And, the #1 reason we co-founded the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy. Your routines can be valuable when they streamline your workflow.
But if you’re feeling stuck, it’s time to change your perspective. It's what we do...
Keep reading below to learn THREE ways you can change your perspective.
But first, a video:
Change the way you see (and do) things Below, you'll learn 3 ways to change your perspective, get MORE of the more important things done, and be a better _________ [fill in the blank!].
#1. Go. There.
Work where you won’t be interrupted for 30 minutes.
Reserve a conference room and go there to think deeply about a big, long-term project. You’ll get more quality work done in a shorter amount of time if you protect yourself from interruptions by other people, your own workspace and your technology.
How do you find this time? Here's a video to get you thinking...
#2. Meet. Them.
Meet with someone and talk about what’s real.
A mentor, a coach, a therapist, a sponsor…you need someone you can talk to in confidence. Hearing another point of view on your problems can give you a fresh perspective, relieve some stress, and it may even produce new solutions.
So much stress is caused by you thinking about (and REthinking about!) something that should be different. Once you know you want things to change, you've GOT to have the conversation - a NEW conversation - with yourself and someone on your team who can help you get there.
#3. Be. Mindful.
Think. Do. Then think again.
It’s all routine: how, where, and when we think. So, change it up. Write the name of a project on a note card, get a pen, and go for a 10-minute walk outside. When you get 5 minutes away, stop and write down what you’ve thought of about the project. Then, walk back to your desk. Changing your location changes your perspective. Stimulating your brain with fresh supply of oxygen can give you the creative boost to notice what was right there all along.
Of course you’re busy...
Change see old things in new ways, get ideas to work smarter, and achieve more of the goals you’ve set.
You just may get an idea you can use to have a better conversation and change your perspective today!
We cofounded the GET MOMENTUM Leadership Academy to serve leaders who serve others. You receive training AND coaching in 12 Leadership Skills you’ll be called on to improve year after year. We coaching you In Person, In Print, and Online.
I write letters. Some people say I write a LOT of letters.
Sometimes the letters I write have an opinion. Other times, I’m sending an acknowledgement of the person I’m writing. When I look out at my world and see an action, a movement or an event and have the thought, “Wow, I’m grateful,” that’s my indicator to take out my journal and write.
Just about everything I do begins as an idea in a notebook. Or on a white board. And, every now and then, on a restaurant napkin (hopefully, a paper napkin!). This gives me the chance to write a “rough, rough draft,” knowing that if I really do ultimately write that letter that I’m thinking it’ll have gone through a few revisions.
Many times, I keep the original letter I send. It’s easier than you think…all I do is take a picture with my Smart Phone, and add that jpg as a note in my digital filing system. I label the photo with the name of the person I’m writing, that’s it. All the meta data (when I wrote it, where I wrote it) is saved in the file itself.
As you can see from the picture below, I’ve been doing this for a long, long time!
Over time, I’ve experimented with different formats for my letter writing exercises. For a while now, the letters I write follow a loose format which includes responding to the following prompts:
I call out in 4-7 sentences exactly what I saw (or learned) that person did.
Next, I describe how “what they did” makes me feel.
And, I include what I’ve learned from their action.
Now, that’s all a loose suggestion, and I’ve only been practicing writing letters like that for a few years. I can imagine in a decade or so I’ll have changed it up again, but that’s not the point. The most important thing is that you ask yourself THIS question:
“Are there people in my world I could write a letter to?"
If the answer is anywhere near YES, open your Momentum Journal and write that person’s name on the top of the page. Over the next couple of days, add a few lines, ideas or paragraphs as you begin to respond to the three prompts above.
Want some help? I write and talk a lot about “Journaling” in my books. Click here.
Consider what you want to be known for (Question #1 from our book Get Momentum) and add to your strategic plan - or your Wish List! - by strengthening your WHY. Again, open your Momentum Journal and write more than just what you want to be known for and the task list of things to do to get there. Add to that journal entry with a list (more than 25?!) of reasons WHY you want to be known for doing that project you’re working on.
Oh, and if you’re a member of Get Momentum from anywhere in the world, please watch all the way to the end of that video Jodi recorded. Remember that offer you get as a member? (Here’s a reminder…)
When it comes to making things possible, how do you work together…together?
