It's all about how to build high performing teams in the Corporate sector
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Will It Make the Train Go Faster?
I did bedtime stories with the kids last night, hunted for a toy plastic snake to put into the bed to calm the 3 year old down, dealt with a call back from 3 year old who had changed his mind and no longer wanted the toy plastic snake ..... rushed to pack bags, and then headed off to the train station to go to London for some coaching I was doing today.
Only to find the train was cancelled.
Next one was over an hour's wait and would get me in well after midnight. Should I hang around or change my plans and drive instead? A pretty dull, petty decision, but one in years gone by I would have expended a HUGE amount of angst about. What I love about the "Will it make the boat go faster" approach is the simple way it cuts through the dross and focusses you on what's important:
What's my goal? Get to London the night before to get a decent night's kip so I can deliver a good day's coaching tomorrow
What will make the boat go faster? Drive there, don't hang around in the hope the signalling problems will clear up.
What's good about this? I can't do the work I was planning to do on the train, this is two hours of enforced 'me' time.
So here I am after one relaxing car journey, a good night's sleep and a rewarding day's coaching, thanks to a couple of very simple, very powerful questions.
Only to find the train was cancelled.
Next one was over an hour's wait and would get me in well after midnight. Should I hang around or change my plans and drive instead? A pretty dull, petty decision, but one in years gone by I would have expended a HUGE amount of angst about. What I love about the "Will it make the boat go faster" approach is the simple way it cuts through the dross and focusses you on what's important:
What's my goal? Get to London the night before to get a decent night's kip so I can deliver a good day's coaching tomorrow
What will make the boat go faster? Drive there, don't hang around in the hope the signalling problems will clear up.
What's good about this? I can't do the work I was planning to do on the train, this is two hours of enforced 'me' time.
So here I am after one relaxing car journey, a good night's sleep and a rewarding day's coaching, thanks to a couple of very simple, very powerful questions.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
We've done it! The joy of goals...
I'm sitting next to a large tower of hot-off-the-press test copies of Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?
How am I feeling?
Nervous - that I'll spill a cup of tea over them and Ben will kill me, and anxious that when the book is properly printed and launched on 1st June that people won't love it. BUT, in the main, chuffed to bits.
One of my key learns from writing the book is the huge satisfaction that comes not just from achieving a goal, but also pursuing it. I've always wondered what Ben would have been like if he hadn't got Gold, would he be bitter and twisted and resentful? (I'll ask him and post his reply), but my experience from writing the book is that I would have been even more bitter and twisted if I hadn't tried.
This isn't becuase I'm a addicted to following goals for the sake of goals, it's mainly becuase the goal was very aligned with my values and interests. When have you felt 'in the zone', 'firing on all cylinders'? I wonder what values and skills were showing up then and I wonder what goal would help you to feel like that more often?...
Right...off to move that dangerously placed cup of tea
Harriet
How am I feeling?
Nervous - that I'll spill a cup of tea over them and Ben will kill me, and anxious that when the book is properly printed and launched on 1st June that people won't love it. BUT, in the main, chuffed to bits.
One of my key learns from writing the book is the huge satisfaction that comes not just from achieving a goal, but also pursuing it. I've always wondered what Ben would have been like if he hadn't got Gold, would he be bitter and twisted and resentful? (I'll ask him and post his reply), but my experience from writing the book is that I would have been even more bitter and twisted if I hadn't tried.
This isn't becuase I'm a addicted to following goals for the sake of goals, it's mainly becuase the goal was very aligned with my values and interests. When have you felt 'in the zone', 'firing on all cylinders'? I wonder what values and skills were showing up then and I wonder what goal would help you to feel like that more often?...
Right...off to move that dangerously placed cup of tea
Harriet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)