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"Going Out of Your Mind"

Karla Robertson — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:02:00 +0000

I was listening recently to a TEDtalk where the person who had done research on the subject of happiness, creativity and human fulfillment shared an interesting piece of his findings: The human brain can only take in about 110 bits of information/second. Only? That still sounds like a lot to me. He went on further to say that if we really want to understand what is said or being presented to us, the number goes down to 60 bits of information/second.

Now imagine that you're trying to work a problem through. You're sitting in your office, trying to come up with a solution, writing up a plan that you have to deliver to the board of directors, etc. Phone rings and someone has a problem they need your input on. You hang up and try to get back to where you were. Someone knocks on your door and discusses something else. More information taking up prime RAM in your working memory. The truth about our brains is that we actually have a shockingly short amount of time each day (about 1-2 hours) to focus enough do the very analytical heavy lifting performed by the prefrontal cortex. You have all sorts of incoming information that is battling for a piece of this real estate. It tires easily. So you sit there and you realize, you're stuck. You keep looping back through the same thoughts or you don't have any good thoughts at all that propel you forward. Then, as deadlines approach and you still have nothing, something else begins to happen in your brain that works against you...a triggered threat response which releases chemicals like cortisol. This interloper begins to wash over your brain and your ability to learn as well as solve complex problems starts to take a nose-dive. It is scientifically known in neuroscience circles that intuition and low-level cognition are involved in complex problem-solving and innovation. Focus too much in the conscious areas and you are "over-thinking" and going nowhere fast which again amps up your cortisol. There's only one thing to do: Get out of your head.

When I get calls from people who are just so flustered and frustrated with all the plates they have spinning and all the information and tasks they have to deal with, they'll often say to me, "I'm going out of my mind here!" To which I reply, "Good. Keep going." The best way to lower the cortisol, activate the dopamine (good chemical associated with pleasure and one of the chemicals that helps with problem solving) is to stop overtaxing the conscious brain activity. The idea here is to lower the neural activity that's working against us. The best way to do this is to do something novel, creative, physical or meditative. Anything to get our of our prefrontal cortex and into other areas of our brain and subconscious. Studies indicate that we solve 60% of the problems we face without knowing how we solved them. We claim, "it just came to me." Often answers and solutions come to us after a good sleep, physical exercise, engaging in artistic expression or observation or even meditation. The unconscious is a powerful ally. It accesses various areas of our brain and memory and pieces things together in a way that bubbles up to our conscious and that's how we have our Aha! moments. As it turns out, very few of our problems get resolved in our prefrontal cortex.

So, what can you do as a leader to get through problem solving yourself and with your team? Is your office building on expansive property, close to a park, a museum? One exercise is to go to a museum and find a painting or sculpture and just observe it and notice what you're observing, feeling, experiencing. Don't be surprised if it connects to your issue and ideas start to flow. Play a game, take a walk in a park. The point is get yourself and your team out of the office and out of your minds. You will engage your people and their minds in a very powerful way that may just shift the way you think about thinking!

Leading in the "Age of And"

Karla Robertson — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:29:19 +0000

Cirque de Soleil - entertainment
Apple's iPhone – communication/connectedness
Southwest Airlines - transportation

What do these three consumer services/products have in common? They represent what emerges from what I call And-type thinking as opposed to Either/Or. Let's take a closer look…

Cirque de Soleil. In a nutshell, back in mid 1980s the entertainment industry was going from simmer to rapid boil and the circus…well, it was dying. Electronic games were capturing the minds and hearts of children (and the wallets of their parents). Additionally, more noise was being made about the use of animals in circus acts by the animal rights movement. At this time, a man named Guy Laliberté decided to combine two worlds: The Circus and The Theater. He then took the key/best elements of the circus: The excitement of daring acts, the tent-like environment and the clowns and combined them with the engaging aspects of Theater: story lines, visual artistry, multiple productions. It masterfully blends and plays to the entertainment level for children and the intellectual artistry and themed storytelling for adults.

Apple's iPhone. Steve Jobs is the master of integrative thinking that has lead to historical innovation that has changed the way we interact, purchase, communicate…and dare I say, to some extent, live. He took the technology of cell phones and iPods and PCs and combined it in the palm of our hand making any information, music and communication only a few taps away. This kind of thinking isn't what he does; it's part of who he is and what drives the thinking of his employees and the extraordinary results they produce.

Southwest Airlines. The great minds at this company decided that the current playbook and business models for the airlines wasn't working. So they decided to look outside the industry for inspiration. They combined the low cost of car transportation which doesn't offer meals, lounges, seating class choices or hub connectivity (all of which contribute to higher airfares) and the speed, friendly service and frequent departures of airlines. Southwest achieved a giant hike in value with a low cost model by thinking AND; not either/or.

Either/Or...
Either we do this my way or your way.
Either close down this business unit to save money or keep it open and save jobs
Either take a cut in pay or leave

Either/Or...We've heard them since we were kids...
"Either eat your vegetables or go to your room!"
"Either do your homework now or you can't watch TV!"

