Monday 30 January 2017

My top 21 business books for purpose-driven leaders

Pictured are the 21 business books that have greatly inspired me, and profoundly influenced my work with purpose-driven leaders.

You can download the list for easy reference here.


I've been reading a book a week for 30 years so many books could have made the list!
You can download my full recommended reading list here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 27 January 2017

Three prerequisites for doing well and doing good

Purpose-driven business owners and leaders get that perpetually working on yourself and on your business are prerequisites to doing well in your business, and for doing good in the world.


Often the foundation is enlightened self-interest:

Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy in ethics which states that persons who act to further the interests of others (or the interests of the group or groups to which they belong), ultimately serve their own self-interest.
Wikipedia

With enlightened self-interest as a step 1, steps 2 and 3, are working on yourself and on your business, and ensuring both are habitual. 

Having mentors and belonging to master-mind groups are the two best ways that I know of to sustain habits because we have people with our best interests at heart helping us to be accountable.

Mentors and master-mind groups also help us to continuously improve self-awareness and awareness of others, the number 1 and 2 skills of leadership.

I'd be interested in your thoughts. Please comment below.

Should you be on the look out for a my master-mentor relationship, or a master-mind group, you can find out more here for mentoring and here for master-mind groups.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 25 January 2017

Three Must Be's To Build A Remarkable Culture

The culture of your business is a consequence of your leadership and management, which I define as pictured below, and how you put into practice your shared understanding with others about "what it means to be human here."


Leadership, Management and Culture, and Valued, Values, and Value are two sets of threes of thirteen that I will be exploring in a special complimentary learning, unlearning, and relearning series, The Rule of Three in Leadership, from February 6th through May 1st 2017. 

You can find out more and register here.

A common broad description of business culture is that it's "the way we do things around here." I believe this is only partly true because who we are precedes what we do.

Three Must Be's To Build A Remarkable Culture

1) Be purpose driven. Three actions you can take here.

2) Work with others and come up with a one sentence description of your culture. More on this here.

3) Determine the behaviours that mean people are living your values and ensure there's continuous candid and convivial conversations that appreciate people when they behave accordingly and help them to be accountable when they don't.

If you'd like some help with any of these, please give me a shout. My number is +61 418 807 898.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 23 January 2017

Significant shifts don't need to take you ages

It's generally accepted that modern humans have been on planet earth for about 200,000 years.

It's also accepted that The Agricultural or Agrarian Age began 10,000 - 12000 years ago, The Industrial Age around 300 years ago, and The Information Age about 50 years ago.

What now?

In most of my presentations I'm having a conversation with the audience about the new world of work and their place in it. Often I will introduce it as follows:

For the longest time there were landowners and farm workers.

Then there were industrialists and factory workers.

It's clear of course who was powerful and who was powerless.

Then, for a short time there were information experts and knowledge workers which meant less people feeling powerless.

Today we are living in the greatest entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial revolution in history. There's entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs dreaming and achieving their BHAG's (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) everywhere. It's a game-changer for anyone feeling powerless, and for all of us in general.

The most successful entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs I observe are also Insightpreneurs and Differencemakers. These folk are literally changing our world.

Insightpreneurs are experts at turning information into insight, into inspiration, into ideas, into innovation, fast.




Differencemakers innovate for the good of people and our planet. 

And Insightpreneurs and Differencemakers see technology as a key to enhancing the human experience, not as a be all and end all within itself. Think UBER, Airbnb, Netflix, none of whom by the way existed 20 years ago.

I then move on in my presentations to share and explore observations others have made, and that I've made myself.

One such observation is that the Insightpreneurs and Differencemakers I know are purpose-driven.

Sometimes I refer to case studies in the wonderful book The Purpose Economy or those from other great books like Firms Of Endearment, Conscious Capitalism, or Everybody Matters, and my own clients experiences.

I personally don't like the use of word economy. I get it's currency. No pun intended. I don't like the use of the term 'Fourth Industrial Revolution' either.

