tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49251632981531255582024-03-19T03:40:10.858+00:00Planet K2What the World looks like from PlanetK2Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-50977899959132319002009-05-05T20:13:00.002+01:002009-05-05T20:14:52.714+01:00new address for blog...<span style="font-size:85%;">come and visit us at our new blog home... </span><a href="http://planetk2.com/blog"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://planetk2.com/blog</span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">hope to see you soon!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-39784888259193810752009-04-25T08:59:00.002+01:002009-04-25T09:08:08.781+01:00Elite Sales...<span style="font-size:85%;">Do you work with people in sales? You should really check out our </span><a href="http://www.planetk2.com/high_perf_elite_sales.php"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">elitesales</span> performance system<sup>®</sup></span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> . We're getting some consistently wonderful reviews about this programme and the impact it's having on even the most hardened of sales professionals.<br /><br />We love the idea of "earning your place on the team", just like you have to in a sports team, and we've built around this concept to help bring the psychology and mindset of the elite sports performer to the world of the even more competitive sales performer.<br /><br />So, have you earned your place on your team recently? If you were being managed in the equivalent manner of a sports team, would your name be first on the team sheet? What can you do to be constantly upping your game while still performing consistently? By taking the philosophy from the Athlete at Work<sup>®</sup> programme and adapting it for the unique challenges of sales, we've come up with a challenging, exciting and performance enhancing programme, which we'd love to share with as many people as possible! </span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-26028293991574862002009-04-25T08:55:00.002+01:002009-04-25T08:59:11.662+01:00A self-serving book recommendation!<a href="http://media.wiley.com/product_data/coverImage300/45/04707257/0470725745.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 449px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://media.wiley.com/product_data/coverImage300/45/04707257/0470725745.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">For any people interested in the psychology of sport... why not buy this lovely new book? </span><a href="http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470725745.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470725745.html</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> you'll see in there a contribution about our work within the GB Rowing team... go on, treat yourselves! (or buy it for someone who's studying in this area! might be a better option)</span><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div></div>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-39944419352473193822009-04-09T08:37:00.003+01:002009-04-09T08:47:24.101+01:00Team Pride<span style="font-size:85%;">Are you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">benefiting</span> from <a href="http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/04/follow_your_pride.html">these obvious</a>, but powerful group dynamics? With the focus of feedback and development work, that we've seen, being upon "what people need to improve on", there's not much chance of extra pride washing around that teams can benefit from. In fact, quite the opposite - the majority of people feeling pretty insecure about what they've got to offer and waiting for someone "more informed" to offer solutions or take a lead. You really do reap what you sow when it comes feedback, team mindset and performance... so what are you doing this week to ensure that the Pride commodity is optimised within your teams?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">There's probably a personal responsibility element here too and we'd suggest that each of you work out for yourself why you should feel proud of your performances. (Pretty sure Heather Small wrote a song lyric like that!). In lieu of someone else raising your pride for you, take the high performance approach, and raise your own pride as much as you can.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">There is the old saying that pride comes before a fall... but better to benefit from the pride in the first place than to avoid becoming proud for fear of the health and safety implications. And of course, old sayings are there to be proved as complete nonsense and we'd certainly recommend that anything you focus on to make yourself proud is well grounded in reality and therefore does not lead to a falsely elevated view of yourself. Reality based pride can be nothing but a good thing - surely?</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-14941158935134861362009-04-09T08:25:00.002+01:002009-04-09T08:33:32.190+01:00Time for the basics<span style="font-size:85%;">Reading this article from </span><a href="http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2008/04/can-you-say-what-your-strategy-is/ar/1"><span style="font-size:85%;">Harvard Business Review</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> reminded us how important it is to ensure that you don't assume everyone is on the same page. Would an army go into battle without every member of the force having been given a clear understanding of the purpose and approach for the mission? In most cases, forces members will need to reflect back what they have heard to ensure understanding has been achieved also (</span><a href="http://www.fireleadership.gov/documents/Learning_AAR.pdf"><span style="font-size:85%;">see here</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">).</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So, why is the same level of understanding not achieved for missions within our world?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">How much improvement can you get going forward simply from improving shared understanding? Give it a go and tell us about the results!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-73139460008973606482009-03-31T10:44:00.002+01:002009-03-31T10:48:27.353+01:00Teamwork...<span style="font-size:85%;">Your 8 best or your best 8? </span><br /><p><span style="font-size:85%;">Parallels nicely with our experience of helping to shape these mindsets, rather than simply observe them and comment on what is witnessed. Being focussed on "how do we need to be, as individuals and a crew?" is very different from simply observing "how are we?".