'Good To Great'. I value both books.

There is something very interesting though about the organisations profiled in these books - very few, if any, are still excellent or great!

A very different story applies to the organisations profiled in Firms of Endearment another of my favourite books. Such organisations as a general rule are outperforming the market 15:1. The difference - they're purpose driven. Purpose is another word for intention.

The poet Gita Bellin says "Success depends on where intention is." 

The intention role of Appreciative Leaders is Maestro of Gift (Talent) Enhancement.

This is the subject matter of today's Monday Morning Momentum video below.



Perform the Maestro of Gift (Talent) Enhancement role in your own best way and I have no doubt your business will be a 'firm of endearment'.

You can download the resources referenced in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Appreciative Leader Manifesto

You can download a PDF version of this manifesto for printing and signing here.

The Appreciative Leader Manifesto

I accept that simply yet profoundly by the nature of my birth that I am a remarkable one-of-a-kind human being.

I see myself and everyone else as remarkable.

Every day my primary intention is to fully appreciate and get the best out of myself and other people.

I know that by living this intention that the purpose of leadership - to create more leaders, and the number one role of leadership - unleashing and enhancing people's gifts (talents) are a natural consequence.

I know that more people leading and therefore being accountable is the simplest path to better business results at less personal cost.

I know that the more fully business owners and leaders appreciate and get the best out of ourselves and other people, the better relationships at work, at home, and in third places.

I know that the better relationships are in these three places then the better our communities, cities, states, nations, and our world can be.

I am committed to The Appreciative Leader Promise - co-creating workplaces where people feel valued, live values, and deliver value so that everyone has the opportunity to be the best version of themselves.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Appreciative Leader Accelerator

You know those voice over slides webinars where there's a big sell at the end.

This isn't one of them. There's no slides and no sell.

This is a complimentary service where I host a master-mind gathering to accelerate your Appreciative Leadership.

Places are limited so that everyone has the opportunity to share.

The next accelerators are on Monday 30th May 2016.

Find out more about the Southern Hemisphere Accelerator (starts 8am AEST) and register here.

Find out more about the Norther Hemisphere Accelerator (starts 8am London time) and register here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Who to be and what to do when conventional wisdom isn't wise

Below is the first video in a series about The 8 Roles Appreciative Leaders Play Remarkably Well.

It's about who to be and what to do when conventional wisdom isn't wise.



You'll find the resources referred to in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Is Your Business at Risk of Disruption?

I've had my car for 10 years now, and it's about time to get a new car. I mentioned to somebody that this might be the last car I ever buy, and she wondered whether I wasn't expecting to live very long!

Far from it. But I seriously believe this might be the last car I ever buy. Why? Because in another 10 years, we will probably all be using shared self-driving cars rather than owning - or driving - our own car.

This idea might seem inconceivable, especially when you look at how important cars are now in our daily lives.

But that's just our world now, and it will be vastly different ten years from now.

After all, here are six technologies that didn't exist just ten years ago:

If all of that has come into our life in just 10 years, imagine what the next 10 years will bring!

How do you prepare for this future?

In my presentations and consulting work, clients often want to know what's ahead for their industry and their future.

Broadly, the world is becoming "Fast, Flat and Free". In other words:

• Everything is moving faster than ever before
• We've broken down hierarchies and barriers
• Things that used to cost a lot now cost a lot less

If you want to know what could disrupt your business, look at the opposite of Fast, Flat and Free: Slow, Bumpy and Expensive. If you do anything that's slow, bumpy or expensive, beware!

Here are some examples:

1. Slow

Danger words (potential weaknesses): technical, complex, service

If your product or service is technical or complex, computers will be able to do it soon. This is happening in financial planning, where "robo-advice" is a looming threat to the established way of delivering financial advice.

In fact, if it's a service at all, it will first be outsourced, and then possibly even fully automated. We've seen this happen with travel agents, mortgage brokers, customer service, and many other service businesses.

2. Bumpy

Danger words: regulated, licensed, controlled, mandated

These words have protected businesses in the past, but now they are barriers to progress. The taxi industry, of course, is a well-known example. For a long time, it has been heavily regulated and licensed, so it was inevitable that somebody like Uber would come along. In many jurisdictions, Uber's legality is a grey area, but it won't be long before legislation catches up (It's happened already in the ACT).

