Rick Baker Thought Posts
Left Menu Space Holder

About the author

Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

E-mail me Send mail
Follow me LinkedIn Twitter

Search

Calendar

<<  March 2024  >>
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
26272829123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
1234567

View posts in large calendar

Recent Comments

Comment RSS

People resist new things

by Rick Baker
On Jul 19, 2016

I think most people object to, argue against, or otherwise resist New Things (...as in - People Do Only 3 Things: Good Habits, Bad Habits & New Things).

Other people bombard us with advice and suggestions about 'better ways' to do things. When we understand "People Do Only 3 Things", it is easy to see how our Bad Habit ruts make it very difficult for us to see value when other people talk about accomplishing New Things.

This is especially true when other people's New Things are grandiose goals. And, of course, regardless of their size New Things face criticism. One person's BHAG is another person's grandiosity...and worse - many small-but-fresh ideas and little innovations face stiff arguments and criticism from those who 'know better'. That's to be expected. There's a lot of entrenched thinking out there.

But...

We can buck that trend.

We can take time to understand other people's thinking.

We can choose to keep our minds open to possibilities.

How do disorganized people accomplish productive things in business?

by Rick Baker
On Feb 17, 2016

To explore this topic, I did some on-line research and found an interesting article that has fed into my thinking process. Below are some excerpts from that article called ‘Why People With Disorganized Mind Are More Intelligent’. The article can be found at http://www.lifehack.org/324803/12-reasons-why-people-with-disorganized-mind-are-actually-more-intelligent [COMMUNICATION MOTIVATION BY DIANNA LABRIEN]

 

Why People With Disorganized Minds Are More Intelligent

The clutter continues to accumulate—it has all of your life. You can’t find your car keys or your cell phone; you get in the car to go somewhere and you find yourself going in the wrong direction; if you have a workspace, it’s a mess; nothing is ever “where it’s supposed to be.”

You “suffer” from what psychologists now call “chronic disorganization.” But, what these psychologists also now tell us it that chronically disorganized people have higher intelligence and greater creativity. So, take heart, and the next time someone criticizes you for your disorganization, give them some facts to chew on. And here are 12 of those facts that demonstrate the high level of intellectual functioning of the chronically disorganized.

1. They score high on verbal IQ tests, often in the gifted range.

2. They have high creativity levels.

3. They have a broad range of interests.

4. They process information through their right brain hemispheres—the “creative” side.

5. They develop strong attachments to often un-related things and people.

6. They want to be around high-energy people.

7. They tend to lose track of time.

8. They have difficulty focusing when they are not interested or fascinated.

9. They are intuitive, extroverted, and feeling according to personality testing.

10. They must be learning all the time.

11. They think globally.

12. They may seem “nerdy” or “know-it-all” to others.

Disorganized people need to discover the truth and, in most instances, their own brand of truth. They may spend a lot of time with books and on the Internet. In school, they may be seen as nerds; to psychologists, they may be identified as having Asperger’s. They do not have a lot of patience for those who want to “follow the book” on everything. They research and think about how not to “follow the book” and are usually pretty committed to voicing their ideas and opinions—thus they can get a reputation for being a “know-it-all”.”

 

Now, there’s some food for thought. If you buy into those 12 points then perhaps you can buy into the concept that even disorganized people can succeed in business….and become well-respected business leaders.

Then, the questions move from whether or not disorganized people can succeed to the hows & whats around the thinking and actions that must happen to bring out the success embedded in disorganized people.

You gotta learn how to tune strings before you can become a rock star!

by Rick Baker
On Nov 3, 2015

That concept holds true if you want to be a successful business leader.

It isn't a question of patience. It's a question of competence. It's about what it takes to develop competence.

Competence is about 4 things: 

  1. innate talent
  2. opportunities to try, fail, & learn
  3. specialized knowledge and
  4. skills, gained through practice 

These 4 things define Strengths & Performance Mastery.

These 4 things require time: Malcolm Gladwell claims it takes 10,000 hours...that said, patience is a necessary ingredient...but patience is only a means to the end, which is competence.

And - it's about more than strengths and performance mastery [competence]. 

At the bottom line. it's about leadership, including: 

 

***

Inspire People

Influence Action

Grow Wealth!



More bite-sized success

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


Tags:

Goals - SMARTACRE Goals | Measure & Monitor | Vision: The Leader's Vivid Vision

We do not have to fear fear itself!

by Rick Baker
On Jul 1, 2015

In his first inaugural address, in 1933, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Starting with this sort of thinking, FDR proceeded to take the series of planned actions that broke the back of the Great Depression, bringing vitality back to the U.S. economy and the economies of many nations around the world [including Canada’s economy].  

FDR was one of the most-influential leaders of the 20th Century. FDR understood people. FDR understood the power of positive thinking backed by decisive action.

While his words "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." have puzzled many people, FDR knew what he meant and when he took decisive actions in the form of 'fireside chats' about what to do with money & banking the American people quickly understood how to bring about positive change. FDR understood fear and he understood how fear could be mastered. 

Perhaps FDR thought along these lines...

Fear is a necessary part of life. It is not a ‘necessary evil’...it is not a burden we have to bear in order to have the opportunity to more fully appreciate the good parts of life. We should not look at fear in that sort of light.

Rather, we need to accept that fear contains value.

Yes - in excess fear can debilitate or craze, wreaking havoc. But, fears do not have to become excessive. We have the power and ability to make choices that limit and remove fear-damage.

The key is to face each fear and nip it in the bud, before it swells to excessive proportions/perceptions.

When faced and nipped in the bud, fear educates and serves as the catalyst that triggers courage. When faced over time, fear can be a vital part of the process for building self-confidence. Fear, properly faced and nipped in the bud, is the fundamental building block for strong character and influence.

Perhaps fear is a necessary precursor to, the essential ingredient for, true self-confidence. That seems to be an accurate description of one key role fear plays in our lives, the other key aspect being self-protection.

Fear protects.

Fear is at the roots of strength of character.

Really, considering the positive roles fear alone serves better than all other mindsets combined, we do not have to fear fear. We simple have to muster the conviction to work through our fears.

The key thing: we need to understand how fear affects our energy. Is it killing our energy? Is it kindling or sparking our energy? Shun the former. Embrace the latter.

Inspire People - Influence Action - Grow Wealth!

by Rick Baker
On Feb 20, 2015

In business, as in other endeavours, the essence of leadership is positive Influence.

At its core, positive Influence is about inspiring people to take positive actions...where 'positive actions' means mean actions directed toward desired long-term goals.

In addition to the ability to inspire positive actions, a leader must have a pleasing personality (or at the very least an acceptable personality) in order to inspire other people to be motivated in positive ways...i.e., be motivated to take actions aimed at desired & shared goals. 

Inspiring People and Influencing them to take positive Actions toward desired & shared Goals...toward a shared & vivid Vision.

  • this is the way to grow personal wealth through business
  • this is the work of business Leaders

 

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.