Clever Geek Handbook
13 December 2025

The Natural Advantage

Recommendation

Work smarter, not harder has become a management cliché. While this mantra is vague at best, author Alan Heeks provides some useful advice on achieving this kind of balance. Heeks compares the stressed-out worker to formerly traditional farms that have gone organic. This premise could have been hokey, but Heeks pulls off the analogy with aplomb. As a consultant who works with large companies, the author is rooted enough in the real world that his advice is feasible. He offers helpful examples of people who have overcome work problems by using his principles. The book occasionally repeats itself and goes on a bit longer than necessary. Nonetheless, it provides a unique and healthy way of handling work-related stress. BooksInShort.com recommends this book to any manager or employee looking for an unconventional way to improve efficiency, by using the organic approach to life.

Take-Aways

  • Our economic culture convinces you to treat yourself like a machine that can run indefinitely with little attention.
  • Unlike machines, people are natural systems, prone to ebbs and flows.
  • To achieve maximum productivity, people need periods of rest and replenishment.
  • The tension that results from ambiguity offers an opportunity for creativity.
  • Sustainability means satisfying current needs without sacrificing future potential.
  • Organic farms provide a model for people seeking sustainability.
  • Organic farmers, like successful workers in general, must be able to cope with uncertainty.
  • Like farms, people need a conversion period to take on more sustainable work habits.
  • Conversion requires planning to reach the goals you really want.
  • In nature and in people, energy doesn’t disappear but merely takes on a new form.

Summary

Renewing Yourself

The high-stress, fast-paced world of work is full of unrealistic expectations. The result is dissatisfaction, poor performance and burnout. Our culture encourages you to treat yourself like a machine. But you aren’t like a refrigerator; you are more like an organic farm.

“A human being is a natural system, but many of us treat ourselves like machines.”

The environmental downside of these traditions is obvious: Natural resources are being polluted and exhausted. Many employers call the people in their work force their most important resource, yet - like the resources of nature - human resources also are being polluted and depleted.

You can increase your productivity to sustainable levels by acknowledging that everyone has a natural capacity to grow and to adapt. This Natural Advantage comes from working within nature’s bounds. Sustainability means satisfying current needs without sacrificing future potential. The organic approach isn’t about abandoning hard work and order; instead, it focuses on harnessing and shaping natural resources and processes to create quality.

Seven Principles of Organic Farming

Organic farming is a difficult task, because the farmer must cede significant control to nature. Seven key factors in organic farming provide parallel lessons for your search for balance:

  1. Soil quality - This is the key to sustainable output for organic farmers. Traditional farming, on the other hand, depletes the soil, which therefore must be artificially stimulated with fertilizer and suppressed with pesticide. Similarly, by cultivating your personal fertility, you can maintain sustainable levels of productivity. This translates to physical, mental, emotional and inspirational resources and reserves.
  2. Natural energy - Organic farmers rely on sunlight, water, air and organic waste, but not fossil fuels. In the same way, a productive workplace must rely on energizing workers without resorting to tactics that create pollution. In human terms, this translates to motivating people either by fear, which is negative, or by enthusiasm, which is positive. Artificial fertilizers include fear of being fired, competing for power or prestige, or pressure from supervisors or aggressive bonus schemes. Natural fertilizers include inspiration and a sense of purpose.
  3. Composting - In this process, messy waste is recycled. At work, negative energy can be harnessed to provide new ways of understanding old problems. Anxiety, setbacks and conflict can be turned into sources of growth and improvement.
  4. Meeting uncertainty with creativity - Organic farmers accomplish a great deal with little control over their environments. Meeting this uncertainty is critical to their survival. Similarly, workers who can adapt to uncertainty and ambiguity can improve their output. Are your work processes inflexible or highly flexible? Uncertainty leads to creative pressure, which you can exploit positively if you are flexible. The co-creative response to ambiguity is to explore and accept the tension.
  5. Natural cycles - Organic farmers use cycles, such as crop rotation and the four seasons, to increase output. Workers likewise should picture their jobs as occupying a full cycle that accommodates hard effort followed by an easier task or rest. Are you constantly working at full effort, or do you have time to rest and reflect? For instance, the cultivation cycle of four seasons can be applied to work. Spring equals seeding, summer is for growth, autumn is for harvesting and winter is for rest and analysis. In another cycle, the renewal rotation, crops are changed. This can be translated to work, if you can follow a demanding task with a less challenging one.
  6. Diversity - Organic farms boast a range of crops and enterprises, so that if one fails, the business survives. Diversity also helps to reduce weeds and insects. Similarly, workers who work at a wide range of tasks are more creative. Is your work repetitive and or varied?
  7. Quality - Organic produce might look irregular, but it delivers taste and nutrition. Forced farming, on the other hand, produces consistent but mediocre results. In workplace terms, does your work satisfy you?

