Friday 30 May 2014

A 2069 year old lesson we are still to learn

Since the Federal Government in Australia tabled it's budget a couple of weeks ago there have been many protests by people feeling hard done by. At this point it is unlikely that the government will get what it wants. It's all been very ugly and may trigger another election.

"The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." said Cicero in 55 BC.

"The arrogance of officialdom" I think is the key 2069 year old lesson we are still to learn!

Don't make this mistake in your business.

If you want to conceive and achieve change in your business consult your stakeholders first. And I mean really consult, not provide the lip service most politicians call consultation.

Resistance to, anxiety about, and fear of change is the human condition. Arrogance, real or perceived increases all three. The result is that the status quo remains or worse compromise.

Real leadership in part is the willingness to achieve a co-promise not a compromise.

Follow my conceiving and achieving highly successful change initiatives manifesto in your own way and not only will you change what needs to changed in your business, your people, because they own the change/s too, will overcome their resistance, anxiety, and fear.

All change initiatives need change champions to lead them. Helping business leaders to be change champions is my business. Find out more about my work here.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Leaders eat last

Simon Sinek's great book Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't, is the latest book I have added to my recommended reading list.

See my Amazon review of this book below.

It's a great standalone work and also a great companion to Simon's classic Start With Why.

The greatest entrepreneurial revolution in history that we are experiencing today will see accomplishments happen that we have only previously dreamed of.

A key reason will be the dynamic transformation of leadership that is also happening. This book is a great contribution to this transformation.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Monday 26 May 2014

Your willingness to be vulnerable is a key to the success of your leadership and your life

This audio of an interview by Debbie Millman with Seth Godin is brilliant.

I highly recommend investing the hour to listen and learn about vulnerability, a key to your success as a leader and in your life.

I also highly recommend Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly for wonderful insights into being vulnerable.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Sunday 25 May 2014

Are you leading your business like a mechanic or a gardener?

This Sunday's sparkenation.

"The most universal challenge that we face is the transition from seeing our human institutions as machines to seeing them as embodiments of nature. We keep bringing in mechanics when what we need are gardeners."
Peter Senge

Are you leading your business like a mechanic or a gardener?

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Friday 23 May 2014

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time

I love this.

"A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuverer his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

‘I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

‘Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait..' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice;

I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life..

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.

I am still depositing.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less."

Source unknown

Be the difference you want to see in the world. A key is deciding to be happy.
Ian

Wednesday 21 May 2014

What human problem are you solving?

There is no doubt that a key to success in business is having products and services that solve other people’s problems.

For me personally I differentiate myself in the marketplace by not offering solutions to people’s problems, rather I work with people and help them to find their own solutions. I know people savour their own solutions more and their results are better because they own their actions.

One of the problems I help my clients to find solutions for is mistrust?

mistrust
“be suspicious of; have no confidence in.”
‘be suspicious of, be mistrustful of, be distrustful of, be sceptical of, be wary of, be chary of, harbour suspicions about, be uneasy about, distrust, have doubts about, have misgivings about, have reservations about, have qualms about, suspect, wonder about.”

All of the above come from culture cracks.

In 'Riding the waves of culture' the authors Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner suggest that there are 3 key problem areas; people’s relationship with time, nature, and each other. In the example above I am referring to our relationship with each other.

What human problems are you solving? Better: What humans problems are you helping others to find their solutions too?

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Monday 19 May 2014

Disrupting yourself first is the key to disruptive innovation

Professor Clayton Christensen coined the term “disruptive innovation”


And a great diagram underneath the video.

The line ‘Entrants nearly always win’ fascinates me.

What could you do to go underneath the radar of everyone else?

You may have to disrupt yourself first before you can effectively answer this question.

Here’s what happens to most people


You, like everyone else, have an idea that could change the world. The first step is disrupting yourself and then letting go of the status quo.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Sunday 18 May 2014

Are you living by your own or someone else’s rules?

This Sunday’s sparkenation.

I have a friend who when confronted with the regular silliness of society's rules says “Who made that rule?!”

The thing about conventional wisdom is that often it isn’t wise.

“Dogma is living with the results of other people’s thinking”, said Steve Jobs.

Of course for our safety and other people’s we must abide by certain rules. There are many, many rules though that we just follow blindly that don't make any sense at all. Are you living by your own or someone else’s rules?

“I must point out that my rule of life prescribes as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them.”
Winston Churchill

He lived till age 91.

