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How can you clarify your goals? One approach is to outline your personal or professional ‘story’. Jim Loehr has produced an excellent book on this theme called The Power of Story. There are, of course, several kinds of story – your personal story, professional story or sometimes a mixture of both. Whether you are setting life goals or showing what you can offer to a prospective employer, it calls for focusing on your ‘what, why, how, who and when’. Let’s explore these steps for clarifying and communicating your story.

1) You can clarify your story.

“I found it relatively easy to write the professional story,” said one person. “The personal side proved more difficult – but I am on the case. Looking at the professional story, I used it to crystallise what I could offer when applying for a job in a company. Working through the format, I outlined:

* The ‘What’. This showed the targets I planned to deliver in terms of the 3 Ps: profitability, product quality – including customer satisfaction – and people development.

* The ‘Why’. This showed the benefits of reaching these goals – for the company, customers and colleagues.

* The ‘How’. This showed the key strategies I would follow to reach these goals.

* The ‘Who’. This showed the qualities I expected people to demonstrate and each person’s role in achieving the aims.

* The ‘When’. This showed the specific road map – complete with milestones along the way – outlining the route towards delivering the goals.

“Now I am going to use similar headings to look at my personal life. It will be good to have a plan for achieving my long term goals.”

There are many ways to put together your personal or professional story. One approach is to complete the following sentences.

My story

What. The specific things I want to achieve are:

*

*

*

Why. The benefits of achieving these goals will be:

*

*

*

How. The key strategies I will follow to achieve these goals are:

*

*

*

Who. The people who will be involved will be:

*

*

*

When. The specific things that will be happening – and
when - along the road towards achieving the goals will be:

*

*

*

2) You can communicate your story.

Let’s imagine you have settled on your story. This is the internal communication – clarifying within yourself what you want to say; now comes the external communication – connecting with other people. So it is useful to decide: a) Who you want to communicate with – the specific target group; b) What you want them to be feeling, saying and doing afterwards as a result of your communication; c) How you can communicate in a way that gets these results. Much depends on your ‘target group’. You will obviously behave differently when talking with your loved ones about your future as a family – as opposed to attending a job interview with a company. Whatever the situation, however, the aim is to connect with the other people. So it is good: a) To be true to yourself; b) To express yourself in a way that makes sense to other people. Bearing in mind the results you want to achieve, try completing the following sentences.

The specific target group – the people
with whom I want to communicate are:

*

The specific things I want these people to be feeling, saying
and doing after I have communicated with them are:

*

*

*

The specific things I can do to achieve these
results when communicating with the people are:

*

*

*

3) You can keep revisiting and revitalising your story.

So what is the difference between a story, a ‘mission statement’ or the old exercise that invites us to: ‘Describe what is written on your tombstone’? Every approach of this nature involves revisiting the eternal questions: “What do you want to achieve in your life? How can you do it? When do you want to begin?” Jim Loehr’s book provides a superb overview of this approach, however, and gives many tips on how to bring your story to life.

This final point is crucial. It is vital to keep revisiting and revitalising your story. How to make this happen? Here are some suggestions. a) You can produce a one-liner that summarises your story. Don’t worry if the one-liner sounds like a cliché, such as: “I want to help people to be successful.” There are only so many eternal themes. The real difference in each person’s story is how they translate it into reality. b) You can bring the story to life. Give real-life examples of how the ‘what, why, how, who and when’ has been – or can be – translated into action. c) You can keep checking within yourself – within your gut – to make sure the story still resonates for you. Providing it does, then it is likely that you will continue to ‘live the story’, even if you cannot always find the right words. People will then pick-up on your actions, which is how it really should be. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to keep
revisiting and revitalising my story are:

*

*

*

There are many ways to identify the legacy you want to leave in life. Jim Loehr’s fine book outlines one approach. It provides many practical tools you can use to clarify your personal and professional story. You can find out more about it at:

http://www.thepoweroffullengagement.com/book_power_of_story.html

“There are creative thinkers and conventional thinkers,” explained one teacher. “Creative thinkers spend a lot of time clarifying the ‘what’. They then find imaginative ways to reach the goals. Conventional thinkers quickly jump to the ‘how’. They fail to see how the accepted ways can succeed – so then say things are impossible. Creative thinkers often follow the shape of a heart. They go around obstacles to reach the goal.”

The setting for this insight was conventional – the lecture hall at Keele University. The teacher stood on stage and explained that some people were suited to university, whilst others were not. The first group established credibility by following the system and gaining qualifications. The second group went around the system to reach their goals. They invented a product, published a book, made a film or whatever. They used their qualities to build credibility.

The teacher’s words made sense. I was a ‘mature’ first year student, having gained late entry to university after running therapeutic communities. But academic life was not for me and I yearned to return to working with people. The teacher’s model provided a way forward. So I left university to start my own business.

Can you think of a time when you employed this approach? You went around obstacles to reach the goal? You may have used it to find a job, solve a problem or produce an imaginative solution. Let’s explore how you can employ it in your life and work.

1) You can clarify the goal – the ‘what’.

