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Can You Teach an Old Dog New Tricks? By Pratap Nambiar.
Many leaders have forgotten that leadership is a process, not a position. Coaching them at the right time will help re-establish their sense of balance.
Leadership is a behavioural outcome of the interaction between a leader and followers in the context of a situation. Just having a title or position does not make us leaders. There is a great deal of learning that has to be internalised for leaders to be able to have the appropriate behaviours needed to make the most of any given situation.
Pratap Nambiar explains in the April issue of the Worldwide Coaching Magazine ,why old dogs need the help of a coach. To show them the link between their actions and the outcomes, but more importantly to build the link between the outcomes, actions, and their link to behaviours which originate from their thinking process.
Interview with Jamie Smart, Author of the Book “Clarity: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results”.
Today I have the great pleasure of being the host on Day 8 of the Virtual Blog Tour of author Jamie Smart whose book Clarity: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results is celebrating its big Amazon launch March 12th through March 31st, 2013 at http://ClarityBook.biz.
Jamie Smart is an internationally renowned writer, speaker, coach, trainer and consultant. Originally from Canada and now based in London, Jamie shows individuals and organizations the unexpected keys to clarity—the ultimate leverage point for creating more time, better decisions and meaningful results. Jamie is a gifted speaker, equally engaging in front of large audiences and more intimate groups. He’s passionate about helping individuals and businesses to deepen their understanding of Innate Thinking® and to create the results that matter to them. In addition to working with a handful of coaching clients and leading selected corporate programmes, Jamie runs professional development workshops for business leaders, trainers, coaches and consultants. He has appeared on Sky TV and on the BBC, as well as in numerous publications.
Yesterday, Jamie visited Shelagh Jones at http://spiritualmarketing-blog.com/books-by-spiritus-members/clarity-clear-mind-better-performance-bigger-results-by-jamie-smart/, where she interviewed Jamie on this great podcast about his process in writing Clarity.
Today, I’d like to share with you a recent interview I had with Jamie when I got to ask him some questions on information overload, workforce clarity and utilizing clarity for creativity & authenticity. I hope you enjoy it.
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Worldwide Coaching Magazine: We are bombarded with enormous amounts of information each day and we do our best to keep up with everything that goes around. We process Tweets, Facebook posts, messages on LinkedIn groups, direct messages, e-mails, Pinterest Pins etc. How can we create more clarity and a deeper understanding of what we actually do, without feeling that we are missing out on things?
Jamie Smart: I’ve got some good news and bad news. FIrst the bad news: You’re missing out on things! More than 800,000 hours of video (that’s nearly 100 years!) get uploaded to the internet every day, not to mention the articles, photos and music. There’s no way you could stay on top of all the information that’s out there. Now the good news: the feeling of “missing out” only comes from one place; your thinking. We’re always feeling our thinking, moment to moment. Due to a trick of the mind, it looks like our feelings are coming from elsewhere eg. Email, bank balance, other people, missing out etc) but that’s an illusion. We’re always feeling our thinking.
And it turns out this is really good news. You see, the biggest issue with “information overwhelm” isn’t the quantity or nature of the information. It’s the feelings of stress / tension / overwhelm that people so often experience when their attention is consumed by it. Once again, when you’re in that situation, it looks like you’re overwhelmed by the information, but 100% of the feeling of overwhelm is coming from your thinking. The moment you insightfully see this, it’s a sign that your head is beginning to clear. And as your head clears, your wisdom will guide you in what information to attend to, and what to ignore.
Worldwide Coaching Magazine: What is in your opinion the first thing a leader/manager has to do to bring more clarity to his workforce?
Jamie Smart: If a leader wants to bring more clarity to their workforce, the first thing the leader must do is find more clarity for him/herself. Clarity is contagious. When a leader has clarity of thought, it shows up as clarity in communication and action. This in turn gets picked up by others. So that raises the question, “How can a leader find clarity for themselves?” I share the following metaphor in my book, Clarity: Clear Mind, Better Decisions, Bigger Results…
“If a pond is clouded with mud, there’s nothing you can do to make the water clear.
But when you allow the mud to settle, it will clear on its own, because clarity is the water’s natural state…”
Clarity is your mind’s natural state. The mind is a self-correcting system and, like the pond, it will clear automatically if left to its own devices. So if this is the case, why don’t more people have clarity more of the time? Two reasons:
1) They don’t realise their mind is self-correcting, so they try to help it along (Eg. With techniques, affirmations, alcohol etc)
2) They have a lot of “superstitious thinking” that keeps them stirred up, based on what I call the “outside-in misunderstanding”, the mistaken belief that we’re feeling something other than our thinking.
The study of Innate Thinking® is a way to “see through” correct this. As people start to see through the outside-in misunderstanding they find themselves experiencing more clarity, more of the time.
Worldwide Coaching Magazine: Most of our readers are coaches. How can coaches support their clients best to bring about more clarity by using creativity and authenticity?
Jamie Smart: Creativity and Authenticity are two of the 8 “deep drivers” that are an expression of our innate thinking (see diagram “Innate Thinking Drives Leadership Attributes”). Like clarity, they’re a natural aspect of who we really are (spend the day with a 2-year old, and you’ll see numerous brilliant demonstrations of creativity and authenticity.) There’s only one thing that ever gets in the way of these deep drivers for coaches AND for their clients: Superstitious thinking!
