Every Leadership Team Has a Thinking Problem

1 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:07,200 SPEAKER_00: Hi, and welcome to Executive Land. 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:11,119 I'm Elizabeth Friedman, and this is where top leaders go off 3 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:14,880 script to share straight talk and the unwritten playbook about 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:16,239 life in the C-suite. 5 00:00:16,399 --> 00:00:20,239 For more ideas, visit East SuiteLeader.com. 6 00:00:20,399 --> 00:00:23,120 Now let's dive into today's episode. 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:25,280 Hi, everybody. 8 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:26,239 It's Elizabeth. 9 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,559 Welcome to another episode of Executive Land. 10 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:33,840 This is where we talk about what happens to senior leaders after 11 00:00:34,079 --> 00:00:39,520 the promotion, after they get the big job, after they move 12 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,759 into an executive role. 13 00:00:42,079 --> 00:00:42,799 Then what? 14 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,520 That is what we are here to talk about. 15 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,079 And I want to give you the perfect example. 16 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,359 A few years ago, I was working with a chief operating officer 17 00:00:51,359 --> 00:00:53,759 at a large industrial company. 18 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,479 So this leader led manufacturing. 19 00:00:56,799 --> 00:01:01,840 And he said to me, Elizabeth, I have the worst best job. 20 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,359 He had just stepped into the role and he said, it's the 21 00:01:05,359 --> 00:01:06,239 worst, best job. 22 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:10,719 It's the worst job because it is problems all day long, seven 23 00:01:10,719 --> 00:01:12,560 days a week, 24 hours a day. 24 00:01:12,719 --> 00:01:15,280 Something's breaking down, somebody quits. 25 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,480 I've got geopolitical risk happening in this region. 26 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,519 And now I've got to shut down these sites and I've got a 27 00:01:21,519 --> 00:01:22,879 supply chain issue. 28 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,400 And when you lead over, you know, 150 sites around the 29 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,200 world, you can understand why he would say something like that. 30 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,879 But he said, you know, it's the best job because there is no 31 00:01:32,879 --> 00:01:37,200 other part of the organization than operations that can have a 32 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,680 bigger impact on our overall value, our overall performance 33 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:42,480 as a company. 34 00:01:42,719 --> 00:01:44,319 We play such a huge role. 35 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:50,159 And so understandably, how this leader and his big organization 36 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,480 considered problems became a huge part of how they would 37 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,159 ultimately deliver value. 38 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:02,879 In fact, he said this whole job, the success for me and for 39 00:02:02,879 --> 00:02:06,879 everybody here is how we think about our problems, how we talk 40 00:02:06,879 --> 00:02:10,639 about our problems, and how we solve problems. 41 00:02:11,039 --> 00:02:14,479 And, you know, I think that's true for many of the leaders and 42 00:02:14,479 --> 00:02:15,759 teams I work with. 43 00:02:16,159 --> 00:02:18,879 But, you know, the more I think about this idea, the more I 44 00:02:18,879 --> 00:02:22,319 realize how much time organizations spend on the 45 00:02:22,319 --> 00:02:25,759 second and third parts of that idea. 46 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,240 We spend a lot of time talking about things like communication 47 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,439 or collaboration, accountability, execution. 48 00:02:33,599 --> 00:02:37,199 I mean, we talk about solving problems in the workplace, but I 49 00:02:37,199 --> 00:02:41,199 find we spend surprisingly little time talking about the 50 00:02:41,199 --> 00:02:43,199 first part of that idea. 51 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,479 How are we thinking about the problem? 52 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,400 And that is what I want to talk about today. 53 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,800 You know, if you're stepping into a big role, you work with 54 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,680 leaders at an executive level, I want you to think about how you 55 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:12,000 think about problems, challenges, goals, things you 56 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:13,439 want to accomplish. 57 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:15,919 And here's what I'll say. 58 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:22,639 I think every leadership team, every single one has a thinking 59 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:22,960 problem. 60 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,080 Now, before you think I'm saying every leadership team is 61 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,199 dysfunctional or something like that, let me be clear, that is 62 00:03:31,199 --> 00:03:32,080 not what I mean. 63 00:03:32,319 --> 00:03:36,240 I am not saying teams are broken or have problems, lack talent, 64 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:37,360 nothing like that. 65 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:42,000 On the contrary, but what I am saying is every team's 66 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,319 performance is limited by the quality of its thinking. 