Natural vs. Mechanical Systems

Systems can be divided into two groups. Manmade objects, such as computers and appliances, are mechanical systems. Ecosystems, such as rain forests, are natural systems. There are significant differences.

“Every company says its people are its greatest resource, but human resources are exhausted and polluted in the production process, just like the natural environment.”

The inputs into a mechanical system are easily measured and controlled, while the inputs into a natural system are numerous and difficult to measure or control. The process inside a mechanical system is routine and predictable; the process in a natural system is difficult to forecast. The outputs of a mechanical system are easily measured and controlled; the outputs of a natural system are difficult to quantify and hard to control. If you are a manager, these are important distinctions. Your employees are natural systems, yet the culture of work can promote an effort to run people like machines. Sometimes you can feel this impact internally, as work pressures make you try to run yourself like a machine, as well.

Soil Types, Personality Types

The organic farmer must know what type of earth his farm has. Likewise, as a manager, you must know what sort of person you are trying to motivate. Categories include:

  • Sand is not very fertile, but adding organic matter can boost it - A sandy personality type is potentially inspired and creative, yet lacks stamina. Stephen, for instance, was smart but burned out. Heavy-handed management just made Stephen dry up further. But cultivating Stephen in a less confrontational, more appreciative way helped him become a creative and valued employee. A manager who imposes his will on employees doesn’t necessarily get the best results.
  • Silt is fertile but quite dense and unstructured - A silty personality type is quite intelligent yet not practical. Phil, for instance, had a strong vision for his publishing company, and he was smart, ambitious and hard working. However, Phil’s employees depended too heavily on him to make every decision and to resolve every dispute, particularly because Phil tended to give directives rather than seek input. When he learned to seek more consensus, Phil could move his firm to more stable ground.
  • Clay is dense and heavy and must be cultivated and drained - In human terms, this translates to someone who is serious, but finds it difficult to deal with emotions. Alison, for instance, was stressed out, smoking, drinking and taking anti-depressants. Negative feelings built up in her psyche like water in clay. By expressing her feelings rather than letting them build, she was able to achieve emotional stability.
  • Loam is a mix of sand, silt and clay - Loam is quite fertile but it still needs attention. In people, this equates to someone who is complex, productive and versatile.
  • Chalk is dry but somewhat fertile - Someone with a chalky temperament might be dour or unemotional, but also a maverick. Salim, for instance, ran the software development division of his company. Because his division also had to deal with customers’ requests for technical assistance, his department couldn’t meet its development goals. Yet Salim never raised the issue, because his boss hated conflict. Once he finally complained to his boss about the problem, the level of understanding between the two improved.
  • Peat is well structured and naturally attains ideal moisture levels, yet it is highly acidic - In human terms, this translates to an intelligent, talented person who is prone to bitterness or disaffection.

Changing Styles

The process of shifting a farm from traditional farming methods to organic methods is called conversion. This is a difficult but necessary step toward attaining sustainability. A farm needs several years of natural cycles and organic cultivation before the ground condition regains its formerly fecund state. The first two or three years of conversion often prove difficult, and productivity typically drops for a time. Similarly, humans need a conversion period to take on more sustainable work habits. Unlike farms, however, people can adapt quickly.

“Both the mechanistic mindset and the culture of the hero-achiever may make you think that the only way to get progress is to push.”

Conversion requires planning. Consider what category of soil type you are, and what types of tasks most deplete your fertility. Think about what you really want to do. Make a financial budget, preferably one that accounts for the lower income you’ll realize as you begin to balance your work life and personal life. Conversion also requires flexibility, because unanticipated situations will arise. Use these tips to ease your conversion process.

