UNLEARNING > Letting Go of the Old

Most education, coaching, and training focus on adding more information on top of what we already know. Much of this new information conflicts with old assumptions, thought forms, ideas, and feelings. As a result, much of the value of the new information is lost.

This is one of the reasons why some of the smartest and best-educated people take some of the dumbest actions. It is also why we age so much. Have you ever seen a youngish person who looks, feels and acts old? How about an old person who looks, feels and acts really old?

Evolution is an amazing process of replacing the old with the new. If our ideas and ways of being are not kept relevant we end up extinct. Like you know… the dinosaurs.

Today’s world is highly competitive and with new technologies the pace of change is so fast it isn’t easy to keep up.

The solution to this problem is to constantly engage in a process of UNLEARNING where old “stuff” is challenged, upgraded or thrown out. We call this unlearning process “Clean Slate” because it is like wiping a slate clean and starting all over again.

Who couldn’t do with a fresh start once in a while?

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© Goldzone Education. All rights reserved.

CHANGE > How Do You Respond?

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of life is that it involves constant and never ending change. And the pace of change isn’t slowing down anytime soon, in fact we live in an era of accelerating acceleration.

How you respond to change determines your level of stress, happiness and success.

if you are like most people change brings fear and uncertainty. We like things to stay the same. Often it feels like we are just getting used to and comfortable with things as they are… and bam… something or someone pulls the rug out from under us.

It takes a lot of self confidence to know that no matter what happens, no matter what changes – everything will be alright.

Our research has shown that people respond to change in one of 7 different ways. The least effective strategies are to deny, resist and accept change slowly. Higher up (meaning more effective) is to embrace change aggressively. Even more effective is to be enthusiastic and ultimately proactive which is where you preempt what is soon to happen by understanding and foreseeing the future.

By far the best is to adopt an attitude of “knowing” that change is constant and to respond to it in advance without even thinking about it. To live day by day with a balance of mind and heart. Secure in the knowledge that all change serves a higher purpose, we just have to trust and figure out what it is.

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Our World Is Changing: Think Like A Leader

We are living through one of the most profound periods of transformation in recent human history.  Our world is changing at an unprecedented rate.  The way we live, the way we work and the way we do business are changing dramatically.

No longer is it an option to maintain our position by doing today, what we did yesterday.  We are no longer competing with the professional or the firm down the road, but rather the highly skilled, more motivated, and lower cost individual or firm on the other side of the planet.

In order to do well in the future, we must begin to think more like leaders than managers, more like entrepreneurs than employees, take responsibility for our quality of life, upgrade our skills and become more aware of the value we add to our teams, our projects, and our organizations.

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Unprecedented Change

We are living through one of the most profound periods of transformation in recent human history.  Our world is changing at an unprecedented rate.  The way we live, the way we work and the way we do business are changing dramatically.

No longer is it an option to maintain our position by doing today what we did yesterday.  We are no longer competing with the professional or the firm down the road, but rather, the highly skilled, more motivated, and lower cost individual or firm on the other side of the planet.  In order to do well in the future, we must begin to think more like entrepreneurs than employees, take responsibility for our quality of life, upgrade our skills and become more aware of the value we add to our teams, our projects, and our organizations.

Whether you are from Cape Town, Adelaide, Wellington, Hong Kong, Glasgow, Singapore, Milan or Albuquerque, the changes that are occurring affect us all.  Sure, you can decide to ignore what is happening, to live and work the same way today as you have in the past.  However, you could be missing out on the biggest opportunity of this generation and be rendered obsolete, redundant and find yourself standing on the sidelines.

© Goldzone Education. All rights reserved.

ZONE TIPS > Cause & Effect

One of the key components to getting into “The Zone” and staying there is understanding and mastering Cause & Effect.

There is a lot to this subject and it is a bit technical. However, master this and you are sure to experience a transformation in your results!

What is Cause & Effect?  Everything that happens is an Effect that was Caused by something. Nothing occurs without something else Causing it to happen.  For example, a glass that was sitting on the table does not fall onto the floor by itself.  A person walking by may bump the table, Causing the glass to fall off the table, onto the floor, and breaking into pieces.