Creative thinkers clarify the ‘what’ – the real results to achieve. The inventor of the ‘Walkman’ said: “I want to be able to walk around whilst also listening to my favourite music.” The pioneers of telephone banking said: “We want to enable customer to do transactions over the phone – rather than stand in line at a crowded bank. We also want to provide excellent service.” “I want to sell a guide to Alternative London,” said Nicholas Carr-Saunders, who published the book in 1970. “But I want to by-pass the normal sales routes. How can I make this happen?” Instead of dismissing such ideas out of hand, all these thinkers kept going until they found ways to deliver the goals. Nowadays their solutions seem obvious. At the time, however, they provided models for others who wanted to follow the creative road.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe a specific challenge you would like to tackle. For example: “How to get paid for doing work I love; how to work with more positive people; how to encourage my child to get through school; how to help somebody to achieve a sense of success,” or whatever. Second, describe the ‘what’. Brainstorm all the results you want to achieve – then list these in order of priority. Try completing the following sentences.

The specific challenge I want to tackle is:

*

The specific ‘what’ – the real results I want to achieve are:

*

*

*

2) You can keep asking ‘how’ – and find creative ways to reach the goal.

This requires creativity and patience. Creativity calls for asking: “What are the real results to achieve? How can I/we achieve that result?” Patience calls for continually asking these questions until an answer emerges. Creativity can stem from imitation – learning from what has worked – or innovation. Imaginative thinking means asking questions like: “How can we use our strengths to reach the goal? What do we know works - and how can we expand that approach? If we had a blank piece of paper, what would we do to achieve the result? How can we go around obstacles to reach the goals? How can we create a prototype – a new system - that is more successful?” This is more likely to produce fresh ideas and find the creative road. Institutionalised thinking uses the present mind-set and asks: “How can we remove the barriers? How can we change the system?” This often results in following the conventional road and getting frustrated.

Nicholas Carr-Saunders, for example, adopted imaginative ways to sell Alternative London. In 1970 books were sold in bookshops – virtually nowhere else. Nicholas hired people to sell the book outside train stations, in Carnaby Street and other tourist attractions. The sellers paid cash up-front, then made their money from the commission. “But that is common practice,” somebody may say. Yes, it is today, but at the time it was quite different. Nicholas then moved on to his next creative project, protecting Covent Garden’s buildings from developers and founding Neal’s Yard. This venture was described in his obituary in The Independent.

“In 1976 he had fallen in love with and bought a warehouse in Neal’s Yard, then let as a store for theatrical scenery. The end of its lease coincided with the closing of the old fruit market and the start of the new Covent Garden. Saunders knew many young people who had skills and wanted to work for themselves, and didn’t have financial backing to do this. He enjoyed either starting himself or enabling others to run new ventures; and these were often soon copied elsewhere. Though always a firm buyer of ready-cooked meals from Marks and Spencer for himself, he welcomed the new demand for whole food and by packing it in large quantities made it available at a more reasonable price. Gradually he bought up other buildings in the yard, where he helped to finance a cooperative bakery, dairy, flour mill, apothecary and cafe. He planted trees in tubs, covered the buildings with window boxes so that a profusion of flowers trailed down the walls and imported white doves who fluttered overhead. In fine weather the yard was crowded with office workers, tourists and regulars eating their lunch … Two buildings at one end of the yard were rebuilt and there, having been excited early on by the potential of computers, Saunders started the first Desk Top Publishing Studio, where people could hire computers by the hour and be given professional help.”

During the 70s I spent time with Nicholas and other entrepreneurs around the world, such as the SeFram group in Sweden. They founded the world’s first school for ‘intrapreneurs’ – people who wanted to be entrepreneurs within their present organisation. Interestingly, such creative people did not follow the cliché of ‘thinking outside the box’. They did not even recognise a box existed! Today’s generation have grown-up publishing their music on YouTube or MySpace – rather than trudging round record companies. But even these new approaches will become institutionalised, so then people will invent fresh ways to reach their goal.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by focusing on the ‘what’ - the real results you want to achieve. Then brainstorm lots of ‘hows’. Keep going until you find possible ways to reach your goal. Don’t worry if you don’t find the answer straight away. Get lots of ideas into the open, give yourself time for reflection and then settle on the route – or routes - you want to follow. Try completing the following sentence.

The possible ‘hows’ I can follow to reach the goal are:

*

*

*

The route – or routes – I want to follow to reach the goal is:

*

3) You can implement the ‘when’ – and follow the creative road to reach the goal.

Creative people often go through the process of innovation, implementation and impact. After settling on their strategy, they demonstrate the desire and discipline required to reach their goals. JK Rowling, for example, followed her daily routine for writing the Harry Potter books. But success does not always come overnight. Speaking to 15,000 people at the 2008 Harvard Graduation ceremony, she talked about the benefits of failure. Looking back at her own university days, she chose to study literature. The subject seemed unlikely to lead to reasonably paid work, however, especially as she then studied Classics. Her graduation was soon followed by setbacks, but these ultimately proved vital. JK Rowling explained:

“Half my lifetime ago, I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself and what those closest to me expected of me. I was convinced the only thing I wanted to do was write novels. However, my parents, both of whom came from impoverished backgrounds and neither of whom had been to college, took the view my over-active imagination was an amusing quirk that could never pay a mortgage, or secure a pension.