In our work as Executive Coaches and corporate leadership facilitators, we know how important it is to balance a healthy dose of focus on the present with time, energy and focus spent on the future. But, now do you do that?
Do you have important things to get done? Do you want to be more productive and reduce your stress at work? Think differently, and you will get more done.
Last week I spoke to two groups of managers in Seattle, Washington about the topic: "Optimize Your Time and Focus to Get Momentum."
My intention was to demonstrate how important it is to think differently and plan out the different "sizes" of projects to start and changes to make. When I coach leaders to achieve success while working in alignment with their purpose, we use a tool called “So that…”
Recently, a client texted:
"I am using the 'So that' process every day to be more productive at work."
What are the "So thats..." that drive you to do your best work for the individuals, groups and organizations you serve? You know... as author and TED Speaker Simon Sinek asks, "WHY? do you do what you do?"
What's the purpose of you working as hard as you do, worrying about problems that need to be solved, and raising your opinion - and your voice - about what's happening around you?
Get Started Here
Sure, you are working on many projects, but right now choose one meaningful project. It could be personal, or something at work to get done. Open your Momentum Journal, and write 3-5 "So thats."
Here's an example: I am working on my 5th book this year.
"I am writing another book so that:
recently promoted managers have a field guide to achieve success in their first 100 days;
our past and current clients have new material to offer to their staff through the book, website, workshops and coaching programs;
we have new articles to publish in magazines;
we have new material to share for free via social media and podcasts;
I think differently about my coaching practice."
Different Kinds of Thinking
Continue thinking of three different "sizes" about the project. Do this to be more productive, reduce your stress and work in alignment with your purpose. Whether you chose a personal or professional project, you can go up and down the scale of thinking.
Large Thinking: The WHO. Describe the community and specific reasons they will benefit when you are finished.
When I wrote my third book, Your Best Just Got Better, I had a wall of pictures I had taken from magazine covers and printed from websites. They were all the people I had wanted to send a copy of my book to for their endorsement. Some people I knew, some people I had not met yet, and the common denominator was simple: EVERY person was in a position to ask hundreds or even thousands of other people to read my book.
Medium Thinking: The WHAT. What is a "rough draft" picture of the deliverable? Describe in detail what it will look, sound and feel like when the client or community uses it.
When we launched v3 of the Get Momentum Leadership Academy, I had (on the same wall in my office, of course!) printed out 13 different "Requests" from current members. Throughout the rebuilt of the website and revision of the materials, we constantly referred back to that information asking ourselves, "What do our members want from us?"
Small Thinking: The HOW. Open your calendar and choose (this week) a 75-minute block of time to talk about, plan and work on that project. Create the desk/office space you need to have a successful practice session.
Getting Things Done isn't just about managing time anymore. Back in the early 2000's, I was a GTD facilitator and coach; I helped people organize their office, empty their inbox and make lists of things they had not done yet. What do I know after having facilitated more than 500 days of those seminars in 6 years?
Time is not the ONLY factor that limits your ability to get things done. You need to add in three other elements:
Environment
Ability to focus
Energy Available
Where Are You?
If you need to work without distraction, you might need to move somewhere for a day (or an hour...or a week!). If you want to Get Momentum on the project, create the environment you need to get it done. Find a conference room you can sit in at lunch. Sit in your car for 15 minutes in the morning. Invite someone to meet you for coffee to talk about your project and brainstorm how it will help people you want to serve.
What's Distracting You?
Notice, I did not say "Who?" I said "What?". That is, if you go to that place you CAN focus, you do not want anything left on your mind that will distract you while you are there. Want a tip? Take this one that you can read about in David Allen's book, Getting Things Done:
"...you will want to collect anything else that may be residing in your psychic ram."
How do I do it? Before I start any work session (writing, planning, thinking, even facilitating a workshop!), I make a hand-written list of at least 30 things that are on my mind. When I do this, it lets a part of my mind relax so I can go to work. Later on, I will come back to and look at that list to see what I need to do.
How Much Energy is Left?
