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

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.

“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.

Energy is life. So what gives you positive energy? What gives you negative energy? How can you get more positive energy in the future? You may then be able to give even more to other people. Let’s explore three steps for making this happen.

1) You can clarify the things that give you positive energy.

Start by describing the things you find stimulating. For example, the people, projects and pleasures that put a spring into your step. Later we will look at how you can do more of these things in the future.

People who are ‘Givers’ sometimes find it hard to give to themselves. Sheila Cassidy is such a ‘Giver’. During the 1970s she was imprisoned in Chile for providing medical care to opponents of the Pinochet regime. Returning to the UK after being tortured, she went on to become Medical Director of St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth. Sheila gave to others, but starved herself of pleasures. Hard work took its toll, however, and she began taking more care of herself. Writing in her book Sharing The Darkness, Sheila explains:

“Perhaps the final fall from my self-styled perch of grace came at the beginning of the winter season when Brideshead Revisited was serialised for television. Until then I had stalwartly refused to have more than a transistor radio and tape recorder, but now I could bear it no longer and rushed into town to buy myself a TV.”

Sheila found that, far from corrupting her contribution, she gave even more to other people. Try completing the follow exercise.

The things that give me positive energy are:

*

*

*

2) You can clarify the things that give you negative energy.

Stimulation is crucial - but sometimes it can also be good to identify what saps your energy. Describe things you find draining, such as serial complainers, ‘observer critics’ or whatever. Try completing the following exercise.

The things that give me negative energy are:

*

*

*

3) You can do more of the things that give you positive energy.

“Nowadays I spend more time with encouragers,” said one person. “They help me to feel more real, more myself. Music also lifts my soul. So now I start the day with upbeat music, rather than listening to bad news on the radio. During my twenties I became so depressed that I made Eeyore look cheerful. Certainly I keep abreast of current events, but now I focus on doing what I can to improve the world.”

Looking to the future, you may want to consider two things. First, do more of the things that are inspiring. Second, stop doing some of the things that are draining. Try combining these elements to complete the following exercise.

The steps I can take to do more of the
things that give me positive energy are:

*

*

*

People can choose their attitude. They can choose to be givers or takers, creators or complainers, encouragers or stoppers. Givers also need encouragement, however, so it is important to keep getting positive energy. You will then have even more encouragement to give to other people.

Gordon Mackenzie, author of Orbiting the Giant Hairball, inspired many people to revitalise their creativity whilst working with corporations. He believed it was vital to retain the juiciness of life. If you don’t watch out, he said, life can become like one of the peaches you find in supermarkets. From the outside it looks perfect. When taking a bite, however, the peach tastes like concrete. People work best when they generate their creative juices. This comes from living the vital life, rather than the vanilla life. Let’s explore how to make this happen.

1) You can clarify what it means to live the vital life.

Start by describing what the vital life is for you. One person wrote: “The vital life for me is: doing creative work, cooking fresh food, listening to Van Morrison, mountain biking, skiing, walking by the sea, meeting friends, getting enough sleep and driving with the roof down.”

Gordon Mackenzie encouraged people to stay fresh. Spending 30 years working for the Hallmark Card Company, he managed to ‘orbit’ successfully around the ‘hairball’ of organisational bureaucracy without getting strangled. He wanted people to continue to explore. One chapter consists of just one sentence: “Orville Wright did not have a pilot’s licence.”

Explorers know what it means. How can you keep your senses alive? Try completing the following sentence.

The vital life for me is:

*

*

*

2) You can avoid living the vanilla life.

One person said: “The vanilla life for me is: sitting in boring meetings, staying in soulless hotels, hotel food, spending more than 3 nights a week away from home, listening to ‘observer critics’, flying on business trips, spending a day without music.”

What is the vanilla life for you? How can you avoid some of these experiences? Try completing the following sentence.

The vanilla life for me is:

*

*

*

3) You can live the vital life in the future.

