Michael Hyatt's Blog, page 4

4 Steps to Create a New Habit

Each of us have habits that affect how we move through our days. Whether it’s prepping our coffee makers the night before, exercising at the same time every day, loading the dishwasher a certain way, or just how we get ready for bed every night. These actions have become automated—our subconscious takes over and we don’t think about performing them anymore.

Because most of our habits were formed without much thought, the challenge so many of us face is how to create intentional new habits. We try to get into an exercise routine, but our strong start fades out. We decide to read before bed instead of binging shows, but eventually we let our tiredness overtake us. We plan on packing a lunch for work every day, but then opt to eat out instead—it’s just easier. Is there really any hope in creating a new habit that will last?

Just because you haven’t been successful in the past doesn’t mean you can’t be successful now. You need the right tool. You need the Habit Loop. Here are the four steps of the Habit Loop to help you create lasting habits.

Create an activation trigger. Set up a natural cue that will remind your subconscious of what you want to make happen. For example, if you want to journal every night before bed, leave your journal on your nightstand every morning.Think through your response. This is the behavior you want to become second nature or automatic. What do you want to see happen? To get there, you’ll want your activation trigger to naturally elicit your desired outcome without having to put too much thought into it. By reducing the amount of thinking that goes into it, you’re able to enjoy what you’re doing more fully, or free your thoughts for other things.Focus on the reward. By thinking about the feeling you’ll have or the end result from creating this habit, you position yourself for success. Keeping the final goal in sight will serve as a motivation to continue pushing forward, especially on days when you want to take a break or call it quits.Keep doing it. Repetition is key to installing a new habit. You have to keep at it. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or flub on an action. That will likely only make you miss another day. Instead, get right back at it if you fall off. Even if what you’re trying to do feels difficult or tedious, it’ll eventually get easier and more natural. Give yourself 60 to 90 days before the habit truly sticks and becomes second nature.

It’s never too late to begin a new habit. But creating habits that last takes time. So don’t let the process discourage you or pile on unnecessary stress. Sometimes new habit endeavors fail because people give up too soon. Trust the process and keep working through the steps of the Habit Loop.

What new habit do you want to create, and how can you stay on track?

Five Signs That You’re Ready for a Business Coach

At a certain point in your career, it might not seem like an executive coach is necessary. Oftentimes we only think we need a coach when something is broken or wrong. And yet, the very best business leaders always have a coach. Even athletes who are at the top of their game have coaches, so why is this overlooked in our careers?

Five Signs That You’re Ready for a Coach

Leadership Lessons from Pop Culture

Leadership lessons are everywhere if you’re looking for them—including on your TV screen. Movies and shows that explore the joys and griefs of being human reveal the impact of our behavior on relationships.

 

4 Strategies for Combatting Decision Fatigue

Science proves it: decision fatigue is a real thing. By the end of your workday, your emotional and intellectual horsepower is depleted. When leaders invest precious energy in low-impact decisions, everyone pays a price. Hoarding decisions undervalues employees. It also keeps you from making bigger decisions that really matter. You can’t escape decision-making, but you can separate the high-leverage decisions from the rest.

There are certain kinds of decisions that only you can make. That’s true for everyone in your organization. When you activate people to lead within their sphere of influence, you get the best result across your entire business. To maximize the return on daily decision-making, follow these four simple strategies.

Never make the same decision twice. Many decisions are recurring choices. When you’re determining which vendors to use or what schedule to follow, simply make the decision once. Then automate it or document it. When you are asked about vacation approvals, parental leave, or compensation changes, documented policies can save immense amounts of brainpower. Here’s an example. A few years ago, I decided to no longer do one-on-one consulting. Now, when the request comes in, my executive assistant knows to decline on my behalf. I benefit from this strategy every day.Let others choose for you. Many leaders fall into the trap of micro-managing. This not only zaps your mental energy but also negatively impacts your employees. It’s tempting to overthink non-essential choices. Instead, ask yourself, Can someone else answer this for me? Holding onto trivial decisions is costly and foolish. Hire talented people and let them lead with excellence.Use a defined process for making tough decisions. Build a process that considers all variables. Years ago, I started using a recommendation briefing form. When someone on my team has an idea for our business, they write up a one-sheet summary of the recommendation. This sheet includes background information, rationale, resources needed, and the projected financial impact. Instead of pitching an idea and leaving me to do the profitability analysis, my team knows to do their own leg work. At this point, my job is simply choosing yes or no. No follow-up meetings are needed for the deliberation process.Take care of yourself. Your thinking is manipulated by biochemical reactions in your body. In fact, there’s a direct correlation between inadequate sleep and poor decision-making. To make the best decisions, you must be in a good place. This includes getting proper rest, regular exercise, and adequate nutrition. Take time to rejuvenate so you can lead your company well.

When you add these four simple strategies, you’ll gain the confidence to make fewer, faster, and better decisions. Which strategy will you start implementing this week?

Why Workplace Character Matters

While fighting in the Korean War, my dad’s tank was hit by a missile. Shrapnel knocked him out, and he lay in a coma for months. When he finally stood up from his hospital bed, he learned he would limp for the rest of his life.

As a young boy, I didn’t know about his injury. I just knew I wanted to be like my dad. So much so that, when I was five, my mom noticed I was walking with a limp. I wasn’t even conscious of this decision. My dad was the model of adult manhood. I had unwittingly followed in his footsteps. My mom explained his injury to me, and after some time, I gave up my limp. But I never gave up the resilience, positive outlook, and unbridled curiosity he modeled for me.

For better or worse, you’re going to replicate yourself in your organization. The only question is whether you’ll do it intentionally. Here are four reasons every leader must consistently model good character.

