by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Planning, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 57 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Feedforward
— From What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith
In the last few posts, we’ve been learning how to change the habits that hold us back. Today we’ll read about another tool to help us in this area. “Feedforward is so simple I almost blush to dignify it with a name,” says executive coach and business guru Marshall Goldsmith in his book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. “Yet some of the simplest ideas are also the most effective. Since they are so easy to do, you have no excuse not to try them.”
Goldsmith points out that “Feedforward is a dramatic improvement on what we traditionally think of as feedback.” And while feedback has its merits, because “it’s a great tool for determining what happened in the past and what’s going on in an organization,” it’s no different than reading history. “It provides us with facts about the past but not necessarily ideas for the future.”
“Feedforward, on the other hand, is feedback going in the opposite direction… [it] comes in the form of ideas that you can put into practice in the future.”
Here are Goldsmith’s four simple steps to obtain feedforward:
1. Select what you want to change. “Pick the one behavior that you would like to change which would make a significant, positive difference in your life. For example, I want to be a better listener.
2. Describe and dialogue. “Describe this objective in a one-on-one dialogue with anyone you know. It could be your wife, kids, boss, best friend, or coworker. It could even be a stranger. The person you choose is irrelevant. He or she doesn’t have to be an expert on the subject… Some of the truest advice can come from strangers… And when a useful idea comes along, we don’t care who the source is.”
3. Ask. “Ask that person for two suggestions for the future that might help you achieve a positive change in your selected behavior—in this case becoming a better listener. If you’re talking to someone who knows you or who has worked with you in the past, the only ground rule is that there can be no mention of the past. Everything is about the future.”
For instance, the dialogue could go like this: “I want to be a better listener. Would you suggest two ideas that I can implement in the future that will help me become a better listener?” The other person could then suggest, “First, focus all your attention on the other person. Get in a physical position, the “listening position,” such as sitting on the edge of your seat or leaning forward toward the individual. Second, don’t interrupt, no matter how much you disagree with what you’re hearing.”
These two ideas are feedforward.
4. Listen and thank. “Listen attentively to the suggestions. Take notes if you like. Your only ground rule: You are not allowed to judge, rate, or critique the suggestions in any way. You can’t even say something positive, such as, ‘That’s a good idea.’ The only response you’re permitted is, Thank you.”
And this is it. Simple indeed. Do steps one through four. Rinse and repeat with someone else. “In seeking feedforward ideas, you’re not limited to one person… You can do feedforward with as many people as you like,” says the author.
Goldsmith swears by the effectiveness of feedforward because, he says, “Feedforward eliminates many of the obstacles that traditional feedback has created.”
So, what are those obstacles and why/how does feedforward work? Goldsmith explains that it works because while we may not like hearing criticism (negative or constructive feedback) we love getting ideas for the future. Also, it works because:
- “We can change the future but not the past.”
- “Helping people be ‘right’ is more productive than proving them ‘wrong.’ Feedback focuses on solutions, not problems.”
- “People do not take feedforward as personally as feedback. Feedforward is not seen as an insult or a putdown.”
- “[When] all we have to do is function as a listener, we can focus on [truly] hearing without having to worry about responding.”
Lastly, the author says, “I’m sure that all of us are surrounded by smart, well-meaning friends who ‘understand’ us better than we ‘understand’ ourselves. I suspect they would love to help us; most people like to help others. But they hold back because they think it’s rude or intrusive to try to help someone who has not asked for our assistance. Asking solves this.”
ACTION
TODAY: Try out asking a few people to give you feedforward. See what happens, I’m sure you’ll get some great ideas!
FUTURE: Keep this technique in mind so that when you feel stuck and want to change something you can ask for feedforward.