67 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,680 So the question isn't whether your team might have a thinking 68 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:49,919 problem. 69 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,319 It's really what is that thinking problem? 70 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,400 Because every single team has them. 71 00:03:54,639 --> 00:03:59,840 Every team has blind spots, every team has areas where they 72 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,960 might say, you know, what's possible, what's not, what's 73 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:04,800 going to work, what isn't. 74 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:10,879 And this is not because uh teams are, I don't know, making this 75 00:04:10,879 --> 00:04:11,439 stuff up. 76 00:04:11,599 --> 00:04:16,639 They're not imagining that they are dealing with, you know, easy 77 00:04:16,639 --> 00:04:17,199 situations. 78 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:21,279 They are dealing with complex businesses, difficult markets, 79 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:25,600 often very high-stakes decisions, but they are also all 80 00:04:25,759 --> 00:04:26,879 human beings. 81 00:04:27,199 --> 00:04:30,800 And none of us escape the human experience. 82 00:04:32,399 --> 00:04:37,920 So to think about thinking, one of the ideas that has influenced 83 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,639 me the most comes from Dr. 84 00:04:40,959 --> 00:04:42,639 Phil Stutz. 85 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:43,519 Dr. 86 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,680 Phil Stutz is a psychiatrist. 87 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,040 Um, there's a really great documentary about him on 88 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:49,600 Netflix. 89 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:50,480 You can check out. 90 00:04:50,639 --> 00:04:54,560 He's written many wonderful books, and he talks about an 91 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:56,399 idea called Part X. 92 00:04:57,759 --> 00:05:01,279 Part X is the part of everyone. 93 00:05:02,079 --> 00:05:05,759 Part X exists in every human being. 94 00:05:06,399 --> 00:05:13,120 It is the part of every human being that resists growth, even 95 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:18,160 when circumstances have changed, even when the situation requires 96 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:18,480 it. 97 00:05:18,879 --> 00:05:23,759 It is the voice that says, hey, we're too busy to do that right 98 00:05:23,759 --> 00:05:24,079 now. 99 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:29,279 It's the voice that says, I can't, I don't know how, I need 100 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:30,079 more information. 101 00:05:30,319 --> 00:05:31,759 I've tried that before. 102 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,279 That doesn't work. 103 00:05:33,519 --> 00:05:34,800 They don't listen. 104 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:36,560 It's too risky. 105 00:05:36,879 --> 00:05:39,199 Does that any of that sound familiar? 106 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,839 I mean, this is something I think that we all have some 107 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:42,639 version of. 108 00:05:42,879 --> 00:05:46,000 And, you know, part X is not a character flaw. 109 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,759 It is truly part of being human. 110 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,759 And the way it's described is that it's just your brain trying 111 00:05:53,759 --> 00:05:55,439 to keep you safe. 112 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,879 But the challenge is that that same voice, that part X voice 113 00:06:00,879 --> 00:06:05,199 that is designed to actually protect, also keeps us from 114 00:06:05,199 --> 00:06:05,920 growing. 115 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:10,879 And what I've noticed is it's not just that Part X shows up in 116 00:06:10,879 --> 00:06:12,879 an individual leader. 117 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:17,920 Part X shows up in teams and in organizations. 118 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,480 And you will hear it everywhere during a transformation, a 119 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:27,519 restructuring, a conversation about pricing, a leadership 120 00:06:27,519 --> 00:06:28,160 change. 121 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,879 So the reason we care about Part X is it's not just about a 122 00:06:32,879 --> 00:06:33,360 mindset. 123 00:06:33,439 --> 00:06:36,240 It's not about creating thoughts, it creates 124 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,040 performance, it creates results. 125 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:45,120 Now, this brings up another idea that had a profound influence on 126 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:45,439 me. 127 00:06:46,079 --> 00:06:48,560 Um, you know, I don't know if I've talked about the fact with 128 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,000 you that a few years ago I became certified as a life 129 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:52,639 coach. 130 00:06:53,519 --> 00:06:56,800 And, you know, a lot of people, maybe who listen to this, you 131 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,199 know me because of my focus more, let's say, in the 132 00:06:59,199 --> 00:07:01,360 executive readiness or performance space. 