Are you challenging the status quo?

Are you communicating your vision for the future?

Are you creating a culture around your vision and getting others involved in that culture?

These are some of the questions and topics that Seth Godin discusses in the new book Tribes:  We Need You to Lead Us.  I have read the book, and it is a short, great read.

Kerry Hannon of USA Today had a great article today about the book so check it ou:

On the Internet, anyone can be a great leader…so hop to it.

This is true, but there is a caveat to this.  I have met people who are great leaders on the internet, but they are just not great leaders in person.  I watched one of my favorite internet leaders dis one of his “list subscribers of which he boasts 60,000″ on an elevator during a conference a few years ago, and I then saw him leave trash on the floor by his seat at the end of a presentation.  The leadership bubble around him went “pop” in less than 24 hours.

On the other hand, I do believe that Obama lead us on the internet during his campaign, and by all accounts, that leadership permeated the public campaign as well.

All in all, Tribes is a great read, so check it out.

Over the last two months, I have been reading and re-reading The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz (you too should read this book…it is a must for anyone who is in business.) In chapter 2, Mike talks about the wall of limiting beliefs and the profound impact they can have on our ability to break through our current plateau or to stay stuck in mediocrity.

In chapter 16 of EDGE! A Leadership Story, our protagonist, Mitchell James begins to come to grips with his own leadership and his lack of authenticity. His team has nailed him on the 360 Degree Feedback for not bringing his true leadership forward, and he knows that in order to break through the plateau and to begin to lead global change, he has to be willing to do things differently, including changing his beliefs and turning his doubts about his own authentic style upside down. If you have never tried on being truly authentic, it can be as scary as hell, and in EDGE!, our protagonist experiences both the exhilaration and the panic of finally becoming an authentic leader.

I believe that the first step in overcoming our old belief systems is to name them on paper…to write them out big and bold and to then show these beliefs to someone else. This one activity can release the choke hold of negative beliefs and can help you break through the plateau Michalowicz talks about in his groundbreaking book.

If you are reading this blog post today, I am going to challenge you to answer the following questions on paper and then talk to at least 3 people about what you wrote:

1) How are you currently living in a state of mediocrity, living as you have for decades?

2) What do you most doubt about yourself and why?

3) What is a dream you have given up on and why?

4) When you look at the world around you (your environment, the people in your life, the books you are reading,) what old beliefs are still smothering you?

5) What one change do you know you need to make in order to be more successful? What is holding you back from making that change?

6) What about your childhood, family or roots are a part of your story, and what are you doing to tell others about that story? If you are leaving this out of your story, what are you ashamed of or afraid to talk about?

If this post has resonated with you today, I invite you to check out The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and EDGE! A Leadership Story and then send me an e-mail for a complimentary consultation. I would be honored to offer you 30 minutes to explore the above questions.

As you can see from my post on November 19, procrastination is not something that is a struggle for a few…it plagues everyone. And, over time, delay can become a harmful habit that gets in the way of our ability to succeed and to experience quality living (how many hours a day do you spend thinking about what you need to do rather than enjoying life?)

With the state of our economy and business world, it has never been more important than ever than to act on those activities which are critical to getting results. The reality is that many people place their focus on things like shuffling papers, reading the news (which I do recommend that folks take a break from the news for about a week just to catch your breath) and doing the easy things rather than tackling the big stuff.

People often ask me how I can juggle all that I do. I am a consultant who sees clients every day, I write for 6 blogs, I speak to the public and I maintain a household. My answer is that I attack my big priorities first each morning, and I am a “do it now” person rather than a “do it later” person. I don’t have any “to do” lists. I get up each day, and I scan my house and office and I literally “just do it”. It is 7:41, and I am writing my blog and drinking coffee. I will write until about 7:45, will feed my dogs, spend some time with Mike, I will go to the gym to work out (another high priority for me), then I am driving to Chapel Hill to have lunch with a colleague and will see my kids while I’m there. So, I find a way to mix business with pleasure.

If you think about what procrastination really does to us, it is actually harmful both mentally, emotionally and physically. Procrastination most often

1) Gets in the way of our ability to focus

2) Causes an enormous amount of worry and anxiety

3) Creates a nagging feeling, which often leads to a head ache, back ache or stomach pain

So, rather than go on and on about procrastination, I am going to share with you 16 tips to help you bust through the cycle of procrastination.

1) Adopt a “do it now” policy. Why put something on a list? Just go do it now. If you cannot do it right now, put it on your list and head out to do it tomorrow.

2) Write down everything you know you have to do in detail. Set a timer for 30 minutes, and knock out as many things as you can on your list. The momentum will probably turn into more like 45-60 minutes of work, which is a good thing.

3) Adopt a “worst in, first out” policy. We often have things on our “to do” list that we don’t enjoy doing, so we keep moving them down the list. I recommend doing the tough stuff first. Then, the easy stuff is a no-brainer…it just gets done.