3. Expensive

Danger words: up-front fees, delayed results, boring

If you provide an expensive service, customers will look for a way to find a more affordable alternative. You might have survived until now because it wasn't easy for them to look elsewhere, but now your competition is just one Google search away. And they are not only doing it cheaper; they are doing it better.

There are many, many examples in healthcare. For example, patients with heart conditions used to have to go to specialists regularly for ECGs and other expensive and intrusive tests. Now, they can use Alivecor: a small device attached to their iPhone that lets them do their own ECG - for about $1 a test.

Could any of this affect your business?

I know some businesses and industries that are sticking their head in the sand, pretending some of these changes won't affect them. But they will!

If you really want to future-proof your business, ask yourself:

"What do we do that's slow, bumpy or expensive?"

Then fix it! Isn't it better to disrupt it yourself rather than wait for a competitor to do it for you?

Monday Morning Momentum Master-mind

Next Monday morning I'm recommencing my Monday Morning Momentum videos with the first in a series about the 8 roles appreciative leaders play remarkably well.

I'll be producing a video twice a month May through August and also providing a handbook that will be updated with each video.

For a limited number of people at both Southern and Northern hemisphere times on 8 Monday mornings May through August I'm conducting a one-time-only online master-mind group about living the 8 roles in your own best way. 

I'll also be providing 8 1:1 mentoring sessions for each participant.

Find out all about this and take up the super early-bird offer by securing your Southern hemisphere place here, and Northern here.

Super early bird offer expires at 5 pm AEST tomorrow May 3rd.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Moving on from the myth that 'what gets measured gets done'

This is the sixth in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself and on your business in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the five previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy.

You've no doubt heard the adage 'what gets measured gets done'.

Not quite in my experience. Today if the measurements or metrics aren't meaningful for people what's needed won't get done.

In today's Monday Morning Momentum video and the update to the handbook on 'the seven areas of significance where the most successful leaders stand out' I explore ways to make measurement meaningful and therefore getting done what really matters. Everything is here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Use Mentoring to Extend Training

Traditional training courses still have value, but they have two big weaknesses: They teach skills rather than experience, and they tend to be “one size fits all” processes. If you want to extend the value of the training course, look to a solution that addresses both these issues: Mentoring.

Mentoring is a one-on-one relationship, where each learner (mentoree) is paired up with a more experienced person (mentor). They meet regularly for the mentor to share their experience and guide the mentoree, who asks questions and uses the mentor as a sounding board for their ideas.

A mentor’s role is broadly to share their experience. This makes it different from coaching, which is about asking questions that elicit the mentoree’s own knowledge. It’s also different from sponsorship, where a more senior person backs somebody else in accelerating their career path. In practice there’s often an overlap: Most mentoring relationships include some coaching, and some might even include sponsorship.

The benefits for mentorees are most obvious: They learn new skills, fast-track their development, identify new areas for growth, access new networks, have a sounding board for ideas, explore issues in a safe environment, and develop their career path.

Mentors get benefits as well: They develop listening and coaching skills, enhance their leadership skills, understand people better, stay in touch with other parts of the organisation, and give back to others.

If you don’t already have an active mentoring program in place for your team, do it now! It doesn’t need corporate approval, it doesn’t need extensive resources, and it can make a huge difference for everybody involved in it.

Want to know more about accelerating the experience curve in your team?

There's more in the Development chapter of my book "The Future of Leadership". This chapter looks at what’s available beyond the traditional corporate training course – including shadowing, case studies, facilitation, mentoring, and online training

If you're interested in the future of leadership - and what it means for you - this book is for you.

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy

This is the fifth in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself and on your business in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the four previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

Execution is the only way to tell that you have the right strategy

There are 5 keys to executing strategy:
1) Role clarity
2) Every employee having their unique piece of your execution map
3) Candid and convivial communication and conversations using 1) and 2) as focusing tools
4) Adapting the 70:20:10 learning and development framework in alignment with above
5) Asking great questions - clever answers often hinder execution, whereas wise questions accelerate the process.

You'll find short videos and exercises to do with all of the above in the handbook you can download here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Could you describe your strategy in a sentence other people have bought into?

