Ever felt like you were your own worst enemy?
We’re discussing a universal issue today: How to overcome Self-sabotage.
Dive deep into understanding why it happens and how to conquer it. From procrastination to perfectionism, we cover it all! If you’re ready to transform and stop holding yourself back, this video is a MUST-WATCH.
Rob and Paul continue this mini-series within The Question Is podcast about some of the different ways that people ‘get in their own way’. This time we consider perfectionism.
Could perfectionism be an advantage, or are we confusing high standards, with nothing ever being quite good enough?
Like most traits that get in our way, these habits were once useful, which is why they have become a habit. Then, out of the blue, the very thing that was helping becomes the thing getting in the way.
Paul and Rob explore the fine line between driving to excel and perfectionism and discuss strategies for perfectionists to stay on the right side of the line.
This second instalment of a three-part series focuses on the “People” category, highlighting three key leadership elements: engagement, feelings, and talent.
Engagement: Leaders must connect team members to the organisation’s purpose, fostering personal commitment and motivation. Consistently reinforcing the “why” helps maintain alignment and enthusiasm.
Feelings: Creating a psychologically safe environment is crucial for innovation and growth. Leaders should promote a culture where failure is seen as an opportunity to learn, encouraging resilience and risk-taking while maintaining accountability.
Talent: Attracting and developing the right talent is not just a goal; it’s a necessity. Leaders must ensure their teams are diverse in thought, aligned with the organisation’s purpose, and capable of driving success. Tough decisions may be necessary to maintain a high-performance culture, but the benefits of a diverse and capable team are worth it.
The article also provides critical questions for leaders to assess and enhance their approach to engaging, supporting, and developing their teams. The series will conclude with a focus on mastering productivity, emphasising effective plan execution.
In this second part of my three-part miniseries, we’ll explore the category of people, which follows hot on the heels of purpose, which we explored in part one.
The people category is comprised of three elements: engagement, feelings and talent. Your role as a leader is to create a psychologically safe space where people can thrive and deliver. People perform at their best when connected to their work and when they understand the impact it will have. They also need the space and opportunity to learn, grow and develop, knowing their boss has their back.
Let’s take a closer look at the three elements of the people category.
Skilled leaders bridge the gap between individuals and the higher purpose. They help team members understand the significance of the goal on a personal level, fostering a sense of purpose and passion within each person.
I work with many leaders on their purpose. They put time and effort into crafting an inspiring, compelling, and engaging message. Enthused by their work, they share it and get their troops fired up, only to let it die on the vine.
The purpose (the “why”) is a leader’s most potent engagement tool; it helps you find the right people for the journey. Purpose is a drum that you need to bang repeatedly, constantly reminding people why we all do what we do.
This is far from the soft side of leadership. Leaders are custodians of organisational culture, responsible for cultivating an environment where people can flourish, learn and push boundaries. To do this, you must provide a psychologically safe space where individuals can confidently pursue growth and innovation, knowing their boss has their back.
I have heard leaders openly say, “It’s okay to fail,” only to blow up when things go wrong. In her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown likens this to sticking someone on a plane and expecting them to skydive without first teaching them how to land.
As a leader, you must build a win-or-learn culture, harnessing failure as an opportunity to grow. This does not mean ignoring conduct and capability issues; people still need managing. But encouraging them to take a chance means people will innovate and do the right thing when it matters most.
Leaders are blessed (or cursed) with the relentless pursuit of finding and retaining the right people aligned with the higher purpose. Make sure you surround yourself with talented individuals connected to the purpose, and nurture and develop your team members, ensuring that their skills match the organisation’s demands. You must also make tough decisions to dismiss those who are not fully committed to the journey.
Three common pieces of advice for leaders are to surround yourself with different thinkers, clearly define high performance and intervene when people aren’t cutting it.
I have coached several leaders who have built a team of people like themselves. We like people who see the world as we do. But how do you know what your people really think? Find people who see the world differently from you; encourage, if not demand, that they challenge your perspective. People whose careers are in their boss’s hands will often play it safe when authority bias is at play.
I’ve seen leaders so focused on a top performer that they overlook their poor behaviours while picking up on other team members’ behaviours. This inconsistency creates a two-tier system that leads to a downward trend in overall performance, and people leave.
In one example, I worked with a leader who held their top performer accountable, only for them to exit. They were terrified their numbers would decline. However, the team responded positively; the overall team performance went up over time as people recognised that how we do the work is as important as the results. The team is now aligned and committed to the cause; of course, they still have challenges to overcome, but they work together.