“I am fed-up with plain vanilla,” said one person, “Now and again I want to add a bit of tutti-frutti.” Sounds exciting and, providing it doesn’t hurt anybody, extremely encouraging. This is a step taken by many people in their ‘Second Spring’. With the passing of years, they do what they want, rather than what other people want them to do. They reclaim their lives and add more zest to their days.

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. People don’t have to wait for their ‘Second Spring’ before doing things that give them more positive energy. Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to live the vital life in the future are:

*

*

*

Gordon Mackenzie died in 1999, soon after the publication of ‘Hairball’. He urged people to continue gaining enriching experiences. The final two sentences of his book are: “If you go to your grave without painting your masterpiece, it will not get painted. No one else can paint it. Only you.” Gordon created his masterpiece and lived a vital life. He certainly wasn’t vanilla.

Imagine you are finishing one role and moving-on to another. The new role can be inside or outside your present organisation. One ending leads to a new beginning. So how can you manage the transition successfully? Let’s consider three steps for making this happen.

1) You can move-on from the present role successfully.

Finishing is a key skill in life – so how can you move-on in a positive way? One approach is to say: “Let’s imagine I was going freelance – but I also wanted to be able to return and get work from my present organisation. How would I behave? How would I complete the outstanding jobs? How would I hand-over the ongoing projects? What would be the actual words I would like people saying about me after I left? What reputation would I like to leave? How can I leave my present role in a positive way?” Bearing these answers in mind, try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to move on
from my present role successfully are:

*

*

*

2) You can manage the transition successfully.

Perhaps you are planning to take some time-out. If so, do whatever is necessary to get yourself in shape - whether it is to take a holiday, move house or whatever. You will then move into the next stage – preparing properly before taking up your new role. Rightly or wrongly, people will make early judgements about your performance. So it will be important to hit the ground running. Let’s assume that you have made clear contracts with the key sponsors about ‘What’ must be delivered, ‘How’ and by ‘When’. You have a clear brief and mandate – plus the support required to do the job. Before starting the new role, ask yourself the following questions.

* Who are the key sponsors? What are the key challenges they face? What is their picture of success? What are the results I must deliver? How can I help the organisation to achieve success?

* What are the Dos and Don’ts in the culture? How can I be true to myself, yet also respect the culture? Who are the positive people in the organisation? How can I spend time working with them? Who may be the difficult people? How can I get alongside them and help them to succeed? How can I show respect to my new colleagues?

* How can I hit the ground running? What must I do before the first day? What can I do on the first day? Who will I meet? Who do I want to meet? How can I reassure people they have made the right decision to hire me? How can I deliver some early wins? How can I then sustain the momentum over the next weeks and months? What do I want people to be saying about me – and my contribution – after six months? How can I do my best to make this happen?

Rehearse everything. Picture arriving on the first day; meeting your colleagues; meeting your sponsors; attending the first business meetings; talking with customers; leaving at the end of the first day and so on. Practice everything so there will be no surprises. Or, at least, there will be fewer surprises. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to manage
the transition successfully are:

*

*

*

3) You can move into the new role successfully.

“During the old days new leaders were given at least 100 days to acquaint themselves with the job,” said one MD. “Nowadays it is different. People make judgements almost immediately. So leaders must set the tone much earlier - otherwise employees say: “Nothing has changed.”

The same rule applies in any role. People will make quick decisions about whether you can perform the job. So do whatever you can to be positive, professional and deliver peak performances. Starting well is essential – and so is maintaining the momentum. Be crystal-clear on your aims and make a road-map for the first six months. Get some early successes in the bank, because these will buy you time. Then press on with encouraging other people, doing great work and helping the organisation to achieve success. People are then more likely to see you as an addition to the business. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to move
into the new role successfully are:

*

*

*

The authentic tradition stretches back into the depths of history. Starting from the earliest philosophies, it has been explored in the writings of people such as Lao Tzu, Plato, Emerson, Camus, Rogers, Frankl and many others. Today people continue to focus on ‘being real’. They aim to be true to their values; live in ‘good faith’ – rather than ‘bad faith’; and pursue their life purpose – rather than sell-out to false Gods.