133 00:07:01,519 --> 00:07:04,720 But you know, becoming a life coach was a big deal for me. 134 00:07:04,959 --> 00:07:08,319 And I say that because it fundamentally changed how I 135 00:07:08,319 --> 00:07:10,240 think about leadership and performance. 136 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:13,120 I really approach it very differently now. 137 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:18,000 And I learned a really valuable tool, many actually, from a life 138 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,920 coach named Brooke Castillo. 139 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,680 Uh, she's just a real leader in the space, and she developed 140 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:25,199 something called the model. 141 00:07:26,399 --> 00:07:29,519 So, at its simplest, here's the model. 142 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,199 Think of the model as what kind of what the human operating 143 00:07:33,199 --> 00:07:33,439 system. 144 00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:37,600 And it says facts do not directly create results. 145 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,240 It's our thoughts about facts that do that matter. 146 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:43,120 Why? 147 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,439 Because a thought creates a feeling, feelings influence 148 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:50,959 actions, and actions create results. 149 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:57,360 So simple to understand, but hard to put into practice, 150 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,560 particularly when you're trying to create a result that is 151 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,920 significant across a team, across a company. 152 00:08:04,399 --> 00:08:07,839 But whether we are talking about an individual or an 153 00:08:07,839 --> 00:08:12,480 organization, this same chain of events applies. 154 00:08:13,759 --> 00:08:18,959 And that is a problem sometimes in organizations because I see a 155 00:08:18,959 --> 00:08:23,759 lot of companies focus on action, on behavior, on what 156 00:08:23,759 --> 00:08:25,040 people are doing. 157 00:08:25,839 --> 00:08:28,639 And that makes a lot of sense. 158 00:08:28,959 --> 00:08:33,440 We have to have actions that create the right outcomes for 159 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:33,759 us. 160 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:38,720 And, you know, sometimes organizations also focus on how 161 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:39,759 people are feeling. 162 00:08:39,919 --> 00:08:41,360 Certainly the good ones do. 163 00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:45,759 They care a lot about culture, belonging, engagement, you know, 164 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,279 all of that, again, is highly valuable and important. 165 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:54,799 But rarely do I see organizations really deeply 166 00:08:54,799 --> 00:09:00,559 examine the thoughts that are sitting upstream from everything 167 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,840 else to a significant degree. 168 00:09:04,159 --> 00:09:07,840 But, you know, that is the significant part because this is 169 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:08,879 where the chain begins. 170 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:10,639 It's where the story begins. 171 00:09:10,879 --> 00:09:14,720 And I really do see this as a blind spot inside companies. 172 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:15,759 Why? 173 00:09:16,879 --> 00:09:20,399 So think about what's happening right now inside your 174 00:09:20,399 --> 00:09:21,360 organization. 175 00:09:21,919 --> 00:09:25,440 Think about the team maybe that you're on or that you lead. 176 00:09:25,759 --> 00:09:29,279 I would bet there's some kind of change you're trying to drive. 177 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,960 Maybe you have a performance challenge and you've got to make 178 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,399 some moves in terms of bringing new leaders on or moving some 179 00:09:36,399 --> 00:09:37,440 leaders out. 180 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,519 Maybe you've got a process or a system that you need people to 181 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:44,159 use and adopt, and you're not seeing it. 182 00:09:44,399 --> 00:09:47,120 You're trying to improve execution. 183 00:09:47,279 --> 00:09:51,279 And so, whatever the case may be, what I see companies do is 184 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:56,240 look, we we make the case for why we need people to do it. 185 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,279 We may create incentives for them to. 186 00:10:00,399 --> 00:10:04,799 We create a lot of other things to get people to behave in a 187 00:10:04,799 --> 00:10:05,360 certain way. 188 00:10:05,519 --> 00:10:07,200 We'll create a scorecard. 189 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,000 We'll talk about their compensation, we'll have new 190 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,960 kinds of reporting or meetings, accountability. 191 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,360 It's not that those things aren't needed sometimes. 192 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:19,279 I mean, they can help, but rarely do we stop and ask, hold 193 00:10:19,279 --> 00:10:19,600 on. 194 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,840 Before we put all this new process in place, are we really 195 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,720 clear on what people are actually thinking? 