Strategy and the Fat Smoker

Does the Fat Smoker not know the deal?  Is his strategy clear?  Is his mission die young?  Or does he really not know what the doctors are saying?

I think the Fat Smoker knows the same as you and I.  It is not the strategy, it is the execution that is flawed.

Execution is more than knowing what to do.  It involves the critical step of actually doing it - consistently, day after day after day, until done.

Jim Rohn tells us that success or failure is not due to one single cataclysmic event; failure is a couple of poor decisions repeated daily, success is a couple of good habits repeated daily.

The Fat Smoker knows the same things as you do.  They know the strategy.  They just take a few poor decisions every day.

Trading time for money

Life's trades:

• Time for money
• Money for time
• Health for money
• Money for health
• Effort for money
• Money for effort

A Rant on Time Management

You don't need more time management.

You need to say "No" more.



I watched an interview with Elizabeth Gilbert recently.  She said "When I was young I used to think that if I said No to people, they would feel rejected, get angry and feel let down.  Now that I am older I realise that when I say No to people they do feel rejected, get angry and feel let down...  but I have to do it for me."  It is true.  It is not easy to say "No".

Dharmesh Shah gives a good thought on framing your "No". 

It's not easy.

Imperfect or Mediocre?

I just spent the last 60 minutes wasting time.  I sat down at the computer with a clear intention to write an article.  I opened Scrivener, my writing software.  I looked at the blank page...  and allowed myself to open email...  check facebook...  Google+, and have just now surfaced from a 60 minute black hole of drifting wasteland.

NASA photo of Centaurus A that shows the effects of a supermassive black hole.

Why?

I think I had set myself too high a bar for the article that I was going to write.  I had made the schoolboy error of trying for perfection.  My lizard brain loves moment's like this, because it is when it can really ensure that I get nothing done.

Aiming for Perfection leads to Doing Nothing.

I am going to go outside and sit in the sunshine with a book.  When I come back, I will set my sights on an imperfect version of the article.

The other choice is keep aiming for perfection and keep doing nothing.  The "Mediocre" choice.

Only two choices here.  Imperfect or Mediocre.

Increasing connections is easy. Increasing connectedness is hard.

Just because you can measure it doesn't mean it is more important.

Quantity or Quality?

More connections does not mean more connected.  Connected is a factor of quality and regularity over sheer quantity.  However, I do believe that there are ways that online can be a powerful amplified of connection.

The danger is that humans have some inbuilt senses of "progress" or not "progress" and it doesn't fully work with some of the new tools.  When we are sat watching TV, most of us know that we are not being productive.  Even a young kid knows that they are skipping out on doing their homework.  However, I have a tendency to feel that most stuff on a computer is "progress" - even though I know writing a blog post is far better use of my time than scanning and poorly responding to 100 emails.

Increasing connections is easy.  Increasing connectedness is hard.

Increase connectedness rather than number of connections.

How do you define connectedness?

My daughter's flower safari

My mum has a fantastic garden in Dublin.  My daughter took my camera off on a flower safari around the garden.  Here is a collage of some of her photos of an Irish garden:

What you don't see is the 3 kilos of strawberries that came out of the garden and are now in the fridge.

Improve your Sleep

At IESE this week, Steven MacGregor ran 3 sessions on "Sustaining Executive Performance".  Keeping healthy is one aspect of successful executives.  The human being functions best under conditions of stress followed by recovery.  Too much stress leads to breakdown.  Too much recovery leads to atrophy.  The best form of recovery is sleep.  How can you improve your sleep?

Sleep is a natural occurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, suspended sensory activity and inactivity of voluntary muscles.  Sleep is divided into two stages: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM).

Sleep is the primary mode of recovery and repair from stress.

The majority of people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep.  You can know you are getting enough sleep when you don't feel sleepy during the day.  Sleep is most effective when appropriately timed for your circadian rhythm.  Optimally, one should be asleep for at least 6 hours before minimum core body temperature.  (How to determine human circadian rhythm?)