Ok, so are you a morning person? An evening person? Do you get energy by being around people? Alternatively, when you work alone? There are two ways of looking at this third prompt:
1) How can you boost your energy on the front side of a work session; or
2) How much energy do you have, and what are you good for?
Look, I am a morning person. I know it, my wife knows it, my friends know it, and I have even trained my clients so that they know it! If anyone around me wants the BEST and most I have to give, they know to plan something in the morning. However, this does not mean I cannot work later in the afternoon, or into the evening.
If I am going to work at my non-prime times, then I will have my tricks and tools handy that help me stay engaged when I need it most.
You are not going to find a one-size-fits-all when it comes to being as productive as possible. Start by identifying your "So thats..." and continue by making sure you are thinking at all the levels you need. Use this “So that…” process to think – and work – productively and purposefully.
How can we fix what's going on in #Charlottesville? We have to think differently: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/one-size-thinking-doesnt-fit-all-jason-w-womack-med-ma on @LinkedIn
Like you, I work for my income. As a business owner, my bank account is a DIRECT reflection of my ability to provide a service that someone else will pay me for.
If the answer is YES, then I have to deliver that work. I then send an invoice. Then, I wait (sometimes a little, other times a lot). During that time, I’m paying my own expenses, keeping our staff and contractors paid, as well as paying the taxes (yes, even on the outstanding invoices!).
So, when I have to make a financial decision to GIVE UP $10 or $50 or even $100, you MUST know that choice hit my bottom line. So, why would I willingly give American Airlines $200 of my money? Let me explain...
A while ago, a friend-of-a-friend asked if I wanted to contribute a “video course” to a entrepreneur she knew was creating a Channel of expert-led classes. The preliminary details sounded good: I’d fly to their city, be in their studio, have them edit the course I teach, and best of all…the content would be based on our newest book, “Get Momentum."
As we got closer to the date, I made my plans. I blocked the day off the calendar - turning down other work that had come in along the way - as well as made my travel arrangements; including a non-refundable airline ticked with my airline of choice: American Airlines.
Then…things started unraveling. With less than 3 weeks to go, I got an email, with a link, to review the “Contract.” Well, I immediately forwarded a PDF version of the contract I’d received (THAT was an issue in an of itself!) to my corporate attorney.
NOTE: Please, if you are in business for yourself - no matter how small - have an attorney on your side.
Ok, I’m going to make this next bit really, really short.
Three emails, and 4 phone calls later (between the “video course” folks and my attorney) it turned out that the fine print of the contract was going to open up (a) some liability, and (b) my content would be free for them to re-edit and re-use.
Well, I had purchased a non-refundable ticket from American at $323. So, I had to make the big decisions to:
NOT sign the contract.
NOT fly to Austin
NOT get a $300+ dollar refund
Give up $200 to American Airlines as a “change fee” the next time I want to use that ticket.
And, you know what? I’m happy. That $200, sure it eats at Jodi and my “bottom line.” We won’t be able to do “SOMEthing” this month, cause we’re 200 bucks Short. BUT, in the long term it was the best choice.
This month (Monday, August 7th and Monday, August 14th), Get Momentum member Stephen Collins (living in Canberra, Australia) is leading 1-hour long Emotional Intelligence Mastermind sessions through an online, global meeting room.
Emotional Intelligence is the POWER that helps you be a more effective leader.
When you learn the skills of team building and collaboration, everything is better.
How well do you work together?
And, what could happen if you deliberately focused on building a higher performing team? Of course, your workplace would be a better place to work; projects would get done faster, and often better. But what about home? Wouldn't it be nice if you were on the same page more often with your spouse...your kinds? And, what about in your community? Are you a volunteer in an organization that could use these skills of Emotional Intelligence.
Are you still wondering if you need to attend this Mastermind session?
Here’s my challenge to you: Open your Momentum Journal, and write a page or two to answer this question:
Would you like to empower others, increase your productivity and trust those you work with do their best every day?
By the way, according to research the benefits of YOU learning Emotional Intelligence include:
You will communicate better,
You can reduce anxiety and stress,
You will know how to defuse conflicts,
You can improve relationships,
You’ll have more empathy with others, and
You can more effectively overcome life's challenges.
