YES YOU CAN!

Some people think leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs are born, not made. What do you think?

In all our work with business people from across the world, we are hard-pressed to find a successful leader and innovator who wouldn’t cite hard work, new ideas, and education as important pieces of their journey. Where you are today is only a temporary stop on your journey to who you want to become. You have the same unlimited potential as the people in history you admire the most!

As Albert Einstein said, “the moment you stop learning, you start dying.” And that is the key to innovation: don’t stop at the first right answer. When we don’t think things through we end up wasting time, money, and energy. Let’s start today by clarifying our purpose for everything– from the biggest to the smallest task at hand. It only takes a few minutes!

EXERCISE

Successful people are among the first to do research and look for opportunities to collaborate. They are life-long learners who take advantage of ever-new knowledge. It’s what evolution is all about!

Before you launch into your next project (whether it’s formulating a new business plan or cleaning up your garage), do 10 minutes of research on the Internet about related subjects and have three conversations with someone who’s done it before or can give you some advice (you don’t have to take it!). Practicing innovation and creativity at the simplest level will help us to incorporate better strategies at all levels of our life!

In the 1970′s, a group of Southern California boys spent a summer on the Greek island of Crete, planting trees to help generate income for the local community. They worked long days in 100-degree weather, using picks and axes to dig in the rock-hard ground.

One day, the group got a chance to visit a historic monastery in the mountains. It was a beautiful, simple and old-fashioned place. One of the boys took the opportunity to ask some questions. In a tiny room in an ancient cloister, a young monk introduced him to a 90-year old abbot. The old man stood peacefully, as if he had been expecting the youthful visitor. The boy spoke to the young monk: “Ask the abbot if he’s ever witnessed a miracle.”

As the young monk awkwardly translated the question to the abbot, a small twinkle slowly appeared in the abbot’s eye. For a long time he looked directly at the boy who had asked the question, then slowly smiled, and ever so calmly said, “Yes. I have witnessed a miracle. I have been able to change myself…a little.”

EXERCISE

Think back over this week. Think of two changes you’ve made to yourself. Give yourself credit for the changes you’ve made. You’ve created a miracle.

Attached is a sample introspection chart we’ve used with a client. Feel free to add additional markers or make any changes to make the chart work for you.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD INTROSPECTION CHART (PDF)

CLIDK HERE TO DOWNLOAD INTROSPECTION CHART (EXCEL)

The great thing about the GAPzip Cycle is that it can be applied anywhere, to anything. When you first took the workshop you were asked to focus on one area of your life, and then learned to use the cycle on one specific project.

Now’s the time to try the Cycle somewhere else! Or, re-visit an old project and see if you can think it through once again to bring new clarity and vitality to your efforts. Remember! It’s not how well you do in a cycle, but how many cycles you go through that creates high success rates in reaching your goals.

CONNECTION EXERCISE:

Here are some questions that can help you through your cycles. We’ve also provided two handouts, one brief (Cycle Template) and one long (GAPzip Cycle Worksheet), to print out and use.

Visualizing the Ideals (Purpose and Vision)

What would you like to accomplish?

What does the world look like when you have succeeded?Cycle Graphic

Why do you want to accomplish this? Why would accomplishing it be a good thing?

When you accomplish it what would you say to yourself?

Measuring the Gaps

How big is the gap between where you are and where you want to be?
How will you know you are making progress?

How will you know if you are getting in trouble?

How will you track your progress?

Do we need to make it bigger and drive more creativity and innovation?

How often will you review your progress?

Strategizing the Approaches

What are some of the reasons that gap exists today?

What are some of the things that might help eliminate those reasons?

Which strategies will generate the greatest return? Will be the quickest to implement?

What other things might help you achieve the results you are after?

How do those strategies relate to other team’s strategies?

That sounds like a project, what is the strategy that project would belong to?

Projectizing the Details

Are you in the right cycle?

The first question a systems thinker asks is:

What cycle am I in?

What project would set you on the right course immediately?

When can you begin?

What are your key milestones?

How long will it take you?

What resources do you need?

What is your next step?

When will you do that?

What other projects will be required? (Answer questions above)

Have you tried drawing a Mind Map of all the details you see?

Orchestrating the Approaches

How much time are you going to commit to working on this?

Have you scheduled “blocks” of time to work on it?

What might take your off course or hinder your progress?

Who will you share your progress with?

Who can you count on for support?

How often will the team meet?

We all grow up looking up to authorities (parents, teachers, leaders) for guidance, protection, and inspiration. This is essentially healthy because most adults know more about life than children. However, each maturing child eventually reaches a fork in his or her road: to follow cultural patterns/programs and live the life he or she was trained to live OR to begin making personal choices and rely on inner guidance for direction.

For those who choose this inner-directed way of life, they begin the first step in Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” by leaving the safety and security of “the known.” Such are the heroes and heretics, the ones who are ever-changing both themselves and their world.

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Acting from the Inside-Out”

EXERCISE:

Describe the life your parents/guardians hoped you would have – your ideal career, who you would marry, where you would live, etc. What is the difference between the life your parents wanted for you and the life you are now living? Affirm your own voice and encourage others to value theirs.