Ten tools to Ten tools to immediately improve immediately improve

your performanceyour performance

Chapter 4 of Chapter 4 of The Idea Generator : Tools for Business GrowthThe Idea Generator : Tools for Business Growth by by Ken HudsonKen Hudson

Tool 4/1:Tool 4/1: Create a new lens to Create a new lens to

create failurecreate failure Fear of failure -> very powerful Fear of failure -> very powerful

= calculated risks are rarely = calculated risks are rarely takentaken

This can lead to personal This can lead to personal growth and follow the leader growth and follow the leader mentalitymentality

Failure as opportunity to learn Failure as opportunity to learn & grow& grow

Culture of continually trying Culture of continually trying new thingsnew things

Application: Application: cannot control cannot control the event; however, can the event; however, can control your interpretation of control your interpretation of the event; focus on your the event; focus on your reaction; write down your reaction; write down your current lens; come up with new current lens; come up with new view of the change; then view of the change; then commit to new set of actions commit to new set of actions that might flow from this new that might flow from this new lenslens

– i.e. retrenchment -> fear of i.e. retrenchment -> fear of unknown -> opportunity to try unknown -> opportunity to try something newsomething new What benefits might be gained What benefits might be gained

from this new approachfrom this new approach Talk to others who have gone Talk to others who have gone

through this retrenchmentthrough this retrenchment

Tool 4/2:Tool 4/2: View risk taking as View risk taking as normal part of businessnormal part of business

View risk taking as normal part of View risk taking as normal part of businessbusiness

Taking calculated risks is viewed Taking calculated risks is viewed as an integral part of doing as an integral part of doing businessbusiness

– i.e. CEO trial\error is part of i.e. CEO trial\error is part of innovative processinnovative process

taking risks gives us an edge on taking risks gives us an edge on competition and new growth competition and new growth opportunitiesopportunities

Application: Application: Identify all possible Identify all possible risks around the decision; risks around the decision; determine how to decrease the determine how to decrease the risk and what consequences are risk and what consequences are if you fail; with this data you are if you fail; with this data you are positioned to decide whether to positioned to decide whether to take the risk or nottake the risk or not

– i.e. what’s the risk of changing i.e. what’s the risk of changing careers?; talk to others who have careers?; talk to others who have changed careers; what is the changed careers; what is the worst case scenario? Assessworst case scenario? Assess

Tool 4/3:Tool 4/3: Adopt a test mindsetAdopt a test mindset High performers are continually High performers are continually

investigating new ideas and investigating new ideas and approaches that challenge approaches that challenge status quostatus quo

Continual experimentation Continual experimentation which encourages risk-taking which encourages risk-taking and trying the novel; see what and trying the novel; see what works and what doesn’t before works and what doesn’t before rolling it outrolling it out– i.e. Pixar tests new techniques i.e. Pixar tests new techniques

on shorter films before using on on shorter films before using on larger scale projectlarger scale project

try testing three new things at try testing three new things at any one timeany one time

Application: Application: nominate your nominate your top priorities; select one at top priorities; select one at random and then design simple, random and then design simple, easy and cheap ways to test easy and cheap ways to test these new ideasthese new ideas– i.e. to improve my people i.e. to improve my people

management skills; test by management skills; test by taking team out to lunch and taking team out to lunch and say thanks and discuss ways to say thanks and discuss ways to improve the businessimprove the business

Tool 4/4:Tool 4/4: Change the way you view barriers Change the way you view barriers

to successto success Perform an honest self-assessment of Perform an honest self-assessment of

performance in past twelve monthsperformance in past twelve months Use mirror test; fool others; but, not Use mirror test; fool others; but, not

yourselfyourself Take a good hard look at your Take a good hard look at your

performanceperformance– What barriers to success would I need What barriers to success would I need

to overcome; how do I view these to overcome; how do I view these barriers?barriers?

