Friday 29 April 2016

Resign Today as Chief Problem Solver

Mmm, nice tasty mint.




Resign Today as Chief Problem Solver

Keith Rosen

We’re always being encouraged not to quit. But not today. There’s one role I’d encourage you
to walk away from right now. Your role as Chief Problem Solver and Decision Maker.

Enhanced Video Transcript: This is a video clip from a keynote Keith Rosen delivered
in March of 2014 to an audience of approximately 700 sales managers from around the world.
It’s time to abandon toxic thinking. It’s time to look at the inner game of coaching. Not just what we do when we’re engaging with a customer or one of our direct reports, but how we need to think. Holistically, this is what creates a true champion. Because if you’re only focusing on developing
 the skills needed to become a champion and you aren’t focusing on the inner game; that is,
how you think, your mindset, then you’re only developing half of the champion you can be.
So, to coach effectively, there is one thing, there is one role that every leader truly
needs to abandon. And that is the role of Chief Problem Solver.
I don’t suppose there are any Chief Problem Solvers here today? Is my sarcasm translating?
Why do we as leaders and salespeople feel that we must have all the answers?
That we must solve all of the problems coming at us?
For one thing, the majority of people leaders, regardless of geographic location or industry,
would agree that the value they feel they bring to their team and to the company is being the Subject Matter Expert. After all, that’s why you were hired to be a manager in the first place, right?
Let’s explore this at a deeper level and walk through this line of thinking in order to identify the greater cost here. For example, if I was your manager and you came to me looking for help
and every time you come to me, I provide you with the answers or solutions or share with you all of my worldly experience and expertise; and you get that solution from me. What are you thinking?
“Wow boss, you’re so awesome! That’s so great! Thank you so much for helping me!
And thanks for continuing to solve all of my problems for me so that I don’t have to think on my own or be accountable for the solution!”
We feel the love! We feel included. We feel special. We also believe that it’s expected of us.
“Well I’m a leader. I’m a salesperson. My customers, my direct reports they expect me
to have the solutions.” But clearly, this comes at a great cost.
We learn the wrong lesson here. We learn that my value is being a subject matter expert.
That’s part of your value. That is not all your value.
After all, is it truly empowering to give the answer or provide solutions to someone?
No. Here’s the definition of empowerment. To give strength or power to. When you’re giving
the answers, you’re not empowering someone. You’re dis-empowering them.
Another coaching paradox exists here. We create what we want to avoid.
We create the very problems and challenges that we want to avoid.
I have yet to meet a manager who doesn’t want a team of highly independent, accountable salespeople. But think about this. If I’m a manager and every time to come to me
with a problem I give you the answer, what message am I sending?
 That every time you have a problem, come to me, I’ll fix it for you.
And here’s the real irony, if the answer or solution I give you doesn’t work, whose fault is it?
It comes back to me. And now my salespeople get to come back and say, “Hey boss.
You know that solution you shared with me? Well, it didn’t work. It’s not my fault.
I was just doing what you told me to do. My hands? They’re clean on this one.”
We’re actually robbing our people of the very accountability we want to instill,
while making them more dependent on us.
Remember, what people hear, they resist but what they tell themselves they believe.
If you want people to take greater ownership around their roles and the daily objectives
and challenges they face, let your question be the answer they need to further develop and refine their skills. Otherwise, if you continually solve all of your direct reports problems, their problem now becomes YOUR problem, and you just made yourself accountable for the outcome!
The most effective managers, coaches and leaders realize the importance and advantages
of taking a stand for their team. In my world, in the spirit of simplicity,
these words are synonymous to me. After all, if you want to build a team of champions,
it begins by making your people leaders world-class coaches.
So, it’s not that your job description as a people manager has changed.
What has changed is the way you engage, communicate, coach, empower and support your people.
That’s the language of coaching. It’s the language that creates the impact every leader wants.
After all, when you change the conversation, you change the outcome.
http://keithrosen.com/2014/08/video-resign-today-as-chief-problem-solver/#sthash.0F8ffrXZ.dpuf

You can pre-read all your course material for internal knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com    gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Tuesday 26 April 2016

How Tech is Killing Off Independent Pizzerias

  These flowers are call Fox and cubs.