If this sounds like something you’d like to participate in, just click below to add the event to your calendar:
Have you ever scheduled time to work on a project while in your office? You know, two or three hours in the morning to write or research something; the time you need to get your mind wrapped around something new.
Then, someone asks, "Do you have a minute?"
You can relate.
AND, you know that it always takes "more than a minute."
Interruptions at work are a major cause of people working late hours, not finishing things on time, and having to take work home to do late at night or on the weekends. The results areyou may feel like work is never done, there is always something more to do, and whenever we see someone, or see their name in our e-mail inbox, we get stressed about what is coming our way!
This is NOT an inspiring workplace!
What are people REALLY asking for when they ask for "just a minute?"
In our workshops, participants tell me people are asking for advice, opinions, permission, ideas, information, and approval. When I ask what they really WANT when they ask you for a minute, people sayattention, focus, friendship, camaraderie, and understanding.
That's why it takes more than a minute!
Leadership means minimizing the number of times people interrupt you and maximizing the time you DO spend with people.
Here are TWO ways to MAXIMIZE interruptions:
1. Write everyone's name on a 3X5 note card.
If you work in an office with more than 3 people, start there. Each morning, flip through the cards and add something to talk about or share with them.
I recommend you add a project to ask them about, a compliment to share, and a few words of praise for work well done. Once per day, make a point to speak with them one-on-one, and let them see you review the card.
Make a point to let them know you're "bunching" the items to talk about. The message you send is that you think it's important, once per day, to preempt any issues as well as celebrate good work.
2. Memorize this mantra:
"No, I'm sorry, I can't talk right now, I'm in the middle of something I need to focus on. When can I come and talk with you later today?" It's going to take practice, especially for those of us whom people count on to always give them "just a minute."
Give yourself a month or so to practice these tips, and you'll soon be enjoying longer blocks of study, writing, thinking, and research time—without the barrage of interruptions. Management thinkers and business coaches have for years explained the importance of collecting larger chunks of time to focus on significant projects.
These blocks of time rarely just "show up."
We actually have to schedule and use them wisely.
Imagine that you could learn the skills required to be a better, more effective and more productive leader.
I got to visit France on the anniversary of the D-Day Invasion:
Operation Overlord.
Of everything I saw there, the one picture I can see without having to look. Two brothers, side by side, laid to rest in the national cemetery in Normandy, France.
I can close my eyes and see this picture, flowers at the base of each Cross.
I remember how I felt; I thought about how my parents might have responded if they'd lost their two sons to a military operation.
(Look carefully, you'll see their shared last names...and, if you ever heard of the movie Saving Private Ryan...they're the ones who inspired the film.)
* You know I taught US History and World History back in the ‘90s, right? For one year, I taught 7th grade, and for another 4 years I taught 10th and 11th grades.
When I was a teacher, I’d hoped that Memorial Day wasn’t JUST seen as “a day off school and work.” I asked students to pause sometime that day, and reflect on what we’d learned together.
And, now that I am an Adjunct Faculty Member at Air University, USAF Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, AL, I continue teaching what I've learned about our country's military history.
Today is Memorial Day, 2017
Originally known as Decoration Day…it was officially claimed on May 5th, 1868 by General John Logan, commander of the Grand Army.
At that time, it wasn’t the anniversary of a specific battle.
It originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971.
Later, in 2000, President Bill Clinton signed a proclamation asking Federal Employees - and as many Americans who would - to pause for one minute at 3PM local time.
No matter what time of day you’re reading this, consider taking just a few minutes at History.com or USMemorialDay.org to learn a bit more about the significance of today...
Jodi gave the biggest speech of her life on Thursday.
It was an hour #keynote to 750 people at the Path to Agility conference in Columbus, Ohio.
She shared the story of working for a boss who to the outside world was beautiful, charismatic and successful.
But to those in the office, Jodi's boss was a #BULLY whose leadership style was one of public humiliation and #shaming.
“I must have hired the HANDICAPPED,” she’d say aloud if one of them made a mistake.
It was awful.
She must have thought it would motivate us to work harder to not make ANY mistakes.
But... it had actually the opposite effect.
Jodi and her coworkers didn’t ask for help.
They didn’t bring things up when they noticed a problem.