Know someone who would like this idea? Please share this post! Email, Facebook, Twitter. Thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Time
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Leadership: Debunking 5 myths
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Position
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Permission & Production
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: People Development and Personhood
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 10 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leadership: Climbing the steps
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Well, I thought I had finished the miniseries on Leadership from Leadership 101, but I couldn’t resist writing a coda. After debunking the myths and examining the levels of leadership, John C. Maxwell gives some quick, additional insights into the process of climbing the steps of leadership. I thought you might be interested, as they are very short, to the point, and further help solidify the ideas we’ve seen over the past few days.
Here are Maxwell’s thoughts, verbatim:
The higher you go, the longer it takes. “Each time there is a change in your job or you join a new circle of friends, you start on the lowest level and begin to work yourself up the steps.”
The higher you go, the higher the level of commitment. “This increase in commitment is a two-way street. Greater commitment is demanded not only from you, but from the other individuals involved. When either the leader or the follower is unwilling to make the sacrifices a new level demands, influence will begin to decrease.”
The higher you go, the easier it is to lead. “Notice the progression from level two through level four. The focus goes from liking you to liking what you do for the common interest of all concerned (to liking what you do for them personally). Each level climbed by the leader and the follower adds another reason why people want to follow.”
The higher you go, the greater the growth. “Growth can only occur when effective change takes place. Change will become easier as you climb the levels of leadership. As you rise, other people will allow and even assist you in making the needed changes.”
You never leave the base level. “Each level stands upon the previous one and will crumble if the lower level is neglected. For example, if you move from a permission (relationships) level to a production (results) level and stop caring for the people who are following you and helping you produce, they might begin to develop a feeling of being used. As you move up in the levels, the deeper and more solid your leadership will be with a person or group of people.”
If you are leading a group of people, you will not be on the same level with everyone. “Not every person will respond the same way to your leadership.”
For your leadership to remain effective, it is essential that you take the other influencers within the group with you to higher levels. “The collective influence of you and the other leaders will bring the rest along. If this does not happen, divided interest and loyalty will occur within the group.”
You must know what lever you are on at this moment. “Since you will be on different levels with different people, you need to know which people are on which level. If the biggest influencers within the organization are on the highest levels and are supportive of you, then your success in leading others will be attainable. If the best influencers are on the highest levels and not supportive, then problems will soon arise.”
“Real leadership is being the person others will gladly and confidently follow.” – John C. Maxwell
ACTION
TODAY: Take some time to ponder at what level of leadership you are today with the various people with whom you’ll interact. Figure out what you can do so that you both grow (even if it’s just one, tiny, baby step) and your joint project progresses from your collaboration on this day.
FUTURE: Always remember that you never leave the base level. It’s important to nurture and give time to every relationship that you want to see flourish.
Know someone who wants to learn more about leadership? Please share this post and the upcoming ones in this miniseries, thank you! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Tools
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
Leadership: Debunking 5 myths
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Position
Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: Permission & Production
Leadership: Climbing the steps
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leadership: Developing influence one step at a time: People Development and Personhood
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
So far, we’ve debunked the myths of leadership and looked at the first three levels leadership. The author of Leadership 101, John C. Maxwell, makes a quick recap of the progression of these levels: “At level 2, the follower loves the leader; at level 3, the follower admires the leader; at level 4, the follower is loyal to the leader. Why? You win people’s hearts by helping them grow personally.”
This is getting way better, isn’t it? Let’s unpack this level!
Level 4: People Development—People follow because of what you have done for them. “A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because of his or her ability to empower others. Success without a successor is failure. A worker’s main responsibility is developing others to do the work. The true leader can be recognized because somehow his people consistently demonstrate superior performances.”
At this level, Maxwell states that you should be surrounded by people whom you have helped develop in some way. However, a problem arises when new people—who don’t know you—simply view you as a position leader since you’ve had no contact with them. To counteract this, the author offers two suggestions:
- Walk slowly through the crowd. This means having some way of staying in touch with everyone.
- Develop key leaders. Meet and teach the influencers within the organization, and then let them pass on to others what they’ve learned.
