Ignite Passion and Performance with User Friendly Brain Tools
(Bob’s goofy caveman comes out in the outtake)
Supporting research: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/a-positive-mood-allows-your-brain-to-think-more-creatively.html
Learn more at Influencing Your Inner Movie – The Thinker and the Caveman (10 minute video by the Matchbox Group)
The Caveman and Thinker do better when they work together. This funny, brief animation gives a great example of the problems when one of the brain characters takes over. The blue character is similar to what I call the Thinker, and the red one has the passion and impulsiveness of the Caveman (or Cavewoman, if you prefer). This part of the passion of the Caveman is not one we talk about much in class 🙂
This young man epitomizes keeping a positive attitude, even in the middle of a living nightmare. It also shows the power of loving family and friends.
He is truly living into his Best DNA, and inspiration to us all.
I explain some of the most helpful research I’ve read, with some tips… followed by a goofy outtake
My favorite story in Whit Mitchel’s book “Working in Sync” is about Hans Stander.
This is for three reasons (the first one is silly). 1) I love doing handstands. 2) Hans has a passion for empowering others that I can relate to. 3) He is a master at using compelling stories to get people to agree to unlikely goals. I love that.
Hans works to get funding to people in poor countries to build their businesses. This capital becomes a foundation for their thriving, helping the local economy, and (in my opinion) even strengthening global civilization.
Hans knows that you have to appeal to people’s hearts as well as their minds.
Whit describes this powerfully,
“Small goals, small dreams don’t have the power to ignite people to make the leap from thought to feeling. Only big ideas have the power to align people’s hearts with their heads. And when that is achieved, great achievements are possible because “intellectual and emotional conviction” combine to sustain the effort… So make the linkages clear and understandable between the commercial aims and the larger, more laudable purpose that is built on the shared values and beliefs of the team or community. “
This is similar to what I describe colorfully in “Energize” as ‘getting their ACT together’. I.e., motivating the three critical parts of our brain by “Calming the Caveman” (regarding fears about the goal), “Energizing the Artist” (igniting passion with stories, etc.), and “Convincing the Thinker” (giving rational plans and facts). All three combined are fifty times more powerful than any one of them alone. And the research shows that stories are the most powerful way to do this.
I recommend that you get your hands on “Working in Sync”, not only for the powerful, real life success stories, but also for the wise and pragmatic coaching ideas that Whit proffers. I’ve known Whit for years and his insight, skill, and motivation have been a professional boon to me countless times.
I love those wonderful discoveries that show how doing what we love is good for us physically.
Click on The New York Times to read this fascinating, and heartening article.
This is particularly exciting for living into what we call our “Best DNA“.
Bob Faw, interviewed on NEDD Radio by Tom Raffio, head of Northeast Delta Dental
Interview about Energize – NEDD Radio
Energize Performance
Feedforward is usually far easier to give than feedback. Most of the time it is more helpful: specific, clear, actionable, and positive. Learn what it is, and how to do it well. Improve relationships at work and home. Achieve success more easily.
This video is Bob Faw teaching how to use feedforward, in performance management, and elsewhere in life.
I give ideas on how to use these positive motivators for increased passion and performance. Thanks to Dan Pink for his great work in “Drive”!
Reframing: This is a powerful motivational tool. Reframing our language helps us to influence the “inner movies” that we and others see in our minds. This can make a huge difference in how others perceive us and what we’re telling them. This is also true with family and friends. This truly can help “Make Friends and Influence People”. Because of our caveman, our immediate gut reactions are often to focus on risks and only see problems. This can blurt out “caveman comments” that activate F Responses in others. Positive reframes create inner movies in people’s minds of the goals and the action needed to reach them. They also inspire the emotion needed to motivate people to action.
Wendy and Kevin, of the Litle & Co’s Leadership University class of 2012, give real-life examples of how they use reframes for great leadership.
Here are some other great examples of wonderful reframes from one of Litle’s stars. More will follow in later posts.
