Jack Black – Leadership Development – Personal Effectiveness

I am sure you like me have been really glad to at last see air traffic moving again and those first signs of spring, having lived through a really tough winter.  Some warm sunlight and the daffodils to lift our spirits, thankfully knowing that summer is on its way.  Likewise in business, many are desperate to see the Phoenix rise from the ashes or any indication of a heavy thaw of a deeply frozen economy.  Standing by without doubt there is willingness, a kind of waiting for somebody, something to give us all permission to get moving and really work to build something of real value that is lasting, solid and meaningful. 

Our foundation has been rocked to the core.  Can you honestly believe what has happened to, of all things the banks?  So much of what we have been taking for granted, we can no longer rely on.  More and more, you and I have to fall back on our own resources.  

When we look around, its easy to see how much surplus of unnecessary stuff exists that we no longer need.  Perhaps, we really had too much, too much of everything.  And for our over consumption of the meaningless, we are all paying too much, and now when push must come to shove we really don’t need all that additional baggage.   

While we are willing to do whatever needs to be done, you have probably noticed something else.   We have far too much demand on our time, too many emails, too many projects and too many items on our to-do lists until we are almost overwhelmed by it all.  You probably need your staff or fellow team members to respond quicker, increasingly be more flexible, creative, willing to break down barriers and at all times be seen to collaborate, here there and everywhere. 

Of course, you want to thrive in what surely is the dawn of the upturn.  Yet in quiet moments, without anyone knowing, deep down you may just have a twinge of self doubt, even questioning your own abilities to deliver this time.  All of us have had a bit of our confidence eroded away while we have stood on shaky ground for so long.   And what if, old and no longer appropriate belief systems that drive behaviours and zap our energy supply are mismatched with what’s now required.  Many people have at the back of their mind, however controlled, honest fears about security.  Thoughts run like “Will my job be safe?” “How do I stay healthy and manage the stress of all this?” and “What about my family?”

So take heart, because it’s not only you, it’s also your colleagues, suppliers, customers…apparently everyone else around.

 Given half a chance, the media seems to be reinforcing a negative viewpoint.  And of course in the background there’s terrorism, wars, natural disasters, climate change and goodness knows what else.

Yet even with all of this, another part of you also knows that you can deliver.  You did before, and you have the talent, skills and most of all the willingness.  You know that you have great people around you too.  This duality of self is really apparent, particularly at this time and surely that doubting, fearful part can serve a positive function.  What if it can be leveraged to become an advantage?  If you, your colleagues, and everyone else contributing to the economy were able to do the same, well….

A big part of you wants to say “Stuff it, I’m going for it!” wants to breakout to take risks , to drive on and upwards, to overcome that other part that seems to want to hold you back and stifle your creativity and efforts.   

We all face internally and externally this duality of purpose.  We know that when we find a really creative right brained entrepreneur and we ensure there is a strong FD by his or her side then things will happen.  However, the entrepreneur needs to take the lead and initiate ideas and activity otherwise the accountant has nothing to count.  In other words, both are critical. 

So, what if the controlling risk averse and fearful side of our personalities actually serves a positive function?  What if it’s possible to leverage it so it becomes an asset, not only for you but for all those critical to you moving forward?  If we could have the wherewithal to realise all that is best in ourselves, to capitalise on our authentic selves and genuine strengths, to release our creativity and drive, then we can tackle anything as we begin to turn things around and rebuild that which will succeed and endure.

When we grasp this, and we’re actually able to apply tools and techniques, our mind opens up to thinking about new possibilities.  We rediscover our sense of curiosity.  We are more open to new ideas.  We once again get in touch with our creative and intuitive powers, the very essence of the extraordinary entrepreneur. 

The solutions and power to overcome this current economic climate lies within each of us, but only if we now finally accept that our life, our success, our wellbeing, wealth and security is our full and personal responsibility.   Far too many organisations are still not flexible and open enough to deal with the current global crisis.  So, those within organisations need to understand that the ownership of their career is their responsibility.  They also need to learn to be more flexible and develop their own creative and intuitive powers.

