2Weeks2aBreakthrough

Fresh Eyes - Day 9, Teams J and K

Teams J and K are well on their way. Today they are looking at their goals from various perspectives. Here is part of the email I sent them:

The Theme for Day 9 is Fresh Eyes

I don’t want to add a bunch of new actions and requests to your lists today. The exercise for today is to see your project/goal from other perspectives and filters.

How would:
Friends
Peers
Managers
Customers
Competitors
Vendors
Partners
Industry experts
Coaches/counselors

See your project? How might they assess and address the barriers getting in the way? What ideas might they think of that you have not?

Use your daily practice to see your goal with a fresh set of eyes.....

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Here also is a few more tips on making requests (I shared this and several real examples with the teams in my daily email to them):

A few general tips about making requests:

I try to show that I have done some research and refer to specifically why I an sending this request to him/her. The more personal/connected I make the request, the better.

I share enough about what I am doing to perhaps enroll him or her in my goal.

I try to make it a win-win if possible.

It is important to respond quickly, but allow him or her time to respond.

I never expect people to respond or grant my request and am gracious when they do not.

I get creative if I think it will make a difference (like taking Guy Kawasaki to the airport).

I provide links and information so that people can check me out. I send ebooks, articles, or copies of my book if possible.

I get to the point quickly in the email and try to be direct and clear.

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Teams J and K - how's it going?

Let the games begin again for Teams Y and Z!

The 2 Weeks 2 a Breakthrough Pilot Program is officially underway for the second two teams, Y and Z.

Teams J and K are half way through their program, but the dawn is just rising on teams Y and Z. Participants in these teams have had the benefit of reading what's going on with the first participants and so they are ready!

Each of the participants received a 12 page quick start document.

We will start things off by clarifying and refining goals and sharing the overall structures of the program. I am having 45 minute one-on-one conversations with each participant about what they want to accomplish and begin the brainstorming process.

Here is a reminder about the Daily Practice - the backbone of the program:

The Daily Practice:

The Daily Practice is likely to be the most dreaded part of this program - and the most important. It may seem intimidating, but once you get into it, it will be rather easy. Here’s a portion of what the participants received about the Daily Practice:

Each day of the program, I will offer ideas and suggestions designed to increase focus or action. In addition, you are to complete your daily practice EVERY DAY of the program. The daily practice is easy but can yield big results.

The Daily Practice – Each day of the program,
- Tell two people about your goal.
- Take two actions that support your goal.
- Make two requests that support your goal.

The Daily Practice can be done live, via email, phone, blog, or other communication means. But each day should involve different people. For example, if you tell readers about your goal on your blog one day, it would not qualify if you communicate it again 3 days later. Same thing with requests: posting two requests on your blog will not fulfill the intention of the daily practice.

You can, however, combine things. For example, you can tell someone about your goal and then make a request of him or her too.

One more clarification, although telling someone about your goal and making a request are technically actions, my intent is that you engage in two OTHER actions each day. These can be very small, like signing up for a relevant newsletter, registering a business license, or asking 3 people for ideas at lunch. Or they can be major actions like creating a business plan.

A little bit about requests:

The type of requests that I find make the biggest difference are not necessarily the “give me” kind, although if you read my blog post about requests a few days ago, it seemed to work for the nun. For most of us, what we are looking for with our requests is someone’s time, ideas, connections, counsel, projects, accommodations, mentoring, etc.. I will share an example of these requests:

Someone’s time: I am working on a project and would like to bounce a few ideas off you. Could I buy you coffee one day this week to chat (or could I ask for 30 minutes of your time over the phone)?

Ideas or information: I would like to help improve the workplace and would like your ideas. I’m inviting a few people for a brown bag lunch brainstorming session. Can you attend?

Connections: I am trying to build my business/get a publisher, can you tell me the people I should get to know in this field?

Counsel/mentoring: You are one of the best in your field. Would you be willing to mentor me if it did not take much of your valuable time? Perhaps we could start with a 30-minute phone conversation/coffee chat?