196 00:10:27,919 --> 00:10:32,480 Not what they should be thinking, not what they we want 197 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:33,440 them to think. 198 00:10:33,919 --> 00:10:36,720 But really, what do they think? 199 00:10:37,039 --> 00:10:40,240 Why have we gone deep enough there? 200 00:10:40,399 --> 00:10:43,200 And you know, this is never what people say publicly. 201 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:44,320 We we know that. 202 00:10:44,399 --> 00:10:47,200 It's what they're actually thinking because that is what is 203 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,399 actually driving the behavior and the results. 204 00:10:50,799 --> 00:10:52,960 So let me give you an example of this. 205 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,559 A few years ago, I was working with a commercial team and they 206 00:10:56,879 --> 00:10:59,679 were planning to raise prices. 207 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:05,840 They sold, let's say, a range of products to consumers around the 208 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:06,159 world. 209 00:11:06,399 --> 00:11:09,600 And there were some strong reasons to do this. 210 00:11:09,759 --> 00:11:11,440 The economics supported it. 211 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,120 The board leadership was in full support, felt it was very 212 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:15,679 necessary. 213 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,960 They had a good strategy, everything that went behind a 214 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:21,919 raise in price, the marketing, and so on. 215 00:11:22,399 --> 00:11:27,519 There was huge resistance to do this from the commercial leaders 216 00:11:27,519 --> 00:11:28,159 themselves. 217 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:34,000 The commercial organization was slow to introduce new pricing, 218 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:36,720 slow to talk about it with customers. 219 00:11:37,039 --> 00:11:42,879 The dominant thought was no way will our customers pay for that, 220 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:44,879 or some version of that. 221 00:11:45,039 --> 00:11:47,759 You know, our customers won't do it. 222 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:52,159 If we stick to these higher prices, we will lose so many 223 00:11:52,159 --> 00:11:52,559 customers. 224 00:11:52,639 --> 00:11:55,039 They will go to our competitors, we're gonna lose business, we're 225 00:11:55,039 --> 00:11:56,320 gonna lose market share. 226 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:58,480 All of us are gonna, you know, we're gonna lose our 227 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:00,720 salespeople, they're all gonna leave because we're not gonna be 228 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:01,919 able to make their numbers. 229 00:12:02,159 --> 00:12:06,799 And here's what's interesting: nobody was treating those 230 00:12:06,799 --> 00:12:08,559 statements as thoughts. 231 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,879 If you spoke to the commercial organization at that time, they 232 00:12:12,879 --> 00:12:15,279 would have sworn to you those were facts. 233 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,919 They had all kinds of data and research to support the facts. 234 00:12:20,080 --> 00:12:21,120 But you know what? 235 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:23,600 Not all of those thoughts were facts. 236 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,840 Many of them were beliefs, which is really just a thought you 237 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:28,639 think a lot. 238 00:12:28,879 --> 00:12:30,639 They were sentences. 239 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:35,360 They were sentences in employees' minds, but those 240 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,679 sentences drove behavior. 241 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,559 Salespeople, as I said, they were really hesitating to roll 242 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:43,360 out new pricing. 243 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,960 They kept going back to the kind of default legacy pricing. 244 00:12:47,279 --> 00:12:50,559 You started to see their sales managers pushing back. 245 00:12:50,799 --> 00:12:54,480 Finally, had a commercial starts questioning the strategy and 246 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,879 going back to his CEO. 247 00:12:56,960 --> 00:13:00,480 And, you know, confirmation bias started to set in. 248 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,639 People were really finding evidence that confirmed those 249 00:13:04,639 --> 00:13:05,600 concerns. 250 00:13:06,399 --> 00:13:11,200 And while it seems like the wrong place to really look at 251 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:15,840 the strategy or the performance, rather, how could it possibly 252 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,679 start with a thought? 253 00:13:18,639 --> 00:13:23,840 That company lost millions because of sentences like these. 254 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,559 So they proved themselves right. 255 00:13:27,279 --> 00:13:28,639 How do I know this? 256 00:13:28,879 --> 00:13:32,240 Here's what made the situation really fascinating. 257 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:39,120 Their competitor had already successfully raised pricing 258 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,360 while selling what I would argue was a nearly identical product. 259 00:13:44,159 --> 00:13:48,000 So somebody else had successfully done it. 260 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:49,840 It was possible. 