  • Do it now - Don’t wait for a crisis to develop before you take a saner approach.
  • Seek help - You don’t have to convert alone; organizations and like-minded people can offer support. Colleagues might even prove receptive.
  • Trust your feelings - If you feel that your work is depleting you, act. Don’t wait for facts to support your feelings.
  • When in doubt, exaggerate - This is a form of composting. By feeling more intensely about an issue, you can delve more deeply into your creative side.
  • Go with the flow - Don’t fight the system; it’s bigger than you are. Accept that the profit motive is here to stay and align your needs with that of a capitalist economy.
  • Stick to your principles - Conversion will be challenging, but the principle of sustainability provides a compass.
  • Don’t be afraid of risk - You can’t remove the risk from a major life change, so accept that there could be a downside.
  • Find a way to measure your progress - These measurements can be subjective rather than objective; the point is to gauge your progress.
  • Work smarter, not harder - This is a cliche, but it’s a useful one. By using your natural cycles, you can maximize your energy levels and productivity.
  • Determine your market - Some customers will value the true quality that your conversion will bring. Find them and cultivate them.
  • Celebrate your successes - This will make conversion seem more rewarding.
  • Rest - You can’t always push. Sometimes you need to recover and contemplate.

Principles of Sustainability

Several tenets of science apply to human sustainability:

  • Matter and energy cannot be created nor destroyed - Energy never disappears, it just takes on a different form. Gasoline burned in a car simply turns into heat absorbed into the ecosystem. Likewise, human energy moves around but doesn’t go away. If a boss treats an employee brusquely, the employee might be rude to a customer. The energy hasn’t disappeared; rather it turned into resentment stored in the employee and customer.
  • Matter and energy disperse spontaneously - In the case of gasoline, the result is pollution. Human energy also can turn into pollution if it’s not used properly.
  • Quality is the concentration and structuring of matter - Value is the result of using energy to bring matter to a higher level of concentration or usefulness. Earth, for instance, yields raw fruits and vegetables. A human contains a high level of innate quality, and a human being can bring varying levels of quality to his work.
  • Green cells create quality - Through photosynthesis, the green cell turns energy from the sun into air, water, plants, food and fossil fuel. In human terms, a person is a green cell. The human’s version of sunlight varies, but for many this external energy is created by a sense of purpose, by the love of family and friends, and by job satisfaction.

About the Author

Alan Heeks is founder of the Wessex Foundation, an educational charity and 132-acre organic farm in England. He attended Oxford University and earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. His consulting firm’s clients include 3M, Glaxo and BP.

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The Natural Advantage

Book The Natural Advantage

Renew Yourself

Nicholas Brealey Publishing,
 


13 December 2025

Gemba Kaizen

Recommendation

Author Masaaki Imai argues that companies can become more profitable by constantly looking for efficiencies instead of seeking huge leaps, as is the Western custom. The Japanese philosophy of kaizen says businesses must mercilessly cut waste by eliminating anything that’s even remotely inefficient. These strategies will lead to more profitable companies and better employee morale. Imai makes compelling arguments, and supports them with a number of case studies and real-world examples that show kaizen in action. BooksInShort recommends this book to managers, particularly executives of manufacturing companies.

Take-Aways

  • Kaizen is a Japanese word that refers to common sense, low-cost approaches to boosting productivity.
  • Japanese managers are partial to the slow pace of kaizen, while Western managers often look for the monumental changes brought by innovation.
  • Gemba is the Japanese word for workplace and refers to the place where a business makes its products or services, and comes in contact with customers.
  • Many managers make the mistake of ignoring gemba and instead staying at their desks.
  • Muda is the Japanese word for waste and refers to anything that doesn’t contribute to profitable processes.
  • Muda can be found in overproduction, too much inventory, and inefficient assembly lines.
  • Employees can help eliminate muda by suggesting better processes.
  • Standards define the safest, easiest way to do a job.
  • The rule of thumb says a manager should ask "Why?" five times to find the root of a problem.
  • Walt Disney World is an example of gemba kaizen because of its standardization and employee empowerment.

Summary

Deliberate Consideration

Managers can choose from two approaches when they tackle problems. The typical Western approach hinges on innovation, which requires costly technology, fancy computers, and lots of money. The Japanese approach known as kaizen, on the other hand, uses common sense, checklists, and other inexpensive techniques. Kaizen is a strategy that is practiced by everyone in a company, from the chairman to the janitor. In this process of constant improvement, advances are incremental. However, kaizen’s small steps ultimately lead to significant change. Western managers prefer the dramatic forward leaps that come with innovation. But innovation often results in problems of its own. Kaizen encompasses several strategies, including total quality control, total productive maintenance, just-in-time production, quality circles, and suggestion systems.

