See it, Feel It and then – JUST DO IT!

By Mark Lindstrom


It is hard to believe that I've become as addicted to golf as I once was to business, but I have. After having taken a twenty year hiatus from the game of golf I now play it, practice it, talk about it, read about it and I watch far too much of it on television. The other night I watched one of my favorite shows – The Golf Fix (kind of an appropriate title for me isn’t it?) The guest that night was pro golfer Nick Faldo. There was real brilliance in the simplicity of his message and teaching. He stressed the importance of a simple three-step process to hitting the golf shot to improve your performance as a golfer:

• See it – His first point was to pause and “step back” from where your ball is and look out to what “your vision” is for your next shot. What do you really want as the outcome from your next shot? He was very clear – focus on what you want (i.e. – a perfect lie in the middle of the fairway) and not on what you don’t want (i.e. – hitting it in the water!)
• Feel it - The second step he stressed was to move from mental imaging to muscle and mental memory. He stressed the importance of “rehearsing” your practice shots with the type of swing and intensity required to “execute your vision.” He demonstrated how most golfers take a half-hearted swing before their actual swing and challenged the audience with the question – “do you think this type of swing will deliver the “see it” vision in your mind?” The answer he was seeking was obvious – NO.
• Just Do it – Finally, with the feeling imprinted in your mind and your body conditioned to the ideal swing he encouraged you to step up to the ball, don’t over think what you need to do, commit with confidence and then execute – or strike the ball to land in the middle of the fairway 300 yards from the tee ☺.

SO WHAT? Nick Faldo’s message and teaching methodology have a direct link to coaching others towards a better future and more powerful performance in the game of business. One thing his message clearly reinforced for me – “don’t overcomplicate the coaching process with your clients!” Keep it as easy as 1-2-3 when you are working with your direct reports or your clients:

1. See it: Spend quality time with your clients gaining clarity on three fundamental questions: Where are they today? What is their vision for a better future? What price are they willing to pay?
2. Feel it: Create momentum by moving from thought into action. Rehearse and create the confidence in your client through “active rehearsal”; don’t allow “half-hearted” swings – only swinging for the green is allowed.
3. Just Do It. Finally, take action. Create the plan to move from thought to action. That is the true definition of personal power – the ability to take action. It is not about knowing more, it is about doing more. And then the exciting part - JUST DO IT!

Engaging Leaders Listen For the Truth

by: Mark Lindstrom


We all know how critical good listening skills are to be highly effective leaders. Most important is a leader’s ability to Listen for the Truth. When leaders commit to listening at these heightened levels transformational changes take place. Trusting relationships are created. The organization engages at a higher level. A company’s culture becomes stronger. And all the answers inside of your organization are revealed.

An engaging leader who best exemplifies for me what it means to “listen for the truth” is Paul Davis. Paul was previously Starbucks President of Retail and today is the CEO of Coinstar. I’ve always marveled at Paul’s uncanny knack to quickly put his finger on the pulse of an organization and understand the company’s driving force. I vividly remember my first meeting with Paul after he joined Starbucks. As I prepared for my meeting I put together a massive binder filled with information about my business. After only ten minutes of reviewing the information with Paul he stopped me and casually said – “Mark, why don’t you put the binder down and tell me what is on your mind. What is your big idea?” Both the question he asked and how he engaged me in the dialogue challenged me to think at a deeper level. His approach created a feeling of trust and allowed me to share my thoughts openly. As important, he challenged me to take ownership of my idea and to act upon it with immediacy. Through this experience Paul role modeled the difference between “pulling the brilliance out of others rather than showing brilliance themselves.”

When I asked Paul a few years later how he is able to quickly understand what matters most, he shared the following with me:

“As a leader the most important thing you can do when you first join an organization is to listen for the truth. Don’t judge. Instead, be open and curious. Don’t walk by those in your organization that are most ticked off. That is often times where the truth lies. Keep looking, keep asking, keep listening and the truth will be revealed. And when you know the truth, when you know the direction to go, you have the responsibility as a leader to act on the truth.”

