by simonhague | Jun 1, 2023 | Thoughts
Back in February, I wrote a short piece about the importance of developing a purpose behind what you do. I explained that this was just a feeling that you may have that what you are doing and the reasons behind why you are doing it are empathic – a feeling.
These purpose feelings are the reason why you spring out of bed in the morning.
Over the past few months, I have been exploring purpose and how I can become more deliberate in the actions that I take in developing my business(s), ideas and creativity. Over the past few days, a few conversations and interventions have helped me take one step closer.
I was recently been described as a ‘giver’ on a podcast, by someone that I have huge respect for. This was grounding in itself, but encouraged me to think deeper about why I do this (there we go, the why question about purpose again!). The reason why is a simple, but complex mash up of different understandings.
- to be able to encourage people / contacts / clients to be a better them, whatever better is for them. This has always been a driver for me.
- to encourage a sustainable workplace and business. This is and was the bombshell moment. Despite starting to explore this back in 2022, sustainable means something more than doing stuff with an ecological output in mind.
A sustainable business is about ensuring that the ethics and motivations in what I do are aligned with ‘doing good’. Ok, this is subjective I know. ‘Doing good’ in my mind is about community welfare, prosperity, and good health.
Purpose in Community
A few years ago, I was involved in a tech startup with a good friend. Our purpose was built on the understanding that we can do more together – something that we celebrated through a ‘manifesto’. Some of the activities have had a wider impact to some of those that we worked with. I have fond memories of a workshop with some six formers who designed a new business built around an extreme sports mermaid outfit. The kicker – they also designed a social cause to utilise the research for this new extreme sport, to benefit people with mobility issues. Although it is unlikely that this concept has come to fruition – I celebrated that the concept included both a performance business objective, and some give back to the community.
Purpose in Driving Prosperity
The line between a profitable business and a failed business can be a very fine line. Decisions taken by business leaders can make or break companies. In 2007, the businessman, Gerald Ratner commented on the poor quality of some of the products that it sold. The ensuing ruckus led to many customers to keep their distance from Ratner’s shops for a while. Following his speech, the Ratner group’s worth took quite a hit, dropping by about £500 million – it was a close call and the group almost folded. Ratner’s comments are a friendly reminder to all CEOs about the importance of thinking before speaking.
This simple example indicates a precipitous response to an unconscious (or disconnected) comment made and highlights the importance for all to understand the consequences of their actions.
Future prosperity, therefore, includes financial qualification and also impacts to the community and ecology. There is little benefit to running a profitable business, if one is also destroying the perception of the business or environment around us.
Conscious decisions lead to conscious outcomes.
Purpose in Encouraging Good Health
The simplest of links is about one’s own health, but when we delve deeper, the health of a business is key. Just as one’s own health, if we take steps to nurture it by eating the correct foods and taking appropriate exercise, we stand a chance of remaining healthier for longer.
Taking this analogy to business, we should ensure that we nurture the correct processes, apply stretch and take action towards achieving our goals. Just as when pushing exercise for our own bodies, pushing the boundaries in the business can also be challenging.
Although not explicit, focusing on these three elements (and there are of course more), helps us to
- Have Increased Focus: As we understand our purpose we get a clear sense of direction. It allows us to concentrate our energies on what truly matters, thus increasing our focus. Whether you’re studying, working, or pursuing a hobby, having a purpose acts as a ‘compass’, guiding you towards your goal and reducing distractions along the way.
- Have improved Performance: A sense of purpose serves as a powerful motivator. When we are passionate about what we do and understand its value, we’re likely to put in more effort, improving our performance. In the workplace, this can lead to higher productivity, better quality of work, and greater satisfaction.
- Increase our resilience in the face of Challenges: Purpose gives us the strength to persist in the face of adversity. It instills a sense of resilience, helping us to navigate obstacles and setbacks, knowing that they are merely stepping stones toward achieving our ultimate goal.
- Encourages better and more informed decision-making: Purpose acts as a guiding principle when making decisions. It helps filter out irrelevant options and focuses our attention on choices that align with our purpose, leading to more effective and consistent decision-making.
- Enhance our well-being: Studies have shown that a strong sense of purpose can lead to better physical and mental health. It has been associated with lower stress levels, increased happiness, and even longevity.