Projects: I want to develop my skills in this area and would like to participate on the ____ project because I think it would help me and I could contribute to the group’s success. I would be willing to lead the group if that’s preferable. Can you help me get on this project?

Accommodations: I am working on a goal that is very important to me and that will make a big difference. Over the next month, I would like to change my schedule slightly to accommodate the project. I have worked it out so that my other projects are not affected. Can I get your approval to: _____________?

Participation: I am working on a book called ________. I have attached the book proposal for your review. I have great respect for your work and would love to have you write the foreword.

The best requests are win-win. For example, I have created new jobs for myself several times and my employers accepted the ideas because I was able to demonstrate how the change was good for the company too.

Your response to acceptances and rejections is important. If your request is accepted, show genuine appreciation and excitement. This will make people feel great about helping you out. If the person does not accept your request, DO NOT demonstrate disappointment and do not make the other person feel guilty. This is what keeps us from making future requests. Instead, thank the person for his or her consideration and, if appropriate, ask if he or she has an alternative suggestion. Your demeanor should be matter of fact and open.

The point of the daily practice is to help you create a presence, platform, and place for your goal and to make new things happen.

I’d love to hear how Team Y and Team Z participants feel about starting the program and what they have explored so far!

The Requests Blitz - Day 8, Teams J and K

Day 8 of the 2 Weeks 2 a Breakthrough program is here. This is one of my favorite days because the participants are going to engage in a requests blitz! Here is a portion of the email I sent to the groups explaining their assignment:

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Play big today.

If you have not been rockin’ and rollin’ with requests, today is the day to make things happen. Remember, requests can cover a broad variety of topics and needs.

Before you create your list, reread this post about requests:

Requests can cover a lot of territory - you can make requests pertaining to:

Creating more time for yourself, your schedule, your “you time”
Asking people to meet with you and let you pick their brains.
Asking people to participate in your project.
Asking for financial support, like sponsorship, advertising, or a sale of a product or service.
Improving your skills or effectiveness.
Asking people to barter with you.
Asking people to make an introduction on your behalf with someone you want to meet.
Asking a group of people to meet with you to help you brainstorm, think through, or plan your project.
Asking people to review and critique your plan.
Asking people to be your evangelists (like asking them to blog about you/your project, or to send an announcement to their email network).
Asking local/regional/national press for coverage/article. (Several of you who have businesses might consider doing and sending out a press release)
Asking for help on other projects so that you can concentrate on this one.
Asking for a job/interview/informal meeting.
Asking for a brief meeting to share how you think you can help company X meet or beat its goals.
Requests related to improving your finances (lower credit card rates, re-negotiate bills, sell excess items, business loans).

And I could go on and on.....

For today, create and make 10 requests.

In person is best (Best results, gets you out there, puts your goal more powerfully in the world, the other person is more likely to grant the request or at least offer something)

On the phone is second best

Over email or via mail is a third option.

Use all three methods, not just email.

I have found it helpful to let people know upfront that they should feel no pressure to say yes, that you will still be their biggest fan and friend, and they should not feel uncomfortable if the answer is no AND that you would be thrilled if they said yes. Always thank people for their consideration and be just as happy/perky as when you made the request. This is important for maintaining the long term relationship.

Be great at accepting a NO.

Be even greater at accepting a YES!

The requests blitz can be the most transforming day of the program. If you are having a hard time coming up with a robust and inspiring list, let’s talk and I will help you!

Go get em’ !!!

I am excited to see what the participants experience from the requests blitz.....

Day 7 - Teams J and K

Teams J and K are grooving right along. Some participants are experiencing great success, some are on the verge of success and a few seem to be a bit disconnected. This is normal and everyone still has time to get things rolling and experience one or more breakthroughs.

For Day 7 (Tuesday), I have asked those on teams K and J to think "What if?" and to prepare for a requests blitz on day 8. Here is a portion of my email to them:

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The Theme for Day 7 is, "What if?"