When you say it and hear it, doesn't it sound like a door slamming shut? Well, it is. It's the door to our minds closing out the possibilities of finding common ground, creating better solutions, exploring new and better options, bridging formerly insurmountable differences and ultimately making better choices.

What would it be like if we evolved from the Era of Either/Or and advanced into the Age of And? What would that sound like? What kind of leader would that make you? What kind of engagement would you get from your staff? How could that make life different for you right now?

The Boiled Frog

Karla Robertson — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:28:01 +0000

You may have heard of this term. I know it conjures up an image you might find on a menu in a strange land but it is actually a well known analogy having to do with how small gradual changes can accumulate and sneak up on us. Before we know it we're asking ourselves, "How did I get here?" The lesson of the Boiled Frog is this: If you put a frog in warm water it will jump out because it still has the strength in its legs to do so. If, however, you put the frog in warm water and s-l-o-w-l-y turn up the heat, its leg muscles will grow too weak to save itself.

In their book, Executive Stamina, father and son team Marty and Joshua Seldman discuss the traps, and ways to avoid or get out of them, that face executives. Many of them echo the theme of my past articles in that it is about how executives think about their responsibilities, their priorities, their values, etc. that drives them to make choices that can slowly over time boil their strength and endurance until they can no longer get themselves out of that state let alone deal effectively while in it.

But where does one begin when you feel the heat rising? When you don't feel like you have the strength to jump out of the boiling water? You begin where it always begins...with your values. What do you care about? The idea here is to achieve alignment and congruency between your personal values and life and your professional values and life. When there is a disconnect, priorities of family, relationships and commitments start to slide off the plate and you find yourself apologizing more and more and the receivers of your apologies find that it means less and less.

Pick up this book and do yourself, your family, your career, your team and your organization a favor and go through it. Don't wait until you are feeling the temperature rising...get ahead of it. Take the time to reflect on what your priorities are in all facets of your life and how you can give appropriate time to them by thinking differently about how to do so. For example, how about bundling them together? Do you wish you exercised more, hung out with your kids and your spouse, spent more time in that beautiful park down the street? Grab your bikes and make a family outing--exercise, family time and seeing the park all in one shot. They also address how to advance your career, protect your calendar and how important it is to get clarity around what is expected of you in all areas of your life. This helps you with the "I can do that" syndrome which can end up as "How am I gonna do that?"

One of the walls executives also run into is taking on more than they can do. This requires a reality check. One thing humans are very poor at doing is accurately assessing how much time something they say yes to is going to take. "Could you please be a coach of the soccer team?" Sure! "We would love to have you serve on our board of directors?" Would love to! Couple that with not knowing how to say a positive no or delegate and you are on your way to creating a span of time during which your kids will have no recollection of you in their lives when they think back. Blank. Nada. Zip. I know. This happened with my father and I. (I am glad to report that he made a massive career change in his mid-40's because of this growing chasm in our family, and was able to be more present as well as more satisfied in his job. Today, we have a very close and abiding relationship.) You don't have to leave your job, but you do have to get your priorities straight, know when and how to say no and make definitive decisions you stick to.

Another area that the Seldmans talk about how to get from where you are to a better place. They talk about setting minimums. These are goals that you know you can commit to and meet. Many people, and you know who you are, set these fantastic goals and expect to go from never doing something to doing it 4 times a week. Take getting home on time, for example. You make a bold statement and drive a stake in the ground declaring, "I'm going to be home and eat with my family 4 nights a week and turn my blackberry off." Right, how many times have you done that in the last year? Uh, zero? Let's get real. Start small. You can always do more but seek to consistently meet your minimums first for 30 consecutive days. Then adjust up. Remember you're going to be setting minimums in several areas of your life so make sure you can follow through. This teaches the brain to build new neural connections as you make decisions throughout the day that will support your ability to keep to your commitments. Most importantly, it will make you (and others) feel good that you are keeping your commitments.

At this point, you also need to be aware of what Joshua and Marty call "shifts and drifts". These are flags that tell you when you're slowly moving away from your goals (drifts-think boiled frog) and when things around you-events, relationships, industry- shift. This requires you to respond and think about how these changes are potentially going to impact your values and priorities and what you choose to do about them.

The idea behind what I'm saying here, and so are the Seldmans, is to build a reliable framework to use to help you sort out life and all the things that come with it. To help you maintain that alignment, authenticity and quality. It's not a one and done thing either. Just like business owners must create a business plan that doesn't mean they don't keep revisiting it to see if it's still relevant and working for them or if it require some tweaks. Our external world and internal experiences of dealing with that world are always in flux and therefore it is a great idea to have a way to pull off the road once in a while and see if all systems are still functioning well or are we beginning to overheat. Check out this book and let me know what you think.

