“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” -African proverb
Failing to prepare = preparing to fail! Make preparation a cornerstone every day. Over-prepare and reap the rewards of the freedom generated.
Whether we want to deliver a special meal, win the big game or generate success in our career, preparation is essential to successful outcomes.
The 2020 theme of identity continues with this week’s focused exploration. Each of us consist of a multitude of identities. In fact with preparation, we benefit from considering and balancing the impact of our actions as they relate to each of our identities.
In the Kickass Koach podcast episode dropped August 3rd, I reflect on how, by learning the lessons of SARS in 2002-03, Canada’s public health system improved dramatically, preparing us more effectively for COVID-19 than many countries. We could have been better prepared – it is the element that is best understood after the fact.
For the newsletter, I can’t help myself but to extol the virtues of Cary Price, world renowned goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and my favourite hockey play next only to Mark Messier. For me, his focus on preparation, obvious in his stellar play, is breathtaking.
Finally, in this post I examine the power and practice of “seeing around corners”. It is a discipline that comes with time and practice. The ability to anticipate is the key to great preparation skills.
Prepare or Fail to Progress
The ability to experience or even make progress a reality is build on well honed preparation skills. It is at the preparation stage that skills are developed, where learning is deepest. Once we learn how to prepare to perform, the performance appears flawless and seamless. It is in the preparation that we develop flow, as Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, talks about.
To realize progress, growth, we must choose to prepare. We may fail but then that failure is folded into the preparation for the next time and ultimately our preparation skills bring us to the growth we seek
Preparation as a Principle
I lean heavily, in my posts these days on my 2019 stroke experience. I lost my ability to read. It was a dramatic few months for me.
The day before the stroke I prepared for my responsibilities as the chair of a not-for-profit board on which I serve. The meeting wasn’t until the following week. For whatever reason, I hadn’t felt the need to hold off reviewing the documents. It was amazing how I was able to chair that meeting without being able to read a single document. A couple of times when I asked questions of fellow board members, they would respond curious about why I wasn’t just checking the notes in front of me. Once I heard myself comment that I thought we would benefit from hearing his perspective. My preparation protected me, allowing me to adjust to the needs of the moment.
In the months following the stroke I had to prepare to facilitate a conference, knowing I may not be able to read any of my notes through the eight hour day. However, with hard work and support from my rehab team, my reading improved remarkably within that 2.5 months. The team of professionals understood my anxiety and focused almost all of my rehab on tools and exercises to prepare me for what use to be easy work for me. If I hadn’t known the power of preparation this experience would have undoubtedly solidified it.
Prepare to Expand Learning
The act of preparation is a lesson in and of itself. So much learning sticks and even expands during the preparation stage. Just ask an athlete or a professional musician. Building muscle memory is essential to preforming when under pressure. It is during this process of hard work that the learning both takes hold of us and grows beyond the initial intention.
In other words, while we are practicing, provided it is intention and focused practice, we recognize new options and identify flaws in our plan. It is in the preparation stage that we also gain confidence in our ability to deliver on our own vision.
I have developed the skill to “see around corners”. For much of my professional life I have struggled to trust this in myself. I anticipated things many others failed to see. When I acted in accordance to what I thought I may be seeing, I succeeded. When I ignored it because I didn’t want to create problems or defend my instinctive awareness, I watched the project fail and my fear become reality.
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book “Blink” talks about a well honed intuition. He makes the point that the educated nature of our instinct is critical. I have observed my capacity to “see around corners” has improved as I have experienced many more business and workplace environments. In addition to expanded experience, we benefit greatly from processing both why something worked and when and why it didn’t. In other words, we develop this skill by being intentional learners. People who are looking, not just to be right, but to learn deeply when we are not.
Life is one big Experiment
With an experimental mindset, we thrive on adapting our approach based on the evidence revealed from past experience. Preparation is the opportunity to consider new lessons and evidence before leaping once again. Performance is about being in the present moment, fully. Moreover, to do so effectively, we benefit from mental, physical and cognitive preparation to allow us to coalescence around the lessons even as we seek to do and be better.
Continuous learning and fresh insights are the goal of the experimental approach. What will the evidence teach us? Moreover, this approach is generative in addition to being iterative. With an experimental collaborative approach, we may find progress is faster and we go further. In collaboration we can crack this, but only together with a willingness to learn and honour the data and the stories will we arrive where we seek to go.