INSPIRE: Set against the general fears about the economy, global disasters and talk of terrorist attacks.  Politicians like never before really need to “raise their game” to continually present positive ideas and policies that will inspire us because we all genuinely need it.

STAY POSITIVE: The last thing you should do, yet the first thing you will most likely do is be negative about other parties.

CONSIDER OTHERS: Don’t fall for any cheap tricks to undermine the other guy instead come from a place where you think about us – the people.  Think about what it is we need to hear and the best way to present it to us.

TEAMWORK: Work with your background “think tanks” to do the homework to really understand where the pulse of the people is and consistently address us positively to make us want to vote and of course for you.

BELIEVE:  Set out on the campaign believing you will win, present yourself as someone who deserves to win and go on to lead the people of this country for the next five years.

Life, as they say, is a series of decisions or choices. Being in an informed place for making those decisions is clearly the preferred choice for us all.

As we move forward and evolve as human beings one would hope, and indeed trust, that more and more of us would make our decisions and choices from a much more informed and balanced place.

Yet, time and again, we make them based on our prejudices and current thought patterns. Far too many of us do not test out our own views but take them to be facts and act on them.
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As the time comes to make decisions for elections, making informed choices becomes all the more important.  We are probably not ready for it yet but being able to make decisions from a more intuitive place with tools to check for integrity and truth would easily change our world. Coaching, as I do, leaders from all sorts of fields, I am well aware of the need for them to make decisions day upon day. I now include TFT (Thought Field Therapy) into my coaching whether on my courses, with client groups or on one to one’s. These extraordinary tools bring everyone to a point of balance free from stress and urgency and therefore the ability to more than likely make the correct decisions.

Think about it, it just isn’t good enough any more for all of us to be rushing around up to our necks in demands and schedules, yet still expect to make good decisions and choices. Many of these directly impact our lives but, more importantly, can in many cases influence the lives of countless others.

Ancient wisdom tells us to slow down and regularly take time for peace and quiet, not only to manage our stress but for taking time out to find balance and clarity.

Clearly, if we commit to building into our busy schedules time to take stock and relax we will all perform much better. Even just taking time out to actually stop and think is relatively rare in the modern age. I strongly recommend that you find your own way of doing so. Better decisions make for a better life. We make choices, day in, day out, from what we choose to eat and drink right up to who we vote for and everything in between. So make space to really think and make the best decision you can and choose carefully your vote.

Keep smiling!

Jack

To find out more about TFT visit: http://www.rogercallahan.com/

Generally you will find that success means lots of things to different people. People can cite success on the stage, in business, on the sports field, in politics or even just recognizing someone who is a fantastic father or mother.

Having a sense of balance also seems to be important. It really just isn’t good enough to be successful in business but hopeless in relationships. Being a good all-rounder seems to be an important factor in identifying those who are successful.

When I begin to present at conferences or on any of my courses, I always ask the audience for who they admire and why. It won’t surprise you to realize that the same old names come up again and again except, of course, in different countries, where local heroes or national icons are mentioned. You can imagine Mother Theresa, Mohammed Ali, Nelson Mandela, Lance Armstrong and so on.

If you think about it, you can narrow the characteristics of success down to four or five components. Firstly, if you are going to be successful, you will need to be able to manage the stress that will come with the journey. Being able to stay calm and have the energy to keep focused while others just can’t keep up will be critical for you. So having a method to manage it easily, and indeed daily, will give you the edge.

Next, you will have to ensure you develop a strong positive mental attitude. Attitude is clearly critical, yet up here in the north west of Europe (it may be the weather) you find that most people are fairly negative. Given half a chance, people you meet and talk with engage in moaning and you can regularly hear them talking themselves out of opportunities or putting others down. Of course, what about the love of a good piece of gossip? You simply don’t have the luxury of engaging in this energy sapping activity; if you wish to succeed and prosper you need to stay positive.

So then you have the notion of where are you heading. Notice if you will that all the examples above were driven by a tremendous sense of future. They were driven by goals and aspirations of what they wanted to achieve. Mandela was in the cell for 27 years and never lost his vision. We are lucky if most people around us think for 27 minutes in a year about a compelling goal. Being a futurist is something you will want to develop, so reviewing your goals regularly is obviously critical.

