by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Mastermind groups
— From The Power of Focus Tenth Anniversary Edition: How to Hit Your Business, Personal and Financial Targets with Absolute Confidence and Certainty by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Les Hewitt.
Mastermind groups are a wonderful thing! I have been in a few and I’m currently in one, and I’m so grateful for all the support and great ideas have come out of my masterminds. If you are not familiar with a mastermind group, it’s a very simple concept: a group where the minds meet, which means two or more people get together to talk about a particular thing that each one is working on, and the other(s) provide, support, help, ideas, contacts, resources, etc.
In The Power of Focus, the authors describe a mastermind group as, “ideally made up of five or six people who want to develop excellent long-term relationships. The primary purpose of the group is to establish support for each other emotionally, personally and professionally. It also provides a unique forum for sharing ideas and information, as well as discussing meaningful topics and everyday challenges.”
The authors suggest four action steps if you want to create or enhance your mastermind group:
- Select the right people. Limit your group to six people for maximum benefit and interaction. You don’t have to choose all participants at one (unless you want to, of course). The authors suggest starting with two and gradually build up. “Choose people who are likely to create synergy—ambitious, open-minded, goal-oriented individuals who have a positive outlook and bring a healthy, positive energy to each discussion.” Depending on your goals and the focus of the group, you may want to select similar participants (say, all salesmen under 40) or from varied backgrounds (men, women, regardless of age and industry) to add a broader focus and a deeper and richer perspective for discussion.
- Everyone must make a commitment. “The level of commitment determines how successful your mastermind group becomes. Commitment requires regular attendance, a willingness to participate each time you meet, and an agreement to keep confidential anything that is shared in the group. […] The real benefits occur only when there is a high level of trust within the entire group.”
- Decide when, where, how often, and for how long you want to meet. “Two to three hours every month is a good rule of thumb, or you can meet more frequently if you want.” In my case, my group meets virtually for an hour every Friday morning. The frequency, duration and (virtual) location of the meeting are up to you based on your goals.
- What will you talk about? Be focused and make the most out of your precious time together. Here’s a suggestion from the authors: “Elect a chairperson whose main role is to keep the conversation flowing, and to allow everyone equal time. Start each meeting with a brief comment from everyone about the best thing that happened since the last meeting… Then ask two questions: ‘What’s happening in your business life (or job)?’ and ‘What’s happening in your personal life?’ Go around the table one person at a time. […] Another good question is, ‘What’s your greatest challenge at this time?’ Also, discuss and support each other’s individual goals. Inspire everyone to achieve what they want. Encourage them to think big and introduce them to people who can accelerate their progress.” The main goal is to provide support, encouragement and help each other level up. Here’s a worksheet that we sometimes use in my own mastermind group in case this is helpful to you.
ACTION
TODAY: If you have a mastermind group, think of how you can enhance it with the four points offered above. If you’d like to start a group, give some thought to the persons you’d like to invite and the goals for the group.
FUTURE: Make a commitment to stay in the group for a reasonable amount of time, and ask the others to make the same commitment too. At the end of that time evaluate whether the group is still of value. If it is, congratulations! If not, examine why not, and tweak to improve it. The tweaks can be in all aspects, from the location, duration, topics discussed, format, etc., all the way to the participants. If there is someone who does not want to be there or who is not as engaged or committed, perhaps it means that their time has come to fly away.
Know someone who could benefit from creating, belonging or improving a mastermind group? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity
Estimated reading time: 1 minutes, 0 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Bake a bigger pie
— From: Habit Changers: 81 Game-Changing Mantras to Mindfully Realize Your Goals by M. J. Ryan
Today’s idea is brief, but very insightful. It comes from the book Habit Changers, by M.J. Ryan, where she shares this concept from Guy Kawasaki, renowned entrepreneur and author of 13 business books.
Baking a bigger pie is “a great metaphor for the art of collaboration. Many people think that collaborating simply means agreeing with others, but in reality it’s the process of jointly coming up with previously unthought-of solutions that expand the pie to satisfy everyone. It requires open and honest communication and a focus on creative and novel solutions.”
Whenever you are stuck, instead of “splitting the difference” or having to compromise on a result that leaves everyone wanting, simply ask: “how can we build a bigger pie?” Creating the habit of asking this will result in bigger and better ideas for the benefit of all involved.
ACTION
TODAY & FUTURE: When you find yourself stuck, ask, ask, and ask again, “how can we build a bigger pie?” You’ll be surprised at the possibilities that this opens!
Know someone who needs to build a bigger pie? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Opportunity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 5 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Where do baby (carrots) come from?
— From Hunch: Turn Your Everyday Insights Into The Next Big Thing by Bernadette Jiwa
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, has been quoted as saying, “Opportunities are like buses – there’s always another one coming!”
And Bernadette Jiwa, business and brand strategist, as well as a fantastic author of many books, echoes Branson’s thought: “every day is filled with opportunities, either seized or missed, ours for the taking if only we can learn to listen for them. Every breakthrough idea starts not with knowing for sure but by understanding why it might be important to try.”
