Bill Nelson - Total Performance Concepts

As usual the mid month edition of the Full Nelson we will be exploring the topic of Leadership.

Which is fairly timely because at the moment Leadership is a topic of deep discussion amongst some of the TPC Clients who are involved in our monthly teleconferences.

In last month’s teleconference Bill introduced the concepts of the ‘Three Levels of Leadership’ and what he calls the ‘Sequence of Influence’. “The sequence of Influence” is about taking the people you lead to the next stage doing it in the right sequence and by using the right method to assure the correct result.

Which leads me into the article that Bill has written for today’s edition of The Full Nelson titled ‘Leadership Teaching’. The strength of this article is that it doesn’t matter if you are a business owner, a parent or someone that is working in and around people everyday, it can be relevant to anybody in any leadership environment.

If you would like to find out more about the Leadership or any other programmes that Total Performance Concepts Pty Ltd provides, please don’t hesitate to email me at Joanne@totalperformance.com.au I would welcome the opportunity to arrange an ‘obligation free’ phone consultation with you and Bill to discuss how Bill and his experience can help you, your team, or business.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read my introduction today. Keep safe, well and have a restful 2 weeks ahead!

The file size of the complete audio version of The Full Nelson is 2.2 MB and runs for 12.30 minutes

As a leader do you look upon those you lead as something you have to endure or people that you want to develop?

Well my guess is that your answer is, "People I want to develop".

Why was I so sure of your answer?

Simple. You get this newsletter as part of your own leadership development programme, and I doubt you are going in search of information on leadership only to look on the people you lead as “something you have to endure.”

So now we have that out of the way let me ask you this: If you look upon those you lead as people you need to develop, how wide do you cast your influence as a teacher?

Is your teaching confined to the role you and your people fulfill – specifically what they do? Or do you teach the people you lead about things that will make them better.

Now I don’t want to get into a discussion about how far you go as leader to get the best out of the people you lead. We have been through that statement many times; and just to refresh your memory, my response has been and will continue to be:

How good do you want them to be?

But let's move on. We will take it as agreed that you do want to expand your depth and breadth as a teacher of the people you lead. So what are some of the things you need to take into account as you go about increasing the levels of your teaching influence?

1. It is not how much you know that is important but it is how well they learn.

2. Understand how each person you lead learns best.

3. Use a variety of methods and venues to teach.

4. How will you know if what you have taught is being completely understood?

5. Teach at the level of learning and understanding of those you teach.

6. What is their motivation to learn?

7. Respect all whom you lead but never assume anyone knows everything.

8. Value failure by not putting anyone into the heat of competition until they know the information well enough.

9. What do they want from the experience of learning?

10. What is the best model of development for each person you lead?

As you no doubt realise, there are many factors to be considered, understood and developed so that you can put into effect your desire to be come a better teacher.

The one thing I have learned in the past twenty-five years of doing this is that everyone is different. Yes there may be economies of scale in some areas and commonalities of learning in others, but the reality is that effective teaching is not a ”one-size-fits-all” approach.

So with all of that and hopefully a little more considered, what are some of the non-job-specific areas you could work on with the people you lead?

Communication

Listening
Vocabulary
Body language

Goal-setting
Not developing goals but a model or process of goal-setting

Emotional control
The value of being yourself
Self-management
Maintaining self-esteem
The worth of rest and recovery
The importance of thinking time
Dealing with success
The place of failure in the pursuit of success
Discipline
Awareness
The significance of others
Developing confidence
How to develop and maintain a focus

As you can see all of these areas are about everyday life skills, but they can also be transferred into any professional pursuit.

The beauty of these and many other similar topics is that they can be taught in a structured and/or totally informal way.

Someone who is working on him or herself as hard as (if not harder than) anything else in their life is somewhere, sometime, going to reap huge rewards.

And when I say “working on themselves” I don’t mean in a selfish way. I mean it happens in such a way that as they become better, the chances are that they are indirectly going to help those around them get better in the process..

Now another consideration for you to ponder:

The philosophy behind this concept of expanded teaching is that it is not about the position you hold –- namely a “Leader”.

It is about the person you are.

You see, through your teaching you are helping the people you lead to grow in a multitude of ways.

And if anyone tells me that helping someone grow as a person doesn’t, in some way, help them become better in the role they fulfil, I will be very surprised.

For another perspective on what I am endeavouring to outline, let me share this story with you.

Two mates are enjoying a quiet drink on a Saturday afternoon when one asks the other what he did today? His friend replies that he spent the day with his son working on his son’s pushbike.

