You’ll often hear elite sportsmen and women talking about ‘controlling the controllables’. At Gazing we call this ‘blue head behaviour’. To dwell on the outcome, what might happen, is the red-headed approach:
- What if we lose the deal?
- What if the customer doesn’t like it?
- What if my team member isn’t happy with my decision?
These are all outside of our control, and our attention should be put on the process to get to the outcome, rather than worrying about the outcome itself. Johnny Wilkinson, England’s Rugby World Cup winning Fly Half was famous for his much-impersonated routine as he prepared to take a kick at goal. That was his process, the bit he could control. Get that right, and more often than not, the ball goes between the sticks, irrespective of the pressures.
In a business context, the outcomes we’re looking for could be a buying decision going our way, a positive resolution to a customer service situation, or maybe the successful execution of a difficult conversation with a team member. In each case, check your process.
- How are you planning to handle the situation?
- Is your approach robust and flexible?
- Have you practised it, and is there a plan to handle the inevitable difficulties that could lie ahead?
Organisations that thrive under pressure (the military, airlines, medical teams etc) typically have good process, and their skill acquisition comes from the practiced execution of that process in the toughest environments.
If you’d like to learn more about how Gazing Performance Systems such as The Decision Making Cycle© and the Customer Perception Cycle© can bring more structure to your environment, in sales, in management or in customer service please do get in touch.
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