261 00:13:50,639 --> 00:13:54,720 The market did accept it, customers had accepted it. 262 00:13:55,039 --> 00:13:58,000 So was the pricing strategy the problem? 263 00:13:58,240 --> 00:13:58,559 No. 264 00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:02,080 The thinking about the strategy was the problem. 265 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:06,720 And I think this happens in organizations far more often 266 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:08,080 than we realize. 267 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:12,639 Now, to the team's credit, once they started to see evidence 268 00:14:12,639 --> 00:14:15,840 that challenged their assumptions, they were willing 269 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,159 to acknowledge they had been wrong. 270 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,159 They noticed that, you know what? 271 00:14:24,639 --> 00:14:27,919 Um we don't have to change our strategy, we don't have to 272 00:14:27,919 --> 00:14:30,480 change our marketing, we don't have to change our customers, we 273 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,240 have to change our thinking. 274 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,120 And when the thinking changed, the behavior across a commercial 275 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:41,440 organization started to change, which did lead to different 276 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:42,399 results. 277 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,960 And so I think it's important to go back to the idea that a 278 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:51,120 thought is just a sentence, it is a sentence in your mind. 279 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,159 So you just want to be careful. 280 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,759 Am I treating those sentences like they are reality? 281 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:03,679 You know, just because you think something, you know, is it true? 282 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:08,320 And by the way, even if it is true, is it helpful to you? 283 00:15:08,639 --> 00:15:12,879 Is it helping you to think that strategy is never going to work? 284 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,799 Is it helpful to think, I don't trust them? 285 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,720 Is it helpful to think, I don't know how to do that? 286 00:15:21,279 --> 00:15:25,279 Is it helpful to think, we need more resources for that? 287 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:30,320 Even if it's true, if it's helpful, keep it. 288 00:15:30,639 --> 00:15:35,120 But if it isn't, maybe try on a different thought. 289 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,200 And you know, how about that? 290 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,360 I mean, what if we treated thoughts like you kind of treat 291 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,639 going to a store and trying on clothes? 292 00:15:45,039 --> 00:15:49,440 You try on clothes in a store, some fit, some are comfortable, 293 00:15:49,759 --> 00:15:50,960 some don't. 294 00:15:51,279 --> 00:15:53,039 And so, same idea here. 295 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:57,519 I mean, you are not obligated to keep every thought you have, and 296 00:15:57,519 --> 00:16:01,919 some of us need to try on new thoughts. 297 00:16:02,399 --> 00:16:06,399 You know, Part X, we know, tends to think thoughts that are 298 00:16:06,399 --> 00:16:08,879 mostly repetitive and negative. 299 00:16:09,279 --> 00:16:11,919 That's what the research tells us. 300 00:16:12,879 --> 00:16:18,480 And so imagine how different some of the conversations across 301 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:20,879 your team, some of the performance would be if we 302 00:16:20,879 --> 00:16:24,480 approach them through this lens of a different sentence. 303 00:16:24,639 --> 00:16:29,200 So instead of, yes, we've tried that before, is there a thought 304 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:33,440 like, okay, we've tried some things before, those things 305 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:34,159 didn't work. 306 00:16:34,399 --> 00:16:36,080 What will we try now? 307 00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:41,120 Instead of our customers would never pay for that higher price. 308 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,120 What about a thought like, it's possible they might? 309 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:50,159 Or even it's unlikely they might, but I suppose it's 310 00:16:50,159 --> 00:16:50,799 possible. 311 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:56,399 So here's the thing: this is not about positive thinking. 312 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:01,360 It is not about pretending challenges don't exist or blind 313 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:02,159 optimism. 314 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,480 It is just simply becoming far more aware of the thinking that 315 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:11,359 is already driving your decisions, your outcomes, your 316 00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:12,480 performance. 317 00:17:13,039 --> 00:17:16,480 You know, I've often said to teams, it's not like you need a 318 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:17,359 perfect roadmap. 319 00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:19,200 You don't need a perfect strategy. 320 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,359 You can have an okay strategy. 321 00:17:21,519 --> 00:17:24,480 The question is, what do you think about the strategy? 322 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:30,079 It's not the strategy, it's what you think about the strategy. 