They certainly didn’t do anything to bring extra attention to themselves or their projects.
++++++++++++++
Jodi knew she couldn’t live her whole professional career in fear and dread.
She eventually made the leap and left that well paid and “stable” job that was killing her slowly.
Whether you work in a toxic environment (like Jodi did) or you're in a fantastic and supportive job (like she is now), learn how to make it even better, starting June 1st.
June’s theme could be a life-saver, we’ll coach you to focus on:
GET MOMENTUM members, be sure to join the MasterMind group coaching call this week!
On Thursday, May 11th GET MOMENTUM members will share their insights on becoming a better presenter.
Join & share a “lesson-learned.”
Who knows, youcould be the inspiration someone needs to become a better presenter themselves!
STEP 1:
Open your Momentum Journal to a fresh page.
On top write, “A Lesson I Learned.”
Write a few lines describing where you were, the presentation you gave where you learned something and whether it was a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE experience.
Finally, respond to these 3 questions:
What happened?
How did it impact you?
What was the REAL lesson?
STEP 2:
Add your MasterMind group coaching call to the calendar.
Call in for 3-5 minutes and share your experience…and the lesson you learned.
Just think, if you share what you learned (maybe even learned the hard way!) you may help a fellow GET MOMENTUM member avoid that hardship sometime in the future.
That is was the GET MOMENTUM community is all about!
From around the world, GET MOMENTUM members gather once a month in a real-time MasterMind to share ideas with one another.
As you can see in this short introduction video (scroll to the bottom HERE), there are two VERY specific goals for this month's theme:
Practice identifying key points in EVERY presentation.
Utilize ALL the resources you have access to.
The Master Class is a 45-minute executive summary of the GET MOMENTUM Course Work:
Immediately after the program, I heard from THREE members about the impact and importance of this month's Master Class:
"I get it now, everything is a presentation."
"I learned that I can present the same thing in different ways to different people. Easier."
"I need to video record myself presenting. Not to show anyone else or publish, but to watch and study myself."
(We do have ONE big announcement, read all the way to the bottom to find out!)
Now, some of you may be thinking, "How is 'presenting' a leadership skill?" Think about what you could do, if you were more effective at bringing your ideas to the people you hope use them the most. You're presenting all the time, you are!
+ On a stage in front of dozens
+ In a conference room of just a few
+ Across the table from your family
+ On the phone with a friend, client or vendor
Over the course of just one month, you'll learn to "win over" the people you're speaking with. You'll practice organizing your main points that are backed up with and by research, as well as have some call-to-action. Finally, you'll practice lining up your message with the facts with the stories with the suggestions that make it easier for people to believe: "Your ideas matter."
Who is GET MOMENTUM for? I always look to our current members to help us answer that question. So, here is a list of the most recent leaders to join:
The co-founder of a recently-sold communications company in Tennessee.
19 Associate Professors at a university in Alabama.
A designer in Australia.
3 recently-promoted Directors in New York City.
Are you a member? If so, log in here and watch the recording (or, download the audio as an MP3 to listen to in your car or while you're exercising). Would you like to see the Table of Contents for the Master Class? Here you are:
Introduction and Welcome
Get the Most From Your GET MOMENTUM Membership
Practice Makes _______ (be careful here!)
MEMBER Spotlight "Kinds of Presentations"
Everyone Has a Story
Jodi's Perspective: "The Energy Flows Through Me."
1: The Ingredients of a Presentation
2: Resources at Your Fingertips
3: Going Beyond the Basics
Not (yet) a GET MOMENTUM member? It's ok, Start Your Membership here, we're ready to serve you as your coaches!
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
As a GET MOMENTUM member, you get access to the Video AND Audio recording of the Master Class. Well, NOW you can see we have transcribed and closed captioned the presentation...you'll love it!
The freedom of wind in your face, sun on your arms and the exhilaration of your own human-power moving you along...
Last year I qualified to race in the USA Triathlon National Championships.
Do you remember learning to ride a bike?
I don’t. I mean, not really.
And, I’m sure I didn’t know what it would take to ride at this competitive level; I do now.
You don’t ONLY learn to ride a bike from reading about it.