How Tech is Killing Off Independent Pizzerias
Aaron D. Allen

Technology is killing off independent pizzerias in the United States at the rate of roughly 2,549 locations per year (in 2015 alone). The pizza category is being reshaped by both big new tech deployed by chains and fresh threats from sophisticated emerging brands that are taking slices
of the pie from tens of thousands of ill-equipped and low-tech independent pizzerias.

A few highlights of our findings: 
In the last decade, independent pizzerias in America have lost 21 percent market share
in terms of sales and 19 percent market share in terms of units to chains.
Put more plainly, that’s about 7,800 restaurants that have closed-up shop.

Domino’s price per share has grown more than 3,000 percent since 2008, from $3.86 to $132
(as of March 2nd, 2016). Its market capitalization was less than $300 million then,
to now $7.42 billion (a fantastic fortune was made accurately forecasting and betting on tech).
New ordering platforms including UberEats, Caviar, Postmates and DoorDash are growing
from collectively posting $400 million in revenue in 2014 to an expected $1.6 billion this year
(to put this in perspective, in a year, they’ll grow revenue 10 fold what it took Shake Shack,
2015’s much-heralded IPO, more than a decade to reach. In other words, food delivery is
about to dramatically change and redirect billions in restaurant revenue).

Digital and online ordering is growing 300 percent faster than dine-in ordering (again, this means billions of dollars in the U.S. alone will shift from dine-in to delivery in the years ahead).
The gap between independent average unit volumes (AUVs) and chain AUVs correlates almost directly to the volume of sales that chains are processing on the digital platform – about $328,500. 
America’s three (3) largest pizza chains process nearly 15 percent of all of the pizza industry revenue via their digital platforms (this equates to roughly one-third of the total industry market share shift that has occurred in the decade since the big guys first started processing orders online).

51 percent of all mobile searches on Google are for restaurants,
yet by some estimates as few as five percent of restaurants have mobile-compliant websites.
A closer look at 2015’s sales figures shows that, while pizza might have been the year’s

most photographed food item on Instagram, the pizza players with the widest smiles
are the executives at tech-savvy chains.

SALES ARE FALLING FOR THE PIZZA CATEGORY AS A WHOLE…
Last year, the U.S. pizza industry generated roughly five percent of the total U.S. restaurant revenue ($38.5 billion), despite the fact that America’s near-75,000 “pizza” establishments account for
7.5 percent of all U.S. restaurants. 2015’s revenue was, in fact, a 0.05 percent decrease from 2014’s figures, with segment AUVs dropping to $514,679 (a 2.34 percent decrease over last year).
During this same period, the overall U.S. restaurant industry saw 3.8 percent growth.


… BUT NOT FOR THE CHAINS, THEY ARE GROWING
The decrease in overall U.S. pizza revenue doesn’t mean everyone is down in the dumps – particularly if you’re dominating like Domino’s, up +9.2 percent in year-over-year (YoY) sales in 2015, on top of 12.5 percent growth in 2014. Little Caesars and Papa John’s are in pretty cheery moods, too, with +5.31 percent and +7.59 YoY increases respectively.
In fact, during 2015, chain pizza brands (companies with 10 or more units) saw a 3.38 percent increase in sales and a 3.82 percent climb in AUVs (now $655,846).
Independent pizza companies (those with less than 10 units), on the other hand,
saw a 5.01 percent decline in YoY sales and a 3.21 decline in AUVs (now $384,524).
The rate of new openings is, perhaps, most telling. During 2015, chain operators collectively saw a 7.33 percent increase in unit count, while independent operators’ total units dropped 1.85 percent. Yes, the hard fact of the matter is that while U.S. consumers still show a high demand for pizza, they’re ordering from the big boys, and mom-and-pop shops are closing down because they
can’t compete on equal terms. Despite the fact that chain pizza shops only account for
48 percent of all pizza restaurants, they’re pulling in 61 percent of the revenue.

THE DOMINO’S TECH TURNAROUND
One of the best modern examples of tech enabling an epic foodservice company turnaround
is that of Domino’s. Sure, some of the recent success stems from advantages of systemization, standardization, scalability and standard operating procedures (SOPs) – the processes, designs
and training that enable rapid and profitable growth. Another element is brand recognition and awareness – with over 5,000 units and a series of tremendously successful publicity campaigns, Domino’s had an enviable platform from which to launch its turnaround.
With product improvements, a renewed and reinvigorated company culture committed
to industry-leading innovations and strong leadership, Domino’s has restored its brand to one
that everyone not only recognizes but has started to trust again; consumers and investors alike.


