Learning is a team sport.
January 28, 2012, 11:27 am
I am drowning in information! I vowed to break my info addiction in 2012 by using a strict quality filter. Guess what? I have a stack of books and articles that looks daunting and my eagerness to devour these gems is shortening my sleep pattern. Oh well. At least I have wiped out virtually all of those email newsletters that walk the line between information and sales pitch narrowly. If you are a ‘solopreneur’ you probably understand how necessary it is to keep learning. It can be a lonely journey. It is really of little use to consume all this great information if you cannot apply it in your business and life. The best learning takes place when you can ‘churn’ the information in conversation with others. I have two suggestions- If you are a sole operator you need to get an education partner. This person can be another business owner, trusted advisor, coach or mentor. You meet this person at least twice a month and you ‘churn’ your learning. You discuss ideas and topics you have read or experienced and look for ways to apply this information in your business. For example, as a coach I have a few clients for whom I am the education partner. While reading the Steve Jobs biography we also reviewed Multipliers by Liz Wiseman. We churned through behavioural
Meaning, passion and competence
January 16, 2012, 2:14 pm
Are you damn excited about the next twelve months? Are you ready to execute all the great plans you have created to achieve your goals? Is there still something missing that makes you bit less than enthusiastic to jump right in and start working? Do you think this might be caused by a lack of passion? Or meaning? Or competence? If you think the answer may be a lack of passion, do you have any ideas why this is so? I find that many times passion is influenced by physical health. If your energy is low you will find it very hard to tap into your wellspring of passion. A foggy mind will kill passion as well. If you lack a sense of meaning in your work, what kinds of thoughts do you have about this? Are you looking for meaning in your work or in your life in general? Is work the right source of meaning for you and will it deliver the type of meaning you are after? I have clients who asked me to help with this issue and the resolutions have come as a bit of a surprise to me. In every case the person felt a lack of meaning as well as a sense of general lack of progress. My clients ended too many days without a sense of having
Have you got some clarity yet?
January 7, 2012, 3:18 pm
Ok we are now getting a bit further into 2012 and despite some predictions based on the Mayan calendar you probably should bank on completing the year. Outside of the standard New Year’s Resolutions what have you achieved in real planning. In other words, do you have a game plan for 2012 that will guide you month to month, week to week and day to day? It sounds more daunting than it really is. I spent some time doing this work last week. I have been reading two books recently that have provided some great ideas and motivation. The first one is The Pledge by Michael Masterson. This book is a real wake up call and I really like the way Michael gets into specifics about his own methods without being prescriptive about what might work for the reader. The other books is 18 Minutes by Peter Bregman. This is an easy to read book that almost gives one a sense of having a conversation with Peter Bregman with the stories and anecdotes he uses to support his ideas for planning and productivity. The combination of these books, some quiet time and strong desire to avoid the wild horse ride of 2011 has led me to create a realistic set of objectives for 2012 and a plan to achieve them. In the mix I added