Accumulated Sleep Debt 

You can choose to sacrifice sleep in the short term, but accumulated sleep debt results in diminished high-level cognitive function.  You will not deliver peak performance in a condition of accumulated sleep debt.  Lack of sleep has been shown to reduce healing of wounds, reduce immune system performance, reduce memory performance.  In short, it is not great for enjoying life.

The arrival of artificial light has led to big changes in sleep patterns.  In many nomadic societies people sleep on and off throughout the day and night depending on what is happening.

You can improve your sleep

4 ways to improve your sleep:

1. Get fit - When your level of fitness increases you will: 
1. fall asleep faster, 
2. have a higher percentage of deep sleep,
3. awaken less often during night.
2. Create the right environment - No TV in the bedroom.  Sound proof the room if necessary. Comfortable bed. 
3. Gradual wind-down over an hour - Do not check email just before bed. Reduce stimulus in the hour before bed - no TV, films; no caffeine.
4. Change your primary mode of breathing - Breathe from the stomach (the main mode of breathing when asleep), rather than through the top of the chest (our natural mode of breathing when awake).

Sweet dreams.  

Any thoughts?  Do you have an accumulated sleep debt?  How many hours do you need for optimal function?

Deliberate Ignorance

There are two types of ignorance: Deliberate Ignorance and Understandable Ignorance.



Understandable Ignorance

A non-financial expert is not expected to know how to calculate discounted cash flow valuations for publicly listed firms.  A European is not expected to know how baseball scoring works.  A non-programmer is not expected to understand the syntax of C++ or php code.  These are cases of Understandable Ignorance.

Deliberate Ignorance

If you work in marketing, you must know the basics.  If you work in finance, there are some basics that you must know.  If you are a programmer you must understand code syntax, optimal code, unit test, system test.  If you manage people, there are some lessons you owe it to your team to know.

As Seth Godin says "People have come before us, failed, learned, written it down. Scientists have figured out what works, and proven it. Economists have gained significant understanding about the long-term impacts of short-term decisions. And historians have seen it all before."

It is not a company's responsibility to ensure that you are aware of the basic concepts and important developments in your field.  It is your own.

Resources for EO Webinar 7th July 2011

The Entrepreneurs Organisation is a
worldwide network comprising 7500
successful business owners.  

This is a central page with links to resources for participants in the Entrepreneurs' Organisation Webinar: What does it really take to move people to action?

Event link: What does it really take to move people to action?

The whole seminar in a "Prezi":

Additional Videos: Speaking as A Leader:

1. The 4 Steps to Great Speaking
2. The 5 Aspects of a Powerful Voice
3. The 3 Pillars of Persuasion
4. How to Be More Confident
5. The 4 Types of Audience
6. The 4 Ways to Handle Anxiety
7. How much should I practice?

Useful Posts on Public Speaking

• The Rules of Soft Power
• 12 tips for public speaking
• 3 keys to powerful body language
• To speak well requires practice
• What makes an expert different?
• How to tell great stories

Great Books on Public Speaking

Presenting to Win, Jerry Weisman

A good overview of the business speaking material

Lend me Your Ears, Max Atkinson

A great overview of political speaking and the rhetorical tools for persuasion

Get Practicing

Make a video now with your webcam.  Join your local Toastmasters chapter.  Toastmasters is the best program to develop your public speaking skills if you really mean to take it seriously.

How to video yourself speaking

How to make a video of yourself speaking:

The simplest way on any Operating System (Mac, PC, Linux)
Youtube has a tool that allows you to record yourself: My Webcam

This works on any platform.  It is simple interface that allows you to record, review the recording and publish to youtube.  Publishing to youtube is optional.


Other video options on a Mac
Use Photobooth.

