The Art of Better Decision Making Have you felt scared to make a decision? Maybe you get preoccupied with making the 'wrong' decision?  Did you know that 68% of people have admitted to not doing because they thought it would be harder than it actually is. Getting comfortable with making decisions is one of the biggest challenges new leaders face. You will be placed in situations where there isn't enough time to get all of the information. Or even harder, you will be placed in situations where you'll never get more information than what you have. The good news? Making better decisions is something that you can improve by being deliberate with your learning and how you choose to approach it. This is the approach I take to decision making. These have been test and is what I have used over my 15 year career to teach and develop teams. - Accept that you will make mistakes. There is rarely a perfect answer. Getting comfortable with ambiguity is a leadership muscle you need to...

  Have you ever wondered why we expect to find the "you are here" marker when looking at the map of a mall, but rarely expect this from ourselves when trying to solve a problem? Busy is a curse. We have developed the belief that as long as we are doing something, we are working towards the goal. You take for granted what you know and what you believe and you use that to fuel the idea that you already know the answer and that you know where you are going. You can't know where you are going until you know where you are - Bill Brunett This idea doesn't only invade our personal lives, but our professional ones as well. I cannot tell you how many times, either myself or my team, have been put into a situation to start solving a problem or come up with a new type of solution, only to realize that no one knows where we are. Solutions are fun. That's what people praise and that's where the reward is. It makes sense why we get so focused on it, we are conditioned towar...

  I love how Rita McGrath shares her frame on blind spots, seeing around corners. It's a great way to think of these types of opportunities. In business there is always that point when something new is starting to take hold. It could be a new technology, a new service or a dramatic shift in consumer or market expectations. We can get stuck in the trap of what we are doing and how we have been doing it. This limits our ability to properly assess the situation. It is not always a lack of ideas that leaves us caught off guard, rather inadequately addressing the problem. This is one of the reasons I love working with younger teams.  People that are new to the workforce, new to a new company or industry see things as they are. They don't have years of experience that is guiding their thinking or altering their perceptions; they are free from the workplace biases we create and support by having to execute day in and day out. Because of this gap in knowledge or understanding of the c...

Argue as if you are right; listen as if you're wrong - Karl Weick It's hard for any leader to balance is their confidence, it's one of the hardest things for a new manager. You have been promoted, you have been validated, you are driving results and now, you are in charge. People gravitate to those with confidence. We look for people that are sure of themselves and what they are doing; your team will not move forward if they don't see this in you. The important thing however, is not make sure you are balancing your confidence, with humbleness. Being humble makes you more accessible. It makes your team trust you and gives them the comfort and security to bring up new ideas or to let you know that there is something that they don't feel right about. The ability to be vulnerable with your team, to let them know that you will make mistakes, but that you take what you learn, reapply it with a goal to make better decisions is powerful. There are a few ways that you can cr...

Have you ever felt that the universe is screaming at you? I’m not a spiritual person. I’m not a person of faith of any kind. The idea of some higher power may make you uncomfortable, it does for me. How do you explain then what people label as “signs”? You know what I mean. You keep seeing a name. You keep coming across a pattern. You start seeing representations of a ‘problem’ that has been on your mind everywhere you go. This is wildly unsettling for most people.  What you start to wonder is if it’s real. Are you being told something, or are you projecting you own frame to what you’re seeing. From my experience both can happen, the difference — and the importance — comes from if you are being active of passive at the time. Did you know? Scientists have measured the amount of data that enter the brain and found that an average person living today processes as much as 74 GB in information a day (that is as much as watching 16 movies) Active v. Passive This is a straight ...

Every organization rates their employees. Every organization identifies high-potentials (HIPOs) within their ranks.  Usually part of an annual review process, managers are asked to rate each member of their team against a pre-determined scale; and while programs, criteria and assessment cycles change, these reviews are all essentially the same. A high-potential employee (HIPO) is someone with the ability, engagement, and aspiration to rise to and succeed in more senior, critical positions. Where you get classified within a matrix influences your career. Those identified as high-potential are given the opportunity to take on more projects, they work on more challenging problems and benefit from wider exposure to the business.  If your aspiration is to rise within an organization or find yourself with a senior level role at some point, it is essential that you be seen as a HIPO.  Disclaimer: There is absolutely nothing wrong taking on a role as a key player / regular cont...

  We all have an ego, that’s not the same as being egotistical. When people are labelled with an ego, they are usually exhibiting egotistical behaviour. This is the difference between the two: EGO — a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance EGOTISTICAL — excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself; self-centered Ryan Holiday defines the problem of ego in “Ego is the Enemy” and how it impacts our lives by saying that it’s  “an unhealthy belief in your own importance”. I would add to this that not only is it an unhealthy belief in your own importance, but also an inability to challenge your beliefs. You are not you without your ego. You are the sum of your experiences, an ever evolving story. We all use what happened yesterday to help us navigate tomorrow. The lenses you wear, that default node network you have built in your brain, that is you. Not to say we all haven’t developed bad habits along the way, we have. Everyone has things they want to ‘fix’ within themselv...

