If I were to task 10 people about how to be more effective in getting what it is they want in their work and their life, I would most certainly get 10 difference answers! And while we might have a hundred different routes for getting there – to being more effective, we could probably all agree that there is a need to be more effective, and this need is driven by many different factors that are way outside of our immediate control! Things like the speed of change, the rapid expansion of the global marketplace, the impact of technology on everything we do, mergers and acquisitions, corporate failures and mind-blowing opportunities. All of these things are colliding in my world right now and demanding that I expand my capacity on many fronts even if just to comprehend what they might mean for me and my organization!
So, expanding capacity is the name of the game! And all of this is happening while exciting new discoveries are being made in how the brain works and how we can actually make changes in how we approach using the brain. If we assume that they way we think is just the way it is, and that we just have to learn new behaviors to get us where we want to go, we will be missing a significant player in this game of effectiveness!
What do I mean by personal effectiveness? I say that personal effectiveness is leveraging your time, skills and personal resources to get more of what you want for yourself – for fulfilling on what is important for you.
What of you could leverage 100% of those resources to what is most important for you in the moment? (Did I hear a big sigh of relief at that concept or did I feel a big wall of skepticism that 100% focus on one thing in the moment is a thing of the distant past?!) This focus is what athletes refer to as “being in the zone”, being in a frictionless state where you are just gliding and riding with the natural flow! It is like being a scuba diver on a reef and going with the flow of the current over the coral heads. Like being a rower on the water and getting with the swing! There is no thrashing or struggling, just clearing the mind and staying relaxed and flexible!
And when you are in the flow, there is no inappropriate responses – no overreacting or under reacting! Anything which causes you to overreact or under react are going to make you less effective.
Coaching Request:
You might want to notice today how many times the frustration or upset about something steals valuable time from you.
Take a few minutes to remember when you were last “in the flow”. How would you describe the impact that had on you and on others around you? How would people describe you when you are “in the flow”?
As we look at the Four Pillars of Personal Effectiveness in subsequent blog posts, we will look at:
- An understanding of the work habits that you can develop or refine to support you in getting more of what you want;
- Discover ways of thinking that may be sabotaging your effectiveness and maybe even uncover some blind spots! and
- Become aware of some resources and tools you can use on those areas that are not working for you
A client I have been working with on these four pillars told me in a recent coaching call:
“…what has been going on is like finding out that I have a whole new wing on my house that I didn’t even know was there! There are more rooms [capacity] and closets [resources] that I can use and I don’t to stay constrained and locked into how I used to do things.”
And this is why I do what I do – it is my commitment to working with people who have spent years building an organization or a career and they don’t want to see it all go down the tubes or up in smoke when the circumstances around them change. It is your birthright to have it all – success, recognition, fulfillment, balance, good relationships and just generally to enjoy the fruits of your labor! And I have dedicated my work to helping people have breakthroughs so they can do just that!
Recommended Related Reading
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
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