Ask good questions
One of the best ways to grow and be more successful is to ask successful people good questions - and listen carefully to the answers. Taking notes helps. As a radio show host I have learned how to ask good questions of successful people. Asking questions is an important success-skill that you need to develop. Like all skills it requires thinking, practise and doing. Then review your results and adapt.
Dan Kennedy is a very successful direct marketer. He gets asked many questions from eager entrepreneurs. And he also asks good questions of others. Read and absorb this list of good questions. Then use them when you meet successful people.
This list is an excerpt. Click here to read the rest of Dan Kennedy"s article.
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Kids ask a million questions a minute, pretty much of any adult within reach. Then we get older and let our own egos, laziness, busyness, stop us from asking questions. It's a shame. And if you don't have any good specific questions to ask, you can always ask general ones.
For future reference, here are a few I like:
How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?
If you had to start over from scratch, knowing what you know now, what would you differently?
What's the most important business or financial discovery you've made in the past year?
My business is 'x'. If you were in my business, what do you think you might do to promote it, to kick the competition's butt, to dominate the market?
What are the three threats to your business, your success, and how are you handling them?
What has been your biggest disappointment in your life – and what are you doing to prevent its recurrence?
What do you observe most people in your field doing badly that you think you do well?
In your next Success Marketing Strategy I'm going to continue talking about asking questions.
Dedicated To Multiplying Your Income,
Dan Kennedy
www.dankennedy.com
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Powerful questions! I can see adding them to my repertoire. I suggest that you write them on an index card or store them in your Blackberry so you have them when you need them.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Secrets of Power Marketing
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Quiet Leadership: Book Review by Ian Cook
Quiet Leadership
Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work
By David RockHarperCollins Publishers, 2006 ISBN #978-0-06-083590-3
Reviewed by Ian Cook
Managers are default programmed to solve problems. That’s what they are paid to do. That’s what they are good at. And that is how they see themselves, at a subconscious level. So, when an employee comes with a problem, the manager’s knee-jerk reaction kicks in (pun intended)–right into solution mode. The employee walks out with the manager’s solution and the manager feels great.
To quote the author,
“We make the unconscious assumption that the other person’s brain works the same as ours. So we input their problem into our brain, see the connections our brain would make to solve this problem and spit out the solution that would work for us.”
This is a huge obstacle to developing accountable, non-dependent employees. David Rock presents a suite of approaches for getting the other person, be it employee, family member or friend, to work their problem and, at the same time, gain insight into their thinking process that may not be serving them well. His techniques are anchored in current research in neuroscience, for example:
Our performance depends upon our behavior which is guided by our emotions which are triggered when our thoughts (beliefs, habits, memories, assumptions, etc.) interact with certain situations in our daily life.
We all have developed neural pathways–circuits, wiring–which connect a vast array of information into subconscious patterns (Rock calls them “maps”) that direct our habitual responses to most situations. Over the years these pathways become deeply entrenched.
It is much easier to develop new pathways in our neural circuitry than to try to eliminate or alter existing ones.
The instant we get a new idea or see a new possibility or a solution to a problem, we experience a rush of energy. For at least a brief time, we are highly motivated to do something related to it. If we don’t promptly act, write down or talk about actions we will take, our enthusiasm rapidly fades.
Positive acknowledgement and feedback from others has a powerful effect on the development of new pathways, or, put it another way, successfully changed behavior.
Two core messages stand out for me from the book. In our coaching role, we need to:
Focus on their thinking process, rather than their problem, itself.
Help them apply their own neural connections to the problem and come up with a solution that works for them. When this occurs, they become energized.
What are these approaches David Rock offers us? He calls them his Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work. Here they are, with brief comments on a few. Keep in mind that this is a book you need to pick up, read in detail, and then try out a few techniques in real coaching situations. He provides a number of sentences that you can use, verbatim, at each step.
Step 1: Think About Thinking
You purposely avoid the actual problem, listening instead for their assumptions and how they are framing the problem. Direct the conversation away from the problem and toward potential solutions. This seems counter-intuitive but, as the author points out, focusing on problems is appropriate when you are working on system or production processes. Analyzing a person’s problem, however, takes you into blame, excuses, guilt and their existing neural hard wiring.