In this example, the EFFECT was the broken glass.  The CAUSE was the person who placed the glass too close to the edge of the table, which then combined with the person walking by. Often times, we get upset and angry at the EFFECT — and never really identify the CAUSE. Blaming the person who walked by and bumped the glass doesn’t solve the problem.  Yelling at them, punishing them, getting them back later… all achieve nothing as the TRUE CAUSE has not been identified. Since the CAUSE in this example was the person when they placed the glass on the edge of the table, the person walking by only played into it and therefore was the SECONDARY CAUSE.

Without the true Cause being identified, no lasting change is possible. For most of us, when something happens that we don’t want, don’t like, or detest, we blame the SECONDARY CAUSE rather than the TRUE CAUSE. And we can make all the changes to Secondary Causes we like – only to discover that our results remain unchanged.

If you want lasting change in any area, identify the TRUE CAUSES and change them. What is the TRUE CAUSE of the financial crisis? If you are experiencing financial difficulties or investment losses, what is the True Cause? Think about it. Have you identified Primary Causes or are you focusing on Secondary Causes?

The challenge for most people is that they spend a good deal of time being at Effect and not often being at Cause of their life, career, relationships, health, etc. Designing and living your ideal life requires you to be at Cause. Being at Cause simply means making decisions and operating from the perspective of Causing or SOURCING what you want, versus accepting the Effects of others.

In order to be at Cause, you must be able to be at Cause and at Effect. Sounds confusing, but in fact it is quite simple:

• When you avoid being at CAUSE, you automatically put yourself at EFFECT. If you run away from something, you are at the Effect of the thing you are running away from.
• When you are at Effect, it Causes you to be in REACTION to what is happening to you. Reacting to things that happen to you is very different from RESPONDING. Responding has you being at Cause.
• If you just want to be Cause and avoid Effect, you automatically put yourself at EFFECT.
• As a leader you are at Cause, on the other hand, as a follower, you are at Effect. This is why a lot of people don’t want to follow others — they don’t want to be at Effect of them. Choosing who you follow puts you at Cause over the Effect of the person you are following! (now that is a dichotomy!)

The bottom line is that in order to be in The Zone, we need to master being CAUSE, and being EFFECT.  Being Effect means being able and willing to experience anything. Sounds tough, but that is where true freedom is.

© Goldzone Education. All rights reserved.

Confront and the Financial Crisis

With the financial crisis deepening, many of our worst fears are being realized.  With the Waves of Impact continuing to wash over us, we are being confronted by financial losses on a never-before-seen scale. Entire industries are at risk of being wiped out. Previously invulnerable mega-corporations are being brought to their knees. Hidden weaknesses are being exposed.

As individuals, we are being faced with the complete loss or at least dramatic reduction in the value of our retirement accounts. It can feel like we are being confronted on all sides. How do we cope with the uncertainty?

Now is an excellent time to consider the meaning of the word CONFRONT. Most people don’t think about their ability to confront and what can be done to confront difficult situations more easily, more effectively, and with less stress.

Here is the definition of “confront”:

CONFRONT: n. 1. An action of being able to face without flinching or avoiding. 2. The ability to be there comfortably and perceive.

So, confront means to be able to comfortably see what is there without flinching, wanting to withdraw or running away. Often, to fully understand a word, it is easier to look at the opposite. What does “non-confront” mean? It simply means the inability to see what is there.  It is an inability to face something. Why can’t we confront something? Because to confront means PAIN. It is too painful to view, so we withdraw and refuse to look at the area.

Notice that the definition describes confront as an ability? It isn’t something you do, it is an ability that we develop over time. The ability to see more and more of the truth.

There is also what is called “low-confront” which is when a person can confront a little, can see a little of the truth of what is there… but not all of it.

How do you improve your ability to confront? The same way you improve any other ability – focus, attention, and practice, as well as dealing with the pain that had you not confronting the area in the first place.

As you can see, the ability to confront is directly connected to the ability to handle change. If a person can’t confront the future or the unknown, then they will stay in their comfort zone…and remain stuck in the past.

© Goldzone Foundation. All rights reserved.