If you have a problem and you can't solve it, it's time to reframe it. Reframing a problem is simple. You force yourself to look at it from another perspective. Why would this help? Because most of the time the problem is a result of how you are seeing or understanding the problem. You are using your own assumptions and experience to solve what's in front of you, however these are often the same things that created the environment where the problem is thriving. People will often confuse problems, causes and effects. We take for granted our own default node network and the role it plays in everything we perceive.  The best approach to reframing a problem has two elements. First you need to understand how something got to the way it is today. Second, you have to drop everything you already know about the situation and start with a beginner's mind. Innovative solutions are a result of thinking about a problem differently than you (or other people) already have been. You ha...

  You may not have heard of the term "dysfunctional beliefs", I can guarantee you though that you have them. Dysfunctional beliefs are things that you tell yourself that are generally untrue and uncooperative. You can also label these as negative or limiting beliefs. No matter what you call them, they are ideas that influence your thinking, which means that they are influencing your actions. These types of beliefs will impact your career, keeping you stuck in the same place or role for too long. They will make you more risk averse and will limit the opportunities that are presented to you. Negative beliefs will tax your mental health, making you judge yourself harshly while constantly comparing your achievements to others.   Dysfunctional beliefs grow. As we get older, and the longer we hold onto them, the more dominant they become in our mind. We latch onto this type of thinking because it provides us with an easy answer to explain why something happened; as a general rule, ...

  Desirability Feasibility Viability Simple right? These three things are what make up the Balanced Breakthrough Model. The model highlights the core requirements to become a successful innovation. Here is a quick breakdown of each element: Desirability - Is there an actual need for this idea? What specifically is the problem you are solving for people? Feasibility - Can you actually build / implement the solution? How hard is it with your current context? Viability -  What is the investment required to create the solution? Is it really worth it? Can you derive long term value from the product or service you develop? A lot of this may seem obvious, however so many people look to invent or innovate something and then start looking for the problem. Trying to create the context or need for your product to be required is never a good place to be in. What gets interesting here is when you factor in timing, and this is something that A LOT of people miss. The three elements above ...

  There is such a shift happening with new world thinking. How we approach problems and where we need to apply focus and effort. Provoke is a great read that helps push your strategic thinking. What you will see from this book is the major differentiator that separates start-ups from established brands, and why some brands are able to adapt while others seem to fall off the cliff. Provoke is all about how you as a leader, need to embrace taking action versus the slow burn that is so prevalent in our organizations as leadership is focused on year over year results and protecting the bonus. Here are some key takeaways for me that will help you and your team have more success. Accepting a Trend and Properly Understanding How Mature it is Evaluate the trend that you are seeing and label as "if" or "when". Leaders often miss an opportunity because they either miss it, deny it, over analyze it or respond poorly A correctly labelled "if" vs "when" trend...

  We live in a world that is obsessed with solving problems with a system or technology. How many times have you hear someone [basically] say "let's get an app for that"? Crazy. I'm all for shiny new things. I love my toys as much as you do.  Rarely however does that new systems, application or software suite fix any of the underlying issues. When was the last time you started using something new, either in your personal or professional life, and it immediately fixed your problem and you changed nothing about what you are doing. Often, what ends up happening, is that as businesses look to implement some new tech, they also end up having to change HOW they are doing things. The changes that are made to core processes is what drives the success. Using your phone to track your steps, your sleep, your workout or to even help you write. Pause for a second, think about any of those situations.  Tracking your steps and setting daily goals means that you are actually walking ...

  Have you ever been scrolling your feed, listening to a friend or what to shout out "EXACTLY!" during a presentation?  That happened to me earlier as I saw a post on Twitter, and some how I found the quote that I had save quite some time ago (synchronicity, who knew).   There is a lot of confusion in the world. In almost every area we interact, there is a gap in perspective, understanding or breadth. We have expectations that the other party should be the one explaining, and breaking it down, surely it is their reason why we don't understand. This can be the answer. Sometimes it is for the other person or party to explain. They need to build out their idea, their solution, their value proposition. Here's the challenge however. What is on you? If you are not looking to see things completely with other eyes, if you are not willing to let go of what you hold onto, it is often extremely difficult for someone to explain an opposing thought or position to you because they ...

 I spent 13 years working for the same company. I stayed too long. That's an interesting idea for me these days. While I was working there, I enjoyed it. I had my place in the organization, strong peers, great teams, I learned a lot, more than I realized at the time. I started as a supervisor, then moved up to manager, director and finally a director with national responsibility. How can that not be good? That was my thinking as I started looking for a new role after I decided it was time to leave. I had gotten to the point where I felt my growth had plateaued, I didn't feel I was learning and that the challenges in front of me were more rinse and repeat rather than new. Imagine my surprise when I expected the market to see things the same way I did, and it didn't. A young, successful candidate that has proven himself for over a decade, ready to do the same for another team. I was faced with a number of comments and judgments that I was not ready for: You didn't "p...

  Life is simple, get the things you want that will make you happy. If only it was that easy. In a world of social media and information overload, it's easy to feel like you are falling behind. How can everyone have so much going for them and I'm not? The truth is, what we see is only what people choose to share; we are craving acceptance and validation. For most people, it's a culture shock going into the workforce. We move from trying to fit in, developing friendships and finding our place in communities to a world that focuses on accomplishments and impact to punch our ticket. This causes new entrants to the workforce to develop pleasing habits. We want to be liked, we want the validation, and because of this we fall into a mode of doing the job / doing what we are told and will start limiting of thinking and focus for the future. It's said that the biggest benefit someone gets from higher education is "learning how to learn", as a general statement, I agre...