At the start of the year many of us would have formulated new years’ resolutions – things we want to do better in the coming 12 months.
How are they going so far?
Often, keeping those resolutions can be a challenge.
Why?
Because we tend to focus our energies on an outcome, rather than focusing on our internal character and any behaviour changes we might need to make.
Behaviour change can be confronting, and it can be difficult.
At Leading Teams, we believe in two simple questions, that when answered honestly often results in complex answers. Those questions are:
- ‘Who do I want to be?’
- ‘What do I accept as the truth about me?’
If you can gain absolute clarity around these two questions, it will set you up on the path to high performance and allow you to take on any personal and professional challenge that will inevitably arise.
It’s what we like to call your Personal Trademark.
By following this six-step process, this article will show you how you can gain clarity around these two questions.
Firstly, find a quiet place, allow yourself 60mins to be free of all distractions.
Away from work, away from family, away from your phone!
Step One – Wheel of Life
Break up your life into all of the components that currently make it up. This could include any of the following or involve many others:
Step Two – Identify your current Truth
Write down what you believe the truth that defines you now is in that component of your life.
A practical example may be… “In work I am indecisive and slow to action feedback”.
Take time to do this, review and continue to come back to it over a period of time remembering that the essential ingredient to this is honesty.
Step Three – Separate the good from the bad
Once completed, assess the thoughts gathered and categorise them as either productive or non-productive.
You can then start to see themes become apparent in your life based on the decisions you are making on a daily basis.
You should end up with a clear sense of where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
Step Four – Take Ownership
Using your list, consider the following questions to address the non-productive and maximise the productive
You have a choice, what are you going to do about it?
Are you happy with what you read?
What do you have control over?
What actions can you use to address the non-productive elements of your current truth?
Who can help you through any particular issue or challenge?
Step Five – Develop your Ideal Personal Trademark
Based on your findings go back to your Wheel of Life and identify three words that reflect you and how you want to be seen that fit in a consistent way across your entire wheel of life.
This may seem difficult but the key in developing a strong personal trademark is about having consistency across all aspects of your life.
Using your three words as your final goal, build an action plan to help you get there.
What is one thing you need to STOP doing?
What is one thing you need to START doing?
What are three things I need to keep doing?
Step Six – Get to Work
Now it’s all about rolling up the sleeves and getting to work.
To help you along your journey, identify 3 people in your life who can support you, but also keep you accountable. Schedule time in your calendar to catch up with them and review your progress.
Gavin joined Leading Teams in November 2017, coming from an international career in the sport and corporate worlds. He is a Facilitator based in Melbourne.
Learn more about Gavin.