To create more ideas, angles, ways, perspectives, possibilities, and approaches, ask at least a dozen what if questions.

What if time was not an issue?
What if I knew _______?
What if I cleared my calendar today?
What if I am talking to the wrong people?
What if I viewed this from the customer’s perspective?
What if I partnered with someone? Who would he or she be? What would I say? What would it mean?
What if I need to create a support structure, how might I do this?
What if today were really 2 years from now - how have things changed?
What if technology X takes off?
What if I asked for exactly what I want?
What if I am barking up the wrong tree?
What if my goal were achieved, how would I feel? What would things look like?
What if the answer is right in front of me?

Ask 2 friends or online buddies to help you brainstorm what if questions. And the answers.

As you do your Daily Practice and ask questions, start a list of potential requests because on day 8 you will be embarking on a requests blitz. Oh, what fun it will be! (It really can be very fun.) It might be helpful to share your lists with each other on the email list to give each other ideas. I still make requests every week as a part of my regular practice (I do this stuff, too!).

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Tomorrow, Teams Y and Z begin the program!

Business Plans

Several of you are working on business plans, so I thought I would share this great post from Drakeview called, Business Plan Planning. It has lots of great info and perspective on the process.

Day 6 - Team J and K

Teams J and K have dipped their toes in the pool and are ready to take the plunge into focusing on their goals. There are 8 days left. I asked the teams to reconnect to their goals and play. Here is a portion of the email I sent to Teams J and K:

The Theme for Day 6 is Playing and Planning

This Monday morning I would like you to reconnect with your goal. Say it to yourself. Is it compelling? Does it excite you? Play around with expressing your goal a few different ways until you have 2 - 3 crisp one line explanations of your goal. This exercise gives you more ammunition for sharing with others and may help you further refine your goal. Challenge yourself - is this really the goal? Make sure your are focused on the goal an not one action within the goal.

Let’s play a little basketball - to play, we need to get on the court.

You have 8 days left in the program. Your opponent is tough, has been practicing for years, and has been well fed (your opponent is your habits, beliefs, fears, resistance). I don‘t know what the score is right now, as it is different for all of you. But here’s the thing - it does not matter. You can win even if you have been asleep on the bench (or in the stands). Most of you have been playing the game.

What’s your game plan? What plays and maneuvers will ensure that you win over your opponent?

You can only make the shots you take.

Take some time today to redeclare your goals and to plan your plays. Have fun with it. Make sure your thoughts and ideas are “on the court“ conversations.

I am sure you have heard this before. Many professional athletes will admit that conditioning and athletic capabilities are important, but that the difference between winning and losing is often a head game. This applies to all of us. We need certain skills and experiences, yes, but what’s most important is what’s going on in our heads (belief-action cycle).

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Several individuals have made significant progress. A few seem to be struggling with resistance. Most are learning new things about how they operate and what they allow to get in their ways.

Breakthroughs, large and small, have already started to happen for some people. As we begin the second week, look to the comments for an update on their triumphs and challenges!

Teams J and K Day 5 - Follow-up and Listening

For Day 5, I have asked the teams to focus back on the daily practice and following-up with people. To experience breakthroughs, we need to be excellent listeners, and so I shared a few thoughts about listening as well. Here is a portion of the email I sent to Teams J and K:

Are you still doing your Daily Practice? I know it is easy to let others things get in the way, but I would encourage you to do the daily practice, even on the weekend. You can do a shortened version if you need to. For example:

Send two quick emails sharing your goal and asking for input.
Go to the library or bookstore and get a book in the topic of your goal. Read at least one chapter.
Do one other action - work on your plan, write 1000 words, brainstorm a pitch/slant for your business idea or project, get wickedly organized for a full goal assault on Monday AM.

The Theme for Day 4 is Follow-up!

