SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

I work almost exclusively with adults, but it wasn’t always that way. A challenge that often shows up in my work with adults is a species of self-criticism that I don’t see as much in children. There’s a weird expectation that somehow we adults are supposed to  just know  how to communicate effectively, navigate conflict, manage our emotions or demonstrate leadership. And when we fall down in any of these areas, we beat up on ourselves for not knowing or doing better. But how are we supposed to know how to do effective behaviors, especially in a diverse environment,  when we were never taught how to do them ? When we were never effectively role modeled — not by parents, bosses, peers or the media? Except for the very bright, children don’t typically beat up on themselves for not knowing how to do stuff — they understand they’re here to learn. So are adults! It’s a travesty that we aren’t taught, in any consistent, systemic way how to do the things most necessary to o...

This column’s theme is “Selling up, Selling Down,” and I’ve tried to do my best over the past 10 years to balance that view. Recently, I went back and did a straw poll on how I’ve done, and I’m embarrassed to share I’ve been a bit skewed to the “selling up” side. Because I try to be first and foremost a learner advocate, I’m going to do my best to even the score. I want to start with one of my fundamental pet peeves with how we design and sell training to advanced learners. I often refer to the 5 Moments of Need design framework by Conrad Gottfredson in my columns. Like other frameworks — such as Kirkpatrick’s Levels and McCall and his colleagues’ 70-20-10, both of which attempt to bring simplicity and context to things we’ve over-complicated or struggled to articulate — the five moments have been foundational in helping me offer a more balanced and robust learning solution to the stakeholders I’ve served. These frameworks offer our industry and the consumer a shared, non-le...

Did you know startups fail about four times as often as they succeed? Do you know why it’s so hard to get a successful business off the ground? It’s attributable to a number of factors, one of which could be the way the founders are spending their spare time. The productivity you can generate in your free time often carries over into the success of your professional endeavors, and you can bet that successful people use their free time for much more than relaxing on the couch or singing on Netflix. If you’re struggling to find success as an entrepreneur, you might want to take a closer look at how you spend your time away from the office. Consider replacing some of your less productive habits with ones with better benefits: 1. Exercise Working out is good for both the body and the mind. According to various studies, people who exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week, enjoy better overall brain health, including uplift in mood, reduced stress, increased creativity an...

How do you stay motivated and inspired? How can you keep your passion, your excitement, fired up? By reviewing these self-motivators on a regular basis: 1. Get serious. Make a decision to go all the way to the top. Up to now, you've thought about it. Up to now, it's passed your mind. But now make up your mind to go all the way to the top, and your life will take off. It's the most extraordinary thing. Your life is like a shadow going up the dark side of a hill—until the moment you decide that "I'm going to be the best at what I do.” And suddenly you rise into the sunshine, and your life is forever after different—wonderful. Get serious. Don't fool around anymore. 2. Know your limiting step. What's your limiting step? What's the one skill area that's holding you back? What's the quality? What's the action? Ask other people. Find out what you need to become good at. Find out what's keeping you stuck . What is the critical limitin...