Blog - Page 57 of 60 - Wheeler Coaching Systems

May

2017

A Model for More Effective Quick Decisions

“Success comes from decisiveness and course correction, not long delays and procrastination to attempt making only flawless choices.” Maxwell Maltz The New Psycho-Cybernetics.

When I read the above quote I realize how ineffective I am at decision making. I drive my wife crazy because I look over every option on the menu and want a little of everything. With that being said I am going to introduce to you concepts from someone much smarter than me on decision making to help you make better decisions especially in high stress situations.

During my Masters coursework I was introduced to Henry Thompson’s book The Stress Effect. During the beginning of the book he introduces two basic decision making strategies: rational and intuitive.

Rational – that is what I tend to do at restaurants and with many decisions. I analyze and try to decide the best option, but quite honestly I get overly concerned about making the perfect decision and constantly second guess myself. This is a very conscious process.

Intuitive – these are the decisions we make instantaneously, emotionally, and most often in an unconscious manner. When you are driving the car and avoid an accident or reroute the course of a meeting because of a “gut feeling”, these are examples of intuitive decisions.

The rest of this post will describe a model for making effective intuitive decisions and later I will share Thompson’s model which helps in making rational decisions. Since we live in an instant world why not start with the faster model.

Recognition-Primed Decision Model – this is an intuitive decision making model developed by Gary Klein. I will spare you the details of how he created this because you can read it in Thompson’s book if you would like. The following list describes his steps:

Assess the situation – What is going on?
Evaluate a course of action – How will I implement this action?
Select an option – What option will work?
Develop a solution set – Keep it small
Generate and evaluate options – Which one will work?
Adjust the option – How can I avoid weak areas in this option?
Take action – Confidently move forward

Great a theoretical model. How does that help me as a leader today? Sometimes conscious awareness will help us access the system in times of need. All of this happens in moments as we determine and act upon our decision. As you have quick decisions to make, hopefully these principles will help you to make a workable solution which may not be perfect, but will take you in the right direction.

In moments of great stress, time is of the essence and leaders need to find workable solutions quickly to get the best results possible. Every decision is not intuitive, but for those that are this model can help provide a way to explain the intuitive decisions that every leader makes. What strategies do you use to make effective intuitive decisions? Post a comment below.

May

2017

Is Your Pace Sustainable?

I was at my middle child’s track meet watching fourth graders run their hardest and trying to win races. I made the mistake of volunteering not realizing it would feel like late Fall instead of early Spring, but it was time with my son therefore freezing was worth it.

While watching the distance races I saw some of the kids burst out and they were in the lead way ahead of everybody else . . . until the final part of the race. At that point people were catching up and even passing the leader. These young boys and girls did not know how to pace themselves in a manner that would sustain their energy so they could give their greatest burst when they needed it the most.

There were three types of runners I saw during the long races.

The pacers. These were the kids that were smart enough to know their capacity and what pace they could sustain through a race. They would start to the back or middle of the pack, but eventually end toward the front.
The talented. These are what I would call the “energizer bunnies.” They had the capacity to go all out . . . and sustain it throughout the race. There were only one or two of those. These individuals ran their hearts out and appeared only mildly tired at the end. Was it talent or training? I’m not sure, but I’m sure the former was part of their ability.
The survivors. These were the ones who were happy to finish the race without getting sick or embarrassing themselves. They sustained the pace they could handle without killing themselves.

As I reflected the following morning, I was thinking this is how I lead myself and others. If leadership is nothing more than influence then how I lead myself will model how those around me at work and home will learn how to lead themselves.

Survival Leadership – this is when I run like crazy from one urgent need to another both personally and professionally. We have so many proverbial plates spinning that we try to keep them all in the air . . . alone. I would challenge I am not leading at this point, but just managing. I am working in my life/job, but not on my life/job.

Talented Leadership – this is the person who relies on his or her natural abilities to lead, but may not ever be growing so they stagnate as well as the organization they lead. This also can be the person who has amazing capacity such as the person who can successfully accomplish multiple projects on little sleep and may not even have habits to help them recharge, they just “grind on.” If this person gets on a growth path with a coach and allows others to help them think into their life they can grow from a good to a great leader.

Pacesetting Leadership – this leader knows where they are now and their present abilities, but knows they can grow and go further. This person sees the big picture and daily implements habits to help them and their team reach the ultimate goal. They go slow enough to lead others, but fast enough to not allow the organization to become stagnant and they are constantly adjusting similar to the “pacer” in a race.

Do you fall into one or multiple of these leadership styles? Do you need people to help you grow in your journey, maybe even a coach? What habits are you developing to help you maintain a sustainable pace and help you grow to the next level? Surround yourself with a strong team and keep running the leadership race and adjusting to improve every day.