Going to Gemba

Gemba literally means the workplace, and more specifically, the place where a company makes its product and comes into contact with customers. However, gemba does not refer to a manager’s desk. In a manufacturing company, gemba often refers to the entire manufacturing plant. At a hotel, gemba encompasses the lobby, restaurant, guestrooms, and check-in desk. In a bank, tellers, loan officers, and back-office workers are in the gemba. At a supermarket, gemba is the sales floor, warehouse, and checkout counter. Good managers are familiar with all parts of their firm’s gemba. This helps front-office managers understand where a company’s money really comes from. These executives, or non-money earners, often mistakenly believe that they are better qualified than the front-line workers, or money earners, because they have more education and fancier titles. But effective managers realize that gemba workers are the keys to success.

“Because of their fascination with innovation, Western managers tend to be impatient and overlook the long-term benefits kaizen can bring to a company.”

Placing gemba first has a number of positive effects. Gemba workers spot the company’s needs more quickly. Front line workers are always thinking about problems and solutions. Gemba-centered companies find employees less resistant to change and more willing to adjust continually. Solutions are grounded in reality, focus on low-cost approaches, and do not always require upper management’s approval.

“Kaizen signifies small improvements as a result of ongoing efforts. Innovation involves a drastic improvement as a result of a large investment of resources in new technology or equipment.”

Many executives have embraced this approach. For instance, Fuji Xerox President Akira Miyahara began his career as a cost accountant. Because he wanted to understand the processes behind the numbers, Miyahara spent so much time on the production line that he had a special desk there. Honda founder Soichiro Honda was a mechanic and didn’t have a president’s office. He constantly tuned and adjusted engines. He took pride in the scars on his hands from cuts he got in the shop. Toyota’s company philosophy says gemba is the primary place in the company. At Giorgi Foods in Pennsylvania, administrators’ offices used to be on the second floor, while gemba was downstairs. Walls separated the sales, marketing, and human resources workers. Chairman Fred Giorgi decided to move everyone to gemba, to work in a big room without walls. The employees protested, worrying about noise, morale, and confidentiality. Today, even Giorgi sits in the midst of his employees. He believes the change boosted teamwork and morale.

Three Keys to Gemba Kaizen

Putting gemba kaizen to work has three main components: housekeeping, cutting muda, or waste, and standardization.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping is key to effective management and employee self-discipline. You can describe this process with the "Five Ss."

  1. Sort - Separate everything unnecessary and get rid of it. Put a red tag on unnecessary items (for example, unused machines), then remove them.
  2. Straighten - Put key items in order so they can be found readily. Straighten logically, so items can be located with a minimum of wasted effort.
  3. Scrub - Tools and workplaces should be clean. Dirt and foreign particles can cause machinery to malfunction.
  4. Systematize - Make a schedule for cleaning and for checking that all is in order. This ensures that housekeeping is maintained constantly.
  5. Standardize - Make the preceding steps part of a regular process.
“When Western management combines kaizen with its innovative ingenuity, it will greatly improve its competitive strength.”

You can also describe housekeeping with the "Five Cs." Clear out anything unnecessary; configure a convenient place for everything; clean and check work areas; conform to standardized practices; and create a custom that make routine maintenance habitual.

Cutting Muda

The second component centers on muda, or waste, a term that refers to anything that doesn’t add value to an organization’s product or service. Cutting waste is a cost-effective way to boost productivity and reduce costs. For example, if workers on an assembly line must turn around to pick up a part, that movement adds a few seconds to the process. Simply moving the parts to a more convenient place would boost productivity. Purchasing new equipment to increase productivity costs money, but eliminating waste is free. Just be sure that your muda-cutting steps don’t inconvenience or delay customers, such as eliminating airline counter personnel and creating a back up at peak periods.

“When a company in the service industry conducts its business inefficiently, the company is not only wasting its own resources but also stealing the valued customer’s time.”