This is the fourth in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the three previous posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

Your Life Only Has One Purpose. Your Only Quest Is To Live It.

There's short videos and working on your business exercises too that correlate with those for working on yourself. All are in the one place in the handbook you can download here.

I love Samuel Goldwyn's words: If you can't write your movie idea on the back of a business card, you ain't got a movie.

I say, if you can't describe your strategy in 6 words; at worst in a sentence, it's unlikely you've got a strategy that people can own and execute.

Find out what you can do to describe your strategy for growth, in your business, and in your life, in a single sentence at the handbook link above.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Your life only has one purpose. Your only quest is to live it.

This is the third in a series of seven suggestions for working on yourself in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. Links to the first two posts are below.

The Simple, Under-appreciated Power of Appreciation

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

There's working on your business exercises too that correlate with those for working on yourself. All are in the one place in the handbook you can download here.

Your life only has one purpose. Your only quest is to live it.

We are all unique. Not a single duplicate in the 100 billion lives that have walked planet earth. When we bring our best, free of BS, we are all remarkable.

Your birth was remarkable. Being born at all is even more remarkable than our birth. For most men only one or two of the 500 billion sperm cells produced in a lifetime reach the female egg, one of less than 500 that each woman produces in her life.

The fact that any of us is alive at all says to me that every life has a profound purpose.

Robert Louis Stevenson put it this way:

To be who we are, and to become all that we are capable of becoming, is the only purpose in life.

Your greatest gift to the world and to yourself is to fulfill this purpose, and then help others to do the same.

One action you can take right now to live on purpose

Take a sheet of paper and without stopping to judge what you write down, make a list under the following statement:

Who I wish I was that I’m not yet

Then choose the one that most appeals to you right now than you can shift from what is to what can be in the next 30 days.

Make the shift.

Repeat.

If you need any simple, practical help with this, do give me a shout.

In appreciation.
Ian Berry

An ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ is the rocket that enables lift-off from what is to what can be

This is the second in a series of seven posts about working on yourself in order to more fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people. You can read the first post here.

When suffering from a life-threatening illness 37 years ago my doctor advised me to have ‘an attitude of gratitude.’

Every day since, at least 3 times a day, I stand in front of a mirror and say out loud "I have an attitude of gratitude."

My stance helped me to not die from my illness. Every day since it has helped me, even in my darkness moments, deep disappointments, and digression from my path, to live a life that matters to me and the people I encounter.

The day I received my doctors advice and began to apply it was a defining moment in my life.

I use my ‘attitude of gratitude’ ritual too as a restart button whenever situations threaten my core appreciation of myself.

Restarting helps me to bring to the forefront of my mind an unchanging principle I’ve learned the hard way - when we’re grateful for what we’ve got, we can have more of what we want.

Over the long haul too I’ve been fascinated and enriched by another way this principle plays out - the more grateful I am for what is, means what can be becomes crystal clear, and therefore the pathway to achieving it also reveals itself.

One action you can take right now to adopt an ‘attitude of gratitude’ in your own best way

Start each day, before you turn your computer on, or do anything else, making a list of what you’re grateful for right now. Start with yourself personally, other people, and then things in general.

Take the intentions, feelings, and thoughts that arise into every action and transaction.

Make this ritual part of your everyday life. And if you need any simple, practical help with this, do give me a shout.

In appreciation.
Ian Berry

PS At this link you find the videos and first and second working on your business exercises that I recommend you undertake in conjunction with the working on yourself suggestions. Just watch the short videos and download the handbook at the link.

Remarkable One-time only opportunity - The Appreciative Leader Pilot Program

The Appreciative Leader Pilot Programs - sustaining shared-view in the seven areas of significance where the most successful leaders stand out.

I'm looking for 14 maverick thinkers (7 per group) to join me online for 1 hour per week (30 minutes together as a master-mind group, and 30 minutes 1:1 with me) for 7 weeks. 1:1's will be scheduled at mutually convenient times.

Group 1 commences 8.30 a.m. Australian Eastern Time on Tuesday the 22nd of March 2016 and Group 2 at 8.30 p.m. that day.

This is a pilot to help me to fine tune a standalone online version of my current flagship in person and online work.