Sadly, I have had to dismiss team members several times, but only after allowing them time to improve with coaching and support. In one case, it became apparent that their heart wasn’t in it, so it needed addressing.
I had a challenging conversation with them, after which they thanked me. They were desperately unhappy at work. My primary learning was to intervene early; we both could have avoided the pain of a drawn-out process.
This next section lays out a set of questions to help you stress-test the people category. It will help you define, check and balance so you can get the right people on the team, develop capability and engage people to get the best out of them. It will also help you understand how teams interact and how to encourage and manage healthy conflict while creating an environment where people want and feel able to give their best.
If you want to create an environment for people to flourish and a team people want to join, ask these questions.
Look out for the final part of this three-part miniseries where I’ll unpack the third area leaders must master for success: productivity.
Great leaders recognise that creating the right environment for their people to flourish with a compelling purpose is all well and good, but they still need to execute the plan and get it done.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com on 1st September 2023
Ricky has been a regular contributor to the Forbes Councils since 2023, where he shares his perspectives on all things leadership, change, culture and productivity, all with Thinking Focus’ unique perspective on metacognition, or as we prefer to say, thinking about thinking.
In this video, we’ll discuss how involving your team in problem-solving can help you succeed.
We’ll explore the benefits of team problem-solving, how to approach it, and the best ways to implement it within your organisation.
By involving your team in problem-solving, you’ll be able to achieve success more efficiently and effectively. You’ll be able to identify and solve problems quickly, and you’ll be able to build trust and collaboration within your team. This is an important skill to have if you want to be successful in your career, and this video will help you learn how to do it!
The feeling that you are an imposter, doing something you feel unqualified for or that you have no right to do. Going to work every day with the feeling that this is the day when everyone will realise that you are there by mistake, and it is time for you to go.
Surprisingly, it is a very common feeling, one that most of us will experience at some point in our working life. In this episode of the podcast, we continue to explore the different things that we do, getting in our own way. Richard and Paul talk about imposter syndrome / phenomenon / thoughts (it has many names), look at why it exists, share their experience of having it, and explore strategies that might help you see the feeling in a completely different light.
In this video, we will discuss how you build personal resilience and unlock your inner strength. Resilience is key in everything we do, from dealing with stress to overcoming obstacles.
We will discuss the different elements of personal resilience and how to unlock your inner strength. By taking the time to learn about and understand your resilience, you’ll be able to face any challenge head-on with confidence!
Leadership remains a critical focus for organisations, with over $60 billion spent annually on leadership development worldwide. Despite extensive training, many leaders struggle to define their role clearly. In this first article of a three-part series, the author explores the concept of purpose as a foundational element of effective leadership, breaking it down into three key areas: higher purpose, perceptions, and scope.
The article also equips leaders with practical questions to evaluate and refine their approach to purpose, perceptions, and scope. These insights are designed to empower leaders in driving their organisations forward while maintaining clarity of direction and focus. The next article in the series will delve into the second critical category: people.
Leadership is an ever-evolving concept that remains a subject of profound interest and exploration for professionals worldwide. Global organisations spend more than $60 billion every year on leadership development, honing the skills of seasoned and aspiring leaders.
Despite all this learning, a simple question baffles even the most seasoned leaders: “What exactly do leaders do?” You will find widespread discussion on leadership styles and theories, but there’s a distinct lack of focus on what leaders actually do.
I co-founded my company in 2016, a behavioural change business helping corporate teams “get out of their own way.” This talented team has multi-sector corporate world leadership experience gained in finance, utilities, hospitality, health care and telecoms, to name a few.
Over the years, we have encountered many frustrated leaders in our interactions, observations and countless coaching sessions in over 150 companies. From this emerged nine key areas related to what leaders should be doing. All nine, while expected, are surprisingly hard to find all in one place.
These nine areas fall under three core categories: purpose, people, and productivity. In a three-part miniseries, I will unpack each category and uncover the nine critical areas. I will share insights and examples and provide a comprehensive checklist guiding leaders toward effective and impactful leadership practices. In this first article, let’s start with the purpose category and look at its three key areas.
The purpose category boils down to three core elements: higher purpose, perceptions, and scope. Successful leaders understand the significance of shaping and articulating a higher purpose, managing perceptions inside and outside the organisation, and balancing their resources to achieve a demanding agenda.
I am working with the senior team of a top motorway services operator in the U.K., a highly successful organisation embarking on its next growth phase. They recognised that their 6,500-strong team needed to step up to do this. I challenged them to articulate their purpose as if I were a new starter on the front line of their business.