This last point is very important: while you may not have time to help and develop everyone, by developing key leaders you will start a cascading effect that will, in turn, create more leaders. This way, your legacy and others’ loyalty to you will be passed on effectively. It’s the equivalent of lighting up many candles with your flame and then letting those candles light up many other ones with their flames. Soon you will have a full crowd lit up from the same source.
“Loyalty to the leader reaches its highest peak when the follower has personally grown through the mentorship of the leader.”
The characteristics to master at this level are:
Level 4: People Development/Reproduction
- Realize that people are your most valuable asset.
- Place a priority on developing people.
- Be a model for others to follow.
- Pour your leadership efforts into the top 20 percent of your people.
- Expose key leaders to growth opportunities.
- Attract other winners/producers to the common goal.
- Surround yourself with an inner core that complements your leadership.
And having reached level 4, is there still more? Yes, there is one more rung to this ladder.
Level 5: Personhood—People follow because of who you are and what you represent. Maxwell states that most of us have not yet arrived at this level. “This step is reserved for leaders who have spent years growing people and organizations. Few make it. Those who do are bigger than life. […] Only a lifetime of proven leadership will allow us to sit at level 5 and reap the rewards that are eternally satisfying.”
So, what are those rewards and characteristics that make a level 5 leader bigger than life?
Level 5: Personhood/Respect
- Your followers are loyal and sacrificial.
- You have spent years mentoring and molding leaders.
- You have become a statesman/consultant, and are sought out by others.
- Your greatest joy comes from watching others grow and develop.
- You transcend the organization.
And there you have it. These are the 5 levels of leadership that we can go through. It’s important to mention that at any given time you will be on different levels with different people, and it’s important to know what levels those are to be able to interact accordingly.
I want to close this miniseries with some food for thought from Maxwell:
“Everyone is a leader because everyone influences someone. Not everyone will become a great leader, but everyone can become a better leader. Are you willing to unleash your leadership potential? Will you use your leadership skills to better mankind?
ACTION
TODAY: Think about the various levels of leadership at which you are in life and business. How can you become a better leader? What types of leaders are you surrounded by?
FUTURE: As you decide to start a new project or adventure, keep in mind the levels of leadership that you can attain and the types of leaders you’ll be around. This will play an important part in helping you determine the viability (as well as your willingness) to move forward with it.
Know someone who wants to learn more about leadership? Please share this post and the upcoming ones in this miniseries, thank you! Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Opportunity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Success leaves clues
— From The Success Principles™: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
On this blog post, I mentioned that I was a big believer in the success leaves clues principle. A few of you asked me to talk more about that, and I am happy to do it.
The idea comes from Jack Canfield’s awesome book The Success Principles, and the premise is simple yet powerful:
“One of the great things about living in today’s world of abundance and opportunity is that almost everything you want to do has already been done by someone else,” says Canfield. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s losing weight, running a marathon, starting a business, becoming financially independent, triumphing over breast cancer, or hosting the perfect dinner party—someone has already done it and left clues in the form of books, manuals, audio and video programs, university classes, online courses, seminars and workshops.”
For virtually anything you want to do, there are plenty of books, courses, and many other resources on how to do it at your disposal. (Canfield put together this comprehensive list about books and audio programs on a variety of topics). There are also mentors, teachers, advisors, counselors, coaches, consultants and a host of other professionals and subject-matter experts who can lend a hand.
Canfield offers three ways to begin to seek out success clues in the area in which you are interested:
- Seek out a teacher, coach, mentor; a manual, book, audio program, or an Internet resource to help you achieve one of your major goals.
- Seek out someone who has already done what you want to do, and ask the person if you can interview him or her on how you should proceed.
- Ask someone if you can shadow them for a day and watch them work. Or offer to be a volunteer, assistant, or intern for someone you can learn from.
Canfield recalls a time when he was in conversation with a makeup artist whose dream was to open up a beauty salon. He suggested putting into practice No. 2 above: to take out a salon owner to lunch and ask how she had opened her own salon. To Canfield’s surprise, the makeup artist exclaimed, “You can do that?”
