What changes is our ambition, and that is underpinned by what we value as important. There’s a lovely book I read years ago called “Rules for Aging” by Roger Rosenblatt. Rule 1 states: it doesn’t matter, it really doesn’t. I think most of us would say that our preoccupations change as we ease into our 50s. My version is “there’s not much that matters, but what matters matters a lot”.
Read MoreThe Breakthrough Company has decided to enter the podcast industry and armed with 700,001st mover advantage we aim to disrupt the industry.
You might well ask why we’re entering this space when it’s going to be so hard to compete with the 7000 that have an average download of 35,000 per episode.
Because we’re not seeking to be in the top 1%. We’re aiming to be in the top 10%, with an average of 1100 downloads.
Read MoreSo many opportunities, so many good ideas, so much to do and so few people (and money).
If you’re not getting traction, it could be because you are trying to do so much you end up doing bugger all. If you’re frustrated with progress, it could be because you start things but don’t see them through to the end.
Read MoreI thought of that the other day when I was talking to a business owner who was describing how she is totally over it with her business. She’s at the stage where her enthusiasm for managing people, never very high anyway, has reached an all time low. I didn’t tell her that her team’s enthusiasm for being managed by her, also never very high, has reached a similar position.
Read MoreI spoke to a group of builders about The Breakthrough's 7 foundation habits for success recently. One guy kept arguing the point, saying it was all easy to say but the reality was different. He complained that clients expected him to take calls and meetings in the evening and on weekends. Sometimes the business had to come before everything else. He couldn’t possibly limit his hours because it all depended on this and that etc etc. It just wasn’t possible for him to adopt these habits.
Read MoreI think we should waste more time.
We are bombarded with productivity hacks, articles on getting more done, podcasts about fitting more in, optimal work times, reducing distractions, flow etc. People worry that they have no more time to use more efficiently. We’ve gone overboard.
Read MoreFast forward to a date night conversation about fun and adventure. One of the things we’re practicing is open-ended questions. These are questions where you’re not trying to lead the other or persuade or in fact do anything but learn what they think or feel about something. For example, “How do you feel about that?” is a great open-ended question, as is “Under what circumstances would you…?”
Read MoreOn the Friday evening a week after the terror attack in Christchurch, I visited my local mosque which they had opened up to allow people to express support. It was not a huge event, but there was a lot of warmth in both the welcome from the host community and the support from locals. While it was difficult to adjust to the sight of three armed police (including one with an assault rifle), it was really good to take the sense of "differentness" away from my perception of Islam.
Read MoreComfort zones are okay if you need a rest. Actually, that’s a bit snide. You should harvest what you’ve sown, get the benefits of the expertise and momentum you’ve created, leverage your expertise. In fact, you should spend 95% of your time and attention focusing on doing what you know and do well, as opposed to spending most of your time flitting about like a blue-arsed fly. But to create a better and different result – to grow – you need to spend some time being uncomfortable.
Read MoreThe subtle variation on that is the story of the Vikings. When they invaded a new land (by the way, I loved Norsemen on Netflix, outrageously funny in a very Nordic way), they would burn their boats on the beach. This meant the only way they could get home was to pillage and colonize the territory so that they could build replacements. They added a little twist by taking their firstborn so that the only way the children would see their mothers again was if they were successful with said pillage.
Read MoreI'm tired.
It's been a big week. Not busy, I don't do busy. If you measure busy-ness by the number of phone calls and emails, I'd be declared clinically dead.
I've had a lot of big stuff to do this week. Not stressful, but pressured, which is good.
Read MoreIn blackjack, doubling down means to double your bet because you like the card in your hand and you’re confident that the next card will make you a winner. In business, it means putting more investment in an area that shows high potential.
Our conversation gave us the gift of clarity about our focus in 2019, and we’ve already used that clarity to make decisions in all sorts of areas
Read MoreHe made absolutely the right decision. You hear people say “Follow your passion and the profits will come, do what you love and the money will follow”. It’s garbage. I’ve advised a few people to leave their passion for outside working hours because not enough people share it sufficiently strongly to make it economically viable.
Read MoreGetting clarity about what you want is where you find your energy and how you can get more energy. The other side to it is that you need energy to drive your business. This is not just a good thing to have, it’s critical to being able to make change happen.
Read MoreI recorded the final modules for the first year of our Active Manager Programme last week, and one of them was about making better decisions.
One of the mistakes we make is that we can remain locked in the past, using the same old data or the same old processes. Even more important, we have outdated assumptions.
Read MoreSo, the very first question to consider is – whose life are you living? What constraints are you allowing others to place on you? You might have a partner who is more risk averse than you. Clarity requires a conversation about how you can accommodate their need for comfort with your need for challenge. But don’t just be silently compliant.
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