Snippet from Public Leadership Workshop
The Frame Controls the Game - Who controls yours?
Yetis and Bigfoots - How are you showing up?
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Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Are Questions the Key to Creating Possibility?
From my experience, asking engaging questions from a place of curiosity is a key if not the key ingredient to explore and set new possibilities. Questions that engage the mind, that challenge current frames of mind and that set new frames or alternative frames of reference.
Is that the only key ingredient? Mmmmhhhh ... there is another ... Intention! Do we have the intention to think possibility, to look for possibility and to create possibility?
Why is that you may ask? Great question!
Intention gives us reason, energy and focus on what we want to achieve. E.g. if my intention is to create, my focus will be on the outcome or result that I want to achieve i.e. the way I want to feel, the relationship I want to have, the goals I want to achieve, etc. In other words, my focus is on that which I want to make happen, want to bring into my life or want to bring into being.
If my intention is to avoid something, than my energy and focus is on the very thing or event that I don't want. And if your energy and focus is on that ... where do you think that leads to???? Well, I let you work out what that is...? :)
Is there anyting else that we should consider to pay attention to? Another great question … Yes, you should :)
You should pay attention to ... "paying attention"! Once we are clear about our intention, what we pay attention to in the process of thinking and creating possibility will determine the quality of our energy and focus, the detail that we direct our energy to and that we focus on. And this will impact on the quality of question that we ask and the purpose of the question.
What do I mean by that?
Let's say you want to bake a cake (intention). Is that enough to bake a great cake?
Here are two examples of what you may pay attention to ...
Example 1 ... What do I need to pay attention to? What type of cake do I want to create? What do I want it to look and taste like? How mouth watering do I want it to make? How will it feel on my palate when I am eating it? What texture will it have? How will I make it? What is involved? What steps do I need to follow? What ingredients do I need? In what order to I need to add or mix them? How much fun do I want to have baking it? What do I need to do to make it fun? etc.
Example 2 ... Why do I need to bake a cake? What if it doesn't turn out the way I want to? What if it doesn't taste good? What if I do it wrong and miss an ingredient? Baking a cake is boring (statement!!!), not much fun - what else could I do instead? What if it gets burned? What if my cake is not as good as my friend's? etc, etc.
You are the judge ... which set of questions to you find more enticing, engaging, enriching and fun? Which questions engage more possibility? What do they focus on? What energy do they generate?
So how do you approach and create possibility in your life? What are your intentions? What are you paying attention to?
To your highest and best
Mike
Is that the only key ingredient? Mmmmhhhh ... there is another ... Intention! Do we have the intention to think possibility, to look for possibility and to create possibility?
Why is that you may ask? Great question!
Intention gives us reason, energy and focus on what we want to achieve. E.g. if my intention is to create, my focus will be on the outcome or result that I want to achieve i.e. the way I want to feel, the relationship I want to have, the goals I want to achieve, etc. In other words, my focus is on that which I want to make happen, want to bring into my life or want to bring into being.
If my intention is to avoid something, than my energy and focus is on the very thing or event that I don't want. And if your energy and focus is on that ... where do you think that leads to???? Well, I let you work out what that is...? :)
Is there anyting else that we should consider to pay attention to? Another great question … Yes, you should :)
You should pay attention to ... "paying attention"! Once we are clear about our intention, what we pay attention to in the process of thinking and creating possibility will determine the quality of our energy and focus, the detail that we direct our energy to and that we focus on. And this will impact on the quality of question that we ask and the purpose of the question.
What do I mean by that?
Let's say you want to bake a cake (intention). Is that enough to bake a great cake?
Here are two examples of what you may pay attention to ...
Example 1 ... What do I need to pay attention to? What type of cake do I want to create? What do I want it to look and taste like? How mouth watering do I want it to make? How will it feel on my palate when I am eating it? What texture will it have? How will I make it? What is involved? What steps do I need to follow? What ingredients do I need? In what order to I need to add or mix them? How much fun do I want to have baking it? What do I need to do to make it fun? etc.
Example 2 ... Why do I need to bake a cake? What if it doesn't turn out the way I want to? What if it doesn't taste good? What if I do it wrong and miss an ingredient? Baking a cake is boring (statement!!!), not much fun - what else could I do instead? What if it gets burned? What if my cake is not as good as my friend's? etc, etc.
You are the judge ... which set of questions to you find more enticing, engaging, enriching and fun? Which questions engage more possibility? What do they focus on? What energy do they generate?