The fourth characteristic seems to indicate the need to use much more of your brain as you go about your business. You will probably already have heard of the left/right brain tendencies of thinking, the discovery of which led to a Nobel Prize. Surely you would not be arrogant enough to dismiss a Nobel Prize? So open your mind if you need to, to the realization that the left brain is the analytical and the right brain the imaginative, intuitive.

Perhaps you can reflect that your education probably majored on left brain activity with little or no real focus on the right, especially after age 11 or 12. All the greats seem to be able to imagine bold and wonderful futures, clearly a skill of the right brain. The left brain that dominates most people’s thinking is unable to imagine anything and tends to base the future on present experience and past results.

So what can you do? You need to find yourself some goals and really imagine exactly what it will be like once they are achieved, constantly think about them and stay positive as you journey towards their outcome. Over and above this you will need to manage your stress and somehow or other find ways to make sure you think more with your right brain. I wish you all the best with this.

What can I say, almost without exception everybody feels they want to advise others, every text book and every management course obviously assumes that planning is critical. However, I don’t, or rather, I do but it’s important to understand where it actually fits into the scheme of things. The assumption I made about all those other sources is that if you actually get round to planning you must have a reason to do so, perhaps a good idea or you have been given responsibility for an achievement to target or there is a real need to solve a challenge. So given communal wisdom and any of the above scenarios the planning is awarded the first stage on the road to success.

For me, this importance that’s given to planning is fundamentally flawed. It is important, indeed critical but has to be placed at the correct stage towards ultimate success. You see, as soon as we accept all the conventional arguments and it’s elevation to the critical first stage we immediately limit our potential for greatness. I remember having Sir John Harvey Jones the famous British industrialist and management guru as a guest speaker at one of my events in Glasgow, in the mid 90’s. He, understanding my approach, stated to a bemused audience “If I could have my way again, I would sack the planners”. Now, you may be thinking “Don’t be ridiculous” but bear with me and you may just get a breakthrough in your thinking and ultimately your results.

If planning actually has such importance, when one begins to generate ideas for your future, you will inevitably have to limit the size and scope of your aspirations and the time frame for achievement in order to be able to fit them into a plan. So, whatever the outcome is, it will end up being realistic. Of course, this same approach recommends that you should have the plan ready right from the start and that goals should be realistic and achievable.

Now, check this out, anybody from the present day or history who had a huge impact have very rarely or have ever set goals that were limited this way and in the beginning they would have no idea HOW they were actually going to achieve their goal and therefore would have no plan. More over, if you think about it, nobody gets out of bed with a passion for a realistic and achievable goal. Yet this attribute seems to be a constant characteristic possessed by outstanding human beings.

Please accept that in the beginning those who achieved extraordinary results have not been unable to figure out how they’re going to get there and therefore plan but are more likely to be contemplating much more empowering questions which is WHY.

Asking precisely why you would want to achieve an outcome will press “your buttons” and ignite passion from within. You will find it drives you forward, it excites and compels. The greats from the past didn’t waste their time initially with the HOW question or planning because quite clearly they would not know how. In order to know how they would have to reduce the scope of their ambitions to a more manageable and realistic size and if they did, then one would expect that they would then be able to plan.

If you do look at those who have achieved greatness, they do get passionate and compelled to constantly reviewing their vision in their mind and as a result ideas begin to form in their mind that show them a way forward. They find that people, places and even coincidences begin to come to their awareness, and as they do, they then begin to formulate plans and strategies that inevitably bring them success. More important perhaps, because they are not hung up on the need to plan and stick to it they are more flexible and can take advantage of opportunities, insights and innovation as it shows up because, it inevitably will.

So, yes planning is important but only after you have sold yourself on what you truly want but are not limited to what you currently think is possible. The more you decide to commit to constantly thinking about your goal having already been achieved, right at the beginning, then you will trigger creativity and precisely the bits and pieces will come together to form your plan as you travel to your destination. I strongly recommend that you do some work on this, formulate in your mind, that which truly turns you on, that which really excites you. Think about it morning, noon and night and decide to take action on the ideas and solutions that come into your awareness and you will succeed. You know how to plan, you actually know the importance of planning but maybe you didn’t realise that you only do so, once you have convinced yourself that your extraordinary idea can in fact be achieved because you believe it!