</span></p><p><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><object height="225" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3878324&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3878324&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/3878324"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Boat Race - A Perfect Crew? From Cambridge Ideas.</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> from </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/cambridge"><span style="font-size:85%;">Cambridge University</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> on </span><a href="http://vimeo.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Vimeo</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">.</span></p>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-18592473184584475292009-03-31T09:09:00.003+01:002009-03-31T09:16:44.738+01:00If you were only judged on one thing...<span style="font-size:85%;">so, for April you can only be judged on one thing... your colleagues will shape their view of you based around this one thing... your managers and leaders will identify your value to the business based upon this same one thing... people outside of the business will make their judgements of you on just this one factor... and most importantly, you will draw all of your confidence from this one, critical element of performance.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So, what is that one element of performance for you? What key variable do you want to focus 100% on? When all of your performance boils down to just one thing, how good can you make that quality? What can you do each day to become a little better at the crucial factor? Who can you get advice from that will help you raise your game? What questions will you ask of yourself and of your colleagues to make sure you're constantly delivering the best possible performance?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Choose carefully and see what you can learn about yourself by making your performance a very pure focus.</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-31639150766720697032009-03-20T10:02:00.002+00:002009-03-20T10:05:31.905+00:00Be yourself...<span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">If</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">you</span> do a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">great</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">job</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">developing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">your</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">confidence</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">because</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">you</span>;</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">know</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">your</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">strengths</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">value</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">those</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">strengths</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">3. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">know</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">how</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">exploit</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">those</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">strengths</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">consistently</span>,</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">then</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">likely</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">you</span> can <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">keep</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">asking</span> a simple <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">question</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">yourself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">order</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">perform</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">at</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">your</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">best</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">how</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">confident</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">am</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">that</span> I can be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">myself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">today</span>?"</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">hopefully</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">everyone</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">should</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">always</span> be 100% <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">confident</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">they</span> can be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">themselves</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">you</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">just</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">have</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">put</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">ground</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">work</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">make</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">sure</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">being</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">yourself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">means</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">something</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">powerful</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">you</span>.</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-32315015715331390272009-03-18T18:19:00.002+00:002009-03-18T18:23:16.611+00:00Challenging conditions...<span style="font-size:85%;">All of this blogging has been really useful for us. It's helped us work up a very focussed presentation that focusses on performing in challenging circumstances and the specific lessons that were learned in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. We've got some pretty simple and clear mindset messages that we think will really hit the mark for a lot of people right now.