For you it will mean better business results at less personal cost and a minimum 10 times return on the small investment of $700AUD.

This upgrade to my work is a labour of love. Should you have more than 7 people in your business or team,and the call to being an Appreciative Leader resonates (you want to fully appreciate and get the best out of yourself and other people every day), you'll love this too!

The future of business is providing experiences and meaning - says Futurist and Nowist Gerd Leonhard

This pilot program will provide both experiences and meaning for you, and help you to accelerate doing the same in your business.

I'm taking expressions of interest up until midnight today (Tuesday March 8th Australian Eastern Time). Gain more insights into this program by checking out the current program here.

To express your interest please email ian@ianberry.biz with your telephone number and I'll be in touch.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Simple, Unappreciated Power of Appreciation

Showing appreciation is simple to do. And it’s so powerful it’s actually the cornerstone of my life and work. However, just because it’s simple, it isn’t always easy to do it in practice. Here’s a quick way to help make it work.

My friend Nigel Risner provides us with a big clue when he says IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM, BE IN THE ROOM.

Yet situations can throw us off course from this wonderful advice and take us away from our internal core appreciation of ourselves which enables us to be in the room in the first place.

Below is part of a conversation I had recently with a client who had temporarily lost her bearings regarding her core appreciation of herself, after a heated discussion with her boss.

I asked her “Outside of the workplace where do you feel most appreciated?”
Straight away she replied “My eldest son is brilliant at showing appreciation to me, and often it’s just little things that surprise and delight me.”

“What little things could you do to surprise and delight your boss? I asked.

What followed was a candid and convivial conversation that revealed my client had rarely, if ever, shown appreciation to her boss. I explained to my client that often we don’t receive what we most need ourselves unless we’re giving it to others without attachment to getting back. I also said “It’s OK to ask for help!”

In most workplaces there’s a lack of appreciation going on despite a known fact best described by the eminent psychologist William James who said:

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.

One action you can take right now that enacts this deepest principle

Reflect on the people closest to you at home, at work, and the other places you go.

Write down these people’s names and one way you could show genuine appreciation to them in the next fortnight without any cost except that of your time and energy.

Go show appreciation without attachment to getting back.

Make this ritual part of your everyday life. And if you need any simple, practical help with this, do give me a shout.

In appreciation.
Ian Berry

PS The above is the first in a seven part series of suggestions in my Monday Morning Momentum offerings for both working on yourself (as above) and working on your business. You'll find the video and the working on your business suggestion here.

The Best Social Media Strategy For You Right Now

You might have also heard that it's becoming increasingly difficult to win the social media battle unless you have deep pockets. In fact, a client recently asked me something along those lines:

"Social media has become an incredibly overcrowded space in the last 12 months because many businesses in our industry have heeded the advice and jumped on board. There are so many competitors now on social media both growing organically and through paid advertising. Many of these companies have a lot more to invest financially and can afford to pay an agency to manage their social media for them. Smaller companies, like ours, who do not have this capacity are now watered down and social media may well become one of those tools only applicable to deliver results for the larger companies."

This is a common concern, but in fact that doesn't have to be the case. Social media allows you to level the playing field, and compete against larger companies - but only if you do it right.

Here is the world's simplest social media strategy.

Broadly, you can do three things:

I'll explain ...

1. Comment: Start by participating, contributing only with Likes, Favorites, and comments.
2. Curate: Set aside an hour or two each week to selectively share other people's material with your network.
3. Create: Set aside blocks of time to create your own high-quality material and share it on social media.

By doing these three things over and over again, you'll gradually build your online network, and be seen as a credible source within your community.

Start now!

Make no mistake - getting successful on social media does take time. But it's not beyond the reach of small organisations. And just because you don't have millions of dollars to throw at it doesn't mean you can't succeed. In fact, you can often do much better because you're not relying on one-off "campaigns". Instead, you're steadily building an ongoing relationship - and that is worth much more than an advertising campaign.

The Great Leadership Leap

Below is today's Monday Morning Momentum video.

It's about the great leadership leap. Unlike today, which only happens every four years, you don't have that long to make the leap should you want to achieve better business results at less personal cost.



