Category Archives: Productivity

Posted on

3-Part Secret To Motivation That Gets The Results You Want

What makes you do the things you do? What motivates or “Drives” you, as Daniel Pink would say?  If your  reading this blog post then it’s likely your a knowledge worker and your granddad’s (or even dad’s) kind of “drivers” aren’t going to be your’s. If you (and/or your business) is going to be successful in today’s knowledge economy,  understanding how to leverage the right kind of drivers is critical.

I’ve always considered myself to be a motivated guy and so do most people who know me. The trouble is that I haven’t always known what motivates me. I did learn a lot about motivation going through my Coaching program.  For example, that the two key components of motivation are importance and confidence. When a person is lacking in either of those two, motivation will be lacking as well. To empower positive change, just find out what needs attention, help them move the needle on one or both and motivation follows. In addition, reward appropriately.  Simple enough, right? Maybe not.

To truly understand how we are motivated, a deeper dive is needed on the “Importance” element of the equation above. The first thing to understand relates to what I alluded to in the beginning: the entire game has changed and a lot of people haven’t noticed. The Industrial Age has given way to the Information Age where knowledge workers are a critical asset, and in large part are what makes today’s society run. In fact, McKinsey & Co. estimate that 70% of job growth in the US comes from heuristic work requiring creativity and complex decision making skills, as opposed to algorithmic work that can be outsourced.

Second, we need to acknowledge that the traditional elements we associate with motivation, basic survival needs and external rewards  (pay, perks, etc.), are no longer sufficient to keep these people performing at their best. In addition, these first two factors have to interact with the third factor of Drive, which requires a full-scale upgrade on how we think about and foster motivation.

I’ve read bits and pieced of Dan Pink’s book Drive, The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us in the past, but I’ve just finished reading it in it’s entirety. I not only learned a lot more about the concept of motivation, but a lot about myself as well as the people and business I lead. While reading, some things were reflective as in “oh, that’s why that worked (or didn’t)!” and others were instructive as in “gee, that’s pretty important; I better start doing that or doing something different if I want us to win here”.  Knowing what motivates you and why is critical if you want to accomplish what serves your long-term interest and plans. It reminds me that proverb “activity doesn’t equal accomplishment”.

According to Dan and the research his book is based on, there are three broad categories where we need to think differently:

  1. The way we Organize- Understand that purpose maximization has to be at the forefront, not just  profit maximization.
  2. The way we Think- Recognize that beyond a certain point, the most powerful incentives aren’t economical.
  3. The way we Do our work- Replace the notion that location and supervision ensure results; people capable of self-directed work are now essential.

Finally, what “Drives” people really consists of the following three components…the 3-part secret if you would….that takes into account and integrates the elements of the old 2-part equation (importance and confidence) for motivation:055 3PartMotivation II

  • Autonomy- The desire to direct our own lives within an inter-dependent context.
  • Mastery- The urge to make progress and get better at something that matters.
  • Purpose- The urge to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

There you have it: Autonomy – Mastery – Purpose…..or AMP for those who love acronyms as much as I do.

Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker” over 50yrs. ago and foresaw the next frontier in business terms as being self-management; the concept applies equally when it relates to personal interests as well. He argued that to be successful, individuals were going to need to think hard about what are their strengths, how they can contribute and how they can improve their performance. In other words, the admonition of Socrates to  “Know thyself” appears to be just as important in life and business today than it was thousands of years ago.   As it turns out, doing so then allows you to leverage AMP for your benefit, your business, and those you lead. More to come on that.

In the meantime, how’s your Drive and where is it coming from? If you have a hard time answering that question, what to you need to do to find out?

Posted on

8 Ways to Tell Who Has A GSD Degree And Why It Matters

When we see credentials behind someone’s name we are often immediately impressed. Letters like PhD, MD, PT and others indicate academic, clinical  professional achievement and grab our attention; especially if there are many and begin to string out like Campbells’ alphabet soup.  But how impressed with highly credentialed or “lettered” people should we be?

I have to admit that growing up as kid and well into my early career, lettered people impressed me. If a person had letters behind their name (take your pick, whatever letters you want), they had my attention.  In my mind, a lettered person was by nature a superior performer so I always became very deferential to them.

Even though I became a physical therapist (PT) and earned my own professional “letters” at age 22, I continued to be highly impressed with lettered people. However, as I began to work with these folks, began to lead them and then earned a bunch more letters myself (in additions to my PhD, at one time I held a total of 8), my view of lettered people became more tempered and aligned with reality.

There is no question that for work in selected fields, especially those highly technical in nature, specialized training resulting in a degree is necessary. But that is just the ante to get in the game. To be a real game changer you have to have your GSD (Get Stuff Done) degree.

