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by Rick Baker
On Nov 5, 2015
When you get right down to it, nobody likes tired people. You cannot count on tired people. Tired people may not be there when you want or need their help. Tired people lower the energy bar…others tend to mirror their lack of energy…so when tired people enter the room the atmosphere becomes de-energized. Tired people may not finish the tasks at hand…they may run out of energy before the job is done. Tired people may quit too quickly, quit too easily…giving up before the goal is achieved…letting down co-workers.
There’s a long list of reasons why nobody likes tired people.
In addition, for a variety of reasons, Nobody Likes:
- Lazy people
- People who lie, cheat, or steal
- Loud people
- Greedy people
- Demanding people
- People who boast
- People who complain
- Angry people
- Intolerant people
- People who know it all
- Disagreeable people
- Argumentative people
- Holier-than-thou people
- Smug people
- Condescending people
- Arrogant people
With a little more thought we could add a number of other off-putting personality traits/operating styles.
When you stop to think of it, there sure are lots of ways to annoy other people and put them off.
Putting one another off: that's part of the human condition.
This leads to two conclusions:
- We need thick skin. We will, at least from time to time, exhibit off-putting behaviour. Others will be put off by our behaviour and they will make that clear to us by expressing criticism. We must be prepared for that. When it arrives, we must keep our ego in check. We must accept that as part of the human condition. We must focus on desired goals rather than undesired behaviour [on the route to those goals].
- We need to fight the urge to criticize others. We are susceptible to Attribution Bias, which distorts our view of reality and our view of other people's frailties and errors. We cannot allow ourselves to get bogged down in petty-opinion conflicts. We must focus on goals...we must focus on the Why! We must help others perform the tasks that lead to successful performance.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 30, 2015
Most people fail because they quit.
Most people quit because they get frustrated.
Most people get frustrated because they don't know how to measure success.
Most people don't know how to measure success because they never took the time to think about how they might be able to accomplish that measurement.
Most people don't understand the value in breaking work down into bite-sized tasks, which can be measured.
When we break success into bite-sized pieces of action we can measure it.
When we measure actions we can see small successes.
When we see small successes we can celebrate them.
When we celebrate small successes we self motivate.
When we self motivate we increase our chances of future successes.
When we measure and understand our small successes we see they are accumulating and we gain confidence.
When we gain confidence we increase the likelihood of ultimate success...achievement of our long-term Goals...attainment of our Vision.
This is the sort of logic that allows us to understand the value embedded in goals, specifically when vivid long-term vision is built upon measurable short-term actions.
first version posted on Oct 21, 2014
by Rick Baker
On Oct 1, 2015
I've never met a leader, including the bad ones, who did not exhibit superior skills in the area of attention to detail. [That comment was first published September 16, 2014 - Leaders skills can be damned annoying - and it generated some questions.]
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Now – I’m not saying they exhibit a superior overall level of attention to detail. While I believe that is likely true, it is not the point I am trying to make here.
The point is - leaders, both the highly-successful ones and average ones, focus their attention on selected things and dig deep into the details of those selected things. In this way, leaders exhibit superior attention-to-detail skills.
Leaders:
- select/choose topics of key interest to them,
- focus/hone their attention on those chosen topics, and
- sustain/repeat that intense attention for long periods of time.
These 3 actions – selecting topics of interest, focusing attention on those topics, and sustaining that attention – are what leaders do to a far greater degree than other people.
And, these 3 actions promote increased knowledge in specific areas and increased attention-to-detail [in those specific areas].
***
If you accept the concept of brain neuroplasticity, as described in detail over 100 years ago, and as proven scientifically during recent years, then you will understand how the above 3 actions ‘feed upon themselves’ to grow solid and unshakable thought processes. These deep-rooted thought processes serve specialists as they master action-skills and develop strength in performance.
***
When leaders do the 3 things described above, they are thinking and acting in ways that take them toward their long-term goals. The 3 things, by definition, are good habits...good leadership habits. In summary - all leaders do the 3 things: select topics, focus attention, & sustain attention. Other people are less selective, less focused, and give up more quickly.
Of course, some leaders possess far greater skills than others and some leaders make better choices than others. As a result, some leaders succeed and achieve their long-term goals while other leaders do not.
by Rick Baker
On Sep 3, 2015
Link to Part 1
Recently, my friend asked me, "How do you really hold someone accountable?"
While I have written about Accountability on a number of occasions, I have never been asked or answered that straightforward question. To begin my answer, I posted some ‘general’ thoughts in ‘Part 1’. Now, I’m posting some ‘specific’ suggestions.
1. Lead by example. As the leader, understand how you hold yourself accountable and ensure you are leading by example before working to improve followers’ accountability.
2. Ensure followers know WHY. Express your views clearly. Tell accountability stories and provide visual cues. For example, U.S. President Harry S. Truman felt accountability was so important he kept a sign on his desk in the Oval Office that read, “The buck stops here”. He wanted his followers to know he accepted ultimate responsibility for decisions…he wanted his followers to really hold themselves accountable.
3. Communicate a “Master Rule”. If you hold accountability very dearly – if accountability is one of the top 5 most important things you want your followers to embrace – then create a “Master Rule” to make your strong view crystal clear. You could, for example, borrow Harry S. Truman’s “The buck stops here”. Clearly, Truman wanted his followers to view that as one of his Master Rules. Tell stories to illustrate WHY you have chosen to have a Master Rule covering accountability.
4. Recruit with accountability in mind. Talk to job candidates about accountability. Share your stories. Ask job candidates if they have stories of accountability etched in their minds.