So how do you approach and create possibility in your life? What are your intentions? What are you paying attention to?
To your highest and best
Mike
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Possibility or Necessity! Making Things Happen or Letting Things Happen. What is Your Modus Operandi?
Over the years I have come across many managers and managers in training from a broad range of backgrounds and fields. In each group that I have worked with I have encountered two styles of performers.
The performers who make things happen and the performers who let things happen! And sometimes there is a third group, the performers who wonder what happened!
What is the difference between those who make it happen and those who let it happen?
One of the characteristics that I have observed in the first style, the performers who make things happen is that they tend to operate from a mindset of possibility and optimism. In other words they focus on what is possible or how they can make something possible.
Their mindset and focus is underpinned by questions like …
What do I want to create? Where am I heading?
In what way is this of value and meaningful?
What do I understand about this right now?
What do I know?
What do I need to know?
What will I gain from achieving this?
In what way will achieving this enhance my abilities?
How can I contribute?
What steps do I need to take?
Some further characteristics observed of this style of performer include …
They are highly self motivated.
They see life, work and challenges as an opportunity.
They think in terms of what they can gain and how they can grow.
They focus on outcomes, a result that they want to create.
They take ownership of the result that they want to create.
They are disciplined.
They are proactive in their actions. Actions which are oriented towards desired results.
They ask questions that open up possibilities and expand their horizon.
They are eager to learn.
The other style, the performers who let things happen tend to operate from a mindset of necessity and pessimism. They only take action if they absolutely have to and often to the rules of others.
Their mindset and focus is underpinned by questions and statements like …
Why do I have to this?
How much longer do I have to do this?
It’s too hard! It’s too difficult!
I can’t do it!
Why me?
Some further characteristics of this type of performer include…
They focus on problems and the things that they want to avoid
They think in terms of what they can’t do, don’t have or what they miss out on.
They lack self motivation.
They are reactive in their actions.
They ask questions that reinforce their current state and the problems at hand.
Which style do you fit into?
The question is which style of performer reflects you most and what results are you getting? What type of questions are you asking and what characteristics are you displaying in your work and studies?
Are you maximizing or limiting your abilities? Do you feel in control of your circumstances, actions and results or being controlled by others or by your circumstances? Are you enjoying challenges ahead that stretch your knowledge and capabilities or is it a drag?
Which style generates greater possibilities, pleasure and growth?
This is a question that only you can answer?
Perhaps you have experienced both styles at different times in different circumstances?! Which one is more useful? Which one gives you greater results and pleasure? Which one moves you forward?
When you do something really well … what do you notice about your mindset, your attitude, your behaviours and your focus? How would you describe the state of mind that you in? What would others observe about you and your performance?
Next time when you find yourself stuck in a situation, stop and step into the space that you are in when you perform and learn best.
Happy Performing
Mike Schwarzer
The performers who make things happen and the performers who let things happen! And sometimes there is a third group, the performers who wonder what happened!
What is the difference between those who make it happen and those who let it happen?
One of the characteristics that I have observed in the first style, the performers who make things happen is that they tend to operate from a mindset of possibility and optimism. In other words they focus on what is possible or how they can make something possible.
Their mindset and focus is underpinned by questions like …
What do I want to create? Where am I heading?
In what way is this of value and meaningful?
What do I understand about this right now?
What do I know?
What do I need to know?
What will I gain from achieving this?
In what way will achieving this enhance my abilities?
How can I contribute?
What steps do I need to take?
Some further characteristics observed of this style of performer include …
They are highly self motivated.
They see life, work and challenges as an opportunity.
They think in terms of what they can gain and how they can grow.
They focus on outcomes, a result that they want to create.
They take ownership of the result that they want to create.
They are disciplined.
They are proactive in their actions. Actions which are oriented towards desired results.
They ask questions that open up possibilities and expand their horizon.
They are eager to learn.
The other style, the performers who let things happen tend to operate from a mindset of necessity and pessimism. They only take action if they absolutely have to and often to the rules of others.
Their mindset and focus is underpinned by questions and statements like …
Why do I have to this?
How much longer do I have to do this?
It’s too hard! It’s too difficult!
I can’t do it!
Why me?
Some further characteristics of this type of performer include…
They focus on problems and the things that they want to avoid
They think in terms of what they can’t do, don’t have or what they miss out on.
They lack self motivation.
They are reactive in their actions.
They ask questions that reinforce their current state and the problems at hand.
Which style do you fit into?
The question is which style of performer reflects you most and what results are you getting? What type of questions are you asking and what characteristics are you displaying in your work and studies?