The only pre-admission requirements for a GSD degree are a willingness to work, learn, get messy, had have a “move it forward” attitude. There are a variety of schools that offer the degree (including the School of Hard Knocks),  limitless locations and settings.  One problem is that you don’t get any pretty letters to go behind your name when you graduate, so how can you tell who has a GSD degree? The content from my last C12 meeting laid them out perfectly.

People with their GSD degree:

  1. Perceive themselves as responsible to the customer- they solve problems and deliver value.
  2. Sense a direct financial connection to the results of their work- they have an owners mentality whether they are an owner or not.
  3. Never think, “it’s not my job.”- they step-up, do what it takes, and don’t always have to be told what to do.
  4. Exhibit personal responsibility.- their general attitude is “if it’s to be, it’s up to me.” They’re committed to improving and growing, and taking calculated risks.
  5. Pursue continuing education and training- They’re committed to lifelong learning and continuous improvement in serving their internal and external customers.
  6. Don’t just work at something, but continually reflect on it-  they exhibit curiosity and ongoing inquiry with an endless quest for insight and understanding.
  7. Seek personal growth, not just promotions- their goal is to become better a professional as well as a better person.
  8. Behave as if “self-employed.”- they “own it” and  know the more professional they are the more value they add to themselves and those they serve.

Just as important as being able to tell who has a GSD degree is knowing why it’s important. When you want something done, it actually has to get done in order to “get done”…and it needs to be done the right way, often at the right time and most of the time when you aren’t around. You can’t afford to settle and mistake activity for accomplishment. Just because someone has letters behind their name does not mean they can generate the passion, responsibility, grit and drive to execute and see a job through to completion.

Too often we are enamored by and look immediately to the most credentialed person while overlooking the importance and value brought to the table by someone who has their GSD degree. In many cases a less credentialed person (sometimes much less) with a GSD degree is a much better choice.

Who on your staff, in your organization or in your family has a GSD degree?  Make sure you can put a face with name when you answer that question and then consider if you’re giving them the consideration they deserve. Do you have your GSD degree? If you’re reading this post it’s likely you do. If not or it’s incomplete, there’s never a better time than the present to get started; class is always open.

Which of the 8 GSD qualifications are exhibited regularly by you or those you lead and which to you want to see more of?

Please leave a comment if there are other signs that help you recognized someone with a GSD degree and perhaps more importantly, what you’ve found to be effective for facilitating a GSD mindset and behaviors. We would all love to hear.

Posted on

The Secret to Making Good Decisions Great!

Do you ever sometimes wonder why you do the things you do…what you say “yes” to and often fail to say “no” to?  Have you ever had a hard time deciding which path to take? Maybe started on a path that once you were on it, began to be unsatisfied or seriously questions why? Do you sometimes freeze, faint or simply vacillate when you have to make difficult choices about what it is you want to do? 

I think we’ve all been there. The real question is how to make those times few and far between.

I’ve had several of those times in my life, the most recent being whether or not to change my professional focus from a physical therapy clinical educator and researcher to that of professional coach. It wasn’t easy and the stakes were high….like leaving a full-time, tenured university position and stepping down as Director of the largest orthopaedic physical therapy residency in the country.  It took a lot of soul searching, guidance and mentoring. Looking back on it now, it’s clear to me that if I had already worked through and discovered my personal core values and used them as criteria, that decision would have been a lot easier and I would have been able to make it a lot more confidently.  Being on this side of the decision I now know I made the right choice…..things can turn out well in spite of yourself sometimes. However, it does make me wonder about other choices I’ve made and how knowing my personal core values might have improved some of those decisions.

What are “personal core values”? It’s important to define because it is one of at least four distinctly different kinds:

  • Moral values: These stem from our religious or world-view and are moral and ethical in nature.
  • “Ante” Values: These are values that we have simply to get into the game. Things like Kindness, Politeness, Timeliness, etc. Some, like Honesty and Truthfulness overlap with Moral values
  • Aspirational Values: These are Ante values or someone else’s core values we don’t have or have enough of but wish we did. 035 GoodDecisionGreat II
  • Personal core Values: These are who we are and represent our unique and individual essence; our ultimate and most fulfilling form of expressing and relating. These are the values serve as the compass point for being true to you self and when honored, allow you feel fulfilled in your highest point of contribution.

Since living by your personal core values makes for fulfilled living, why is it that most people don’t have a clear idea of what their’s are? Probably because they’re just too close-up. It’s said that a fish is the last one to recognize water. So it is with our personal core values, which is more that just unfortunate because they’re the secret to making good decisions. Personal core values are also the secret to making otherwise good decision great…..and easier!

To make matters more challenging, we confuse these with the other types of values listed above as well as fantasize how we would like our values to be (once we start thinking about them). In addition, we tend to gravitate toward the most socially acceptable or popular ones so picking from a list doesn’t help much. Finally, it’s flat-out hard work that takes being honest with yourself…..I know it was for me.  Coaches will tell you that it often takes their clients several months to come up with a list that really represent them and I have found that to be the case with my clients as well.