Reducing muda doesn’t necessarily mean cutting costs; it might mean better cost management. Quality improvement is a first step. A better work process leads to fewer mistakes and rejects, although improving productivity also lowers costs. You can improve productivity by putting fewer people on the production line, which reduces the possibility for mistakes. However, the displaced workers should not be fired; rather, they should be put into other roles.

“Most managers prefer their desk as their workplace and wish to distance themselves from the events taking place in gemba.”

Inventory is a source of muda, because it takes up space, adds to production lead-time, must be stored and transported, and deteriorates in quality as it sits in a warehouse. Managers should reduce inventory and cut equipment downtime. Most manufacturing companies have too many employees, too much space, and over-long lead times. Managers can free space by incorporating separate workspaces into the main production line, and by reducing inventory. Lead-time can be reduced by filling customer orders more quickly and by improving communication with suppliers. The gemba must make its procedures flexible, efficient, and error-free to reduce inventories and deliver products promptly.

“Most managers come into contact with reality only through their daily, weekly, or even monthly reports and meetings.”

Muda takes many forms. The muda of overproducing comes from a line supervisor who wants to boost production to stay ahead of schedule in case of equipment failure or worker absences. Overproduction consumes materials before they are needed and masks problems in the production process. The muda of inventory refers to products that must be stored before delivery. Their quality deteriorates and a natural disaster or fire might destroy them. The muda of rejects refers to the waste that accompanies faulty products. Workers must dispose of the rejects and determine what caused the problem. The muda of motion describes wasteful walking by employees. An employee walking around is a sign that the workplace is inefficiently organized. The muda of waiting happens when a worker isn’t doing anything because he is waiting for the next piece of work to arrive. The muda of transport occurs when forklifts and conveyer belts are working. No value is added during transport, and damage is a possibility. Shop floors should be redesigned to minimize wasteful transport.

Standardization

The third component is standardization, defined as documenting the best way to do a job. Enforcing standards maintains quality and reduces waste. The four-step, plan-do-check-act cycle is a first step in implementing kaizen:

  1. Plan - Set a goal for improvement and formulating a strategy.
  2. Do - Put the plan in motion.
  3. Check - Determine if the plan is working.
  4. Act - Standardize the new procedures.
“One place that is definitely not gemba is the manager’s desk. When a manger makes a decision at his or her desk based on data, the manager is not in gemba, and the source of the original information must be questioned carefully.”

This cycle continually evolves, and its effect is that employees keep striving to find better methods. Standards define the safest, most efficient way to do a job. Standards preserve knowledge and provide a way to measure performance. They describe the cause-effect relationship. They provide a starting point for maintenance and improvement, establish goals and a starting point for training, prevent errors, and encourage consistency.

Kaizen systems

Kaizen requires the following systems:

  • Total quality control - Also known as total quality management, this system focuses on achieving better quality, cost control, and delivery by involving everyone in the organization and by constantly improving procedures.
  • Just-in-time production - Just-in-time production cuts waste by making systems conform to changes in customer demand. Popularized by Toyota Motors, just-in-time management lets companies cut costs, deliver products on time, and improve profits.
  • Total productive maintenance - This approach aims to put equipment through exhaustive maintenance, making equipment more efficient and lengthening its useful life.
  • Employee suggestions - A suggestion system encourages employee participation and boosts morale by asking workers to talk to their bosses about how to cut waste and improve processes.
  • Small group activities - Voluntary, informal group discussions can help improve quality and productivity.

Ask "Why" Five Times

A rule of kaizen suggests that a manager can discern the root cause of a problem by asking five times why it occurred. Once a manager notices the symptom of a problem, asking "why?" the first time earns an answer that describes the symptom. Asking "why?" several more times peels back layers of symptoms and comes closer to the root cause of the problem. In kaizen, management’s two major roles are maintenance, that is enabling employees to follow standard procedures, and improvement, which is trying to elevate existing standards.

Gemba Kaizen Case Studies

Walt Disney World offers a good example of kaizen principles. Workers sit at the top of the organization. Garbage cans are placed so that customers have to walk no more than 25 steps to throw out trash, and the garbage cans are frequently emptied. Employees have specific job descriptions. All employees are told to make eye contact and smile, greet each guest, seek contact with customers, and thank each guest. Employee appearance is standardized through specific rules about hair coloring, tattoos, facial hair, fingernails, jewelry, cosmetics, and skirt length. Employees who transgress are corrected in private, away from customers.

