Achtung Baby

Accordingly to Rolling Stone Magazine, the band U2 ruled the 1980's. Until their Rattle and Hum album which, in the opinion of music experts was more flop than hit. Each to their own: music is subjective. A few quiet years pass and then U2 released a smashing hit of an album: Achtung Baby. What is key is that U2 were seen as returning to their truth, their own strengths, with this new album:

"With Achtung Baby, U2 is once again trying to broaden its musical palette, but this time its ambitions are realized. ... U2 sets out to experiment rather than pay homage. In doing so, the band is able to draw confidently and consistently on its own native strengths."

This reminds me of when we return to our truth, we tend to shine a little brighter. When we are true to our values and voice we tend to feel less friction. To do this, given all the pressures and perceptions of our own respective worlds, can be challenging and distracting. So it is not without effort. Just as U2 went quiet for a for years to then release the successful Achtung Baby, amplifying your visibility and voice, underpinned by your values, takes some effort. Yet the reward for you is to be seen as reputable, credible and knowledgable. For U2 it was millions of album sales and to be, once more, rock and roll heroes as labelled by the music industry's most reputable publication. 

With many processes, strategies, tools and tips to amplify your visibility, voice and value on supply from books, gurus and the internet, no matter where you look, the inner work is the starting point.

In Chris Helder's magical little book, Useful Belief, he shares a fable that demonstrates a useful belief is more helpful, less daunting, less perfection-expecting than 'just think positively'. Forcing that candy-sweet positivity, especially during tough times, is energy draining and not helpful.

Chris' Useful Belief approach is, what I believe, a do-able bit of inner work. For example, he is not about being pollyanna nor being miserable. For example, if you've had it tough in the last six months through COVID-19, it's not about glossing over it, acknowledge how tough it is AND ask what is the most useful mindset you can have about this and going forward?

In the context of managing up, amplifying your visibility and voice could look like, for example:

• In this meeting, what is the most useful belief I can have about the direction of the conversation? What is the most useful contribution I can make right now?
• In the midst of this uncertainty, what is the most useful strategy I can share that will help the team?

Sometimes, it can be difficult to find opportunities in order to speak up or stand out, especially if you've not been sure how or what to look for. So this is where useful belief works in conjunction with the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS is a network of neurones located in the brain stem that contribute to mediating behaviour: they form the attention center in the brain. It's like the switch that turns on your brain. Achtung, Baby! Achtung meaning attention!

You can program your RAS by choosing the messages you send from your conscious mind. For example, over the last day or so have you been looking for blue Honda Jazz cars? Probably not, but when you start thinking about buying or checking out a new car, you might think you want a blue car, an economical car like a Honda Jazz... what do you then see everywhere? Yep, Jazz's, and no doubt more blue ones than you expected.

Practice switching on your RAS, warm up that Achtung Baby approach to seeing opportunities. Pick one small opportunity you'd like to be on the look out for during a meeting or in a conversation with your colleagues, team or boss and keep it in mind. 

To give you another example, albeit a negative one, of this working, a previous boss of mine would operate from the perspective of catching mistakes. He would complain that all he ever does is find mistakes. We would all complain (not to his face) that all he looks for are mistakes. Of course he finds mistakes, his focus is completely on mistakes. If only he also asked if he approach was useful. Maybe I should send him Chris' book ;-)

If you would like to be seen as an influencer, to be seen as even more credible, reputable and knowledgable, then what useful belief will you start with, and what messages can you send to yourself to see, to capture, opportunities so you can contribute your wisdom at the right time, to the right people with the right outcome?

What is your useful belief, and what will you be on the look out for? I'd love to know your thoughts.

#manageup #productiveleadership #ItStartsWithYou #peopleskills

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