Are you maximizing or limiting your abilities? Do you feel in control of your circumstances, actions and results or being controlled by others or by your circumstances? Are you enjoying challenges ahead that stretch your knowledge and capabilities or is it a drag?
Which style generates greater possibilities, pleasure and growth?
This is a question that only you can answer?
Perhaps you have experienced both styles at different times in different circumstances?! Which one is more useful? Which one gives you greater results and pleasure? Which one moves you forward?
When you do something really well … what do you notice about your mindset, your attitude, your behaviours and your focus? How would you describe the state of mind that you in? What would others observe about you and your performance?
Next time when you find yourself stuck in a situation, stop and step into the space that you are in when you perform and learn best.
Happy Performing
Mike Schwarzer
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Are You Wasting the Talents of Your Champions?
What I have noticed when working with organisational champions is that often their talents and abilities are not fully recognised and more importantly not used as a standard of performance to be modeled. What they do is in many ways taken for granted by the organisational leaders and managers.
No questions are raised to “how do they do what they do?”.
What is the reason for that? The reasons could be many. One that comes to mind is unawareness. It is simply not on management’s radar that there might be clues and greater mileage in the capabilities of their champions that could be extended to the skill set of the wider talent pool. Another reason is ignorance. In some instances managers deliberately ignore to recognise the skills of their champions. This could be due to intimidation, jealousy, rivalry or other debilitating factors. And there is also the lack of skill on how to model and replicate the specific quality of their skills, their thinking and their behaviour.
What are the consequences of this? Loss of talent and strategic brain power! On a number of occasions I have seen invaluable key people, key influencers and drivers of performance, leave companies because of the above reasons. Their loss has left behind a lack of direction, structure, stability, energy and drive. Vital factors that sustain an organisation and move it forward.
Let me ask you, who are your organisational champions and secondly, what are they worth to you? What do you specifically know about what they are producing, how that translates into financial, operational and psychological results and how that compares to other workers?
If you were to establish a benchmark criteria of your champions’ performance ability what would that entail? What sets them apart from the others? What do they focus on? How do they interact and relate? How do they deal with challenges? What attitudes and behaviours do they display? What is important to them? What are they aware of? How do they walk? How do they talk and what language to they use? What questions do they ask?
If you were to walk in their shoes, what would you experience? If you would use this criteria to develop and embed these performance qualities in 20% of the people who do not perform at this level, how would that affect your organizational performance? What results could you achieve in 12 months time?
Food for thought!
Enjoy
Mike
No questions are raised to “how do they do what they do?”.
What is the reason for that? The reasons could be many. One that comes to mind is unawareness. It is simply not on management’s radar that there might be clues and greater mileage in the capabilities of their champions that could be extended to the skill set of the wider talent pool. Another reason is ignorance. In some instances managers deliberately ignore to recognise the skills of their champions. This could be due to intimidation, jealousy, rivalry or other debilitating factors. And there is also the lack of skill on how to model and replicate the specific quality of their skills, their thinking and their behaviour.
What are the consequences of this? Loss of talent and strategic brain power! On a number of occasions I have seen invaluable key people, key influencers and drivers of performance, leave companies because of the above reasons. Their loss has left behind a lack of direction, structure, stability, energy and drive. Vital factors that sustain an organisation and move it forward.
Let me ask you, who are your organisational champions and secondly, what are they worth to you? What do you specifically know about what they are producing, how that translates into financial, operational and psychological results and how that compares to other workers?
If you were to establish a benchmark criteria of your champions’ performance ability what would that entail? What sets them apart from the others? What do they focus on? How do they interact and relate? How do they deal with challenges? What attitudes and behaviours do they display? What is important to them? What are they aware of? How do they walk? How do they talk and what language to they use? What questions do they ask?
If you were to walk in their shoes, what would you experience? If you would use this criteria to develop and embed these performance qualities in 20% of the people who do not perform at this level, how would that affect your organizational performance? What results could you achieve in 12 months time?
Food for thought!
Enjoy
Mike
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
What Leadership?
I was recently working with a group of management students and explored if they perceived themselves as leaders or followers. To my surprise, there was little excitement in their responses.
I asked, what comes to mind when you think of the word “Leader”. The responses were - being in charge of people, controlling people, using authority, and one student thought of politicians which he wasn’t’ very fond off! All but one response had a negative connotation attached to it. The response with the positive connotation was “INSPIRATIONAL”! Interesting enough, the student with that response seemed to have the most enthusiasm about leadership.