The answer is YES, by all means, you can certainly do that. 🙂 Yet I bet that at this point you are rejecting the idea with thoughts such as, Why would someone take the time to tell me what they did? Why would they teach me and create their own competition? To which Canfield responds, “Banish those thoughts. You will find that most people love to talk about how they built their business or accomplished their goals.”
And if you ask and the answer is no, don’t take it personally. No may simply mean that it’s a busy time and they may be willing to do it in the future. Ask and find out if you may contact them again at a better time. If not, simply move on and ask someone else.
A great exercise to overcome our fear and hesitation to do this to turn the experience around: imagine that someone who is looking at accomplishing what you have done comes to ask for your help. I’m sure you’d feel flattered and would at least accept a 10-15 minute call, if not a nice lunch, or a tour of your business or facility, right? It’s exactly the same the other way around. There’s plenty of goodwill, you just have to look for the clues and ask.
ACTION
TODAY: Start gathering success clues about what you’d like to do. Get a book, watch a video, listen to an audio program, or get a hold of some helpful resource. Also, make a list of people with whom you’d like to connect and ask for information. Reach out to them.
FUTURE: Adopt this success leaves clues principle as part of your repertoire of resources. You will never be at a loss for helpful information or guidance ever again knowing that you can always learn and follow in the footsteps of someone who has done what you want to accomplish.
Know someone who could benefit from learning that success leaves clues? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Tools, Wellbeing
Links to other parts of the miniseries:
7 Axioms to understand the impact of attitude
8 Choices to change an attitude – Part 1
8 Choices to change an attitude – Part 2
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 5 truths about attitudes
— From Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
“Good attitudes among [team] players do not guarantee a team’s success, but bad attitudes guarantee its failure,” says leadership guru John C. Maxwell in his great little book Attitude 101. That is why the Harvard Business Review published an article entitled Hire for Attitude, Train for Skill a few years back, as this has become quite a prevalent philosophy among leaders who are putting teams together where sufficient knowledge and skills can be acquired on the job for optimal performance.
Maxwell continues, “As an individual, your attitude has a profound impact on your life. As a leader, you cannot ignore the attitudes of the people you lead and expect to achieve success—whether you’re leading a business, a family, a sports team, or a group of volunteers. A person’s attitude colors their view of failure and defines their approach to success.”
In short, “Attitude can make or break you.”
To this effect, Maxwell shares five truths about attitudes to illustrate how they affect a team:
1. Attitudes have the power to lift up or tear down a team. Maxwell cites Denis Waitley’s book The Winner’s Edge: “The winner’s edge is not in a gifted birth, in a high IQ, or in talent. The winner’s edge is in attitude, not aptitude.” Nowadays, says Maxwell, talent alone (or talent with experience) is not enough.” If you’re looking for outstanding results the formula is: Great Talent + Good Attitudes = Great Team.
2. An attitude compounds when exposed to others. While talent, experience, and willingness to practice are unique to each individual, attitude is contagious. “People have a tendency to adopt the attitudes of those they spend time with—to pick up on their mindsets, beliefs and approaches to challenges.”
3. Bad attitudes compound faster than better ones. “There’s only one thing more contagious than a good attitude—a bad attitude.” Need we say more?
4. Attitudes are subjective, so identifying a wrong one can be difficult. “People always project on the outside how they feel on the inside. Attitude is really how a person is.” Maxwell shares a few of the most common rotten attitudes so that we can recognize them and nip them in the bud when we see them:
- An inability to admit wrongdoing.
- Failing to forgive.
- Petty jealousy.
- The disease of “me” (overpowering belief in their own importance).
- A critical spirit.
- A desire to hog all the credit.