“What I feared most was not poverty, but failure. I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears my parents had for me, and that I had for myself, had come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

“So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter I adored, an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life … The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and has been worth more to me than any qualification.”

Pioneers demonstrate persistence. Let’s assume you are happy with your ‘what’ and ‘how. Then it is on to the ‘when’ – translating the plan into action. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to pursue the
creative road towards achieving my goal are:

*

*

*

So how to achieve results? One approach is to follow the institutional route; another is to be innovative. The creative art is sometimes to follow the shape of a heart. It is to find imaginative ways to reach your goals.

——————-

You can find JK Rowling’s Harvard address at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L445BmUEXH4&feature=related

“I like working with people who are making the ‘new rules’ in their chosen field,” said one person. “Certainly I can help those who are trying to be creative inside the ‘old rules’, but sometimes institutions can squash people’s enthusiasm. It’s great encouraging individuals and teams who are pioneering the way.”

Let’s imagine you want to work with people who are making the new rules. Here are three steps you can take towards helping them to succeed.

1) You can identify the people who are making the ‘new rules’.

Start by identifying the people who are either pioneers or working in pioneering fields. The first group will probably be people who believe in following certain principles to achieve the ‘prize’. They won’t be into ‘painting by numbers’. At the same time, however, they know it is vital for them to produce the goods. This will be especially so if they are aiming to do pioneering work in an established organisation. They recognise that: “If you are going to be a deviant, you have to over-deliver.” The second group will probably be in the ‘newer industries’. These may include new media, social networking organisations, marketing, high tech and even parts of retail. Both groups of people believe it is vital to ‘show a better way’.

Looking around your network – and elsewhere – who are the people who fall into these two categories? Try completing the following sentence.

The people who are making the new rules are:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify what you can offer to the people who are making the ‘new rules’.

You can tackle this part by doing three things. First, clarify the specific products or services that you can offer to the people who are making the new rules. Second, clarify the specific challenges that these people may be facing. Third, clarify how what you can offer can help these people to succeed. “I found this part difficult,” said one person. “It called for getting inside the customers’ heads and clarifying the benefits of what I offer. Certainly I should be doing this anyway, but it was a good discipline.” Try completing the following sentences.

The specific things – the products or services – I can
offer to people who are making the new rules are:

*

*

*

The specific challenges facing the people
who are making the new rules may be:

*

*

*

The specific benefits these people
can get from the things I offer are:

*

*

*

3) You can work with these people and help them to succeed by making the new rules.

“Five years ago I started this recruitment business which specialises in working with new media companies,” said one 35-year-old MD. “Now I have 30 employees, a turnover of £10 million and a profit of £500k. We built this company by offering something new in our field. Certainly we could make shed-loads of money by operating like a ‘traditional’ recruitment agency. But we really aim to put the right people in the right places in the right companies. This calls for making sure there is a ‘values-fit’. Once I spent my time getting out to customers, building relationships and satisfying their demands. But now I spend my time supervising our people and fire-fighting. My senior colleagues and I need to get into the market and stay close to our customers, but it is proving difficult to do that and run the business. Have you any suggestions?”

How would you work with this MD? The person who did so helped the MD and their leadership team:

* To communicate the vision throughout the business;

* To hire an operations director – a ‘co-ordinator’ – who took care of the day-to-day operations;

* To get the senior partners to do what they did best – building relationships with key decision-makers in client companies;

* To practice what they preached to other companies – clarifying their own company values, then recruiting and rewarding people who lived these values.

* To stay strategic – continually asking themselves: “What are the 3 key things we can do to give ourselves the greatest chance of success?”

Putting these principles into practice, the company increased its profit to 10% of turnover. It also improved its ratings on customer satisfaction and internal morale. (The latter called for starting again with a blank piece of paper and asking: “If we were to start this business again tomorrow, which of our people would we rehire?” Then acting on this information.) The company went from strength to strength.

Let’s return to your potential clients. How can you help them to succeed by following the new rules? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to work with these people
and help them to succeed by following the new rules are:

*

*

*

Everybody knows the rules of work have changed, but many organisations still operate as if they are in the 1970s. Certainly it is possible to help people to get more oxygen in these organisations. But you may prefer to work with those that are making the new rules for work.

Everybody has wisdom they can pass on to future generations. So how can you clarify the lessons you have learned in your life? Try tackling the exercise on this theme called Wise words. Imagine that you have been invited to address a group of 18-year-olds. You have been given 10 minutes to give them 3 key messages that they may want to bear in mind in their future lives. What would you tell them? You can clarify your approach by taking the following steps.

1) Clarify the first message you would give to the young people.

One managing director said: “My first message would be: ‘Be positive. Whatever happens, you always have a choice. When you meet setbacks – and you will – you can lie down and sulk or get up and build a better world. Count your blessings. If you live in a rich country, like many of us do, you will probably have food, a home and enough money. You will also have your health, your friends and your talents. You can choose to do your best each day – or you can choose to be miserable. Remember, it is always your choice.’”

What would be your first key message? How could you bring it to life with real examples? Try completing the following sentences.