The mistaken belief that we’re feeling something other than our thinking (Eg. Our bank balance / partner / boss / clients / future / past / children / exam etc) is the source of the vast majority of our problems as individuals, and as an entire society. As people learn about the “inside-out” nature of experience by exploring the principles behind Innate Thinking®, they wake up from their superstitious thinking and get more and more deeply connected with the creativity, authenticity and wisdom that is at the core of our being.
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I hope you enjoyed this interview with Jamie Smart and that you’ll check out his book:
Clarity:
Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results
http://ClarityBook.biz
Buy the book between March 12th – 31st, 2013 and you will receive:
- Access to a collection of dozens of Jamie’s Clarity training videos, including many coaching demos, to help guide you to finding your own clarity
- Free access to a special 1-day “Kickstart Your Clarity” event, which you can attend either in London OR on online via live stream from anywhere in the world.
Thanks for reading! Please share your comments and thoughts below. I love reading your feedback.
AND… be sure to follow Jamie tomorrow when the next stop on the Virtual Blog Tour is Paula Tarrant, who will be interviewing Jamie on the topic of unexpected keys to intuitive thinking. To visit that “stop” on the tour, go to http://www.inspiredwomenwork.com/the-unexpected-keys-to-intuitive-thinking
Overcoming an Adaptive Challenge
Successful CEOs know that, to keep their companies growing, competence must be accompanied by a new consciousness
An adaptive challenge represents a set of problems – dilemmas that seemingly cannot be resolved, yet which must be resolved if one is to move up to the next level of performance.
It is necessary to adapt to the changing circumstances, to the increasing level of complexity, and dig deep to find the inner strength to overcome new challenges that have not been faced before.
What makes it difficult to deal with adaptive challenges is that, most often, you do not realise you are facing one; and even if you do, you do not have an adequate response because you are not prepared. Pratap is grabbing the bull by its horns and shows you how to prepare yourself in this month’s issue of the Worldwide Coaching Magazine.
Pratap Nambiar is the founder and Chairman of Thought Perfect Pte Ltd a Singapore based firm providing business performance coaching and mentoring services to CEOs. He brings with him over 35 years of international experience across all continents. A qualified professional coach certified by the International Coach Federation, and Marshall Goldsmith’s Stakeholder Centric Coaching, he is widely known as a passionate catalyst for change in the lives of the people he works with. His deep commitment to enhancing the quality of his client’s business performance has helped numerous multinationals improve their leadership effectiveness. In this month’s issue of the Worldwide Coaching Magazine Pratap explains in detail what is needed to overcome an adaptive challenge. You can contact Pratap at: pnambiar@thoughtperfect.com
Get your copy here:
When It Comes To Coaching, Are You As Creative As You Can Be?
As a coach, you know how people learn and develop. You’ve made it your business, if not your mission, to help people realize their full potential. You bring unique skills and insight to every coaching conversation. But is it enough?
We human beings are creatures of habit. If we don’t actively infuse our coaching practice with fresh learning and new tools, our style and energy can become stale and routine. It’s not that we lack commitment; in fact, our client’s may still be enjoying unprecedented results, but the journey may not be the sensory, self-development adventure it should be.
Yael Blum’s article in this month’s issue of the Worldwide Coaching Magazine is all about her journey to become a more creative coach.
Yael Blum is committed to the heart of the matter, that essential point where values, dreams, wisdom, courage, love and leadership collide to catalyze a course of action that nourishes people and planet. As an inspiring and experienced leadership development consultant, certified executive coach, systems thinker, and AI enthusiast, Yael fulfills her mission to support the development of extraordinary leaders and social entrepreneurs worldwide. For more information visit www.intwoit.com or E-mail yblum@intwoit.com
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Coaching Is Not Just for High School Athletes
Young people in athletics have an advantage over their fellow classmates. That advantage simply is “a coach.” These sport coaches work to condition the physical sports’ talents of the high school students and more importantly work to condition their mental talents or attitudes.
In sports, youth leadership becomes the norm, the best practice. Young people recognise that their mental capacity must exceed their physical capability. And yet how many young people never have this opportunity to learn the necessary self-leadership talents now being demanded more and more by employers?
Leanne Hoagland-Smith describes in this month’s issue of the Worldwide Coaching Magazine how coaching can support these young people and provide a solid foundation for sustainable economic growth for all communities.
By trailblazing through conventional learning and business practices, heurist, writer and speaker Leanne Hoagland-Smith quickly demonstrates through ACE© how to advance people (talent) and operations (management) to that next generation of revenue growth for individuals and SMBs. She seeks forward thinkers who are stuck in the current status quo and want to stay ahead of the flow. Visit http://www.processspecalist.com to learn more.
Read more here:
Executives learn ethics the hard way: From Marines…..
Executives out of their element
This article by Jim Michaels in USA Today describes a training scenario to enhance ethical decision making in the workplace.
Business students are often surprised to find that the military is not the rigid hierarchical organisation they had expected. Instead, officers are taught to think for themselves.
Executives learn ethics the hard way: From Marines…
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Executives who served in the military are less likely to be involved in fraud
- At Quantico, executives are put to the test in front-line scenarios
- Instructors are officers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan
JIM MICHAELS
The author of this article is Jim Michaels, a former Marine who has covered wars around the world. He is author of the book A Chance in Hell: The Men who Triumphed over Iraq’s Deadliest City and Turned the Tide of War.
Related articles
- Executives learn ethics the hard way: From Marines (stripes.com)
- Front lines to the front office: Marines drill execs (usatoday.com)