Jiwa goes on to say that we are all able to generate insights to see those opportunities and make the most out of them. Being insightful is not dependent on being special or having resources, innate gifts, special circumstances or any other advantage; on the contrary, anyone can develop killer hunches.
But how?
By cultivating curiosity, empathy and imagination “we become more attuned to opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed. A hunch happens at the intersection of all three qualities:
- Curiosity
Interest + Attention: Learn to see problems and discern which ones are worth solving.
- Empathy
Worldview + Understanding: Understand how it feels to be the person with the problem.
- Imagination
Context + Experience: Build on what is already understood in order to connect ideas and describe new possibilities for the future.”
Here’s an example of an opportunity that Jiwa calls a case study in imagination: baby carrots. Spoiler alert: there’s nothing baby about them. (If you’re heartbroken by this realization, read on, the story of how they came about is remarkable and will make you smile!).
Mike Yurosek was a concerned farmer: from his yield of 2,500 tons of carrots per day, he’d have to cull 400 tons because “they weren’t ‘pretty’ enough to be sold in grocery stores. Carrots that were misshapen, broken or bent couldn’t be packed for selling.”
One day, he had an idea: he cut the ugly carrots into uniformly shaped 2-inch pieces, and then sent them to a packing plant to be peeled. The edges were smoothed out in the process right before bagging. Ta-daaaaa: “the bagged baby carrot was born.”
Yurosek sent the bags of baby carrots to a supermarket in Los Angeles. “The next day [the supermarket] called and requested that he send them only baby carrots. […] The baby carrots were not only popular with customers; they were also a terrific earner for store owners. […] While other farmers focused on perfecting production techniques in order to minimize waste, Mike reimagined the problem by thinking creatively about what it was that customers wanted, boosting carrot sales by 35 percent and transforming the industry.”
Now every time you see baby carrots you’ll think about this story!
ACTION
TODAY: Take a project you are working on and make a list of things that need improvement or that don’t work well. Then brainwrite for possibilities to solve those issues. Let your curiosity, empathy and imagination flow. What did you come up with?
FUTURE: Whenever you come across something that frustrates you, let that be the fuel to reimagine the good or service in a new, improved light. By doing this, you will be developing and strengthening your curiosity, empathy, and imagination muscles. Take the time and make a game out of it. How many things can you change to make it better? How can you redesign it from scratch to take away the flaws? How can you use it for other purpose? How can you add additional features? How can you strip it to the bare minimum? Your answers will surprise you. Keep asking, keep reimagining.
Know someone who loves baby carrots? Or someone who needs to develop their imagination? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 53 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leadership lessons from nature
— From 10 Leadership Lessons from Nature (post on LinkedIn) by Brigette Hyacinth
Happy Earth Day!! To celebrate today, here are a few leadership lessons from Mother Nature from this great post by Brigette Hyacinth. After each lesson there’s an inspiring quote as food for thought.
Patience and persistence. “When it is time for the baby eagles to fly, they are patiently and persistently encouraged… Good leaders patiently coach and support their team until they are ready to fly on their own. They also provide an environment that empowers and enables others to take on greater responsibility so that they, too, can develop into full-grown leaders.” All good things take time to build and grow, especially solid businesses. Hyacinth refers to a quote from Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart in Jim Collins’ book Good to Great: “Somehow over the years people have gotten the impression that Wal-Mart was…just this great idea that turned into an overnight success. But…it was an outgrowth of everything we’d been doing since (1945)…And like most overnight successes, it was about twenty years in the making.”
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” – Lao Tzu
Teamwork. A good team creates powerful synergy and brings about great results. “Ants focus more on the needs of the colony than their own individual needs. Working for a benefit of self can be detrimental to the overall performance of the team or the entire organization. If any of the ants are not working with the team, it will be noticed. The cohesion and teamwork determines whether the team lives or dies.”
“Snowflakes are one of nature s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” Vista M. Kelly.
Change and flexibility. Nature is dynamic and in a constant state of flux. “There is a season (winter, spring, summer, autumn) and time for everything… Organizations go through different cycles, so always plan and be prepared. It’s imperative to embrace change and take risks. […] You can’t just have a system built on bureaucracy. Be flexible so you don’t break when the harsh wind blows.”
“Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream.” – Debby Boone
Strong and healthy roots. “Trees have extensive root systems. Roots are the foundation of a healthy plant. While plants can tolerate a fair amount of damage to their upper parts, they are not nearly so forgiving of damage to their roots. It’s important to have a culture that is solidly embedded in ethical and other principles if the organization is to survive. Leadership needs to be grounded in deep values that provide valuable guidance especially when there is a dilemma faced in the decision making process.”
“When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.”― Anthony J. D’Angelo
ACTION
TODAY: Go out and enjoy nature. While you’re at it, think about your life and/or business. Where can you apply some of these lessons of leadership to make it even better?
