Archive for July, 2010


Use One of the Bamboo Farmer’s Tools: Practice Deliberately

July 28th, 2010 // No Comments

“Deliberate practice is about changing your performance, setting new goals and straining yourself to reach a bit higher each time.” ~ Anders Ericsson, psychologist

Many superior performers use what’s called “deliberate practice” to get where they want to be. Deliberate practice is not about performing a skill in the same old way. Instead, it’s working on a skill or an aspect of a skill that you don’t quite have yet. Deliberate practice involves pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, getting feedback on outcomes, and doing lots of repetitions from a variety of angles until you get it right. Ideally, the skill you work on should be connected to some part of your bamboo – your vision or one of the goals that will get you there.

Deliberate practice works on any improvable skill, be it listening, communicating, teaching, negotiating, accounting, presenting, managing people, and more.

Successful people are not born. They’re made after years of focused practice and experience. To find out more about how you can use deliberate practice to become one of them, read Chapter 14, Practice Deliberately in Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing the Potential of Teams and Individuals.

Bamboo Rule: Practice makes permanent.

Six Tips That Will Help You Practice Deliberate Practice:

  1. Identify a weakness you want to improve or a skill you don’t have.
  2. Look for experts in your area, interview them, and take classes. Learn as much as you can.
  3. Practice beyond your current comfort level.
  4. Design a practice plan. Develop your plan and track your progress.
  5. Work with a well-informed coach who can give support and critical feedback.
  6. Have faith that incremental improvements lead to success.

Use One of The Bamboo Farmer’s Tools: Self-Discipline

July 26th, 2010 // 2 Comments

Successful people have a habit of doing what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.

“With self-discipline most anything is possible.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

The following section offers some insight and tips on self-discipline. More is offered in Chapter 7, Self-Discipline, of Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing the Potential of Teams and Individuals.

Great achievement and success are largely the consequence of self-discipline.  Of course, circumstances and ability play a role as well, but research has shown that your daily actions will have a much greater impact on whether your bamboo grows than talent or luck.  It really boils down to your own self-discipline.

Bamboo Rule: Get out of your own way.

10 Tips to Develop Your Self-Discipline

  1. Create your own Self-Discipline Development Program.
  2. Make it a goal to stretch beyond your current level of self-discipline.
  3. Start small.  Take small doable steps and work your way up to more challenging ones.
  4. Stop the blame game. Instead, put more effort and energy into your own behaviors and actions.
  5. Visualize yourself performing effortlessly.
  6. Focus on the relief and sense of accomplishment not the difficulty of the challenge.
  7. Identify support: find a mentor or coach that can help you.
  8. Focus on one task at a time. Don’t scatter your attention and energy.
  9. Avoid the temptation to do what feels good instead of what is good for you.
  10. Identify ways to work on your self-discipline throughout the day.

Stretch Your “Courage Zone”

July 23rd, 2010 // No Comments

The following section offers tips to become more courageous.  More can be found in Chapter 9 of Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing the Potential of Teams and Individuals.

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

The word courage in Old French, “corage,” is defined as “heart and spirit.”

Courageous leadership is a combination of action and behavior, not status. Most people want to follow the path of least resistance. However, leadership requires you to move from your comfort zone. Courage is having fear and acting anyway. It is the exercise of courage that moves leaders into more productive relationships and better results.

Bamboo Rule: The highest form of courage is to be true to yourself.

In what areas of your life do you need to stretch your courage? Do you need to:

  • speak up?
  • do the right thing?
  • do the unpopular thing?
  • participate?

Courage can help you:

  • express your ideas and thoughts
  • lead your team in a different direction
  • learn new skills
  • be your authentic self
  • make decisions with limited information
  • move beyond a plateau
  • change a habit that’s not serving you well

6 Strategies to Move out of Your Comfort Zone

  1. Recall your past courageous acts
  2. Find a role model
  3. Get a coach
  4. Spend time with people who encourage you
  5. Start a courage journal
  6. Start with small steps