Each day is a new chapter of your life - Reason 23

If your life was a book, what would be the title?  This is a deep reflection each one of us should do from time to time.  The secret behind it is that whatever is the book’s chosen title, so also will be the experience that day.

For leaders, that reflection takes place naturally and it helps to focus.  Energy and resources will be harnessed meaningfully. 

The best leadership does not stop with the choice of book title.  Where there is the mindset that every day is a new chapter with its own beginning, middle and end, an active leader starts renewed and fresh every day.

This is the richness of being a leader, where every day contributes in an important way to growth.

So, for a leader instead of asking the title of their life’s book, an even better question is: What is the title of the new chapter I am starting today?

(Excerpt from the book 82 Reasons to be a Leader)

Negotiations in times of disruption

2016 will probably be known as the division year. It seemed there were always some problems somewhere where roughly half was in favor and half against. Even though negotiation techniques are so advanced, not much was acquired through that.

All negotiations happen with a basic standard principle:

I want something you don’t want to give me, but I know you can.

You probably want something from me that I don’t want to give you even though I can.

Let’s talk and reach some type of compromise and make a deal.

But nowadays it is much more complex:

I want something you don’t want to give me, but I think you could...

You probably want something from me that I don’t want to give you, or I cannot give you and you think I can.

Let’s struggle, see who is more powerful or who are more in need and reach some type of compromise (we will probably regret later).

These are times of disruption, which means, things are not working in the same paradigm as before and yet, the new paradigm is not working either. Looking at the bright side it is innovation in its extreme; in its dark side, it tends to generate chaos. Does it sound confused? It should…

For instance, the political aspect: in Colombia, many people who voted for YES during the peace process referendum were considered as leftist. However, most of these people I know who did vote YES wouldn’t back up Venezuelan government, which is leftist… Using that logic, any attempt for negotiation based on politics only won’t work.

Due to that, we need an alternative for it, something that takes in account the disruption process we are experiencing:

I understand I have a need or an opportunity to grow, but I am not in tune with you, your needs or opportunities.

Before talking to you, I must understand your side better and see what we both could compromise that wouldn’t hurt either of us. It would be nice if you do the same, otherwise at least my side has to make that endeavor.

We need a space and time to talk, far from the situation, using techniques that help us to reach a final commitment. Probably, it won’t be the perfect deal for neither of the sides, but it can be considered as a first stage of a long-term negotiation; possibly, it will be needed to repeat this many times more until there is satisfactions in both sides, which we hope we would reach.

It is a new era and new talents, new skills and a total new awareness are needed to help the various fragments of the big disruption we are living to reach a point of satisfaction and allow us to keep going.

Are you resistant to innovation?

We have been living for decades now in a world of constant innovation. Not only that, but in the last few years, innovation speed has increased.

Just a small example: if you have a smartphone chances are there is always something being upgraded or updated. And, whilst we are talking about this, what about the big revolution in communication? With messengers dominating the social network landscape, what will happen in the long term with telephone companies? After all, I can communicate with all my friends for free, using a messenger of some kind, but if I try to send text messages, I am often charged.

For many people, there are only two options: either you embrace the innovations coming or you refuse them. However, it is not that simple.

Embracing has its positive points. When you are able to assimilate any innovation, which helps your character, your mental power and even your intelligence enhances. On the other hand, as it is impossible to assimilate all innovation, you will have to learn how to prioritize and to have a critical sense, learning what is efficient for you; that are not a small task!

Refusing seems easier, but at a long term creates a gap between you and others. You become outdated and things stop working well. But, on the other hand, people who normally don't embrace all innovation that comes - prioritizing or not - shows more peace of mind. It is a kind of softness you often find in the country field.

In fact, the main difference comes from you purposely choosing an innovation, and follows it up, or not. My point of view is that if you decide on not choosing something everyone else is doing, with a firm conviction, which is not resistance. That is self-knowledge...

Resistance, in the negative sense of the word, means ignorance and fear. It means you are resisting because something will be taken from you if you accept that big change.

When you chose not embracing something, you are showing your values, and that is important. A small proof you are not only being (negative) resistant is that you stimulate others to embrace that same thing you are not, because you are aware for them, that is important.

So, next time you don't feel like changing your equipment, computer, phone, career, food product, soap or even an idea, just check and see if you are being resistant, or it is your choice.

Ideas, Creativity and Innovation

One person was talking the other day on how FUN is losing its, well, fun. He was saying about how everyone nowadays is funny - there are funny pictures, funny videos and funny stories, all over the place! So, fun is less funny when is everywhere.

Is it like that with creativity? Possibly. Creativity has an interesting and easy path to follow through: it starts with an idea. The more original that idea - or, at least, the more original you think that idea can be used in reality - more that idea can become a spark of your own creativity.

However, originality is a must in that case. For instance, you can have an idea of cars moved with kinetic energy, let's say like a "bicycle-car". But, was that idea really original, or you just saw it at someone's pinterest board?

In this era of information, an omnipresent information, it is crucial for the sake of creativity to take time out and unplug. Then, allow the mind works on that wonderful idea that is just germinating. This is a good recipe for creativity: from that point, if you are able to turn it into something profitable, you will turn your own creativity into innovation. Profitable does not mean necessarily generating money, but something that you feel "richer" because of that, like a new way to give poor children hope in life.

Another way to keep creativity going on is to let yourself flowing in the waves of the internet ocean, taking inspiration of everything there. Sometimes, originality is not so much in imagining something nobody ever did, but imagine something that is already there in a different way. It is the typical case of IPod, which is a different version of Walkman... hard to connect both, perhaps, but it is the same principle: play music in a portable device.

However you think you can do, do it: keep your ideas, creativity and innovation alive. After all, wouldn't be interesting to have a "bicycle-car" one day?