Altitude Unlimited

Decision Making at its finest.

I had an interesting opportunity to think about priorities, choices and decision making a few weeks ago at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, Florida.  While walking around the festival site (which was surprisingly slim on actual fresh, local strawberries) I was confronted with a huge line standing at the concession stand pictured above. There were people walking away from this culinary hotspot holding clear plastic trays of crispy bacon, complete with a small bowl of melted chocolate for dipping, and were dipping and munching happily! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of each of these ingredients separately, (and might even enjoy them combined), but there was something in my already cholesterol-addled brain that was telling me emphatically, “Stop! Bad Decision, Bad Decision!”.

This whole mini psycho-drama got me thinking about something that I had recently read that said: “People often fail at dieting because they make a poor food choice, then convince themselves that it is an all-or-nothing situation, and since they’ve already “ruined” their diet, they might as well go back to eating poorly”. This whole thought process really got me thinking about how life, and success (or lack of success) can be tied into this one simple concept. Everything you do or don’t do is the result of a decision you’ve made. To take this one step further-At any time you can make a decision to improve your life-one simple decision at a time.

Been putting something off? You can decide to take the first step.

Ate too much ice-cream last night? Decide to eat a banana for breakfast this morning.

Experiencing writer’s block? Decide to write one sentence-good or bad, right now (and you can decide not to judge it until later.)

Not exercising enough? Decide to do a small amount now-you don’t have to do a full workout, you can decide to do more later.

These are simple examples, but the beauty of this concept is that it can be simple-you can make a whole series of small decisions that lead to big changes for you.If you make a “bad” decision-don’t be too hard on yourself, you can make a different decision next time.

I would really like to hear about decisions that you have made that have led to difficulties or successes, I would also like to hear your thoughts on this concept, and finally, I would like to hear if any of you have decided to try the chocolate dipt bacon and how it was!

Another tough decision.

Really? Deep fried Pop Tarts?

There is a simple and important aviation concept that is explained as an equation: Attitude + Power = Performance. In other words, an aircraft’s performance is the product of attitude (in aviation, the term “attitude” refers to the airplane’s orientation to its center of gravity,-up, down, left, right, etc.) and power. Performance is expressed in terms of airspeed, altitude, rate or angle of climb or descent, etc. If either attitude or power is changed, a change in airplane performance will result.

I really like how nicely this equation relates to personal success, think about it, Attitude + Power=Performance. If we break it down and look at it closely it makes a lot of sense. I’m sure most of us have heard the Zig Ziglar quote “Its your Attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your  Altitude”. While I do believe that aptitude is also a component of success, an orientation toward believing that you can accomplish something is the first step toward actually getting there.

Here is a great definition of Attitude from BusinessDictionary.com :

Predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individuals choice of action, and responses to challenges,incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli). Four major components of attitude are (1) Affective: emotions or feelings. (2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously. (3) Conative: inclination for action. (4) Evaluative: positive or negative response to stimuli.

Here are some  select snippets of the definition of Power from Merriam-Webster.com :

1.ability to act or produce an effect

3.mental or moral efficacy

6.a source or means of supplying energy

So how can you apply this to your everyday power and performance? Taken together, there are really a lot of potential opportunities for using this simple aviation equation to maximize our own performance in life;

• As the basis of a few quick questions to ask yourself when making a decision: What is my attitude toward around this? What is my orientation toward it? How can I apply my own power in order to create a successful outcome? How can the results of the decision I make here bring more power to my performance?
• The raw material for a success plan: Attitudes that I have that will help or hinder my progress in attaining the success I am working toward. Sources of power that I possess. Areas where I need to build power?
• As a problem solving tool, the concept of Attitude has some interesting possibilities as well, “What is my current approach or orientation to this situation?” What if I were to look at it from a different direction or viewpoint?

So, just like for an airplane, you can change your equation- if either your power or  your attitude changes- so will your performance!

What are your attitudes about your own performance and success? What or who drains your power? Where are your power sources? How can you make those power sources stronger?

Over the last few months, I have participated in a pair of retreats called “Presence Based Coaching 1 and 2″, at the Bend of Ivy Lodge just outside of Asheville, N.C., hosted by a remarkable trainer and coach, Doug Silsbee. Before I started the whole thing I was a little apprehensive about what “Presence Based Coaching” even meant. “Of course I am present when I coach- I’m there aren’t I?” Wow- I learned quickly that I hadn’t been truly present in many of my endeavours for a long time. Learning about presence and how to truly practice it on a day to day, moment by moment, professional and personal basis has been challenging, sometimes frustrating, eye opening and very valuable!

