Do you think you can? Or do you think you can’t?

Today’s blog is deliberately challenging.  If you are not prepared to look at self-improvement and ask hard hitting questions of yourself, your teams and your organisation, please disregard this blog as it will not be for you.

Feedback from readers tells me that my most successful blog recently has been the one on ‘What are you doing to flourish when we are told to tighten our belts?’.  I hope you were able to read it because that very word ‘flourish’ seems to have captured the imagination, become a real aspiration and opened up dialogue on potential and possibilities.  And it is the theme of ‘possibilities’ that I have chosen today.   Why?  Because last week I was honoured to meet Sir Bob Geldof.

Sir Bob Geldof and Alison Miles-Jenkins 23 July 2010 London

As I have said before, Achievement means a lot to me personally and Sir Bob is surely one of the greatest contemporary achievers.  Remember what he accomplished with Band Aid, and Live Aid when £100 million was raised for African famine relief?  Recall his challenging of Margaret Thatcher, leading to a major re-evaluation of British government policy towards famine relief and all his subsequent achievements.  His accolades go on and on.  Just two days ago he received an Honorary degree. 

Musical and political history was made by this man.  Listening to him I was so inspired to learn about his journey through life, the way he opened up his mind to possibilities that others would not have been able to see, and his staggering ability to challenge and to influence. 

Returning home full of the experience, I learnt a salutary lesson in current celebrity culture:  I discovered that my fifteen year old daughter was up to date with the lives of Pixie and Peaches – but knew nothing of the successes of their father!  She now knows differently!

So when we are at work, how much do we really open our minds to the infinite possibilities that are out there, just waiting to be identified and optimised?  We can’t change where we started from but we can certainly change where we end up.  How do we open our minds?  I’ve listed below some simple but provocative questions and thoughts that may help you.  They have helped me along the way:

Successful people fail more often.  Does your fear of failure get in the way of possibilities?

Reframe failure as a natural result of learning

People crave leadership. Do you let them down?

Are you a member of the I’da club  (If I’d have done that….)?

A winning attitude can achieve anything

Combine attitude and skill and you have an amazing formula

Are you creating a culture of positive thinking and belief?  If so you should see the skills level rising

Our brain is a staggering piece of kit. Do you know how to access the bits you don’t habitually use?

We CAN  change our attitude to a challenge or problem

Do you look at your business as though it is your first day?  Do so and think what you would change?

When considering new ground, consider what is the worst that could happen?  Understand and protect it – it makes calculating the risks easier

Do you ask yourself and your teams – What have you done to improve the business this week?

The good old Pareto Principle – the 80/20 rule.  Are you using it to help you cut through the cr**?

Deal with your time vampires – they are bleeding  you of your most precious resource

How much more potential do you have to unleash?

Remember – it is your subconscious that is driving the bus. Is it taking you up a one way street or on to a junction with many different routes to select?

Finally, there are: 

• people who makes things happen
• people who watch things happen
• people who wonder about what happens

Which are you?

Alison Miles-Jenkins Sunday Morning Blog – 25 July 2010 Blog Number 10

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