Planning is a skill I’ve been improving for many years. There’s always room for improvement here.

This article from John Maxwell gives us a good balance of planning, somewhere in between not planning at all (puro impromptu) and scientific planning where each detail is plotted out (too time-consuming and detailed).

Enjoy the article and learn from it as I have!

Principle-centered planning by John Maxwell

This article is used by permission from Leadership Wired, GiANT Impact’s premiere leadership newsletter, available for free subscription at www.giantimpact.com.

IF YOU’VE ever gone whitewater rafting, then you would know the importance of planning. Whenever the raft approaches rapids, the guide has to plan the best route to navigate safely through them. If the guide fails to plan, then the raft can easily smash into a rock or capsize.

Types of planning

Passive planning happens when leadership allows the raft to travel

downstream at the mercy of the current rather than steering, rowing and turning.

This kind of non-planning eventually leaves you unprepared to face the rapids. Worse yet, in the absence of a plan, the current may take the raft over the edge of a waterfall.

Panic planning happens when the raft gets into trouble. At this point, all of the organization’s resources are scrambled in a reactionary pattern in an attempt to solve the problem. With panic planning, you may or may not come out alive and well, but you are guaranteed some bumps and bruises.

Scientific planning is viable, but can be laborious, mechanical and often ends up abandoned in the process. Imagine if a raft guide constantly tried to measure the depth of the water, the distance between rocks, wind speed and water current. Although the information might be helpful, often the water would be moving too swiftly to take measurements. In like manner, leaders often have to respond to change in an instant. There’s no time to collect data on all variables before deciding which course of action is best.

Principle-centered planning is the key to effectiveness. It is the artistic or leadership approach. Principle-centered planning recognizes that life in general (and people in particular) can’t be graphed on a chart, but sees that planning still remains essential.

Why people don’t plan

Here are four reasons why people neglect planning:

They don’t possess planning skills or knowledge. Some people don’t have an innate ability to project themselves into the future. They’ve never been taught to prioritize their day or to prepare for tomorrow.

They believe that they don’t have time. Some people allow themselves to be pulled into the vortex of minutiae. As a consequence, they end up buried under a sea of details and they can’t pull their heads above water long enough to plan.

They don’t like the perceived hassle of planning. Instead of planning one event at a time, they become overwhelmed by the mountain of things to plan.

Many people don’t plan because the outcome varies greatly. “After all,” they say, “when I do make a plan, it normally doesn’t end up happening, so why bother?”

Why planning is essential

We all have desires and dreams, yet we’ll never accomplish our dreams in life just by wanting them bad enough. Planning bridges the gap between our desires and dreams by calling us to action.

As noted by William Danforth: “No plan is worth the paper it is printed on unless it starts you doing something.”

A concrete plan supplies us with tangible steps to take in the direction of our dreams.

Principle-centered planning

Principle-centered planning allows us to be flexible without losing focus. It allows us to be creative without losing concentration.

Planning is the structure. Principle-centered planning is the flesh.

Planning is the roadmap. Principle-centered planning is the movement.

Planning is the idea. Principle-centered planning is the action.

Planning is the paper. Principle-centered planning is the power.

Summary

It’s been said, “By failing to plan, you plan to fail.” I agree. People who ignore planning handicap themselves and stifle their effectiveness.

The good news about planning is that it’s a relatively simple discipline. Anyone can do it. No Ph.D. is required to make a solid plan – only a window of uninterrupted time for focused thought.