A shift I've noticed in my lifetime is the economy has moved from being part of society to society being part of the economy. I for one don't believe this shift has been a healthy or helpful one.

Being purpose-driven is the key to making significant shifts in your life and work, and to doing so with speed and agility. The paradox is that your business will become more profitable.

Fours years ago (a very long time in this day and age) the buzz was about a 'Connection Economy'. I think there's plenty of validity in the concept of connection too. Purpose drives connection.

Agricultural Age, Industrial Age, Information Age, Purpose Age. Where are You?

3 Actions You Can Begin Right Now

#1. Discuss the purpose of their role with every person you work with and help them to rewrite their job description so that it's more of a role clarity statement reflecting their purpose, and the people this purpose serves.

#2. Help people discover their special personal purpose by identifying their unique gifts/talents. Ensure that enhancing and unleashing these gifts is integral to their individual performance improvement plans.

#3. Begin to integrate your personal and business purpose into conversations and communication in your business.

If you like some help with any of the above please do give me a shout. My number is +61 418 807 898.

Be remarkable.
Ian




Friday 20 January 2017

Knowing exactly what we do, how we do it, precisely who for, and why, matters more than ever

Google ‘the internet is damaging our brains’ and see where this takes you.

Personally I’ve made a decision to ensure that my primary use of the internet, and technology in general, is about being in person with people who value such connection. I use Zoom mostly and sometimes Skype to do this.

Outside of this my criteria for the using the internet and technology is asking whether or not my use enhances the human experience, my own, and the people to whom my life and work matters.

You can read more about what led me to the above here, and here.

There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief – WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care? People don’t buy WHAT you do; they buy WHY you do it.
Simon Sinek

In his excellent book ‘Start With Why’ Simon says how is actions to realise why, and what is the results of those actions.

My why is 
Catalyzer for leadership, management, and culture learning, unlearning, and relearning that results in you more fully appreciating and getting the best out of yourself and other people.

More people leading and being accountable through feeling valued, living values, and delivering value is a consequence.

The above lead to better business results at less personal cost, and therefore greater life/work harmony. It follows that communities, cities, states, nations, world become better too.

How I do this I overview here.

What is better business results at less personal cost.

Should you be a purpose-driven business owner or leader wanting to achieve better business results at less personal cost, then we should explore working together this year. 

Here’s how that’s possible.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 18 January 2017

Less shallow work, More Deep Work, leads to delivering great value

I joined Twitter in December 2008. Nearly 10000 tweets later I'm still intrigued by the concept.

Putting thoughts into 140 characters in itself has been a discipline that's greatly helped my ability and willingness to be concise.

I may not be on Twitter for much longer though.

I’m tired of the lack of kindness there where some people say defamatory and cruel things about other humans they wouldn’t say in person, and are taking no accountability for their vitriol.

Be Kind; Everyone You Meet is Fighting a Hard Battle
attributed to John Watson

I had similar feelings when I left Facebook at 9.34 am on 21st April 2012. This was a significant decision. I was endeavouring to zig when everyone else (over a billion people now and counting) seemed to be zagging.

I have no regrets.

Facebook does a good thing for my mother-in-law who is 88. She loves to go there to see the latest pictures and read the stories of her grandchildren and great grandchildren on the family page. No doubt Facebook is good in other ways too. I’ve decided it’s just not for me.

My decision to leave Facebook was part of a quest to find ways to use technology in ways that I could still make meaningful connection with people who highly valued such connection, and also to avoid the plague on social media that I believe is soul-destroying for millions of people. It’s anti-social, and increasingly anti-human.

I'm currently questioning the value of LinkedIn too. I think there may be hope given the following from CEO Jeff Weiner:



I'd be interested in your thoughts about where you're at with social media and where you're headed with it. Please comment below.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I was once addicted to social-media and 'The Internet of Things' in general.

When I realised this I gradually began to wean myself off it all.

Now my time online, apart from when I'm connecting with people via Zoom (see below), or Skype, is 5 to 15 minutes a day.

I haven't quite quit social media as Dr. Cal Newport suggests is a good idea for our well-being and capacity to produce rare and valuable work.