5. Rotten attitudes left alone, ruin everything. “Bad attitudes must be addressed. You can be sure that they will always cause dissension, resentment, combativeness, and division on a team. And they will never go away on their own… [but] because people with bad attitudes are so difficult to deal with and because attitudes seem so subjective, you may doubt your gut reaction when you encounter [them]. After all, if it’s only your opinion that he has a rotten attitude, then you have no right to address it, right? Not if you care about the team. Rotten attitudes ruin a team.”
Abounding on this last point, dealing with a person that has a negative attitude can be tricky. It’s important to learn first the way in which attitudes affect an individual. And that is the subject of tomorrow’s idea. Stay tuned!
ACTION
TODAY: We all have had the experience of dealing with the proverbial bad apple. How has this person’s attitude affected you and your team? What have you learned from that attitude? Conversely, think of a person whose attitude brightens up a room and changes the mood from black and white into bright, vivid color. How has this person’s attitude affected you and your team? What have you learned from that attitude?
FUTURE: Resolve to have a positive attitude always, especially when things go wrong. Remember President Jefferson’s quote: “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”
Please share this post with someone who has a bright and wonderful attitude, they’ll be grateful! Email, Facebook, Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Celebration, Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Planning, Tools, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 59 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The five pillars of ikigai
— From Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi
Not too long ago we learned about the term kodawari. This is the Japanese word that refers to the combination of meticulous attention to detail in what we do plus the pride and joy that we feel towards what we do.
Kodawari is an integral part of ikigai (pronunciation), “a Japanese word for describing the pleasures and meanings of life. The word literally consists of iki (to live) and gai (reason).” Thus, it is loosely translated as your reason to live or the reason why you wake up every day.
Author and neuroscientist Ken Mogi, in his book Awakening Your Ikigai, says that ikigai “is used in various contexts, and can apply to small everyday things as well as to big goals and achievements. […] Most importantly, ikigai is possible without your necessarily being successful in your professional life… It is true that having ikigai can result in success, but success is not a requisite condition for having ikigai. It is open to every one of us.”
To this effect, Mogi introduces the five pillars of ikigai that he believes encompass this concept and help us make the best of every moment.
Pillar 1: Starting small → Focusing on the details.
Pillar 2: Releasing yourself → Accepting who you are.
Pillar 3: Harmony and sustainability → Relying on others.
Pillar 4: The joy of little things → Appreciating sensory pleasure.
Pillar 5: Being in the here and now → Finding your flow.
Mogi points out that the pillars reinforce each other and enable ikigai to flourish, yet they are not “mutually exclusive or exhaustive, nor do they have a particular order or hierarchy.”
Ikigai is closely related to our sense of happiness. And while Mogi says that there is no absolute formula for happiness, he mentions that accepting yourself is “a low-budget, maintenance-free formula for being happy. […] Accepting yourself is one of the easiest, simplest and most rewarding things you could do for yourself.”
However, Mogi recognizes that no man is an island and draws an analogy: “A man is like a forest, individual yet connected and dependent on others for growth.” And besides learning and getting support from others, one of the fastest ways to grow is by deriving lessons from failure. “After all, in the long process of life, you sometimes stumble and fall. Even at those times, you can have ikigai, even when you are on a losing streak.”
“Ikigai, in a nutshell, is literally from the cradle to the grave, no matter what happens in your life.”
Ikigai is about being mindful and present, enjoying the little things that make up the moment we are living in, and finding our flow as we get lost in the appreciation of the details. And when something goes wrong, “so long as you have ikigai, you can muddle through difficult periods of your life. You can always go back to your safe haven, from where you can start your life’s adventures all over again.”
ACTION
TODAY: Take a look at the five pillars of ikigai. How many do you apply to your life? How many would you benefit from applying? Create the intention of being mindful and aware of all 5 pillars and applying them at least once today.
FUTURE: Celebrate who you area and your ikigai! Also, make it a habit of practicing mindfulness and being aware of the five pillars of ikigai, so that you can apply them in as many instances of your life as possible.
Please share the concept of ikigai with someone today, you can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
