What would James Bond do?

Category: Editorial

Richard Winfield - editor May I wish all our readers the very best for 2007. You might have heard enough so far about New Year's resolutions - and how they do not work! However, a new year is a good time to review where you are, what you are doing and what you would really like to achieve in your life.

It is said that one definition of insanity is the keep on doing what you have always done and to expect a different result. If what you have been doing has not worked, then you are more likely to succeed by doing something different than by just continuing or even trying harder.

Let us start with reviewing how you define success. Here is a definition that I like: "Success is the progressive realisation of one's worthy ideals"; it is a journey not a destination. This means making the most of all the available resources. It does not mean being the best according to the standards of others.
Success is doing your best according to your own desires and goals.

How can you apply the definition of success as "doing your best" to each of the following areas of your life? How does 'success' in each area relate to your values?

Your career

Your relationships with other people

Your health and physical fitness

Your education and personal development

Attaining your long-term goals

Knowing where you want to go is the first stage of getting there.

If you know where you want to get to and have been trying unsuccessfully, how do you find a different approach? One way is to refer to others. How would they do it? You could ask them if they are available - or you could ask yourself how somebody very successful would do it.

We had a client who was stuck. We asked him who he admired and he said Nelson Mandela. We suggested that he visualised Mandela standing in front of him and then invited him to step into that place. His whole physiology changed as he let go of himself and became his interpretation of Mandela. Suddenly he was provided with many more choices and felt much more empowered.

This year (2)007 can be seen as the year of James Bond. So, for a start, why not ask "What would James Bond do?". What would it feel like to be James Bond? How would you behave differently?

One reason why New Year resolutions and goal setting do not work is that many goal setting methods are ineffective. This week's coaching notes provides the Setting Well Formed outcomes questionnaire that I find is very powerful in a lot of the coaching that I do. Michael Bungay Stanier has a similar form with some useful variations - see the "useful Links" below.

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Richard Winfield is founder of Brefi Group.

He coaches directors and boards in transition:

new and potential directors, effective boards,

mergers and acquisitions, corporate retreats,

change programmes.