You'll find the resources referred to in the video here, including a short story about an entrepreneur who's made the leap.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The one critical factor for co-creating a culture of innovation

Below is this weeks Monday Morning Momentum video. It's about what I believe is the one critical factor for co-creating cultures of innovation.



Check out the resources referred to in the video here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Big Deal About Big Data

There's been a lot of buzz about "big data", but there's also a lot of confusion about what it is, what it means, and whether it applies to your business or industry.

Here are some examples of Big Data in action:

• My supermarket loyalty card allows Woolworths to track my buying habits and make specific recommendations for products based on those habits.
• Microsoft is recommending its Kinect system, which was devised for video games, to retailers to recognise and track shoppers in retail stores.
• The Guevara car insurance company allows groups of safe drivers to band together for lower insurance premiums.
• "Robo-advice" in the financial planning industry allows software to create financial plans for clients - and learn from performance to deliver even better plans in the future.
• The Alivecor device is an iPhone attachment that allows cardiac patients to take their own ECGs - and eventually the software will be able to predict heart attacks and strokes before they occur.

I covered these examples - and more - in a recent webinar, which will help you discover what you need to know now about big data to future-proof your business.

After the webinar, I asked participants "What was the most useful thing you learned today?" Here are some of their answers:

"Understanding the term Big Data"

"The extent of possible uses of Big Data"

"There isn't much we can do about the collection of so much data, so why not use what is available on the public arena, to our advantage!"

"Big data is here and we had better figure out how to work with it"

"Book: Connected"

"How technology is advancing"

"The world is heading towards Minority Report where the shops scan the shoppers and they receive targeted offers. I love it!"

"Good explanation of machine learning"

The Future Proof Webinar Series

This webinar is part of my Future Proof webinar series, which will keep you in touch with our future - what's ahead, what it means for us, and how to stay ahead of the game.

In each webinar, I'll cover an important topic about the future - for example, the shift of power to Asia, the changing workplace, healthcare technology, the shift to customer-centric business, big data, and more. This is not just theory; I'll also give you practical examples and ideas for you to future-proof your organisation, teams, and career.

Here are six compelling reasons to attend the Future Proof webinar series:

1. You'll understand how the Internet is affecting your world, which means you can take advantage of the opportunities and avoid the risks and threats.
2. You'll be consistently getting updates on what has changed, so you don't fall behind.
3. You'll be learning what most of your competitors are not learning, so you get a competitive edge.
4. You get the chance to ask me questions live on the webinar, so you get your questions answered. I won't hold anything back – I'll answer in as much detail as I can in the time available
5. You tap into my 15+ years of experience in helping people understand the future, so you'll learn from real businesses and get practical, relevant ideas.
6. There's some really cool stuff happening! So attend the webinar series and I'll show you what's on the horizon - for both your personal and professional life.

When you register, you'll get automatic e-mail reminders before each webinar, so you don't miss any. You're registering for the entire series, but there's no obligation to attend every webinar (of course).

(On that page, you can also see the webinar time in your own time zone)

The number one role of leadership

Below is today's Monday Morning Momentum video.



You can access the resources referred to in the video and the archives here.

If you'd like the convenience of receiving each Monday's video and associated resources direct to your in-box please click on Yes Please here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

I help business owners/leaders increase their profits and reduce the personal cost for them and other people in the business [by working with their people and processes]. And because I’ve been around the block enough, I do it in a way that’s fun and easy. Also because of my personality being the way it is, I always have my clients backs, whatever the situation.

Get the Most Out of Every Book You Read and Every Conference You Attend

When you attend a conference, do you make lots of notes to take action later - but most of them don't get done?

Or do you read a great business book and intend to put some of the ideas into action - but never find the time to do them?

The trouble with having one big list of actions is that it's not easy to prioritise. If your list says "Do the laundry" and "Find a cure for malaria", it's not very useful. And yet that's usually what happens with a To Do list from a conference, workshop, or book.

You could try to solve this by only writing the things you will do now. But then you'll only end up doing the laundry, getting milk, and sorting e-mail. Those things might be useful, but you'll miss out on the really big opportunities.