Being explicit brings changeBeing explicit brings change Application: Application: talk to a trusted talk to a trusted

(objective) friend or colleague; tell (objective) friend or colleague; tell them about your them about your achievements/barriers to success over achievements/barriers to success over the last 12 months; be clear and the last 12 months; be clear and specific about the barriers; select a specific about the barriers; select a few at random and articulate how you few at random and articulate how you view them; develop new lens to view view them; develop new lens to view them; then develop a range of actions them; then develop a range of actions that flow from these; have your that flow from these; have your colleague do the same with this list of colleague do the same with this list of barriers; gain new perspectivebarriers; gain new perspective

– i.e. making presentations; nervous i.e. making presentations; nervous speaking in front of people; new speaking in front of people; new opportunities to expand my skillsopportunities to expand my skills

Tool 4/5:Tool 4/5: Set a breakthrough challengeSet a breakthrough challenge Contentment makes us complacentContentment makes us complacent Need to break free of incremental Need to break free of incremental ->need breakthrough or impossible ->need breakthrough or impossible

challengechallenge Need to be specific and tied to your Need to be specific and tied to your

performance (sales, people, performance (sales, people, customers)customers)

Performance will lift based on Performance will lift based on higher benchmark sethigher benchmark set

– i.e. Roger Banister and 4 minute milei.e. Roger Banister and 4 minute mile Application: Application: list all your major list all your major

responsibilities; highlight those responsibilities; highlight those areas where performance has areas where performance has improved only slightly over the last improved only slightly over the last few month; also choose those areas few month; also choose those areas where performance has gained where performance has gained significantly over those same significantly over those same months; focus on the incremental months; focus on the incremental areas; ask how can I make a giant areas; ask how can I make a giant leap forwardleap forward

– i.e. people management; giving i.e. people management; giving timely feedback -> encourage team timely feedback -> encourage team to do new thingsto do new things

Tool 4/6:Tool 4/6: Improve your self-talkImprove your self-talk Build strong and vibrant self-Build strong and vibrant self-

talk (connect to athletes)talk (connect to athletes) Change from – to + self-talkChange from – to + self-talk

i.e. That mistake is typical; I i.e. That mistake is typical; I am useless at this versus That am useless at this versus That was a real improvementwas a real improvement

Gives powerful lift to Gives powerful lift to performanceperformance

You choose which form the You choose which form the self-talk takesself-talk takes

Make yourself more aware and Make yourself more aware and conscious of the messages you conscious of the messages you are sending to yourselfare sending to yourself

Application: record your self-Application: record your self-talk over a period of a week; is talk over a period of a week; is it positive encouraging, and or it positive encouraging, and or tolerant of mistakes; we are tolerant of mistakes; we are often our own biggest critics; often our own biggest critics; make it specific to the situationmake it specific to the situation i.e. I’m not as successful as I i.e. I’m not as successful as I

should be; My performance is should be; My performance is improving and success will improving and success will come if I keep at itcome if I keep at it

Tool 4/7:Tool 4/7: Make your lens in use Make your lens in use explicitexplicit

Challenge stretch or break free of Challenge stretch or break free of industry’s conventions (unwritten industry’s conventions (unwritten rules) (i.e. how you earn profits, how rules) (i.e. how you earn profits, how you construct profitsyou construct profits

These conventions are boundaries, These conventions are boundaries, barriers in beliefsbarriers in beliefs

Often taking a new view of an industry Often taking a new view of an industry (et al) can create an advantage(et al) can create an advantage

– i.e. Apple - computers must look i.e. Apple - computers must look functional – Apple Mac Designfunctional – Apple Mac Design

– i.e. Virgin challenges conventions each i.e. Virgin challenges conventions each time it enters a new industrytime it enters a new industry

– break free of mindsets break free of mindsets stay ahead stay ahead your competition in your industryyour competition in your industry

Application: make your lens explicit; Application: make your lens explicit; list the assumptions, beliefs, list the assumptions, beliefs, conventions and experiences in trying conventions and experiences in trying to grow your brand or business; select to grow your brand or business; select one and try to stretch and or break free one and try to stretch and or break free from itfrom it

– i.e. if every competitor is using TV, i.e. if every competitor is using TV, could you use radio and/or the internet; could you use radio and/or the internet; What is your growth mindset for your What is your growth mindset for your brand or business?brand or business?