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">If you're interested in hearing what we've got to say, then please don't hesitate to contact us. </span><a href="mailto:Julial@planetk2.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">Julial@planetk2.com</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> would be particularly delighted to hear from you!</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The session we've designed takes about 2 hours maximum and has some clear and simple takes away messages for you. Go on, get in touch!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-51080544249802280152009-03-15T18:05:00.003+00:002009-03-15T18:59:34.028+00:00Spirited conversation<span style="font-size:85%;">I was out running today - well I say running, it's more a form of shuffling along where at certain points both feet are off the ground so it qualifies as running from a technical perspective...anyway, it was feeling tough and then i met someone I know who was cycling along the same road and she stayed and chatted to me for ten minutes while I shuffled along. My pace picked up and I felt good. Then off she sped and I was on my own again. One hour later and a man i've never met came up beside me as he was running with his dog - it looked as though the dog might be running with him if you know what I mean, but that's not the point. He chatted with me for a while and again i felt stronger and happier - and perhaps a bit faster. </span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">In difficult times, it's too easy to forget the power of the human spirit to lift - connecting with energy giving people is so important when times are tough - my lesson is to make sure I'm an energy giver for someone tomorrow</span> </div>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750206048575017012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-87960044425671073872009-03-15T11:52:00.002+00:002009-03-15T11:56:58.941+00:00the Athlete@Work Clinic<span style="font-size:85%;">We're holding an Open Programme of the </span><a href="http://www.planetk2.com/athlete_prog.php"><span style="font-size:85%;">Athlete at Work</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> in London on April 28<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> and 29<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> (location to be confirmed, but likely to be the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hoxton</span> Hotel). If you'd like to come along, please contact </span><a href="mailto:julial@planetk2.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">julial@planetk2.com</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> to find out lots more about the programme. We've got a whole load of superb testimonials, that to be honest are so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">mindblowingly</span> good, they seem made up, but they're real! So, if you want to see what other people have said about the programme, just ask Julia and she can show you and even put you in touch with the real people if you don't believe them!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-31582906675783952372009-03-13T09:08:00.003+00:002009-03-13T09:16:35.520+00:00One rule for one...<span style="font-size:85%;">We were chatting with someone the other day about how they've been having the same, somewhat unhelpful, approaches to nutrition and hydration at work for the last 20 years. Interestingly, there was no other element of their performance that was anything like the same as it was 20 years ago; technical skills had been changed radically, tactical requirements were now completely different due to new markets and new products, mentally their requirements had changed totally in terms of concentration demands and sources of confidence and their way of working had changed drastically due to IT and a whole host of other environmental changes. Funny then that they were using outdated, non-cutting edge approaches to fuelling the body and brain that was having to deliver a performance within this brave and ever changing new world. Now, no-one else out there would be guilty of the same willful <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">underperformance</span>, would they?</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-82274444420065455442009-03-12T08:55:00.004+00:002009-03-13T07:48:43.541+00:00Winning....<span style="font-size:85%;">We're doing a lot of work with sales teams right now as they seek to thrive rather than just survive - and as you'd expect with sales teams, the concept of winning is coming up a lot. I think a lot about what winning means and when it's tough out there, when the attention is all on you, when the pressure is cranked up and when your competitors are just as hungry, the meaning of winning is put sharply into focus. </span><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">does winning mean beating your opponent - at one level I guess it does but so what? It's not as simplistic as that - referencing your sense of winning to the performance of others puts them in control, not you. Perhaps the real competition lies inside. Perhaps that's the real target, not the one with numbers on and upon which sales teams are often fixated. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">If the real target was inside - was us, was about getting better at your job every day, about finding what we're capable of achieving, about discovering how great we can be at dealing with challenging conditions, then we're in control, the performance belongs to us and the journey never ends. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">Focusing on the inside gives our opponents a different role too - we want them to be good so they can push us to new heights - we honour them and are grateful for their part in our journey. and how do we focus when the pressure's on, the expectations are high and the fear of failure strong? In the words of Cathy Freeman on that iconic Monday at the Sydney games, just "do what you know." Simple.</span></div>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04750206048575017012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-73486851014706353782009-03-02T19:48:00.004+00:002009-03-02T20:28:05.685+00:00Microsoft Office...