Good luck and keep smiling,

Jack

Given that I passionately believe that our success in life is determined by the quality of our thoughts, it may not surprise you that I feel that good networkers are because they think they are.

Increasingly, quantum physicists are proving (at least to themselves since most of us don’t want to know about it) that our thoughts create everything, indeed that thought influences subatomic particles.

So, here are some ideas for improving your networking just by thinking about it. As of reading this, start to self talk by telling yourself that you are good at networking and that you attract the right people at the right time. In addition, reinforce this inner conversation with the notion that you are a good resource for those who increasingly want to network with you. I know for some this can sound crazy and even too simple; however, if quantum physicists are correct, then we do indeed create our own reality. So, the constant positive self talk will create an inner confidence and expectation that networking comes easy to you.

My experience of coaching and working with successful people is that they never really contemplate the idea of failure, since all their thoughts seem to support whatever they desire to achieve. If you think about it, you often read in interviews or hear on TV chat shows how those who do succeed seem to say sooner or later “I was in the right place at the right time.” Trust me, trust by thinking that you are good at networking and that the right people will all show up at the right time will make a big difference to you.

This said, networking begins by meeting people, so again to maximise on each opportunity, begin specifically self talking about an up and coming event where new contacts can be made. This will build your self confidence and an aura of approachability and that you are someone worth spending time with. Realise that we each give subconscious clues to others about our willingness to meet and be open; equally others can give off the underlying desire to just use and even abuse each opportunity for selfish gain. Subconsciously others pick this up and, although not sure why, find they are not attracted to these kinds of people and naturally stay away from them.

To really maximise your opportunities, I strongly recommend you follow this simple procedure. Arrive at the venue a little earlier than you normally would and go straight to the wash rooms. Find the privacy to then practise this simple routine. While sitting down comfortably but with a straight back (you can do this by positioning your knees over your ankles, your shoulders over your hips and your ears over your shoulders), close your eyes and bring your attention to your breathing and just relax. Begin then to see in your mind’s eye the coming event go well. Imagine you are surrounded by a brilliant white light dappled with colours of the rainbow and therefore you are attractive to all in attendance. Imagine the people you wish to meet coming to you and engaging in warm and accepting conversation, sense that you find them willing to talk and therefore build the foundation for a successful relationship. Tell yourself that you will attract the right people this time and that you are willing to be of service to others in return for them being of help to you.

World Class sports people do this mental rehearsal stuff all the time. So if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for world class networkers.

I was speaking with a great MindStore member yesterday. He indeed is one of Channel 4’s “Secret Millionaires”. He was mentioning the horrific scenes out there in Haiti and how society can so quickly break down and what we would all probably end up doing to survive in similar circumstances. It’s not pleasant to look at, I find myself wanting to look away or turn off the news, it’s so disturbing. He mentioned too, how many of his friends, business leaders, entrepreneurs and others from his international networks are really struggling with the impact of the global crisis. He said how they had to remind themselves of what they were doing 15 years ago, going back to basics and having to dig deep and find core skills and the passions that drove them back then to stabilise their businesses and almost begin all over again. It seems we genuinely need extraordinary  leadership at this time, in Haiti definitely, in our global leadership probably, and no doubt where you work and live too. In the UK of course we will have a general election this year where leadership will surely play its part in deciding who wins.

Leadership is critical to human survival, never mind growth and development. If we can’t find it in others then surely we can find it in ourselves. In our Leadership Development programme we begin by asking participants to work at remembering where, when and how they have witnessed extraordinary leadership before. We encourage them to share stories and begin to filter the characteristics of outstanding examples. It leads to agreement, buy in, and commitment to strive for the same in their own environment. With the first month of the new decade coming to an end maybe you to need to find your leader within.

It seems almost sinful to consider not mentioning the horrendous disaster that even yet is unfolding into the most desperate of human tragedies.

If you are the kind of person who responds to disasters by donating or engaging in fundraising or even first hand support you no doubt will have done so already or are in the process of doing what you can.