First Follower: The Person Every Leader Needs To Build Engagement & Momentum

Karla Robertson — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:54:15 +0000

If you're like most leaders, you are facing the prospect of having to keep up with an economy and competitive landscape that's volatile, uncertain, complex and in motion. Not only that, you also are tasked with finding the right solutions and implementing them to keep your boss and/or shareholders happy, key talent in place and your career on track. Sometimes, you start to think it would take you doing something really whacky to make that happen...to ignite a fire underneath your people who seem frozen in place by learned helplessness. But you start to worry about putting yourself out there...and if you start to think about actually acting on that crazy idea you've been nurturing for the last 6 months, this voice begins to whisper a chilling possibility in your mind....

"What if no one follows you?" (Cue the primal scream)

Now stop reading and go to this link and listen to this 3 minute video. Then come on back...go on, I'll wait.

Okay, so what did you learn? Did you notice that the key is the first follower who turns someone who others think is two clicks left of center into someone worth following? Now, of course, the kinds of decisions you have to face as an executive will not be solved by doing a goofy dance in the middle of a park, (if only it were that simple and fun). However, if the situation, urgency and conditions are ripe to start a movement that will drive people toward a necessary goal or shift a culture, here are some thoughts about getting people moving in the direction you want:
(Psst! Some of this concept is spoken about in the book Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so.)

1. You need to be or find a leader who has the courage to stand by an idea and a plan that may be, shall we say, "non-traditional" and put it out there even if it means you are alone for a while. That alone takes guts, commitment... and a Plan B if it doesn't work out. Only kidding about the Plan B...sort of.

2. You need a first follower or even followers. These people are key, as the speaker explains. The most critical piece of these first followers is how you treat them. Derek Sivers said, "You must embrace them as equals.", as our dancing leader in the video did. This is the person who says, "Hey, it's okay, come on and join us." This is the person who influences others to contribute actively. You can see how he waves them into the crowd. And you can see how it takes off from there. That's because the first followers do something critical to influence the thinking of the people on the sidelines: They lower the risk of loss and danger in standing out. First followers make it safer to take a shot at greatness, doing something never done before.

First followers are what can potentially turn you, who is at first seen as a "candidate for a long vacation", into a visionary worth following and helping to achieve their goal. It can help to talk to those who you believe will join you and step up quickly after you initiate or announce your idea or plan. You may also get some good ideas from them that will help get needed engagement and momentum.

3. You need to be or find a leader who is willing to let go... to turn over the leadership to the first followers because they will determine largely how subsequent followers behave. Did you hear this idea of treating the first followers as equals? Interesting. Did you notice how the leader "disappeared" but you can be sure he was still dancing. It didn't matter that others took over and did some new moves. The leader let the momentum keep going and building. Soon it was uncool to not be with the in-crowd contributing to the experience.

As Derek Sivers says, leadership can be given more credit than its due sometimes and this can be true. While leaders usually get the credit for making something positive happen (because they will get the blame when it doesn't) it is in fact the first followers and those who follow them who often get others' buy-in and tactical traction that turns a radical idea into an actual implemented solution.

This is not to minimize the necessity or value of leaders...this is a timeless cautionary tale however: Too much control can lead the best ideas onto the rocks where they splinter apart. Leadership has many layers and to be most masterful you need to know when to have your hands on the wheel directing the course and when to hand it over and to whom, always making sure you stay engaged to help the team weather the rough seas and stay on course...pull this off well and people will consider that joining you in your goofy dance was one of the best decisions they made.

Is there a movement you want to start?

I Can('t) See Clearly Now (April 2010)

Karla Robertson — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:29:22 +0000

You know you've had this experience. You're asked by someone how to do something that you have done successfully yourself. You explain: Well first you have to do this, then follow it up with that, then just finish it up by doing this. It'll work like a charm. The person then thanks you and makes their attempt at the first step and then can't make it to step two. What happened? You told them how to do it didn't you? ....or did you merely tell them what to do?

In a great article written by Michael E. Raynor, who collaborated with Clayton Christensen on the book, "The Innovator's Dilemma", the fine but distinctive line that separates what from how is explored. Understanding the elements of each and how they are different is to hold in your hands the keys to unlocking the mystery of what keeps people from doing what you want them to do by transfering the how effectively.

Many times, we explain our version of how which only ends up sounding like a what to others because we are making our way through the steps as someone who already knows how to complete the task. We may also possess higher or different abilities than the recipient of the instruction which enables us to connect the dots of how to get the job done. Without consideration for the other person's experience and skills, your direction would be as helpful to them as trying to teach a trumpeter how to play a cello by explaining the nuances of bowing. The trumpeter is talented to be sure but not on the cello. He has no frame of skill reference for the basics let alone the nuance of bowing.

