Introduction
- I am a goal nerd. One year I read 100 books, ran 1,000 miles. I once hired a man to help me to get better at ping pong.
- A goal is the fastest path between where you are today and where you want to be tomorrow.
- Starting is fun but the future belongs to finishers.
- There is a 92% chance that New Year’s resolutions will fail.
Overthinking
- Overthinking wrecks more leaders than anything else. Example: overthinking a text message.
- Have you ever re-read an email you have already sent?
- Have you ever edited an idea before you ever even wrote it down? You know how many ideas we have lost to overthinking.
- Overthinking is the most expensive thing that companies invest in every year without realizing.
- Overthinking steals time, creativity and productivity
- Overthinking – When what you think gets in the way of what you want.
- Mike Peasley – research of 10,000 people if they struggle with overthinking – More than 99.5% of people said, “yes.” We did the study in 2019 before the pandemic.
- Everything is a “thing.”
- It’s impossible to turn off your brain. Why would you do that? Just think good thoughts that move you forward.
- Neuroplasticity – change the composition of your brain by changing your thoughts
- If you can worry, you can wonder. If you can doubt, you can dominate.
- Imagine if we were to renew our minds (wink, wink).
Soundtrack
- A soundtrack is a repetitive thought.
- Soundtrack changes everything. And you have a soundtrack for every part of your life: every job, every relationship. The more you list to thoughts, they become the soundtrack to your life.
- Culture is a collection of soundtracks playing consistently at a company.
- NYU – 2 groups of college students. Make sentences out of a word bank. In one group, they gave words about aging. Then they had them walk down the hall. The students who had read about being old walked slower.
- Great thoughts lead to great actions. Great actions lead to great results.
Great leaders retire broken soundtracks.
They replace them with new soundtracks.
They repeat until automatic.
Retire broken soundtracks.
- That’s not how we do things around here.
- There’s never been a day that turned out the way it was scheduled, so why do we talk about the schedule?
- We never reach our goals, so why do we set them? It’s the soundtrack of apathy.
- Write a goal and then listen to your first thoughts. Every reaction is an education.
- Fear argues both sides of a coin. “You’re too young.” and “You’re too old. You’ve missed your shot.”
- Ask the loudest soundtracks three questions:
- Is it true? One of the greatest mistakes you can make as a leader is assuming all your thoughts are true.
- Is it helpful? When I say this again and again, does it push us forward or does it pull us back?
- Is it kind? You’re high performing. Low performing people don’t attend the Global Leadership Summit. You’re voluntarily taking notes, plugging in, working with your team.
- Google wondered, “What do our most successful teams have in common?” They launched Project Aristotle. Spent millions of dollars. Measured 180 teams. Used 35 models. What did they find?
- They had psychological safety. You can ask questions. You can suggest new ideas. You can admit you are wrong without being treated unkindly by the team.
- You only get to fix mistakes that you can admit are wrong.
- Leaders who cannot be questioned end up doing questionable things.
Replace them with new soundtracks.
- We tend to think thoughts are outside our control.
- Thoughts come by choice or chance.
- Great leaders pick thoughts ahead of time and they choose thoughts that are actionable.
- Where do I want to win this week?
- You have a soundtrack for every person in your life.
- Empathy – understanding what someone needs and acting on it.
- If you want to enrage those you lead, let them know you know what they need and don’t do anything about it.
- Care about what the people you care about, care about.
- What do the people you care about, care about?
- Crisis magnifies kindness. The kind things you do are worth so much more than they used to be.
- Read less minds. Ask more questions.
- It is much better to meet a need than to invent a need.
- Bose Band Camp – got in the trenches and listened to the need.
- Bose had a huge lead on headphones but they didn’t listen to people and forgot about Dre.
- When you ask someone what they need, they become visible and valuable.
- Do you see me? Do I matter?
- Once you discover the power of soundtracks, you’re going to hear them everywhere.
- Individuals have soundtracks. Couples have soundtracks. Families have soundtracks.
- “Your New Playlist”
- The best leaders turn overthinking from a super problem into a super power.
- My new soundtrack is: I am a leader.