You don’t ONLY learn by watching a video.
You don’t ONLY learn by wishing you could…
You learn by doing…
Me? I learned by falling; I remember crashing. A lot. In fact, I broke my left arm on my bike. Years later, I crashed in a race and suffered incredible road-rash down the right side of my body.
My bike weighs 17 pounds (and I’m just 133!). I ride @21 miles per hour next to vehicles that weigh thousands of pounds, traveling at 40 MPH or more…
I continue to learn, I practice, I get coaching and I get better. (AKA: Faster!)
How did I become a master of my bike?
I read. I watch videos. I practice. AND, I have two coaches. One writes up the workouts I need to do to continue competing. The other teaches me to be a better bike handler.
Did I say, I practice? A lot. Consciously, deliberately and constantly, I practice.
ALL ABOUT YOU
Look in the mirror today to tell yourself that 25% of 2017 is gone.
You have 266 days (that's just about 6400 hours) until 2018.
Do you want to get more from your time?
Do you want to get more things done?
Do you want more time for yourself?
Do you want more freedom?
Now is the time to “look in the mirror” and CALL OUT your CURRENT time management strategies as not enough!
Recently, I worked with the CEO of an online service provider invoicing his clients +600K per year. Over the course of half-a-day, he problem-solved two separate teams managing through a crisis [server-side coding error] that negatively impacted a client.
When we debriefed at the end of the process, he said that TWO questions made it easier for him to focus in and solve the problem:
Before you go on today, PLEASE these answer TWO questions:
"How do you start your day?"
"How do you decide you're done at the end of a day?"
I facilitate discussions for leaders (click here) on workplace productivity and performance.
Over and over again, I follow up with EVERY person who emails me for 5 days and I ask the SAME question:
"How did you start your day?"
If they answer that email, I’ll follow it up a few hours later and ask:
“How did how you STARTED your day impact the next few hours?"
Give it a try. Add a question or two to YOUR calendar, and see what happens!
Peter Drucker's Five Most Important Questions provides insightful guidance and stirring inspiration for today's leaders and entrepreneurs. By applying Drucker's leadership framework in the present context of today's leaders and those who lead with them, this book is an essential resource for people leading, managing and working in all three sectors—public, private and social. Readers will gain new perspectives and develop a solid foundation upon which to build a successful and bright future.
They will learn how to focus on why they are doing what they're doing, how to do it better, and how to develop a realistic, motivational plan for achieving their goals. This brief, clear, and accessible guide — peppered with commentary from distinguished management gurus, contemporary entrepreneurs and dynamic millennial leaders —will challenge readers and stimulate spirited discussion and action within any organization, inspiring positive change and new levels of excellence.
(Click Here to take the #WellnessSelf-Assessment.)
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." - Benjamin Franklin, Inventor
Last month, we spent 4 days at Canyon Ranch, a health and fitness resort in Tucson, Arizona.
Why We Focus On Our Health
No, we’re not sick, our pants aren’t getting smaller and we feel very healthy.
We invested 4 days and nearly $8,000 on ourselves for two reasons:
It was time for us to re-set. Over four days of meetings with doctors, workouts with coaches and lectures by experts we collected and coordinated information I know we will use for the rest of our lives!
To practice being students, learning about the same topics you’re going to study and practice this month as you complete the Course Work for The Wellness Advantage.
I wish I could have stayed to do more “research”!
We attended lectures ranging from “How to exercise when you’re a Road Warrior (traveling all the time)” to “Wake up call: Sleep for good health.”
The biggest take-away I got was to BE PROACTIVE in my health.
During the Group Coaching Call this week, we’ll discuss some of the health facts we learned along the way, review the optimal sleep eco-system and share some road warrior travel tips for better nutrition, sleep & movement!
Let’s talk this Thursday...
9AM Pacific
10AM Mountain
11AM Central
12PM Eastern
5PM in the UK
9PM in Dubai
The Group Coaching Calls are your chance to connect in, ask specific questions and even share a win you’ve had!
"A life coach does for the rest of your life what a personal trainer does for your health and fitness." - Elaine MacDonald, Harvard Business school
When members like you have this kind of accountability support, you're able to move projects forward, faster.
