 How many brainstorms, creative sessions, or meetings will you sit through that involve coming up with ideas? Say you participated in two of those meetings a week times 40 weeks a year. That means you were in 80 of those meetings this year alone. Let's say you've been in business 20 years -- so that is 1600 brainstorms. If two ideas come out of each session, that means you have seen or heard well over 3000 ideas. Where are they today? Logged into your memory? No - we can't even remember what's in our calendar for tomorrow, let alone an idea heard in a meeting four years ago. Day after day, I see leaders attend meetings, creative sessions, and brainstorms with nothing to write on. They let thousands of ideas go in one ear and out the other. Imagine if you were the diligent, disciplined, and proactive leader who took note of the ponderings today that could be tomorrow's thought-starter. Imagine the repository you would have in your journals, that you could revisit to harvest ideas when doing a killer presentation or finding an idea for a client brief. We often sit in meetings and don't write anything down, and the biggest fallacy is that we will remember the ideas being shared. The vast majority of outstanding leaders I interview on the Mojo Radio Show Podcast, keep notes and journal. Navy SEALS, entrepreneurs, scientists, wellness thought leaders, productivity leaders, mental strength coaches, you name it -- a journal is their repository of learnings and great ideas. It's the reason I created the Mojo Thought-Provoking Journal. Check it out here and start to capture your next killer ideas: http://www.garybertwistle.com. © GB
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 What does it cost to put 100 of your key executives in an off-site venue for two days with meals, accommodations, airfare, and a host of keynote speakers? It costs a lot, in many ways! At the start of the conference is the mandatory leader's speech. Now imagine, from an Uber on the way to the venue, the leader calls one of the people running the meeting and says, "I'm on my way, what am I saying?" Is this a leader that inspires you? It's the one big occasion of the year where all the key executives are in one room, and yet the leader hasn't taken the time to think about the critical key message, a dream for the future, or even strategic imperatives for what lies ahead. Sadly, I see this situation over and over again. Leaders are given the obligatory time to open a conference and spend no time seizing the opportunity with a speech that uplifts, inspires, or makes people feel good about where the company is going. Unorganised, undisciplined, and a complete waste of a conference moment due to a lack of focus on what is important and what matters. Little wonder such a small percentage of workers feel great about their work and inspired by the future of their company. I've seen it in the charitable space, the corporate space, and within institutions. This leader leaves the stage to lukewarm applause, only to get back in an Uber and disappear into a sea of emails, texts, meetings, and distraction. This is not a leader that inspires me to follow. © GB
 Ballpoint brand, BIC, has created a new campaign "Fight for Your Write" to encourage us to pick up a pen. Many leading universities tell students not to bring laptops or iPads to record the lessons in class because it lends to recording, not comprehending. When you write with pen and paper, it helps with your learning and comprehension. Here's something I have been pondering - perhaps having beautiful pencils or a classy pen that you love can produce an alter ego that makes you feel like a creator following in the footsteps of the greats like Shakespeare, Hemingway, Jane Austen, Mark Twain or Tolstoy. You embody their identity to create by picking up your tools and going to work. Alter egos are such an incredibly powerful performance tool written about in a book of the same name by Todd Herman. I am interviewing him in a few weeks. To help in the fight for your write, get a beautiful set of pencils or a really nice pen, something unique to keep with your journal. Every time you sit to write, you embody your creative hero and step into YOUR alter ego. Try it.
 "Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted." - Sun Tzu
We are exhausted. It is probably the most common complaint from executives -- I'm tired, I'm busy, I'm exhausted, I'm late to yet another call, meeting, family engagement, whatever. How do we get in front of our work? The answer: be early. In fact, if you're not 10 minutes early, then you're late. It's your world, set your standards, don't choose to race between emails, meetings, calls, and texts. Make it your ritual to be early, and set that standard with your team. I worked with this guy who was always late, and he wondered why his team had no discipline and would always come late to meetings. Don't give your competitor the edge, be early, and win. © GB |
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