The first key message I would
give to the young people would be:

*

The things I would say to bring it to life
with concrete examples would be:

*

*

*

2) Clarify the second message you would give to the young people.

The managing director said: “My second message would be: ‘Do positive work and, if you wish, find somebody to pay you for doing it. Young people are often idealistic, but it can be hard to hold onto your dreams. The good news is that it is possible. I have met many older people who are fresh, vibrant and still learning. They were all doing work they loved that helped other people. Some were doctors, nurses and teachers. But others were architects, sports coaches, software designers or leaders. They all had a sense of purpose and they expressed it by doing positive work. This provided them with strength when times got tough.’”

What would be your second key message? How could you bring it to life with real examples? Try completing the following sentences.

The second key message I would
give to the young people would be:

*

The things I would say to bring it to life
with concrete examples would be:

*

*

*

3) Clarify the third message you would give to the young people.

The managing director said: “My third message sounds rather odd coming from somebody in business, but I would say it anyway. It is: ‘Follow your positive energy. Let me explain what I mean. First, focus on the interests that fill you with enthusiasm. For example, the subjects you study at university, the books you want to read, the countries you want to explore. Second, choose a job you find fascinating. Do work you enjoy and get somebody to pay you for doing it. Third, choose to be with people with whom you feel alive. Spend time with them, rather those who are negative. And, of course, be a person who gives positive energy to other people.’”

What would be your third key message? How could you bring it to life with real examples? Try completing the following sentences.

The third key message I would
give to the young people would be:

*

The things I would say to bring it to life
with concrete examples would be:

*

*

*

Sometimes I use the Wise words exercise on workshops. Participants imagine they are going to talk to a group of 18-year-olds – then read out their messages to us on the workshop. They soon realise, of course, that they are writing their own philosophy. Then comes the journey of living it in their daily lives.

There are many models for making creative breakthroughs. One approach is to go through the stages of immersion, incubation and insight. Imagine that you want to develop an idea or make sense of a puzzle. You may want to develop a successful strategy, solve a conflict, understand how something works or whatever. Start by describing the theme you want to explore. Then move on to the first step of the process – immersion.

The idea I want to develop – the creative
breakthrough I want to make – is:

* ____________________________________________________________________

1) You can focus on immersion.

Looking back on your life, how have you made creative breakthroughs? One person said:

“Sometimes the idea comes quickly, but normally I follow a certain process. First, I clarify what I want to achieve. Second, I gather lots of information and let it sink in. Third, I begin to see patterns and this results in what some people call ‘illumination’. Finally, I implement the idea and aim to make a positive impact.”

This approach mirrors that described by James Webb Young in his book A Technique For Producing Ideas, published in 1965. He suggested the following process.

* Gather as much raw information as possible.

* Chew it over and get your first ideas out of your system.

* Stop thinking about the subject and let your subconscious go to work.

* Be ready for the ideas to flow at any time.

* Shape and develop the idea for practical usefulness.

Peak performers immerse themselves deeply in their chosen field. They are obsessive in the way they gather information, look for patterns and work to shape future events. Some develop the ability ‘to know what will happen before it happens’.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Bearing in mind what you want to explore, describe how you can immerse yourself fully in this topic. This might include gathering data, interviewing people and studying what works in the field. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to immerse
myself in my chosen topic are:

*

*

*

2) You can focus on incubation.

Good ideas take time to incubate. Jonas Salk, pioneer of the polio vaccine, wrote: “There is a moment of conception and a moment of birth, but between them there is a long period of gestation.” Some people find the ‘incubation period’ to be frustrating: partly because they fear it may drift over into procrastination. As people get older, however, they learn how to put themselves into the right ‘incubation situation’. This might mean resting, listening to music, walking, talking, surrounding themselves with positive stimulation or whatever.

Looking back on your life, when have you made good use of such incubation times? What did you do right then? How can you follow similar principles in the future? Arthur Koestler, author of The Act of Creation, wrote: “Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.” Sometimes this process takes patience, however, and knowing how to use the incubation times. Try completing the following exercise.

The specific things I can do to accept and
make good use of the incubation times are:

*

*

*

3) You can focus on insight.

Graham Wallas described one approach to making creative breakthroughs in his book The Art of Thought, published in 1926. He outlined the stages of preparation, incubation, intimation – a person feeling the solution is on its way – illumination and then verification.

So what happens at the ‘Ah Yes!’ moment? This is obviously different for different people. Everybody has their own sensation of what happens when making breakthroughs. For me there is a sense of lightness when things fall into place. Frequently this is accompanied by finding a model that makes sense of experience. But for me there is one proviso. The model must embody the characteristics of good design. It must be simple, satisfying and help people to achieve success.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe what happens for you at the time of insight. Depending on your learning style, you may recognise patterns; make connections; see a picture; create a model; or keep working until something looks, feels and sounds right. Different people experience different sensations; so what happens for you? This is a difficult question, but the answers can be rewarding. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things that happen for me at the
time of insight – when things fall into place - are:

*

*

*

Some people see insight as an end in itself, but others see it as the start of another journey. They want to implement the idea and make a positive impact. You will use your insight in your own way, of course, to develop an idea, solve a problem or make a creative breakthrough.