For example, some years ago, I spoke at a conference for dentists, and one of the attendees, Jamie Harris, got my book "Fast, Flat and Free", and had an innovative idea when he started reading it. He wrote to me later, saying:

"I only read one paragraph but l was a changed man. Made me realise that public were purchasing on recommendations of friends before even getting to us. I applied this to social media and created the fastest growing dental practice in Australia in 2013 www.budgetddentistry.com.au We grew 6-fold in 7 months ... To put it mildly, l was blown away."

If Jamie had just implemented the small ideas from the conference or the book (and there were plenty of them), he would never have achieved that success.

So what about the opposite approach - where you only do the big stuff? That usually doesn't work either, because there are a lot of other things happening, and it's too easy to postpone the big goals until you have the time (which never happens).

Here's a better plan ...

Obviously, the answer is to prioritise. But how do you set the right priorities?

I'm glad you asked!

When you consider all the things you on your list, some of them will be more valuable (that is, have a higher impact) than others. Some of them will also be easier than others.

I suggest you set your priorities in this order:

In brief: Start with simple things for quick wins, then tackle some more challenging things, and then take on at least one wild and crazy idea.

Put another way, you will implement, initiate and inspire:

• Implement: Build momentum by looking for easy (but valuable) things that lead to “quick wins”.
• Initiate: Identify some more challenging things you can’t complete immediately, but are worthwhile projects.
• Inspire: Find at least one big thing that might even seem crazy to most people, but you think is worth pursuing.

I haven’t even mentioned the bottom-left quadrant: the things that are easy to do but don’t really add value. These are the Bright Shiny Objects that come your way – whether it’s new technology, a management method, or a new business superstar everybody wants to emulate. It’s easy to be distracted by them, and they might seem enjoyable to pursue, but they can quickly take you off track. So don’t be tempted by them!

Implement: Find the quick wins

Start with the things that are both easy and valuable, which are opportunities for “quick wins”.

Look for things you can do in the next few days (or a week at most).

Initiate: Plan the big wins

Look through your list for more things that are valuable, even if they aren’t easy. These are still wins, so they are still worth the effort, even if they take more resources to achieve.

These could stretch out to a few weeks, a month, or even up to three months. Because they take time and effort, you will have to fit these in with your other priorities.

Inspire: Do something crazy

Finally, look for at least one idea that would light your fire, seems beyond your reach, and might even appear crazy to most other people.

Sam Schillace from the cloud storage company Box puts it this way:

“If 80% think it’s the dumbest idea ever and should die in a fire, and 20% think it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen, then you’ve probably got something.”

So the next time you read a great business book, watch an interesting video, or attend a conference or workshop, make a list of all the great ideas - and then prioritise them in this way.

Want To Know More?

We used to say “There’s no ‘I’ in Team”. Your team members are smart, talented, innovative, and savvy people. They want work that gives meaning, not just money; teams with purpose, not just profit; and leaders who are mentors, not just managers.

If you're interested in the future of leadership - and what it means for you - this book is for you.

Leadership that's fit for the future now

I really enjoyed participating in a Blab last Monday with colleagues from my speaking master-mind group Alicia Curtis, Dr. Jenny Brockis, and Gihan Perera. The recording is below.



We're going to be doing more of these. Stay tuned.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Meaningful business models and meetings matter

Below is today's Monday Morning Momentum video. In it I also touch on the first four videos.

To gain access to past and future videos and the resources packages that go with them you need to register here.



Be remarkable.
Ian

The foremost framework for sustaining a learning culture

Below is the 4th of my Monday Morning Momentum videos. It's the final in the series of looking at the fundamentals of ensuring employee engagement naturally rather than trying to force it.

You can gain access to past and future videos, and the resources packages to help you take action in your own best way that accompany them, by registering here. This is a complimentary service exclusive for people who register.

In February's videos and associated resources I'll be diving deeper into what makes these fundamentals stick and as consequence increased and sustainable positive momentum in your business.

Should you see yourself as being on a quest to be the best version of you, and to be the kind of leader who inspires others to be the best version of themselves, then February's videos and resources will be of great value to you.

Be remarkable.

Ian

To be who we are,

and to become all that we're capable of becoming,

is the only purpose in life.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Customer-Centric Innovation

When most organisations think of their customers, they think only of doing things for them. That’s good, because it means you focus on serving them. However, customers now have more power and influence than ever before, and are happy to help you as well. Involve your customers and clients in your innovation programs, so you can provide better products, services and experiences.

