Not Getting Trapped in the Circle of Concern

Not Getting Trapped in the Circle of Concern

In the midst of this busy time we see people that are having a difficult time focusing upon the right things. The challenge comes do what we think we can do. It is really important that we get everyone’s belief window in the right place. Each member of the team needs to focus on the right things.

There are three circles that we all have a choice to work in. The smallest inner circle is what we control, the next circle is what we influence and the outer circle is one of concern. We need to work on the things that we control. The most successful people are focused upon their performance and development at least 70% of the time. By working on what we control then we have the right attitude, have a plan for what we need to do and have the right level of preparation. At least 20% of our time should be in the circle of influence. This all about how we connect with people form partnerships that help to take us to our goals. It is important to keep our time in the circle of concern in no more than 10%.

There are a lot of things that can take our attention or focus. Don’t get caught in this trap. You can not worry about the economy, difficult customers, operating issues, or what is happening in the marketplace. By getting our head around what we can do then we can influence change and drive performance improvement. The most successful managers are able to work in a proactive manner and find the most significant solutions.

Bob Coulter

Facilitating Change to Solve the Most Challenging Problems

In this economy and marketplace, we cannot try the same old thing to deal with the issues that are in our path. We have to facilitate change in our organizations and find new ways to solve problems creatively. We had the opportunity to work with 30 change-agent companies in a Face-to-Face event that are focused on improving their organizations. Many of these companies have been a part of the Working Smarter Training Challenge, and you can see the progress that they have made. A significant step in the journey of change comes down to effectively working a process by intention.

• Insure that we are engaging a broad section of our employees to work with us in finding solutions. Great answers come from all parts of a company.
• Each session has to start with asking GREAT questions. We need to stimulate participants by asking for their view of the world and going through asking why 5 times to get to the root.
• Go broad at first and brainstorm with the group. There are no bad answers and we need to celebrate their contributions.
• Narrow down our list with identifying the five most important opportunities or suggestions. You want to get the group to collaborate and start to build consensus. Remember that we can only do a few things and we have to start slowly.
• It is all about taking one step at a time and working on one thing at a time. You want to build a detailed plan for how you are going to win. We utilize a tool called a Thrival Campaign that assigns deadliness and ownership.
• There has to be build in accountability and follow-up so that we can move from ideas to action. Great companies move from talking about it to doing it. They own each area and drive to achieve the desired results.

There is great energy and urgency when we take on the issues that are in our path and find new solutions. The companies that make this evolution will gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace today and tomorrow.

Bob Coulter

Maintaining Win - Win Partnerships

Building and Maintaining a Win – Win Partnership

• It all starts with having the right frame of mind when it comes to partnership. We need to know where the person we are working with is coming from and what a win is for them. In our conversations we have to determine what they value and what is important to them. Spending time on the front end helps us to know what motivates them. It is very important that we work face to face to make the right connections. Be sure to make an agreement on the front end how you will communicate and stay connected.




• Through this relationship you need to frame your expectations on what you need from each player in terms of behaviors and results. You want to be very specific in your performance expectations. Be sure to provide the examples of what needs to be achieved and timelines for when things need to be accomplished. For an employee be successful they need to know what a win is for them in their positions.




• As a leader you need to be measuring performance to insure that short-term goals are being achieved. It is important to be able to grade both an objective and subjective manner. Look at weekly goals and then be sure to review progress. You want people to stay focused and the best way to do this will be to keep score and measure performance.




• Your role as coach and leader of your team is very important. It is important to focus your energy on giving your people the feedback that they need to help them to grow and the behaviors that they need to have. By having consistent conversations you will not let things build up and can find a good balance between positive reinforcement and critique.




• Be sure to look at your function and evaluate where the talent is and what gaps might exist in the future. You don’t want to settle. Look at what you need and then see how people can either step up or what you need externally to make it happen. Be sure to focus your energy on the people with the greatest potential and address the poor performers by Top Grading positions when needed.

Bob Coulter