Focus On Here And Now

Focus on the moment! It is the only point in time you can influence right now. When it comes to getting results, I like the principle advocated by Alcoholics Anonymous; they ask the addict if they can stay sober the next hour. If that seems like a too ambitious goal, they back down; surely you can manage the next five minutes? And that is the starting point really. The question is not to be perfect your entire life, but to do your best in the next five minutes. Success happens when you add up these moments.

Actions And Intentions

We must assume that most people act rationally. Whatever they do, however inappropriate in your eyes, they have a positive intention in mind, they want to accomplish something specific. This is an interesting understanding of human nature. When you don't understand other people's actions, remember that every action usually has a positive intention.

Trading Your Time

The opportunity cost of your time is huge. The (national economics) concept here is that if two men are stranded on a deserted island they are far better off collaborating even if one of the individuals is more capable than the other in all aspects. Together they simply get more done! For time traders the lesson is: delegate tasks that someone else can do 70% as well as yourself and always get involved in the highest value activity. Trade your time and you become more productive and fulfilled.

Performance, Learning and Enjoyment

In an environment where you enjoy what you are doing and like the colleagues and customers you work with and where you can continue to learn, grow and stretch is where you will elicit your best performance. Like a triangle, performance is connected to learning and enjoyment. I have been fortunate to continue to learn and enjoy myself every step of the way. What can you do right now to get more learning and enjoyment out of your day?

Stop And Clear Your Mind

Stop is a tool to help you clear your mind and becoming more conscious in times of ambiguity and stress. Clarity of purpose is the aim to help you decide on your important priorities. The acronym S-T-O-P stands for:

Step back - and get a better view, zoom out to get the bigger perspective. Ask yourself: what are we trying to accomplish here? Think - take a little bit of time to reflect and think things over. Organize - get your thoughts organized, categorize and sequence them in proper order. Proceed - once you have gathered your thoughts you can proceed to carry on the implementation with the new insights incorporated in the plan.

Performance = Potential - Interference

Performance = potential - interference (P=p-i) is the concept that our current performance really is the result of our capacity subtracted by what holds us back. There are two kinds of interference; external and internal. The external factors are easy to identify and to deal with. The internal factors; like fears, doubts, misconceptions, prejudice, are more difficult to detect and remove. The problem is rarely with the potential, it is in removing the interferences.

Attracting And Retaining Talent

The purpose of an organisation is to attract and retain talent as well as customers. Experience and research show that slightly dysfunctional groups are less successful with both these objectives. The responsibility of the group leader is to make the group into a functioning team. This is the key leadership skill to look for.