4) Write down each of your volunteer jobs and resign from all but the one that brings you the most joy. I am a big supporter of volunteer work, but the thing that drives me crazy are the people who sign up to volunteer who never show up. It is better to have one volunteer activity that you can actually fulfill than 5 that cause you to worry and fret.

5) Delegate out as much of your “I hate these to do lists” as possible to someone other than yourself. There may be things on your list that you don’t enjoy that someone else would LOVE to do.

6) Look closely at why you are procrastinating. Is it fear, doubt, overwhelm, lack of knowledge, or because you just don’t enjoy that activity? Once you have identified the cause of your procrastination, talk to a coach about what’s really going on, and design a solution to address the block.

7) For big tasks, break this down into smaller steps, and write out a calendar to get the smaller steps accomplished. With this approach, you will get much more done than if you decide to take on the entire project at once. If you are going to take on the entire project in one block, schedule the time on your calendar to work only on that project. If you are working on it while you are doing other things, you will add about 50% more time overall to the project.

8)Drop the perfectionism. You don’t have to have every task you take on be perfect. Get the job done, and then delegate out the “perfecting” stage to someone who can shine up the project.

9) Work on projects even when you feel like you are in a bad mood. The completion of a project can actually release endorphins that can lift your mood.

10) Before you tackle a project, take a 10-minute brisk walk and drink 10 ounces of water. If you can drink coffee, a cup of coffee will also get you going. The energy and fluid to the brain will get you moving and in the direction of accomplishment.

11) For housework and busy work, turn up a fast-paced piece of music to increase your pace.

12) Invite someone to join you in taking on your task. Getting the job done is a lot easier when you have someone there by your side to urge you on.

13) Take a piece of poster board, and draw a visual of what the task looks like once completed. Keep that visual right in front of you while you are completing your task.

14) Declutter. One of the things I love on the Clean Sweep show is the way they declutter. They take everything out of the room, and they put things in 4 boxes: Keep, Give Away, Throw Away and Store. If your space is clean and organized, you will get a great deal more done.

15) Tell at least 3 people that you are going to complete a task. Ask them to hold you accountable to the task.

16) Reward yourself and celebrate once your done. Hey…you deserve it!

If you are someone who is dealing with procrastination, and if you feel you need an accountability partner to get the job done, send me an e-mail to bea@beafields.com. I am happy to offer you a 20 minute consultation to see if I can assist you with breaking through the cycle of procrastination.

As a leadership coach, I talk to clients every day who say they are in the middle of a cycle of procrastination, and they crave free time to do what they love doing. So, I usually coach them on things such as time blocking, managing priorities, handling interruptions and of course, how to break the cycle of procrastination.

It’s quite easy to tell people to “stop procrastinating”, but to stop it is not the easiest thing to do. You see…every person procrastinates about something. And, at the root of procrastination is usually a fear, dread, frustration or doubt.

As an example, I hate folding laundry, and I let clean clothes pile up. The reason? I know that once I fold and put the clothes away, they will be back in the laundry room again in 2 days…how frustrating! I have learned to bust this up by getting Mike (my husband) to help me fold (I give him the socks, which is my worst part of folding laundry…trying to find all the mates, most of which have disappeared into the mo-fo zone…the name we have given to the place all socks go when they disappear in the dryer.)

So, today, I reached out to the people in my life who I know are super productive…as a matter of fact, they make the energizer bunny look like he’s running on dead batteries…to ask them what they procrastinate about, why they procrastinate about this one thing and how they break through the dreadful cycle. Here is what they said:

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Christy Geiger of Synergy Strategies:

1) What do you procrastinate about? Administration things i.e. developing trainings, Billing, database updates, etc.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? I just don’t like to do it. Takes time to figure out what I am doing. Feels overwhelming until I am “into” it.

3) What do you usually do to break through the procrastination? I clear my desk so there is nothing to distract me. Get close to a deadline or end of the “window” of time I have budgeted for this and get focused. Sometimes turning on music, get drink and “dig in”. These are structures I try to use to help me, but usually what does it is a deadline (someone is expecting it).

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Lorraine Lane of Lane Business Consulting

1) What do you procrastinate about? I procrastinate about cleaning my office.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? I procrastinate about this because I don’t like to file ( I put all the paid bills, etc. that need to be filed in a basket that is always overflowing) and putting stuff away requires sorting and making decisions about what to keep and what to throw out. And, I find that this “job” requires lots of time to sort and file, etc.

Also…If my desk is clean, I am fearful that I won’t be aware of what tasks need my attention. It also feels like a waste of time – I could be ‘working’ on something useful instead of picking up my messes.

3) What do you do to break away from the procrastination cycle? I break through the procrastination when company is coming and I don’t want family and friends to see how messy my office is. So, if I want a cleaned office, I invite guests!