I have, in addition to dramatically reducing my time and energy engaged in social media, mastered ensuring there’s nothing in my email in-box after 10 minutes of work first thing and last thing in my working day.

Largely I've come to believe that the internet is the biggest rubbish tip in history. Yes I accept one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. I’ve found ways to turn information into insight that my clients find valuable without wading through too much crap. This requires deep work as Dr. Newport calls it. (I'm currently immersing myself in Cal's wonderful book 'Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World')

My smart phone no longer outsmarts me. Most of the time it’s switched off. I use it to make and receive phone calls, check sports results, set my alarm, or listen to music. My ipad is now just for reading books and the odd game I play to relax.

Seth Godin refers to smart phones as 'Pavlov's in your pocket' a great piece you can read here.

Zoom technology is what I now use to make meaningful connection with people who highly value such connection and want a master-mentor relationship. I’ve mastered Zoom’s use over the past 18 months and now use it for 50% of my work.

40% of my work is with people whom I meet with in person. None of them work more than an hour and a half from my home.

What of the remaining 10% of my working life? I was on a plane for only 6 return trips in 2016. My goal was 10 maximum for business, the same goal that I have this year.

I've discovered through all of the above that the internet, and technology in general, can be great to enhance the human experience, my own, and the people who matter to me. It's a matter of choosing wisely.

Some people spend too long staring at screens and not enough time engaging with life.
Paul McGee

I'd be interested in your thoughts about where you're at with social media, the internet, and technology in general, and where you're headed with all of it. Please comment below.

From the moment I read this great book I began integrating it's central theme of less but better into my life and work.

You can read more about this here.

The journey hasn't been easy or simple, nevertheless highly rewarding. I am now the most productive and creative I've ever been.

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
Professor Albus Dumbledore headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts

My choice to be really careful and selective in my use of technology, social media, and 'The Internet of Things', means I'm not just more productive and creative, I'm happier too. And, I'm delivering greater value to others.

I'd be interested in your thoughts about where you're at with social media, the internet, and technology in general, and where you're headed with all of it. Please comment below.

Be remarkable.
Ian

PS I agree with Seth Godin (read his full article here)

The economics seem to be that the only way to make a living is to reach a lot of people and the only way to reach a lot of people is to race to the bottom, seek out quick clicks, make it easy to swallow, reinforce existing beliefs, keep it short, make it sort of fun, or prurient, or urgent, and most of all, dumb it down.

And that's the true danger of anti-intellectualism. While it's foolish to choose to be stupid, it's cultural suicide to decide that insights, theories and truth don't actually matter. If we don't care to learn more, we won't spend time or resources on knowledge.
Seth Godin

Apparently we are living in a ‘post-truth’ world. This is not true or acceptable in my world.

If ‘post-truth’ is unacceptable to you I very much look forward to connecting with you soon. My number is +61 418 807 898.

Monday 16 January 2017

Leadership is a verb

I undertake the first two steps of leading, assessing and deciding, rapidly.

The third step, executing, is where I’m constantly tested. Maybe this is your challenge too.

Read more about assessing, deciding, executing here. In gratitude to Kevin Roberts.

There’s triumph and trouble and everything in between when we take action.

To put ourselves out there with the risk that we might fail, that no-one comes with us, that the cost will be unbearable, has tested us humans since we first walked on our planet.

And then of course there’s procrastination, and the deeper reason for inaction, resistance.

Alas leadership is a verb.

I learnt from Steven Pressfield that a key to leadership (and to achieving great results or achieving what we want in areas that are important to us) is overcoming our resistance. You can read more about resistance here. I’m forever learning, unlearning and relearning about the power of overcoming resistance.

Steven believes, and I’ve come to believe it too, that the pain of running away from doing what we know we should is greater than actually doing the work!

Seth Godin got it right too when he said: Resistance gets worse and worse the closer we get to shipping.