Technology was unquestionably at the heart of the Domino’s turnaround. The CEO went so far
as to say, and I’m paraphrasing a bit here, ‘We don’t see ourselves as a pizza company.
We’re a technology company that sells pizza.’ Domino’s put its money where its mouth is –
and the results of this new mantra have grabbed enough market share to help them
and a handful of other big chains to absorb an additional 11 percent of segment sales
that were previously going to independents.
Domino’s pushed the limits on brand revitalization and started by acknowledging they had
some problems. Between driverless vehicles and drone deliveries (at least one of which sounds like science fiction), the company made a commitment to not just to digital/social/mobile and other tech advances, they sought to instill the commitment to pursuing disruptive innovation into the company culture. It’s clear that the mandate wasn’t just to swing for the fences, but to fly a drone over it with a pizza attached.



THE COST OF INCONVENIENCE A HEAVY PRICE FOR INDEPENDENTS
Across the entire U.S. restaurant industry, fewer than 25 percent of restaurants
have their own mobile app (some say this number is as low as 16 percent).
 When it comes to the pizza industry, the big players in this segment have been faster t
han most to realize that you can never make it too easy for guests to make a purchase.
After a quick review of the 50 U.S. pizza chains with the highest 2014 sales, we found that
an unsurprising (or astonishing, depending on how you look at it) 62 percent have a dedicated mobile app, and a further 88 percent have online ordering platforms.
These 31 chains with in-house apps together account for 36 percent of all U.S. pizza restaurant units and 54 percent of segment sales.
But what’s happening to the independents as mega-chains like Domino’s carve out a bigger share
of the pizza pie each year? With some estimates calculating that as much as 95 percent
of independent U.S. restaurants do not even have a mobile-optimized website
(we’re not talking apps here, just a website that will work on your phone),
it’s no wonder the chains are growing at a faster pace.

DOMINO’S IS NOT THE ONLY ONE DOMINATING AT DIGITAL
In a ‘Who wore it better?’ kind of way, the big pizza chains are parading
their digital accomplishments to woo over investors and media alike. It’s a triple whammy really,
if you score big with a digital innovation, not only will you see the business benefits in terms
of dollars and sense, it often comes with the add-on perks of free ‘earned media’
(a fancy way to say publicity or marketing you didn’t have to pay for), but also the confidence
and cash of investors looking for the kinds of returns such innovations can deliver.
While Domino’s probably wins ‘Who wore it better?’ in recent years, Papa John’s can’t be overlooked on the subject of digital innovations and market share gains. One of their badges
of honor can be found circulating on business and investor sites as well, touting their history of being an early adopter (note, the headline in the infographic below is their own, not ours):



THE SALES GAP IS FOUND IN DIGITAL
With an AUV of $657,000 (on par with the segment average), Domino’s now sees over 50 percent of its sales generated by online platforms (though, in some region’s like the U.K., that number is higher, with 75 percent of the company’s 2015 pizza orders made through digital channels).
Take away these sales, and you’re left with an AUV of $328,500.
If that number looks familiar, it absolutely should – it’s only $56,000 less than the AUV
of your typical independent pizza restaurant. The evidence is pretty plain that,
in the case of the plummeting mom-and-pop pizza profits, the failure to get with the program
and get online, once categorized by consultants and onlookers as a “highly recommended” strategy, is now requisite, not just to compete but to stay in business.

DIGITAL ORDERING GROWING AT AN ASTONISHING RATE
Back in 2010, roughly 1.39 billion delivery orders were made via phone. Last year, in 2015, only 1.02 billion guests called in an order (a 27 percent decrease in just five years). In this same period of time, online orders grew from 403 million to 904 million – 124 percent growth,
with 47 percent of Americans ordering food online.
Even more telling, digital ordering is now estimated to be growing at a rate 300 percent faster
than dine-in restaurant traffic.


If this trend continues, by the end of this year, online ordering will (most likely) overtake phoned orders – especially given the money major players are throwing at developing online programs.
As of May 2015, estimated investments into the development of these programs were anticipated
to be $1.2 billion (which is, in our view, conservative – particularly with companies like Uber, via UberEats, entering the market).