Step 2: Listen for Potential
Rock shares an insight for coaches: listen as if the individual has all the tools and ingredients to solve his or her problem but would benefit from exploring his/her thinking out loud. This helps us maintain what he calls “clarity of distance.” Otherwise we risk becoming too closely entangled in:
the details of the problem
our own filters around what is right and possible
our own agenda (e.g. our need for them to solve their problem)
our own hot buttons, emotional triggers that stop us from being an objective support
Step 3: Speak with Intent
When you do offer insight, comments or suggestions, deliver them in short bites, specific points, and in terms that they will understand. Why? An employee who is emotionally vexed by a problem and perhaps out of his or her comfort zone is less able to absorb rational ideas and solutions. He/she needs you to communicate very clearly and simply.
Step 4: Dance of Insight
The sequence of four techniques Rock offers here is the heart of his methodology. The goal is to take the individual from stuck thinking around a problem to new insights and concrete action.
Ask permission when you, as the coach, want to move the conversation to a deeper, possibly more unsettling level for the individual. For example, “You said you were a bit testy in your reply to the committee. Can I ask you a bit more about what prompted your reaction?”
Placement: Define (i.e. pre-warn) what you want the conversation to be about and the context of the comments you will be making. Again, an example, “Bill, I want to clarify what the initial expectations were of both you and the committee members and then look at some alternative ways you could have handled their questions.”
Ask questions to get them thinking and to probe their thinking, vs. learning the details. One question might be, “How strongly would you like to clear this issue up with the committee?”
Finally, clarify, based on your impressions, what they seem actually to be saying, what they are trying to say, the feelings behind their words, and so forth. More than just mirroring back what you heard them say, you summarize your intuitive impression, such as, “It sounds like you are really ready to sit down with them and have a dialogue.”
Step 5: The “CREATE” Model
This tracks a sequence where you lead them to explore the current reality (CR) of both their thinking and the situation at-hand, then explore alternative (EA) solutions or courses of action and finally tap their energy (TE) that hopefully arises from one of the ideas they have surfaced.
Step 6: Follow Up
Concludes with a fairly standard array of things to check up on when monitoring your employee’s progress on his/her plan of action.
Whether you turn a problem back over to your employee to work out–with your coaching–or shift the “heavy lifting” over to him/her to resolve a gap in job performance–again with your coaching–you will probably be taking him/her outside their comfort zone. In that uncomfortable place we humans tend to experience fear, confusion, unfamiliarity, and self-doubt, not to mention other primal feelings like anger.
The techniques of a “Quiet Leader” can help us lead our employees through discomfort and back to comfort and, in the process, grow them to a higher level of self-understanding and confidence. I think they merit a place in every manager’s “coaching toolkit.”
Ian Cook, presenter and consultant, is an expert in assisting managers and supervisors build strong teams and get more from their employees through modern leadership approaches.
To book Ian for a training seminar, team facilitation or keynote presentation, call toll-free at: 1-888-FULCRUM (385-2786) or e-mail: Contact Us
For more articles and book reviews of interest to managers please go to: http://www.888fulcrum.com/free_resources.aspx
Fulcrum Associates Inc. hereby grants you permission to reprint articles/book reviews, provided that you: publish the author's byline and contact information exactly as they appear at the end of the article/book review and you inform us of your intended use of the piece. Contact us toll-free at 1-888-FULCRUM (385-2786) or E-mail: Contact Us
You are encouraged to pass along to others and/or reprint these articles/book reviews for use electronically or on paper, as long as the following credit lines are included: This article/book review and others are available from Fulcrum Associates Inc. at: http://www.888fulcrum.com/
-----------------------------
Enjoy this book review from Ian Cook
George Torok
Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work
By David RockHarperCollins Publishers, 2006 ISBN #978-0-06-083590-3
Reviewed by Ian Cook
Managers are default programmed to solve problems. That’s what they are paid to do. That’s what they are good at. And that is how they see themselves, at a subconscious level. So, when an employee comes with a problem, the manager’s knee-jerk reaction kicks in (pun intended)–right into solution mode. The employee walks out with the manager’s solution and the manager feels great.
To quote the author,
“We make the unconscious assumption that the other person’s brain works the same as ours. So we input their problem into our brain, see the connections our brain would make to solve this problem and spit out the solution that would work for us.”