Great leaders recognise that they must stay in control of what is delivered – the organisation’s specific goals. At the same time, they will be judged by their people’s performance, rather than their own. It is therefore vital to encourage people to use their creativity to achieve the specific goals. How to square this circle? How to retain control yet also release people’s creativity? One way is to ensure that people feel they are running their own businesses with the larger business. These units must, of course, contribute to achieving the organisation’s specific goals.

Sounds hard, but it is relatively simple in practice. Imagine you a leading an organisation. Let’s explore three steps towards implementing this approach successfully.

1) You can communicate the organisation’s purpose, principles and what must be delivered in practice.

Ten years ago I worked with a far-sighted company that employed around 1000 people. The leadership team knew they could set the vision, but they would rely on their people to deliver peak performance. So they gave people ‘empowerment within parameters’. Gathering everybody together, they used the following framework to communicate their strategy.

Purpose

The purpose of our organisation – the specific thing we are here to do – is:

* To

The specific goals we want to deliver by ____ to fulfil this purpose are:

* To

* To

* To

Principles

The key principles we want people to follow to achieve this purpose are:

* To

* To

* To

Practice

The specific goals we want the various teams to deliver
towards achieving this purpose include, for example:

* To

* To

* To

After communicating this strategy, the leadership team moved onto the next stage. You would, of course, do this in your own way.

2) You can encourage people to make clear contracts about what they will deliver in practice.

How to make this happen? How to give people ‘empowerment within parameters’? The leadership team gave people the following messages.

“Every team will be expected to deliver specific goals that contribute to achieving the organisation’s goals. But you are experts in your field. So there may be other things you would like to add to – or refine - your team’s goals. Now comes a fundamental part. The way you work will - within parameters - be up to you. But you must show how what you practice supports the principles and contributes toward achieving the purpose. Bearing in mind the required outcomes – and other things you may want to achieve – it is then up to you:

a) To clarify your specific goals;

b) To show how delivering these things will follow the principles and contribute to the purpose;

c) To clarify the support you require to achieve success;

d) To meet with your manager and make clear contracts about your team’s specific contribution to the business.

“Bearing this approach in mind, you may want to consider using the following framework when presenting back to your manager.

Practice

The specific goals we want to deliver by _____ are:

* To

* To

* To

Principles and Purpose

The specific ways that delivering these will follow
the principles and contribute to the purpose are:

* To

* To

* To

The specific kinds of support we would like to help us to deliver success are:

* To

* To

* To

“Meet with your manager and agree on your working contracts. These should be written in ‘outcome terms’. In other words, describe what you will ‘deliver’, rather than ‘do’. Agree with your manager on how you will proactively keep them informed on the road towards reaching your goals. So your agreed goals may look something like the following.”

The team’s agreed contribution towards
achieving the organisation’s specific goals

The specific results we will deliver will be:

1) To

For example:

* To

* To

* To

2) To

For example:

* To

* To

* To

3) To

For example:

* To

* To

* To

3) You can manage by outcomes and ensure that people follow the principles and contribute to the purpose.

How do make sure things stay on track – and do this without micro-managing? One approach is to invite each team to make quarterly presentations. They are to present:

a) The specific things we have delivered in the last quarter towards achieving the agreed goals;

b) The specific things we plan to do in the next quarter;

c) The challenges we face and our plans for tackling these;

d) The support we need to achieve success.

Success breeds success. So compile success stories showing how people are following the principles and contributing to the purpose. Communicate these both inside and outside the business.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Imagine you are a leader. Describe the things you can do to encourage people to feel they are running their own businesses within the greater organisation. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to ensure that people feel they are
running their own businesses that contributes to the bigger business are:

*

*

*

Great organisations recognise that people like to feel in control. One approach to making this happen is to give people ‘empowerment within parameters’ - providing the deliver their agreed goals. They are then more likely to make their best contribution to helping the organisation to achieve its picture of success.

How can you prepare to do great work? Let’s assume you are following your passion and have translated this into a specific project. You may aim to encourage other people, write an article, refurbish a house, run a marathon, build a superb team, give a keynote presentation or whatever. So let explore how you can prepare to deliver peak performance.

1)    You can do the philosophical preparation.

The first question to ask is: “On a scale 0 – 10, how motivated do I feel to pursue the project?” Make sure the rating is at least 8+/10. You will need masses of energy to complete the job, so the project must be stimulating.

“I start by focusing on the philosophical energy,” said one person. “This sounds airy-fairy, but it is actually very practical. I must see meaning in my work. There must be an umbilical connection between what I do each day and my overall life-goals. Seeing this meaning gives me the strength to overcome setbacks and work hard to reach the goals. So things have to start by being right on a philosophical level.”

Imagine you are considering pursuing a specific project. Can you see how it fits with your life-goals? Looking at the project, what is your picture of success? What will be the pluses - for you and for other people? What will be the potential minuses? Are you prepared to accept the whole package? If some aspects of the project are difficult, can you reframe these so that doing them will contribute to achieving the bigger picture? On a philosophical level, is there anything else you can do to prepare for the project? Try completing the following sentences.

The specific project I want to do is:

*

The specific things I can do on a philosophical level
to prepare myself to deliver peak performance are:

*

*

*

2)    You can do the physical preparation.

