Category Archives: motivation

The easy way to motivation and success

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When I give lectures on leadership and self motivation, or during leadership development programmes, I often get asked to give some quick advice on easy ways to get motivated and easy ways to succeed.

Recently I have begun answering that with: “The easiest way is to work really really really hard”.
It actually is.

The trick is to figure out the LEAST hard of all the hard ways to get motivated and succeed. And THAT is very individual, depending on all our different personalities.

So when I get back from my vacation come Monday – I will return to my own easy way of getting psyched and reaching my goals: By working very very very hard at it. ;-)

A fellow climber

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I have climbed quite a bit over the years. Nowadays I only climb the career ladder ;-)

Climbing has given me many good memories, and a bunch of insights into my own limits and potential. And much like tango, it is still a strong source for reflecting upon my own leadership.

The following quote is by a much more accomplished climber, and the quote is actually often misattributed to Goethe.
It is one of my favourite quotes. Read it, and if you like it – share it.

“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

- William Hutchinson Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951)

Asocial tango

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I have started to realize that I practise something that should be called Asocial tango. Not social tango. Asocial. Like the bears in the dictionary.

Most people tango in order to dance with others, socially. To date, to impress a date, to get oh’s and ah’s from people in the milongas or dance studios. They enjoy or crave or strive for that social dimension of tango. To ask someone for a dance or to be asked to dance, that complicated game of people in groups. Tangling here and tangling there.

I am assuming all of this, because I have never ever been to any kind of gathering of people who dance tango. It is not what I do. Not what I would enjoy, crave or strive for in any kind of way.

Not because I don’t like people. I love people. Friends and fun and laughter is the lifeblood of being human.

Not because I don’t like to be seen or stared upon. I spend my days in the spotlight in front of people.

It is just that I chose to start learning tango a few years back with the sole aim of improving as a leader in “real life”. And to fit my schedule I chose private lessons. On my terms. All alone. No group of other people to get to know and interact with.

So when I follow tango communities around the web, and gingerly look at every posting at Tangokompaniets facebook page, and every new clip on their YouTube page… I realize I have no drive whatsoever for infusing “my” tango with the social group dimension. I just want to learn it, for myself. Private lessons.

I have made my efforts very very very public here on this blog. But in my heart and soul I do this only for my own learning’s sake. Completely refreshing for me.

And completely asocial tango.

Like the bears. If they were to tango, that is.

The mistakes and discipline of leadership

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[Celebrate your Mistakes November 17, 2011]
http://positivesharing.com/2010/06/top-5-reasons-to-celebrate-mistakes-at-work/

We’re taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven’t, you need to do things the wrong way. Initiate a failure by doing something that’s very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path. It’s exciting, actually.

[Leadership & Discipline  November 14, 2011]
http://www.n2growth.com/blog/finding-the-zone/

The difference between good and great often comes down to discipline. So my question is this – how disciplined are you as a leader? Context, fluidity, and other nuanced behaviors are positive traits to embrace so long as they don’t serve as an excuse for a lack of discipline. I’m not suggesting that leaders should be robotic or static in approach – quite to the contrary. Implementing a framework of discipline allows leaders more flexibility not less. While subjecting yourself to the rigor of discipline is not easy, it is essential if you want to maximize your effectiveness as a leader. The best leaders I know are extremely disciplined people – they simply do the things others are not willing to do.  Are you disciplined in all facets of your life, or just those which come more easily to you?

More wisdom from Tim Ferriss

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[Filling the Void: Thoughts on Learning and Karma  November 16, 2011]
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/11/16/filling-the-void-thoughts-on-learning-and-karma/#more-6281

From the man who brought us the 4 hr work week.

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.
-Viktor E. Frankl, Holocaust survivor, author of Man’s Search for Meaning”

Let’s talk numbers in leadership

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[Not All Metrics Are Created Equal  November 17 2011.]
http://www.n2growth.com/blog/not-all-metrics-are-created-equal

“Measurements in this category are where an organization truly becomes productive with analytics. These sets of metrics focus on the measurements surrounding things that develop talent, create engagement, build teams, manage the customer experience, improve customer satisfaction and increase brand equity. Getting to the qualitative level of performance measurement is difficult in that it is often necessary to overcome a set of traditional leadership behaviors and beliefs.”