LIFEFORCE: Your Power Source

With today’s workplaces becoming more and more about living than they are about money and finances alone, and with the pressure to infuse our companies, organizations, and professions with passion and aliveness, we must become more passionate, alive and balanced ourselves.

The challenge is how do we do this? And what will it take to unblock our passion and creativity? Ask yourself these questions:

What do I have to do to become more alive, alert, energetic and enthusiastic?

How do I inspire my team to change? How do I handle the stress caused by the fast pace of change? How do I inspire my team to take personal responsibility for their results and their failures? How do I cope with failure? How do I create a work environment that is conducive to productivity? How do I bring more of the personal assets of my people into the workplace?

Passion, aliveness, enthusiasm, and responsibility are all infused with energy and the source of this energy is LIFEFORCE.

It’s All About the Vision

It is time for some Corporate Reinvention!

The most common reason why most corporations only achieve a fraction of the possible potential available to them is the lack of a worthwhile, meaningful, inspiring and compelling vision that magnetizes and motivates the entire organization.  Many of the vision statements hanging in the boardrooms are old, out of date, not well communicated and uninspiring.

This is especially true in times of economic recession.

Corporate Reinvention is about refocusing, reorganizing, reframing and redirecting your organization.  And the most important component of any organization is the VISION.  Next is aligning the people, marketing, systems, policies and procedures behind the vision.

How do you do that if your organization is in a crisis that is threatening its survival? Do you really have a choice?

Reasons to consider engaging in a Corporate Reinvention process:

• You are not achieving your goals
• The industry has changed, margins are down, competition is fierce
• Economic crisis, sales are down, financing is scarce
• Acquisition/merger with another organization requiring complete restructuring
• Dramatic changes in your product or service due to technological developments
• International expansion
• Downsizing of the organization
• Reorganization, sale or IPO
• New CEO, board or senior management

An inspiring vision should infuse passion, engage the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of the people working within your organization, your clients, your suppliers and your shareholders.  Every person should know what the vision is and how their daily activities contribute to the vision.

<<its all about the VISION>>

Our Most Precious Assets: People

In today’s competitive and fast paced world, our most precious assets are our people, our relationships and our time. Most executives and professionals are familiar with W. Edwards Deming’s concept of optimization and fine tuning a system to achieve the optimum output and results.

Few people apply the concept of optimization to their lives, people strategies, systems, policies, procedures, marketing and management practices.

Leading a team of people in today’s highly competitive, technologically sophisticated and connected world is very different from the command and control style prevalent in the preceding centuries.

Intangible assets such as people, know-how, systems and intellectual property are valued at many times more than tangible assets. Traditional management training and methods are severely lacking in “people knowledge” and an understanding of a world that is more and more intangible.

A new style of leadership is required for the new paradigm economy of today and the future.

Creativity Killers

Many of today’s leaders are operating from an old leadership model that could be described as “leadership through domination.” This style stifles creativity and inhibits innovation.

It is impossible to think of new ideas that defy old ways of doing things if we are afraid of making mistakes and are constantly worried about the real or perceived threat from a leader whose style is based on autocracy, coercion and punishment.

Creative and innovative people require creative and innovative workplaces that are fluid, flexible, fun, nurturing, supportive and enjoyable.  No longer is economic success dependent on natural resources, manufacturing excellence, and scientific or technological prowess.  Today, the terms of success revolve around an organization’s ability to mobilize, attract and retain creative human talent.  Every competitive dimension depends on creativity and ingenuity of the people that make up the organization.

Leading a team of creative talent is very different from leading a factory line of workers who do similar tasks repetitively.  It simply does not work to command creativity!  Can you imagine Mozart or Picasso being told to produce or else, “You are out!”  Leadership in the creative economy requires vastly different skills.

Today’s new model of leadership involves partnership, cooperation and team.

Change vs. Transformation

What is the difference between changing something and transforming it? Change is when you make small incremental adjustments. Over time, these small adjustments add up. However, the basic foundation is the same as what you started with.

On the other hand, when you transform something, you throw out the plans, the model, the past and invent something that was not there before:  a new paradigm. It does not resemble the past, is often unrecognizable and is a fundamental shift that often cannot be predicted.

Change

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

– Tolstoy