ABT Wisdom: February 2005

Monday, February 28, 2005

First Moments of Interaction

Before you interact, take a moment or two to see something about the person that you ﬁnd valuable, admirable, or interesting. Be speciﬁc. Consciously register your positive perceptions by articulating them to yourself. You might say to yourself, “this person has great energy, or an attractive, strong presence, or a conﬁdent demeanor.”

Friday, February 25, 2005

Asset Based Thinking Power of Imitation

The fastest way to learn anything is to imitate a role model. Think about how you learned to walk, speak, write the alphabet and tie your shoes. In the early years, learning by imitation dominates.

Imitating what you admire in others and want to acquire for yourself requires becoming their student, not their judge and jury. As a student of the assets of human nature you are now ready to spot the best of what anyone has to offer.

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Vigilance is a Virtue

Sometimes the best solution is to ignore the problem or work around it. Don’t get overwhelmed by problems or their sometimes intimidating solutions. It’s not worth it. See the problem as a pause and ﬁnd another way to keep moving towards the goal.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

The Power of a Deep Breath

A simple yet powerful tool you have at your disposal is breath control – the ability to shift your body out of a threat reaction into a challenge response by focusing on your breath. Slow it down. Taking deeper breaths on the order of 5-6 will do the trick. Breathing deeply and slowly facilitates Asset-Based Thinking.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Facing Everyday Adversity

Learn to agree with what happens. See reality clearly, accept it, and problem solve from that vantage point. To agree with your reality does not imply that you must be thrilled with the annoyance or setbacks. You can have an accepting attitude, without endorsing or reveling in them.

Monday, February 21, 2005

Be Proactive

When you magnify what’s best and focus on what’s next you are proactive. You approach life from the inside out … not the outside in. You look at demands – even setbacks and mistakes – in terms of how they can serve you and your priorities. You scan your environment and ask yourself, “How is it possible for me to advance my agenda given the current set of circumstances?” Your day starts with envisioning what you see as possible, what you want, regardless of the current reality. You let your vision guide you, speak to you, coach you, tell you what to do next – all day long.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Proactive Magnification

When you magnify what’s best and focus on what’s next you are proactive. You approachlife from the inside out … not the outside in. You look at demands – even setbacks and mistakes – in terms of how they can serve you and your priorities. You scan your environment and ask yourself, “How is it possible for me to advance my agenda given the current set of circumstances?” Your day starts with envisioning what you see as possible, what you want, regardless of the current reality. You let your vision guide you, speak to you, coach you, tell you what to do next – all day long.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Asset Based Thinking : Interactions are Key

Research conﬁrms that the tone you set (positive or negative) in the ﬁrst 7 seconds of any interaction determines the predominant tone for the remainder of the interaction. Start well and you are more likely to end well – even in the face of challenging or disturbing interactions.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Asset Based Thinking : Avoiding the "Eight Ball"

When you get so busy juggling the deluge of pressures and demands that come from others and external situations your own priorities suffer, and you are more reactive than proactive. Being reactive promotes self-criticism and feelings of being “behind the eight ball.” Being proactive increases a personal sense of conﬁdence and competence.

Monday, February 07, 2005

Follow the three R’s:

(+) Respect for self

(+) Respect for other’s

(+) Responsibility for all your actions.

Friday, February 04, 2005

ABT Horizon Dweller : A Closer Look

A senior ad-agency executive leaves his executive post with the number one advertising ﬁ rm in the world and sets his sights on helping build a communications company that looks for clients who want to create and sponsor “Content of Consequence” instead of clients with the largest advertising budgets.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Hold That Vision

Challenges to your vision come in all forms, from any direction and at all times. It’s life… Conﬂicting demands, unexpected down turns, changing of the guard, even innovations that change the competitive landscape and others you have not yet thought of, may lure you off your vision’s course. But when your vision is fueled by your personal passion, it is unswerving, unstoppable, always in focus, immune to distraction and never in doubt.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Focus On Strengths

Asset-Based Thinking liberates you from the pointless need of striving for “perfection”. You realize that pursuit of perfection is not an asset, it’s a liability. For a change in the way you feel about yourself, see yourself as a work in progress… just like everyone else.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

See Through A Wide Lens

Keep your senses wide open. Don’t miss a detail, pattern or nuance that will make the difference between just getting by and pulling out all the stops.

In the face of problematic or promising situations, the formula is the same. Look long. Look wide. Look at what’s behind and what’s in front of you. Look to the left. Look to the right. Examine the situation. Determine the problems and see through them. Extract the opportunities. Be relentless in searching every angle. The more you see the
the more you have to work with.

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