We may be capable of more closely monitoring and learning from our choices and decisions and build capacity to adjust our actions to meet the current situation. Then, we may influence how things unfold. There’s a difference between wanting something and making something happen. With the mindset necessary to perform under pressure we’re able to influence results more deeply. This mindset that relies on clarity, curiosity and a resilient spirit we accept no excuses, only meaningful results. Furthermore, it’s essential we learn to evaluate the risk of any action, removing the very human emotions that cloud our judgment.
Walk with me.
Together let’s examine options consciously and authentically to make choices that move us strategically toward where we want to be. Where may client wants to go is my paramount focus. Strategy is a about choices. Execution on these choices requires masterful performance. Furthermore, a well-developed process allows us to enjoy the journey far more fully
Be part of the journey in 2020.
Start by subscribing to my mailing list . Subscribers receive:
- My interactive exercise to begin reducing the impacts of stress and feelings of overwhelm will be sent.
- My newsletter with the related podcast episode will be sent weekly.
- Special offers will be available to subscribers monthly including: a random offer of a complimentary one hour coaching conversation, access to roundtable engagements and group coaching on identity and related subjects, as well as information on an initiative on which I’m collaborating: #FeMasCon.
Prepare to Be Better with Bank Your Impact (BYI)
The System
The Bank Your Impact (BYI) System is about both developing and embedding self-awareness. Furthermore, the benefits of expanded resilience, connections built on understanding the impact of belonging and an ability to bolster a professional and authentic presence are foundational. Perhaps more than the other two, developing a foundational resilience is critical to with standing that which moves us into burnout.
The current system incorporates 1:1 coaching, roundtable conversations; eventually I’ll add a neuro-social learning experience (currently only available in organizational contracts but will be added to the system for individual engagement in 2021). My approach is based on the ICF (International Coaching Federation) standards. I’m meeting you (my clients) where you are, both as the coaching agreement begins, and in the moment that exists at the time of each conversation. Progress or growth is not a straight line. The ICA model is the framework for every conversation: Issue/Insight, Choice/Commitment, Action/Accountability. Over the past year I’ve been tightening the model to meet the needs of my clients.
Holding space to support my clients in:
- Developing meaningful insights
- Expanding/deepening perspective on those insights
- Building/designing a practice to try on new ways of being/seeing OR experiment for discovery
- Assessing progress, becoming agile in transfer of learning and application before developing additional insights
An organic experience
The experience is tailored around what you bring to each conversation, in my experience, there are common themes that arise including: self-awareness, mindfulness, mindset, communication, connections, and attitude. Self-awareness stands alone but is also a foundational theme. I have registered upwards of 40 sub-concepts that fit under each of these categories. Furthermore, I bring tools, skills and techniques to respond and guide our work together, informed by positive psychology, neuroscience, and management/leadership research.
Walk With Me, to Where You Want to Be
In all my blog posts in 2019, you will find this section outlines what brought me to this area of focus: supporting people in the early to middle part of their career as a #performance #coach.
Feel like you’re living someone else’s destiny?
If that’s working for you, great. If it isn’t or it starts to be a problem, reach out. I welcome a conversation.
Willing to do the work to find more meaning?
With the skills to unpack the emotions and barriers and triggers and mindset challenges with the skills in my BYI system, participants begin to see the impact in their career and finally begin to discover what matters most to them. The bonus: they begin to see a path to get there. Join me… My system is intended to be meaningful, relevant, accessible and affordable. With that in mind, there are many ways to engage with me. Below are TWO ways to start, without spending a dime.
Walk with Me!
- BOOK a complimentary exploratory 1:1 conversation 20-30 minutes.
- SUBSCRIBE to my mailing list. You’ll receive an interactive exercise that you may use to reduce and manage stress or feelings of overwhelm. PLUS each week you’ll receive my podcast and reflections in your inbox AND you’ll be invited to monthly webinars and roundtable conversations.
In closing, I love bringing learning experiences to workplaces that are interested in raising their performance and encouraging their people.
- Book me to speak at your conference or to a group in your organization. My workshops on building resilience, improving workplace outcomes through relationships, and increasing performance are big hits! In 2020 I’ve added a few workshops on gender engagement – how, by knocking off the boxes that limit us by gender we all find our capacity expands.Love