3 Small principles to Supersize your performance

"Winter is coming”

The cold is about to rip through Sydney. OK, not exactly “Winter is coming” a la ‘Game of Thrones’, but the mercury is set to ‘plummet’ below 12 degrees!

I ride a (big red) motorbike - the only way to ‘fly’ in the log-jammed emerald city. I love the freedom to zip in and out, land close to where I need to be and (whisper this) park at the airport for FREE (a four letter word at Macquarie Group). But sitting still in the chill can get cold. It’s then I unleash my secret weapon - HEATED HAND GRIPS!

It’s amazing how toasting just my hands with a choice of four heat settings (from mild blue to furnace red) has the effect of warming the whole body. One small step for hands, one giant leap for Hodgy.

This set me to thinking of 3 things I have learned that make the biggest difference in helping the people I work with to build their influence, success and happiness.

1. Be Detached

I learned this from Pete Cook at Thought Leaders. The early days of building any business are really tough. When the product we are selling is ‘us’, it’s even tougher. We are looking for both money and the affirmation that we are good enough.

Our human need to be loved means we become emotionally invested in the first few prospects who show interest in our offer. We put them in our sales funnel and sit by the phone like lovesick teenagers waiting for the good news. I remember jumping on and off a tube train in London multiple times in preparation for a promised ‘client’ call - that never came. When that happens, or the answer is “no”, we feel deflated, inadequate and often derailed. We need to become DETACHED.

Detached is about fixating on the process of identifying prospects and setting up sales calls - NOT on the outcome of any one call. Learning this early is fundamental to establishing the discipline and systems that DO lead to sales and grow belief.

2. Be Intentional

This is about being very clear on the key things that make the biggest difference in growing you, your business and your leadership - then baking them into your life.

Often this is about personal productivity. For example, I commit to writing my blog Pinch Of Thought weekly as I know it is a major tool in building my own influence, network, brand and sales. It’s often a pain in the arse. I have a lot of other stuff on and it would be easy to reach for the ‘too busy’ card. But I (mostly) resist.

Helping the people I work with develop first the awareness and then the discipline to get the crucial stuff done is fundamental. So many of us are stuck on the wrong side of ‘busyness’. Understanding the power of being Intentional is a game changer.

3. Be Accountable

You can’t do this stuff on your own. To create the professional and personal success we all crave, we need to be accountable to others in multiple aspects of our lives. I use this approach in a few areas.

i Professional

Professionally I have several mentors who help me to grow, not least by holding me to delivering on my projects and plans. This ensures continual growth, learning and - in turn - increased financial performance. This may sound self-serving, but I remain staggered by how many organisations baulk at the cost of investing $15k in a mentor to challenge and grow an executive they are paying $200, $300, $400K +. It’s like owning a Ferrari and not wanting to pay for the petrol!

ii Physical

I use the same principle to keep in good physical shape - which is crucial for balance and happiness. I write often about my surfboat crew, where not showing up is simply not an option. I also belong to a running club organised by the amazing Lou. Every week she gets her group of ‘Active Friends’ running up and down the many heart-breaking hills of Sydney’s northern beaches at 6 a.m sharp. Willpower is weak. There is no way I would do these runs on my own. Disappointment is a much greater force! Once we have been press-ganged into signing up for the run, resistance is futile. And turning up is the only thing we need to do. Lou’s energy, enthusiasm and unreasonable cheerfulness does the rest. This is a few of us this week - about 6.30 am at Palm Beach pool.

iii Animal

Want to get fit. Get a dog! Muddy is our much-loved family pet. I walk him most mornings - his enthusiasm is infectious. It’s what I do and what I LOVE to do. I completely forget that this also means walking around 15km a week. Try telling that face you are too tired or busy. Just more baked-in accountability!

Create a virtuous cycle of success

Detachment, Intention and Accountability. 3 simple, yet super-powerful mindsets and approaches. Mastering each one helps us to generate the results (financial, mental, physical and social) that in turn create a sense of progression and confidence we all need. Over time we create a virtuous cycle of success.

And remember......... ‘Winter is coming', but that doesn't mean you can't have toasty hands!

Mark

Work with Mark

Since 2010 Mark Hodgson has been successfully helping executives, coaches and consultants to build confidence, gain clarity in their message and position themselves as influential thought leaders who people want to work with. He is the author of Time To Shine - Adapting who you are and what you know to succeed in the ideas economy and a leading thinker and speaker on adapting our personal leadership to succeed in a volatile world. To book Mark as a speaker for your next event contact him here.

If you want to know more about working with Mark to activate this thinking in your world, check out the following options:

Time To Shine – Leader Workshop -> 1-day in-house programme for teams

Time To Shine – 60 or 90 Keynote speech ‘Why Humanity is our point of difference’

Time To Shine - Personal Mentoring Programme -> For organisational leaders, independent consultants, coaches and entrepreneurs.

Contact us on [email protected] or call +61 425 230 335 for details.