DIGITAL AND DELIVERY GO TOGETHER LIKE PEPPERONI AND CHEESE
Uber recently announced that its hoping to generate $1.5 billion in its next round of funding.
And while not all of this will be going to the UberEats program, it’s a clear sign that high-profile companies like Uber have a hefty chunk of change to throw toward making it easier for consumers to buy from them (and you can never make it too easy) through digital, social and mobile advances.
In 2014, UberEats, Caviar, Postmates and DoorDash together processed $400 million in orders.
By 2016, that number is expected to grow to $1.6 billion, and it’s all thanks to the investments
made to digital, social and mobile platforms.


  REDEFINING SPEED AND CONVENINECE IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
The game-changing innovations UberEats, Domino’s, Yelp and Amazon are making in delivery
is just one more example of how seismic shifts in technology can reshape an entire industry.
Digital innovation is the modern face of convenience engineering, and guests (and, for that matter, competitors) are not going to wait for a lagging business to get with the program.
Look at the (now defunct) Blockbuster, which was bought by Viacom for $8.4 billion in 1994,
$1 billion in debt by 2010 and sold to DISH Network for $234 million (less than three percent
of the company’s 1994 value) in 2011 – all because the folks at Netflix imagined video differently.
Companies like Uber, Amazon and Google are thinking the same way – and view investing in these technologies as part of the future of their companies, not as a line item or nicety of the marketing budget, but rather a necessity for the survival of their business. And those business have transformed their industries and the way that we all live today, essentially by providing us
with a new way to get the things we want faster and more conveniently.
So why wouldn’t executives in the restaurant industry be asking similar questions as these companies? How do we make it more user-friendly and use technology to make our product
and brand more convenient and relevant?
The numbers all add up to one clear conclusion, pizzerias not investing in digital, social and mobile are becoming irrelevant faster than users can type “pizza” into Google
and get their instant local listings.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Aaron Allen is a global restaurant consultant and the founder/CEO of Aaron Allen & Associates, a leading global restaurant industry consultancy specializing in growth strategy, marketing, branding, design and concept development. Aaron has personally lead boots-on-the-ground assignments in 68 countries for clients ranging from startups to multinational companies posting in excess of $37 billion. Collectively, his clients around the globe generate over $100 billion annually and span six continents and more than 100 countries.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-tech-killing-off-independent-pizzerias-aaron-d-allen?trk=pulse-det-nav_art

You can TCR software and engineering manuals for spontaneous recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com        just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Saturday 23 April 2016

Do you recognise the end of the village sign?

15 Productivity Hacks For Procrastinators
 Jane Dizon

Let me guess.
You should be doing something else rather than reading this article. 
But due to some unknown force of nature, you decided to procrastinate by reading an article about how to hack procrastination.
You deserve a pat on the back.
Fortunately, procrastination is not a disease. It’s just a mindset that can be changed,
however, here are some reminders you need to consider for these hacks to really work.

First, you need to acknowledge that procrastinating is an unhealthy habit.
 Not only you’re prioritizing unimportant things, basically, nothing gets done. 
Still unsure if you’re a procrastinator? Check this infographic guide.

Second, your commitment to change is very important. You should be physically, emotionally,
and mentally determined to change this habit. If not, then you’ll just succumb to the tempting lure of doing other things rather than your tasks or chores.

Here are some tips to improve productivity and keep yourself from procrastinating at work:
1. Give (10+2)*5 a try
Let’s start with a classic but very effective hack called (10+2)*5 created by Merlin Mann, author
of 43Folders.com. Don’t worry. This is not a complicated Mathematical formula you need to solve. The (10+2)*5 simply means 10 minutes work + 2 minutes break multiplied by 5, completing 1 hour.
It is crucial to stick with the time limits and not skipping work and break schedules.
 The point of this is for you to create a jam-packed routine of work and break schedules.
The result? You will eventually skip your break schedules.

2. Use red and blue more often
Clean your desk and remove things that might distract you. According to a Science Daily study about which colors improve brain performance, red was found out to increase attention to details while blue sparks creativity. Surrounding your workplace with these colors not only benefits
your brain, it’s also pleasing to the eye.

3. Create a break agenda
List all the things you want to do on your break be it surfing the web, checking your emails,
snack time, taking selfies, Facebook/Twitter—everything. Like the (10+2)*5 hack, squeeze these
in between work time but the difference is you schedule these activities for ONLY 20 minutes. Eventually, you’ll take your break minutes wisely.
You’re finishing tasks while sidetracking to doing the things you enjoy.

