Today I had the pleasure of interviewing efficiency guru, Michael Linenberger. He is a best selling author of five business productivity books. In this interview, we discuss his newest book, “The One Minute To-Do List”. On this call, Michael kindly shares many great tips to help you create a highly functional to do list using fresh and up to date methods. Enjoy the recording and definitely buy the book! Michael is also generously offering a free download of his book. You can go to www.michaellinenberger.com to get it! Thanks Michael!

The One Minute To-Do List Interview

Today I interviewed Bonnie Michaels, co-author of “Upside: How to Zig When Life Zags”.  Everyone should listen to Bonnie’s message as she really has a great sense of what is going on in the world today along with strategies for how to live with all the unknowns occurring. The book is fabulous and offers insights and exercises to take you through all kinds of change and challenge and to help you find the “Upside” in every situation! Enjoy the recording!

Upside Interview with Bonnie Michaels and Lynn Cohen

    On Tuesday, November 15th, I will be interviewing Bonnie Michaels about her new book called   “Upside: How to Zig When Life Zags”. In the meantime, please enjoy her latest article.    Check back  next week so you can listen to her recording. For more information on the book, please go  to www.UpsideTheBook.com.

Finding the Upside During an Era of Uncertainty and Chaos 

As the world swirls with discontentment and markets go up and down, each one of us must still make a living, supervise others, and take care of our family and personal lives.  There are always answers to difficult questions, and a way to navigate through the zigs and zags of life confidently and comfortably. To do that you will need a formula that encompasses all areas of life: financial, spiritual, professional and personal lifestyle.  It is a holistic model. Your goal is to find the upside in life’s downturns while developing long- lasting, sustainable success and happiness.

• Acknowledge the truth about change.  

The not-known is part of our new reality.  In the past, it was easier to navigate your personal and career goals.  But the new norm is a challenge.  Put away your fears and entitlements. In the new known, you get to write the rules and unleash your authentic life path.

• Rewrite “the rules” by reworking your American Dream and redefining success and happiness.

To rework your American Dream, start by assessing what is really important and makes you truly happy.  By redefining success and happiness you will be able to live your life in the new reality. Your new success model may encompass a new definition of prosperity—one that isn’t dependent on consumption and overwork.

• Build your bank account by utilizing simplicity and reassessing your financial thermostat

Are you living within your means?  Is your relationship to money one that is realistic and providing you with a solid foundation.  Your lifestyle choices and financial well-being are an important part of a holistic plan for success.  Choosing a more simple lifestyle may provide you with freedom and less worry.                   

• Develop career success with your Power Core

• Integrate personal, professional, spiritual and financial plans for holistic, sustainable success

You can’t separate your career from your personal life.  One affects the other. Each must have realistic expectations and a solid base for sustainable success.  Planning long term is a necessity in this changing world.  Using reliable sources and in-depth research for your career choices will ensure a higher probability of long-term success.  Making life style choices that reflect our changing natural resources will enable you to cope with any short or long term variations in water, energy and unforeseen issues.

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Jason Selk, Director of Mental Training for the St Louis Cardinals, the 2011 Baseball World Series winners. We spoke about his new book called Executive Toughness, The Mental Training Program to Increase Your Leadership Performance. It’s one of the best business books I’ve read in a while. I not only suggest reading it, but buying it for your entire team! For more information, you can go to www.jasonselk.com.

Here is the recording for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

executive toughness

Because I am an executive coach and trainer, I enjoy reading good business books. Currently, I am in the process of reading one of the best business books I have read in years and I wanted to tell you about it ! It’s called “Executive Toughness” by Dr. Jason Selk. I will be interviewing Dr Jason Selk about his new book on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011. Check back to the blog then so you can listen to the recording. In the meantime, please enjoy this article he wrote on The Million Dollar Question.

Dr Jason Selk is the Director of Mental Training for the St. Louis Cardinals, author of “10 Minute Toughness” and the newly released book titled, “Executive Toughness: The Mental Training Program to Increase Your Leadership Performance”.