So what can we all learn from Paul’s example and engaging leadership style? What do highly aware “outsiders” do first when they join a new organization? First, they go into the organizations and they ask great questions. For them everything is new and nothing is automatic. They don’t know who is important and who isn’t. They don’t pretend to understand the culture and how things get done. They don’t assume they know what has been bottled up, what things are bubbling below the surface and what the big opportunities are that need to be uncorked. More important they intensely listen to what people throughout the organization want to share – even those who are ticked off and fed up.

YOUR TURN: The bottom line is when you listen for the truth you will uncover the issues long before they become problems. You will see opportunities long before your competition. You strip away the noise and clutter and focus the organization on the few things that will have the greatest impact. Most importantly, you will engage the hearts and minds of your most important asset – your people.

Making the decision to be a better listener is a good first step. Next, choose one aspect to work on and to master. Here are a few areas to consider in your own journey to become an engaging leader who “listens for the truth”:

• To gain understanding, lead with questions, not answers.
-Use open-ended questions to engage others. So what is on your mind? What should we be worried about? What is your big idea ☺?

• Create a climate where the truth is heard and where brutal facts are confronted
-Be curious and don’t judge. Focus on learning, not on finding fault and blaming.

• Refuse to be “the answer-man.” Rather engage your team in dialogue and debate.
-Give others the space to think out loud and talk.

• And when you know the truth and know what needs to be done – be fearless and act.


Starting tomorrow why not allow yourself to act like that newly hired “outsider” once again and to listen, learn and lead at an even higher level?

Great listeners “tune into” a different frequency - W.A.I.T.

by Mark Lindstrom
Have you ever found yourself in a conversation and while you think you are listening the reality is you haven’t heard a single word? If you have, you’re not alone. It is estimated that the average leader ignores, forgets, or misunderstands at least 75% of what they hear. Most people are better hearing themselves talk than they are listening to what others say. Why is this a fairly common occurrence? Because most of us have been conditioned to “add value” by sharing our insights, experiences & perspective and providing answers. Unfortunately these “insights and answers” are usually given before we fully understand the true context of the issue.

Many leaders don’t listen, and it is one of the greatest methods we have of learning. You need to listen to those under your supervision and those above you. We’d all be a lot wiser if we listened more – not just hearing the words, but not thinking about what we are going to say.” – Coach John Wooden

So how do you change the game? How do you take the first step to becoming a better listener, one who adds value, confidence and trust by listening more and telling less? My belief is that most of us know what to do but for many different reasons we simply choose not to do it. So what is a simple first step to move from knowing to doing? A simple way is to ask yourself – “W.A.I.T.” – when you’re hearing your voice more then the other person in your conversations.

During my coaching certification program at the Hudson Institute I learned a smart coaching tip that helps me to step out of my head and tune into the person during coaching conversations. When I find myself talking more than listening, or providing the answers, I tune into W.A.I.T and ask myself "Why Am I Talking?" It is a simple anchor that helps me to “STOP TALKING and START LISTENING!” Remember what we were told as children? “That we were given two ears and one mouth for a purpose - to ensure we would listen twice as much as we speak.” That same axiom applies in the business world. Listen twice as much as you talk.

So during your next conversation be more self-aware, commit to intentionally change your behavior and take away the YOU focus. This includes what YOU think, what YOU want to hear, what YOU think is the answer and YOU talking too much. . Forget about whatever it is that YOU want from a conversation. Remember, not everyone is seeking an answer or resolution to his or her problems. Sometimes they just want someone to listen to them. The art of listening means hearing with an open mind and heart. Reserve judgment. Don't be quick to offer advice or to provide the answer. Relax and understand that some people like bouncing ideas off other people because it helps them to “own their problem” and find a resolution on their own. And if you find yourself getting off track, then do as I do, simply ask yourself – W.A.I.T.?

Your turn: Take a few moments to pause and reflect on the following questions: What grade would you give your listening skills – A, B, C, D or Incomplete? What are the top three listening habits you need to work on? What is your “talking to listening” ratio - what do you want it to be a year from now? Finally, with whom do you need to have a “listening conversation?” Make a commitment to have it – today, this week or this month.