4. Set a timetable for your tasks
Like any other habits, procrastinating is a tough wall to break. Replace this habit with another habit. When you’re assigned a task, set a timetable for each step. Let’s say you have a big research task. Here’s a sample timetable:
9:00 – 9:10 am – Set up all your tools, browser tabs, emails, coffee, etc..
9:10 – 10:00 am – Internet research
10:00 – 10:45 am – Look through existing files
10:45 – 11:00 am – Break time!
11:00 – 12:00 pm – Outline the research report
Deadlines are the best hack for getting things done.
Setting a specific time to finish a task creates time pressure even if the deadline has passed.

5. Take it outside!
Do yourself a favor and don’t ruin the comfy vibe of your home.
If you need to work on a stressful project, do it in a library or coffee shop. You’ll never finish it anyway. Your cozy sofa and toasty bed will just lure you into napping yourself to doom.

6. Become productively lazy
Instead of finding all sorts of ways to unproductively procrastinate, use your habit
 to look for shortcuts and new ways to finish your tasks. Staple multiple papers at a time
or master the 3-second t-shirt folding technique. A strong drive combined with laziness
sometimes bring out the productive and creative side you never knew you have!

7. Assign a ‘Task Deputy’
It could be your colleague, your supervisor, or your significant other,
anyone who has the unforgiving guts to reprimand you when you procrastinate. You could go the extra mile by paying up unfinished tasks or times you open your Facebook or watch a funny cat video on YouTube. Let’s see how five bucks every time you procrastinate will change you.

8. Consider a gadget-free desk
According to a study by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, average users check on their phones
150 times per day and having your phone just an elbow away just creates sizzle to this habit. Removing mobile devices and gadgets allows you to focus on your work
without the constant interruption from notifications, calls, and text messages.
It eliminates the very distracting ambiance and the urge to unlock your phone just because.

9. Prepping the night
Before hitting the sack to oblivion, prepare everything you’ll need the next day.
This will probably take you 15 minutes tops, saving you more time for coffee in the morning.
Spin class at am? Pack up your gym clothes, shoes, socks, etc. or better, create a checklist so you don’t miss anything. You can also prep your food into containers and just grab one before leaving.

10. Do a 10-minute workout in the morning
Exercising is proven to increase productivity and stimulate release of endorphin or
 “Happy Hormones”. Take a jog outdoors and get warmed up for the day.
Don’t feel like running outside? Hop on a treadmilli. It’s a great investment and there are
a lot of ways you can use a treadmill like endurance running and metabolism training.
On a budget? Here’s a 10 minute, no-equipment needed workout you can do at home.

11. Set-up mini tasks
If you’re given a big project, break it down into mini tasks. Create a checklist and start with the easy ones until you finish. Got an article to write? Just start with the title and the first sentence.
Or perhaps you have a visual presentation to make? Spend 15 minutes on your outline,
take five minutes coffee break, then finish the first two slides.
Accomplishing something, no matter how tiny, still gives you that sense of fulfillment.

12. Create an inspirational board or reminder
I found these mini desk chalkboards from Etsy you can use to write motivating quotes l
like the ones from Pinterest. Or you know what? Just simply write “Do it now!”
and stare at it for 10 seconds every time you feel like dropping by on Reddit.

13. Redecorate your room
Redecorating my room motivates me to maintain that ‘new’ look for some time until I get use to it and eventually stop. So I redecorate again and again, it became a monthly habit really.

14. Ready your nibbles
You know that trip to the pantry? It’s just seconds away but it took you several minutes
just to get your fruit snacks in the fridge. Before starting a task, prepare your nibbles on your desk
to avoid zoning out and losing yourself on the way to the pantry.
Bonus productivity hacks you can do at home:

15. Schedule your chores
Write down your chores in a weekly basis with matching day and time when you should be doing these. For the artsy folks, you can create fun chore charts like these or simply stick the list somewhere visibly annoying e.g. mirrors, doors, TV.
The trick is listing as many chores as you can for the week and including unfinished chores
the following week. Who likes seeing a long list of chores first thing in the morning?

http://aboutjanedizon.tumblr.com/post/138045200210/15-productivity-hacks-for-procrastinators

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com    give many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Monday 11 April 2016