This is a mistake leaders (and most people) make over and over. We make assumptions that just because someone has been promoted to a very high position that they must get it, be a quick study, and can come up to speed with little instruciton. All they need is a cursory explanation when that is not always the case. And just imagine the anxiety it produces in that person when the "boss" has explained something and the receiver doesn't get it. I mean really, who can they ask? I can't tell you how many executives I've talked to that would rather drag their body over broken glass than ask their superior to explain it again or more clearly. There is so much that is assumed and left for interpretation or completely left out. Then, of course, the person tries to get it done and either spends so much time figuring it out, does it wrong or delays it that the superior gets angry. Same thing happens with teachers, parents, children and spouses...all the time.

As Mr. Raynor explained in his article, a way to look at this is, "when you have explained to people how to do something they are able to do it." Seems obvious doesn't it. If we watch a cooking show that says the chef is going to teach you how to fillet a fish, you should be able to do so after the show. But how morphs into what when your explanation runs headlong into the limits of the receiver's skill set to apply that direction to get the job done.

A story from my disco dancing days (Don't hold that against me.) illustrates this point. I had this idea back at the height of the Disco craze that my friend and I would teach people in the privacy of their own homes how to dance to the disco beat. So, we put together a routine and, with our vinyl LPs spinning on the turntable, taught it to all our clients. This one couple wanted to learn how to do a dip. So as they danced, we talked them through a few steps leading up to the dip and then said to them: "Okay John, now just support Janet as she bends backwards." Well, what happened next was quite the scene which resulted in Janet picking carpet fibers out of her hair and tending to a rug burn. See, we told them what to do not how to do it...(an actual demonstration of the maneuver would have helped too.)

My point is, everything is easy...when you know how to do it.

I run into this all the time when I'm learning new technology and speaking to customer/tech support or reading instructions in the Help section of a site. The conversation sounds something like this:

Me: "How do I get this audio file to do such and such.?"
Tech: "Just convert it to downloadable file or an MP3." (He thinks he's just told me how...I only heard what I'm supposed to do because my knowledge is limited. I don't know how to convert things into a downloadable file or MP3. I don't have that skill.)
Me: Great! How do I do that? (See? I'm still asking how...to me, it hasn't been answered yet.)
Tech: what direction.>
Me: (I am now shut down and ticked off due to his impatient response. Customer/ Tech support is perhaps a topic for another time...)

So, when answering the question as to how to do something, be aware of this phenomena and give your instruction in the context of the receiver and their abilities. Make it safe for them to ask you to clarify or for them to ask for more direction or detail. Remember that it takes courage for many people, especially those at the executive level, to ask for help or to admit they don't know. It leaves them a bit vulnerable. So if you are approached, understand that making someone feel "stupid" for not knowing or for needing more clarification will only backfire on you. What you teach them is that you are not approachable, trustworthy or reliable. You become a threat to them thus you teach them to hide things from you and appear to undersand what you want when they don't. That is a recipe for future disaster. Be the leader that invites curiosity, who teaches, mentors, and most of all builds better thinking in your team in a collaborative non-judgmental way. By doing so, you will truly be helping them (and yourself) and the path will be clear for people to deliver what you want more often than not.

And as a bonus, you build a very important skill as a more masterful mentor and leader.

Post your comments at my Blog

Put the FUN Back in FUNctional

Karla Robertson — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:50:17 +0000

Okay, so we know business can get serious but it doesn't have to be a solemn undertaking. As business leaders know, it's easier to get people in organizations to function well when all is right with world with only minor disturbances. When we're enduring the kind of times we've been in for the last 18 months or so, people's minds start to loop in a pattern of "why bother, it won't make a difference anyway." This is known as learned helplessness which I spoke about in my newsletter of July 2008. Additionally, the minds of some people start to knee-jerk and look to find quick fixes to emerging or mounting issues rather than engage in thoughtful introspection about root causes and possible solutions. Are you unflappable in the face of uncertainty and stress or do you notice a shift in the way you think and behave causing you to be, well, contributing to the feeling of helplessness?

Under stress, we can tend to spiral downward in our thinking and we don't bring our best selves forward. The internal tape runs a full gamut of gloom, doom and worry. The negative self-talk intensifies until it becomes the filter through which we see the world and through which we make decisions. Having a grip on reality is one thing. Begin choked by that grip? Not productive and definitely not fun.

It is when times are trying, when stress is at its highest, when coming to work is fraught with anxiety and insecurity that a leader needs to step up and be emotionally intelligent and unflappable...at least publicly. One skill that can break the unhealthy tension and refocus people is to learn how to bring an amount of fun back to the functioning of an organization. It brings things back into balance. Like the thermostat in your home, creating some fun at work brings the temperature back into check. There is a certain amount of homeostatic balance that needs to be present in order to give us some equilibrium to cope in the midst of stress. What that means is people need to be able to count on something or someone being stable and reliable so they can face the current turbulence and still perform. Bringing appropriate humor, levity and, yes, a certain amount of fun can help bring about a homeostatic atmosphere for people to work within. There is a neurological reason for this.

