by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 29 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to be wrong
— From: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
The weather forecast is wrong a lot of times, yet we listen to it every single day. Isaac Newton was completely wrong about alchemy, yet he’s regarded as one the most successful physicists. Steve Jobs was wrong about his NEXT computer, and Apple is now one of the most successful companies in the world. And we can find countless other instances where the people and companies are wrong many times, yet they are successful.
Why?
Because, according to Seth Godin in his excellent book Tribes:
“The secret of being wrong isn’t to avoid being wrong!
The secret is being willing to be wrong.
The secret is realizing that wrong isn’t fatal.
The only thing that makes people and organizations great is their willingness to be not great along the way. The desire to fail on the way to reaching a bigger goal is the untold secret to success.”
“The truth is that they appear to risk everything, but in fact, the risk isn’t so bad. The downsides are pretty small because few of us are likely to get burned at the stake.”
Most of us battle an invisible jury in our minds that paralyzes us at the very first thought of a less-than-perfect outcome. If we let this fear stop us, we won’t be able to move forward. There isn’t an easy, failure-free way to move forward, but here are a series of steps that’ll enable you to do so:
- Become aware of your fear of being wrong.
- Recognize that it’s natural for it to appear.
- Thank the fear for trying to protect you.
- Set aside the fear and move forward to your goal, despite the fear.
- Be willing to go wrong and, when it happens, learn, learn, learn and apply those learnings towards the future.
- Rectify, clean up, set up a new path (now you know where NOT to go).
- Keep your goal in mind and keep going.
“The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there. People will follow.”
ACTION
TODAY: Is there a project that you’d love to take back on because you stopped cold for fear of going wrong? Think of the worst possible outcome and how to mitigate it. Give it a shot and realize that failure is a natural part of moving forward. Every lesson gets you closer to your goal. Every NO gets you closer to a YES.
FUTURE: Next time you’re about to start a new project, allow additional time for the expected wrong ways that you will find. If you are open and cognizant that being wrong at times is part of any project, you will have less of a hard time recognizing the lessons to be learned and moving forward. Keep in mind that being wrong is simply a detour that opens up a myriad possibilities; it is not a dead end and, never, a final state.
Know someone who needs to be ok with being wrong? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 49 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: No bad teams, only bad leaders
— From Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Leaders make all the difference. That is why we see companies and organizations get in trouble or get out of it when a new leader comes in. And it runs the gamut from the leader of a nation to the leader of a children’s game. Whoever is at the helm sets the stage to foster radical change or fully preserving the status quo, and everything in between of such a wide spectrum.
Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, former U.S. Navy SEALs and experts in leadership, say that there are no bad teams, only bad leaders. “Leadership is the single greatest factor in any team’s performance. Whether a team succeeds or fails is all up to the leader. The leader’s attitude sets the tone for the entire team. The leader drives performance—or doesn’t. And this applies not just to the most senior leader of an overall team, but to the junior leaders of teams within the team.”
In Extreme Ownership, Willink and Babin emphasize that “leaders must accept total responsibility, own problems that inhibit performance, and develop solutions to those problems.” Only in this way will the team members see that the role they play and the efforts they contribute can improve the team’s work and bring about the highest performance.
Further, the leaders must be aware that in terms of setting and enforcing standards and expectations, “it’s not what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.” This is important because “no matter what has been said or written, if substandard performance is accepted, and no one is held accountable—if there are no consequences—that poor performance becomes the new standard.”
By accepting total responsibility and accountability, leaders set an example of excellence, high standards and performance that leads the team to become the best version of itself.
Likewise, at a personal level, you have what you tolerate. If you tolerate lateness or being out of shape, then that is what you have. If you tolerate love and good will that is what you have. The way you lead yourself is also the way you lead the various teams in your life. Take extreme ownership of your personal and professional life and lead yourself to becoming the very best YOU that you can be.
ACTION
TODAY: Think of the two most important projects that you lead right now: one at a professional level and one at a personal level. What are you tolerating? What can you improve as a leader? How can you take extreme ownership of both projects? Take at least one step today towards improving your leadership (even if that step is just writing down your thoughts to put them into action later).
FUTURE: Make a list of all the projects that you lead in your life (both personal and professional). What are you tolerating in each? Count both the good and the not-so-good standards and behaviors you tolerate. How can you take extreme ownership and improve your various teams so that they can reach their goals and excel at what they do? Share the concepts of extreme ownership and the importance of being a good leader who sets and enforces standards with them, so that they can be empowered by those principles as well!
Know someone who should enforce better standards in the team he/she leads? Please share this post with that person via email, Facebook or Twitter!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 8 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The power of perception
− From The Obstacle is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
Whenever we hear stories of tremendous heartache and hardship turned into triumph, we wonder how they did it and, also, whether we have what it takes. Ryan Holiday, in his excellent book The Obstacle is the Way, says, “through our perception of events, we are complicit in the creation—as well as the destruction—of every one of our obstacles.”
“There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.”
