Switch

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/switch-a-book-review/#

 

As stated before - a great book.

 

Captain's log #3395 - On the biggest muscle

Ok, ok I am going to come clean from the beginning, I am reading "Switch" a book about change as prep for my upcoming BPI course. Being 3/4 through it I can safely recommend it - having been determined to hate it ;-) as it is written by somebody with the name Chip.

My mentor, Mike Benzing, used to refer to "using the biggest muscle", when he ment for me to engage my brain and change my point of view. I am sure somewhere in my blog I have referred to this before - I like the idea of thinking about my brain as something that can be exercised. After all exercising a muscle means its performance improves and it can be made to do things it could not before.

So I was delighted to find a reference in "Switch" in a chapter about fixed and growth mindsets. Summarising ruthlessly I'd say it goes something like this:
- if we have a fixed mindset, we will generally not be open to the possibility of changing ourselves and this means we cannot achieve our full potential
- if we have a growth mindset, we accept that things are hard before they become easy and that it takes training and exercise of the biggest muscle to move on

Good book, it triggered a lot of thoughts even though I don't agree with everything (when do I ever) in it.

Tango

Quick tip of the day

Find, buy, or borrow a book called Zapp! I can't recall the tag line but I think it could be "the lightning of empowerment". Then read it.

Captain's log #3395 - On conversation strategy

The following flow chart shows a series of choices that we all face in conversation starting with the most basic: whether to talk or listen. Let me know whether you find this useful. (Source www.businesslistening.com - yeah I know there is a website for everything).

	You talk		Do you focus?		Don't Say what comes to mind.
					Do Take a moment to structure what you are going to say. Decide how much detail to go into. If you are going to say a lot, it will help both you and your listener(s) to briefly summarise what you plan to say and list your sub-points first. If you aren't certain what structure works best, try clarifying before you start.
			Do you clarify?		Don't Use your best guess about what's important to them and what they already know. (But beware of rambling and being pedantic)
					Do Ask whether they want to hear what you want to say. (If someone starts looking uninterested or upset while you are talking, try clarifying.)
	You listen		Do you listen attentively?		Do Take steps to minimise distractions. Think and react, verbally and using body language, to help synchronize yourself with the person talking.
					Don't...
					...half listen, and think about or do something else at the same time, with the risk that you will offend them and/or miss part of what they are saying; or
					...ask to reschedule the conversation to a better time for listening.

 

Captain's log #3394 - On running effective meetings

I don’t know about you, but I hate meetings, which are run un-professionally.

 

One of four things usually happens.

•  People just sit and stare at each other, not saying anything. They think it is better to remain silent because they don’t want to appear stupid or ill-prepared in front of the others.
•  Everyone talks at the same time; they argue and interrupt and no one listens to what the others are saying. By the time the meeting is over, you have more enemies than you can count
• The meeting was called for a particular reason, but ends up following multiple goat trails with no decisions being made and no one remembering why you gathered in the first place.
• A discussion ensues among a few people about a topic that only they can address; the rest of the group is made to sit and listen to their conversation.

Too few meetings are well planned. Consequently, many meetings are meaningless, get no results, become unpopular, and see their attendance numbers or participation decline over time.

We can't function without group meetings so we must find better ways of doing it.

As you get ready to start the new year, take a few moments to focus on ways to run a successful meeting. 

 

1.    Get ready

• Clearly define what you are trying to accomplish. If there is no specific purpose or objective, DO NOT hold the meeting.
• Plan what will be discussed.
• Decide the materials you need agenda, charts, reports—and make sure they are ready.
• If meeting Face to Face find a suitable place to meet with a room large enough to accommodate the group. Make sure the space is well lit and well ventilated and that you won’t be interrupted or disturbed by noises.
• Invite only the people who need to be there.
• Set the length of the meeting; don’t make it any longer than is absolutely necessary. Is the topic really worth the collective time that will be spent on it?
• Get the agenda to the group in advance. If there is a significant gap between the date you announce the meeting and the date it will take place, make a reminder call a few days beforehand.
• Finally, make sure your equipment works! I know there always can be a technical glitch, but show up with enough time to ensure that everything works.
• If you want to be on time... be early!

2.    Open the meeting

• Start on time! If you wait for stragglers, you are penalising those who arrive on time.
• t the beginning of the meeting, clearly state what you want to accomplish. That will help ensure that people with other agendas won’t derail the meeting. As a tacit reminder of the reason you are all there, I recommend that you write the objective on the white board or tape it to the wall on a large piece of paper. If you are using a livemeeting, you might want to utilise the "whiteboard" facility for this.
• At this point, find out from the group members what they already know about the subject, then you can start to fill in the blanks.

3.    Guide the discussion.

• Here’s something to try. As a questioning technique, use a direct approach; speak to an individual, not the group in general. Don’t say the person’s name at the beginning of the question; tag it on at the end. That way, you keep all the members of the group engaged. For those reluctant to answer, you can use “leading” questions—direct a question with an obvious answer to a specific person.
• Find out what factors might be interfering with the success of your objective. You want to be able to guide the discussion toward concrete evidence and specific factors you can do something about.
• Start to discuss possible solutions.
• Keep the discussion “on topic.”
• Watch your schedule so you can close on time.

4.    Close the meeting

• Make sure there is a common understanding about who is going to do what, and when.
• Distribute the “action list” to all members of the group.

If you apply those principles, your meetings will be more productive and informative.

People will be glad they came!

Scary people

I find some people overwhelmingly amazing. Unbelievable. So impressive that I almost think I should mistrust them. E.g. Nelson Mandela. The humility and the humanity combined with determination and patience. I can not imagine what it's like in the mind of a person like that. Where are his demons?

Captain's log #3393 - On Bullets and Targets

Don’t put yourself between a bullet and a target.

Let’s be frank, accidents happen. We will all get hit at some time in our lives. What I am referring here to is something different; it is this – how many times have we deep-down-quiet-moment-honest set ourselves up for failure, disappointment, and sometimes disaster? How many times have we put ourselves between the bullet and the target?

Amol’s advice of “first understand, then be understood” has become a leitmotif for me during the last months (even though some of you might disagree) when interacting with my friends, family, and team. But recently I have been thinking that it should not just apply to the obvious. I concluded that it works just as well if I interpret it in a slightly different way than the obvious one.

I need to concentrate on understanding myself first before making firm decisions on important stuff. Not just looking at the figures and facts, but also listening to the quiet voice in my head which might be saying “this could be a terrible idea”.

My first ever, one and only and one-off new year’s resolution.

Trotsky's older brother?

If the leaders seek only to preserve themselves, that is what they become; preserves, dried preserves.

Leon Trotsky, 1936