323 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:38,160 And so this idea of how we think about our problems becomes so 324 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,119 important at those senior levels. 325 00:17:41,599 --> 00:17:45,440 And, you know, at those senior levels, performance, it does 326 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:46,480 start in the mind. 327 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:50,559 And there are different kinds of intelligence that we talk about 328 00:17:50,559 --> 00:17:51,599 at that level. 329 00:17:51,839 --> 00:17:54,160 And we've talked about this on the podcast before. 330 00:17:54,319 --> 00:17:57,440 We've talked about the kind of intelligence that is often 331 00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,039 described as rational. 332 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:01,440 This is your subject matter expertise. 333 00:18:01,599 --> 00:18:05,359 It's the information that you've learned over years, it's kind of 334 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:08,319 the domain intelligence you have. 335 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:12,240 And that's important, but as we know at that very senior level, 336 00:18:12,319 --> 00:18:13,519 it's not enough. 337 00:18:14,319 --> 00:18:16,960 Then there's the kind of intelligence we might call 338 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:18,960 emotional intelligence. 339 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,319 Now, we often talk about emotional intelligence, like 340 00:18:22,319 --> 00:18:26,319 being aware of other people's feelings, being sensitive to you 341 00:18:26,319 --> 00:18:29,039 know how our choices and decisions impact others. 342 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:32,160 But I'm talking about the emotional intelligence you might 343 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,640 have about your own feelings. 344 00:18:35,839 --> 00:18:39,920 If thoughts create feelings, feelings drive actions, your own 345 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:42,160 emotional intelligence becomes important. 346 00:18:42,799 --> 00:18:47,680 But the most important type of intelligence at those senior 347 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:51,920 levels, that type of thinking, let's call it enterprise 348 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,039 intelligence. 349 00:18:53,440 --> 00:19:00,480 Seeing the whole system, looking at your judgment, discernment, 350 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:06,720 making trade-offs, being able to prioritize, but also separating 351 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:12,400 fact from interpretation, challenging the thoughts that 352 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:18,960 have become accepted as fact, as truth inside your organization. 353 00:19:19,599 --> 00:19:24,880 That's the kind of intelligence we want to grow, we want to 354 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:31,519 expand, we want to become really outstanding at senior levels. 355 00:19:31,839 --> 00:19:35,200 Because, you know, the best leaders I think I've worked 356 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,440 with, it's not like they're the most brilliant people. 357 00:19:37,519 --> 00:19:39,680 They don't always have the better answers, but I'll tell 358 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,960 you, I think they have much greater awareness of how they 359 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:43,680 are thinking. 360 00:19:43,839 --> 00:19:46,000 They notice the part X. 361 00:19:47,039 --> 00:19:49,359 They question those assumptions. 362 00:19:49,519 --> 00:19:52,799 I find they are curious for longer. 363 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,960 They really ask good questions. 364 00:19:57,119 --> 00:20:01,680 They dig in, they will challenge a conclusion that you've made 365 00:20:01,759 --> 00:20:04,720 and even that they've made, they do not automatically believe 366 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:06,000 every thought that they have. 367 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,519 It is a huge advantage for them. 368 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:20,720 You know, I think a lot of leaders unfortunately adopt a 369 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:25,039 view whether or not they realize it, of I'll believe it when I 370 00:20:25,039 --> 00:20:25,680 see it. 371 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,519 And you know, that hurts us. 372 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:31,839 It even hurts our careers. 373 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,880 You know, we don't want to take a risk because we're not sure 374 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:36,079 how it will work. 375 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,200 We'll believe it when we see it, but you and I know, I mean, 376 00:20:39,279 --> 00:20:41,680 like, that's not how the world really works. 377 00:20:42,799 --> 00:20:50,880 I think the superpower is that mindset of when I believe it's 378 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,599 possible, then I'll see it. 379 00:20:54,319 --> 00:20:56,960 I have to believe we can do it first. 380 00:20:57,119 --> 00:20:58,640 I have to believe in that vision. 381 00:20:58,799 --> 00:21:01,200 I have to believe we can get that pricing. 382 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,200 Then I'll see the result. 383 00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:05,119 That's the mindset. 384 00:21:05,279 --> 00:21:07,839 And again, it's not because they're ignoring reality or 385 00:21:07,839 --> 00:21:12,559 they're naive, but I do think the best leaders really do 386 00:21:12,559 --> 00:21:18,559 understand that what we believe really does influence who we 387 00:21:18,559 --> 00:21:24,480 are, what we notice, what we are willing to try, to risk, to 388 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:29,359 attempt, to learn, and ultimately what we achieve. 