In the next edition of Leadership Wired, I’ll unwrap seven principles to guide your planning process and help you achieve your dreams.

~~~~

This article is used by permission from Leadership Wired, GiANT Impact’s premiere leadership newsletter, available for free subscription at www.giantimpact.com. Thanks Chris!

It’s an excellent opportunity for me and my classmates. Learned a lot in day 1 and shall learn a lot more in day 2.

Developing the Leader Within You - by John Maxwell

Our facilitator is Alex Castillo, an excellent trainer with many good stories to tell and a lot of insights to share.

One portion of our training yesterday featured a video by John Maxwell discussing the 5 levels of leadership:

• Position (Rights) – leadership based on position.
  People follow you because they have to.
• Permission (Relationships) – leadership based on good relations.
  People follow you because they like you.
• Production (Results) – leadership based on good results.
  People follow you because of what you have done for the organization.
• People (Reproduction) – leadership based on loyalty.
  People follow you because of what you have done for them.
• Personhood (Respect) – leadership based on …. respect. These leaders attract followers who are loyal and sacrificial. Derive great joy from watching people grow and develop.

There’s more where that came from. So I’m gearing up for day two of the training.

I checked my email today and was pleased to find that I’ll be able to access more of John Maxwell’s videos by virtue of my membership in the Maximum Impact Club! Yey! And I’ll be able to participate in teleconference calls as well.

Ah, we like!

For inquiries and registration, you may contact:
Landline: +632-6872614
Mobile: +63919-3824382
email: inquiry@inspireph.com
web: www.inspirephilippines.com

Excerpts from Real Leaders Ask
(Harvard Business Review, Written by Judith A. Ross)

The most effective and empowering questions create value in one or more of the following ways:

1. They create clarity: “Can you explain more about this situation?”
2. They construct better working relations: Instead of “Did you make your sales goal?” ask, “How have sales been going?”
3. They help people think analytically and critically: “What are the consequences of going this route?”
4. They inspire people to reflect and see things in fresh, unpredictable ways: “Why did this work?”
5. They encourage breakthrough thinking: “Can that be done in any other way?”
6. They challenge assumptions: “What do you think you will lose if you start sharing responsibility for the implementation process?”
7. They create ownership of solutions: “Based on your experience, what do you suggest we do here?”

CREATE A CULTURE THAT EMBRACES QUESTIONS

It is up to you as the leader to model the question-asking approach so that your team, in turn, will employ it with their own reports. For example, you can track how well the team is working together by asking questions like:

* We’ve been working together for three hours today; what did we do best as a team?
* What enabled us to be successful in coming up with an innovative strategy?
* How can we apply what we are learning to other parts of our work?
* What leadership skills helped us succeed today?
— end of clipping —

ka edong
inquisitor

If I were to sum up the chapter, I’d state in my own words that the more readily we accept the truth, the better and faster we will grow. It may not be easy accepting the truth, but it is always a step in the right direction.

I have had fights with truth in the past. Note: fight “with” truth not fight “for” truth.

Let me share these experiences with you.

I’ve been found!

I was taking a Masters in Development Management at AIM back in 2004. In the early part of the course, there was a battery of self-awareness exercises. The basis of it was that the more aware people are of themselves, the better for them to learn and grow.

One of the tests was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. It was a personality test (Take the Jung Typology test ). As far as I could remember, it asked a set of more than 50 questions. The analysis of my answers pointed me to a personality type that had with it a description of that personality.

After answering the questions, making the analysis and finally zeroing in on my personality type, I felt a very unique emotion.

I was enraged! I remember distinctly how *mad* I was! I was taken aback at how accurately the personality test was able to describe to me my personality! It was as if the test knew me personally! The write-up described how I think, how I felt about things, how I felt about myself, how I made decisions, how I approached problems.

It described *me* so accurately. I felt I had been found! And I could not believe what I was reading because I felt I had, until then, successfully hidden from others and from myself some of the very deep truths about myself! And now here is a test created by some person far far away who is telling me the kind of person I am, both good and not so good.

And the “not so good” this test was revealing to me when I didn’t want it to be revealed to me!

