The more you write, the more clearly you will think, and the more productively you will ACT. This is the formula for improving performance. Write, reflect, rewrite, and choose to ACT.
Simple and true. Why, then, with such a simple recipe to follow, don’t we see an abundance of magical couples, magical teams, magical neighborhoods, and magical leadership groups? I posed this question during practice recently and had some awesome learning with the team.
You could argue a number of angles, and you would most likely be somewhat correct. The fact is that there are countless causes and endless traps that snare even the best intentioned. The fact is that it’s really hard to improve performance, especially once you have started to improve. Funny, huh.
Here’s where the 80/20 rule might help. This is an age old “saying” that implies that all variables are not equal. 20% of your customers will, typically, produce 80% of your revenue. 20% of your relationships will, typically, produce 80% of your anxiety. 20% of your time will, typically, drive 80% of your performance. The parallels and applications go on and on and they are mostly true. Back to our write, reflect, rewrite, and ACT problem. Do not miss this. This is HUGE.
The problem is that we focus 80% of our time on fixing the performance of others. We invest 80% of this time writing up the most problematic 20%. We invest our remaining 20% focusing on all our other problematic, mediocre, and top performers. This consumes nearly 100% of most normal leaders time. This is why we don’t see more magical couples, teams, neighborhoods, and leadership groups.
Here is the real problem. Our focus is misplaced. We are mentally unhealthy. We have not moved beyond our birth state and are still running around being self centered and other controlling. We’ve learned to write, think, and ACT toward the wrong objective. We are trying to change others. We cannot.
Remember, mental health 101 is to stop focusing your time, attention, and energy toward that which you cannot control. Slow down and reflect. Do you see it?
High performance couples, teams, neighborhoods, and leadership groups are led by someone that has reversed the equation. These leaders are mentally tough and critical of themselves. They know that they are their greatest leadership challenge. Want to become “that kinda” leader? Here’s how…
Start writing, thinking, reflecting and choosing more productive ways for YOU to ACT. Start focusing on what you can control; YOU. High performers, remember, have moved toward their dream state. They are on the path to becoming CORE centered and self controlling.
Are you?
Tell me more, my friend.
Tell me more…
BUILT TO LEAD 