Building Personal Mastery
Good morning everyone
Personal mastery is challenging. One must inspire oneself and others with a vision that, in the current moment, feels optimistic, maybe even a touch fantastical. And, one must hold a sober-minded assessment of the present.
A life of mastery requires understanding complexity and finding simplicity. Pausing and acting. These are not opposites. They are all part of one moment. Mastery requires that you have the resilience, skill and knowledge to hold them all.
It is this spirit that informs today’s letter.
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-In-Chief of The Economist, wrote this week that China, which began easing from lockdown in February, is still ‘missing large chunks of everyday life’. The economic impact is significant. In an article on which emerging markets are most at financial risk, where the strongest market (at No.1) is Botswana; South Africa ranks 47th and Argentina at 57th (out of 66 countries). If you treat this moment as a temporary blip you are missing its strategic implications.
So, before you grab your mask and head out to join the throngs on the street, slow it all down. Be clear about the implications of this moment AND take intentional action to shape your future.
STRATEGY
Central to strategy development is understanding context. Understanding context is key to keeping perspective. Both critical leadership skills.
Two newsletters give me valuable perspective.
Morning Brew covers a wide range of sectors and although US-based has a fair dollop of international coverage. It’s written in a light, moderately witty fashion making it an easy read.
The Economist publishes a weekly letter highlighting key articles from its current edition. Strong on research with a pragmatic take, it’s always insightful.
Most of us have been living in some form of lockdown for many weeks. That creates an understandable emotional need for action. We all want this to be over, but it isn’t and won’t be for some time. Acting from that place of wanting to escape current reality could lead to some bad decisions. Don’t do it. Slow it down, stay in this moment with all its discomfort. Or as Buddha put it, “In the thick of the forest, stand still”.
SELF
We know intentional action is essential to creating our future. Yet, holding the enormity of this moment can also be overwhelming. So, start small.
BJ Fogg, founder of the Behaviour Design Lab at Stanford University, is a proponent of building “tiny habits” that, when added up, can change your life. It is one that I endorse. I see it time and again with my clients. Small shifts in behaviour oftentimes have exponential effects. They snowball.
Fogg’s book Tiny Habits is packed with great advice on creating sustainable habits. He suggests that one identifies anchor moments into which one can inject new habits. For example, “before I open the fridge, I will do two squats”. Think about all the anchor moments in your life where you could introduce a new habit – getting out of bed, red traffic lights, finishing a meal – and add one tiny version of something that you have always wanted to do.
If a habit is too hard to start or keep going, you stop because it makes you unhappy. Fogg says, “Emotions create habits. Not repetition. Not frequency. Not fairy dust. Emotions”. Therefore, he is adamant that you start with a habit that you can and WANT to do and that you celebrate each time you do it. Helping yourself feel successful is, in his words, “a powerful catalyst for change”.
Fogg identifies 7 steps in behaviour design:
- Clarify the aspiration.
- Explore behaviour options.
- Match with specific behaviours.
- Start tiny.
- Find a good prompt.
- Celebrate successes.
- Troubleshoot, iterate and expand.
In this period of uncertainty, it is tempting to look for massive changes to meet the challenge of the moment. Yet, all the research on both humans and companies shows that the best approach is to start small and build from there.
So, decide on your new habit and then make it smaller still. The more you’re able to do it, the more you will and the more you do, the more you will enable for yourself and others.
In a previous letter I referenced Fogg’s Maui Habit. It’s a great way to start the day.
SOUL
I’ve loved Standard Bank’s Home Studio Live project, streaming performances from some of South Africa’s best jazz musicians. This week’s performance came from Bokani Dyer, one of my favourite pianists, together with his father Steve.
It’s an interesting example of the power of habit. Standard Bank has consistently supported jazz in South Africa and so, in this moment, they are able to step into the space with integrity and impact. Ultimately, you are what you do.
It seems many people had a pyjama day last week. My fav pyjamas were introduced to me by my friends Mark, Pam, Marcus and Joonji. They come from Woodstock Laundry. Bright and silly, they make me smile.
If you were forwarded this letter and enjoyed it, you can subscribe here. Please do email me feedback. I love meeting new people.
In closing, two clients completed their programmes with me last week, so I have capacity to work with new people. If you’d like to explore a coaching partnership with me, email me and we can arrange an introductory conversation.
All the best for the next week
Karl
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(This letter was first shared on 3 May 2020)