May

2017

Toughness Necessary for Success

I am not really much of a basketball fan, but during March Madness I tend to watch a game or two. This last March apparently my son had picked the team he thought would win the tournament and he wanted to watch the Kentucky vs. North Carolina game of the Elite Eight.

As he watched the game I was doing some work and then I sat on the couch with him for the last five or ten minutes of the game. The game went back and forth and was a very exciting game to watch, but the team my son wanted to win did not succeed. Although Kentucky played hard and made three 3-point shots in the waning minutes of the game they failed to secure the victory much to my son’s chagrin.

During the post-game interviews the broadcasters observed that both teams played “tough.” Kentucky was continually going hard and trying to get the ball on defense while taking shots on offense even if they were not easy. North Carolina got behind during the second half and pulled out a victory after refusing to let up either on offense or defense. Even though North Carolina was the victor, both teams demonstrated great tenacity.

Where did this tenacity come from?

The late Vince Lombardi once said “The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” This phrase gives insight into the type of toughness required to be successful. If a salesperson makes one call and then gives up are they being tough? Now the successful salesman will get many “no’s” in order to get to “yes.” This type of tenacity is required in order to accomplish any worthy goal.

Another key for a team or individual to experience success is the discipline to daily practice and prepare at a high level. During the game the commentators discussed how they had heard this North Carolina team had trained harder than they ever had during the off-season. In order to consistently train hard at a high level, one has to have discipline. Discipline to get out of bed. Discipline to not let emotions dictate performance. Discipline to do the work the way it must be done to become the best they can become.

Habits create who we are. Over 80% of what we do is out of habits we form. During the off-season for any sport is when they develop the habits that define the team. Do they work through adversity or do they quit when it gets hard? Do they do the extra rep in the weight room or do they stop when they start feeling uncomfortable? Do they encourage each other and push each other to become their best?

As a person, what type of habits are you developing to help you be tougher? Do you need quotes that will encourage you when you are having a bad day? Do you create time to think and grow yourself and that which you are responsible for? What is one daily habit you need to develop to enable you to reach your goals? Maybe it is a physical habit, social habit, spiritual habit, or a mental habit. Whatever it may be post it below to hold yourself accountable to acting on the habit. Take the first step and press on toward your goals!

Apr

2017

Are You A Minion or Do You Lead Them?

Have you ever felt like you needed guidance in work or life? Have you ever felt aimless or even purposeless even though your life was going quite well? You have enough money and are living fairly comfortably, but something is missing.

Recently I was watching the movie Minions again with my children. In that movie these little yellow creatures who wear denim overalls live their lives following the most evil “master” they can find. They reach a point where they have no “master,” but are living a very comfortable life together. It hits them that they need something bigger than them to live for other than their personal pleasure.

Enter Kevin, Stewart, and Bob who venture into the unknown to find the most evil master they can find for their clan to serve.

As I watched this movie with my boys it occurred to me we are all little minions looking for a greater purpose and even a guide to help us along that journey. Of course we are not looking for the most evil person, but we do have a part of us that wants someone further along the journey to guide us or something bigger to live for.

As leaders we need to provide that bigger purpose for those we lead. As a parent we need to step back and look at why we do what we do and provide our children with greater purpose. I know I have to often step out of the busyness to reflect on why we parent the way we do. I have to do the same at work to make sure I am not bossing people around, but giving them a greater purpose for some of the seemingly monotonous work they are expected to perform.

As people we are just as simple as minions who live in community, but want to follow someone or something living for something greater. We may need a mentor who is someone who is more experienced at what we want to become great at and can guide us along the path. Maybe we need a coach who will help us by coming alongside us and helping ask the crucial questions that will help us grow to fulfill our purpose.

Former NFL Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy in his book The Mentor Leader said: “Mentor leadership focuses on building people up and building leaders for the next generation.” We are in one part of that equation. We either are at a place to be building others up or we are that upcoming generation that needs someone to come alongside us and show us how to not just be successful, but significant.

Are you like Kevin, Stewart, and Bob looking for a leader to follow? Are you simply looking for that wise mentor to help you on the journey or even a coach to come alongside you? Maybe you need to be a mentor leader to others?

There are two ways to live: by giving and growing or by taking and staying the same. When we seek and find others to help us on the journey and do the same with others we will continue to grow to fulfill our purpose. What do you need today?

Apr

2017

How to Get More Encouragement

I will start by stating the obvious; we live in a world that can inundate us with negativity so how can we be encouraged more? Before I go any further let me confess I am not the most positive person naturally. I am a recovering perfectionist and naturally tend to be extremely critical. With that being said, know that anything I say about this topic from here forward is stuff I am working on as well.