<span style="font-size:85%;">... is apparently a very good place to work indeed (if you use some criteria we like!). </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">In their recent advert about ideas, or keeping it weird, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT52dOvkf-E">Microsoft advert</a> states how they work on keeping it human and keeping it real, in the workplace. The advert goes on to say how, "you have to have an environment where people are comfortable sharing ideas. Anything we're working on has to be out in the open, where anybody can see it and feel they can build on it... so we do everything possible to keep people as <strong><em>connected</em></strong> as possible and put about as much work into the culture as you would in the products that you've created".</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">It's interesting to not attention being paid to the value add of culture and connectedness. This is very much "process" AND "outcome" thinking working together - get the human inputs right and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">focussed</span> on allowing the talent to be free of unnecessary noise and the results that you're after are more likely to be delivered more consistently and more effectively. Within highly competitive markets AND in an environment that is making it tough to perform, it becomes even more important to focus on the human variables that it's clear make a difference to performance. Make sure that people have a real sense of control over their performance - how they do things and when they do them. Make sure people recognise how their role is valued by the organisation and absolutely essential to the success of everybody. Keep people focused on building on each other's work and knowing how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Control, Confidence and Connectedness are things we talk about <em>ad <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">infinitum</span></em> and now, more than ever, the businesses that optimise these three elements of motivation will really differentiate themselves from the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">competition</span>. </span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-31244363558197528062009-02-24T18:03:00.004+00:002009-02-24T18:26:03.097+00:00Critical Day Focus...<span style="font-size:85%;">So, just before the Olympics, we were chatting with some of the athletes about the opportunities still left to mentally sharpen up and get the most out of the remaining preparation days. We challenged them to answer the following:</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"If out of all of the days you've had to prepare for Beijing, you knew that tomorrow was the critical day to get right in determining your success in China, what difference would that make to how you approached tomorrow?"</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">If there was a difference that would occur, then it was clear that the absolutely focused, winning mindset was not 100% present every day. How low below that critical day focus could they afford to drop and still feel like they were optimising preparation? How could they maintain that clarity of focus going forward, without pushing too far and making everything seem critically important and thus crank the pressure up too much? How could they learn from what they'd do differently to help extract some extra benefit from the count up to the actual critical day of their final?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The question really focused them in to help make some important choices and stay in control of preparation - choosing to make it the best that it could be and using pressure positively.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So, does a critical day focus do anything for how you might do things differently?</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-18841210885389798752009-02-24T12:41:00.003+00:002009-02-24T12:52:33.628+00:00Are you on our mailing list...<span style="font-size:85%;">... and would you like to be? Do you know anyone who you think would like the kind of stuff we write?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We have a regular newsletter that comes out to our subscribers and is brief, punchy and performance focused. We also send around our thoughts from time to time in a more structure 1-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">sider</span> of A4... so if you want to be included on our distribution list, then please drop a line through to </span><a href="mailto:Julial@planetk2.com"><span style="font-size:85%;">Julial@planetk2.com</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> with the subject title "write to me please".</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We'll also keep you informed of events that we have on if you write to us so that you can see how we bring all of our stuff to life when we're not writing about performance.</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-61631553088159429142009-02-22T11:04:00.002+00:002009-02-22T11:11:18.422+00:00If you had a coach...<span style="font-size:85%;">and we mean a coach like the athletes we work with. With such a coach, they would be observing your performances and preparation and giving you feedback both during and after your moments of engagement. They'd be reinforcing good stuff, pointing out things to check, highlighting problems to work on and generally being supportive.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So... if you had one of these coaches with you throughout your working day, what would you want them to focus on? How would you make sure you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">benefited</span> from having someone there to be your constant set of performance eyes and ears? It's worth spending a few minutes thinking this through and then working out how you can get these same benefits by becoming more aware of yourself as a performer and "watching" yourself while you perform and prepare and then asking yourself some tough questions at appropriate moments through the day.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The constant support of someone who's job it is to make you better would be a great thing to have... and in lieu of getting Sir Alex to come in and work for you, you'd better think about whether you're coaching yourself in the best way possible! What are you going to teach yourself today?</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-18308001538305677792009-02-18T15:28:00.003+00:002009-02-18T15:39:41.266+00:00Performance...