Other video options on a PC
Windows Vista has no application that allows you to video yourself using the webcam.  I recommend Debut Video Capture (link to Softonic download).  It is a simple interface, that also allows you to create simple videos of your screen - good for product demonstrations.


What speech will you practice today?
Record 3 minutes today.  I recommend you start with "The Ice-Breaker" - This is the first speech that each new member of Toastmasters Organisation prepares.  Andrew Dlugan describes how to prepare a good ice-breaker speech on his blog SixMinutes.

Kind and Tough, How a Boss should be

I read an interview with Kathy Button Bell in the NY Times yesterday.  She is Chief Marketing Officer at Emerson.

She talks about being coached by the U.S. Olympic Lacrosse coach during her time at Princeton:

Kind and Tough, How a Boss should be
"She just knew how to inspire you to do more. The thing she always tried to teach me to do is not say I’m sorry. I was so painfully polite, and if I missed a pass or something I’d apologize. She said, “You need to get over that.” She was kind and tough, which are maybe the two best things that a boss could be."

And on focus:

Just do the top three things
"The mistake people make is they try to do everything. Dave Farr, our C.E.O., says that if you have a to-do list of 10 things, rip it and do three. Just do three."

Have a great day.  What are your three things for the day?

Writing Good Email Subject Lines. Get your Email opened.

This post extends the 6 Ways to Get Your Email Ignored where I talked about 6 ways to increase the possibility that the reader acts upon your email.

Content does not matter if the reader is not opening your emails.

Vickram Ahuja commented on that post "How do you ensure your email gets READ" , highlighting the importance of an appropriate "subject" for your email. Would be interested to hear your thoughts around do's and don'ts of the "subject" in the context of email communication and how a strong subject can convey your intention before your intended receiver even opens the email."

I receive too much email to read it all.  So do you.  The average business user in a 1,000 user organisation receives 110 emails per day and sends 36 emails (source).  I scan and delete first before beginning to process my email inbox.  This is an effective inbox management process that more and more people are using.  You need to write emails that pass this first filter.

Gratuitous shark picture. Avoid your email ending up in this guy's gut.

What am I looking for as I scan email in delete mode?  If I know your name, then you are safe.  If it looks like a newsletter and I am busy, delete.  If it appears vague and rambling, I delete.  If it appears clear and to be something I am interested in (great books, new business, thank you's, expansion of ideas I have blogged) then you are safe.

What do you write in Good Email Subject lines?

A good email subject is a summary of the key message of the email that serves the reader.

Sorry if you were looking for magic or rocket science.  Nothing here.  Simple.  KISS.  But make sure it is a good summary for the reader, not for you the writer.


What is a Poor Email Subject line?

A poor email subject is pretty much anything else.  Some poor email subjects are:

• "hey"
• "open this"
• "your file"
• "message from Conor"
• "coffee"
• "meeting with Conor" [where I am Conor and I am the receiver...  this is clearly written by somebody not thinking from the reader's point of view]

On specific email types:

1. Don't risk being Spam: There are a number of ways to guarantee that most spam filters move you to the spam folder.  Starting the subject with "Free!" is pretty much guaranteed to go spam. Don't write your subject lines like advertisements.   Avoid words like "exclusive", "free", "opportunity", "limited time", "hurry" and "only".  The word "you" is a spam-predictor in subject lines.  Nobody really uses the word "you" in e-mails to friends; lots of spammers use it.
2. Invitations: If you invite me to a conference, use "Invitation: Persuasive Communication Conference, Barcelona Aug 14-16" instead of a plain "Persuasive Communication Conference".
3. Newsletters: Mailchimp has a good post on writing effective newsletter subject lines.

Any other thoughts on good email subject lines?  How do you process your inbox?  Do you delete emails before opening?  What criteria do you use?  I love comments here on the blog.