If you want to be more customer-centric in your business, watch the recording of my webinar “Customer-Centric Innovation”:

After the webinar, I asked participants “What was the most useful thing you learned today?” Here are some of their answers:

“Innovative beliefs and attitudes towards customer-centric focus”

“Amazing, diverse ways of involving customers in our business and business design”

“Engage more with the customer”

“The questions made me think more about how I can involve clients”

“Crazy ideas may not seem too crazy after all!”

“Importance of placing greater focus on customer needs/wants”

“Be more active in engaging customer’s opinions”

“Areas to consider for involving customers more “

“A reminder to be generous in sharing with your customers – this will enable better engagement and more innovative/better products/services”

“The whole format of the session”

“Need to have an external focus and be open to understanding the changing landscape and not be rigid in what how we engage and approach our cutomers”

“Being more open to the customer/client input and asking them in various ways”

The Future Proof Webinar Series

This webinar is part of my Future Proof webinar series, which will keep you in touch with our future - what's ahead, what it means for us, and how to stay ahead of the game.

In each webinar, I'll cover an important topic about the future - for example, the shift of power to Asia, the changing workplace, healthcare technology, the shift to customer-centric business, big data, and more. This is not just theory; I'll also give you practical examples and ideas for you to future-proof your organisation, teams, and career.

It's free to register, so go ahead and do that now!

The great culture creator: candid and convivial communication and conversations

Here's the third of my Monday Morning Momentum videos. It's about the great culture creator - candid and convivial communication and conversations.



The first two videos which you can view here are about how role clarity precedes accountability and the power of performance possibility plans. These are the critical tools that focus communication and conversation.

In the next video I'll be exploring the other sibling in this fabulous family of four which creates the context for candid and convivial communication and conversations. Act on these four in your own way and you will ensure employee engagement.

Then in the first People, Process, and Profit Monthly Intensive, being held via web TV at 5 p.m. AEDT on January 28th, I'll be deep diving into these four in an engaging Q & A that will help you to overcome your greatest personal and business challenges in your own best way and in the process ensure employee engagement.

At a special link for those registered to receive my Monday Morning Momentum videos there's also resources to help you take action.

Register here and you'll receive future videos direct to your inbox, have access to video and additional resources archives, and be able to participate in the monthly intensives.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The Power of Performance Possibility Plans

Here's the second of my Monday Morning Momentum videos. It's about the power of performance possibility plans.



The first video was about how role clarity precedes accountability which you can watch here.

In the next videos (Monday the 18th and Monday the 25th) I'll be exploring the other two siblings of this fabulous family of four - candid and convivial conversations, and a key foundation of a learning and development culture.

When these four are in place employee engagement is ensured.

Then in the first People, Process, and Profit Monthly Intensive, being held via web TV at 5 p.m. AEDT on January 28th, I'll be deep diving into these four in an engaging Q & A that will help you to overcome your greatest personal and business challenges in your own best way.

At a special link for those registered to receive my Monday Morning Momentum videos there's resources to help you take action.

Register here and you'll receive future videos direct to your inbox, have access to the additional resources, and be able to participate in the monthly intensives.

Be remarkable.
Ian

The One Thing You Must Never Do With Your Inbox

Are you constantly struggling to stay ahead of an overflowing inbox? There are plenty of apps, tools, and other technology to help you get control of your inbox. But most of them only help you process your e-mail faster. That can help, but it’s not enough. We get so much e-mail that it’s never fast enough. Trying to get your inbox empty is an impossible task.

Unless you do one thing …

What’s the real problem here?

Too many people use their inbox as their To Do list. But that’s just dumb.

Your inbox represents other people’s priorities, not yours. If you treat your inbox as your To Do list, you’re letting other people run your life.

Don’t believe me? Just take a quick look at what’s sitting in there now. You might find …

• A request from your boss or an important client
• A request from a colleague or freelancer to review a task you gave them
• An invitation from a friend to dinner in two weeks’ time
• A request to complete a two-minute customer satisfaction survey
• A few e-mails newsletters
• A notification from Facebook that somebody liked your photo
• A message that somebody has changed their address and wants you to update your address book

Now think about this: If you were consciously making a list of the top 3, 5 or even 10 things you want to achieve today, would any of these items appear on it?