Get back to the people you have spoken with or emailed (if you have not already). Perhaps there is someone you would like to invite for a cup of coffee and chat? Thank them and expand on what they have said/offered. Follow-up with people in the email group who have offered to be a sounding board - we all need sounding board, so use him or her!

Are there other loose ends? Perhaps from before the program? People you have been meaning to get back to? Folks you met at a meeting but have never contacted.

Today is about making another connection with people you already have in your business card file or email list. Share fully and openly what you are up to and express sincere interest in their endeavors.

Stephen Covey has said that in every exchange we have with someone, we have the opportunity to either add to or subtract from the relationship. Make sure that all your communication today, even with friends and family, adds to the relationship. Be a great listener and show a desire to be engaged.

Here is a bit about Active Listening:

If we want to make BIG things happen, we need to listen well. the catalyst for most breakthroughs comes from OUT THERE, so we don’t want to miss the it!

Active listening is a way of listening and responding that improves mutual understanding. Many people are poor listeners. They get distracted, talk too much, and think about what they are going to say next when they should be listening. They assume that they know what the other person is going to say and tune them out. It can be difficult to take the time and energy to listen actively, but the rewards are worth the effort.

You are listening actively when you:

Demonstrate a sincere desire to pay attention to the other person (instead of mentally practicing what you are going to say next).
Are committed to being coachable and open with the information being received from the other person.
Are interested in relating to the other person’s perspective and empathizing with their point of view.
Are non-critical or judgmental, but seek to understand the other person.
Are attentive and not distracted by other things in the environment.
Feedback, confirm, restate, or paraphrase information to ensure you have interpreted it as intended.
Reflect on what the other person is saying.
Synthesize the information, emotion, and feelings to improve understanding.
Clarify the information by asking questions and probing down into additional layers of information as needed.
Validate perceptions and assumptions.
Let the other person talk.

How does this apply to email? We often get distracted when reading email, just like when someone is talking to us (looking around, thinking about what you need to get done, singing along with the radio, etc). For example, how many of you can honestly say you are focusing on the message in this email right now? If you are not really reading and considering the ideas, either choose to listen better as you read or come back later when you can fully take in the information.

What about the other emails you have received in the last couple days - have you really considered the information that might be there waiting to make a difference for you?

As I write this post, I am thinking about my own tendencies when reading blogs (or books, for that matter). I bet I am not getting nearly the benefit that I could because I have spread myself too thin and scan many blogs, reading few. Like the rest of you, I do have 5-7 blogs I take more time with, but I wonder what I might be missing by not giving others my full attention. Perhaps I should cull my reading list some and spend more quality time on each blog......

Many messages have the potential to be deep and meaningful. When we scan through the day, are we perhaps oblivious to the obvious? I like the sound of that, here's a haiku:

Oblivious to the Obvious

I'm oblivious
To many obvious things
Foiled by distraction

Day 4 for Teams J and K - Analysis

The Theme for Day 4 is Analysis!

Before I get into the theme for today, I want to share an interesting blog post done by one of the participants about his struggle with procrastination, because I think it is a common challenge.

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Many of the pilot participants are rolling down the road to progress. Please check out the comments in the previous day's posts to get an idea of their triumphs and challenges. Here is a portion of the email I sent the teams today for day 4:

Several of you have been doing a smash up job uncovering rocks and generating data and ideas. Today, take some time to see what you have learned thus far evaluate where you are. What do you still want to learn? What is your data telling you - where is it heading you? Is it a direction you want to explore?

Try generating burning questions. Burning questions are what follow, “I really wish I knew....” or “If only I could find out...” Determine who might be able to answer these questions and plan to ask them in the next couple days.

Check some of your conclusions by sharing them with others. Are you seeing the situation similarly or differently? You can do this by sharing your goal and saying that your research has lead you to X conclusions. Does this ring true with what they have seen and experienced?