389 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,559 Being exceptional comes down to how you think about problems, 390 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:39,039 how you talk about problems, and how you solve problems. 391 00:21:39,519 --> 00:21:42,640 And so I want to leave you with three three questions to 392 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:42,960 consider. 393 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:48,640 First of all, I want to ask you, what does your Part X sound like 394 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:49,200 in you? 395 00:21:50,079 --> 00:21:53,920 What are those sentences, those thoughts that show up over and 396 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:54,640 over again? 397 00:21:55,519 --> 00:21:58,880 And then next, what is the impact? 398 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:05,519 How is that thinking influencing decisions for you, for your 399 00:22:05,519 --> 00:22:05,759 team? 400 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:07,839 Is it preventing an opportunity? 401 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:11,359 Is it creating behaviors, good, bad, or otherwise? 402 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:16,480 And then finally, what is something new you can try on? 403 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:22,640 Is there a new thought that you can try on in the store, a 404 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:24,720 better way to think about the situation? 405 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:29,279 Again, not a fantasy, not wishful thinking, just a thought 406 00:22:29,279 --> 00:22:31,839 that can open up a possibility. 407 00:22:32,799 --> 00:22:37,920 You know, you have heard me say before the first sale you make 408 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,519 is to yourself. 409 00:22:40,319 --> 00:22:47,680 Long before you ever convince a client, your board, your CEO, a 410 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:52,640 team, you have to convince yourself of something first. 411 00:22:54,079 --> 00:22:57,039 You've already convinced yourself of something. 412 00:22:57,279 --> 00:22:58,640 That's the sale. 413 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,000 You've convinced yourself of what's actually possible or 414 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:04,079 impossible, what can work or won't work. 415 00:23:04,319 --> 00:23:07,920 And that is why paying attention to your thoughts is so 416 00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:08,240 important. 417 00:23:08,559 --> 00:23:12,640 Not letting them run on autopilot, not assuming, of 418 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,920 course, thoughts really are true, really starting to listen 419 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:20,880 to part X and do not let Part X make decisions on your behalf. 420 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:28,079 That's really the key, the lever, the aspect of performance 421 00:23:28,079 --> 00:23:30,319 that makes the biggest difference. 422 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,160 Because, you know, the leaders I work with, as I said, it's not 423 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,839 like they're necessarily more experienced or working harder, 424 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,680 but they really do pay attention to the stories they tell 425 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:44,480 themselves, that their leaders tell. 426 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:50,799 And before all of that, they have decided to become the boss 427 00:23:50,799 --> 00:23:55,680 of their brain, to be the one in charge, to not let their part X 428 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,480 run the show and really have the thoughts that create the kind of 429 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,559 life, the business, the performance. 430 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:03,920 They really want. 431 00:24:04,319 --> 00:24:07,599 I want to hear what you think about this one. 432 00:24:08,079 --> 00:24:09,119 Let me know. 433 00:24:09,359 --> 00:24:13,920 Send me a note, share a review on iTunes or Spotify. 434 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,079 I always like to know what you think. 435 00:24:17,279 --> 00:24:20,319 And I want to thank you for joining me for another week in 436 00:24:20,319 --> 00:24:21,279 Executive Land. 437 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,200 Hey everyone, I'll see you next time. 438 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:24,240 Thanks. 439 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:27,039 Well, that's all for today in Executive Land. 440 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:27,920 Thanks for listening. 441 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,640 And if you're looking for more, check out my website, 442 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,880 eastweetleader.com, where you'll see all kinds of free resources 443 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,079 and take the free executive readiness assessment. 444 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,119 It shows you exactly where you're strong and where to focus 445 00:24:41,119 --> 00:24:42,880 next in your own leadership. 446 00:24:43,039 --> 00:24:47,039 And don't forget, subscribe to this podcast so you never miss 447 00:24:47,039 --> 00:24:47,839 an episode. 448 00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:50,079 I'll see you next time in Executive Plan.