What are the physical things you can do to prepare properly? How can you keep yourself healthy? How can you stay alive and alert? What are the practical things you need to put in place? How can you get the right infrastructure to do the grunt work? How can you then focus on doing the great work?

Athletes prepare physically to achieve peak performance. So do people in other fields, which is a lesson I learned rather late in life. My main work involves mentoring and running super team workshops. A typical ‘mentoring day’, for example, involves facilitating 5 ninety-minute sessions. Previously I used to travel around the country by car, packing up after a session and driving to the next venue. The work was stimulating, but the driving was draining. Five years ago I decided to prepare better physically, otherwise the work might suffer. So I spent the next 3 years trying to get more work in London. Whilst still 3 hours from my home, I could travel by train, aim to get blocks of work and stay overnight in hotels. At first this meant taking a financial hit, but it has now worked out. I stay overnight and get lots of sleep. This also enables me to ‘rehearse’ the day first thing in the morning, rather than worry about the traffic conditions. The previous approach was not sustainable as I approached my mid-Sixties.

You will, of course, take such physical steps in your own way. Looking at the project you want to pursue, try exploring the following themes.

The physical things

How can you prepare yourself physically for the work ahead? How can you keep yourself healthy? How can you get enough rest? How can you eat properly? How can you stay alive and alert? How can you divide the project into blocks so you have time to reflect and rehearse the next stage? Are there any other physical things you can do to ensure you deliver peak performance?

The practical things

How can you do all the practical things required to set yourself up to succeed? How can you manage the finances, location, travel and other ‘hygiene factors’? How can you get the support required to do the project? How can you get the right people in the right places doing the right things? How can you create the infrastructure to some of the grunt work? How can you then release yourself and other people to do the great work? Are there any other practical things you can do to ensure you deliver peak performance? Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do on a physical and practical
level to prepare myself to deliver peak performance are:

*

*

*

3)    You can do the psychological preparation.

Mental training in sports took off during the 1970s. Since then the principles have spread to many other fields, but the principles remain similar. These frequently include taking the following steps.

* Looking back at your best experiences, describing these in detail and clarifying the principles you followed to be successful.

* Looking to the future and clarifying how you can, if appropriate, follow similar principles to achieve your chosen picture of success.

* Looking at the possible challenges you may face, finding solutions and then rehearsing how you can follow your chosen principles to achieve the picture of success.

You will, of course, take these steps in your own way. But here are some questions you may wish to consider.

Looking back on your life, when have you prepared yourself psychologically to tackle a specific project? What did you do right then? Peak performers often go: ‘A, B ____ then leap to ____ Z.’ How did you clarify the end goal? Did you visualise it, feel it or use other senses to clarify ‘Z’?

What did you do next? Did you go into your cave to reflect or go out to gather further data? How did you clarify the pluses and minuses involved in reaching the goal? How did you develop your strategies for achieving success? What was the trigger that took you over the emotional line where you said: “I really want to reach this goal”? When did you leap into serious action? How did you get some quick successes?

How did you anticipate future challenges? How did you prevent some of these difficulties happening? How did you manage the unexpected problems that did happen? How did you ‘buy time’ during crises? How did you then find creative solutions to challenges? How did you encourage yourself on the journey? How did you keep going until you reached your goal?

Bearing in mind these answers, consider your chosen project and try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do on a psychological level
to prepare myself to deliver peak performance are:

*

*

*

Managing energy is one of the keys to achieving peak performance. This article has explored how to harness your philosophical, physical and psychological energy. Making this happen can provide a springboard for doing great work.

Imagine you are running an educational session. How can you help people to grow? One approach is to learn from great educators. Such people often start by establishing clarity – the real results the students want to achieve – and making clear working contracts. They then go through three dimensions.

* They introduce the concept.

* They bring it to life by giving concrete examples.

* They move into the third dimension and go deeper by passing on caring wisdom.

This final step may involve sharing knowledge from the eternal principles that help people succeed.

Imagine that you are going to lead an educational session for a specific group of people. Let’s explore how you might run such a session.

* Start by establishing clarity – the concrete results to achieve – and making clear contracts.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. First, describe the specific group of people for whom you are running the session. You may, for example, be working with a team of counsellors, a creative team, a company’s leadership team or another group. Second, describe the aims of the session. (You will, of course, check these with people to ensure you are all heading towards the same goals.) Third, describe what you see as your role and their roles in making it a successful session. Try completing the following exercise.

Looking at the exercise above, let’s imagine you aim to run an introductory session on The Art of Counselling. You may introduce it by saying something like:

“Welcome. The aims of today’s session are to focus on: a) The definition of counselling; b) The skills of counselling; c) The specific ways that you can use counselling skills. My role is to provide an overview, describe the key principles and give practical examples. The role I would like you to play is to encourage each other, take the ideas you like and add these to your repertoire. Are there any other themes you would like to explore? Okay, let’s begin.”

Whatever topic you are teaching, it is important to establish clarity and make clear working contracts. Check everybody understands, then move on to the next stage.

1) You can focus on the first dimension – the concept.