Why is that?
Through events and experiences we create a conceptual understanding around particular issues as well as our environment in general. And as this conceptual understanding is reinforced it becomes our reality, a reality that we may perceive as an absolute truth. And the way this reality manifests, the way we experience this truth is through our neurology. We are experiencing and defining this truth in our bodies in sensory terms. In the way we see, hear and feel the events and experiences in our heads and bodies. If we experience this perceived truth as physical discomfort or pain, than we may give the associated understanding of that truth a negative meaning. If we perceive this perceived truth as physical comfort or pleasure, than we may give the associated understanding of that truth a positive meaning. This is then reflected in our behaviour through our language, body language and the actions that we may take or not take.
How do we create these conceptual understandings in the first place? Great question!
As human beings and human doings we have the magic ability to put events into a context, a frame, a frame that gives us a point of reference. A place where we can capture our thoughts, process those thoughts, categories and label them. The meanings that we create around events and experiences are processed through a number of filters and a layer of frames. These filters and frames bring definition to the texture of our meaning. They influence what information and thoughts we are paying attention too, what we count and what we discount.
In most cases, people have learned the way to think, make meaning and act by default. They have followed a pathway that was laid out for them. Through their parents, peers, educators, society at large, etc.
A client, a senior manager, I worked with after discovering and experiencing that he had influence over the configuration of his thoughts, frames and meanings said “I didn’t know that I had control over how to think. I thought that was a given. I believed that the only influence I had was how to manage it!”
So what meanings have you constructed around the word “Leader or Leadership”? Are you a leader? A follower? A leading follower? A following leader?
What kind of leadership would you like to subscribe and run your ship by? What are you trying to achieve with the way you lead?
Why not play and texture your frames with the following descriptions and see what happens!
Inspirational Leadership
Collaborative Leadership
Innovative Leadership
Learning Leadership
Directional Leadership
Consultative Leadership
Visionary Leadership
Strategic Leadership
Inspirational, Innovative, Collaborative Leadership
Visionary, Learning, Strategic Leadership
(Note: the combination and numbers of words that you can texture your frame and focus with are limitless)
Pointing your thoughts to the above frames … what does it evoke in you? How is it different to your current frame?
Enjoy
Mike
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Welcome to the Inner Game of Leadership Blog
Hi All Inner Game of Leadership Enthusiasts
If you are a leader, a manager, a coach, a mentor or anyone else who is enthusiastic in making a positive contribution to the ongoing performance success of your organisation, yourself and the people you work with, then you may find this blog stimulating.
Why the inner game? Leadership development as well as any other organisational and peformance development approaches often only address issues on the intellectual level. We talk and think about things - concepts, ideas, behaviours and how we are meant to do them. In other words, we talk the talk. But when it comes to turning these ideas, concepts and behaviours into actual reality, it becomes a different story.
Turning a new concept, idea or behaviour into being requires another skill. An ability to walk the walk. Understanding the underlying dynamics, the inner game, that drive the actions and behaviours of people and organisations can give us clues and insights into how the successful ones do success and the unsuccessful ones do not. And if our intention is to be more successful at what we do than not, than we can learn to track and map the qualities of these underlying dynamics of success and replicate them.
When I talk about success I don't just mean creating great wealth, build big business, break world records, win championships or climbing Mt. Everest. To understand the inner game of success we don't have to look that far.
Let me first reframe the word success a little and change it to “be successful at what we do” or “be successful at getting what we want”.
This could refer to a minor task such as switching on the TV, washing the dishes or going shopping. Or a more major project such as getting a degree, building a house or setting up a business. These are tangible undertakings and are easily measurable.
Other areas that we might want to be successful in include personal abilities such as relating, parenting, negotiating, coaching, selling, leading and influencing or any other personal abilities that our hearts desire. These are less tangible undertakings and a little harder to measure.
We may also seek to be successful at accessing and maintaining resourceful mental and emotional states such as happiness, confidence, conviction, excitement, love, focus, assertiveness, calmness, etc. These appear to be intangible undertakings and tricky to measure.
None of these undertakings just happen by accident. Much of what we do is done subconsciously, without much thought about how we do what we do. If we have become good at something we generally focus on the end result and how we feel about it. And if we repeatedly succeed in missing what we want we often focus on the loss or what we didn’t want and the emotional discomfort associated with that.
Successful or unsuccessful, consistently achieving the same results, either desired or undesired, is a bit like ground hog day, repeating the same underlying patterns and dynamics or movement of thought and behaviour.