People will tend to do what you want them to do with more ease and creativity when you introduce fun. The pleasure derived from fun triggers dopamine which washes over our brain and enters our system. We are more relaxed. We just think and perform better over long periods of time when we do not have toxic hormones like cortisol coursing through our bodies. Triggered by stress, any number of things happen to us and if you pay attention, you can see it on the faces and in the actions and even in the thinking of people around you. Just pay attention. You might even find your own common sense and best self at the mercy of your stress response.

Introduce fun and then watch what happens. See how the energy changes and listen for the innovative ideas that may just start to emerge in meetings. People who swore they didn't have enough time to get a task done, somehow find ways to complete it and in a higher quality way than expected. You can change behaviors by making the task fun, by creating an atmosphere of levity and release an army of pleasurable dopamine instead of a sinister slew of destructive cortisol.

Just take a look at these brilliant, short videos...Look at how deciding to make something fun actually changes behaviors for the good. Here are more videos at a great site called Thefuntheory.com, an initiative of Volkswagen.

Watch, learn, and think about how you see "work". Do work and play have to be mutally exclusive or is there a Venn diagram where the two combined can shift mere functioning into inspired achievement on a daily basis? Lest you think this is fluffy stuff make no mistake that having fun can drive seriously productive results.

How could you create a FUNctional foundation in your organization or team? It starts with how you choose to think about yourself and the culture you wish to develop and nurture. Ask yourself what else may be required of you now as an executive leader that hasn't been asked of you before? What motivated employees 15 years ago may not work today. Could adding some aspect of fun or "serious play" at work inject a needed lift? Sometimes the methods and thinking that got us where we are will not be enough to get us where we're going. Let me know what you think...

On The Shoulders of Giants

Karla Robertson — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:41:27 +0000

by Karla Robertson, PCC

"If I can see farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants." - Sir Isaac Newton

Are you providing the opportunity for emerging leaders to see farther and learn from other successful leaders?

A topic that is top of mind for many CEO's and other senior executives is succession planning. Who is going to take the reins and keep the momentum moving forward? Who can lead the executive team to the next level, making sure everyone is focused on emerging trends as well as current deliverables to customers and shareholders while providing a culture that engages and retains the best talent?

A neurologist, VS Ramachandran, gave a very compelling TEDtalk in 2009 regarding "mirror neurons". It's fascinating and the reason I bring it up in this context is this: The brain has this subset of neurons that fire when we observe someone else doing something or touching something. Ramachandran asserts that this plays into the way cultures have evolved and people have learned, advanced civilization and passed down ways of doing things. We emulate what we see others do. This is why it's so important as a leader to realize that how you show up teaches others how to be as leaders as well.

What are you teaching others as you engage during your day? Is it what you want to teach others about leadership? Listen to his 7:44 min talk.

For a long time, leadership equaled command and control. Telling, directing, solely deciding and handing down orders to be carried out by the rest of the organization's employees. Today, and for some time now, there has been a shift to what is becoming known as "servant leadership". The key aspect of this kind of leadership is knowing when not to lead, not to speak louder, not to tell or direct. While great leaders tend to stand taller than others, the key is not to cast too long and dark of a shadow that snuffs out the light of others. Servant leaders offer a view to a higher line of sight to those under them by inviting them up to stand on their shoulders to see the landscape from that perspective and help them become better thinkers for themselves.

This is not to say that today's leaders don't take command or make final decisions when needed. Direction and providing a compass for the company is critical for members of the C-suite to provide. If you want to ensure sustainability, growth and relevancy in your organization, raising up other leaders is key. Identifying and grooming emerging leaders will develop their executive thinking. This, in turn, will build their competency to drive results, progress, innovation and the continual evolution of an organization's growth and financial strength while holding everyone and themselves to a strong code of ethics.

For some current leaders this will be a challenge. There is a saying though, "The thinking that got you where you are may not be the thinking that will get you where you need to go." If you are a leader who wants change, the first place to focus is not on how can you do things better or differently but how can you think better (or differently) about the things that need doing. Albert Einstein said, "The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking." This is so true. When we see the competition is gaining on us or when our stock is down, when expectations are up, when our budgets are squeezed we tend to want to take action..."We must DO something!" Instead of scrambling to take some action, try to step back and ask yourself, "How can we think about this differently?" "Is there another way to see this issue, challenge or opportunity?"

Remember that sometimes we get stuck in loops of thinking and get hemmed in by our deeply held beliefs and "sacred cows". It's good to revisit them and be aware of how the stories we tell ourselves and the assumptions that form the basis for our thinking influence our decisions and therefore our outcomes. Ask yourself if the basis for your thinking is still relevant? When was the last time you really dug deep and challenged your thinking in a particular area, like, say, your leadership? You may ask the same of your team as well.

