Can you let go to grow?

Is your brain damaging your business?
Why do so many senior people struggle to delegate key tasks even when they know they are limiting growth by being the bottleneck in their business?  The latest scientific evidence shows that it’s not only down to skill, it’s our brain getting in the way.  There is always a lot more to be done in a day than you can achieve by yourself and the key to success is knowing what to let go of.  But letting go creates uncertainty and your brain hates uncertainty almost more than anything else.

What level of thinking are you encouraging in your people?

We are facing an unprecedented crisis in workplace motivation.  Only the businesses that are quick to learn and adapt will survive and thrive in the current economic climate.  Survey after survey is showing that the majority of people are disengaged at work and are delivering well below their best efforts.  But we now have an opportunity to use a more creative management approach – by utilising below conscious motivation patterns.  

Are you winning or losing?

Do you ever feel people aren’t listening to you – especially when you know you are right?  Well consider this; when you decide you are right the other person must be wrong, which means you are probably not listening to them!  It’s interesting to see that whenever a contentious issue is being discussed, people seem to put more effort into being ‘right’ than finding a solution that will benefit the business.  In their determination to be heard and to score points they don’t listen to one another; it becomes a battle for status.  Unconsciously they are actually seeing each other as a dangerous threat, so vital insights and possible solutions are missed and by trying to win, both lose.  But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Are you too certain to learn?

The ability to rapidly learn and apply new ways of working is the key to business success, especially in our knowledge-based economy.  The dramatic changes in technology are leaving some senior people stranded as they struggle to manage the vast amounts of information required to run a successful business.  But there is also something else that can inhibit your ability to learn.

How to avoid Silly Mistakes

Dealing With Increasing Complexity
In a world of ever-increasing complexity it is becoming very difficult to maintain high standards and control mistakes, especially the silly ones that seem to be repeated, even by competent people.  There is a surprisingly simple answer to this fundamental problem that many businesses suffer from.  But very few people want to implement it because it offends their ego.

Is ‘Captainitis’ getting the better of you?

No one really likes to be challenged but it is sometimes very dangerous to have everyone around you agree with you.  If you don’t encourage your people to challenge you the results can be fatal . . .

Take for example the following exchange taken from the flight recorder of Air Florida flight 90 just before it fell into the icy Potomac River near Washington DC, in 1982.

Are you empowering your people or just exerting your power?

There is a lot of talk these days about empowerment yet very few managers actually do it because they seem to be more concerned with exerting their own power. This is understandable because power can be addictive and it takes courage, faith and belief to let go and truly empower others.  How effectively are you empowering your team?