Life is often about finding yourself, accepting yourself and forgetting yourself. People have many physical and psychological drives – such as to be healthy, loved and successful. They also have philosophical drives – such as finding their purpose in life. Viktor Frankl said it was possible to find meaning even when one’s basic needs were not met. Recalling his imprisonment in the concentration camps, he said that some people found meaning in giving to others. Some did something each day towards fulfilling their life mission – even if that something was just inside their heads. Paradoxically, it is often when you ‘forget yourself’ that you are most able to be your real self.

People sometimes find that the more ‘outer wealth’ they obtain, the less ‘inner wealth’ they experience. This may relate back to the decisions they made earlier in life. When starting their career, for example, did they choose: a) To follow the ‘fulfilling road’ – and then find sufficient funding: b) To follow the ‘Faustian road’ – go for money and hope to one day recapture their soul; c) To follow another road that led them, without thinking, to an unsatisfying situation? Feeling unfulfilled can trigger a person back into trying to find their real self.

Different people take this journey in different ways. Some return to doing what they love, giving to others or, for example, embracing philosophies such as Voluntary Simplicity or Right Livelihood. Others embark on a more complicated journey. Let’s consider three steps towards living an authentic life.

1) You can do more of the things in which you feel authentic.

“I have achieved a lot in my life,” said Sharon, a senior IT manager, “but I have done it by working hard and being a good ‘adapter’. Ever since childhood I have figured out the rules for achieving the required results. Putting my own wishes on the back burner, I have then adapted my style to pass exams, pursue my career or reach other goals. This worked for many years, but now I am feeling the strain.”

“Certainly I can progress in my present company, but it means re-locating to another country. Five years ago I would have done it without blinking, but now I am reluctant. The higher I climb in the organisation, the further I get away from what I enjoy doing. Whilst my first duty is to my children and partner, I am not prepared to numb myself each day. Next year I will be 40 and, even though people say it is the ‘new 30’, I feel like re-taking control of my life. At the same time, I want to give something back to others. After leaving University I nearly became a teacher, but I am not enamoured by the educational system. So this is the challenge: How can I do more things for myself whilst also helping others? Have you any suggestions?”

Sharon wanted to feel real – rather than adapting to the demands of a system - so we began by doing two exercises. First, she described the times when she felt authentic. She wrote:

“I feel authentic when I am: running a ‘hands-on’ IT project; being on-site and solving a customer’s IT problem; helping older people to how to use computers; organising the local arts festival; encouraging my children; pottering around the garden; walking by myself; visiting art galleries and museums; painting; seeing people go ‘Ah yes,’ when I helped them to learn something.”

Sharon moved onto the second exercise. She spent 15 minutes focusing on how to do more of the activities in which she felt real. There were no big epiphanies; no deep soul-searching. Sharon was a disciplined person who liked to know the ‘rules’ for getting the results. She could see how developing certain habits would revitalise the things that made her feel real. As Aristotle said: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Imagine you are exploring this theme for yourself. When do you feel most real? How can you do more of these activities in the future? Try completing the following two exercises.

The times when I feel most authentic are:

*

*

*

The steps I can take to do more of the
things in which I feel authentic are:

*

*

*

2) You can encourage other people to do the things in which they feel authentic.

Looking around, who are the people you would like to encourage to do more activities in which they feel real? Maybe your loved ones; maybe some people at work. If you are a team leader, for example, there may be individuals who can contribute even more by playing to their strengths. People perform best when they are in their element – doing the things in which they feel at ease, yet also excel. How can you enable them to do more of these activities?

Sharon concentrated on encouraging Ben, her 14 year-old-son. He was an ‘adventurer’, rather than an ‘adapter’. From an early age he had gone his own way. He immersed himself in inventing his own games, cooking new dishes and reading about seemingly unrelated subjects. Despite being bright, Ben had difficulties at school. “I have a burning pain in my head,” he said, when trying to master maths. On the other hand, he was good at leading class projects. Sharon had initially found this inconsistency hard to understand. After all, she had been excellent at passing exams. Recognising that Ben had a different learning style, however, she encouraged him to focus on the projects he found fascinating. Helping him to forge a future career would be another challenge but, as she said: “The world is so different these days. Ben has got his wits about him and I’m sure he will find work he enjoys.”