That, right there, is the power of perception: obstacles become obstacles in our minds; and it’s in there too that otherwise obstacles can turn into lessons, opportunities, advantages, and even miracles. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters, said Epictetus, the eminent Greek stoic philosopher who was born in slavery.
“Just because your mind tells you that something is awful or evil or unplanned or otherwise negative doesn’t mean you have to agree. Just because other people say that something is hopeless or crazy or broken to pieces doesn’t mean it is. We decide what story to tell ourselves. Or whether we will tell one at all.”
Stories abound of shifts in perception; such as the boss who didn’t fire an employee for a costly mistake but instead turned it into a training opportunity. And there are countless other stories of blessings in disguise such as the one that Susan Kramer shares in her short and moving TED Talk.
ACTION
TODAY: Take a moment to think about a story you’ve been telling yourself about something that happened to you. What part is frustrating, challenging or simply bugs you? Why? What happens if you turn the story on its head, find a better story, or simply drop the story? Ask yourself the same question as Amy Purdy in her TED Talk: “If my life were a book and I were the author, how would I want the story to go?”
FUTURE: When faced with challenges or adversity, find a way to change the story. A shift in perception will get you unstuck and will change the feelings of resignation and helplessness into action and a new vision for the outcome. Remember that there is always a silver lining if we choose to look for it.
Know someone who needs to shift perceptions? Help them do so by sharing this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, please!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Leadership, Mindset, Networking, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Memorable networking in just 3 minutes
— From The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want by Dave Kerpen
When we meet someone new we tend to use small talk “because it’s far more socially acceptable than asking pointed questions. But the truth is that by asking better, smarter questions, we can understand the people we meet more quickly and determine rapidly whether they’re friend or foe, a potential business partner or a mate, a future employee or casual acquaintance. Life is short. The less time we waste on the weather, the better.”
And so begins an exercise to help our networking that Dave Kerpen shares with us in his book The Art of People. The exercise is geared to getting to know the person you are meeting “better than you know many of your friends, in just three minutes with just three questions.”
Kerpen mentions he was a skeptic at first, yet once he tried it at a conference, he was convinced immediately of the effectiveness of it. Further, two years after having the conversation with a total stranger, he could still recall the details easily. That is memorable networking!
The three questions are:
- “What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now?” (1 min)
- “If you had enough money to retire and then some, what would you be doing?” (1 min)
- “What is your favorite charity organization and why?” (1 min)
As you can see, these questions bring out our passions, our dreams, and our deep emotions when we answer them. They get to the heart of what makes people tick. Thus, they are guaranteed to break the ice and get to know the other person via the stories that he/she tells. And stories are memorable and relatable.
However, there are many other questions that will produce a similar effect. Craft the ones that suit you in order to bring out the best in the people that you meet, for example, “If you weren’t doing what you do today, what would you be doing and why?” “Who’s been the most important influence on you?” “If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be and why?”
ACTION
TODAY: Try out these questions on someone that you meet (preferably), or someone with whom you are barely acquainted. Pay attention as to how you know each other and how the relationship changes, for the better, in less than 3 minutes. It’s a powerful exercise.
FUTURE: Keep this exercise in mind for the next time you meet new people. If you think it’s awkward to ask them these questions, blame it on us! Simply say, “ I just read this crazy [blog] that talked about asking better questions when you first meet someone. Mind if we try out a couple of these questions and each answer them?”
Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, if you know someone who could benefit memorable networking!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 20 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Law of Navigation
— From The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell, an authority in the field of Leadership, explains the Law of Navigation as follows: “Anyone Can Steer the Ship, but It Takes a Leader to Chart the Course.”
What he means by this is simple, albeit not easy. “[Leaders] see the whole trip in their minds before they leave the dock. They have vision for getting to their destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who they’ll need on the team to be successful, and they recognize the obstacles long before they appear in the horizon.”
Whether the trip or project is big or small, complex or simple, leaders learn what it will entail and plan accordingly from experience and/or by getting help from experts in the field. They are intentional and purposeful and they go through a planning process to maximize the opportunities to succeed.
When making a thorough assessment, it’s important to look both inward (to draw on experience), and outward (to examine conditions and get ideas and knowledge from other trustworthy sources). Leaders “examine not only measurable factors such as finances, resources and talent, but also intangibles such as timing, morale, momentum, culture, and so on. […] The secret to the Law of Navigation is preparation.”
Maxwell offers the acrostic PLAN AHEAD as a way for us to keep a handy reminder of the strategy to use when charting a course for navigation:
Predetermine a course of action.
Lay out your goals.
Adjust your priorities.
Notify key personnel.
Allow time for acceptance.
Head into action.
Expect problems.
Always point to the successes.
Daily review your plan.
“In the end, it’s no the size of the project that determines its acceptance, support and success. It’s the size of the leader.”
ACTION
TODAY: What trip (project/task/other) do you have ahead of you (or are you in already) where you have to lead people? Think of it and run it by the PLAN AHEAD steps that apply (depending on the stage that you are at). Where and how can you plan for a better outcome? Make a list of the people who can lend a hand or advice to steer you towards a successful outcome, call them if you can to get their advice, or plan to meet with them in a near future.
