Here is a gift you can give yourself this holiday season: Translate more of your reading into action.
Come up with a simple but visible measurement to game it and make it fun for you: Every time you realize you have taken an action that is a result of something you read, throw a dollar into a glass jar. Reward yourself with something cool when it fills up.
Remember Living Mahalo with My Dailies? One of the dailies on the list I am working with now is this one:
“13. Read at least one chapter in two different books (and don’t buy anymore until your stacks are read!) Annotate and log take-aways.”
One of my current reads is particularly good for this chapter-by-chapter technique, sort of a perfect vitamin-a-day when you are a management coach. The book is What Got You Here Won’t Get You There by coaching rock star Marshall Goldsmith. I highly recommend it.
I am about halfway through it, and I am finding that Marshall’s book is terrific for me in my rhythms with reading, talking, and doing as I seek to create or tell you about tools that will help you take quick, meaningful actions. More on Marshall’s book soon, but for now, this post is about the process.
Reading: I think of reading as a sure-fire idea launcher. Whether books, magazines, newspapers or blog posts, there may be no bigger depository of un-realized but still-fertile ideas than within the words others have written that you can simply read.
Sometimes it’s not even their idea, but the way that theirs will be a catalyst for a bigger and better idea of your own. Oprah herself may be surprised by the management and leadership coaching ideas I get for my clients from O Magazine, which is why I recommend it in my Amazon.com aStore for men and women alike (guys, it’s Amazon Sales Rank: #1 in Magazine Subscriptions).
My Reading Rhythm: Being sure that reading is somewhere in My Dailies every Stephen’s Day, and that reading possibilities are everywhere – books and magazines are in my office, every room of my home, my car (great when I’m in a long drive-thru line, or picking someone up – NOT when the car is moving!) my carry-on bag, and my everyday bag. I read everywhere and anytime I have nothing else to do but wait on someone or something.
Hate to read? Go audio, like John Richardson coaches us in his MBA on the Run program (pure brilliance John.) One tip there: Listen to Audio Books Faster is an example of how John took action with something he read at Dwayne’s place.
Talking: Talk about what you read to be thankful and share it. Talk about what you read to show an interest in what others think and believe, and to encourage their ideas. Talk about what you read to really flesh out concepts, getting both right and left brain to work together and dance differently than when you don’t stop and take the time to talk. Self-talk works for this too; the key is remembering to stop when you’ve read a bit to allow your self-talk to happen and get “heard.”
My Talking Rhythm: There is a reason my first blog (which I have returned to writing for with a new vigor) was called Talking Story. “Talking Story” is well known as a cultural staple of how we communicate in Hawai‘i, and there is no doubt whatsoever that has affected my life – and I am a naturally visual and kinesthetic person who is not verbal by preference. I’ve learned to be because it’s so smart to be. Sort of like this: If you have two legs you learn to walk and run – why just hop everywhere on only one of them, even if you’re the world’s best hopper? Here is a post I wrote for Talking Story yesterday because I clicked in to read Phil’s blog: Sweeten your messages. 
Action was taken – dollar for my glass jar!
Writing is a huge part of my own personal action sequence (and I talk better having written through some stream of consciousness meandering first), but I realize that not everyone likes to write. Everyone however, loves to hear the sound of their own voice.
Doing: Once I realized the magic of David Allen’s Two Key Questions (Allen is the author of Getting Things Done) I began to use them constantly. I’m paraphrasing versus looking them up specifically;
Key Question One: What is Done?
Allen asks, “What is your best possible outcome?” —it’s a great visionary question.Key Question Two: Now that you know your Done, what is Doing it?
Allen asks, “What is your Next Action?” —it’s a great mission-possible in baby steps question.
Movement is magic. Energy begets more energy. You have to take action to seal the deal whatever the deal may be. Action takes you from ___ING to ___ED. AnalyzING to analyzED and moving on – no “analysis paralysis.” Planning to planned and starting to do – no budgets not actually spent… you fill in the blanks!
My Action Rhythm: This blog, MWAC and our sister site Joyful Jubilant Learning, fit into this in a huge way for me. I love writing online for you my Ho‘ohana Community, but believe me, I do this for my own productivity too! I get a double whammy of goodness. With Managing with Aloha Coaching my goal has been to be more focused on creating more MWA-specific action tools for you. The latest example is our MWAC 5-Beat Rhythm Worksheet. I wrote these words at the top of the right hand sidebar so I would always read them too!
You have read the book— wonderful!
Then, I use and test these tools right along with you each day in my ‘Ohana in Business, Say Leadership Coaching and Ho‘ohana Publishing.
For me, Joyful Jubilant Learning is “breaking out of my box” and Palena ‘ole, stretching my capacity to manifest more possibility. It is about more talking “about what you read to really flesh out concepts” and who better to do this with than our Ho‘ohana Community of lifelong learners who love collaboration?
Now, what will your Action Sequence be?
Again, my examples are just that; the examples of a manager and writer. I am not saying that every manager needs to start blogging. What every manager must do however, is figure out their own rhythms of behaviors that they enjoy (enjoyment is self-perpetuating) which give them their own predictable action sequence. And I am saying that Reading (or listening, watching the news etc.) and Talking (a managerial skill in so many ways) are part of the wise manager’s sequence. You’ll find that finding ideas to work on is not hard at all.
Do share your experiences and lessons learned here with us, or with your own work team. What is your action sequence? How do you motivate yourself to get things done, and make your ideas come to life?
Here are a few more references in my Talking Story archives to hopefully inspire you ~ ~ ~ or start your reading!
- 3 great questions you can use to Delegate Better. “You never know what you can learn by watching Oprah.”
- 7 More Ways to get the most from Books. “Knowledge is consequential. Knowledge currency is social currency on steroids. It’s important, it’s powerful, it’s essential. Thus it is value currency.” In this post, I share author Tim Sanders great explanation of why books versus other reading.
- Muses, Mentors and Self-Talk. “Your lips are moving, and there’s no sound coming out, but you have this look on your face like you’re having a conversation with someone.” And I was. I was talking to Marcus Buckingham about something I just read in his book. He doesn’t know it, and I’ve never met the man, but he’s become somewhat of a mentor for me because I love the way he thinks.
Two of my booklists:
- These were the books listed in the Recommended Reading pages of Managing With Aloha: Books and More Books!
- My current bookshelf is here on Managing with Aloha Coaching: Mana‘o on a Virtual Bookshelf.
Comments