Imagine you were doing this exercise. First, write names of the people you would like to encourage. Second, describe the steps you can take to enable them to do the activities in which they feel real. Try completing the following sentences.

The people I want to
encourage to be authentic are:

Person A: ________________________

The specific things I can do to
encourage them to be authentic are:

*

Person B: ________________________

The specific things I can do to
encourage them to be authentic are:

*

Person C: ________________________

The specific things I can do to
encourage them to be authentic are:

*

3) You can live an authentic life.

“This stuff about living an authentic life sounds a bit self-indulgent,” somebody may say. “There are millions of people who would be grateful for just a portion of the wealth in the richer nations.”

This is certainly a valid argument. Today’s search for being ‘real’ may be equivalent to the middle-class people in Vienna talking about their neuroses to the early psychoanalysts. On the other hand, some people in the richer nations feel they have forgone their true nature. Somewhere along the way they made decisions that have proved unhealthy. Some people choose to readjust by aiming to live an ethical life. Some adopt Duane Elgin’s concept of Voluntary Simplicity. Others pursue the path of choosing a Right Livelihood. You can read more about the latter approach at the site listed below, which provides stories about people who have been nominated for ‘The Alternative Nobel Prize’.

http://rightlivelihood.org/

Some people, however, may go on a journey to recapture their sense of feeling real. This isn’t a new phenomenon. Carl Rogers, the pioneering psychotherapist, highlighted this issue during the 1940s. He believed that people have a natural drive to follow their nature and fulfil their potential. Those who pursue this drive successfully are more likely to be psychologically healthy. Life is full of challenges, however, and forces can throw a person off-course. Certainly we must all take charge of our lives, but pressures sometimes mean we forget to be our true selves. Alternatively, we may choose to live in what the existentialists call ‘bad faith’. We know what ‘we can become’, but find the risk too great. We later discover it is even riskier not to live in ‘good faith’ and follow our calling.

Carl explained that, during in his counselling career, he met people who displayed many different symptoms. These were responses to what he called ‘problems of living’. Considering his troubled clients, he said:

“(Everybody) has the same problem, in a sense - the problem of finding the right path, of acting according to one’s better inner nature … It seems to me that at bottom each person is asking: ‘Who am I, really? How can I get in touch with this real self, underlying all my surface behavior? How can I become myself?’’

Looking at your own life, how can you continue to be authentic? How can you encourage other people to be their true selves? Are there any steps you would like to take to pursue your personal life-philosophy? How can you take these steps in your own way? Bearing in mind the answers you have given to the previous exercises – and perhaps adding some more ideas – try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do
to live an authentic life are:

*

*

*

Viktor Frankl wrote: “Ever more people today have the means to live, but no meaning to live for … Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfilment.” Each of us can choose to follow that path – maybe a little bit at a time – and embrace what Erik Eriksson called ‘The Generative Age’. We can employ our real gifts and use them to encourage future generations.

“Everything is food,” say the Zen Buddhists. Everything we absorb affects our mind, body and soul. For example, our environment, friends, work and the influences we absorb. Frequently a person is faced by a decision: “How should I spend my time? Should I boost myself by taking-in some ‘positive food’? Or should I hurt myself by consuming ‘poisonous food’?” Let’s consider how you can enrich your mind, body and soul.

1) Positive food.

“My Eureka moment came one morning on the M25,” said one person. “Sitting in the traffic jam listening to politicians arguing on the radio, I found myself getting more depressed. So I switched off the radio, put on my favourite music and let my mind wander. It didn’t shift the traffic, but something changed within me. Now I start the day by listening to music, rather than arguments. Instead of ‘garbage in, garbage out’, I go for ‘good things in, good things out’.”