“Many Western managers tend to choose not to visit gemba. They may take pride in not going to the site and not knowing much about it.”

La Buenos Aires, an Argentinian insurance company, decided that its goal would be serving customers, not selling insurance. Its "24-Hour Service" provides firefighters, guards, medical care, and other assistance to customers. The agency made each employee his or her own inspector. Charts showing feedback, such as customer complaints, were put on display in employee areas. Its "Jet-Claim" program pays up to seventy percent of the total amount of an insurance claim on the day that the claim is filed. This client-centered approach was illustrated after an Argentine building was destroyed in 1984, resulting in nearly 100 deaths. La Buenos Aires owed money on 22 claims. The company set up a temporary office at the disaster site and made payments the day claims were filed.

About the Author

Masaaki Imai is a lecturer and consultant. He chairs the Kaizen Institute of Japan. His first book, Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success, sold more than 179,000 copies and was translated into fourteen languages.

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Gemba Kaizen

Book Gemba Kaizen

A Common Sense, Low-Cost Approach to Management

McGraw-Hill,
 


13 December 2025

Coach Yourself to Win

Recommendation

Some motivational authors claim that their books, with their snappy covers and glowing recommendations, can change your life – even if their content is as insubstantial as a summer breeze. In contrast, Howard M. Guttman provides a steady stream of valuable content that can help you make your life better. A respected executive coaching expert, Guttman presents seven easy-to-follow steps you can use to coach yourself to achieve lasting positive behavioral change. He delivers invaluable knowledge, wisdom, savvy tips and practical expertise as he explains how to apply proven executive coaching principles to modify your behavior and achieve a happier, more productive life. BooksInShort recommends this completely useful self-coaching guide. It will be worth far more than its cover price if you practice its principles.

Take-Aways

  • Planning long-term behavioral change is not hard, but making and maintaining the actual change is difficult.
  • Why you act a certain way is beside the point. Focus on “how you behave.”
  • You can make a fundamental change by following a seven-step self-coaching plan.
  • First, make sure you are ready, willing and “self-coachable.”
  • Second, identify a specific intention about exactly what behavior to change and how.
  • Third, recruit a mentor, or guide, and the people who will form your “circle of support.”
  • Fourth, secure objective feedback from them about your behavior.
  • Fifth, review this input, analyze it and learn from it.
  • Sixth, develop a plan to transform your behavior; then implement it.
  • Seventh, monitor how well you do and “recalibrate” your plan if necessary. Celebrate your success.

Summary

Do You Really Want to Change?

When it comes to changing behavior, making a resolution to change is easy, but sustaining actual change is remarkably difficult because behavior is habitual.

While people often want to transform their bad behavior, some find it impossible. For instance, people know smoking is dangerous. Yet they keep puffing; smoking kills 438,000 Americans annually.

“Most of us are capable of moving from where we are now to a brighter future.”

Nevertheless, many people do accomplish “lasting behavioral change.” often using these relevant change principles:

  • “People can and do make – and remake – themselves” – For proof, visit any Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.
  • “Change begins with making choices” – You control your behavior. Lasting change requires you to choose the conduct that you want.
  • “Behavior is what counts” – Why you act a certain way is beside the point. Focus on “how you behave.”
  • “Self-coaching can help you achieve lasting behavior change” – Executive coaching works. Self-coaching is merely a variant of executive coaching.
  • “Self-coaching begins with the thought: ‘Yes, I can’” – Believe in yourself, and all things become possible.

The Seven Steps

For self-coaching to work you need verifiable data built on other people’s objective opinions to help you evaluate where you are and where you want to go.

“If you aren’t willing – deep down and for real – to make profound changes in yourself, you are not a candidate for self-coaching.”

You’ll need a personal guide or mentor who can help you stay on the right track, and a readiness to expand out of your personal comfort zone.

If you truly are ready to change your behavior and to remake yourself, follow the seven steps of the “self-coaching process”:

Step 1 – “Determine Your Self-Coachability”

Changing your behavior requires a leap of faith, a belief that real change is within your reach. To determine if you are self-coachable, ask yourself: “Am I able, ready and willing to permanently change my behavior?” The answer to this complex question demands determined thought and serious consciousness-raising. Ask yourself if you can change – most people can if they want, though some must face internal demons that hamper change. Do you have the psychological flexibility, strength and will to change? Can you do whatever is required? As you answer these questions, accept the fact that you must take responsibility for yourself and your intended behavioral change. And you need to be able to accept objective feedback as a valuable gift, not as some kind of a threat.