This is a huge obstacle to developing accountable, non-dependent employees. David Rock presents a suite of approaches for getting the other person, be it employee, family member or friend, to work their problem and, at the same time, gain insight into their thinking process that may not be serving them well. His techniques are anchored in current research in neuroscience, for example:
Our performance depends upon our behavior which is guided by our emotions which are triggered when our thoughts (beliefs, habits, memories, assumptions, etc.) interact with certain situations in our daily life.
We all have developed neural pathways–circuits, wiring–which connect a vast array of information into subconscious patterns (Rock calls them “maps”) that direct our habitual responses to most situations. Over the years these pathways become deeply entrenched.
It is much easier to develop new pathways in our neural circuitry than to try to eliminate or alter existing ones.
The instant we get a new idea or see a new possibility or a solution to a problem, we experience a rush of energy. For at least a brief time, we are highly motivated to do something related to it. If we don’t promptly act, write down or talk about actions we will take, our enthusiasm rapidly fades.
Positive acknowledgement and feedback from others has a powerful effect on the development of new pathways, or, put it another way, successfully changed behavior.
Two core messages stand out for me from the book. In our coaching role, we need to:
Focus on their thinking process, rather than their problem, itself.
Help them apply their own neural connections to the problem and come up with a solution that works for them. When this occurs, they become energized.
What are these approaches David Rock offers us? He calls them his Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work. Here they are, with brief comments on a few. Keep in mind that this is a book you need to pick up, read in detail, and then try out a few techniques in real coaching situations. He provides a number of sentences that you can use, verbatim, at each step.
Step 1: Think About Thinking
You purposely avoid the actual problem, listening instead for their assumptions and how they are framing the problem. Direct the conversation away from the problem and toward potential solutions. This seems counter-intuitive but, as the author points out, focusing on problems is appropriate when you are working on system or production processes. Analyzing a person’s problem, however, takes you into blame, excuses, guilt and their existing neural hard wiring.
Step 2: Listen for Potential
Rock shares an insight for coaches: listen as if the individual has all the tools and ingredients to solve his or her problem but would benefit from exploring his/her thinking out loud. This helps us maintain what he calls “clarity of distance.” Otherwise we risk becoming too closely entangled in:
the details of the problem
our own filters around what is right and possible
our own agenda (e.g. our need for them to solve their problem)
our own hot buttons, emotional triggers that stop us from being an objective support
Step 3: Speak with Intent
When you do offer insight, comments or suggestions, deliver them in short bites, specific points, and in terms that they will understand. Why? An employee who is emotionally vexed by a problem and perhaps out of his or her comfort zone is less able to absorb rational ideas and solutions. He/she needs you to communicate very clearly and simply.
Step 4: Dance of Insight
The sequence of four techniques Rock offers here is the heart of his methodology. The goal is to take the individual from stuck thinking around a problem to new insights and concrete action.
Ask permission when you, as the coach, want to move the conversation to a deeper, possibly more unsettling level for the individual. For example, “You said you were a bit testy in your reply to the committee. Can I ask you a bit more about what prompted your reaction?”
Placement: Define (i.e. pre-warn) what you want the conversation to be about and the context of the comments you will be making. Again, an example, “Bill, I want to clarify what the initial expectations were of both you and the committee members and then look at some alternative ways you could have handled their questions.”
Ask questions to get them thinking and to probe their thinking, vs. learning the details. One question might be, “How strongly would you like to clear this issue up with the committee?”
Finally, clarify, based on your impressions, what they seem actually to be saying, what they are trying to say, the feelings behind their words, and so forth. More than just mirroring back what you heard them say, you summarize your intuitive impression, such as, “It sounds like you are really ready to sit down with them and have a dialogue.”
Step 5: The “CREATE” Model
This tracks a sequence where you lead them to explore the current reality (CR) of both their thinking and the situation at-hand, then explore alternative (EA) solutions or courses of action and finally tap their energy (TE) that hopefully arises from one of the ideas they have surfaced.
Step 6: Follow Up
Concludes with a fairly standard array of things to check up on when monitoring your employee’s progress on his/her plan of action.
Whether you turn a problem back over to your employee to work out–with your coaching–or shift the “heavy lifting” over to him/her to resolve a gap in job performance–again with your coaching–you will probably be taking him/her outside their comfort zone. In that uncomfortable place we humans tend to experience fear, confusion, unfamiliarity, and self-doubt, not to mention other primal feelings like anger.