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Roger Dewitt of Coaching NYC and Zapprocrastination.com

1) What do you procrastinate about? Doing mundane work that I find dull like gathering everything for taxes or “data entry” kinds of jobs. I also procrastinate about making decisions that feel like I have to pick “the right” choice.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? I find repetitive tasks dull. As for decisions, I am a Libra and we have trouble deciding which restaurant to eat at. When there feels like I have to decide on a “right course of action” — like deciding which info product to create — I roll it around in my head and try to learn more and more until I feel like I know “enough.”

3) What do you usually do to break through the procrastination? Procrastination is a “thinking problem.” The way we represent something in our mind reflects how we will act on it and what we will feel like while we do. If we really feel like something is going to be dull, we have predisposed ourselves to it being dull before hand. Avoidance naturally follows. The quickest way to break through procrastination is to change the framework of how we see a task. To risk a “Mary Poppins” reference, “a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Pairing somethin g we dread or fear with something that has meaning and we love helps to re-wire our perception and makes the job effortless. For example… if you love competition, make laundry folding / put away a race with a family member. If you want more romance with your partner and the laundry needs to be folded, have a romantic evening of role playing as “the butler” and “the maid” that ends with passionate… well… you get what I mean. As silly as it sounds, it really works and we feel better doing it. We predispose ourselves to our experience of a task by what we think about that task before hand. Want to have a better experience, change the thoughts.

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Sue Publicover of Writers of the Round Table

1) What do you procrastinate about? I procrastinate about organizing my mail. Even though I pay my bills on time, I just toss everything in a pile to be organized “later”.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? It’s boring. There’s nothing satisfying about filing.

3) What do you usually do to break through the procrastination? I leave the pile in a place where I have to look at it regularly. When it bothers me enough, I dive in. Then, I feel so great that I wonder why I don’t do it regularly!

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Scott Bradley of Networking Effectively

1) What do you procrastinate about? I procrastinate about organizing paperwork.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? I procrastinate about this one thing because in my mind I tell myself “It only takes 1 minute to organize…so I will spend time doing other things.

3) What do you do to break through the procrastination? I say to myself, “Ok Scott…it’s time to clean it up and start fresh.”

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Corey Blake of Writers of the Round Table

1) What do you procrastinate about? I procrastinate on making tough decisions.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? Fear of conflict.

3) What do you usually do to break through the procrastination? Unfortunately, I often wait until I’m backed into a corner so I feel like I have a more legitimate excuse to act.

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Carol Dickson Carr of Managing Personal Resources

1) What do you procrastinate about? On the days that I don’t have to be anywhere until the afternoon, sometimes I put off exercising as soon as I get up.

2) Why do you procrastinate about this one thing? Lying in bed or checking email and the social networks seems more appealing.

3) What do you usually do to break through the procrastination?
Remind myself that I always have more energy in the morning on an empty stomach (besides green tea!) when I work out and put forth a lot more effort into the workout than when I wait until the afternoon after I’ve had a couple of meals. I also remind myself of the high blood pressure on both sides of my family and getting it over with also gives me more energy throughout the day.

EDGE! A Leadership Story

The innovation issue is certainly pressing. As our world’s financial resources become more and more scarce, business, corporate and political leaders are coming together to come up with the most creative ideas they can possibly think of to bring us back to center.

This post will give you a few strategies to move you in the direction of building a true innovation culture:

1) Make innovation so common that it becomes a part of your DNA. Innovation should not be reactionary. It should be given daily attention and should be embedded deeply into the DNA of your culture. Encourage the creative spark in your employees by using games, open dialogue and large white boards for posting ideas as they spontaneously pop up throughout the day.

2) Design innovation pods for your organization. To “assign” innovation to a committee at the top of your company is an old-school approach to innovation. Believe it or not, some of your most creative thinkers are probably on the front line or somewhere in the middle of your organization. By developing innovation pods or hubs throughout all departments, you will be able to capture a plethora of ideas from a wide variety of creative thinkers.

3) Get outside of your organization to “shop” for ideas. If you are physically sitting inside your office, you are missing the guts of innovation, and chances are pretty good that you’re stuck in the “way you’ve always done things”, which is a sure way to kill the innovation process. Take a few days and just walk the city, talk to people on the streets, walk through shops and art galleries, dine in new restaurants, listen to new music and let the environment do its magic on you.

4) Once you identify your big innovators, assign them a mentor who is a more experienced innovator. As with all organizations, as you begin to develop a culture of innovation, you will notice that some employees are just born to innovate. Once you have identified your superstar creative thinkers, assign them a coach or mentor (preferably someone who has been through the innovation process multiple times) to guide them through the process. It is not uncommon for creative thinkers to doubt their ideas, and they will need support through the process.

5) Reward ideas…no matter how crazy they may seem. The people of your company need to be recognized and acknowledged for contributing to the innovation process. Reward all ideas, both small and large, sane and insane.

EDGE! A Leadership Story