Do you know what your personal core values are? Remember, these are what we are, not what we wish them to be. They have to be discovered. If you do, I acknowledge and honor you for accomplishing something of importance and great value. If not but I’ve piqued your interest, great! Because in the next post I’ll iscuss proven ways that can help you effectively and efficiently identify your personal core values.

Until then, I’d be curious to know do you decide to do the things you do? How do you decide when faced with two or more very good choices?  In addition to holding up the mirror of moral and “ante” values, how would having a clear idea of your personal core values help? 

Please share the wealth and leave a comment. What working for you and what’s not?

Posted on

3 Proven Ways to Overcome Information Overwhelm

If you’ve seen pictures of a Tsunami, you know what kind of devastation, chaos and havoc they can wreak. Do you ever felt like your personal and professional life…..your brain…..is a lot like that sometimes (or most of the time)?

Your not alone. It’s been said that in the last few decades, in particular the last one, that we’ve all been overcome by a Tsunami of a different sort: information overload.  Our problem is no longer not enough information, but how to recognize what information we need and what to ignore. How can you overcome it?

Here are 3 ways:

First, you have to first protect the Asset (you). What follows may not seem relevant, but it actually starts here.

  • Get a calendar that works for you and then lean into it; what gets on the calendar gets done. Electronic is best because you can interface and automate other productivity tools, but most important is that it actually works for you. Remember, your calendar is NOT your task list (big mistake), although having a task list that can interface and put tasks on your calendar is ideal.
  • Find a task-list that works for you. I used ToDo in the past, but switched to Nozbe (really an overall productivity system) about a year and a 1/2 ago and haven’t looked back since, especially since it interfaces with my calendar, Evernote, and Dropbox.
  • Get a priority and goal tracking system in place so you at the destination of your own choosing. How will it matter if you accomplish all your goals but arrive at the wrong destination? I’ve found that MH 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever course and Darren Hardy’s Living Your Best Year Ever (this one is more complicated) are both good compasses that help me do just that. Tying these tools into my weekly planning session has been transformative.
  • Finally, carve out time and a space to think so you can be intentional about how you need to make these work for you.

The things above will allow you to keep your head above water so you can now begin to do something about the perpetual, oncoming information wave.

Second, determine what areas your passionate about, information and knowledge you want to master, keep up with, and be able to retrieve.

  • This includes both stuff you want to know as well as the stuff you need to know.
  • Don’t be afraid to make a major change in what topics you keep up with, even if it means giving up something you’ve followed for decades and are considered and “expert” at. When I became a professional coach, I started keeping up with information related to that field instead of physical therapy clinical practice. You have to accept that you can’t keep up with everything.
  • Have a knowledge networking system for topics and Information you want to keep a pulse on but not necessarily master or retrieve. Having subject matter experts (SME’s) who are your friends, colleagues as well as web personalities and sites that you can tap into whenever the need arises are invaluable. Knowing what you need to be an SME in and what you can let go and rely on your network for is remarkably freeing.
  • Develop an information foraging system that fits your current needs.  It will take some time and may be as simple as who you follow on Twitter or the blogs you visit or subscribe to, but make sure you have a schedule and routine. I find information has to come or be “pushed” to me via Twitter, feeds or e-mail vs me having to go get it in order to be sustainable.
  • Consistently keep up with the fewest sources possible that give you the most information (80/20 rule here).  For the last two years, Michael Hyatt’s website and podcast have been my single best “1-stop shop” knowledge and productive resource site for helping me keep my Outer focus.  If you haven’t connected with Michael Hyatt, you’re missing out. In fact, if you sign up for his blog you’ll get some great freebies, the most current one being How to have 10 Hours Off Your Workweek e-book.  The Inside My Toolbox e-book was gold but isn’t currently available; maybe it will be again soon.CUE 2000II

Third, have an information management system that works for you.

  • Are you dealing with hard-copy, soft-copy or a combination?
  • My system has evolved over the years. Before the advent of the Web, it consisted of hard-copy manila folders and arranging my soft-files in Explorer (and later Finder when I switched to a Mac).
  • How you organize your file system will be important and determine whether you’re really able to use it. There are lots of ways to do it, but the most important thing is to find one that works for you….and that will probably take some experimenting.
  • Put as much as you can in one place and make it as automatic as possible. I’ve been going soft-copy whenever possible. ScanSnap makes turning your hard-stuff to soft-stuff pretty easy as does Evernote’s web-clipper tool for stuff you find on the web.

Finally, my daily morning ritual is the fuel that makes all this go for me. Without that, I get out of alignment with myself, things drop and I lose focus on just about everything very, very quickly.

How about you? Please leave a comment and let me know what your doing to effectively keep your head above the information Tsunami and building your Outer focus as well as where you’re struggling.  Either way, I’d love to hear from you!