FUTURE: Everywhere you look, there are lessons to learn from nature itself as well as from the animals that surround us. Look. Listen. Learn. I know I have learned many lessons from my beloved dog, Aragon, such as forgiveness, being present in the moment, and enjoying the small things in life, among many others.
Know someone who would like to read these leadership lessons from nature? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 58 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Peter’s Laws
— From Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler
Peter H. Diamandis was named one of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” in 2014 by Fortune magazine. He is the founder of more than 15 high-tech companies. He recalls how, in the early days of one of his business ventures, his office mate put a copy of Murphy’s Law on the wall as a joke. It read: “If anything can go wrong, it will.” After a few days it started to get under Diamandis’ skin, so he went to his whiteboard and wrote, “If anything can go wrong, fix it! (To hell with Murphy!)” And above that, he wrote, “Peter’s Law.”
As time went by, he started collecting more laws, which now serve as his rules to live by. I want to share all those rules here with you, but before that, here’s some advice from Diamandis: “The maxims presented below are the ones that have worked for me, but that’s no guarantee they’ll work for you. So come up with your own. Borrow from anyone you like. The point isn’t to produce pretty pictures covered with inspirational quotes. The point is to trust your history. Plumb you past to plot your future. Start collecting mind hacks by examining your own life and seeing what strategies consistently worked along the way. Turn those strategies into your laws.”
Peter’s Laws ™*
The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate Mind
- If anything can go wrong, fix it! (To hell with Murphy!)
- When given a choice—take both!
- Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
- Start at the top then work your way up.
- Do it by the book… but be the author!
- When forced to compromise, ask for more.
- If you can’t win, change the rules.
- If you can’t change the rules, then ignore them.
- Perfection is not optional.
- When faced without a challenge—make one.
- No simply means begin one level higher.
- Don’t walk when you can run.
- When in doubt: THINK!
- Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
- The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
- The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
- The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself!
- The ratio of something to nothing is infinite.
- You get what you incentivize.
- If you think it is impossible, then it is for you.
- An expert is someone who can tell you exactly how something can’t be done.
- The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.
- If it was easy, it would have been done already.
- Without a target you’ll miss it every time.
- Fail early, fail often, fail forward!
- If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
- The world’s most precious resource is the persistent and passionate human mind.
- Bureaucracy is an obstacle to be conquered with persistence, confidence, and a bulldozer when necessary.
* Laws 12 and 15 by Todd B. Hawley. Law 17 adopted from Alan Kay, Law 21 adopted from Robert Heinlein, Law 24 by Byron K. Lichtenberg, Law 25 adopted from John Maxwell.
ACTION
TODAY: Take a look at Peter’s Laws and see which ones apply to your life and business. Keep the ones that suit you and add at least one more of your own.
FUTURE: Take a deeper look into Peter’s Laws in these blog posts (here and here). You’ll learn what’s behind some of these rules; and the thoughts, I’m sure, will spark some ideas to come up with a few rules of your own for your list of Laws. You can download a copy of Peter’s Laws here.
Know someone who could use some law’s in business and/or life? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Growth, Mindset, Resources, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA: Waiting for the other shoe NOT to drop
Sometimes it seems unavoidable. An undesirable thing or event is about to happen. It’s inevitable, we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.* But does it have to drop?
“What if the ‘other shoe’ doesn’t have to drop? Instead, what if the other one rose? What if the first shoe sent down a rope for the other? What if when things went well, you were creating a baseline from which to soar higher? What if things never went backward? What if when you ‘lost’ something, it was always an invitation to expand your love, expression, or sense of identity? Your life moves in one direction always. It’s always giving you the chance to grow. What if things could get better than your best experience ever?”
ACTION
TODAY: Is there a part of your life where you are waiting for the other shoe to drop? What if it didn’t? What options are there to move you upward and onward? Brainwrite some ideas for other preferred outcomes: you’ll see that there are always different options. And with a bit of creativity, they can turn out to better than we could have ever imagined!
FUTURE: Know that you always have the choice to change your mind, see things differently, and look for alternatives. Same as above, when it seems that something is inevitable, take the time to brainwrite some ideas for other preferred outcomes. This creates a shift in mindset and will enable you to seek more favorable options. Then find the resources (ask your network) for the best possible outcome to happen.
Know someone who’s waiting for the other shoe to drop and who could welcome other options? Do them a favor and please share this post with them via
email,
Facebook or
Twitter, thank you!
*For our international Gurupies**: “waiting for the other shoe to drop” is an expression in the U.S. that means, “to await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable.” The phrase originated “in New York City, and other large cities, during the [housing] boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Apartments were built, similar in design, with the bedrooms located directly above and underneath one another. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing their shoes in the apartment above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar disturbance was created.” (Source: Wiktionary)
** Gurupie = blend of guru and groupie = how I fondly refer to the EntreGurus’ community, because we all follow the ideas of the gurus.
