Are you an ANTICIPATED PERSON?

Are you an ANTICIPATED PERSON?

How many times have you said these things to yourself?

Someday, I”ll . . . .

I always wanted to . . . .

When the time is right, I will . . . .

I call this being an ANTICIPATED PERSON in that you recognize or anticipate a preferred future for yourself, just not right now. The problem is that tomorrow comes and goes far too quickly and the longer we wait, the harder is to get around to the things we really want to DO or the person we want to BE! In the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, John Maxwell refers to this as the Law of Diminishing Intent. In other words, the longer you wait to do something, the less likely it will actually come to pass! The truth is that the stars and planets rarely align at just the right moment, the resources we need just do not suddenly appear, and the optimal conditions are rarely present. As author and cardiologist George Sheehan states: 

"There are those of us who are always ABOUT to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down, until, until, until  . . . ."

If there is always some major event that must occur in your life before you begin living, you may be waiting a long time! With that in mind, I encourage you to quit anticipating and start. Just START! Here are a few questions that may help you do just that.

First, what do you REALLY want? Before we do anything we should honestly answer this question because it speaks to the WHY we want to do something (like get another degree, switch careers, or gain a new skill). As speaker and author Simon Sinek states, “The most successful companies are those that start with the WHY.” Once they know that, it will reveal and fuel the WHAT and the HOW. The same can be true for you!

Second, if you could have things and circumstances exactly the way you want them, what would you do? What action steps do you need to take to get there?

Finally, as executive coach Ed Decosta asks, "what would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" I love this question because it gets to your mindset. Many times they only thing holding you back is YOU!

Some of the saddest phrases in the English language are:

Should of.

Would of.

Could of.

This week, I encourage you to specifically create actions items that will move you from anticipation to reality.

I urge you to move Should items or steps to a SHALL, change a Would to a WILL (and give yourself a calendar date!), and believe in yourself enough to switch a Could to a CAN!

Remember, it is never too late to become the person you were always meant to be! Feel free to contact me if I may be of assistance at bill@outloudinc.com. As always, I want you to Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Email - bill@outloudinc.com

Is it Time to Update your Leadership Firmware?

Being a slightly older gentleman, I am considered a digital immigrant (vs a digital native)! Growing up our home appliances were built and operated the way they were made at the factory. Even as I grew older, the TVs, clock radios, etc. I purchased were made with increasingly complex functionality but they were still programmed to work via “solid state” technology. In other words even though they performed complex electronic tasks, the way they were made and programmed determined how they functioned with no variation. In a way, we as individuals operate the same way!

Most of the time, we operate on “auto-pilot” even when engaging in such complex tasks as interpersonal communication, problem solving and, yes, leadership! But do we really reflect on whether or not the way we are operating is effective for the needs of our current job or role? The point is all of us have a "firmware" wired into us based upon past experience, personality, and prior learning. 

For those unfamiliar with the term, “firmware” is the internal programming that monitors and carries out the basic function of many electronic devices we use today such as cell phones, TVs, radios, and even refrigerators! Even more amazing, however, is that firmware can now be updated to make the device more efficient and adaptable. All you need is a WiFi connection and your refrigerator learns how to make better ice-cubes! 

Similarly, we can update our own leadership firmware. It requires a variety of things to do so but here are the basics:

1. Increase your SELF-AWARENESS through honest self-appraisal of how you are currently operating. There are many great assessments out there that can help you with this. I am currently certified to coach on the Maxwell Leadership Assessment. This is a 360⁰ Leadership Assessment that measures current operating as well as progress on Maxwell's 5 Levels of Leadership work. A word of caution, this will take courage! I asked members of my own team to complete the Maxwell assessment for me and there were definitely some “ouch” moments!
2. Based upon the new knowledge gained from honest self-appraisal, you need to next IDENTIFY WHERE you need to increase your skill level and intentionally grow in those areas. As John Maxwell and other leadership author’s state, it is important that you focus on improving those areas of strength to get exponentially better since just focusing on weaknesses will yield just incremental gains. Intentional growth involves any number or options and there is no wrong way to grow. Just get started with a new book, watching short videos, or subscribing to weekly blogs such as this. The web has tons of resources that are free to use so just jump in the pool!
3. Next, you have to PRACTICE or REHEARSE these new skills and approaches in order to APPLY them consistently. This may feel a bit awkward at first but this is where the "firmware updates" take hold and produce results when we close the gap between what we KNOW we need to do and what we actually DO.  

I both challenge and encourage you to think about what you need to update in the coming weeks. 

Feel free to contact me if I may be of assistance at bill@outloudinc.com. As always, I want you to Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Co-Founder – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

www.outloudinc.com

www.facebook.com/outloudinc

www.johnmaxwellgroup.com/williamfaulkner

Greetings!

Thinking Out Loud! is a series of thoughts, questions, and encouragements tied to my company Out Loud Strategies! Out Loud Strategies is a Leadership Development, Team Solutions, and Success Coaching firm whose focus is to help people BE more so that can DO more! 

Every week or so, I will post some thoughts and invite you to reflect on them. You are also invited to visit my webpage at www.outloudinc.com for more information. Feel free to also visit my FB fan page at www.facebook.com/outloudinc and message me if you have thoughts or reactions - just keep it classy!

This week - a very simple thought (hey, I am a simple guy!) related to how we approach our lives. We have two options:

• Have To - as in I have to go to work today or I have to be nice to my crazy uncle.

OR

• Want To - as in I want to make an impact on someone or my organization today or I want to be better at what I do.

It is a very different mindset but a life-changing choice! The choice will guide our attitudes, our beliefs, our behaviors; thus our RESULTS. The choice is always yours to make, but we are defined by the choices we make. 

I hope you choose a WANT TO life, besides, crazy uncles can be kind of cool!

Yours in leadership,

Bill Faulkner
Founder, Out Loud Strategies