Great educators begin the actual work by introducing the first concept. So you may want to give the context, provide a model, ask people to revisit their own experiences or whatever. Different educators have different ways of giving the big picture.

If you are teaching about counselling, one approach is to start by asking people if they have any experience in this area. They may have provided counselling for students, employees or other people. Alternatively, they may have received counselling after an accident or other setback. Building on what they have said, you can then give an overview of the recent history of counselling. This may include, for example, the pioneering work of Carl Rogers, the growth of the self-help movement and the blurred borders between counselling and psychotherapy. You may then return to following the definition you plan to use during the session.

Counselling takes place when:

The person seeks help in a situation that may be causing difficulty. They are able to talk a caring environment, make sense of their experience and gather the strength to move forward. If appropriate, they explore their options and take more control of shaping their future.

The counsellor provides a caring environment in which the person feels safe and valued. They explain what they can and can’t offer – then make clear working contracts. The counsellor encourages the person to explore and, if possible, make sense of their experience. If appropriate, they enable the person to consider their options and take charge of shaping their future.

————–

‘Classical Counselling’ is non-directive. It provides a sanctuary in which people can feel at home and talk without fear of judgement. The process of ‘healing’ or ‘growth’ comes through the act of exploring and making sense of their experience. There are, of course, different views on the effectiveness of such an approach. Carl Rogers, who is considered the founder of modern counselling, believed that:

* The person who comes for counselling simply has ‘problems of living’. They also have ‘a drive towards self-actualisation’. This drive presses towards fulfilment and, if able to be expressed properly, increases the person’s chances of becoming healthy. If the drive is frustrated, the person may experience difficulties, some of which may be displayed in various symptoms.

* The helper’s role is to create an encouraging environment that facilitates the person’s growth. They can achieve this by being genuine, showing empathy and having unconditional positive regard. These are called the ‘core conditions’ for providing a good environment.

* The person feels valued and encouraged in the counselling situation. They are then more likely to be their real self, set goals and work towards fulfilling their potential. They can pursue their drive towards self-actualisation.

Carl Rogers believed the key was to provide the right environment. People could then develop their inner strength and pursue their chosen path. Counselling was one vehicle for enabling people to become what they wanted to become.

———————————–

Let’s return to the educational session you are running. Try tackling the exercise about introducing the concept. You may be teaching about counselling, creativity, leadership or whatever. First, describe the concept you want to introduce. Second, describe the specific things you can do to introduce this idea. Try completing the follow exercise.

2) You can focus on the second dimension – the concrete examples.

Great educators bring the concepts to life by giving concrete examples. How to make this happen? One approach is to get into the habit of introducing an idea and then saying: “For example _____.” This forces you to give illustrations that resonate with the particular audience.

Imagine that you are running a session on counselling. You may want to give specific examples by saying something like the following.

“Counselling skills can be used in many situations. For example, to help people: a) To explore their feelings; b) To make sense of a tough situation; d) To emotionally recover from abuse, an accident or other setback; c) To work through post-traumatic stress syndrome; e) To make transitions in their life and work. The aim is to enable people to feel more in control of shaping their future. Let’s try an exercise on this theme.”

“First, looking ahead, think of a specific situation in which you may need to practice counselling skills. For example, you may be helping somebody who has lost a job, suffered bereavement or faces a challenge. So choose a specific situation where you might use such skills in the future.”

“Second, make a flip chart describing the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ for facilitating such a session. Remember, classical counselling helps somebody to explore the emotional side of the situation. If the person feels it may be useful, they can also consider the practical ways forward. The key, however, is that the person must feel in charge.”

“Be as specific as possible when describing the ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’. For example, if you say: ‘Make the person feel welcome,’ describe the specific behaviour you can demonstrate to achieve this goal. Imagine that you are giving detailed directions for a film scene. Write in plain English, rather than ‘therapeutic language’. Describe the specific things that you will actually ‘Do’. Spend 20 minutes writing your flip chart. Then we will share the ideas.”

——————-

Let’s return to the educational session that you may be running. There are many ways to bring an idea to life. Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe the specific things you can do to move from the concept to concrete examples that resonate with people in the group. Try completing the follow exercise.

3) You can focus on the third dimension – the caring wisdom.

Some educators go into a third dimension. They go deeper and pass on caring wisdom. This often involves revisiting some of the eternal principles. The ‘wisdom’ that is shared obviously differs from subject to subject, but the process remains similar. The educator wants to pass on timeless knowledge that enables students to succeed. So they may say something like:

“Today we have been looking at ______. But sometimes it can be useful to revisit some of the principles that people have followed over time. These principles include, for example:

* ____________________________________________________

* ____________________________________________________

* ____________________________________________________

“The ways that people have followed these principles have included, for example:

* ____________________________________________________

* ____________________________________________________

* ____________________________________________________

“Each of us must obviously find our own ways of doing things. But sometimes it can be useful to revisit and learn from these eternal principles.”

How does this approach work in practice? The themes you highlight will differ from topic to topic, but imagine that you are running a session on counselling. The timeless principles you cover may include the following three (though there are many more). Counselling highlights the importance of being able:

a) To take time in a sanctuary where you can reflect.