FUTURE: Practice reflecting on your experiences, both positive and negative, so that you can discover the valuable lessons in them. Do your homework ahead of time before embarking on any journey: find people who have been down that road and talk to them about their experience and get their insights. Also, find out which way you naturally lean towards: are you a can-do-anything optimist or a down-to-earth realist? Then find someone who is your opposite and include that person on your team so that you can have more balance.
Please share your project with me! I’d love to know what you’re working on. Where will you use the PLAN AHEAD steps? Anything I can help with? I’m happy to lend a hand if I can serve as a resource. Let me know and please don’t forget to share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, if you know someone who can benefit from The Law of Navigation. Thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Productivity, Sales
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 21 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 5 things you need to stop doing now to be more productive at work
— From Time Traps: Proven Strategies for Swamped Sales People by Todd Duncan
At first sight, these five things that we can stop doing now to be more productive at work may seem too basic and plain. I didn’t think they’d make a difference until I gave it some additional thought, and what blew me away was the amount of accumulated time that can be freed up daily and yearly if we simply stop doing them.
Todd Duncan, the author, mentions that if we don’t take an organized approach to working, very likely we will say YES to everything and add it to our already full plates. “This is highly unorganized and allows unproductive interruptions […] to monopolize your time. To begin cleaning up your work schedule, follow these five guidelines to construct boundaries that regulate or eliminate the most common unnecessary tasks that clutter your days.”
- Don’t give your personal digits to customers. This means don’t give out your cell phone number, your home phone number and your personal email address. “Make it simple for them and sane for you: …give prospects and customers only one e-mail address and one phone number. It’s tempting and easy to justify giving out more contact information, but don’t.” Once you give your personal digits out you can’t control what clients or colleagues do with them and when they’ll contact you expecting an immediate answer. Be careful if you don’t want them to interfere with your personal time.
- Don’t give your work digits to friends. “If they already have them, ask your friends to e-mail and/or call you on your personal lines instead.” Sounds a bit extreme, but think about it in terms of your productivity. Your friends are likely to have your personal cell and home numbers, your personal email, and your social media. If there is an emergency, they can definitely contact you.
- Turn off the instant message and e-mail alert functions on your work computer [and your phone]. “The last thing you need is one-liners and alerts popping up on your screen all day. They are too tempting and will whittle away your time quicker than you realize.”
- Don’t answer the phone unless it is someone you are expecting. “Unless you are a retail salesperson whose business comes via phone, or you are expecting a call, you shouldn’t even have the ringer on.” If you fear you’ll be perceived as antisocial, try it for a day or two and see what happens. Let it go to voice mail and retrieve at intervals when it’s convenient for you. Don’t let it sidetrack you every time it rings.
- Don’t check your personal email during work hours. “Very few people [do this], and it adds to your work hours—sometimes several hours a week. Not only that, it adds to your [load of] responsibilities, like e-mailing so-and-so with a phone number, or calling so-and-so with directions, or checking out a Web site, or answering a question that can be answered later.”
“There are others, of course… [but those mentioned] represent the most pervasive but often overlooked, time sappers.”
If you’re saying ‘yeah, yeah, yeah… I know this,’ to these things and you still think they don’t add up, simply look at this conservative estimate of time freed up that appears in the book (the estimate is based on 230 working days/yr):
| TASK |
Time Wasted |
Time Freed |
| Personal e-mails to work address |
30 mins/day |
115 hours/year |
| Personal calls to work phone(s) |
30 mins/day |
115 hours/year |
| Answering every call |
60 mins/day |
230 hours/year |
| Customer calls to personal digits |
60 mins/day |
230 hours/year |
| Instant message & e-mail alerts |
15 mins/day |
57.5 hours/year |
| Total time freed up |
3 hours day |
747.5 hours/year |
If you think this is a high estimate, simply record your time wasters for a week or two, and modify the calculation to suit you. See how much time you can free up. What will you do with those extra hours that you now found? Imagine the possibilities!
ACTION
TODAY: Try stopping these 5 things and see how your day goes. Then at the end of the day reflect on what went well and what didn’t. How can you tweak to your advantage?
FUTURE: Over the next week or two, tally up the time you use in these 5 activities. This is for your eyes only, no need to share it with anyone, so be very honest with yourself—the idea is to find out how much time these tasks are taking—that way you’ll know how much time you’ll save by not doing them. Then, try stopping these five things for a couple of weeks as well. Figure out what works and what doesn’t along the way, and tweak according to your needs. Maybe you can stop all alerts but don’t feel comfortable stopping the one from your biggest client, or from your company’s CEO, or fill-in-the-blank. That’s OK, you will still save some time by stopping the other alerts. You can continue to monitor how many times your client/boss/CEO/etc. calls or emails with an urgent task vs. how many times it would be possible to retrieve it later, at a time that is convenient to you. Tweak and tweak again until you find a rhythm that suits you.
Know someone who could free up some time? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