The Rules of Soft Power

"Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong." Lao Tzu

Soft Power is part of Leadership

• Soft Power is necessary to get things done
• Leaders have soft power
• People with soft power skills become leaders
• Soft Power decides how disagreements about what to do and how to do it get resolved

Soft Power is given based on other's perception of us

If you look like a leader, if you act like a leader: people will treat you like a leader.  If you look like a follower, if you act like a victim, if you are perceived as weak: people will ignore your input.

Joseph Nye, a professor at Harvard who coined the term "soft power", speaks about the shift in the source of power over the last 100 years.  In the industrial age power was defined by "who's army wins".  In the information age power  is defined by "who's story wins".

• Hard power: Get others to do what they otherwise wouldn't want to do ("My army is bigger than yours", "I am the boss")
• Soft power: Get others to want what I want ("Here is a future I can help you create")

8 Behaviors of Powerful People
What are the behaviors of people who wield soft power?  What can you do to model leading with soft power?  Jeffrey Pfeffer offers this list of 8 behaviors in his book "Power":

1. Make eye contact
1. Looking down or away conveys evasiveness
2. Not making eye contact is perceived as untrustworthy
2. Take up space and adopt an expansive posture
1. If you adopt a “power” pose, you will not only feel more powerful, your actual blood chemistry (cortisol, a stress hormone, and testosterone) will change
2. Don’t hunch, fold your arms in front of your chest, or do other things that signal defensiveness
3. Use forceful gestures—avoid waving your arms; use compact gestures such as pointing or moving your hands in a powerful fashion
4. Use your voice and its tone to convey power
1. Speak loudly (within reason)
2. Don’t raise your inflection at the end of a sentence, making statements seem like questions
3. Don’t umm and ehh, speak without filler words
5. Manage the setting to the extent possible
1. Use symbols of power—dress, uniforms
2. Control seating, ask people to move if it would be better to ensure eye contact
3. If the room is cold, ask somebody to put the heat on
6. Don’t use notes
1. Notes convey that you are “mouthing” someone else’s message
2. Notes imply you are not in command and are uncertain
3. Notes require you to look down, breaking eye contact
7. Have meetings on your territory, if possible
8. Display Anger rather than Sadness or Remorse
1. Those with power have permission to be angry, so the expression of anger has become associated with power
2. Research shows that others convey more status to someone who expresses anger rather than sadness or guilt
3. In many instances, situations are ambiguous—if you are ashamed and embarrassed by your behavior, others will follow your lead

Acting Powerfully, Acting skill is a learnable skill

You can learn the practice of soft power.  Studies of “genius”—outstanding performance in fields ranging from athletics, to art, to math and science—consistently find that raw, innate talent is overrated. What matters is Deliberate Practice and coaching.  Malcolm Gladwell tells us that it takes 10,000 hours to become world class.

8 Behaviors of Speaking with Power
"Communication persuades others largely through how we look and present ourselves; second, by how we sound, and of least importance, by the content of what we say. Therefore, how we “show up” is important in our ability to attract support for efforts to lead change." Jeffrey Pfeffer

1. Use clear, simple, declarative sentences
2. Use lists of 3 or more items
3. Use contrasts, framed to make your position seem reasonable by comparison
1. “Do you want to retreat or persevere to achieve victory”
4. Show similarity to audience. Because we tend to support those to whom we are similar, use “us” versus “them” references to develop an association with your audience and seem like one of them
5. Pause for emphasis
6. Avoid notes
7. Interruption
1. Powerful people interrupt
2. Those with less power get interrupted
8. Use humor— No one ever left a speech saying “I hated the way she made me laugh out loud”.  Laughter unites a group.  It is a shared experience. Powerful leaders create shared experiences that bring people together.

Grow your army or tell better stories

Are you spending your time and effort developing a better, stronger army or are you developing the ability to attract people towards your vision through looking like a leader and sharing your stories in ways that those stories become the reality for others?  A coup can take the army away from you.  No coup can destroy the stories.  

If you want to be a better leader, start by acting like the best leaders.  What is soft is strong.