Just Seven Things

Exploring why and how we do what we do, and how we can do it better

16 Jun 2008
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The Power of As If

I went to a speech by Simon Woodroffe of Yo Sushi fame about three years ago. Fascinating guy, and he told a great number of stories about acting ‘as if’ and the power of ‘I am’ (sorry if I’m paraphrasing/ butchering what was said but they’ve percolated away since then and I think they’re important to relate)

There’s a great one about him getting continued funding for his first restaurant because the Chairman of his main supplier made an assumption about his size because of the ‘support’ from organisations like JAL, Sony, Nippon (could be making these up here – apologies). But big Japanese firms whose logos adorned the original Yo Sushi menus. The beauty of the story being that he’d written to them and said that he’d like them to be sponsors/ supporters, that no money was required., and that if he hadn’t heard from them by x time he’d assume a yes. He didn’t hear back from them but in effect their ‘support’ enabled him to survive. The power of ‘As If’.

He referred at the end of his talk to developing a box of ‘I Ams’. Numerous ways of being and acting that could be adopted when required in different situations and to achieve different objectives.  

I didn’t really make the full connection at the time about what underpinned the ‘I Ams’ and ‘As Ifs’, but since then I’ve seen more and more evidence for the huge progress to be made in achieving a goal or effecting an outcome by starting off by acting ‘As If’ or already being that ‘I Am’. The power of acting and thinking in this way provides a huge accelerant in NLP terms; especially for the core function of modelling behaviours.

I then was reminded about quotes at the back of some Beeson Gregory (now Evolution Securities) marketing literature when we were using them as brokers during the set-up of Vinopolis. One was from Aristotle Onassis:

“To be successful, keep looking tanned, live in an elegant building (even if you’re in the cellar), be seen in smart restaurants (even if you only nurse one drink) and if you borrow, borrow big”

The Power of As If

Posted in Business, NLP, Successful Outcomes and tagged , ,
14 Jun 2008

Managing Yourself when Underperforming to Goals

I attended an excellent MDHub100 work group yesterday. The work groups I think of as being most like AA for CEOs and MDs. A place where you can relax in the company of trusted peers and share your deepest, darkest issues.

It was a digitally focused group with the most excellent Rosie Freshwater from Leapfrogg, Jason Woodford from AI Digital and Liquid Light’s Robert Day. Most ably facilitated by Fi Shafer from Omega Blue.

The conversations covered the challenges leaders have personally in managing themselves: their self-expectations and standards in situations where financial under-performance has taken place against extremely ambitious goals.

Now obviously there’s the whole thing about setting overly ambitious goals, and avoiding disappointment or demotivation by not doing. However, to most of the members of the MDHub such talk is sacrilege. So it then comes down to how to manage.

I explained in the meeting how I did it. That I ensure that I have a very clear mission and vision. That I quickly look back and draw attention for myself (and others as needs be) to how far we’ve come. I then ruthlessly evaluate whether in the here and now I am doing all that I can do in terms of putting in place the expandable foundations for success that will be needed to deliver the vision and mission.

This means in real terms that I accept my performance in relation to any goals set as being relative to what is required to achieve the end. If I have done, and am doing, as much as I can then I cannot be frustrated by any under-performance. If what I have done, and am doing, is the best foundation that I can have for the successful achievement of future vision then I cannot be frustrated by any under-performance.

It all ends up being down to:

  1. Externalities (markets/ competition/ limiting factors (mainly people and financial resources))
  2. Lack of self-development (how can I perform better/ do more at a higher quality with more thought etc.)

The thing that I didn’t get into though is the power of that goal setting in the first instance. The power that, if you’re doing all that you can to the best of your ability, will ensure you’re ultimately successful. That takes a bit of a leap of faith……

Posted in Leadership, Vision and Goal Setting and tagged , | Leave a comment
12 Jun 2008
1 Comment

The Creativity and Focus of Talking

For a long time now I have wondered at how powerful it would be to be able to tap in to the creativity of a 121 conversation whilst on your own.

I’m talking about how focused you are on the topic under discussion. How everything else has to fade away from your brain for you to be able to formulate the words required to talk and have a conversation with the person you are in discussion with.

I’m not even sure it’s the same when you are in a group or a brainstorming. In these scenarios maybe you have the downtime to have the kind of internal conversations you may have on your own. Of course the 121 conversations will mean that the prompts from the person you are talking to – their thoughts and assertions – are going to trigger your creativity. But is there something more happening?

Maybe it’s just me and the way in which I work? However, some of the best thoughts that I have fall out at the end of conversations, or statements that I’m making (I’m admitting to a tendency to wax over-lyrically. A development point I am working on)

It’s as though in my brain working hard to a. construct a thought and b. formulate the words and sentence to clearly communicate, it enters a place of greater creativity. When in this place things seem to both occur and resolve at the same time.

Maybe this is why people start talking to themselves?

Posted in Communication, Creativity and tagged ,

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