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I am encouraged by the fact that several of you are seeing the barriers that have typically gotten in your way through the years. Self-awareness is critical to us achieving our dreams. Another kind of analysis for today is to think about what you have learned about your style and habits and how these either help or get in the way of achieving your goals. Now is a good time to revisit the belief action cycle (in the first handout). If you have a habit that gets in the way (procrastination, getting stalled by overwhelm, resistance to involving others in your plan/goal, etc), there are beliefs that are triggering these responses.

Once you have explored your beliefs underlying the source of resistance, think about an alternative belief that would serve your goal much better. Try adopting that belief for the next week and see what happens. You need to create the beliefs that work for you and then ask yourself what’s one action (to start) that I could take right now and that is consistent with this belief? Do that one thing.

Analysis of stuff.

Analysis from within.

The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates

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Here is the Belief-Action Cycle that I referred to:

This first one shows beliefs that are unhelpful.

This one shows more helpful beliefs.

Day 3 - Discovery

Teams J and K have spent the last couple days refining goals, sharing them and getting into action. Today I have asked them to also take a few moments to ask and try to answer discovery questions. Here is a portion of the email I sent the groups:

1. Who are the keepers of the current wisdom in the area of your goal?

2. Notice the parts of the program that are easy/difficult for you. What observations can you make about your areas of resistance?

3. Who are you being? What mindset and self-talk are you operating under? Here are a few ways of being that could pose a challenge for you (although they are helpful in some situations)

A. "I don’t know anything and am unworthy." This may come up when it is time to make requests, “who am I to ask this person to help me?” If you have a bit of this going on, try to adopt another and more powerful belief. You are a professional with a great idea and it is a privilege for people to help or mentor you. Most people get a charge out of being asked.

B. "I know." Some people have a bit of cockiness to them. This is not a bad thing and is a strength in many situations. I’m that way some of the time, too. When it comes to creating a breakthrough, I think it is best to be confident, but also open, curious and humble. If someone you contact offers you an idea or tells a story about something they have tried, be thankful, gracious, and resist the need to tell your own story or say "I know." (We may not use those words, but it is how it might be received.)

C. "I am getting ready." Paralysis by planning. Some folks spend most of their time getting ready to act. They are creating to-do lists, buying books, taking seminars, creating multiple plans, etc. While all these things are helpful to an extent and they are a form of action, at some point preparing needs to give way to being out there and doing! This is also often the "Stargazer."

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Several of you shared that you are better starters than implementers. I can relate to this. Here’s something that I have found helpful in becoming a better implementer and finisher. Idea people often value ideas and define success in terms of having great ideas and getting things started. Try changing your definition of success. With regard to my writing, I changed my definition of success to be the number and quality of projects I have completed and in the world (available). Like many of you, I have many more ideas than I can possibly put in place. I now define my success by the work I have successfully executed.

What’s your definition of success? What assumptions and beliefs are behind this definition? How might you tweak your definition of success to help facilitate attainment of your goal and open up your opportunities for breakthroughs?

Discovery:

Out there.....

And inside.....

Enjoy a few contemplative moments today. Put on your favorite thinking music and take 30 minutes to just relax and let your mind wander.

Be in the moment and enjoy the space you are in. It is wonderful to be engaged and active, isn’t it?

I have talked to you each of you by now, and feel honored to be a part of your journey. I hope that you are finding the program helpful so far and please don’t hesitate to let me and your team members know the support and information you need.

Day 2 of the Program, Teams J and K

Teams J and K are getting ready to embark on Day 2 of the program.

In addition to their Daily Practice, they are:

Assessing their level of focus and action.
Ensuring they are engaged and committed to their goal.
Acknowledging barriers and taking action or making requests to remove barriers.
Creating a list of people who they do not know but should. Contacting them.
Focusing on shairng their goal with a broad group of people.

Many of the team members are taking on goals that are challenging and have the potential to make a significant differernce. It has been interesting to talk with each of them and get a sense for their commitment and passion for their goals.

Here's to making Day 2 a GREAT DAY!