“Polonius (Father):
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!
Laertes (his Son):
Most humbly do I take my leave, my lord.”
Hamlet Act, scene 3.
William Shakespeare

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
Oscar Wilde

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Friday 16 May 2014

Things a little bird told me


I very much enjoyed Biz Stone's book and added it to my recommended reading list.

As the co-founder of Twitter Biz offers many great insights into not just social media rather humanity.

Here are some gems:

"...Twitter was and continues to be a triumph not of technology but of humanity."

"Opportunity is manufactured."

"Creativity is a renewable resource." "Do you treat your creativity like a fossil fuel - a limited resource that must be conserved - or have you harnessed the unending power of the sun?"

"The technology of Twitter didn't teach humans to flock. It exposed our latent ability to do so."

A fundamental belief of Biz Stone is that humans are first and technology is second. I agree.

I see many people being out smarted by smart technology. Don't be one of them. Reading this book will help you.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Wednesday 14 May 2014

If you are not in the habit then stop

I have received a number of emails lately that begin like this:

“I'm not in the habit of sending group messages to my connections so I hope you'll excuse this one.”

I acutally got one last week that had no greeting just this line
“We are sooo sorry about reaching out to you like this... but it is for good reason - I assure you! (please, please, PLEASE keep reading)” I then pressed delete.

Because this is dumb.

As a general rule all messages to the masses are dumb. Think niche, think 1:1 relationships, think permission not interruption.

Messages to the masses I reckon are like TV advertisements. Only people with money to waste can afford them. Most of us ignore ads.

You have something valuable to say, say it to people who care and to whom you have permission to write.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Monday 12 May 2014

Appreciation and accountability conversations can change everything

This is good stuff from O.C. Tanner about effective recognition. I love their tagline "appreciation changes everything." It does!

For me though appreciation is one side of the story. Accountability is the other side. Both lead people to achieve their aspirations.

The simple side is appreciation conversations. Accountability conversations are tougher. The more we have them the simpler they get!

Crucial to appreciation and accountability conversations are having aspirations and how they will be achieved documented. This means conversations can be focused.

Candid appreciation and accountability conversations and inspiring documentation of aspirations is an art and a practice. All three can be mastered.

“Wouldn’t it be great to be gifted? In fact… It turns out that choices lead to habits. Habits become talents. Talents are labeled gifts. You’re not born this way, you get this way.” – Seth Godin

If you are willing to do your work I can help you to become gifted at appreciation and accountability conversations. One way I can help you is through my Enhancing Their Gifts System. Find out more here.

Another way is through your membership of Maverick Thinkers Studio which means you have 24/7 access to all my performance improvement tools, tips, techniques and templates, and much more. Check out my studio here.

This Appreciation and Accountability Conversation Technique is one of 45 tools about performance conversations available in my studio.

When we change conversations about performance we change everything.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

“When you change the way you look at things,
 The things you look at change”
Dr. Wayne Dyer

Sunday 11 May 2014

Your sacred space

This Sunday's sparkenation.

Your sacred space is where you find yourself again and again, said the great mythologist Joseph Campbell.

I have several sacred spaces - my office, my garden, my favourite walking places, a few coffee shops.

Where's yours?

My online studio is a sacred space for both of us should you be willing. Find out more.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

More sparkenations here.

Friday 9 May 2014

Discovering Your Life's Work

According to Gallup and many other leading researchers into employee engagement, less than 20% of employees in the world are fully engaged in their work.

There are many reasons for this disaster. Ineffective leadership, inefficient management, and a failure to understand that employee engagement is an outcome of other actions, head the list.

Often overlooked is the fact that millions of people aren't able or allowed to do what they love in the service of people who love what they do. Hence they're disengaged.

My Discovering Your Life's Work diagnostic tool is a game-changer for anyone serious about consistently bringing their best to their work and being fully engaged. The tool is based on my work with 1000s of people worldwide since 1991 and the ground breaking insights of four of my maverick thinker heroes as pictured.


The only way you can get my Discovering Your Life's Work diagnostic tool is to join Maverick Thinkers Studio - the sanctuary where time-poor business leaders come to fast track overcoming resistance to and the fear of change, and to learn to thrive on the challenges of change.

Inside Maverick Thinkers Studio I am in the process of uploading all my key research insights, tools, tips, techniques, templates, ebooks, workbooks, videos, articles, papers, links, interviews, checklists, diagnostics, articles, slideshares, handouts; you name it. There are already more than 100 pieces of art in my studio.