It was challenging; while they could intellectualise it, they couldn’t simplify it. The purpose should be compelling and translatable across the organisation to engage and keep teams motivated even when times get tough. The simpler it is, the easier it will be to socialise, share and inspire people to step up and pursue ambitious goals.
This overarching purpose defines future aspirations, informs decision-making, and forms the basis for any proposed changes to the plan. Any changes to strategies and tactics should be tested against the purpose. Does this align with our purpose? Accelerates our plan? And at what cost?
Leaders are the organisation’s PR representatives, building a team of individuals dedicated to achieving a common goal. They help others understand how their work fits the bigger picture, motivating and garnering acceptance to reduce barriers to success.
In my example above with the motorway service operator, the simplified strategy became three core areas that made sense to stakeholders at all levels. Leaders can lift it off the page and talk passionately with every team member. It enables team members to connect their contribution to the higher purpose.
In an effort to help cultivate consistent internal and external perceptions like these, my company runs its leadership program alongside senior team workshops, providing tools and mental models and extending permission to apply them to meaningful sponsored business projects.
Ambition is essential for companies to drive forward, stretching their teams to perform. However, leaders must balance their resources, which is particularly tricky for leaders who continually demand more.
Leaders should look for the Goldilocks zone. If the challenge is not great enough, your people get bored and coast along—until the pace increases, then find it hard to step up. Too much on the agenda, and you will burn out your people or risk achieving nothing; at best, you will have delays or cut corners to meet demanding timelines, quality expectations, and budgets.
It is much better to focus on what you care about; challenging, yes, but achievable. Business strategist Michael Porter says that strategy is choosing what not to do. Leaders often forget that resources are finite, be that skills, people or budget.
I am coaching a project manager of a large U.S.-based med-tech company based in Europe. They report to the U.S.-based project management office (PMO). My coachee’s frustration is “too many projects with too few resources available.” Add to this senior colleagues refusing to talk truth to power. They are not calling out resource shortages or pressure on timelines for fear of repercussions at a more senior level—the impact is overcommitting others to unachievable expectations and setting them up to fail.
Leaders must be careful what they ask for and foster a psychologically safe space where people can and will share reality.
These questions can help leaders define, check and balance their higher purpose and perceptions and manage a demanding yet achievable agenda.
Look out for part two of this three-part miniseries on areas leaders must master for success. We’ll delve into the second category: people.
Great leaders understand that the success of any organisation lies in creating an environment where people can grow, succeed and contribute to a common purpose.
This article first appeared on Forbes.com on 11th August 2023
Ricky has been a regular contributor to the Forbes Councils since 2023, where he shares his perspectives on all things leadership, change, culture and productivity, all with Thinking Focus’ unique perspective on metacognition, or as we prefer to say, thinking about thinking.
Can you have a goal that is too big? Or too small?
In this episode of the podcast, Ricky and Rob explore how we can get in our own way when we pick goals that are either too easy or too hard.
They discuss how our belief in our ability to achieve the goal dramatically impacts how we approach it, so the best goals always fall within a ‘goldilocks’ zone of not too hard and not too easy; falling in the zone of just-right like the best porridge! Even when we have the right level of belief, that on its own is not enough. Rob and Ricky explore how the goal needs to be relevant to us, congruent with our overall priorities, before we will truly allocate the time needed to be successful.
In this video, how to build self-confidence, you will discover six ways to boost, manage and increase your self-confidence. Let’s face it: it’s a question that we all search for answers to at one time or another.
Discover the key components of self-confidence, including understanding the neuroscience behind it. Gain insights into how your brain processes information and learn to reframe negative thoughts and beliefs that hinder your confidence.
We’ll explore how you can harness its power to reshape your mindset and cultivate unshakable self-assurance. Ian Robertson‘s work emphasises the importance of self-compassion, self-acceptance, and resilience.
We’ll explore techniques to help you develop a positive self-image and embrace your unique strengths. Learn how to effectively set goals, overcome setbacks, and maintain motivation to increase self-confidence.
Whether you’re looking to excel in your career, improve your relationships, or simply embrace a more fulfilling life, this video provides the tools you need to build self-confidence that radiates from within.
Don’t let self-doubt hold you back any longer. Embark on this empowering exploration and unlock your true potential with Ian Robertson’s groundbreaking work.
Confidence is an integral part of our own personal success. With it we make bolder decisions, try and little harder and frame difficulties as obstacles, without it we become more cautious and only see barriers. Not having confidence, in ourselves, the people around us or the situations we find ourselves in is one of the most common ways we get in our own way.
In this podcast, Rob and Paul explore what confidence is, and how we get it. Do we need confidence to do the things we do, or do we get confidence from doing them? This is the classic psychological chicken and egg…