The techniques of a “Quiet Leader” can help us lead our employees through discomfort and back to comfort and, in the process, grow them to a higher level of self-understanding and confidence. I think they merit a place in every manager’s “coaching toolkit.”
Ian Cook, presenter and consultant, is an expert in assisting managers and supervisors build strong teams and get more from their employees through modern leadership approaches.
To book Ian for a training seminar, team facilitation or keynote presentation, call toll-free at: 1-888-FULCRUM (385-2786) or e-mail: Contact Us
For more articles and book reviews of interest to managers please go to: http://www.888fulcrum.com/free_resources.aspx
Fulcrum Associates Inc. hereby grants you permission to reprint articles/book reviews, provided that you: publish the author's byline and contact information exactly as they appear at the end of the article/book review and you inform us of your intended use of the piece. Contact us toll-free at 1-888-FULCRUM (385-2786) or E-mail: Contact Us
You are encouraged to pass along to others and/or reprint these articles/book reviews for use electronically or on paper, as long as the following credit lines are included: This article/book review and others are available from Fulcrum Associates Inc. at: http://www.888fulcrum.com/
-----------------------------
Enjoy this book review from Ian Cook
George Torok
Friday, March 14, 2008
Business in Motion
Business in Motion - weekly radio show on 93.3 cfmu
If you listened to my radio show today (Fridays at 12 noon on 93.3 fm) you would have heard a different kind of program. Normally I interview guests who represent different businesses. Today I was the guest and the host. I guess you could call it a monologue. It wasn't as funny as a Jay Leno monologue. However it was a lot more helpful if you are pursing success in your field.
I summarized lessons, tips and myths about success - as I have learned from the past 12 years of this radio show and the over 400 business guests interviewed. Yes I have been paying attention, analyzing and simplifying.
So today was the first time that I presented some of that wisdom on my radio show without the benefit of guests. Of course, if you are a regular reader of this blog you have seen the insights, comments and questions that arise from my interview experience.
What did I talk about?
The first thing was the most important lesson that I have learned about success.
Write this one down - because it is so simple that it is easy to overlook and forget.
The question that I ask is, "What is the secret of success?"
The answer is, "Success is about doing little things consistently well over time."
Before you dismiss that statement read it again and notice that there are four distinct parts to that secret.
"little things" - It's the little things - not the big things that make a difference.
"consistently" - That is the hard part doing thing consistently - but that is how others see you - by what you do consistently.
"well" - You don't need to be perfect - just reasonably well. Surprisingly well is good enough.
"over time" - It all takes times. Bill Gates took 20 years to become the richest guy in the world.
If you read nothing else - reread that secret and internalize the four parts.
In another post I will tell you about about the three damaging myths about success.
If you heard today's show and have an opinion please comment on this blog. Of course, feel free to comment anytime about what you read on this blog.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Motivational Business Speaker
If you listened to my radio show today (Fridays at 12 noon on 93.3 fm) you would have heard a different kind of program. Normally I interview guests who represent different businesses. Today I was the guest and the host. I guess you could call it a monologue. It wasn't as funny as a Jay Leno monologue. However it was a lot more helpful if you are pursing success in your field.
I summarized lessons, tips and myths about success - as I have learned from the past 12 years of this radio show and the over 400 business guests interviewed. Yes I have been paying attention, analyzing and simplifying.
So today was the first time that I presented some of that wisdom on my radio show without the benefit of guests. Of course, if you are a regular reader of this blog you have seen the insights, comments and questions that arise from my interview experience.
What did I talk about?
The first thing was the most important lesson that I have learned about success.
Write this one down - because it is so simple that it is easy to overlook and forget.
The question that I ask is, "What is the secret of success?"
The answer is, "Success is about doing little things consistently well over time."
Before you dismiss that statement read it again and notice that there are four distinct parts to that secret.
"little things" - It's the little things - not the big things that make a difference.
"consistently" - That is the hard part doing thing consistently - but that is how others see you - by what you do consistently.
"well" - You don't need to be perfect - just reasonably well. Surprisingly well is good enough.
"over time" - It all takes times. Bill Gates took 20 years to become the richest guy in the world.
If you read nothing else - reread that secret and internalize the four parts.
