by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Tools, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 28 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The After-Action Review: Backward T
hinking
— From Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt
Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman and psychologist Dale T. Miller wrote a chapter in the book Heuristics and Biases, where they talk about “the power of backward thinking.” What they mean by this is the importance of using the past as a way to design a better future. “Reasoning flows not only forward, from anticipation and hypothesis to confirmation or revision, but also backward, from the experience to what it reminds us of or makes us think about.”
And in today’s book, Your Best Year Ever, author and leadership guru Michael Hyatt recalls a friend of his telling him: “An experience is not complete until it is remembered.” Thus, Hyatt says, “We can’t complete the past until we acknowledge what we’ve already experienced.”
In terms of looking ahead at the New Year, setting goals and making plans, it’s important to look at the past year (or the past in general) and learn from what didn’t go well, as well as build on top what indeed went well.
For this, Hyatt points us in the direction of the After-Action Review (AAR), an exercise used in the U.S. Army to improve performance.
“After an event, the goal is to understand what happened, why it happened, and how they can improve. Lots of businesses use this process, and we can use it too.”
The After-Action Review has four key stages:
Stage 1: State what you wanted to happen. “For the military, this is pretty straightforward. Think of it as the battle plan or the object of the mission. For us, this could be your list of goals from the prior year… Start by asking yourself how you saw the year going. What were your plans, your dreams, your concrete goals if you had any?”
Stage 2: Acknowledge what actually happened. “Ask yourself, What disappointments or regrets did I experience this past year? […] What did you feel you should have been acknowledged for but weren’t? […] What did you accomplish this past year that you were most proud of? Completing the past is not just about processing failures and disappointments. It’s also about acknowledging and celebrating your wins. […] To finish this stage, it’s useful two tease out some themes. What were two or three specific themes that kept recurring? These could be single words, phrases, or even complete sentences.”
Stage 3: Learn from the experience. “What were the major life lessons you learned this past year? […] If you have trouble identifying your key lessons from the year, one way to suss them out is to ask what was missing from your success… Listing these missing ingredients is an effective way to learn what went wrong and what it would take to go right in the future. [Lastly,] to retain these lessons, you’ll want to distill your discoveries into short, pithy statements. That transforms your learning into wisdom to guide your path into the future.”
Stage 4: Adjust your behavior. “If something in your beliefs and behaviors contributed to the gap between what you wanted to happen and what actually happened, something has to change. In fact, that gap will only widen and worsen unless you pivot. It’s not enough to acknowledge the gap. It’s not even enough to learn from the experience. If you don’t change your beliefs and how you act on them, you’re actually worse then when you started.”
And there you have it. The After-Action Review is one of the most powerful backward thinking exercises you can undergo to derive a lesson and move forward.
Happy backward thinking! 😉
ACTION
TODAY: As the year is coming to an end, set aside some time in your calendar to do an After-Action Review of this year. Give yourself half a day in your schedule to do it thoroughly.
FUTURE: Every time you come to the end of a year, a project, a sprint or a certain event, do an After-Action Review so that you can learn and internalize the lessons. They will become invaluable mindset assets for your future.
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by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Celebration, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 33 seconds
TODAY’S IDEA: The key to productivity? Forget about annual goals!
— From The 12 Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington
As odd as this sounds, “annual goals and plans are often a barrier to high performance,” say Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington, productivity gurus and authors of the wonderful book The 12 Week Year. The key to productivity, they say, is to discard annual goals.
The authors make the assertion that “there is no question you will do better with annual goals and plans than without any goals or plans.” However, they have found that thinking in yearly increments inherently limits performance.
How is this possible?
It’s actually very simple: we all fall into the trap of annualized thinking. This is the mistaken belief that there’s a lot of time left in the year to do whatever we want and that, at some point, later in the year, “we will experience a significant improvement in results.”
The biggest mistake of all, though, is having an optimistic delusion that we will be able to have much more time later to catch on and do what we haven’t done at this point.
“The fact is that every week counts! Every day counts! Every moment counts! We need to be conscious of the reality that execution happens daily and weekly, not monthly or quarterly.”