5. Use job descriptions as accountability tools. Ensure your Role Descriptions signal accountability messages. Role Descriptions should be clear and concise, covering:
- 5-7 Task Areas – with each Task Area described in a short phrase
- 5-7 Goals – one SMART Goal for each Task Area…aligned with department Goals & company Goals
- Communication – deliver formal feedback on performance vis-à-vis Goals, at least twice per year
6. Talk about accountability at every meeting. For example, select one department/company Goal for each meeting and have each follower commit to perform at least 1 specific action and report on that action at the next meeting. Follow up. As this meeting process is initiated, visit followers 1-on-1 in advance of the next meeting and ask about action taken. Explain WHY you completed your specific action items and HOW you will report them at the next meeting.
7. Address violations. Plan how you will address ‘accountability shortfalls’ because your followers will, from time to time, fail to complete actions as agreed. Address shortfalls immediately…help your followers understand you will not ignore accountability shortfalls. Escalate your feedback to 'corrective measures' if followers illustrate repeated ‘accountability shortfalls’.
Consider the above suggestions if you want your followers to really hold themselves accountable.
And, of most importance, hold yourself most accountable as you lead by example.
Link to Part 3
by Rick Baker
On Aug 31, 2015
For achievement, three qualities of mind rise above the others: intelligence, drive, and self-control.
There are two types of intelligence: cognitive and emotional.
Drive is all about energy...required to sustain thought, action, and 'the body'.
Self-control draws on the decisions of intelligence and the energy stoked by drive...self-control is about self-direction of thought and the actions that follow thought.
Willpower is a synonym for self-control*.
Willpower is elite mind-work…challenging mind-work.
Willpower converts mind-energy into Achievement.
Achievement is subjective. Achievement provides the measuring stick for Success. Each person uses his or her intelligence to define the Achievement required to obtain the Success he or she desires. This applies to individual/single tasks. This also applies to long-term goals. Willpower may or may not be called upon to perform individual/single tasks: for enjoyable tasks [such as hobbies] little or no willpower is required; for challenging tasks willpower will be used to expand and maintain concentration; for boring tasks willpower will be used to improve focus and concentration.
Willpower will definitely be called upon to achieve long-term goals. In summary:
- We use our intelligence to create our long-term goals
- We draw on the our drive energy to fuel the thought and action required to meet our long-term goals
- We call upon willpower/self-control to direct our thoughts and actions toward our long-term goals
When we call upon our willpower it consumes energy, converting mind-energy into Achievement and, over time, into Success.
To achieve long-term goals we must attend to our energy levels: taking steps to build it, taking steps to avoid things that waste it, and taking steps to ensure a good portion of it goes to fuel willpower.
* Some describe willpower in terms of 'soul' and 'spirit'. Not wanting to dwell too much in the metaphysical...there is no question willpower is a special thing, closely tied to the human condition.
by Rick Baker
On Aug 11, 2015
First of all, this is not going to be about breaking bad habits. It's going to be about replacing bad habits. If you insist on breaking bad habits then I’d suggest you use good-old-fashioned interrogation tactics like tying them to a chair, depriving them of water and nourishment, shining bright lights in their eyes, and beating them into submission. But, breaking bad habits - that’s a topic for another day.
About replacing Bad Habits…
If you want to replace your bad habits then the first step is to understand everyone has habits. Then you must understand, one way or another, everyone fills up all the time in their lives. And, for the vast majority of people the time available to them [the time in their lives] is filled with habits – habits of thought and habits of action. People's time is for the most part filled with either thoughts or actions...nothing more, nothing less.... just thoughts and actions.
To the extent people’s thoughts and actions are aligned with their long-term goals the thoughts and actions are ‘good’. To the extent people’s thoughts and actions are not aligned with their long-term goals the thoughts and actions are ‘bad’. At least, that's our definition.
Should you be thinking, right now, that some of your thoughts and actions have nothing to do with long-term goals then you must conclude those questionable thoughts and actions are ‘bad’, because chances are very high they are ‘bad’ [rather than ‘good’]. In those rare instances when you are trying something ‘new’ – when you are experimenting with new thoughts or actions – you should see those thoughts and actions as ‘new things’…’new things’ waiting to be categorized as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Regardless, you are primarily a creature of habits and most of your thoughts and actions are either ‘bad habits’ or ‘good habits’. For most people, ‘bad habits’ outmuscle ‘good habits’ and consume most of their owner’s time…for some reason, it is easier to slip into and to repeat habits when they are on the ‘bad’ side of our long-term goals.
Generally, ‘bad habits’ consume the vast majority of people’s time. That’s why the vast majority of people fail to achieve their claimed long-term goals.
For successful people, good habits occur for a sufficient amount of time to bring about the achievement of long-term goals.
When you consider your time, your thoughts, and your actions this way you can quickly see that success happens when people are able to keep their ‘bad habits’ under control and maximize the amount of time they spend doing ‘good habits’.
The key, as most self-help gurus confirm, is the learn how to replace your ‘bad thoughts’ with ‘good thoughts’.
The framework, is described above:
- Set some long-term goals because, without them, you will have no ‘good habits’
- Monitor your thoughts and classify them as either ‘good’ or bad’
- Work at replacing your ‘bad thoughts’ with ‘good thoughts’. This will require much practice…more than learning to ride a bicycle…more than mastering piano playing…more than pumping up 18” biceps. After all, we are talking about your wonderfully-complex brain here.
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