<span style="font-size:85%;">We often ask our clients what performance means, before we tell them how we define it. Typically performance gets confused with results and targets and measurement of end points. We often get people to think about performance from the point of view of a performance at the theatre, which people quickly see is a whole series of scenes, acts, people playing their part and the delivery of a performance one step at a time. Importantly, at the theatre, there is a script that underpins the whole performance. This script is a guideline upon which the actors have to bring their own interpretations and emphases. Personalising the script and interpreting it in the right way is a crucial thing for any performance. Even though you know what the end of your performance needs to look like, do you spend the same quality of time becoming equally intimate with your personal script that you need to bring to life to maximise the chances of delivering the result?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Performance is a combination of processes and outcomes and you need to become equally obsessed with both of those elements if you're going to constantly grow and develop in any role you have... want to know more, then just send us an email at <a href="mailto:hello@planetk2.com">hello@planetk2.com</a>.</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-27951235526833946262009-02-12T21:12:00.005+00:002009-02-18T15:40:48.160+00:00Recalibrate your risks?<span style="font-size:85%;">Risks you can afford to take - Risks you can not afford to take - Risks you can afford not to take - Risks you can not afford not to take...<br /><br />Four different kinds of risks... and do those risks look very different in the current climate? Risks that you could previously afford not to take might now need taking... Risks that you'd previously not think twice about taking - where do they fit into your current plans and performance?<br /><br />Just like all elite performers, keep checking the fundamentals that underpin your performance, constantly update your understanding of the environment that you're performing in and check that you've got the most up to date and relevant tactics going. Your risk profile is an essential part of this and you'll have got into very strong risk taking habits in recent times when the environment has remained constant - in challenging, novel conditions, you can't rely on habits, you have to consciously and explicitly control the performance you're delivering and cash in on all of your past experiences. The main risk you mustn't take right now is too let your habitual thinking control everything uncensored - consciously competent risk taking is the order of the day!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-86246917638716832752009-02-12T07:55:00.003+00:002009-02-18T15:40:13.319+00:00An experiment...<span style="font-size:85%;">We'd like to invite you all to take part in an experiment - and of course let us know any results you might experience.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We talk a lot about the importance of feedback and the fact that elite performers crave feedback and seek it out, rather than waiting for it to "happen" to them once or twice per year in during a performance review. So, instead of perpetuating a less than useful attitude towards feedback we'd like you to see what happens when you do the following:</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1. Identify something that you're working on and attempting to improve/change/refine (this might be making a strength stronger, rather than just developing a weakness).</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2. Start working on that thing very deliberately.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">3. Make some notes around feedback to yourself about what you've noticed as a result of your efforts.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">4. After you've been working on it for a while, find a colleague who you would like to hear from and tell them that you've been working on the thing you've been working on and whether they have any feedback specifically about that bit of your performance - don't just spring it on them, give them time to think and reflect and then give them chance to pass any feedback to you that they believe to be useful (you might have to remind them that feedback is simply that and should not be heard as "can you point out to me things that need improving"!)</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">5. Listen to the feedback they provide you with and compare it to your own thoughts.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">6. Decide what you want to do with the feedback.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We'd be interested to see if you find this any more helpful than simply asking "can you give me some feedback on how I've been performing recently?"</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Looking forward to seeing your results!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-22311406843015854642009-02-09T14:06:00.003+00:002009-02-09T14:34:31.643+00:00Snow Day<span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>A colleague recently sent me this email which I thought I would share:</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>=======================================</strong><br /><br />Snow Day<br /><br />Well mother nature has given me a day off. Hooray!<br /><br />For those of you not currently in the U.K. and therefore not subjected to 24 hours of heavy snow and 24 hour rolling news about heavy snow. I am telling you there is very heavy snow.<br /><br />And all this snow has made us a very happy nation - firstly because we all love snow, and snowmen, and snow balls and sledging, secondly because we now have a valid reason for mentioning the weather and best of all because ‘severe conditions’ have given many of us a day off work. Yes we are very happy about the snow.<br /><br />So this morning I have two very excited not-at-school children holding welly boots and a white, winter wonderland outside my window waiting to be explored….<br /><br />We head for the park to join the hundreds of others who have happily not made it to school or work today. On the way I regret not buying the old-fashioned wooden toboggan that I saw after Christmas but once we arrive and position ourselves at the top of the hill next to the other sledgers I feel quite proud. Our upside-down coffee table toboggan is looking like a pretty good goer next to the competition which, aside from a few proper sledges, consists of dustbin lids, school dinner trays, plastic bags, a few road signs and the lid from a car’s roof box.