Thinking in shorter time frames—12 weeks for example—is a much better way to accomplish your goals. This is the key to productivity: working in sprints.
“The result is a heightened sense of urgency and an increased focus on the critical few, those important core activities that drive success and fulfillment, and the daily executions of those items to guarantee the achievement of your long-term objectives.” By virtue of having the deadline near, you never lose sight of it, and this period is long enough to accomplish things and short enough to have a constant sense of urgency and thus, a bias for action.
And, of course, at the end of every sprint, you have a celebration—just as you would at the end of the year. It may be big or small, but you take some time to enjoy what you’ve just accomplished, reflect on what went well and what didn’t, rest, reenergize, and get ready for the next sprint.
Want to try one of these working sprints out with me? I’m running another one of my Achieve in 90 (90-day sprint program) after the New Year and will be opening registration soon. Sign up here to be notified when it’s open.
ACTION
TODAY: As the New Year approaches, think about a goal that you could accomplish in a sprint. Set the time in your calendar and try it out. (Spoiler alert: You’ll never want to come back to annualized thinking after that!)
FUTURE: Set the habit of working in sprints. While 12 weeks is fantastic, sometimes you may need just a month instead, depending on your goal: you set the timeframe and deadlines. It works incredibly well and you’ll love it.
Know someone who would like today’s idea? Please share this post via email, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 26 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Link Between Purpose, Priority, and Productivity
— From The ONE Thing: The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan (watch the book trailer)
Today’s post expands on yesterday’s idea of asking the one question—The Focusing Question—when we want to concentrate on the critical steps that we must take to achieve our goals.
Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, authors of The ONE Thing, say, there’s a simple formula for implementing the ONE thing and achieving extraordinary results: purpose, priority, and productivity. “Bound together, these three are forever connected and continually confirming each other’s existence in our lives. Their link leads to the two areas where you’ll apply the ONE Thing—one big and one small.”
“Your big ONE Thing is your purpose and your small ONE Thing is the priority you take action on to achieve it. The most productive people start with purpose and use it like a compass. They allow purpose to be the guiding force in determining the priority that drives their actions. This is the straightest path to extraordinary results.”
To wrap our heads around this, the authors suggest thinking of purpose, priority, and productivity as three parts of an iceberg: bottom, middle, and tip, respectively. The first two are underwater and the last one is above the water line. My husband and I recently traveled to Iceland and learned that the tip of an iceberg—what you can see—is only 10% of the total mass of ice that is floating (!).* And the authors say the same thing: what you can see—productivity—is only the tip. Purpose and priority are below the surface and never seen, but they indeed drive productivity. Thus, the formula for your personal iceberg is:
45% Purpose + 45% Priority + 10% Productivity =
100% Extraordinary Results
“The more productive people are, the more purpose and priority are pushing and driving them. With the additional outcome of profit, it’s the same for business. What’s visible to the public—productivity and profit—is always buoyed by the substance that serves as the company’s foundation—purpose and priority.”
Connecting purpose, priority, and productivity may seem obvious at first (so obvious that we tend to take it for granted). Yet once we realize how deeply entrenched that connection is, and the extraordinary results that they produce when linked together, we realize that it’s in our best interest to let our purpose and priority guide our productivity. And no better way than making this happen by creating the habit of frequently asking, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
What is your purpose? And what is your priority? How will you focus your productivity to reach your goals?
ACTION
TODAY: Ask, ask, ask, and ask again many times throughout the day, “What’s the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
FUTURE: Create the habit of asking this question in many areas of your life: it can only improve for the better!
Know someone who would like to read this post? Please share it with them via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Thanks!
*The featured image in today’s post is one that I took from the glacier lagoon we visited: what you see there is only 10% of what is below, whoa!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 4 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to Cure a Productivity Hangover
— From Laura Vanderkam’s email series “Just a minute” sent December 1, 2018: How to Cure a Productivity Hangover
As I’ve been immersing myself in productivity and goal-setting topics in preparation for the New Year, I received this great newsletter from Laura Vanderkam.