Having thought and defined my purpose, I can now start to develop and adjust the businesses that I am involved in. It is not just about profit or cashflow, although these are pre-requisite. It is also about how your business, or the role that you perform helps you to maintain, nurture and grow your overall purpose.
by simonhague | Mar 22, 2023 | Thoughts
I have a fascination with all things new. So when AI tools like ChatGPT, CopyAI, Bard, and others started appearing, I watched and played. Because of this fascination, I often get asked about this technology and how it could affect what we, as coaches do.
As a marketeer also, I am plugged into some of the marketing communities, and this is interesting.
In a recent Gartner report looking at how information is being used in an organisation, 27% of employees (n=988) felt at least overloaded by the amount of information, with 33% reacting adversely to the number of information sources. This is having a direct impact on staff retention – only 6% of those that expressed overload had the desire to stay in their current role.
Information and content is therefore ubiquitous – it is out there and social promotion sites (like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook etc) are self fulfilling leading to greater overwhelm and anxiety.
The concept of ChatGPT is challenging. Of course, I use the term ChatGPT as a substitute for Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. Many online tools are now incorporating different levels of AI into their core offering. Interestingly, some are charging more for that privaledge, but this will be short lived as offerings incorporate AI as standard.
But the challenge – A subject novice can understand a lot about a subject in a relatively short period of time. So what is my take on ChatGPT and other AI on what we do and enjoy? It will give some the opportunity of looking expert in areas they are not – and so the human filter is essential.
Simply put, though – Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT will affect what we do.
Now read on before revolting about Artificial Intelligence doing the job of a coach. I am not saying that (yet).
What I am seeing is that the capability is progressing. Replacing a human coach, who is attuned to the total somatic patterns of a client, who has that rapport physically with a client is difficult for an AI that is within our reach. When we meet a client, and we celebrate and react (I know we shouldn’t, but we do, right) – we are human, and should celebrate this by following our intuition.
Even AI Hallucinates
Where AI could impact us now, is as an adjunct to our thinking and research processes. But even this needs to be taken lightly. It predicts what we need to see based on a question we ask – sometimes getting it, case studies, and references wrong (Google calls this hallucinating). However, it can start off a stuck mind.
Think of the older car that required a starter handle – think of AI as the starter handle at the moment. A starter handle that is one of the ways of starting the car. The way of starting that creativity process or engine.
But with this comes caution.
The AI Algorithm
An AI is running on an algorithm.
This algorithm will not give you an answer to making a bomb, or any socially non-acceptable behaviour. But this means that someone or something has control, and we are trusting the integrity of this interaction to that person with control. This is my fear – we already live in a land of spin and media manipulation hearing what sells where finding a balanced view is somewhat challenging.
So the ethical control of this type of system is sacrosanct.
As an example,
If we consider how we use google search. We type in details of what we are searching for and depending on your settings, you see organic (that is search results that the search alone attracts), and inorganic (the paid or sponsored content) links that Google’s changing algorithm decides you want to see. And they do very well out of this commercialness.
Despite this, the capability of such a system should not be ignored. By entering a simple command such as
“Let us play a game. You play the role of my coach, helping me raise my awareness, and enabling me to explore options to change my behaviour and get better results. You do not know what I am struggling with and sometimes I may not give a clear answer. All consequences are permanent and cannot be reverted. You will act as my coach using clean language to help me overcome the challenge that I am facing, only asking questions to make me think about my challenge, never giving me advice! ”
into the chatGPT command line, we find that the AI can coach us on a simple, task-based activity such as setting goals.
Should we question data security in AI?
Again, there is also a caveat – and this applies to any coaching system or system we put confidential information onto. We need to be sure that the information is being held securely and is backed by GDPR and/or HIPAA if storing confidential and personally identifiable information. Unfortunately, certain history functionality in ChatGPT was taken offline because some of the prompts could be seen by others – so please exercise caution if you do decide to have a play.
Free thinking?
I also have a concern on the impact that this has to free thinking.
If our thinking is being focussed through a generator, we will become reliant on the generator for concepts and ideas. We become sheep hurded by the AI engine because
ultimately we are lazy.
