Plans and Life Scripts - Part 2

Last time I gave an overview of a few books that are changing the way I think about thinking.  And things I think I’ve thunk. 

• The Sandler Success Principles: 11 Insights That Will Changethe Way You Think and Sell, by David Mattson and Bruce Seidman
• Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
• Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril, by Margaret Heffernan

 Now that you’ve expanded and changed your attitudes, you have an opportunity to try on some new perspectives.  Beware that new perspectives often feel like trying on a new pair of shoes.  They might feel stiff.  They might prove a bit tight. They may give you a blister and send you to the Dr. Scholl’s aisle.  Often, however, they gradually form to you in such a way that you never want to take them off.  New behaviors, or even old ones, will yield differing results as the context—your attitudes—change. 

Intention is not actualization.  As my friend Kathy Kolbe, founder of the Kolbe System, relates, attempting and committing are two different things.  New behaviors cannot realize better outcomes without having the techniques necessary to actualize those outcomes.  Our attitudes block our willingness to learn and accept new techniques.  We simply cannot see ourselves doing this or that.

Still believe an old dog can’t be taught new tricks?  You’re going to fail the quiz at the end of this blog post.  Seeking to learn new things can be difficult.  Committing to learn them is the ability to permit your Adult to overrule your Child and Parent as they throw roadblocks on your road to improvement.  Kathy would caution us to understand how our instinctive construct can bring energy to the form and shape of our efforts, which is a conversation for another time.

So, how can you plan more effectively?  First, think through how others perceive your company.  Where do these thoughts and attitudes come from?  Are they true?  Do they HAVE to be true?  Can you visualize a different state for you and the company?  Are there certain prejudices you bring to the table from your Child or Parent that have limited your view?  Probably just a few dozen or so.

Next, and with a more expansive and examined view of your attitudes, what goals and actions might move your company to new possibilities?  What choices might come up and what eventual outcomes are desirable?  Can you choose the actions that would get you closest to your desired outcomes?

Finally, to achieve those outcomes, what capabilities need to be employed, improved or acquired?  Sometimes you have what you need and off you go. Sometimes you need help and then some practice to acquire the techniques necessary to get there. Utilizing the correct resources to get there is always required.  Not everything can be solved by a Magic 8 Ball—in my case, it’s not for lack of trying.

All the while, monitor yourself to prevent your willful blindness promoted by your inner Child or Adult to impede your progress.

It is amazing how synchronistic the interplay of the three books seem to be. Is it just random that I would be reading these three books at the same time?

Are you ready to start some effective planning? Time to crack that whip!

Related Posts :
Broken Promises
Plans and Life Scripts
The Planning Triad