Try tackling the exercise on this theme. Start by identifying the ‘positive food’ you want to consume in your life and work. These may include, for example, meeting encouraging friends, spending time in the countryside, doing satisfying work, visiting the theatre or pursuing creative activities, such as painting, writing or gardening. Try completing the following sentence.

The positive food I want in my life and work is:

*

*

*

2) Poisonous food.

Describe the poisonous food you don’t want to consume in your life and work. One person took this literally. He said: “For years I ate unhealthy white bread and felt heavy. Now I have a wheat-free diet. I feel much better and, over the last 6 months, have lost 3 kilos.” The equivalent things for you may be, for example, listening to serial complainers, working with dispiriting clients, meeting in windowless rooms, staying in hotels that have ‘sick building syndrome’. Try completing the following sentence.

The poisonous food I don’t want in my life and work is:

*

*

*

3) Positive food in the future.

“Planning is needed to change the habits of a lifetime,” explained the person who changed his diet. “My job involves travelling around the country by train. Now I get to the station 20 minutes before the train departs - building-in time to buy salad and fruit at one of the recently opened food outlets. Previously I arrived 5 minutes before the train left - then ate crisps and starchy sandwiches during the journey. Now I feel more energetic and creative.”

Describe the specific things you can do to consume positive food in the future. Focus on the people, projects and places you find inspiring. You are then more likely to feel healthy, rather than heavy. Try completing the following sentence.

The specific things I can do to get
more positive food in the future are:

*

*

*

There are many ways to build on your strengths. One approach is to identify the activities in which you score highly on drive, detail and delivery. “I score at least 8/10 in all three areas when I am running workshops,” said one person. “I love sharing knowledge; enjoy designing and facilitating the workshop; and get good feedback from delegates. It feels like I have discovered what I do best.” Where does this happen for you?

Start by brainstorming all the activities in which you score highly on the 3 D’s. Then focus on one activity in which you want to specialise.

The 3 D’s. The specific activities in which I
score highly on drive, detail & delivery are:

*

*

*

The specific activity in which
I would like to specialise is:

*

Looking at this activity, let’s explore how you rate yourself on the 3 D’s.

1) Drive.

Motivation is crucial – so make sure your motivation to do this activity is at least 9/10. Sometimes we find our desire to do some jobs begins to diminish. One customer service director said: “People say I am great at running customer service initiatives, but my drive to lead yet another project is only 3/10. Now I want to take on an MD role and run a complete business. Yes, I must develop the knowledge required to lead a company. But I am prepared to do everything possible to produce at least a 9/10 in delivering success.” Looking at your chosen activity, try completing the following sentences.

Drive. The extent to which I have a
strong drive to do this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*

2) Detail.

Peak performers have great attention to detail in the activities where they excel. One marketing director told me: “I get bored with the detail.” When preparing for a TV interview, however, he kept rehearsing until he had an answer for every possible question. “But that is different,” he said. “I love doing television interviews and want to make sure I have covered every angle.” What he meant in his original statement was: “I get bored with the detail in those areas that don’t interest me.” Looking at the activity in which you do superb work, rate your attention to detail. Make sure it is at least 8/10. Try completing the following sentences.

Detail. The extent to which I have a attention
to detail when doing this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*

3) Delivery.

How good are you at finishing? People buy what you complete - so rate yourself on delivery. “Exploring this aspect was illuminating and changed the direction of my career,” said one environmental journalist. “Looking back at the magazine articles I wrote, there were differences in their quality. They all got published - but some were more satisfying and made more impact. Looking at the best, they highlighted practical initiatives taken to improve the environment, rather than spreading more ‘doom and gloom’. Now I concentrate on writing articles that provide people with practical hope.” Looking at the activity in which you do superb work, rate your delivery. Try completing the following sentences.

Delivery. The extent to which I deliver the
goods when doing this activity is: ___ / 10

The things I can do to improve - or maintain - this rating are:

*

*

*

Great performers excel at the 3 D’s. So keep putting yourself into the situations where you score highly on drive, detail and delivery.