Eradicate Assumptions to Reinvent Strong, Trusting Team Relationships

Eradicate Assumptions to Reinvent Strong, Trusting Team Relationships 
Keith Rosen  

Learn how to eradicate the judgment you place on others by challenging
the way you brand your people and the costly assumptions you make about them.
Stop Branding Your People – Part 4 (Excerpt from Keith’s upcoming book, Coachquest.)
In the spirit of believing that you’ve ‘tried everything,’ take a look at
the following coaching questions and do an honest, self-assessment when asking yourself,
“Have I actually asked these specific questions, in this specific order, and in this specific way,
using this exact wording in the questions I ask?”
Yes or no. There’s no maybe here. There’s no, “I do something similar.” That’s the point.
Execution and precision in the language of coaching and leadership is everything. 
After all, the quality of the answers you get is based on the quality of the questions you ask.
These questions that follow will facilitate a conversation and create new outcomes you’ve probably never experienced. But that’s the point; and the opportunity for you to re-brand people, situations, experiences, and ultimately, the stories you and possibly this individual have created
about themselves and others, along with the ones you both want to create for yourselves.
In essence, here’s your chance to establish a new baseline of who the person is
and who they want to be, as well as who you want them to be. And that includes you as well!
The intention of these questions is for them to share with you what they are feeling,
as well as their experiences surrounding those feelings and assumptions. 
So remember, you’re not just looking to seek out the facts but what is surrounding the facts, 
the meaning and feelings that exist, which have created either the positive 
or negative experience the person and you describe.
Here are the questions and steps to challenge the branding of others and create a new possibility. Remember, silence creates the space needed for people to process and self-assess.
So, give the person the time and opportunity to self-reflect and respond to these questions
on their terms, not yours. In order to provide some context, imagine there is an employee
who harbors the following belief and has this concern.

My Boss Is Uncoachable and Is Not Open to Feedback
Here are questions you can then use to facilitate an entirely different conversation.
Keep in mind, this is just one example of how to facilitate a coaching conversation that would
result in a new way of thinking and outcome for the coachee, and for you.
So, what’s going on?
Why do you feel this way? What feelings come up around this?
(Complete the sentence, “I feel ___.”)
Are the things that you’re sharing with me actually all happening and factual?
Do you believe it’s true?
How do you know it’s true?
What possible assumptions are being made around this specific situation,
without the evidence to support them?
What if it weren’t true? What would that mean to you?
What else could be true?
Ideally, what would you want to be true? How would you want it to be?
Here’s the coaching moment. Now, ask the person to reverse their statement, observation or truth.
For example. Let’s take the prior example.
My boss is uncoachable and is not open to feedback.
If we look at other possibilities and change the statement, they could sound like this.
And as you can see, there’s not just one way to interpret it.
My boss is coachable and open to feedback.
My boss is uncoachable and open to feedback.
My boss is coachable and not open to feedback.
My boss is coachable and is not open to my feedback.
My boss is coachable if I did a better job Coaching Up and resetting expectations with him/her.
My boss is coachable and is open to my feedback.
My boss is coachable and I am not open to his feedback.
I am coachable and open to my boss’s feedback.
I am not coachable nor open to feedback because of past experiences.
I am coachable but not open to my boss’s feedback
because I’m unsure what his/her intentions really are.
Beliefs Always Precede Your Experiences
Interesting line of various truths that can co-exist or be possible here!
The question is, which one do you want to create?
Assumptions have now been brought to the surface, revealing the fact that there may be
another explanation or outcome that can be created or one that has been missed.
The objective here is for the individual to be able to expand their peripheral view,
remove the myopic blinders they’ve developed,
challenge these assumptions and create a new possibility and outcome.
The real lesson here is, regardless of how you brand someone,
there are many assumptions being made that we collapse as factual and as such,
intentions on either side are not as clear as they could be.
How do people know what your intentions are if you’re not clear about them?
And if you’re not clear about your intentions, then the human condition kicks in and people
always default to fear or the worst possible scenario before validating their case or beliefs!
This approach now becomes your opportunity to reinvent the relationships you have
with those you’ve branded as well. Imagine if you simply share or use this one strategy
with those people who you may struggle with? What if you became insatiably curious for a moment and authentically cared enough to want to arrive at a deeper understanding of their point of view around any situation? And if they agree with this line of thinking and methodology,
then you have already taken the first bold step to strip away the old paint from the canvass
and start with a fresh new surface that will allow you to paint a new picture and re-create
the type of relationship that you would ideally want, rather than continuing to walk into
every conversation believing that you ‘already know’ the outcome.

