5 Bits of Wisdom to Help You Change Your Perspective – and Become More Effective
Mentoring Up – since technology is changing our world so rapidly, often times folks who didn’t grow up as “digital natives” feel left behind in the current workplace. Navigating technology, even understanding the language and preferences of younger generations can leave them feeling left out. I came across this idea of “mentoring up” from one of my colleagues and immediately loved it. Mentoring Up is the idea of younger people in an organization mentoring people older than them. It can be two-way, and mutually beneficial. Some organizations are using this as a way to help both younger and older generations understand one another, and build bridges. It can also be a wonderful way to help those who may be feeling left out, feel included.
Leaders change culture through small actions (not always sweeping visions or goals). Dave Snowden has done some interesting thinking in realm of culture change and concludes that it’s the small things, not just the big things, that change a culture. I’ve been thinking about two elements in particular that change culture: Joy and Gratitude. I can remember the first time I ever saw a grown man exhibit authentic and effusive joy and gratitude, and it changed me. Emotions are contagious (both positively and negatively) and few are more contagious than Joy and Gratitude.
Shrinking the Hoop – making things harder in practice so they’ll seem easier in the game. Steph Curry, the greatest shooter in NBA history, shrinks the hoop by about 3 inches during practice, so as to improve his accuracy and make shooting on a real hoop seem easy. This idea of making something harder in practice, in order to make it easier in the game has been fascinating me for a while. Here are some ideas for translating this to the work environment: what if you made sales role-play practice harder in order to make sales meetings seem easy? What if you did role-play with managers on giving feedback to their subordinates really hard in order to make the real-life feedback seem easy? You could take any process in your business that is done over and over and make it harder in practice, thereby making it easier and more effective during the real thing. Where might you apply this principle to your world?
Reframe to see with fresh eyes. Tom Brady just passed for over 100,000 lifetime passing yards. Someone pointed out that’s over 56 miles! This got me thinking, how reframing something might extend creativity. Imagine a 100 mile long football field and every time a QB made a pass they got closer to the end. I bet this would make for longer passes! On a visit to a winery recently we were informed that as a winery owner you’ll have about 30 chances in your lifetime to grow the finest grapes you can possible grow (if you start at 30 and go until 60!). Knowing that you’ll only have 30 chances at producing the best possible wine you are capable of, changes the lens. Where in your work might you reframe progress and gain a different perspective.
Managing energy not time. I’ve come to believe that one of the greatest assets a leader has is energy. Energy moves things, moves people, and changes things. You have the power with your energy to turn something from negative to positive. Many people manage their time but what if you managed your energy instead? Something can take a small amount of your time, but a large amount of your energy, or vice versa. Here’s an idea from Yvon Chouinard (founder of Patagonia). He calls it getting his MBA (Management by Absence). He’ll go on a long climbing trip in the mountains, and in that unplugged space he’ll do his best thinking and come back with all kinds of ideas for improving his business. His MBA technique is really a way to manage his energy – his time in the office isn’t what he manages, rather it’s his energy. I’ve become a practitioner of the MBA technique in the past few years and have experienced the energy and creativity gains.
