Increasing Success Rate of Goals

Take a look at the graph below summarizing the findings of a study by Dr. Gail Matthews.

I shared this at a session I did last week and several folks found it incredibly insightful. It is self-explanatory. So this week, ask yourself, as it is still very early in the year, which group you belong to with the goals you have already set for 2012. What can you do to move into Group 5 and increase your success rate of achieving those goals?

Motivation (Part 2)

Last week’s blog on motivation generated a good amount of healthy dialogue. I want to elaborate on that topic and discuss ways to generate more sustainable levels of high performance, getting you to be at your best as often as possible in lieu of relying solely on the fleeting nature of motivation, which–as I discussed last week–is a great way to perform at high levels but only for very short durations. To reiterate, motivation, as most of us understand it to be, is a very short period of fearlessness based on low cortisol levels induced by very positive experiences.

Motivation–Don’t Rely On It

This time of year, the gym I go to is filled to capacity. It happens every year and somewhere around late February or early March, the “new-year crowd,” as we affectionately call them, disappears again. This is a time of year when motivation is high as goals are set for both the personal and professional year ahead.

Optimism

There have been dozens of studies over the past few years validating the correlation of optimism to success, however you define the latter. Optimism is not as abstract a concept as you might think. We typically refer to optimists as the “glass is half-full” people as opposed to other “glass is half-empty” ones.

Closing 2011

This will be my last blog post for 2011. Like most of you, I’ll take a break over the next few weeks, so bear with me for a longer-than-usual post. What an amazing year this has been for me on all fronts, setting very high expectations for an even better 2012. When I write my weekly blog posts, I typically look back at the previous week and reflect on what to write. Ironically, this past week itself was a wonderful microcosm of the whole year itself.

Fail Fast

Last week’s blog on entrepreneurship generated a healthy response. Specifically, I got asked about both key lessons for entrepreneurs as well as key attributes of successful entrepreneurs. I concede I am not an expert in this area, and a ton of literature already exists. When I decided to become an entrepreneur five years ago, I actively solicited advice from successful ones and continue to do so. Of all the nuggets of wisdom that was passed, one stood above all: Fail Fast.

Entrepreneurship

Last week I had a healthy discussion with the President of my alma mater. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that “entrepreneurship” is being considered as part of academia and is considered a skill set that undergraduates can be taught.

Change the Conversation

Last week, I talked with several young people who were looking for jobs. The group–largely in their 20s–seemed a little bitter that their hard work in college and the significant financial investment made by their parents only landed them back at home. Some recent surveys show as high as 80% of this age group living with their parents and the unemployment for the same group at slightly over 30%.

Workplace Thanksgiving

I love this time of year. Thanksgiving is next week and it’s my favorite holiday. Families travel to be with family without the stress of getting gifts or celebrating anything but a good meal and the company of loved ones. They tell each other new stories, the same stories, hear about highlights and lowlights, and do it all in a safe environment without any real agenda. I’ve been told that the tradition of gathering together for a meal is not only a universal one but also one that we’ve practiced generation after generation. For many, this can be the only time of the year that we get together with our extended families and friends. It’s a special time.

Learning Again

I received quite a response to last week’s blog. So I thought I’d add some more context. The topic is learning: continuous learning has been a widely heralded organizational and personal mantra. It is hard to argue against it. Why wouldn’t anyone not continuously look for ways to learn? We’re living in a flattened world with fewer barriers to knowledge, other people, other communities, and other experiences. It has been argued that those who learn best in a knowledge economy are modern-day gladiators who will withstand and profit from the fast-changing world.

Incomplete Learning

I had two lunch meetings last week and the topic of learning came up. I argued for the appreciation of the distinction between simply learning something and integrating that learning so that change is not only made, but it sticks.

New Realities

Last week, I was in the Bay Area on the west coast meeting with partners and clients. It’s always nice to be around some cutting-edge and forward-thinking folks. One of them is Stu Winby, who also happens to be on the EQmentor Board. Stu is a thought leader and works exclusively with Boards and the “C” suite on new forms of collaboration and innovation.

Lead in Different Ways

I heard from many of you on last week’s blog post inspired by the legacy of Steve Jobs. At a lunch meeting with a peer, we asked ourselves: Why are there so few Steve Jobs and the like? There are now millions of leadership books, webinars, blogs, conferences, programs – all touting the recipe for such great leaders.

Innovation

I have talked about this topic before but in light of the passing of one our greatest innovators, Steve Jobs of Apple, I thought I would resurface the topic. This is what he once said about innovation:

“Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you!”  Steve Jobs  

Maximize Your Senses

I recently spoke to a group of physicians in Florida about EQ. For a group of human beings most familiar with the human body and all its physiological conditions, there certainly appeared to be a desire to learn more about how to connect with each other and fellow staff members to deal with the constant chaos and stress inherent in a clinic or hospital.