Here’s were yet another universal law applies. How you think, is what you will get. 
Said a different way, what we focus on grows and then gets manifested in our lives. The greater cost is, we then make decisions and choices around the very assumptions or judgments we’ve created. For example, “Because of the way they are, they’ll never get the promotion they want.”
As we brought this conversation to it’s conclusion (if you’ve been following the initial story line
I wrote about in Part 1) that started during the initial training experience I was describing,
this was a very powerful team coaching moment for all of the managers participating. They got it. Now, I didn’t say they liked the answer but then again, as a coach, I’m not paid to be popular, nor am I hired to tell people what they already know. And I’m able to achieve this, as any good coach can, without ever making anyone wrong. Why? Because I don’t brand nor judge others!
And yes, the HR Director made it a point to tell me how much this conversation resonated with her.
After all, role of a transformational coach and leader is to create the space for new possibilities
to emerge for every leader, and for those “difficult” people who they initially branded.
Now, they have an opportunity to re-brand and re-set relationships and expectations
with each person they interact with, one conversation at a time.
Tags: Accountability, assumptions, Communication, Executive Coaching, Sales Coaching

http://keithrosen.com/2016/02/eradicate-assumptions-to-reinvent-strong-trusting-team-relationships/#sthash.Zl1Q7Gsz.dpuf

You can TCR specialist and language dictionaries that are spontaneously accessed.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR non fiction/academic books around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
TurboChargedReading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com     just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Friday 8 April 2016

10 Strategies for Working Much Smarter


10 Strategies for Working Much Smarter
Thai Nguyen

Whether you’re in Australia, England, or America; blue-collared, white, or pink,
we’ve all got 24-hours to work with. Success comes down to what we’re able to do in those hours. No entrepreneur can keep the sun from setting or add hours to their day,
but there are strategies that will help maximize work habits and productivity. 

Here are 10 strategies for efficiency and effectiveness:

1. Parkinson’s Law
"If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do,"observed Cyril Northcote Parkinson. We’ve all experienced Parkinson's Law.
We struggle for a month to finish a project, then magically get it done in the final week.
Or, the house is a mess for weeks, then spotless within a few hours of the in-laws showing up.
The law provides great leverage for efficiency: imposing shorter deadlines for a task,
or scheduling an earlier meeting. Find the sweet spot for productive hustle.
Rushed work can be a recipe for reckless work.

2. Finding your flow
For athletes, it’s called being “in the zone,” where you’re so focused that you're numbed out
to any distractions. It’s a state we can all tap into: writers, musicians, and entrepreneurs. 
Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi's research is focused on these flow states 
that optimize our performance by finding that balance between challenge and skill. 
If the task is too challenging and beyond our skill, then we go into anxiety and frustration, 
but not challenging enough and we fall into boredom.
Stretch yourself, but don't snap. We're at our most efficient when in the zone.

3. Single-tasking
There’re many compelling cases against multi-tasking. A study found that even folks walking
while talking on a cell phone run into people more often and were so distracted,
many failed to notice a clown riding a unicycle.
Telling an entrepreneur not to multi-task, however, is like telling a pig to stay out of mud
but the truth is, multi-tasking a misnomer better termed “task-switching.”
We don't juggle so much as we jump around. The problem is ending up with too many
open projects, and spreading yourself too thin. A good quote on scaling back is by
Alexander Graham Bell: “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand,
the sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”

4. The 2-Minute Rule
From David Allen’s ‘Getting Things Done’, he explains that the most productive people
capitalize on the little windows of time opening up during the day. Having an inventory
of two-minute tasks on hand whenever windows appear will increase productivity. 
Cleaning out the inbox, checking voicemail, approving a request, all in brief openings 
in the schedule, builds our efficiency muscles and gets the ball rolling for bigger tasks. 
A major cause of procrastination lies in over thinking the next step. 
Allen says it takes less time to do the action than the time spent thinking about it. 