Have you invited others to stand on your shoulders? And on whose shoulders have you stood lately? Have you sought out others to whom you ascribe credibility and high achievement and from whom you could learn? Current leaders as well as emerging ones need to do this. Find your "wise one" on the mountain and go visit once in a while to see the view from there and listen to a different perspective. You may find you're on the right track or you may experience a spark of insight that tweaks your thinking in a way that makes a huge difference.

The shifting sands of today's world dynamics require us to regularly check in with our thinking to make sure the way we connect the dots is aligned with getting us where we need to go.

Focus

Karla Robertson — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 02:19:42 +0000

"It's not what you intend to do but what you actually do that counts."

That's something I came up with when I was with a group of folks and one person was trying to explain why he hadn't done what he promised to do for the other. The other person had that plastered-on smile that was trying to say "It's okay." when really the impact was, "Wow, I was counting on you and you let me down."

What's that other saying? "The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

The reason I bring this up is because, we have "good intentions" as we begin a new year and then somehow they get sidetracked, derailed, lost in the shuffle, back-burnered, reprioritized...you get the drift. I've been thinking that maybe it's because that word -intentions - is plural. Perhaps we should start out in the singular...intention . Just one. Make it happen. Not just part of the way; all the way. Then, move onto a new intention. Do that one. Repeat. People don't really want or need to hear about what you intended to do...they care about what you actually did. Can you imagine talking about your intentions in an interview? "Yes, well, I intended to be the #1 producer however I ended up 15th." or "I intended to lead the company in an ethical way however..." So to avoid that, here are 4 tips as we face the first year of a new decade:

   1. (psst! It's Task Switching not Multitasking) We've gotten bitten by the multitasker bug and really folks, brain science tells us we are kidding ourselves and shortchanging those we serve and the results we are supposed to deliver not to mention the quality of our communications and relationships. We delude ourselves into thinking we can do this and do it well when in fact our brains just aren't built to function that way. Oh yes, we can do one task after another and switch between 2 or more but we really cannot and do not do more than one at a time. When we divide our attention, I spoke about this a bit in last month's newsletter, we tax our limited working memory and prefrontal cortex. We are capable of the mere act of task swtiching. However, this kind of cerebral acrobatics costs us and eventually accumulates and backs up on us. Something's gotta give and it is the quality of our performance and results...you know, (ahem) the thing by which others will judge each of us.

   2. How to choose what to focus on. One word. Prioritize. Ask yourself what would produce the biggest lift if you were to focus on it and get it done? What's the cost of not focusing on that thing? What action that you have yet to take has the most riding on it? What will only get worse the more you delay closure? This is not to say that you silo yourself and not work on or think about anything else in your life. "I'm sorry boss, I can't fly to D.C. and make a presentation to the board since I'm focused right now on creating my business plan." This also doesn't mean you can't delegate to others or renegotiate deadlines when you have multiple competing priorities. What it does mean is that when you decide you are going to tackle a priority, you must become deliberate in the steps and actions you take and fierce about protecting your time to get your chosen task done. Ask yourself: Who else or what else could help you get this done sooner than later and in a way that will bring it to successful closure? Look, there will always be interruptions that cannot be avoided however you can move the ball on this one and get higher quality output and closure on more of your to-do list if you focus.

   3. Remove distractions. This means physical and mental. Physical: noise, phone, IM pings and pings associated with incoming email, kids, dogs, your hunger or other bodily demands, shall we say. Mental: Intruding thoughts about having to shop for your spouse's birthday gift, the sale going on at the mall, the fight you had last night with your friend, sibling, parent or spouse, or your upcoming review, speach, etc. You must develop a discipline around your mental focusing ability. create an environment in which you will not be disturbed either until a certain amount of time passes, you get to a certain point (milestone), you run into a roadblock that you can't get through, whatever. But you do have to set a timeframe to complete the entire task. Invest in getting this down and it will pay you dividends.

Let me say one thing about focus: it does not exclude being able to be creative, innovative or spontaneous. Let me tell you why from a personal standpoint and share something I learned as it relates to my operating style: I can be easily distracted by my thoughts. Oh, can I idea-generate and imagine...at any time during the day while at my desk or on a plane, etc. People always wonder, "How do you come up with this stuff, Karla?" Well this is how. There can be a price though. There are always hundreds of thoughts coursing through the superhighway of my mind and that is not unique to me. All humans have thousands of synapses firing all the time. The difference is that people like me, give them air time when they pop up and get noisy, insisting on getting some attention. If it's a cool idea or information I've run across while surfing, I'm doomed...or I should say whatever I was working on is.

