INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
Would you be interested in improving your performance at work? Of course you would. Here’s a simple way to do just that. I recently came across this from author (and supporter of my book, The Mentally Strong Leader), Dan Pink. I edited the passage here for brevity:
Kat Cole, former COO of Focus Brands (Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, etc.), has a simple method for improving performance. It’s called The Hotshot Rule.
Once a month, ask yourself, “If a top-tier performer took over my job today, what’s the first thing they’d change?” Then, instead of waiting for that hotshot to show up, you become them. Make the changes yourself, starting today, without caving in to office politics. This method forces you to see your work with fresh eyes, without getting stuck in routine or settling for good enough. It’s about getting clear on what needs to improve, then taking action.
So, what’s the one thing a hotshot would change in your role today?
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
It’s easy to mistakenly fall into a rut at work, plodding on with the day-to-day, unaware of a simple thing you could do to make a big difference in your performance and fulfillment. Research shows many of us could greatly benefit from even a little coaching. Are you at that point? Here’s how to tell. Here are five signs you need coaching:
1. You’re good, but know you can be better. This is about recommitting to the concept of challenge. Think of what it means to challenge – it’s to put opposition against or test the abilities of something. A coach can help you do that.
2. You’re being held back by self-limiting beliefs. Everyone has beliefs – – but you might not realize how deeply they can influence you. We use beliefs to help us relate to the world around us. Beliefs (which aren’t facts, per se), are often assumptions based on past experiences or convictions that something is true. Over time, these assumptions and convictions alter our behaviors, for better or worse. If they’re limiting beliefs, it’s for the worse. And if they’re limiting beliefs, they’re often ingrained within you, so it’s important to get help in bringing them to the surface to be dealt with. A coach can help you pinpoint the assumptions you’re making, the stories you’re telling yourself, and the limiting labels you’re applying to yourself.
3. Feelings of overwhelm. No need to suffer alone here. In addition to the tool I share in the IMPLEMENTATION section below, a discussion with your manager can really help – especially if you’re feeling burned out. Try sitting down and discussing these questions with your boss/coach regarding your workload:
• Do I have too much work? If so, a coach can help laser in on priorities and eliminate non-essential work, as well as getting you trained to be more efficient at that work.
• Is it the wrong work? A coach can help identify if your role is the right fit for you, and/or help drive role clarity.
• Are you getting the wrong response to your work? If your efforts go unappreciated (which is exhausting) or if you keep running into unreasonable restraints, barriers, or toxicity in trying to get the work done, a boss/coach can help.
• Do you have unrealistic expectations of your work? This is common among high achievers. A coach can help you set realistic expectations and boundaries, avoid perfectionism, get past a fear of rejection or criticism, and get good at “good enough.”
4. You’re no longer inspired. In my book, Find the Fire, I discuss the Anti-Muses, the most common causes of what drains your inspiration at work, including: Fear, Settling and Boredom, Inundation, Feeling That You Have Little Control, Dwindling Self-Belief, a Lack of Connectedness, and Feelings of Insignificance. Discussing any of these with a coach could provide a reigniting spark.
5. You’re lacking inner-direction and purpose. Talking through any of the following self-questions with a coach can help you uncover a deeper sense of purpose and inner-direction:
• What are your superpowers?
• What are your values and beliefs?
• What would you do for free?
• What part of you is not showing up at work?
• What have been your happiest moments?
• What have you learned from career misfires–and triumphs?
• What deed needs doing? What problem needs solving?
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Feeling overwhelmed directly correlates to the size of your To-Do list. Try this task prioritization tool to have a more focused, impactful list, thus reducing the feelings of overwhelm. It’s called the PIE method (PIE being an acronym). Here’s how it works.
Assign each piece of work you could potentially take on (each “To-Do List” candidate) a score, from 1 to 10, on three factors: Potential, Impact, and Effort.
Potential is an estimate for how valuable that work could eventually be for achieving the objectives and goals (10 being the highest potential).
Impact is an estimate for how immediately valuable it is to complete that work (10 being the greatest impact).
Effort estimates how complicated or easy it is to do (10 being the easiest).
The average across all three factors is the PIE score, and work with the highest PIE score gets prioritized. For example, a product development team evaluates three pieces of work, assigning the following PIE scores:
New products research is the clear number one priority. You get the idea.
Note that using this method also forces you to ask, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” Meaning, if the work takes a lot of effort to complete, you should ask if it’s worth the impact and potential it represents.
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