The first comes back with, ”Why would you spend all day fixing your son's bike when you could take it to the bike shop and have it fixed in an hour or so?”

To which the other guy replies that he has not spent the day fixing a bike; he has spent the day developing a son.

The Journey Continues!

Back to top

The file size of the complete audio version of The Full Nelson is 2.2 MB and runs for 12.30mins

Well, what is?

Breakfast time
Opening the doors of your business
Exercise time
Time spent with your partner
Picking the kids up from school
Planning meetings at work
Drinks with friends after work
Evening meal time with the family
Relaxation time after a tiring day
Time spent catching up on the news of the day

Well the answer to all of these is both ”No” and ”Yes.” Confused? These and so many others are really important times of the day, but they are not the most important. So take another go at it.

Reading time
Catching up with your mentor
Planning for the future
Time spent pursuing your goals
Taking time to help others
Prayer or meditation time
Time spent making you a better person

Well once again close, but you’re not there yet. The most important part of the day is the 15 to 30 minutes after the alarm has gone off each morning.

I can just hear you now, “Bill this time you have definitely lost it. I am at my absolute worst first thing in the morning.” Maybe or maybe not. Even if you are at your worst first thing in the morning, that does not mean this is not the most important time of the day.

Let me explain. It is the first 15 -30 mins (depending on how long it takes you to get up and be active) that will be the most important part of the day. The reason for my thinking on this is in two parts.

Firstly, you can use this time to create life-altering visions and ideas. Think about those times when you are semi-conscious, fading in and out of sleep; you are aware of what you are doing but you are not fully awake. When you are in this state of relaxation and semi-consciousness, your mind is capable of dreaming, visualising and creating images that can be translated into true-life experiences.

It is well documented that different people throughout time have used this semi-conscious state to visualise ideas, creations and formulas that have changed the course of history.

There is no reason then, why you cannot use this time to imagine and create the things that can and will have a significant impact on your life. But how do you avail yourself of this opportunity? Well, the first part is probably the hardest.

You will need to set your alarm 15-30 mins earlier than you normally would. Next, you have to get into a routine of turning the alarm off and going into the semi-conscious state without going into an unconscious state. Last but not least you have to have some material to work with.

During the day, give yourself an idea or a subject that you want to spend a little time on the next morning. Go to sleep enjoy a good night’s rest, and when the alarm goes off don't switch it off, rollover and go back to sleep. Switch your alarm off, waken yourself enough so that you know what is going on and then just lie back down, close your eyes and start to focus on the subject matter of choice.

With a week or two of practice you will start to create a whole new perspective of what you are capable of. It will create a clearer vision of opportunities that you can introduce into your life. You will create a tool and an opportunity for yourself that is truly quite remarkable.

Now, here is the second reason why the first 15-30 mins of the day are the most important. Please allow me the scope to explain this in the following way. Stick with me and we will get there.

I want you, if you will, to just think back to one of your early birthdays, perhaps you're 13th. Yes your 13th. Why? Because on that day, you come of age. You are a teenager and today you have so much to look forward to. You awaken to the thought of -- Today I am 13; today I am at the top of my game.

You bound out of bed with a little more spring in the step. You take a wash and cast an extra glance in the mirror -- Yeah I do look a little more mature. Boy how big is that smile on my face!

There is so much about this day that is going to be fantastic. There is just no way anything is going to be bad today. Your mindset is just one of absolute positive energy. You are on top of the world and there is no looking down. This is going to be the absolute best day ever!

Now, what is the difference between today and yesterday? In the true light of day, absolutely nothing -- except for one small detail. That one small detail is how you perceive today is going to be. You decide to find and create reasons why this is going to be the best day of your life.

What an absolutely fantastic power to have: the ability to shape your thought process, your outlook and your mindset. Have you ever lost this ability? Probably not. Do you ever use this ability in the same manner as you did on your thirteenth birthday? Probably not.

Perhaps then, it is time to revisit the concept of using these first 15-30 mins of the day to shape your mindset and vision for the day ahead. It is in these first 15-30 mins that you have a choice. The day can either be the best day of your life or one of the worst. It really comes down to a matter of choice: Your choice.

The Journey Continues!

Back to top

We have decided to transfer the "Ask Bill a Question" segment over to the new website when it is up an running, which should be before the next edition of The Full Nelson.

When the new website is in place their will be a section (blog) for questions and interaction between all who vist the site. So stay tuned for the announcement of when the new website is up and running as we will also be announcing a number of great opportunities for subscribers to TFN.