I was in denial and this test was uncovering things that I was denying.
I was mad! Mad about this disrespectful revelation of the truth I had hidden from myself.

Who knew I was faking a bit?

I had another similarly powerful experience while taking the Starshooters program of PSI in late 2007. In one of the activities, our group of 16 was divided into 4 groups. The grouping was based on a very simple scoring system derived from what we had achieved from the goals that we had set for ourselves in the past month. I belonged to the second group.

The first group was described to have goals that they truly resonated with. The goals they had set for themselves were very real and sincere for them that they would have moved mountains to achieve their goals. That’s how truthful their goals were for the people in the first group.

The second group, where I belonged, had goals that were short of the real truth. Being in this group, I was described to have goals which were not truly aligned with what I truly wanted. A part of my goals were in fact goals that I did not *really* want. I was told that a part of my goals were false goals that I thought were *my* goals but were in fact goals that I felt other people wanted for me.

For the second time in my life, I was mad at a revelation of truth. Here I was in a second group whereas I felt I belonged to the first group. I was being told that my goals weren’t as sincere as can be. My golly, I was mad and I didn’t hide it! :-)

My anger reveals resistance and denial

It isn’t often that I’m mad. Very few people have seen me mad. It’s sad that in my rage, it is the people I love who get hurt along the way.

I realized tonight that there are times this anger comes out when I am being forced to face a truth that I prefer to deny. Anger is one response I take when I insist on denying the truth.

This anger-response has helped me resist the truth and thus resist changing for the better.

“I am in denial”

Steve Pavlina describes, “Being completely honest with yourself is vastly superior to living in denial.”

When I say “I am in denial”, I consider this statement one step towards accepting the truth!

This is better than saying “I am true to myself” when deep inside it is not true.

At least by saying “I am in denial” there is an awareness that I am not being totally truthful to myself.

Hehehe … I know that there’s an oxymoron there. Although I am not trying to be funny here, I was amused at how truthful this oxymoron is.

By saying “I am in denial”, I take one step closer to accepting the truth.

Concrete action: catch myself

Here is a decision I am making right now. When I find myself bordering in anger, I will remind myself that I am resisting something. And my resistance is probably based on something in my mind or heart that is not completely true.

I will catch myself and ask myself: “Why am I mad? What am I resisting? Why am I resisting? What is the more truthful and loving way to respond to this situation?”

ka edong
for truth, for love

One way is to plot out all of the “to do’s” that lead to your goals and do them quickly.
There’s another approach that will help and it’s in the “mind” level, the way we think.

Explained …

Steve has many examples in his podcast, but he says the key message succinctly: “As within, so without.”

When you think and act like the person who has achieved his goal, it is easier to achieve the goal and you will achieve it more quickly.

For example, if your goal is to travel around the globe, you should ask yourself “how does a globe trotter think? How does he behave?” Then begin to (safely) act the way a globe trotter acts and thinks. What are the “side effects” of being a globe trotter? He is outgoing, well informed of world events or geography, open-minded etc. These are all behaviours or frames of mind that you can have right now! Begin having that frame of mind and behaviour and you will achieve your goal more easily and quickly!

Can you imagine a person who says “I want to be a good singer” but is ashamed of his voice? Is a good singer ashamed of his voice? Of course not! Then how can a person who is ashamed of his voice become a good singer? If you want to be a good singer, act the part now.

Congruence

In the hit DVD documentary “The Secret”, this is what is called “congruence” when you align yourself with your intentions (your goals) and align yourself with all that the universe provides you to achieve your goal.

For example, I have a friend who told me about her My Phone. She purposely told me about it because she knew I write technology articles. This is the universe offering me a story on my blog. Today, that story about My Phone earns me a few cents each day. If I didn’t align myself with what the universe was giving me (i.e. a story from a friend), I would have missed an opportunity to be closer to my blog revenue goal.

The look and feel of BE-ing your goal

Steve also explains how we’ve encountered people before who, when they declare for example : “I quit smoking!” we know that they will fail. And the reason we know they will fail is because “the don’t get it” or they don’t exhibit the behaviours or the frame of mind that it takes to achieve their goal.