– Convention: every competitor uses TVConvention: every competitor uses TV– Assumption: we assume our retailers Assumption: we assume our retailers

will support our growth initiativeswill support our growth initiatives– Beliefs: we have better ideas than our Beliefs: we have better ideas than our

competitioncompetition– Experiences: we do not tolerate a Experiences: we do not tolerate a

growth incentive that is not profitable in growth incentive that is not profitable in the short termthe short term

Tool 4/8:Tool 4/8: Understand the other persons Understand the other persons

mindsetmindset To get the best out of a person,

valuable starting point is to understand their world view

Everyone sees world differently source of diversity

See it from their POV and then customize your message and overcome any perceived barriers

– i.e. Nelson Mandela when in jail i.e. Nelson Mandela when in jail started all his correspondence with started all his correspondence with the government with the statement the government with the statement about how difficult, he knew it must about how difficult, he knew it must be for them to make a decision about be for them to make a decision about his situation; this demonstration of his situation; this demonstration of empathy and emotional intelligence empathy and emotional intelligence helped the process of reconciliation helped the process of reconciliation when he became president.when he became president.

Application: similar to the mindset approach used in the previous tool (#7); now use these techniques to get at how the other person is viewing the situation;

– i.e. interviewing for a new role or i.e. interviewing for a new role or promotionpromotion

– Convention: every competitor uses TV Convention: every competitor uses TV advertisingadvertising

– Assumption: there can be only one Assumption: there can be only one promotionpromotion

– Beliefs: you are competing with me Beliefs: you are competing with me for this promotionfor this promotion

– Experiences: people who excel at their Experiences: people who excel at their jobs are more likely to get promotedjobs are more likely to get promoted

Tool 4/9:Tool 4/9: Develop a radical new goal Develop a radical new goal for every process that is two years for every process that is two years oldold

We all get caught up in We all get caught up in processes; i.e. developing new processes; i.e. developing new products, receiving accountsproducts, receiving accounts

Processes can provide clarity, Processes can provide clarity, order and structure; however order and structure; however they can also be a source of they can also be a source of rigidity and/or a barrier to rigidity and/or a barrier to changechange

High performers radically High performers radically challenge and then redesign the challenge and then redesign the process to suit themselves process to suit themselves instead of becoming a victim to itinstead of becoming a victim to it

– i.e. applicants to Med School may i.e. applicants to Med School may not just rely on test scores; but, not just rely on test scores; but, also be chosen on interviews, also be chosen on interviews, hospital visits et alhospital visits et al

ApplicationApplication: Quickly list a : Quickly list a number of processes that you’re number of processes that you’re involved with; then select one @ involved with; then select one @ random and set yourself a big random and set yourself a big new challengenew challenge

– i.e. how can we cut in half the i.e. how can we cut in half the time it takes to test new productstime it takes to test new products

Write down the current process Write down the current process to meet the challenge and then to meet the challenge and then how the process could be how the process could be redesigned to meet the challenge redesigned to meet the challenge more effectivelymore effectively

Use 5W’s and H to help in this Use 5W’s and H to help in this redesignredesign

Tool 4/10:Tool 4/10: Do a few things Do a few things

exceptionally wellexceptionally well All of us incredibly busy and handling All of us incredibly busy and handling

multiple jobsmultiple jobs with limited available with limited available time time

In order to make most of limited time, In order to make most of limited time, need quicker and ,or powerful ways of need quicker and ,or powerful ways of thinkingthinking

Escape half completed projects; need Escape half completed projects; need to be ruthless with our prioritiesto be ruthless with our priorities

More important to do few jobs really More important to do few jobs really well; then a lot of jobs moderately well; then a lot of jobs moderately wellwell

Need mindset change: doing Need mindset change: doing everything reasonably well to a few everything reasonably well to a few things exceptionally wellthings exceptionally well

– i.e. Steve Jobs …saying no, you can i.e. Steve Jobs …saying no, you can concentrate on things that are really concentrate on things that are really importantimportant

ApplicationApplication: Imagine you only have : Imagine you only have six months in your job: What is truly six months in your job: What is truly important to you now; What would important to you now; What would you concentrate on; How can you you concentrate on; How can you make a difference in the shortest make a difference in the shortest possible time; What will most want to possible time; What will most want to be rememberedbe remembered

– Be absolutely singe-minded on the Be absolutely singe-minded on the most important projects facing you; most important projects facing you; delegate or reorder your projectsdelegate or reorder your projects

– Ask yourself: what is my current list of Ask yourself: what is my current list of priorities; what are my biggest priorities; what are my biggest priorities; how can I move it forwardpriorities; how can I move it forward