“The whole premise of executive coaching is that people are 100% accountable for their behavior.”

Behavioral change requires you to “reframe your ‘stories’.” Stop buying into self-defeating narratives like “I can’t quit smoking; I’ll gain weight,” or “I’ll never be able to get a promotion,” or “I can’t stand up to my husband; he’s got a violent temper.” Avoid self-defeating, self-deflating statements, like: “It’s not possible.” “It’s too hard.” “I’m not ready yet – maybe next year.” “I have too many things to do right now.” The negative stories that you tell yourself affect how you see the world and how you act. They become “core limiting beliefs.”

“Stories are designed to lock us into our comfort zone. They keep us from making tough choices and the changes they represent.”

Replace them with new, positive statements that will benefit you. For example, if you have been telling yourself that you are too busy and stressed to go back to college, replace that lament with: “Going back to school is my number one priority.”

If you truly are ready to change, write down your intention, the benefits you’ll derive from changing and the most desirable outcome. Your self-coaching success hinges on your willingness to change and your resolve not to let anything or anyone undermine your efforts. This includes avoiding insidious self-sabotage. The most credible way to measure change is your long-term “observable behavior.” Behavioral change matters only if you sustain it.

Step 2 – “Select and Commit to an Intention”

Your intention must include “an action, an end result and a time frame,” such as, “lose 30 pounds in six months.” Think carefully about your intention. It will be the road map for your future. Make sure it is realistic. With a solid intention, you can focus on achieving what you want. Every intention includes a “‘no-trespassing’ zone.” For example, if you want to write a novel, put your time-wasting television in a no-trespassing zone. Be passionate about your intention. It should be “a must, a gotta have, a categorical imperative.” After you write your intention, let others know about it. Put your intention to change on the record, particularly with people who can provide “moral support, an attentive ear...feedback” and “personal experience in achieving this intention.” Straying from the path of your intention becomes harder when you have publicly included other people. In as much detail as possible, imagine how your life will be different after you change your behavior. Make these images an internal movie in your mind. Watch it repeatedly so it becomes more and more real to you.

“Unless you are willing to reframe your stories, you will never get ‘unstuck’ from your current situation.”

Once you have a firm intention, plan your initial step. If your goal is to return to college, go to your local university and pick up a class schedule for the upcoming semester. Begin a journal and record every action you take, no matter how minor, to realize your intention. Pay no mind to the “deadly inner voices” that can sabotage you.

“In the self-coaching arena, early and frequent reassessments (and, if indicated, recalibrations) are even more important than they are in executive coaching.”

These could be:

  • “The Inner Critic – ‘You want to go to college? With the grades you got in high school?’”
  • “The Cynic – ‘You’ve never been able to stop drinking. What makes you think you’ll do it this time?’”
  • “The Procrastinator – ‘I’ll just finish this one pack before I quit’.”
  • “The Rationalizer ¬– ‘I didn’t want dessert, but it would have been rude to refuse’.”

Step 3 – “Identify Your Guide and Circle of Support”

Changing your behavior by using this self-coaching process requires regular assistance from supportive people. Analyzing your own conduct objectively is difficult. Ask those who know you to handle this important task and to share helpful ideas and perspectives. Your family and friends can lend valuable moral support as you change. Most essentially, you need a guide or mentor to assist you. This person will play a major role in your self-coaching and growth.

“If only you could just snap your fingers and, presto, begin behaving differently. But reality doesn’t work that way.”

Among other responsibilities, your guide will help you develop an actual plan for change. Recruit someone you respect and with whom you feel comfortable, someone positive who can help you explore all your success options. Of course, your guide must have the time and willingness to back you up and give you advice on what to do. Your mentor will ask you questions (but won’t answer them) and will make you think. Your guide is your sounding board, not your echo.

“Change brings uncertainty. And uncertainty can be scary.”

Also, develop a circle of support among your friends or associates to assist you constantly on the difficult journey of personal change. A good guide exemplifies the type of individuals you want in your circle of support. Select people who truly care about you and who will be honest with you. Your guide and your circle of support must hold you responsible for your own success.

