Reputation is an important element in establishing your Mojo. It’s where you add up who you are (your identity) with what you’ve done (your achievement) and toss the combined sum out into the world to see how people respond. It seems, however, that many of us neglect our reputation. It’s not that we don’t care; we care a lot. But we confuse our need to consider ourselves to be smart with our need to be considered effective by the world. The two are not the same thing, and one often overwhelms the other.

One of the most pernicious impulses among successful people is our overwhelming need to prove how smart we are. It’s drilled into us from our earliest school days, when we’re graded and ranked in a winnowing process that separates the average from the smart from the super-smart. It continues through high school, college and graduate school. And we continue this competition into the workplace, although our “report cards” now come in the form of promotions, paychecks and praise rather than test scores. We want our bosses and colleagues to admire our brainpower.

It’s pernicious because the need to be the “smartest person in the room” often leads to some incredibly stupid behavior. It leads to dumb arguments, in which we fight to prove that we’re right and someone else is wrong. It’s the reason we feel to need to tell someone who shares information with us that “we already knew that,” though it devalues them. It’s the reason we fight to the death to defend an opinion that has worn out its welcome.

Frankly, it’s the reason that so many of us are such poor listeners. We’re so invested in presenting ourselves as smart that we believe we don’t need to hear everything that people tell us. We think we’re so smart we can tune out people and still succeed.

Not everyone behaves like this. There are people who are willing to sacrifice the fleeting buzz of needing to be smart for the more valuable feeling of being effective: of delivering on time, of bringing out the best in others, of finding the simplest route to a solution.

To find out which side you fall on—smart or effective; consider this hypothetical Brain Pill Question:

You are offered a Brain Pill. If you swallow this pill, you will become 10 percent smarter than you currently are. However, to everyone you know and to those you meet in the future, you will seem 20 percent less intelligent. In other words, you will become smarter, but the rest of the world will see you as dumber. Do you take the pill?

Your answer says a lot about how you value your reputation. A lot of people would take the pill, happy to have the added smarts, and to hell with the world’s diminished opinion.

We’re often faced with this choice. Remember this the next time you face an important career decision. If we’re clueless about our reputation, we’re less likely to think about the long-term impact reputational impact of our choices. We’re often thinking short-term instead. Is this a decision that gets my boss off my back or brings in some quick cash, rather than enhance my reputation for being effective in the long term? These are entirely different measures. And from my experience, choosing to be effective rather than smart ultimately pays off in terms of our reputation, our achievement, and our Mojo.

Excerpted from Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, and How to Get It Back When You Lose It!.

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith has authored 28 books including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – a New York Times best-seller, Wall Street Journal #1 business book and Harold Longman Award winner for Business Book of the Year. Succession: Are You Ready? is the newest edition to the Harvard Business ‘Memo to the CEO’ series. Marshall’s latest book is Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, and How to Get It Back When You Lose It!

http://www.theproductivitypro.com/

PRODUCTIVITY=
Preparation
Reduction: 80/20
Order
Discipline
Unease: Avoid the faster, cheaper, do more with less atmosphere
Concentration
Time mastery
Information Management
Vitality: Possess the energy to accomplish the things you want to do
Equilibrium: You love your work and your personal life as well

Here are some tips on how to keep people from scribbling on your dreams :

•Reality check! Know yourself – know what you’re good at and what you’re not. Know what drives you and what you’re passionate about. When you do what you’re passionate about, the sky’s the limit.

•Do your homework. Find out everything you can about your dream before your share it with the world. Visit the library. Scour the Internet. Ask people who are already doing it or have done it. Mind you, make sure they’ve been successful, otherwise they’re going to scribble all over your dream.

•Don’t walk with turkeys. There’s a saying “you can’t fly with eagles when you keep walking with turkeys”! People will always give you their two-cents worth, without realizing the effect their words have. Every negative word you hear has the potential to scribble its way into your subconscious. If you keep company with turkeys, your dreams are going to end up burnt to a crisp and served on the thanksgiving table.