Personal Reframes
Susan and I watched the video on Bob’s blog “Influencing your Inner Movie – The Thinker & The Caveman” together. Susan was eager to “get to the caveman” portion of the video. As we were viewing the overview of the caveman…
Susan: “Caveman. That’s like Ellen when she’s fighting with me!” (Ellen is her 7 year old sister)
Lisa (mommy): “Yes, that’s right!”
Susan: “Or like you when you yell at me.”
Lisa (mommy): “Yes…that’s why mommy is taking this class. So I make better choices and reframe my words to be more positive.”
We talked about caveman behaviors and thinking behaviors, positive and negative comments and even about our Inner Movie. Caveman and Thinking behaviors seem to resonate the most with Susan. We agreed going forward when we got upset with each other or saw caveman behavior in each other we would use a shared “code word” as a reminder to reframe and choose our words more carefully. Susan picked our code word: octopus flare. I agreed it was good choice and would definitely snap me out of my caveman moment!
We’ve reference the caveman and thinker throughout this week since our lesson – and our code word is definitely working. It’s impossible NOT to smile (and laugh) when you’re saying/hearing octopus flare!
I shared the lesson of The Thinker & The Caveman with my husband John after my conversation with Susan. John’s first observation was how Susan was quick to recognize/call out caveman behaviors in others, but not herself. J
Over the course of this week we’ve talked each night about different segments of the training. Slightly different from my lesson with Susan, John and I have focused more on inner movie, reframing and 10:1 positive to negative comments. And our greatest challenge: TONE.
We both realize an opportunity to reframe our communications with the girls to be more in line with the 10:1 positive to negative comments. Most obvious has been our combined efforts to shift from telling them what NOT to do and reframing it into HOW to do something differently.
We also talked about the Chameleon Effect. Specifically making judgments/assumptions about the girl’s abilities or presumed limitations (our inner movies perhaps?) and allowing that to guide our approach with them. The story of the teacher with gifted/non-gifted children really hit home on the potential negative ramifications.
We’re not perfect – but we are definitely more aware! As you’ll see in the reframe examples following…
Business Reframes
I. Caveman Urge: I wanted to ask a team member what they were thinking (sarcastically and with annoyance!!!) offering a client a free trial after we’d already offered the trial as a risk free trial (pay for service upfront with a money back guarantee).
Reframe: I checked my temper and my inner movie and took the time to ask some qualifying questions about what conversations led up to the discussion and how the offer evolved.
Result: Instead of letting my caveman loose and my temper run wild, I asked questions and took time to listen and understand how the situation evolved. In doing so I learned the team member was inadvertently not included in several key discussions leading up to the client call, limiting their insight and resulting in lack of direction. I took the opportunity to review the sequence of events, apologize for my oversight in the process and offer positive observations on where the team member took initiative and responsibility to move the opportunity forward.
II. Caveman Urge: My seven year old daughter, Ellen, is having some trouble with separation anxiety in the morning before going to school. I wanted to tell her not to be sad and to focus on happy things versus how much she misses mommy and daddy during the day.
Reframe: I remembered that referencing the feelings of sadness and missing us would bring up the feelings/thoughts that caused her to be upset in the first place. So instead I said, “I feel like today is going to be a great day!” and steered the conversation toward activities happening that day that I knew she liked (e.g. gym, recess, etc.).
Results: The first day it took a lot of reframing/redirecting and we still had some tears. Today she was less focused on sadness/missing and more focused on feeling like it would be a good day.
III. Caveman Urge: I wanted to tell my nine year old daughter Susan that there would be no more TV in the morning before school unless she started listening to me (and moving faster) when I told her it was time to get dressed and ready for school. (In a loud, frustrated tone)
Reframe: I stopped to consider how my previous comments along those lines had failed to make any difference in our morning routine, and potential for conflict. I thanked Susan for making her bed that morning before being asked and asked her what else was needed done before we headed out to the bus stop.
Results: Susan brushed her teeth and her hair without further prompting and I kept my anxiety (and unnecessary caveman comments) to myself. That night before bed we talked about ideas of things we could do to make getting ready in the morning smoother and less rushed and agreed to set our clothes out the night before.