In one of the exercises we had in PSI, I found it amazing seeing and feeling a certain … “aura” in my teammates. Something that told me that “YES” they get it, they are what they say they are, they feel what they say they feel.

There is a certain connection with the way one behaves, the way one appears which I believe is a reflection of their sincere belief (or lack of belief) in themselves and in their goals.

I also realize now that herein also lies the importance of stating your goals in the present tense “I have $1,000 monthly ads revenue…” instead of the future tense “I will have” because the present tense goal statement puts you in the current state of mind that will help you achieve your goal faster.

Power of the Mind

This podcast reminds me about one of the very influential books I read on personal finance: “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” by T Harv Eker. The bottom-line of that book is to think like a millionaire and you will become a millionaire. One thing Eker encourages is to scream in jubilation: “I am a money-magnet” when you receive money, even if it’s just a 25 centavo coin that you find on the street. Millionaires attract wealth and screaming “I am a money-magnet” puts you in a frame of mind that you are indeed a money magnet.

Reflection

I thus reflect now upon my goals and my beliefs about my goals as well as my thinking and attitude towards my goals. Do I truly believe I will achieve my goals? Do I act like the person who has achieved my goal? Do I align with my goal in my thinking and in my doing?

Am I in congruence with my goals?

Ah, beautiful when we “get it” ;-) !

As Within, So Without!

ka edong
inside looking in

I subscribed to Jack Canfield’s newsletter when I started listening to his Audio book “The Success Principles”.

In the newsletter two weeks ago, Jack announced the pilot of their coaching program. I thought to myself, “It’s going to be expensive”. But taking from one of Jack’s tips in the Success Principles, I said: “Oh what the heck, go for it anyway!”

I signed up for an interview and got a call from Jack’s staff the very next day. A few days later, I was interviewed by one of Jack’s 10 or so coaches. It was a process of finding out whether there was a match between where I am, where I wanted to be and whether they found a good match between what I needed and what coaching they could provide.

There were some questions I answered before-hand:

Canfield Homework Questions

1. Where are you now? (This question is referring to what you have done so far on accomplishing or starting your goals)
2. Where do you want to be? (This is where you want to get specific with time, amounts and details of what you want to accomplish)
3. What is holding you back? ( This is referring to either internal or external circumstances you feel may be holding you back from your goals)
4. How could a coach help you? ( What kind of support are you looking for from a coach)
5. Why now? (Why work on these goals now, why not wait longer?)

My interview took around an hour. It was a very pleasant interview. I clarified with my interviewer, Josiah, the method of coaching, what it will entail from my part, what I can expect.
I also clarified my decision criteria and the challenges I’m facing with regards to the tuition fee. I knew there was a tuition fee in terms of time, energy and of course money. I had a pre-determined monetary “tuition fee” that I was willing to invest in a coaching program.
The fee, it turned out, was US$2,099 for a six month coaching program. Payment terms would apply.

The 6-month coaching program included a 5-week formal phase with half-hour sessions once a week with my coach. I have unlimited call and email access to my coach as well as other coaches.  There’s also a Monthly Success Report.

The feature of this coaching program that I liked the most was the Warranty of Success ! This means that the coaching program will not “release” me or let me alone unless and until I succeed in the goals I set out to achieve in the 6-month program. Even if it takes me more than six-months to achieve the goals, the Warranty gave me access to my coach until I achieved my goals and at no additional monetary cost to me.

That was a big promise, the Warranty of Success. That’s the most attractive to me considering that it is the fear of success that was (I’m creating here … *was*) holding me back.

Nevertheless, I had made my criteria clear to myself and the monetary tuition fee is currently out of my range. I will be getting my coaching in different ways and will put Jack Canfield’s coaching program in my bin items for now.

I did gain much from the 2 hours I discussed with Jack’s  staff and coaches during the screening. During those interviews, I articulated clearly where I am now, where I want to go, what’s holding me back, and why I want to soar! :-) . It gave me more clarity with what I want to achieve.

It was a good opportunity having that Interview with Jack Canfield’s staff and coaches. I’ll be meeting you again another time in the future, Josiah, Karen and Jen!

Cheers!

Edwin