I think of all of the times that I have answered my wife  with “Uh-huh.”, while continuing to read, watch tv or hunch over the computer, only to realize later that I hadn’t heard a word she said. At work, I have glanced at emails, or proposals, or financial reports on one side of the computer screen, while surfing the web or talking on the phone- not truly focusing on either. Since becoming more mindful of being present in each moment, (I don’t always achieve it- but I am still practicing!), I have found that I am much more productive and calm. Highly focused and present  single- tasking seems to be so much speedier and more effective for me.

Presence is a really simple concept. It basically involves taking a moment or two to fully focus on and become aware of yourself in your body, your location, your qualities and then using that awareness to focus on fully being “with” the person you are with, or fully focused on what you are doing. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, it can be, and it can be very challenging, indeed. Think about yourself at any given time- are you truly focused on your breathing? Your posture? How it feels to be inhabiting your body? Can you feel your connection with the ground under your feet? The earth under that ground?
Are you fully present with the people around you?, listening with curiousity and  freedom from judgement? Or are you multi-tasking?, maybe thinking about what you are going to say next? If any of these questions have prompted you to realize that you are not often fully “present” in your life, that can be a powerful realization. What are you going to do with it now?

I am constantly amazed at the quantity and quality of truly useful tools available on the web and in the iTunes store for business professionals. Here are a few that I have discovered and/or used recently.

For iPhone:

1.Interview 150- This is a collection of searchable and categorized Job interview questions and answers. Useful for interviewers and interviewees.

2.Presenter Pro- A great app to help you or your clients learn almost anything necessary to design and deliver excellent presentations.

3.Habit Factor- An excellent tool to assist you or to share with your iPhone-wielding clients or colleagues. The Habit Factor is designed to help you  become more successful through identifying specific habits you would like to work on, then identifying and organizing the supporting practices that will enable lasting change. A simple and intuitive interface and a variety of reports and tracking tools make this a “must have” for coaches and clients!

4.iPocketCoach- A simple reference app for managers – covers common situations like conflict,feedback,performance, etc.

Online Resources:

1.Businessballs.com -A searchable site that contains a HUGE number of business models and ideas, team-building activities, quizzes and even a new online community.

2.Periodic Table of Visualization Methods- A truly cool reference that shows many different ways of organizing and presenting information graphically. Wow!

3.12manage.com- Comprehensive but cumbersome, this site has some organization challenges and small fonts, but has SO MUCH management info in the form of models, definitions, etc, that I often find myself here looking something up.

I would also really like to check out your favorite online resources- leave a comment. Come back soon for my upcoming series of categorized lists of more iPhone apps and online professional resources!

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for meeting people, job hunting, learning new information, branding and marketing yourself, and establishing a web presence. To really maximize it as one part of your networking strategy it is important to use it wisely. Here are a few thoughts to enhance your ROI from LinkedIn:
1.Think of it as a way to “break the ice” in making connections with people-rather than just asking people to join your network, and “racking up numbers”, make it a point to notice something about each person you invite to connect with you that you may want to mention when speaking to them. You can use the invitation as an opportunity to set up a phone call, a face-to-face meeting or an email based “info exchange”. This way you are actually meeting people and making deeper connections.
2. When you are at “real world” networking events, ask people you meet if they are on Linked In, and if they would like to become connected with you.
3.Be sure to keep new information flowing onto your profile. There are plenty of ways to do this- using applications such as SlideShare, Amazon Reading List, BlogLink or WordPress gives you an opportunity to share thoughts and expertise with others in your network and to add value to their LinkedIn experience. You can also change your status frequently which provides more interest and a reason for people to keep coming back to your profile. A few ideas for what to put in your status box include; inspirational quotes, what you are working on, events you are planning, new hires, new lines of business, etc.
4. Freely give recommendations to people you have worked with or hired. Writing recommendations is a great way to “pay it forward”, create positive feelings amongst people in your network, and who knows, maybe people will return the favor!

There are other posts out in the blogosphere on using LinkedIn- the tips here are ones that I have not seen elsewhere (or variations based on my own experience).
Here are a few links to some other articles about how to use LinkedIn as a networking tool:

1. From Guy Kawasaki:
Ten Ways To Use LinkedIn
2. From Webworker Daily:
33 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business
3.From LinkedIntelligence:
Smart Ways to use LinkedIn
4.From bnet:
How to Get Started on LinkedIn
5.A really unique idea from CopyBloggger:
How To Use LinkedIn to Generate Content