I find the following advice from Verne Harnish highly valuable:

It’s time to break apart a 50-year old business term - strategic planning - and think about it in terms of two distinct activities: strategic thinking and execution planning. Each requires two very different teams and processes. Verne Harnish

I've long believed strategic planning to be one of the three great oxymorons in business. The other two are change management and performance management. Please read more about moving on from these morons here.

If you'd like some help please give me a shout. My number is +61 418 807 898.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 13 January 2017

Finding and Staying On Your Sacred Path

For 25 years now my wife and I have undertaken a ritual on New years Eve or sometime New Years Day. It has served us well.

Back in 1991 my wife bought a set of Sacred Path Cards by Jamie Sams (pictured).

I was initially skeptical.

I read the extensive book that goes with the cards based on my abiding interest in indigenous cultures and particularly spiritual thinking pre and post religion. Jamie’s work is based on the wisdom of Native Americans. I was enthralled with what I read.

Every year since the wisdom we’ve learned from the teachings in the book have proven to be accurate as we reflect on past experiences and what they mean for us in the present and the future.

On New Year Eve 2016 the word Catalyzer from the book was the standout for me.

On New Years Day I googled Catalyzer and found the following at this link.

catalyzer 
1. a person who proactively helps another person do something they want, which the wanting person could not or would not do on their own 
2. someone who causes or accelerates something desirable to occur for another person or persons, which would have either occurred slowly or not at all 
3. an individual who sees someone else is not achieving their potential and gets dynamically involved in the person's life to help them improve it

Catalyzer is indeed what I do.

You can find out more about my work here.

How about you?

What are the rituals that you undertake to find and stay on your sacred path?

And are some of them a bit left field or outside of the normal for you?

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 11 January 2017

Great answers to the tough question - So what do you do?

An exercise that I’ve found very helpful in deciding how best to answer that frequent question, So what do you do? is called Positioning 101 by Matt Church. He’s recently posted it again on LinkedIn which you will find here.

While there are no hard and fast rules, I find that the more intimate the situation the more appropriate it is to answer the question with a focus on You. When you’re unsure of whether you are in front of a prospect or not, you may focus on the activity that you perform, the It. If the person you are speaking to is a clear prospect, then you would focus on the outcome, the Them.
Matt Church

Below is the result of Matt’s exercise for himself and that you can view and download via the link in the first paragraph of this post.

I've completed Matt’s exercise several times before to 'sharpen my saw'. I did so again 5th January. Below are my results:

History

I’ve worked with more than 1000 leaders, women and men, in over 40 countries since 1991.

Category

I’m in the differencemaking business through helping leaders to increase the positive difference their leadership makes, and creating more leaders in their businesses.

Obsession

I’m in awe of human beings committed to being who they are and becoming all they’re capable of becoming.

Example

Acting as a catalyzer I helped one of my clients to grow their business 570% in just under 5 years.

Analogy

I’m like taking a aspirin for a headache in that I provide relief from pain. I’m also like a surgeon in that I help people to remove the cause of pain, yet in their own best way.

Uniqueness

I engage in master-mentor relationships with purpose driven business owners and leaders who want to achieve better business results at less personal cost.

Example

I meet monthly 1:1 with members of The Appreciative Leader master-mind group to help each person to execute the one thing they’ve discovered or decided is the next best step to move from where they are to where they want to be.

Problem

Learning & Development processes, programs, and/or platforms are not delivering high enough long-term performance increases.

Spending far too much time, energy and money dealing with what are viewed as people problems.

Looking for ways to lighten your load and therefore you're open to elevate your leadership, create more leaders, and improve your processes.

Change is feeling complicated, tiresome and costly, instead of simple, profound, and profitable.

You want greater life/work harmony and want to achieve better business results at less personal cost. 

Purpose

Catalyzer for leadership, management, and culture learning, unlearning, and relearning that results in you more fully appreciating and getting the best out of yourself and other people.

More people leading and being accountable through feeling valued, living values, and delivering value is a consequence.

The above lead to better business results at less personal cost, and therefore greater life/work harmony.

It follows that communities, cities, states, nations, world become better too.