Who do you surround yourself with? Are they people that lift you up or people that pull you down? There are two types of people when it comes to this area:

Those who make you FEEL better. Now that may sound like a good thing, but what if they make you feel better by encouraging bad habits such as self-pity or destructive habits and enable you to continue down your path of destruction? Are they really helping you?
Those who make you BE better. These are the people in our lives that when life gets challenging they meet two needs in our lives. They are encouragers because they tell us we can get through the challenge. They are also “truth tellers” who will tell us what we need to hear, but may not want to hear in the way we can hear it. These people help us live to our full potential.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have people around me every moment of my life encouraging me so that is where I need to apply what I am calling The Little Engine principle. Do you remember the book The Little Engine That Could? If you read it, why did we love that book? Because he believed in himself. Over and over he said “I think I can” until he reached the top of the mountain.

In his book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth John Maxwell says: “You need to learn to become your own encourager, your own cheerleader. Every time you do a good job, don’t just let it pass; give yourself a compliment.” ¹ We need to be our own Little Engines, but this is hard so let me suggest a few ideas that help me:

Listen to encouraging talks
Quotes that inspire
Spend more time with people who are natural encouragers
The Bible helps me, but it may be some other spiritual book for you
Positive music
When the discouraging thoughts come reflect long enough to learn the source and see if there is something I need to learn and then replace it with the true thoughts i.e. After making a dumb mistake replace “I am an idiot” with “I made a mistake, what can I learn”
Instead of beating myself up for the little thing I did wrong in a project, celebrate all I did right while learning from the little mistake

These are only a few ideas and I am sure there are people who are much better at The Little Engine principle than me. If that is you and being a self-encourager comes a little easier for you, tell me what works for you. I want to learn from you. Maybe you are like me and you have other ideas that help you, put it in the comments. No matter what, remember you can do unbelievably more than you imagine and don’t let your thoughts tell you differently. I think you can. . . do you?

Apr

2017

4 Tools to Slay Your Leadership Giants

Warning: Faith based post.

A little boy, the youngest of the family, whose responsibility was to take care of the sheep. Like any youngest brother when he shows up to the battle lines to do his chores his brother scoffs at him and questions why he is there.

This young man is curious what is going on as he sees battle lines drawn and feels the tension in the air. Suddenly he hears a booming voice from a nine foot tall giant boldly declaring his strength and challenging he could not be defeated. The response of this young man is the voice of a leader who knows he has the strength it takes for victory from the experience of his past successes and the ability to tap into a strength that is greater than himself.

He boldly declares: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:36-37 NIV

This may be a fictional story to you, or true. Regardless, there are great leadership principles we can draw from this story. This was the day a great leader for the nation of Israel awakened. If you are familiar with the rest of the story, young David slings a stone between the eyes of this giant, kills him, and proceeds to cut his head off to proclaim the victory he made for the Lord. So principles can we draw from this?

David had a vision great than himself. When leaders have a vision of something greater than themselves they have the ability to see past the giant in front of them because they see their purpose. David knew Israel was destined to be a great nation that would rule the land they were about to battle over. The vision of what was to be (and his God) was bigger than a little nine foot giant and his army.
David had experience. When we see a giant in front of us we are overwhelmed. Think of the first time you had to go “sell” something as a kid, maybe cookies, a school fundraiser, popcorn, a lawn mowing service, etc. That first time was nerve racking, but over time your confidence grew as you had small successes and eventually large successes. David had killed a bear and a lion while being a shepherd so his experience said that he could slay this giant (with God’s help).
David had faith. I am not really good in the water unless my feet touch the ground. I have experience watching people float and swim in water although it defies my logic, but my faith is weak because I still am reluctant to go into deep water and try to swim. David saw how he had defeated giant beasts, but he saw the deeper water of a giant soldier and had faith he (with God’s help) would overcome.
David had courage. I don’t have a clue if in that moment part of him was thinking: “what am I saying, this guy can step on me and squish me and I am saying I will be delivered by this invisible God I do not see . . . I must be crazy.” In spite of this possible thought and definite fear, David ACTED. Courage applied is action when afraid. Courage is a must for any leader whether it be courage to pursue a huge dream or courage to have a difficult conversation.

If you read this far, I hope this has encouraged you and added value to your life. You are a leader where you are because you influence someone. May this story inspire you to have a vision greater than yourself with the faith and courage to slay whatever giant you may be staring down today. Lead well wherever you are and know you have resources to help you accomplish more than you ever imagined!