Crypto-Effectology  

Scott Ginsberg (the name-tag guy) is coming out with a new book "-able". As with a lot of his stuff, Scott has highlighted something that should be obvious to most of us, but sometimes lies hidden: by applying yourself in the ways you are most "able" you can make things happen... in fact you will greatly increase the probability of those things happening.

So let me add my own "able" word to that lexicon: "effectable".

If you are effectable, you are actually "able" in two ways:
1. You regularly effect positive change (i.e., make things happen; setting things up for others to be effective) both in yourself and in the world around you.
2. You are effective. Of course I mean effective in my definition of the word: "doing the right things, the right way for you". Using your strengths and finding ways around your vulnerabilities.

The two are intertwined. If you are effective, you will be getting things done that need to be done to advance your goals. Even better you will be doing them in ways that strengthen and energize you rather than weakening and draining you. You also set an example for others around you, creating an environment that allows for positive change and for them to be effective and deliver outstanding results whatever the endeavor. This is the stuff that drives successful individuals and successful teams.

Don't just stop at being effective, be effectable, make things happen for yourself and for everyone around you.

You can find Scott's book on Amazon by clicking here.



You can learn more about the book and Scott's philosophy by clicking here to go to his blog

17 August, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 0

If you aren't going to be a lone wolf, then you need a pack to run with. So will any old pack do? The short answer is NO. The full answer is a little more involved. First, let me drop the wolf metaphor; unlike wolves we humans can belong to or at least associate with multiple groups. However, we have limited time and resources so it is impossible to give a large amount of attention to a wide variety of groups.

We belong to a number of networks or groups by default: school classmates or former classmates, office mates (if you work in an office), family, neighbors. Members of some of these networks can be invaluable in helping you cope with some of the more common changes that occur on a day to day basis (just as an example, when my car needed to be serviced over a weekend recently my wife's family lent us one of their cars so we wouldn't be grounded).

It is the out of the ordinary change that can often go outside of the expertise or experience of our immediate (and most comfortable) networks. The solution, so we are told, is to expand our network... do the "networking" thing. Unfortunately, much of networking is "shotgun" style: point, blast, hope the spray hits something.

Choose your networking efforts based on the challenges or changes you are trying to address. Remember that the most effective networking requires developing relationships, and we have limited bandwidth for those relationships. Look at the organization sponsoring a networking event. Who are they aiming at? If it is a "business networking" group you can bet the attendees are mostly concerned about finding referrals and leads. A lot of service groups attract an extremely diverse crowd. Check around your existing networks to see if anyone has any experience with a group.

This approach may sound cold, impersonal, and analytical, but networking is a tool. If you want to survive change, then you need to use the tools around you effectively. Not everyone can help you with the changes you are trying to make or deal with. Find the ones who can, and work hard to develop strong relationships with them. And the others? Well, you can always add them in with the rest of your 1,500 friends on Facebook; who knows maybe they will become part of your inner circle at a later date for a different set of reasons.

24 February, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 0

Virtually everything you do can be broken down into small component parts or steps. Some are linear: do step 1, then do step 2, and finally do step 3. Some are non-linear: do this (call it step 1), then do something else (maybe it is the third or fourth step or piece of the process described). The order or process is not what matters. It is the doing. The challenge is to continue "the doing" in the face of failures and frustrations, or maybe just a task that overall seems insurmountable (there are how many steps to this!?).

One simple thing you can do to motivate yourself is to celebrate every success. If you are trying to lose weight and you lose a pound, pump your fist, get a high five! Celebrate the loss of that silly pound (just don't eat a Dairy Queen Sundae to celebrate! There are limits after all). It doesn't matter how small or large the success is, the fact of the matter is it is a success - it is progress.

Is this contradicting what I have said about "positive thinking"? No. I don't want you to imagine a success and celebrate it, have a success and celebrate it. There is an old adage: "Success breeds success." You can't breed more successes unless you recognize something as a success in the first place.

Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go celebrate writing another blog entry!

23 February, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 0

In our society we grow up being fed the concept of the "lone wolf": the lonely entrepreneur who builds a business from nothing to some ungodly size slaving away by himself (or herself); persevering against the odds, or the manager who takes on a failing department or division and single-handedly pulls it back from the abyss.

This concept is a myth. No one makes it alone in this world. In fact this myth is quite dangerous, because it leads us to believe that seeking help is a sign of weakness that other wolves in the pack will take advantage of. The truth of the matter is that in a society rocked with change the way this one is, the lone wolf will quickly find themselves in a world of hurt as their strengths that served them so well in a certain situation utterly fail them when the situation changes.

Surround yourself with allies. Seek out those with different strengths and talents, and nurture those relationships. Help them develop so that they can return the favor. You do not need to face change alone. In fact, you can't.





17 February, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 1

Stephen Covey, in "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", makes the point that as human beings we cannot control our feelings - they are what they are. However, we have absolute control over our actions. In a world that is changing as fast as ours is today, it is not unreasonable to expect that we could go through an entire spectrum of feelings in a single day. From anger to love, elation to abject depression. So how should you react? What actions should you take? The key is not so much what actions you take, but how you decide on your choice of actions.

Lets take a common change these days: loss of a job. Having been in that situation in the past I know there are a plethora of feelings most of us go through. Anger, hurt, confusion, and the big one: uncertainty. In a well meant but mistaken attempt to get you to turn off your emotions, some employers might tell you that this could be the best thing that ever happened to you, a new beginning. They might be right, but so what? Why shouldn't you feel those emotions? Maybe you loved that job, maybe you were just hanging on in a bad economy. Even if this turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you, or a new beginning, it is doubtful this new beginning will be staring you in the face, so why should you try and turn off those feelings?

What you cannot do is allow those feelings to determine your next actions. Don't engage in wishful thinking ("maybe they'll hire me back when the economy turns around"). Wishing is a useless action based on emotion only. Actions need to be based on the situation around you and the tools you have to take advantage of that situation (e.g., your talents and strengths). Your feelings may still be churning, but that's OK, accept it.

Dealing with major change is a lot easier when you allow yourself to have whatever feelings want to bubble up inside, but act on facts and analysis.

09 February, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 0

I learned from computer programmers.

If there is one group of people who understand the power (and terror) of change, it is people in the tech world. Few other industries see the kind of massive upheaval that the technology industry sees on a regular basis. A decade is like a millenium in this world. The death of Moore's law (commonly defined as the power of microprocessors will double every 18 months) has been forecast many times, and yet it still goes on.

How do people in this industry continue on without their heads exploding?

As with most things in life, there is no single overriding answer, no clear reason. However, one reason tends to poke out more often than not. The ability to see patterns.

Programmers tend to understand that there are standard patterns that most computer languages follow. Once you know those patterns, it is "simply" a matter of understanding the syntax that allows a language to follow those patterns (and syntax is simply another pattern!). Since a large number of the best programmers are strong when it comes to pattern recognition, it doesn't take them long to see the needed patterns and learn a new language or adapt to the new patterns of an operating environment (like the World Wide Web).

Hopefully any programmers or other tech types reading this will forgive what may sound like an oversimplification of a difficult craft, but it is that simple (mind you, that doesn't make it easy!). In the tech world, the best bring one of their most potent strengths - pattern recognition - to bear on change that occurs at break-neck speed.

It all comes back to identifying your strengths and finding ways to apply them in a new situation.



08 February, 2010 | mtomsho | Leave comment - 0