However, here's what's happened over the last several years. I realized that by focusing and bringing in a more disciplined approach to the way I operate, it actually allows me to be spontaneous, organic, innovative and creative and not lose my focus or my point. By preparing and being thorough in my research and staying on track, I end up with more free time to do the things I like to do like hang out at TED.com and imagine how I can use what I'm learning there to serve my clients and my network. It's deliberative on my part. I actually will catch myself disengaging from a task because something either came into my head or I saw something that interested me and I will say out loud, "Nope. Focus, Karla." and that will bring me back. I always have many things going on at any given moment like most people. By developing a discipline of mind I can finish more of them and free up more time as well as deliver the quality I want to be known for. Like I've said in the past about the hardwiring in our brain...we can't erase the hardwiring that's there but we can build new wiring that will allow our thinking to disrupt the pathways that don't work for us. We can catch ourselves and redirect our thinking and therefore our actions that lead us in a better direction. It won't happen overnight but stick with it and it will become a new habit of mind.

   4. Learn how to say No. I can hear you now. "How can I say no to my boss?" and about 30 other How can I's. You have trouble saying no to the important requests because little by little we said Yes to requests that you really didn't have to and it filled up your available time. Now you're stuck. There are people who do this and have a very rough time distinguishing what to take on and what to defer or turn down. You can say, "I'd love to do that for you if you're willing to give me until...(name the date that gives you time...more than you need.)" If the person can't wait that long, refer them to someone else who may have capacity. Or ask them to work on the task further and then come back so you don't have as much to do on it. (Note: By doing this you may find they end up doing the whole thing! While you may say that this is a bit sneaky, I encourage you to think of it as helping them become better thinkers and able to solve their own challenges. Oftentimes, that is the actual outcome of saying No.) There's a quote: "No one has enough time; but everyone has all the time they're going to get." Think about what you say Yes to.

So I know all of you will say you have your process for getting things done and my response is to ask you, "How's it working for you?" More importantly, how is it working for the people you serve? The people who matter to you? And how would you know if it was? Really, this is about making highest and best use of what being disciplined and focused as well as what being open and go with the flow can do for us when we blend them or use them at the right times. Last month I spoke about what happens when we flip out on the extreme of one side or another of a given behavior. We are out of the action. So, yes, sometimes, the way to re-establish a fresh focus is to leave it and do something else. When you get back to whatever "it" is for you, though, focus and finish. This way, more often than not, you won't find yourself explaining why you didn't get something done ...even though you intended to.

Thriving in the Gap

Karla Robertson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:45:47 +0000

When I step back and close my eyes and think about all that has transpired this year in my personal and professional life, there is a theme that emerges like a neon sign shining through the density of neural activity in my brain: I was constantly managing and finding my way through the tension between what is (reality) and what could be/should be (potential/ideal). I saw that I was not alone in this. Everyone I speak to is, and has been, trying to make the best of where they are with what they have and still trying to move the ball in the direction of their ideal state of being for themselves, their business, their relationships, etc. What can happen, though, if we're not adept at managing in the gap between Reality and Possibility/Ideal? What does taking either one of those to the extreme look like?

When you take Realism to the next level it morphs into a deteriorative cynicism that masquerades as "I'm just being real". Cynicism is a dark and sneaky sort. It seeks to make others feel stupid and inept for believing that things could be or should be better. Cynics (we all know some) are easy to spot. They are the ones sitting usually in the back of the room with their cohorts whispering to each other and shaking their heads when some poor sole has the guts (or in their mind naivite) to stand up and talk about possibilities, new ideas, hope, and enthusiasm. "Poor guy", they say, "he just doesn't get it." Cynics don't want it to work out. They want to see you fail so they can feel secure in their cynicism and don't have to take a risk and step out of that mood that is driven by their chosen mindset. Mind you they are not to be confused with skeptics, their distant cousin.

Skeptics you need and want. They differ from cynics in that they truly want it to work out. They are your eyes and ears and objective minds who see the potential pitfalls and what ifs. They are vital to good, whole-brained decision-making. They tend to get a bad rap though because the minute they open their mouths to draw attention to how things could go wrong they are branded as "downers, cynics, raining on the parade, etc.". Lest the enthusiasts run away with the show, skeptics should have a rightful and valued place in any team. Talk to them and see where their thoughts are. If they are excited and believe in the direction and want to see the idea, project, etc. work and are just airing their views so nothing
gets in its way, then you've probably got a skeptic, not a cynic on board. Their views and warnings may slow things down so you can check them out or rework them but it will be worth it in the end if you want sustainable results. Keep the skeptics. Cynics, get rid of them.

On the other side is Possibility/Ideal. If you flip out on that side you end up in a "lost in space" realm with no direction or connection to what is relevant. Way too much time is wasted talking about extraneous possibilities. These are people who just put stuff out there because it's cool (to them) and are not focused enough on the relevant aspects of the discussion, needs, direction and vision. The raging idealists are also people you must be aware of if they are on your team. Yes, they can do a massive brain dump of ideas which at some point may be useful however, they can steamroll a team in the wrong and useless direction if not managed well.