<br /><br />I could go on to talk about how the Make do and Mend resourcefulness of the emergency sledge builders was only a part of the joy of the day – there was of course the beauty of the landscape, the absence of cars, the community spirit, the collective celebration of our magical stolen day….. but I wont. I’ll stick to resourcefulness.<br /><br />So we are walking home past the picture perfect Victorian houses where every landscaped garden sets the stage for its own showman snowman. All very traditional – coal from the hearth used for the eyes, organic carrot noses, tweed trilby hats and cashmere-looking scarves.<br /><br />And then we come to the estate at the bottom of our road and as we walk along with flats on either side of us we don’t see any snowmen. This particular council block doesn’t have a landscaped garden to build snowmen in. So our ‘which snowman is the best?’ conversation stops and we are quiet for a while….Until Vera Lily suddenly shouts ‘LOOK! UP THERE’. And I look up to a fourth floor window to see a five foot snowman standing tall and proud on what must only be a 6 inch window ledge. He is very smartly dressed and has bright blue eyes made from what looks like knotted up plastic grocery bags and he is smiling to the world.<br /><br />I stifle a still-instinctive swear word and instead say ‘oh my goodness! How did he get up there?’ Emmanuel starts to sing ‘Walking in the Air’ suggesting through the power of song that this man of snow flew up to his spot on the windowsill. ‘No’ says Vera Lily, trying to think logically, ‘some children came down and collected the snow from the street and took it up the stairs in lots of buckets and then they opened the window and built him there.’ ‘Their Mummy held onto them so they didn’t fall out I think’.<br /><br />Whoever built his big fella must have, as Vera Lily suggested, brought the snow up through the flats. You just couldn’t collect that much snow from a windowsill or several sills. And even if these people used the lift rather than the stairs, that’s still a lot of effort – real over-commitment to the cause.<br /><br />So I just thought I’d share this story with you all as a reminder that just because our ambitions are often bigger than our resource (or outdoor space) allow we mustn’t let cold, hard, windowsill reality to get in the blinking way.<br /><br />That snowman is probably still standing up their wearing the proud smile of his creator – who imagined the impossible and then set about making it real. It took time and energy, heavy buckets, cold hands and the risk of a dark comedy death – but then that was quite clearly the joy of the Challenge.</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-67608527186219134832009-02-09T07:34:00.003+00:002009-02-09T07:57:37.707+00:00When process alone is wrong.<span style="font-size:85%;">Reading Rose Shapiro's book <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Suckers-Alternative-Medicine-Makes-Fools/dp/1846550289">"Suckers: How alternative medicine makes fools of us all"</a></em>, there was a pretty compelling point made that complementary and alternative medicine always talks about the treatments on offer, but it seldom talks about cures. Most of the language implies effectiveness of treatments, but in reality, there is no <strong>clinical</strong> evidence that any of these treatments deliver a final product. If success for these approaches is "taking money from people for false hope", then success is achieved with great regularity! However, in most cases, the people are looking for impact and results (usually with quite specific disorders and never when there's something serious going on! As pointed out in the book, people don't go rushing off for a bit of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Reiki</span> when they've got a leg hanging off after a car accident!).</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So, how is this relevant to high performance? Well, we know for a fact that in the high performance world, no one would ever settle for a process that seems plausible, is presented nicely and for the most part with naive good intentions, that didn't actually consistently and irrefutably deliver the results. This approach would just be jettisoned very quickly to find a process that more effectively delivered on the required results.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We promote a lot of process or input thinking with people who work for us, but the ultimate accountability is always to have processes that deliver a performance outcome. <a href="http://www.badscience.net/2008/03/all-bow-before-the-might-of-the-placebo-effect-it-is-the-coolest-strangest-thing-in-medicine/">Placebo effects</a> are interesting, but they're not ultimately the high performance answer.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">So, look around you in your performance world and ensure that there isn't too much reliance upon processes that look nice but don't actually deliver the goods. After all, there's enough <a href="http://www.quackwatch.org/">quackery</a> out there in the world of complementary and alternative medicine without adding to the pool! </span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-45954895132613550402009-02-06T11:51:00.003+00:002009-02-06T15:28:37.258+00:00Jim Collins...<span style="font-size:85%;">is a very clever man, on all sorts of levels. Not only has he authored some <a href="http://www.jimcollins.com/lib/books.html">very good books</a> , he's also just produced this </span><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/15/news/companies/Jim_Collins_Crisis.fortune/"><span style="font-size:85%;">timely bit of PR</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">, which has got some great stuff in it.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Most interestingly, Collins asserts that; "What we're experiencing now, get used to it! It's life, and it's the normal life. " Which <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">suggests</span> to us that a lot of what we've been blogging about is going to become consistently important, rather than people thinking this stuff might be relevant for them because of the current circumstances.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Another point that is of relevance to us all relates to thinking long term and keeping a much longer end-game in mind and not simply becoming great at reacting (or overreacting) to the here and now.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The final points to highlight are the following:</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">"<strong>The right people don't need to be managed</strong>. The moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake.<br /><strong>The right people don't think they have a job</strong>: They have responsibilities. If I'm a climber, my job is not [just] to belay. My responsibility is that if we get in trouble, I don't let my partner down.<br /><strong>The right people do what they say they will do</strong>, which means being really careful about what they say they will do. It's key in difficult times. In difficult environments our results are our responsibility. People who take credit in good times and blame external forces in bad times do not deserve to lead. End of story. "</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We've been talking for a long time about ultimate confidence actually being "knowing that you WILL do what you say you are going to do." Nice to have the thoughts backed up from elsewhere. But to us, more than anything, these examples just show an exemplary focus on performance - if the focus is performance, then a lot of this stuff makes even more sense. Have you got the people around you who understand performance and how to perform in order to get the desired results? It's easy to become an expert and identifying results, talking about them and then explaining failure to deliver those results - it's a lot harder to become a performance expert.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Oh, and thanks to one of our performance focused friends within D&B for highlighting the article to us.</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-3105163144893254742009-02-05T10:11:00.004+00:002009-02-06T15:27:59.362+00:00Do you run the numbers...<span style="font-size:85%;">or do they run you? (a great line from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Accenture</span>... thanks for that!). Just been reading about Kevin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pietersen</span>, the England cricketer, getting out for 97. He was out playing a typically <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">KPish</span> type shot. KP, please stay true to yourself and keep playing the way you play. Ignore the ill-informed, myopic commentators who believe that a number is more important than a performance. Had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pietersen</span> scored 101 and then got out with the same kind of shot, he'd still be criticised, but not as much as he is now. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Why? Because he'd have had a score on the board that had 3 figures against it, rather than 2 (which are very, very nearly 3). Had he got out in the same way for 156, he'd have been criticised less again, because the number was bigger. Had he got our for 36 in the same way, less criticism again.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Here's a quote from the BBC, <u><span style="color:#000000;"><em>"</em></span></u><span style="color:#000000;"><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Pietersen</span> has now missed out on two Test centuries which he would have achieved and that must hurt</em></span><u><span style="color:#000000;"><em>"</em></span></u> (BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew). Why must is hurt? It hurts if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pietersen</span> defines himself by numbers rather than talent. It hurts if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pietersen</span> is more worried about his personal statistical record than taking any opportunity he sees to score runs. It <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">hurts</span> if <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Pietersen</span> is aiming to suppress his natural ability and let just 1 element of performance feedback cloud his judgement, change his thinking and redefine himself as a performer.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Fortunately, KP does not think like the commentator who is imposing a limiting mentality on a player that has a superb performance temperament.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Never, let the pursuit of an arbitrarily determined number get in the way of your quest to make the most of your talent. You control numbers, they should not control you. KP, we applaud you. Thankfully, you are not a sufferer from number fixation syndrome!</span>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4925163298153125558.post-43264732209094600232009-02-02T08:10:00.002+00:002009-02-02T08:43:28.626+00:00Will and Skill<a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45434000/jpg/_45434202_raf_getty_466body.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 236px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45434000/jpg/_45434202_raf_getty_466body.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? What happens when an immense combination of WILL+SKILL meets and immense combination of SKILL+WILL? You end up with an epic tennis match, again.</span><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">The lessons from yesterday's Australian tennis Open final could go on and on and the incredible displays of mental toughness pay testament to just what can be achieved psychologically when you have an immense talent base upon which to draw.</span><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;">For most mortals, tough situations are avoided and the desire to pitch oneself against the toughest opponents looked at with dread - not so for Roger <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Federer</span> and Rafael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nadal</span>. These two players seem to thrive on being pushed to their limits. The punch and counter punch, constant raising of performance and response speak volumes about these two sporting greats - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Federer</span>, majestic, calm, full of poise and timing, striving for success; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Nadal</span>, intense, relentless, passionate, dynamic and seemingly driven by raw emotion to ensure he doesn't lose. Two very different recipes to bring out an incredibly similar standard of performance. </span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-size:85%;">We are lucky to be witnessing these epic encounters - seldom in sport will two such stand-out performers be defined by the performances they produced collaboratively, despite their immense individual achievements. It's a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">privilege</span> to be able to learn from watching these two greats.</span></div>Chris @ K2http://www.blogger.com/profile/09267931421250264489noreply@blogger.com0