Maybe the first two would, because they are important and relatively urgent. But the others wouldn’t. Nor would most of the hundreds (or thousands!) of other e-mail sitting in your inbox.

So why do you leave it there? All it does is distract and depress you every time you check for new mail.

The good news is: It’s easy to fix this problem.

Here’s the The One Thing You Must Never Do With Your Inbox: Never, never, never leave e-mail sitting there for more than five seconds after you open it.

Yup, five seconds!!!

In practice, that means there are really only two things you can do when you open a message:

1. Delete it.
2. OR Move it somewhere else for later processing.

This is the path to Inbox Zero.

The term “Inbox Zero” was coined by productivity expert Merlin Mann. The goal is simple: an empty inbox every time you check it.

That might seem impossible, but it’s not.

The solution is to check e-mail as often as you like, but only process it when you’re ready. In other words, separate these two activities. Otherwise you’ll be filling your day with other people’s priorities.

Here’s how this works:

1. Check your inbox for new mail.
2. For every message, either delete it or file it for action. I have four action folders “Today”, “This Week”, “Next Week” and “Later”, where I put incoming mail based on its urgency. Even very urgent e-mail gets put in the “Today” folder.
3. While you’re doing this, do not be tempted to act on any message, regardless of whether it’s trivial, urgent, or anywhere in between. Simply shunt it into a folder and move on to the next message.
4. At the end of this process, your inbox will be empty! Even though you haven’t processed any of the messages, it’s amazing how an empty inbox can make decision making easier.
5. Now, if you received any urgent e-mail, act on it. But you’ll usually find that nothing needs immediate action, so go back to your other work. You’ve satisfied your psychological need to check e-mail, so you can return to the unprocessed e-mail later.

At first glance, this might seem like you’re just shuffling e-mail around. But don’t underestimate just how good it is to see an almost empty inbox every time you open it, and an empty inbox soon after.

Getting to Inbox Zero now

When you achieve Inbox Zero, it’s easy to keep it that way. But what if you already have an overflowing inbox now? Simple – just create a new folder (e.g. “Old E-mails From May 2015″) and move everything from your inbox now into that folder. When you have time, gradually go through that folder and process the e-mails as required.

Be brave and do this! You’re no worse off because you haven’t lost any mail. But you do have an empty inbox, and you can keep it that way – forever.

Look at the benefits of this process …

This is a simple process, but it’s very, very powerful – for example:

• You can check e-mail frequently. It only takes a few seconds each time, and there’s no risk of it taking you off track. You don’t need to “discipline” yourself to only check twice a day, or carve out chunks of time each day for prcoessing e-mail, or whatever.
• Forget the two-minute rule. This process contradicts David Allen’s Getting Things Done advice to act immediately on an e-mail that takes less than two minutes. I’ve never liked that advice because I might knock off a whole bunch of two-minute actions without ever making progress on important projects.
• You focus on YOUR priorities. Emptying your inbox this way – without acting on any of the e-mail – keeps you firmly focussed on your priorities.

Remember: Never, never, never leave e-mail sitting there for more than five seconds after you open it.

Do yourself a favour and try it now!

Want to know more about productivity for yourself and your team?

There's more in the Productivity chapter of my book "There's An I in Team". This chapter looks at personal and team productivity in a very different way: setting goals as 90-day projects, planning your path ahead, managing e-mail, and staying on track.

If you’re interested in tapping into the power and potential of the people in your team, this book is for you.

Role clarity precedes accountability

Here's the first of my Monday Morning Momentum videos. It's about how role clarity precedes accountability.



In the next 3 videos I'll be exploring the sisters and brothers of role clarity - performance possibility plans, candid and convivial conversations, and a key foundation of a learning and development culture.

Then in the first People, Process, and Profit Monthly Intensive, being held via web TV at 5 p.m. AEDT on January 28th, I'll be unpacking this fabulous family of four in an engaging Q & A that will help you to overcome your greatest personal and business challenges in your own best way.

At a special link for those registered to receive my Monday Morning Momentum videos there's resources to help you take action.

Register here and you'll receive future videos direct to your inbox, have access to the additional resources, and be able to participate in the monthly intensives.

Be remarkable.
Ian