I highly recommend doing this exercise yourself.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 9 January 2017

Focusing on one thing until it's done

I did extensive work with two of my mentors Nick Haines and Matthew Newnham last year, and for part of 2015.

It was a remarkable and sometimes painful learning, unlearning, and relearning experience.

One thing (literally) emerged as a standout - I would better serve my clients (new and existing) and myself by zeroing in on one thing at a time, rather than my tendency to overwhelm others and myself by putting numerous things on the table at any given time.

Focusing on one thing is old wisdom that Nick and Matthew helped me to see in new light. I can tell you that it's taken me awhile to fully integrate this into my way of being!

Who will you become? What will you do next?

For one of my clients their one thing focus this first quarter is on profitability. For another it's culture, and for another it's communication.

In each case it's a matter of Appreciating what is, Imagining what can be, and Creating & Taking the next quantum leap to move from here to there.


One quantum leap action at a time eliminates stress.


Who will you become? What will you do next?

Appreciating what is, Imagining what can be, and Quantum Leaping from one to the other are self-contained one things. They also, somewhat paradoxically, form part of a powerful trilogy, one of thirteen threes I'll be exploring in a new series commencing on February 6th.

You can find out more and register for this complimentary 13 week series here.

This series is a part of my one thing this year - being a catalyzer in person for purpose-driven business owners and leaders who want to achieve better business results at less personal cost.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 6 January 2017

The Rule of Three in Leadership

This is a 13 week series (complimentary) of learning, unlearning, and relearning February 6th through May 1st 2017. I'll be exploring with you:

13 threes that I’ve validated since 1991 as paramount to embracing the essence of leadership - fully appreciating and getting the best out of yourself and other people.​

These 13 are critical to creating more leaders in your business which is the purpose of leadership.

They are also fundamental to fulfilling your number one role as a leader, unleashing and enhancing people’s gifts (talents).​

Find out more and register here.

Please note that you must participate in at least one session to receive the recordings of the others.

Of course you're very welcome to participate in as many sessions as you want.

Places are limited for each session to enable everyone the opportunity to share.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 4 January 2017

What sentence would your employees use to describe your culture?

This is a fascinating article by Neal Gabler about Costco Wholesale, the world’s third-­largest retailer, with $116 billion in sales in fiscal 2016.

Two things strike me about Costco, their culture is summarised in just four words - “Do the right thing”, and, they're doing their own thing rather than trying to beat their competitors at something.

What sentence would your employees use to describe your culture?

What's your thing?

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Costco seem to understand what's critical about culture. It's who before do?

Typically culture is described as "the way we do things around here." I believe this is only part of the story. Who we are as human beings precedes what we do.

Costco made the cut in one of the great books about purpose-driven businesses, Firms of Endearment. You can read more about this here.

Culture is one of the three key drivers of a 21st century business which I picture in The Appreciative Leader handbook as follows:



The second wave opportunity of getting your copy of the signed, numbered, limited edition handbook, and access to the companion resources web page, and private online community that goes with it, has begun.

Find out more here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 2 January 2017

Guaranteeing 2017 is your best year yet

Being separated by distance meant a Skype conversation with our Daughter and Grandson on Christmas Day. At one point Hamish, who is 15, remarked that the world has never been a better place. He then rattled off a whole lot of stats to validate his point.

We accepted and respected of course that for some people a bright future at this point of their lives is but a hope.

Because my clients are purpose-driven business owners and leaders I reflected after the Skype call on one of the signatures of my work with you - in the spirit of something better.


Who will you become? What will you do next?

In the spirit of something better, and helping you to guarantee 2017 is your best year yet, I'm offering 3 Special Personal and Business Development Opportunities For You.

1) online seminar 6 - 7.30 pm AEDT 20th February 2017. You can register here. Special early bird offer expires 20th January 2017.

2) Full day in person master-class in Ballarat 28th February 2017. You can register here. Special super early bird offer expires 20th January 2017.

3) A bespoke leadership elevation experience just for you and/or you and your leadership team. Find out more and apply from here. 

Be remarkable.
Ian