And these patterns and dynamics have structure and system. To do what we do, we have to hold certain thoughts and put them into a context or contexts. These contexts act as frames through which we relate to our environment and define how we see what we see and want to see, hear what we hear and want to hear, and feel what we feel and want to feel. What we hold to be true and not true. What we focus on and how we focus. What we pay attention to and how we pay attention. What we count and what we discount. We also have to translate what we have created and constructed in our mind, our head, into our neurology, our body. In the body is where and how we measure what is real and what is not real to us. This is where we generate the physical movement that takes us either to where we want to go or away from it.
What are your experiences with success?
What are you noticing when you successfully achieve an undertaking? What is your strategy? What are you focusing on? What are you paying attention to? What are your intentions? What do you experience in your body?
What are you noticing when you unsuccessful at achieving an undertaking? What strategy are you using? What are you focusing on? What are you paying or not paying attention to? What are your intentions? What do you experience in your body?
Please feel welcome to share your views, news, ideas and experiences!
Look forward to exciting and growth generating thought exchanges!
To Your Best
Mike Schwarzer
www.mikeschwarzer.com
If you are a leader, a manager, a coach, a mentor or anyone else who is enthusiastic in making a positive contribution to the ongoing performance success of your organisation, yourself and the people you work with, then you may find this blog stimulating.
Why the inner game? Leadership development as well as any other organisational and peformance development approaches often only address issues on the intellectual level. We talk and think about things - concepts, ideas, behaviours and how we are meant to do them. In other words, we talk the talk. But when it comes to turning these ideas, concepts and behaviours into actual reality, it becomes a different story.
Turning a new concept, idea or behaviour into being requires another skill. An ability to walk the walk. Understanding the underlying dynamics, the inner game, that drive the actions and behaviours of people and organisations can give us clues and insights into how the successful ones do success and the unsuccessful ones do not. And if our intention is to be more successful at what we do than not, than we can learn to track and map the qualities of these underlying dynamics of success and replicate them.
When I talk about success I don't just mean creating great wealth, build big business, break world records, win championships or climbing Mt. Everest. To understand the inner game of success we don't have to look that far.
Let me first reframe the word success a little and change it to “be successful at what we do” or “be successful at getting what we want”.
This could refer to a minor task such as switching on the TV, washing the dishes or going shopping. Or a more major project such as getting a degree, building a house or setting up a business. These are tangible undertakings and are easily measurable.
Other areas that we might want to be successful in include personal abilities such as relating, parenting, negotiating, coaching, selling, leading and influencing or any other personal abilities that our hearts desire. These are less tangible undertakings and a little harder to measure.
We may also seek to be successful at accessing and maintaining resourceful mental and emotional states such as happiness, confidence, conviction, excitement, love, focus, assertiveness, calmness, etc. These appear to be intangible undertakings and tricky to measure.
None of these undertakings just happen by accident. Much of what we do is done subconsciously, without much thought about how we do what we do. If we have become good at something we generally focus on the end result and how we feel about it. And if we repeatedly succeed in missing what we want we often focus on the loss or what we didn’t want and the emotional discomfort associated with that.
Successful or unsuccessful, consistently achieving the same results, either desired or undesired, is a bit like ground hog day, repeating the same underlying patterns and dynamics or movement of thought and behaviour.
And these patterns and dynamics have structure and system. To do what we do, we have to hold certain thoughts and put them into a context or contexts. These contexts act as frames through which we relate to our environment and define how we see what we see and want to see, hear what we hear and want to hear, and feel what we feel and want to feel. What we hold to be true and not true. What we focus on and how we focus. What we pay attention to and how we pay attention. What we count and what we discount. We also have to translate what we have created and constructed in our mind, our head, into our neurology, our body. In the body is where and how we measure what is real and what is not real to us. This is where we generate the physical movement that takes us either to where we want to go or away from it.
What are your experiences with success?
What are you noticing when you successfully achieve an undertaking? What is your strategy? What are you focusing on? What are you paying attention to? What are your intentions? What do you experience in your body?
What are you noticing when you unsuccessful at achieving an undertaking? What strategy are you using? What are you focusing on? What are you paying or not paying attention to? What are your intentions? What do you experience in your body?
Please feel welcome to share your views, news, ideas and experiences!
Look forward to exciting and growth generating thought exchanges!
To Your Best
Mike Schwarzer
www.mikeschwarzer.com
PS to comment on this blog click on "comments" below :)
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