For the month of May 2014 only, for clients and readers of this blog and my other publications, and any business owner/leader who reads this, you can join the Enrolled level of Maverick Thinkers Studio for just $220, which means a 50% savings on the normal fee. Simply mention this offer when you call for your tour of Maverick Thinkers Studio.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Wednesday 7 May 2014

The Delightful Design of a Distinguished 21st century business

Recently a 45 minute presentation I gave on this subject was filmed and I have created a DVD.

I address these subjects


Currently I am completing a workbook with the help of a few of my clients that will be a companion to the DVD. My clients are doing the exercises in the workbook. The end result will be a leading edge tool for you to use to accelerate the growth of your business.

If you are not yet remarkable in the 5 areas above this package would be invaluable to you.

The only way you can get this package is to join Maverick Thinkers Studio - the sanctuary where time-poor business leaders come to fast track overcoming resistance to and the fear of change, and to learn to thrive on the challenges of change.

Inside Maverick Thinkers Studio I am in the process of uploading all my key research insights, tools, tips, techniques, templates, ebooks, workbooks, videos, articles, papers, links, interviews, checklists, diagnostics, articles, slideshares, handouts; you name it. There are already more than 100 pieces of art in my studio.

For the month of May 2014 only, for clients and readers of this blog and my other publications, and any business owner/leader who reads this, you can join the Enrolled level of Maverick Thinkers Studio for just $220, which means a 50% savings on the normal fee. Simply mention this offer when you call for your tour of Maverick Thinkers Studio.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Monday 5 May 2014

A key to achieving great results is overcoming resistance

In my Changing What's Normal book I refer to Steven Pressfield’s great little book Do the work.

Steven says resistance is the number 1 enemy to our success.

I couldn’t agree more.  Failure to overcome resistance is the biggest reason two out of every three change initiatives fail.

As is always the case, all change is personal first.

What are you resisting?

Are you resisting
doing the exercise you know you should? 
cutting out the snacks in between meals?
having the hard conversation you have been avoiding?

What are you resisting?

Maybe you’re resisting making the call you have been putting off, or seeing your doctor about that little dark mark on your skin you are not sure about.

Maybe you’re resisting saying something about the poor service you received last week at what used to be your favourite restaurant, or maybe you’re resisting calling your long lost friend or family member.

Every day you are resisting doing stuff you know you should be doing.

Continuing to resist is holding you back.  And when you are holding yourself back you miss out on the magnificence of life, the little and big things that really matter.

For about $8 on Amazon you could buy Steven Pressfield’s Do the work book.
Will you or will you resist this too?

Choice. Watch the video by Steven Pressfield I refer to in the prologue to my Changing What's Normal book.  Do the work was my inspiration for my saying do your work at the end of each chapter.

If you are really serious about bringing everything remarkable that you are to everything you do, you would watch the video right now.  It’s here.

And then you would get on Amazon and get Steven’s book and Do Your Work.  It’s a hour or so read.

If you don’t learn to kill resistance in your own way and then keep it at bay you are selling yourself short and consigning your life to mediocrity like most other people.

I read Do the work often. And I make changes.
Sometimes it’s hard, really hard.  Usually it’s simple.
Always it’s rewarding.

Choose and get on with it.

My meditation is that you will do your work, fight resistance with every fibre in your body, overcome it, and achieve the great results you can.

Life is definitely too short to let ourselves be beaten by resistance.

This post Defeat your enemy by Gary Ryan will help you.


Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Sunday 4 May 2014

For change champions change is a verb more than a noun

This Sunday's sparkenation.

Nouns answer the question: “What?”, while verbs are action words which answer the question: ‘How?’

For change champions change is a verb more than a noun.

When we don’t do what we know we should do, we never discover what we don’t know that we must do. This mean we live our lives unaware of what we actually love to do. Change champions territory is therefore beyond our reach.


The above overviews the journey I go on with people in my role as a mentor.

If the challenges of change are keeping you awake at night and you want to sleep like a baby such a journey could be for you.

Helping business leaders to be change champions is my business.


Are you feeling a deep desire for and/or are you confronted with the necessity for personal, relationship, or organisational change?

Would you love to be able to guarantee you will succeed in your change/s and thrive on the associated challenges?

I can help you. Please check out the link above and contact me today.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.

Friday 2 May 2014

Maverick Thinkers Studio is now open


A studio is a place where people imagine and create their art. For me my studios are my office, my garden, my library, several favourite coffee shops, trains and planes, and the places where I meet with collaborators and clients.