So, what we need to be skillful at is operating in the gap between Reality and Possiblity/Idealism; What is and what could or should be. This is where the action is and dialog should be. Being in the gap does not mean you cannot innovate. On the contrary. You can think out of the box and still be in this gap. So make the most of the diversity of thinking that you have around you. Who are those folks who seem to always cut right through everything and ask the right questions that almost everyone else misses? Who is that person who keeps their eye on the financial ball? Who is that person who can take everyone's idea and create a new concept or approach that no one else sees? Who is that person who is great at facilitating this kind of discourse so that you can come to closure and yet not cut off good dialog prematurely?

Learn to dance in this gap without getting trigger happy so that you flip out on either side. It is when we take an integrated approach to our challenges that the best solutions emerge.

What could this approach do for you in 2010?

Cool Links

If you're into Twitter for your business or are still wondering what it's all about and what value it could serve, read this article from this month's Inc. and ponder. http://www.inc.com/twitter/index.html

Staying connected - even if you're not an entrepreneur with your own business, this article is relevant seeing as we're all juggling so much and can be immersed in world's of "getting by" and "making it happen". Sometimes we forget to touch the hands and hearts of those who mean the most to us...our spouses and partners. http://tinyurl.com/ylauwy3

And this site is only for those minds who enjoy twisted humor. http://www.despair.com . Just go there and it will become clear to you what they're all about. You know those posters you see in offices that have a think black matting around a picture with the word TEAMWORK under it and then some inspirational saying underneath the word TEAMWORK? Well think of this site as anti-inspirational but in a very sarcastic funny way. As 7-Up billed themselves as the un-cola, these people are the un-inspirational...with a smirk.

In Case You Missed It Last Month

Some folks told me they couldn't open this link in my newsletter last month. This has to do with sound and how powerful it is. Check out this 5-minute TED video to understand how it impacts business more than you think. http://tinyurl.com/ygkvbqv

Great Reads

Leadership and Self-Deception - also get the self-study guide which is sold separately on the same page where this link takes you. http://tinyurl.com/63m56h . It's a great investment for you and your team, family, board of directors, etc. I have taken the course and it is very powerful and transformational and the learning sticks as much as you put into it.

Need a laugh? Okay I know this sounds "out there" but this book had me laughing out loud in the store. Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates. She is a very clever writer with a sarcastic wit and also very giving. She and her husband have made Cake Wrecks their business now and are donating $200/day for the next 14 days to a different charity each day. Check out their site at http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

What Music Are You Making?

Karla Robertson — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:36:25 +0000

Sound...it's all around us. We even hear it when we're still in the womb. In utero, our brains begin to pick up frequencies that are in close proximity. We actually begin to be affected by those waves of music, voices, as well as natural and unnatural sounds of the environment that are in close proximity to our internal, temporary "home".

As it turns out, music has the most powerful impact on us. Listen to this very brief TED video on Sound by Julian Treasure on "How Sound Affects Us." http://tinyurl.com/ygkvbqv

In a sense all of it is some kind of "music" to our brain. As Julian Treasure says, it does affect us in 4 key ways. He speaks quite a bit about this in the context of businesses, retail in particular. So let's take this science into the context of leadership and interpersonal exchanges. What music are you making in the minds of others? What impact is the way you say things having on the people you love, work with, want action and buy-in from? There is much talk, study, classes and theory about what to say and I think equal if not more learning needs to be engrained in terms of how one says things. Because just like music, our voices - tone - speed - inflection- can either create a cacaphony that people's minds will want to shut out or a melody that is calming, relaxing, energizing, and inviting that entices their minds to stay open, be present, engaged, and curious. (Note: if you're in the presence of the other person, your facial expression and body language will also help or hurt the impact your wish to have.)

So think about and pay attention to the impact you are having on others when you speak to them in person or on the phone. Watch for signs of the urge to flee or the urge to stay as you speak. What reactions are you noticing? Are they wincing? Does a crease appear between their eyebrows? Are they looking away or down? Do they Increase the physical distance between you and them? Do they try to cut you off or truncate the conversation? or Do you experience them smiling, asking more questions, offering to sit and continue the conversation, moving closer, brows are relaxed? Nodding their head? (Not nodding off...oh no, not that!)

As a leader, you will have to engage many constituencies and deliver all manner of news. If you've been wondering why your message isn't being heard or worse bought into, it could be due to several reasons and one of them could be the music of your voice. Your thinking could be right on the money and your strategy and execution sound. However, if your delivery of that message is discordant with what you want your audience to feel, results can be astonishingly contrary to what you expect or desire. Your voice is your instrument to carry your message on the waves of sound to those who need to hear it. How that message lands in their brains and what it triggers will be determined by how well tuned your delivery is. So pay attention and fine-tune your delivery so that you may create in your listeners a symphony of confidence, connectivity, energy, thoughtfulness, positivity and desire to hear more.

Cool Link

Mental sharpness getting a bit dull? Is it taking you longer to recall information? Do you find yourself searching for words in the middle of a conversation? Do you tend to forget people's names after you just met them? I found a great site that can help you with that by challenging your brain with different games that focus on specific aspects of your brain's thinking compartments! Check it out. www.lumosity.com