5. Working to circadian rhythms 
Nerve cells in our brains control our circadian rhythms, which influences sleep-wake cycles,
hormone release, emotions and energy levels.
Constant operation outside circadian rhythms (e.g. international pilots) creates fatigue.
Efficiency lies in synchronizing specific work with these biological peak times. 
Dr. Steve Kay says analytical work is best within a couple hours of waking,
when the morning rise in body temperature increases blood flow to the brain. 
Alertness slumps after lunch as the digestive process saps energy. 
This analytical disengagement is the best time for novel and creative thinking, 
according to Professor Mareike Wieth.
Exercise increases efficiency. Dr Gerard Kennedy notes more Olympic records are broken
in the late afternoon than any other time. Muscle strength, lung capacity,
eye-hand coordination and joint flexibility peaks between 4pm and 6pm.
Three sweet spots for maximizing your efforts: the morning analytic spike,
a creative spike after lunch, and a physical spike in the afternoon.

6. Reverse engineering
Most commonly applied to industrial machinery and computer software, 
reverse engineering can be applied to different fields, products, and strategies. 
It is disassembling and analyzing the components that make up the whole. Efficiency comes 
not only with seeing how parts relate, but being able to work on aspects out of order. 
Tim Ferriss notes his rapid mastering of the tango through deconstructing the dance,
and learning the female role along with the male. 
Expert linguists do the same, breaking a language into pieces
and having a bird's-eye view of the most common grammatical structures. 

7. The Willpower trinity
Stanford Professor Kelly McGonigal says the key to hitting goals is understanding
the three powers of willpower: I will power, I won’t power, and I want power.
• I "won’t power'' is resisting temptation, such as saying “no” to social media.
• I "will power'' is to choose an alternate behavior -- sending a social, but networking email.
• I "want power'' is remembering your why, your goal, be it expanding your career,
    business or profits.
Willpower is like a muscle. When we fail to reach goals, it’s due to solely relying on I won’t power, but  we can only say “no” so many times before we crumble. However, bringing in backup,
and using all three aspects of willpower, will triple the likelihood of success. 
Resist, replace, remember.

8. 57 on, 17 off
The entrepreneurial hustle makes breaks non-existent.
Recent studies show only one-in-five employees take lunch breaks,
despite clear cognitive benefits for our fatigued brains. 
So what’s the perfect work/rest ratio? DeskTime App played Big Brother,
monitoring employees’ computer use. They found the most productive 10 percent worked hard
for 52 minutes, then took a break for 17. It’s backed by scientists, pointing to the natural rhythms of our attention span. Our brain can focus for up to 90 minutes, 
then needs roughly 20 minutes of rest. Strategic breaks equals efficient work.

9. Power poses
If it weren’t true, it’d be preposterous to think simply changing your posture affects productivity. Professor Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk highlights the psychosomatic and neurological responses
caused by our posture. Taking a high-power pose causes an increase in testosterone
(confidence, assertiveness, energy) and a decrease in cortisol (stress, anxiety, nervousness). A confident, testosterone-perked person is much more productive
than a cortisol-crippled, stressed person. 
Our brain is wired to respond to certain physiologies.
A forced smile will still release endorphins. 
Pulling yourself out of a figurative slump is as simple as pulling yourself out of a physical slump.

10. Validated progress
A good warning from Eric Ries: “If we’re building the wrong product really efficiently,
it’s like we’re driving our car off a cliff and bragging about our awesome gas mileage.” 
Along the same stream of the Sharpe ratio’s risk/return measures in finance,
and the “minimum viable product” in the tech world, the strategy is about being calculated
and conscious in our efforts, with a flexible, rather than fixed process and goal.
It’s being productive and ready to pivot, rather than simply charging full-steam ahead.
A case-in-point is Nick Swinmurn's startup of Zappos. He validated his idea without blowing cash
by first going to a shoe store, taking photos and posting them online.
When sales came in, he went and bought the shoes. He didn't need to pivot, just perseverance.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239216

You can TCR software/engineering manuals for spontaneous recall – or pass that exam.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR non fiction/academic books around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life
www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com     just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Thinking About Making Big Life Changes?


Some things to consider when you are thinking about making big life changes in where you live,
your relationships, social life or your career.

You can TCR music, poetry or self development material for internal knowing.
I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
I can TCR non figtion/academic books around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.
Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube  
How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube
Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:
All aspects of regular, each-word reading and education.
Turbo Charged Reading uses these skills significantly faster
www.innermindworking.blogspot.com      gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”