Character has consequences. Much of the world acts as if competence is enough for successful business, but character matters. Several studies state people who display greater character strengths have greater satisfaction in their relationships, greater coping skills in the workplace, higher productivity, better exercise habits, and greater resilience. All from character. Good character from leadership creates an environment of trust for employees. Bad character negatively impacts people and profit.The leader sets the tone for the organization. Culture trickles down from the top. Leaders must take responsibility, recognize their impact, and adjust behavior accordingly. If I show up late to meetings or stare at my phone during presentations, I’m giving the green light on this type of behavior. Disrespect will replicate throughout the workplace. Fix the issues with yourself, and you will fix issues below.People do what you do regardless of what you say. If I say I prioritize rest and margin but don’t pursue those things myself, my team won’t believe me. But if I give myself permission to take healthy breaks, they feel freedom to do the same. People are taking cues from you. The gap between your words and actions will be obvious. When leaders do their best to live up to what they say, they can make a huge impact.The law of replication is nearly impossible to break. Breaking replication is difficult but not impossible. If you’re part of a negative organization, not all hope is lost. Throughout my career, I’ve worked in several negative cultures. In these situations, I had to intentionally stand for something different from the norm. Maybe you’ve been the cause of bad replication. If that’s true, own up to it. Apologize as needed, and don’t make excuses. Then change your own behavior. Leaders tend to get busy and make exceptions for themselves. This is dangerous. State your standards. Then follow them.

As Benjamin Franklin said, “Well done is better than well said.” When you model good character, you will see it replicated across your entire organization. Want to lead well? Care about character.

Michael Hyatt & Company Changing Name to Full Focus

FRANKLIN, TN—Performance-coaching firm Michael Hyatt & Company has rebranded and updated its name to Full Focus, effective today. Founded in 2011 by Michael Hyatt, the company is a leader in performance coaching for leaders, corporate training, and productivity tools, including the bestselling Full Focus Planner.

Highly respected in the business community and a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times bestselling author, Michael Hyatt decided that removing his name was the best long-term choice for the company.

“The company has grown beyond my name,” says Michael Hyatt. “I’m proud of where we’ve been and excited about where we’re headed. With our commitment to continuous growth, this is the natural next step to even greater company success.”

Other than updated branding and a redesigned website, products and services will remain the same under Full Focus.

President and CEO Megan Hyatt Miller says of the change, “As Full Focus, we’re putting a stake in the ground for the future of our company and our customers, so that decades from now, we will still be providing high-performance solutions for individuals and organizations.”

About Full Focus: Full Focus is a performance-coaching company helping high-achieving leaders and their teams get the vision, alignment, and execution they need to drive extraordinary results without compromising their most important values. They provide books, courses, corporate training, and coaching to help leaders and teams achieve their most important goals. Their bestselling product, the Full Focus Planner, has sold nearly a million copies worldwide and is a leading tool for helping achievers plan their years and organize their days. Find out more at fullfocus.co.

Michael Hyatt & Company Has a New Name!

As your company grows, it can be hard to streamline your product offerings and make what you do simpler to understand. But customers and clients need to be able to immediately understand who you are and what you offer. Otherwise, they’ll be left confused—and you may even risk losing potential customers. 

 

5 Tips to Avoid Confusion with Clear Communication

I once had a boss who rarely shared information and never in a timely way. My office happened to be in a different building than his, so getting to our weekly one-on-one meeting took a little effort. But not only did he cancel most of our meetings, he did so without notice. When we did meet, he provided little or no clarity. And he dodged most of my questions with “I’ll have to get back to you on that.” It was maddening!

Most under-communication is inadvertent. People are simply unaware of the gap between what’s in their mind and what’s in yours. A team of researchers writing in the Journal of Political Economy labeled this phenomenon “the curse of knowledge.” It means that when you know something, it’s very hard to remember that other people don’t. Fortunately, the solution is remarkably simple. Here are five tips for how to step up and take responsibility for any communication that comes from you or to you.

Determine to be the solution. Most of us are not fully aware of our own part in the communication quagmire. We may expect others to do all the work of conveying information. The first step in communicating clearly is to determine to be the solution, not the problem. Are you ready to champion clear communication in your workplace?Externalize your thinking. The curse of knowledge affects everyone, including you. Be aware of the gap between your understanding and that of your team. Stop assuming that people know what’s important or what needs to be done. Get your thoughts out of your head where others can read or hear them.Push for clarity. Before you compose a message, ask yourself, How can I set the other person up for success? Before you hit send, reread the communication to be sure it’s clear. Clarity is vital for communication. Sometimes that will mean pushing others for clarity. Remember, they also suffer from the curse of knowledge and may have a tendency to omit information or use ambiguous language. Gently ask them to make their meaning clear.Confirm understanding. Communication hasn’t really happened until the other person not only receives your words but also understands them. You can request a “read receipt” when you send a message, but you also need to get an “understand receipt.” You can do that with questions like “Is anything unclear about that?” or “What do you understand based on what I’ve said?”Overcommunicate. Actually, you can’t overcommunicate. Or at least it’s pretty hard to do. People are busy and distracted. They forget things they should remember—things they want to remember. Communication is not a one-and-done event. Communicate again. And again.

What would it be like to come to work in a place where you never had to go on a deep dive for the information you need to do your job? How would it change the culture of your office if everyone was clear, direct, and intentional in their communication? Why not take responsibility for making that happen and find out?

Four Questions to Transform Your Leadership

As a leader, you don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, having answers is less important than asking good questions. Insightful questions can inspire thoughtful conversations that propel your team forward.