In another post I will tell you about about the three damaging myths about success.
If you heard today's show and have an opinion please comment on this blog. Of course, feel free to comment anytime about what you read on this blog.
George Torok
Host of Business in Motion
Motivational Business Speaker
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Radio Show Guests
Guests of radio show Business in Motion
Over the last twelve years I have interviewed over 400 business leaders on my radio show, Business in Motion. Below is a partial listing of the guests.
--------------------------------------
Margot Franssen
President & Partner
President & Partner
CORE Digital
Bob Munroe
President
Bob Munroe
President
Edwards Realtors
Jamie Edwards
CEO & Broker
Jamie Edwards
CEO & Broker
Greenthumb Landscaping
Kathy Thomas
President
Kathy Thomas
President
Hicks Furs & Leathers
Sherrie Hicks
President & Owner
Sherrie Hicks
President & Owner
Hockley Valley Resort
Nancy Adamo
President
Nancy Adamo
President
I. Waxman & Sons
Chester H. Waxman
Chairman
Chester H. Waxman
Chairman
INTRIA-HP
Dan Branda
President
Dan Branda
President
John Deere Credit Inc.
Darla M. Youldon
Pres Cdn Operations
Darla M. Youldon
Pres Cdn Operations
Junior Achievement Hamilton
Carol Montag
President & CEO
Carol Montag
President & CEO
Light Computer Centre
Shawn Chamberlin
Owner
Shawn Chamberlin
Owner
Links Information Mgmt
John David Hay
President
John David Hay
President
Major Leagues
George Kumagai
Owner
George Kumagai
Owner
Malabar Super Spice
Doris Valade
President
Doris Valade
President
Manor House Publishing
Michael B. Davie
Publisher
Michael B. Davie
Publisher
Manpower Services
Tammy Johns
VP Canadian Operations
Tammy Johns
VP Canadian Operations
McMaster University
Dr. Peter George
President & Vice-Chancellor
Dr. Peter George
President & Vice-Chancellor
Memex Electronics
Tom Gaasenbeek
President
Tom Gaasenbeek
President
Ont Service Safety Alliance
Elizabeth Mills
GM & CEO
Elizabeth Mills
GM & CEO
Profit Magazine
Rick Spence
Editor & Publisher
Rick Spence
Editor & Publisher
ROB Globe & Mail
Douglas Goold
Editor
Douglas Goold
Editor
Shad International
Jack Pal
President
Jack Pal
President
Smith's Funeral Homes
Donald S. Smith
President
Donald S. Smith
President
Sonic Unyon Records
Mark Milne
Partner
Mark Milne
Partner
Stirling Print-All
Bob Stirling
President & Founder
Bob Stirling
President & Founder
Stoddart Publishing Corp.
Jack Stoddart
President
Jack Stoddart
President
Thomson Gordon Group
Sandy Thomson
President
Sandy Thomson
President
Tradeport
Tony Battaglia
President & CEO
Tony Battaglia
President & CEO
United Technologies OTIS
Edward A. Minich
President & CEO
Edward A. Minich
President & CEO
W.K. Buckley Ltd.
Frank Buckley
Chairman
Frank Buckley
Chairman
----------------------------
Host of Business in Motion
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Public Speaking Pro - new site
Public Speaking Pro
The online resource for promising public speakers just launched. It is the place to visit to prepare yourself to be a more effective public speaker.
Here's what you will find at Pubic Speaking Pro.biz
How to deal with the fear of public speaking
A crash course on improving your public speaking
How to use the technology tools of public speaking - multimedia, PowerPoint and even old techonology - the original overhead projector.
There are more public speaker tips and articles waiting for you - and of course this site will continue to grow.Public Speaking Pro - the resource for promising public speakers.
Check it out.
George Torok
Public Speaking Pro
The online resource for promising public speakers just launched. It is the place to visit to prepare yourself to be a more effective public speaker.
Here's what you will find at Pubic Speaking Pro.biz
How to deal with the fear of public speaking
A crash course on improving your public speaking
How to use the technology tools of public speaking - multimedia, PowerPoint and even old techonology - the original overhead projector.
There are more public speaker tips and articles waiting for you - and of course this site will continue to grow.Public Speaking Pro - the resource for promising public speakers.
Check it out.
George Torok
Public Speaking Pro
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