Our minds are built to conserve energy and thinking takes up energy. Whilst new tech can assist, we also need to harbour that that makes us human and seek inspiration from situations around us, from the walks that we take, the friends that we socialise and drink coffee with and with the human connection that sparks creativity
So with any new tool, comes an element of understanding the flip side.
Sure – AI will assist, but lets conserve the AI to doing stuff that allows us to be more human.
To be more releasing and celebrate the fact that right now.
We may be having a momentum shift from being a community where knowledge is power to celebrating that knowledge is now abundant and it is the connections that we create both physically, spiritually, somatically, and inspirationally that is the way ahead.
by simonhague | Mar 17, 2023 | Uncategorized
Jim Rohn was a highly influential motivational speaker and author who shared valuable insights on personal development, business, and finances. Here are five top tips from Jim Rohn on managing finances when running your own business:
- Pay yourself first
Jim Rohn emphasized the importance of paying yourself first. This means setting aside a portion of your earnings as savings before you pay for business expenses or bills. By prioritizing your personal financial security, you’ll be in a better position to grow your business and make more informed decisions.
- Develop a budget and stick to it
To effectively manage your finances, Rohn recommended creating a budget to track income, expenses, and investments. By monitoring your cash flow and allocating resources wisely, you can make strategic decisions to reduce costs, increase profits, and grow your business.
- Invest in your personal and professional development
Jim Rohn believed that investing in yourself is crucial for long-term success. This includes seeking out educational opportunities, attending seminars, and building a network of like-minded professionals. By constantly improving your skills and knowledge, you’ll be better equipped to make informed decisions and adapt to changes in the business world.
- Learn the art of delayed gratification
Rohn advocated for delayed gratification, or the ability to resist the temptation for immediate rewards in favor of long-term benefits. In the context of managing your business finances, this means avoiding impulsive purchases or decisions and focusing on investments that will yield greater returns in the future.
- Surround yourself with successful people
Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
He believed that by associating with successful and financially responsible individuals, you’ll learn from their habits and experiences, which can positively impact your own financial management skills. Networking with successful entrepreneurs can help you gain valuable insights and perspectives on managing your business finances effectively.
by simonhague | Mar 10, 2023 | Story, Thoughts
Once upon a time, there was a clever little fox who lived in a forest. He loved to play and explore, but one winter day, he woke up to find that the ground was covered in fluffy white snow.
At first, the little fox was very excited. He had never seen snow before, and he ran around in circles, jumping and playing in the cold, soft powder.
But as the day went on, the snow began to pile up higher and higher, until the little fox found himself buried up to his neck! He tried to dig himself out, but the snow was too deep and too heavy.
Feeling cold, scared, and alone, the little fox began to cry. But then, he remembered something his mother had told him. “If you’re ever in trouble,” she had said, “just close your eyes and think. You are clever, and you will find a way out.”
So the little fox closed his eyes and thought hard. And then, he remembered another thing his mother had told him. “In the winter,” she had said, “you can always find food and shelter if you look hard enough.”
So the little fox opened his eyes and began to look around. And sure enough, he soon spotted a little hole in the side of a nearby hill. It was just big enough for him to squeeze into, and it was warm and cozy inside.
The little fox curled up in the hole and waited out the snowstorm. And when it was over, he emerged into a beautiful winter wonderland, where the snow glistened in the sunlight and everything was clean and bright.
From that day on, the little fox knew that even in the harshest of winters, there was always a way to survive if you use your cleverness and your wits. And he lived happily ever after, exploring the snow-covered forest and always remembering the lessons he had learned.
by simonhague | Feb 17, 2023 | Uncategorized
Last week, I mentioned about becoming a greater responsible business. This started with defining my purpose and intent. What is it that I do for my clients and how can I become more deliberate thereby connecting with ny inner values.
I started this by a quiet brainstorming session. I thought of the questions that needed answering, prioritised them, and then worked through them. The questions focused on the why. Simon Sinek talks about the why being the limbic or empathic being answered. It can be beyond logic but satisfies our deep understanding of self.
A popular coaching model is the 5 whys. Through asking a cascading sequence of whis this important questions, we (or client) gets to a greater understanding of the reasons why a decision or direction is important to them.
From simple whys come ‘so what we going to do question, hopefully with more aplomb than the vultures from the jungle book