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Putting Active Questions to the Test
A study carried out by Marshall Goldsmith and Kelly Goldsmith look at testing the effectiveness of active questions with employees who underwent training. In short, a passive question begets a passive answer. For example, an answer to “Do you have clear goals?” might be “My manager can’t make his mind up as to what my goals should be”. In doing this the employee rarely looks to him or herself to take to responsibility and assigns blame elsewhere. By using passive
Profit From Constraints
When having less provides you with more By: Andrew Cooke, Blue Sky GPS Operating in a tight and volatile marketplace is challenging, but it is also full of opportunity. Companies often look at the constraints on how they have to operate and how they can accommodate this situation. This is a reactive approach, which limits your opportunities and creates a problem-solving mindset i.e. everything is a problem, rather than an opportunity. Here we look at a more proactive approach which
The One Page Influence Worksheet
This worksheet is about helping you structure an approach and gameplan when you are linking to influence outcomes within an organization. Influence is the ability to sway opinion and the commensurate behavior towards the results you want. You are looking to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, of others. It is a technique with a good motive (vis-à-vis manipulation) and it is used to create commitment, not compliance or conflict. Why is Influence
You’ve changed! Why Didn’t Anyone Notice?
An article by Marshall Goldsmith Shared by Andrew Cooke, Blue Sky GPS It’s much harder to change others’ perceptions of our behavior than it is to change our own behavior. People’s perceptions of us are formed when they observe a sequence of actions we take that resemble one another. When other people see a pattern of resemblance, that’s when they start forming their perceptions of us. For example, one day you’re asked to make a presentation in a meeting. Speaking in public
What Do You Think?
by Andrew Cooke, Blue Sky GPS In an interview with the New York Times, Bill Marriott, chairman of the Marriott Hotel Group, shared this useful piece of advice. He explained that as a young officer in the US Navy he was responsible for the stewards who served in the officers’ wardroom. New to his role, and being in a military organization he told them what to do. They ignored him. He ordered them. They ignored him still. He came to realize that,
What is YOUR map?
Build your map and build value Have you ever been to Disneyland? Millions of people, children and adults alike, have visited it and enjoyed its magic and experienced the wonder it has engendered. But did you know it nearly didn’t happen? When Walt Disney first tried to get financial backing for his project – the future Disneyland – his own studio refused to fund it. So what did Walt Disney do? He sent his brother, Ray, to meet with potential
3 Questions to Ask to Drive Better Conversations
The Newport Question Trio for Better Conversations A client of mine recently shared several questions that they use in her organization to help leaders and managers, at all level, gain clarity, focus and accountability in their conversations. I call them the Newport Question Trio after my client. These questions are: Why? – Is this conversation going to make our business stronger? This question gets straight to the point, is this conversation going to be of value and contribute to the
Using the Value-Price Seesaw to Make More Money
“Price is what you pay, value is what you get!” – Warren Buffett Are your prices too low? Are you not getting paid enough? Do your customers do not appreciate what you do for them? If so, then I have a suggestion to make – and you probably won’t like it. If your prices are too low then it is your fault. Yes, yours and no-one else’s. So do something about it! I know this is not a “cool” thing
3 Keys to Being Self-Employed and Independent
What you need to know to be successful So you are self-employed or you are looking to take the plunge and become self-employed. Why? Being employed is often seen as a safe and secure way by which to live your life. But is it what you want? Increasingly, job security and tenure is becoming less certain. Even so, people are loathe to make the move from what they know to that which they do not know. Being self-employed can give