The race to the end of the year is a sprint, and many of us are putting things aside to clear the way and finish our goals with a bang.
And sometimes what happens is that, “You’ve been working hard. You’ve hurtled toward a huge deadline. You made it happen. Now it’s time to deal with everything else in life that you put off. But you just…can’t.”
This is what Vanderkam calls a productivity hangover. And just as a regular hangover, the only cures are time and sleep.
“But if a vacation isn’t possible right now,” says Vanderkam, “a few other strategies can help.” And she offers the following activities with a preceding note: “You don’t need to feel motivated to get stuff done. Inspiration is like Santa Claus. Nice to believe in, but at a certain point you learn to make other plans.”
So, here are those other plans:
Make a list. “You’re not committing to actually doing anything. You’re just listing out the things you need to do at some point. I find that list-making takes less energy and produces less resistance than the actual work itself, and sometimes seeing obligations in black and white makes them seem less overwhelming.”
Work on something you like. “Surely something on your list is reasonably enjoyable (if not, you’ve got a bigger problem than a productivity hangover!). Tackle this task first. But…
Set a time limit. Yes, even with work you like! Assign yourself 20 minutes of this first task. That’s it. This strict limit has two upsides: first, you might accomplish more than you think you will, but just as important, after 20 minutes, you’ll be able to cross an item off your to-do list. You did exactly what you set out to do. This sense of success is highly motivational, and progress creates its own momentum.”
Pace yourself. “Study your list of obligations. It’s unlikely everything needs to be done today. So assign yourself three items a day (or so) over the next few days. Knowing when something will get done can help you relax, and getting through three things doesn’t seem too hard. No need to work yourself into a pity party over that. Continue to set time limits (an hour per item, max).”
Reward yourself. “Once you tackle your three assignments, celebrate. Go for a walk. Go buy (or make yourself) a cup of coffee. Read those articles you keep saying you’re going to read. Go chat with a work friend — well, as long as she’s not hurtling toward a deadline herself.”
Have you ever had to work when you did not feel motivated to do so? How did you find the energy? What did you think or tell yourself that made you do it? I’m very curious, please let me know in the comments here.
ACTION
TODAY: If you are sprinting towards the end of the year, you may have to put aside a few things to get other ones accomplished. Make a list of several things that truly motivate you, so that if you get a productivity hangover, you can fall back on those things that help you bounce back up faster.
FUTURE: Whether it’s a sprint in December or some other project that leaves you depleted throughout the year, go back to your motivation list and come back to this post to put Vanderkam’s suggestions into practice.
Know someone who would like this post? Please share it with your circles via Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 9 Listening Skills Every Leader Must Develop – Part 2
— From Relationships 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
In yesterday’s post, we started to look at the nine listening skills every leader must develop. Despite them sounding and being so simple, those skills should not be dismissed, as they are what makes for a wonderful experience both for the listener and for the speaker.
Let’s continue learning the skills that John C. Maxwell offers in his book Relationships 101 so that we can become top-notch listeners:
5. Check your emotions. “Most people carry around emotional baggage that causes them to react to certain people or situations. […] Anytime that you become highly emotional when listening to another person, check your emotions—especially if your reaction seems to be stronger then the situation warrants. You don’t want to make an unsuspecting person the recipient of your venting.” Further, if something that the speaker says triggers a strong emotion in you, you should always allow others to finish explaining their points of view, ideas, or convictions before offering your own.”
6. Suspend your judgment. “Have you ever begun listening to another person to tell a story and started to respond to it before he or she was finished? Just about everyone has. But the truth is that you can’t jump to conclusions and be a good listener at the same time. As you talk to others, wait to hear the whole story before you respond. If you don’t, you may miss the most important thing they intend to say.”
7. Sum up at major intervals. “Listening is most effective when it’s active. […] For example, if you can say, ‘Cheryl, that’s obviously very important to you.’ It will help keep you on track as a listener. Get beyond, ‘That’s interesting.’ If you train yourself to comment meaningfully, the speaker will know you are listening and may offer further information. A technique for active listening is to sum up what the other person says at major intervals. As the speaker finishes one subject, paraphrase his or her main points or ideas before going onto the next one, and verify that you have gotten the right message.”