Being a frequent traveler ,I have found the following tips to be extremely valuable time savers for business and family travel:
1. Have 2 of the things you use every day. This has been an excellent practice that has saved me plenty of time and inconvenience. For example, in my shaving kit, (which I can leave packed because:) I keep a “carbon copy” of my home toothbrush, razor, comb, anti-perspirant and other grooming needs. This way, I don’t have to wait until I have finished using these items at home before I can close my shaving kit and suitcase. I also have enough underwear, socks, work shirts, etc. to be able to just repack them when they come out of the laundry after a trip, instead of waiting or needing to do alot of laundry before the next excursion. This concept also extends nicely to reading glasses, breath mints, ipod headphones and anything else that I continually find myself moving from place to place or bag to bag.
2. Pre-place reading materials in the bag(s) that you will be carrying on or traveling with. I find that I always have things that I would like to read, and just don’t have time to while I am at home. So when I find a not too-heavy book, or something that I would like to read from the internet, I just print it, put it in my bag, and there it is when I find myself in those holding patterns that seem to be such a frequent part of airplane travel.
3. Load television shows or movies onto your ipod. Another time saving and enjoyable practice is to load television shows, movies and podcasts onto an ipod. so that you can watch them while traveling, instead of while at home, where you would like to be spending time with the family, not sprawled in front of the television. You may also find that this sometimes even allows you to look forward to a little extra time sitting in an airport- if you’ve got some extra episodes of Mad Men or V to catch up on!
These are just a few of the many little tricks  learned to make time “my bitch” while traveling. I would love to hear some of yours.

Being an old hand at research, but new to blogging, I spend time everyday reading blogs, some good, some not. I am constantly on the lookout for “useable information” and I have to say, Leo Baubata at Zen Habits seems to ALWAYS have the innate ability to post immediately useable information. I have recently been working on my “presence” (more on this in a future post), in relationships, in my work and in my body, so I have really been focused on eating healthier, and spending more high quality time with my family, so today’s post by Leo is especially timely for me. If fast food is starting to get you down, or if you are interested in your health, spending more high quality time with your family, or just slowing down a little- check out Leo’s post on “slow food” at: http://zenhabits.net/2009/10/the-anti-fast-food-diet/ By the way, I have experienced the “Raisin meditation” that Leo mentions and it is a very interesting experience!

There is an amazing quantity of really well-written and useful personal productivity information out there, but sometimes, if you want to see the edgier stuff, it is tough to get past the first few sites that come up on a search, list or blogroll. With that in mind, I have created a small list of some really great blogs that don’t usually show up on the first page of a search. Happy reading!

1. Genuine Curiosity – With a focus on GTD , Dwayne Melancon does a great job of finding books and resources that are not just the current bestsellers, but off the beaten path and truly useful- now. He also writes some very thought provoking entries of his own.

2.InFlight Hq - This Website’s tag line is “Tips and techniques for being productive at 30,000ft.”  This one is definitely worth checking out if you travel for business. The writing is solid and the info is great!

3.Slacker Manager- A thoughtful and thorough blog dedicated to all things Leadership and Management related.

4. Effing the Dog- Well, this one is a little tough to categorize- but let’s just say that  Mike Vardy uses the “opposite day” approach to covering GTD & Productivity. He calls his approach “Eventualism.” It is a very humorous and oddly useful resource in examining your own productivity.

5.Clever Dude- Family. Marriage. Finances. Life.- The tag line of this blog says it all- except that “The Dude” started out over $110,000 in consumer debt- and is documenting his efforts to reduce that (he’s down to about $66,000 including mortgage!) in entries and a chart on his page. Definitely worth checking out.

There are plenty of people out there who have “one track minds”- I’m sure of it. I imagine they are the people who do our taxes during the day, then go home and work on figuring out more decimals of Pi, or do Soduko or something like that. I am sure there are auto mechanics who are re-building an amazing ’69 Mustang in the garage at home, then watching the Indy 500 and reading Hot Rod Magazine while sitting on their “Snap On Tools” stool. I am sure there are computer people who can constantly think of code , surf the web, and make WordPress templates for fun.There are likely doctors who want to save lives or make medical discoveries, and read medical journals 24/7. I think that is amazing,I admire them, and…

I am not one of those kind of people.I am interested in A LOT of different things. I like to read Zombie novels(and plenty of other genres), go hiking, paddle kayaks, discover which wines pair nicely with BBQ, look at the pictures in modern architecture magazines like “Dwell” or “Atomic Ranch”. I like to drive a manual transmission car, build things out of wood, fly small airplanes,test out electronic gadgets and  listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I also like to hang out with my family, travel and work with people in the organizational development industry. I like to help clients maximize their existing abilities and develop new ones.

With this blog I intend to share immediately use-able (is that a real word?) information, tips, websites, books and whatever  else I find with other people who, like you, enjoy a lot of different things, but don’t want to spend all of their time reading about them- they like to get out there and use new-found skills and information. Nothing is off limits- for some odd reason, I think of it as anything from Zen to Zombies. So that I don’t get too out of control, I do plan to focus somewhat on the areas of : Personal Development, Lifehacks, Coaching, Organizational Development, Business Relationships, Gadgets,Book  Reviews, Travel, and finally but most importantly- maximizing Family Fun Time.

So I invite you to check out Altitude Unlimited, leave some feedback, experiment with some new knowledge, and enjoy  life!