At times like this I find myself being inspired by the typical response by some of the people who have profoundly influenced my thinking and who have taught me amazing things. Bill Spear immediately comes to mind. He is an extraordinary man and one of my “gurus”. Among his fantastic works he facilitates many things including “The Passage”, a life-changing retreat experience that inspired us to create “The Line in the Sand”. He has an outstanding reputation for personally taking action in responding to human tragedy even walking into Chernobyl in order to work with the children when most other human beings were doing everything they could to get out of there.

Others are Dr Roger & Joanne Callahan who discovered and continue to develop Thought Field Therapy. Roger’s passion to free people from trauma lead to his ground breaking solutions. Joanne and many of the TFT Practitioners at their own expense fly out to devastated locations and show those affected how to dissolve trauma and thereby provide them with the confidence to rebuild their lives.

“The greatest gift in life is the ability to think great thoughts and have the strength to take action so those thoughts become reality in this wonderful and abundant world.”

I first said this 20 years ago and all my experience since then supports this truth.  Taking action on your imaginations ideas is what truly makes the difference between those who live life to the full and those who simply dream.

Now, at this time of year we can observe the power of imagination in children as they look forward to Santa coming.  There is so much we can learn from them.  The vividness of what they want from Santa is so obvious and because they are bombarded by constant reminders of Christmas, what they really want is in their minds and imagination all the time.

This alone, is a tremendous validation of all we teach at MindStore regarding success and goal setting.  In the first place, the average person doesn’t really ever get round to setting goals.  If they do it’s probably at their work and something to do with their career.  Most of them actually give little thought or energy to their goals, time slips by and nothing seems to be achieved.  However those who do achieve great things seem to think about their goals all the time.  They build a desire for what they want and that causes them to constantly remind themselves.  By doing so, they build a huge belief that they can actually achieve and ultimately, they have a sense of expectation that whatever they really want will manifest.

Now your average little child just does this instinctively.  The wonder of the myth of Santa is so powerful that they’re always wandering into little day dreams and fantasies of Santa on his sleigh, with Rudolph and the sacks of presents for all the little boys and girls.  They find that they reinforce these ideas constantly as they go about their day and everywhere there are reminders.  Indeed, for up to two months, Christmas lights, trees and music are available in the High Street and everywhere in the media.  The child knows from experience that Christmas day is really special and as if by magic, everything they want just appears.  There is another amazing lesson for the child in that there is no sense of lack because in the story, every little boy and girl gets their presents.  So, in the mind of children there is only abundance.

So, what is going on here?

Well, the child is actually using their right brain as they imagine themselves with their toys, the ones they really want and, they are doing this in a daydream or fantasy like state that is repeated over and over again for weeks.  Every night, they more than likely fall asleep dreaming of Santa coming, and on the nights closer to the 25th,  they even look out of their window before bed, and would swear that they actually saw the sleigh in the night sky.  Further, they awaken in the morning and even start their day by thinking about Christmas right away as they excitingly open their advent calendar with the anticipation of yet another little surprise.

Guess what? For 20 years and more I have been teaching this approach to those who are willing to listen.  It’s true that the greats in history and those who inspire us today, find a dream or goal that motivates them just like a child is motivated and inspired by Christmas.  They constantly find the day dream state in their mind (we can scientifically measure it in the rhythm of the brain) and constantly revisit having achieved their goal just like the child does playing with their toys.  Now because of this repetition they build their desire, their belief and ultimately their expectation.  Just like the child as if by magic they find themselves in the right place at the right time and somehow or other their destination is reached.

So, it’s obvious you need to get in touch with your inner child; you actually need to use your brain like a child to think about what you really want for this coming year believing in abundance while everyone else focuses on lack.  Commit to think about your goal everyday, even fall asleep dreaming about it and waken up thinking about it again.  I recommend you place images in all kinds of unexpected places to remind you of your goals.  Use a MindStore Night Book or a Vision Board and mirror the behaviour of children and watch what happens.

“The greatest gift in life is to take action whilst others simply dream”

For help with establishing and setting goals visit our online store or book onto The Best of MindStore with Jack Black on Saturday 3 March 2012 in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

If you need help or support with your goal setting please email us at info@mindstore.com

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