This is path taken by people throughout history. Seekers have used their sanctuary time to focus on the eternal truths, make sense of experience and clarify the way ahead. It is vital to feel safe in the sanctuary, but it is also good to get stimulation. People may achieve this by being close to nature, studying the great philosophies, being creative, focusing on their values or whatever. If appropriate, bring this theme to life by describing people in history that have spent time in a stimulating sanctuary.

b) To develop your inner strength.

People often develop strength by focusing on their chosen faith, vocation or life goals. Some gain it by tapping into their own or other people’s experience. Good counsellors, for example, help people to identify their inner strength by revisiting their positive history. So they may ask the person:

“Looking back on your life, have you even been in a similar situation and come through it successfully? What did you do right then? What were the principles you followed? How can you follow these principles in the present situation?”

Again, if appropriate, bring this theme to life by describing people in history who have developed their inner strength and tackled challenges successfully.

c) To be able to shape your future.

Counselling enables people to do some ‘slow thinking’. They have the opportunity to see things in perspective, clarify what is important and choose their way forward. Viktor Frankl, for example, describes how prisoners ‘chose their attitude’, even in the midst of the Nazi Concentration Camps. People need to feel in control: this is one of the eternal principles. Counselling can help people to take this step in their own way. If appropriate, describe people in history who have taken time out to clarify their options and shape their future.

—————–

There are many ways to pass on caring wisdom. Whatever theme you are teaching, it is good to highlight the key principles that seem to work – and the paths that people seem to follow – throughout history. The students can then choose to follow these in their own ways.

Let’s return to the educational session you may be running. Bearing in mind the topic you will be teaching, try tackling the exercise on this theme. Describe the caring wisdom you want to pass on to people. If possible, think of people in history who have followed these principles successfully. Try completing the following exercise.

There are many ways to help people to succeed. One approach is to clarify the results to achieve. You can then aim to introduce the concept, give concrete examples and, if appropriate, pass on caring wisdom.

“My boss believes in a certain way of running a business,” said one person. “He keeps talking about the ‘processes’. Even though he uses the right ‘management phrases’ about people, I am not sure he feels these in his gut. How can I get him to believe-in getting things done through people?”

It is vital to understand your boss’s business model. You can then decide whether you want: a) To work with it; b) To try to influence it - which may or may not be possible; c) To find a boss with whom you share a similar business model. Here are three ideas to consider during this process.

1) You can understand your boss’s business model.

Every leader has a view about how to run a successful business. How to discover it? Listen to the language they use and the activities they focus on. Different leaders have different approaches. By and large, however, many believe in achieving profitability through products, principles and people. The secret, of course, is to get the right combination of all three.

Try tackling the following exercise on this theme. Looking at your boss, rate to what extent you think they really believe-in and understand these three areas. The ‘understanding’ aspect is crucial. Every retailer will say they believe in offering the right product to the right customers - but they may only understand previous generations of customers, not the present or future generations. Similarly, a leader may have understood how to ‘motivate’ people in the old days - but their approach does not work in today’s world. Try answering the following questions.

Products

The extent to which I believe my boss really believes in offering the right
products at the right price to the right customers in the right way is: ____ / 10

The extent to which I believe my boss really
understands how to do this in today’s world is: ____ / 10

Principles

The extent to which I believe my boss really believes in getting the right
principles in place to deliver the right service in the right way is: ____ / 10

The extent to which I believe my boss really
understands how to do this in today’s world is: ____ / 10

People

The extent to which I believe my boss really believes in employing the
right people and enabling them to deliver the right results is: ____ / 10

The extent to which I believe my boss really
understands how to do this in today’s world is: ____ / 10

Start by clarifying your boss’s business model, then move onto the next step.

2) You can decide how you want to behave in relation to your boss’s business model.

“My MD believes in working through people,” said one HR professional, “but he recognises that, because of his impatience, he can be quite abrupt. So he encourages me to orchestrate the people part of the strategy. But that doesn’t stop him being impatient. He frequently wants to know why the stores are not producing enough new ideas to improve customer service.”

Bearing in mind your boss’s business model, clarify how you want to move forward. Decide whether:

a) You have a good basis for working together.

b) You have some differences, but these can be worked out.

c) You have basic values that are too different.

“Is it possible to change my leader’s model?” somebody may ask: “How can I persuade them to give more weight to other aspects of the business?”

Different leaders have different challenges that ‘keep them awake at night’. So any suggestion you make must show how it will address these issues and deliver success. The leader must also buy-into the idea on both an intellectual and emotional level. They might even decide to give it a go but, unless it produces immediate results, they may quickly revert to their old model. Bearing these thoughts in mind, choose what you want to do in relation to your boss’s business model. There may well be the basis for working together. If not, you may want to consider the next step.

3) You can find a boss with whom you share a similar model.

Great teams are made up of people who have ‘similarity of spirit and diversity of strengths.’ This is true at any level - but particularly in relation to working with your boss. It is important to work for somebody with whom you have a values-fit. For example, the advice given to any football manager looking for a club is: “Choose to work for the right chairman. Make sure you have a similar professional values and a similar view of how the game should be played - otherwise you will be in trouble from the beginning.” The same rule applies in many walks of life. Ultimately you will do your best work for a leader with whom you share a similar business model.