•Fly with eagles. Keep company with eagles – people who know what it takes to make dreams come true, people who are positive! Keep your heart and mind fixed on your goal. If you’re sure a dream is workable, then find ways to work it! Seek guidance and support from the eagles in your life. Never be afraid to ask questions and seek help.

•Make your dreams real. The best way to do this is to write down every dream or idea you have. Writing them down makes your dreams something tangible you can see and work on. Vocalize your dream. Visualize you reaching your goal everyday. Keep them in your heart and make sure you jealously guard your dreams against the scribblers.

•Persistence and patience. If a dream is worth dreaming, it’s worth struggling for. Problems WILL arise. Take them in stride and keep your eyes fixed on your goal. Break every problem into smaller tasks and solve them one by one. Remember… “How do you move a mountain? One stone at a time, one rock at a time, one boulder at a time

1. Game of life
Februari 2007, Bill Gove Speech Workshop, Orlando, Keynote speaking.
First day of the speech workshop – First prepared story to tell. Very good performance. Second day of the speech workshop- Second story to tell. A Pharmaceutical Company Executive is asked her input on my speech. Hm. Yesterday’s performance was better. Great performers have one thing in common: Consistency.

Her words create deep reflection and create action. “Consistently great “ is my answer !

How can you make a game of life, of business ? Have fun ! It is good being prepared, however too much rehearsal leads to being “significant” . Can you imaging what this means to your speech ? It suffers.

2. What are your best talents ? Are you dedicated to them ?
Imagine that it’s the last day of your life. Are you happy with what you achieved or filled with regret about the things in life you did not do, that career option you did not explore ?

Might it be useful to challenge the nay-sayers ? They can be everywhere: your parents, family, boss, colleagues. Remember that you only can have success in life if you are good in the things you like and you are doing them well. If that activity makes you also money BINGO !

3. Structures
What is your vision for life ? How will your life look like within 6 months, 1 year, 5 years ?
Can you visualise it ? Then put these images concerning you career, relationship and family life, financial life, free time, spiritual and emotional life on your screen saver.
Consistent performers are those with a vision and action plan in place, they have a laser-like focus on the things that are important and are characterized by their speed of decision and execution. They also walk the talk.
Speed of decision and execution : move fast, get going. Be a magnet to opportunities. We will give credits for a person who does things for us fast, rather than for a person who does things for us slowly. Do it now ! What is the highest standard of quality that can be delivered in the shortest period of time ?“

4. Skills
Influencing: How can I give you what you want ?
Building bridges: Can we influence somebody if we are telling how smart we are ?
Persistence: Or another person jumps on the opportunity !

5. Energy and dynamism count today – it is not possible for you to be positive when you are tired. Regular rest and recreation give you the ability to bounce back when you face adversities.

I will end this overview of what “Consistently Great “ means for me with a quote of Mark Twain:
“ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
Sail away from the safe harbour.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream.”

The CEO’s schedule is especially important to a firm’s financial success, which raises a few questions: What do CEOs do all day? Can they be more efficient time managers? HBS professor Raffaella Sadun and colleagues set out to find some answers.

http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6665.html?wknews=04252011

The Survey is conducted annually.   The resulting report offers a useful insight into leadership development, based on information from executive coaches and those that hire them.  Now it its sixth year, the Survey is co-sponsored by the executive education departments at the University of Georgia, Texas Christian University and Miami University.

Key highlights from the 2011 Survey include:

• Demand for executive coaching on the rise, with four out of five executive coaches anticipating an increase in demand in 2011 and over half of HR professionals and business leaders also expecting an increase;
• More HR professionals hiring certified executive coaches, with four out of five executives and HR professionals saying training and certification for executive coaches is either ‘very important’ or ‘absolutely essential’; and
• New standards for the executive coaching industry being set, with a notable shift among coaches toward adoption of published processes for their work with clients.

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