Step 4 – “Solicit Feedback”

Objective feedback is crucial in self-coaching. With the help of your guide and support group, develop a comprehensive questionnaire to elicit the feedback from them that you need to assess your progress. These questions might ask for their assessment of your current situation, how it might change, what’s the major thing you could do on your own behalf and what behavior would indicate success. You may find it helpful to add an explanatory memo to your list of questions. For example, “As I take the next steps toward realizing my intention...your support is going to be crucial. Providing me with honest, thoughtful feedback is one of the most important ways that you can help.” Include guidelines on the type of feedback that you need, specifically information that focuses on your overall behavior, not just one episode or incident. Ask each person to fill out the questionnaire, or meet with each individual one-on-one to discuss his or her answers.

Step 5 – “Analyze and Respond to Feedback”

The way that your mentor and circle of supporters view you may be quite different from how you see yourself, so their feedback may surprise and upset you. Typical reactions include “They’re mistaken” or “That’s not me.” In fact, everyone carries an unrealistic self-image, a construct that psychologists term an “ego ideal.” Thus, objective feedback can be unsettling. Be aware of this as you solicit input, but encourage your guide and supporters to be honest; you want objective, no-holds-barred viewpoints.

“Planning isn’t so much about predicting the future as it is about trying to shape it.”

If you set up face-to-face interviews, use “attending behavior” to help prompt your guide and supporters to cooperate. Having this attitude of attentiveness indicates that you are fully receptive to what they say. For the best results, use the SOLER model: “Sit (or stand) squarely, Open posture, Lean forward, Eye contact” and “Respect” for the other person. Engage in “passive listening,” which means providing enough polite silence for the other person to speak openly and freely. Use “say more”-type responses: “Oh?” “Really?” and “Can you give me an example?” Paraphrasing also works well: “So, what you’re saying is...” and “Let me see if I understand you correctly.” Take notes while the other person discusses your behavior. Work with your mentor to analyze the feedback from your supporters. Seek common themes that recur in their comments about how you act. After this analysis, you and your guide should create a “Personal Development Plan” (PDP) outlining the steps you can take to change your behavior as you wish, a set timeline, a plan for handling possible obstacles and follow-up action steps.

Step 6 – “Develop and Act on a Game Plan”

Revamping your behavior requires having a strong action plan focused on your intention to change. Be realistic and systematic. Complex plans are difficult to follow, so keep yours simple. Include some contingency strategies if things don’t go exactly as hoped. If your intention requires following an intricate path, break it down into achievable steps. Put everything on paper. Routinely check your premises, goals and action steps. Show your plan to your supporters for input. As you work on your action steps, remember that nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Set SMART goals that are: “Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bounded.” Each goal should include a schedule; a “responsibility statement” outlining what you must accomplish; and a “performance measure” to assess your progress in calculable terms of quantity, quality or cost. Be conscious of “watch-outs,” danger areas that can interfere with your attempts to change. For example, for someone who wants to quit drinking, a bar is a watch-out.

Step 7 – “Track Your Success and Recalibrate”

Accomplishing truly lasting behavioral change generally takes nine to 12 months. During this extended period, getting offtrack somewhere along the line is a possibility. If that happens, it isn’t a defeat; see it, rather, as a small bump in the road. Get up and start again on your journey. Think of any temporary fall as something you will compensate for later. For example, if your plan is to eat healthy foods and lose weight, but you gave in and ate a doughnut during a meeting, adjust your dinner choices to compensate for the extra calories.

“We set goals, we reach, we grasp – and then we fall back on old habits.”

Keep a few rules of the road in mind on your journey of behavioral change: Be prepared for the unexpected. Don’t fret about matters you cannot control, just focus on elements you can manage. Establish a consistent routine. If your plan is not working, change it – that is, recalibrate your action steps. This is essential in self-coaching. If the plan you have is working, keep following it. When you reach your goal of behavioral change, ask your mentor and supporters to verify objectively that you have, in fact, changed as planned. Make sure you celebrate this notable achievement with the people who encouraged you along the way.

About the Author

Howard M. Guttman, the author of Great Business Teams, heads Guttman Development Strategies Inc., an executive coaching and management-development training firm.

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Coach Yourself to Win

Book Coach Yourself to Win

7 Steps to Breakthrough Performance on the Job and in Your Life

McGraw-Hill,
 



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