Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
VOL. # ONE ISSUE #5
A Book Review
“Actors stepping on a line. Writers misusing commas. Chefs leaving out a
key ingredient. That’s what we’re talking about…people who do one
annoying thing repeatedly on the job – and don’t realize that this small flaw
may sabotage their otherwise golden career. And worse, they do not realize
that (a) it’s happening and (b) they can fix it.” (P. 9)
“The only natural law I’ve witnessed in three decades of observing
successful people’s efforts to become more successful is this: People will do
something – including changing their behavior – only if it can be
demonstrated that doing so is in their own best interests as defined by their
own values.” (P. 29)
Peter Drucker says, “We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do.
We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders
I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.”
(P. 35)
“Get out your notepad. Instead of your usual ‘To Do’ list, start your ‘To
Stop’ list (P. 37)
“Think about how we perceive other successful people. We rarely associate
their success with technical skill or even brainpower” (P. 43)
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Braeuler Consulting works with organizations to leverage Strategic Thinking
and Execution Planning and we encompass many of these principles into our Four DecisionsTM methodology and
development of company’s One Page Strategic Plans. Whatever system or systems you decide to use, I encourage you to
understand them fully, implement them slowly and completely and maintain the discipline and rhythm necessary to see
concrete results. Employees tire of “Flavor of the Month” initiatives. They also thrive on organizational alignment,
execution of plans and achievements that garner a sense of accomplishment.
“It’s not that these people don’t know who they are or where they’re going or what they want
to achieve…What’s wrong is that they have no idea how their behavior is coming across to
the people who matter”. (P. 7)
“Once you master the subtle arts of apologizing,
advertising, listening, and thanking, you must
follow up – relentlessly. Or everything else is
just a ‘program of the month’. ” (P. 161)
Braeuler Consulting
Peter Braeuler Telephone 210.219.9934
Book in a Bite
Key quotes
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
Four Key Beliefs to Success THESE BELIEFS CARRIED US HERE AND MAY BE
HOLDING US BACK IN OUR QUEST TO GO THERE (P.17)
❖ Belief 1: I have succeeded (past) o Successful people believe in their SKILLS and
TALENTS
o Their mantra: “I have succeeded
o Edit out failures and replay successes
o Hard to accept the need for change
❖ Belief 2: I can succeed (present) o I am CONFIDENT that I can succeed
o You see opportunities others see as threats
o They are NOT victims of fate
o How to accept that success is in spite of their
behavior
❖ Belief 3: I will succeed (future)
o I have the motivation to succeed
o Unflappable optimism
o Can’t say no – drown in sea of opportunity
o Over commitment – serious obstacle to change
❖ Belief 4: I choose to succeed
o Committed vs. compliant
o I choose to change causes a disconnect – the more
we believe something is true the less likely we are
to believe the opposite is true. (p.24)
Apologizing is the most magical, healing,
restorative gesture human beings can make. o I’m sorry
o I’ll try to do better in the future
o Then say NOTHING
▪ Don’t explain it
▪ Don’t complicate it
▪ Don’t qualify it
You are HERE now
Keys
1. Imagine you are 95 and ready to die
2. You can travel back in time and give
your younger self some sage advice
3. What advice will old self give you?
Book in a Bite
What Got You Here…
➢ 4 key beliefs to success
➢ 20 habits that hold you back
from the top
➢ 4 commitments of feedback
➢ Blind spot events – Johari
window
➢ The magic move – apologize
➢ The skill that separates
near-great from GREAT
➢ Feed-Forward
Apologizing
THE MAGIC MOVE (P. 136)
The higher you go, the more
your problems are behavioral
– your people skills (or lack of
them) become more
pronounced the higher up you
go. (P. 43)
The good news is these faults are simple
to correct. The fix is in the skill set of
every human being. (P. 42)
Tell the world - Advertise
DECLARE WHAT YOU PLAN TO CHANGE
(P. 142)
- Make it a long-term campaign
- You may have to go through the “dumb
phase” (as with a wine that goes to sleep for a
few years)
- Projects require 7 phases as does getting
people to help you change for the better
o Assess, isolate, formulate, woo up,
woo laterally, woo down, implement
- Stay on message – be your own press secretary
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
13. Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame
away from ourselves and onto events and people
from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
14. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating
someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take
responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or
recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of
disrespect for colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form
of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to
attack the innocent who are usually only trying to
help us.
19. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but
ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be “me”: Exalting our faults
as virtues simply because they’re who we are.
Braeuler Consulting VOL. # ONE ISSUE #5
Book in a Bite
1. Winning too much: the need to win at all
costs and in all situations – when it matters,
when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside
the point.
2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming
desire to add our two cents to every
discussion.
3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others
and impose our standards on them.
4. Making destructive comments: The
needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that
we think make us sound sharp and witty.
5. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”: The overuse of these negative qualifiers
which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right,
you’re wrong.”
6. Telling the world how smart we are: The
need to show people we’re smarter than they
think we are.
7. Speaking when angry: Using emotional
volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity, or “Let me explain why that
won’t work”: the need to share our negative
thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
9. Withholding information: The refusal to
share information in order to maintain an
advantage over others.
10. Failing to give proper recognition: The
inability to praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve: The
most annoying way to overestimate our
contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses: The need to reposition our
annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so
people excuse us for it.
20 Habits that hold you back
from the top
THE MOST ANNOYING INTERPERSONAL
ISSUES IN THE WORKPLACE (P.33)
Caveat 1. As you go through this list you may recognize yourself – “That’s me” “I do that all the time”
2. The chances that you’ll admit it’s a PROBLEM are less high
3. The chances that you’ll take corrective action to mend your ways are even slimmer.
4. Even if you do you’re getting ahead of yourself – guard against self-diagnosis, and determine
the seriousness of the problem to OTHERS, then determine the solution. (P. 44)
These are a very specific breed of faults.
They are not flaws of SKILL
Nor are they flaws in INTELLIGENCE
Nor are they flaws of unchangeable PERSONALITY
These are challenges in interpersonal
behavior…egregious everyday annoyances. These
are transactional flaws performed by one person
against others. (P. 40)
Blue Sky Leadership Consulting LLC 2014
Book in a Bite
The skill that separates the Near-Great from the Great
Not only LISTEN – make them feel like the only person in the room!
❖ Listen; don’t interrupt
❖ Don’t finish the other person’s sentences; don’t say “I knew that.”
❖ Don’t even agree with the other person (even if he praises you, just say, “thank you”)
❖ Don’t use the words “no,” “but,” and “however”
❖ Don’t be distracted. Don’t let your eyes or attention wander elsewhere while the other person is talking.
❖ Maintain your end of the dialogue by asking intelligent questions that (a) show you are paying attention, (b)
move the conversation forward, and (c) require the other person to talk (while you listen).
❖ Eliminate any striving to impress the other person with how smart or funny you are.
Feedback –
4 commitments
WHEN ASKING OTHERS TO GIVE
FEEDBACK ON YOU OR SOMEONE
ELSE
Practice Feedforward ✓
✓ Describe 1:1 with someone you know
✓ Ask them for 2 suggestions
(feed-forward)
✓ Listen, take notes, say thank you
Blindside event JOHARI WINDOW OF SELF-AWARENESS
1. Let go of the past: Let go of
the hope for a better past! 2. Tell the truth: don’t be
jiving or just say what you
think they want to hear. 3. Be supportive and helpful –
not cynical or negative: 4. Pick something to improve
yourself – so everyone is
focused more on
“improving” than
“judging.”: this creates
parity, a bond, you are
engaged in the same
struggle to improve.
Blind Spots
Unknown to us
known to others
Public Knowledge
Known to us
Known to Others
Unknowable
Unknown to us
Unknown to Others
Private Knowledge
Known to us
Unknown to others
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