8. Ask questions for clarity. “If you want to become an effective listener… [be someone] someone who gently asks follow up questions and seeks clarification. If you show people how much you care and ask in a non threatening way, you’ll be amazed by how much they’ll tell you.”
9. Always make listening your priority. “The last thing to remember when developing your listening skills is to make listening a priority, no matter how busy you become or how far you rise in your organization.”
Maxwell shares the example of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. “He believed in listening to what people had to say, especially his employees. He once flew his plane to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, landed, and he gave instructions to his copilot to meet him about one hundred miles down the road. He then rode in a Wal-Mart truck just so that he could chat with the driver.”
Many of us consider ourselves good listeners and consider listening a pretty easy exercise. But let’s not take it for granted. There’s always room for improvement, and good listening skills can change our lives and that of the others around them, so let’s keep refining them!
I’ll leave you with this story of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s mother. When Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone were competing for the position of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, she had dinner with each of them.
Afterwards, she famously said “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But when I sat next to Disraeli, I left feeling that I was the cleverest woman.”
That is the power of listening. And that is why it behooves us to always be practicing and sharpening our listening skills.
ACTION
TODAY: Which of these skills comes most naturally to you? Which one do you need to work on a bit more? Take an opportunity today to practice at work or at home.
FUTURE: Practice the Disraeli skill of making the person who is speaking feel as if he or she is the smartest one in the world.
Know someone who would like this post? Please share it with your circles via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 52 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 9 Listening Skills Every Leader Must Develop – Part 1
— From Relationships 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Novelist E.W. Howe liked to joke by saying, “No one would listen to you talk if he didn’t know it was his turn next.” Sad but true, many people do not listen, they simply wait for their turn to speak. That is why the ability to develop and refine our listening skills is the basis to building positive relationships.
Listening starts with wanting to hear and paying attention, of course, but above all, Maxwell says, “A mistake that people often make… is trying very hard to impress the other person. They try to make themselves appear smart, witty or entertaining. But if you want to relate well to others, you have to be willing to focus on what they have to offer. Be impressed and interested, not impressive and interesting.”
In his book, Relationships 101, leadership guru John C. Maxwell, provides us with a list of nine skills to become better listeners. Some of these listening skills may seem very simple and intuitive, but don’t dismiss them because of that, they are part of the whole listening experience, both for the listener and for the one who is listened to:
1. Look at the speaker. “The whole listening process begins with giving the other person your undivided attention. As you interact with someone, don’t catch up on other work, shuffle papers, do the dishes, or watch television. Set aside time to focus only on the other person. And if you don’t have the time at that moment, then schedule it as soon as you can.”
2. Don’t interrupt. “Most people react badly to being interrupted. It makes them feel disrespected… People who tend to interrupt others generally do so for one of these reasons: [i.] They don’t place enough value of what the other person has to say. [ii.] They want to impress others by showing how smart and intuitive they are. [iii.] They’re too excited by the conversation to let the other person finish talking. […] Give people the time they need to express themselves.”
3. Focus on understanding. “Have you ever noticed how quickly most people forget the things they hear? Studies… indicate that most people can recall only 50 percent of what they hear immediately after hearing it. […] By the next day, their retention is usually down to 25 percent. One way to combat that tendency it’s to aim for understanding rather than just remembering the facts.”
4. Determine the need at the moment. Some people, upon listening, want to fix immediately what the other person is troubled about. Some others, however, simply want to communicate something as a way of sharing and getting it out. “Anytime you can determine the current need of the people you’re communicating with, you can put whatever they say into the appropriate context. And you will be better able to understand them.”
And there is still so much more that Maxwell shares to develop our listening skills! Please come back tomorrow as we will finish the list and learn a great story about the power of listening.
ACTION
TODAY: Think of a time when someone took the time to listen to you. What did that person do that made you feel good? Replicate that when you are listening to others.
FUTURE: Take every opportunity you can to listen to others. It’s only by practicing that we refine our skills.
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