And by the way, congratulations to Dr Selk and the St Louis Cardinals for becoming the Baseball World Series Champions!

The Million Dollar Question

One question. One simple little question that if answered consistently could be worth millions, not to mention improved happiness and health. Before I give you this powerful question, let me explain why this question will literally change your life. In 2006 after just helping the St Louis Cardinals win their first world championship in 20 years, I was asked to identify the psychological characteristics that would help the team select future draftees with the greatest potential for high level success. While searching for the magical combination of mental make-up, I stumbled across the importance of optimism. Many researchers consider optimism, the ability to focus on solutions especially in the face of adversity, as the key to improved health, happiness and success.

For years we have heard the importance of “be positive” but prior to this one little question, very few knew exactly how to be optimistic and positive. Granted, being positive is abnormal, the truth is our minds are built in a way that it is easier to focus on problems than it is to emphasize solutions. When I present this topic to large groups I illustrate the point by showing a photograph of a beautiful desert landscape with majestic snow-cap mountains in the background with an oil pipeline running through the middle of the photo. I take the photo down and ask attendees to write down what they remember most at which point 90% list the pipeline as the most remembered item. We see and focus on that which is wrong instead of seeing all the positive and good. The tendency to emphasize problems is something I call PCT, problem centric thought. PCT is the biological reason why being positive is so difficult.

The great news is that we have the capacity to train ourselves to overcome PCT and become optimistic. The key to optimism lies in the simple question; what is one thing I can do differently that could make this better?

Jack Welch, GE’s former boisterous boss, created an equation of human characteristics to identify potential leaders which was used as hiring methodology at GE. For years Welch used the 4E+P equation (Energy + Energizer + Edge + Execution + Passion) in determining who had the metal edge to succeed on the GE executive team. Considering that the average CEO earns $10,408,054 annually, whereas the annual income for a non-executive is $50,233.00, a leadership position seems rather enticing.

With Welch’s leadership equation in mind, there is, of course, a method of learning how to develop the 4E+P characteristics. According to researchers like Daniel Goleman (Emotional Intelligence) the most effective method of developing Welch’s traits and leadership capabilities is to hone in on becoming more optimistic. Optimism appears to be the key trait for increasing success, happiness, and health.

Additional research suggests that modeling a positive attitude reduces injury and sickness by 30 percent and can even extend a person’s life by 14 years. In his groundbreaking book Learned Optimism, Seligman outlines how optimism undoubtedly impacts an individual’s ability to improve many of the very characteristics that Jack Welch and other employers look for in job applicants.

The good news–we all have the capacity for change. We are able to overcome our human tendency to focus continuously on problems and actually become solution-focused and optimistic simply by answering the question (what is one thing I can do differently that could make this better?) every time we catch ourselves thinking negatively.

Be sure to follow a few guidelines when using the million dollar question:

• The + 1 Concept: Focus on improving, not perfecting. You do not need complete resolution of the problem. You only need improvement. Consistent improvement over time leads to resolution. With this in mind, all problems have a +1 solution.

• Be Relentless: Within 60 seconds, turn every problem thought into a solution focus.

• Utilize the Socratic Power: The power of this tool lies in its use as a question.  Avoid answering this question for another person. Encourage others to develop their own solutions by answering for themselves.

How do we learn to become solution-focused? Some people are better at it than others. But the truth is that most of us are already somewhat solution-focused.  The path to greatness begins by becoming more solution-oriented until focusing on solutions becomes the norm.

Expectancy theory states, that which we focus on expands. If we continue to allow ourselves to focus on problems, we will actually have more problems. Conversely, asking and answering the question (what is one thing I can do differently that could make this better?) within 60 seconds of PCT occurring will literally cause our level of optimism and success to grow.

Any time you catch yourself thinking about what is going wrong in your life, be relentless about asking this question (what is one thing I can do differently that could make this better?). Keep asking until you identify a potential solution to your problem.

The mere identification of a potential plan for a solution is helpful, as it breaks the negative cycle of thought.  You will obviously need to put energy into the execution of the solution, but the essential first step in getting started is realizing that something can be done to improve any situation.