All artists want to share their art with people who can appreciate it. We want to add great value to these people. We want to help these people to lead fuller lives and achieve better results. 

Galleries, stadiums and pubs are common sharing places.

Of course, as you well know, there are a zillion places online for sharing our art too.

Maverick Thinkers Studio is my online place where I share my art and the art of other people who have inspired me. It's the sanctuary where time-poor business leaders come to overcome resistance to and the fear of change, and to learn to thrive on the challenges of change.

I am in the process of uploading all my key research insights, tools, tips, techniques, templates, ebooks, workbooks, videos, articles, papers, links, interviews, checklists, diagnostics, articles, slideshares, handouts; you name it.

If you are a business owner or leader wanting to thrive on the challenges of change, you will love being able to drop in to my online studio whenever you wish.


For the month of May 2014 only, you can save 50% of the fee for membership at the Enrolled level of Maverick Thinkers Studio. Yes you read that right, 50% savings. All you have to do is remind me of this never-to-be-repeated offer when you book in for your guided tour. 

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

Thursday 1 May 2014

Management is dead

In many circles we persist in referring to people as resources, as assets, or as capital, the other dreadful yet common expression. In my mind such labels suggest that people don’t matter, only the organisations balance sheet matters.

I am all about changing this. I am doing so with great respect for the many people I know who have HR in their career title. I know their label doesn’t signify who they really are or what they do.

I believe that there is a nasty hangover in many organisations from the industrial revolution and particularly the Fredrick Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) idea that people are replaceable cogs in an organisational machine. I believe that it is incredible that 100 years on some people still think this way. I don’t.

Today (in a number of places) I am naming the great elephant in the room - the obvious truth (at least to me) that is being ignored or going unaddressed in many places with terrible consequences - Management that sees people as replaceable cogs and everything associated with this ideology is dead.


What would happen in your business if management was no longer about people as I clearly believe, and instead was all about tasks and efficiency?

For me modern management is all about efficiency. Modern management is therefore all about systems, processes, procedures. It’s about doing things right. The secret to success is how we do things must be good for people. Efficient management needs effective leadership. One with the other leads to disaster.

About 20 years ago I was asked by a group of CEO’s “In your view how is leadership different to management?” I replied one is about effectiveness, the other about efficiency, one is all about relationships and the other is all about tasks. There was a lot of laughter in the room when one guy asked, “Which one is which?” I took the bait and said “In short leadership is about people and management is about systems.”

A great discussion followed. A few hours later I wrote in my journal:

“Leadership is the art of inspiring people to bring everything remarkable that they are, that one-of-a-kind that each of us is, to everything they do.

Leadership falters and usually badly without management.

Management is the science of making it simple for people to bring everything remarkable that they are to everything they do.”

About 15 years ago I replaced the word science with the word practice.

I stand by my definitions. They have stood by me and my clients.

The great thinker and so-called father of management Peter Drucker nailed it when he said “One does not ‘manage’ people. The task is to lead people. And the goal is to make productive the specific strengths and knowledge of every individual.”

So why are so many leaders trying to manage people? Beats me.

When I first created my definitions of leadership and management as stated above, in addition to that group of CEOs, I was also influenced greatly by Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. She said “You manage things; you lead people.”

So why are so many leaders trying to manage people? I only know of one reason.

A lot of people, men in particular, like to plan, organise, and control. These are still management functions. They’re just not relevant to people.

Management in terms of managing people is dead. It should never have been allowed to live. 

To bury the beast called people management we have to let go of feeling the need to command and control.

Former McKinsey Managing Partner Marvin Bower, a 1950's and 60's leader was way ahead of his time. There is a link in my blog post here to his thoughts on letting go of command and control.

I hope you will take Mr. Bower’s words to your heart and those of the other great thinkers I have mentioned.

You may also find insights in this recent post ‘Letting go of control and finding flow’ valuable. 

Management in terms of trying to manage people is a grave mistake. 

Will you declare managing people dead at your place?

If so put managing people where it belongs. Under flowers. Say a prayer if you wish. Then erase the memory of management past.

We can’t change the past. We can learn from it and celebrate the lessons. We can create the future.

Be the difference you want to see in the world.
Ian

One way I can help you to create the future is through membership of Maverick Thinkers Studio. In tomorrow's post there will be a one-time-only special joining offer. Look out for it.