Why?

If you have kids, you have experienced the why game. A four year old won't just accept "because" or "it just is" or "just do it, I'm your mother" and let it go. But we slowly let that inquisitive process slip away as we get older.

Then we may stop asking why. 

Change is not easy but status quo can appear safe. Our inner four year old needs to show up more often so we can discover why do we do what we do.

Tony Robbins shares his thoughts.


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Nine Questions

You don’t have to look far to find someone who has a model or gadget or program that promises to help you with your business. I’ve been in corporate and consulting roles for three decades. I’ve used assessment tools for talent development, programs for team development, coaching and facilitation tools, and a myriad others but I’m asked all the time to define my ideal client.

It begins with a willing participant. That wasn't always clear. I used to think I could share my wisdom or make money or some other misguided reason. Without that willingness, your offer won't mean a thing to them. I found that out the hard way.

I like working with companies that are growing and want to grow more. This isn’t about cutting costs and making cheaper products to increase the profit margin. This is about becoming an even better company – inside and out. Rarely do I meet a leader or owner who isn’t interested in improving. I often meet leaders who think it's simply about making more sales calls.

Do You Know Your Why?

Simon Sinek in his book “Start with Why” states repeatedly that great leaders find people who believe what they believe. He writes about Apple and Southwest Airlines; companies that are beacons for knowing why they exist while Walmart – the largest retailer on earth – has lost its why and it’s now all about the bottom line.

I have nine questions that will unlock everything you and your company does, stands for, and wants to do. Let’s book a call (519-803-7130) and we can uncover your nine answers. The call will cost you nothing. You’ll be amazed what you discover.

Email me and we'll set something up!
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As a passionate leader, Kneale Mann has extensive experience in project management, leadership development, business, marketing, media, and talent coaching in numerous industries and organizations including; radio, digital marketing, corporate training, real estate, financial services, healthcare and more. He is always open to meeting companies and organizations who want to become even greater.

Five Questions for Your Business

As we settle into a new year and much of those grand plans from late last year are now on the docket, one simple exercise you may want to try is a quick five question survey. It may be good to do it on your own and then do it with your team.

What do we stand for?

How do we help?

Where do we impact?

Why do we do what we do?

What will we not do?
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

roadsigns

Inquisitive Intuition

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. Albert Einstein

It’s often said that things happen for a reason. It’s often said that we adapt to the result with which we’re faced with at any given time. This is not a work thing, it’s a life thing. We create what we want – even when it doesn't feel like it. Our energy pulls in what we focus on which can be what we want or what we don't want.

As children, one of the first words we learn is "no". Words such as; yes, imagine, how, create, come much later which may be why we gravitate to "can't" far too often. That may be why we first hear no in our minds soon after the idea. As leaders, we need to make sound decisions, but nothing is guaranteed so there is always be a chance of a misstep. But taking chances is where growth thrives.

First Impressions

Malcolm Gladwell talks about that feeling you get in your gut when you know you’re right in his book Blink. It happens to all of us. We sense there’s an opportunity, we feel it’s a good one, and then justify the reasons not to act. Our reflection then creates the "I knew it!" moment.

We have to be careful not to build in failure at the design stage then work toward fulfilling that prescribed inevitability. What we need to do is learn from past challenges but focus on successes. Food for thought for the next time you get that nagging urge to act yet find some excuse stop yourself.

Let's listen to our intuition more and stop thinking so much.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

microsoft

Yeah, But Why?

If you have kids, you have experienced the why game. A four year old won't just accept "because" or "it just is" or "just do it, I'm your mother" and let it go. But we slowly let that inquisitive process slip away as we get older.

Then we may stop asking why. 

Change is not easy but status quo can appear safe. Our inner four year old needs to show up more often so we can discover why do we do what we do.

Tony Robbins shares his thoughts.


__________________________________________________________________
Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Tony Robbins

Reviewing Ideas for 2012

I've been looking back at the posts from the last year on knealemann.com and wanted to thank-you for taking time to drop by. There are countless trillion websites and you found mine then took a moment to look around. Thanks!

Keep Sharing Ideas

There are visitors here from over 280 countries and every continent on the planet and if we haven't connected through the social web or via email, let's do that.

As we wind down 2012, I thought we'd look at the top 10 posts here according people like you. We'll begin that tomorrow but first let's review the list published here on January 1st, 2012. Let's see how we did.

Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Some day is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Excuses won’t help you Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write something every day Move from what if to why not It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher Follow through Meet five new people each week Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right Tell others about someone fabulous You’ll never been done Say thank-you Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself Take the victory Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you Yes you deserve it Don't wait No one can want it more than you Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner All we have is now

Kneale Mann

cbc | original: jan 2012

Nog for the Noggin

About three weeks ago, I was in a store and saw it. The smugness was evident. It made no excuses for its early arrival. Right there by the chocolate milk it proudly stood in defiance of the calendar. Egg nog - a strange concoction that isn't custard but isn't a milkshake. Its familiar yellow hue and viscous properties are quite unique.

Halloween and Thanksgiving hadn't arrived and here was egg nog, usually reserved for the "holiday" season. So it seemed appropriate to review the bold and brazen list of things I published here this past New Year's Day.

Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Some day is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less

Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word

Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write every day Move from what if to why not It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher

Follow through Meet five new people each week Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right Tell others about someone fabulous

You’ll never been done Say thank-you Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself

Take the victory Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you Yes you deserve it

Don't wait No one can want it more than you Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner All we have is now

Enjoy the nog

Kneale Mann

thehairpin

Inspirational People | Simon Sinek

We recently started a feature on this site. It began with the desire to find out who inspires readers, friends, and colleagues. If someone comes to mind, send me an email

The Three Rules: Is the information valuable to my work or life? Is the author doing actual work to back it up? Do they challenge me, make me think, and/or make me move to do something?

Simon Sinek | Re:Focus

For my entire career, I subscribed to a business mantra I thought was bolted to concrete. You devise the strategy then add tactics to accomplish your ideas. Build the plan then execute what you need to do to get it done. But Simon Sinek changed it with a box of markers and an easel.

Without knowing why we do something, all the strategy in the world won't help us. Simon also challenges the concept of leadership and reminds us in order to be a leader we need to find those who believe what we believe.

Laptop Begone

While many of us pour over PowerPoint slide decks for speaking engagements, Sinek utilizes simple tools to get us to think clearer and make things better. One man, one hour, one easel, three markers, and one captivated audience.

Simon Sinek uses clear thoughts on his site, with clients, and on stage to simplify concepts which may appear complex. And he will definitely create a reaction.

What matters most is what we do about it.

Kneale Mann

Simon Sinek

2012 List | Revisited

We like lists. They’re easy to read and review. It’s content in small digestible chunks. But without action, they’re just nice lists. On January 1st, I did yet another one and I was looking at it this week. Much work to be done, especially the singing!

Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Someday is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Excuses won’t help you
Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions

Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less 

Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride 

Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word
Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write something every day 

Move from what if to why not Meet five new people each week 

It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners 
Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher Follow through

Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins

No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news
Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right 

Tell others about someone fabulous You’ll never been done Say thank-you

Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous 
Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number

Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself Take the victory
Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive

Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself
The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you

Yes you deserve it Don't wait No one can want it more than you
Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner All we have is now

I hope your 2012 is going well so far!
Email or DM anytime and we can discuss.

Kneale Mann

image: flickr

Ideas for 2012

Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Some day is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Excuses won’t help you Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye contact Their opinion is just their opinion Smile more Take one digital day off a month Enjoy the ride Stop doing anything that weakens you Keep an open mind Busy is a victim word Plan ahead then be flexible Respect your own time Write something every day Move from what if to why not It's okay to be wrong Ask for help Hang with winners Don't rest on past accomplishments Reach higher Follow through Meet five new people each week Take time off It doesn't matter what they say There are no instant wins No excuses Help someone without their knowledge Go for it Ignore the news Don't waste your time on naysayers Sing often Let them be right Tell others about someone fabulous You’ll never been done Say thank-you Have dessert for dinner Trust your gut Do something ridiculous Sit quietly Be more tolerant Success is not a number Focus on your strengths Start now Laugh at yourself Take the victory Get some sleep Less talk, more do Do something scary Do nothing Go for a drive Cherish friendship Negative thoughts are a waste of time Be yourself The bucket list is meant to be lived Mistakes are allowed Your resume is not you Yes you deserve it Don't wait No one can want it more than you Lead with passion Take yourself out for dinner  All we have is now

Let's Have an Inspiring Year!

Kneale Mann

image credit: cbc

Why Are You in Business?

Focusing on what you want and why you want it, not on whom you’re going to sell it to or how you’re going to sell it.

That is from an email a friend sent me. It caused me to pause and read the line a few times. I don't sell paint or fix plumbing or increase revenue in one meeting. The value I bring is tougher to measure in a world of instant wins and spams that claim to solve all your problems with a click of a mouse.

Clients and prospects don't care about my quarter century of experience, they have issues that need attention. And that remains the challenge when deciding what companies to approach in the first place.

Narrow the Focus

No matter if you run a publicly traded multi-national organization or work for yourself, you cannot be everything to everyone. You do some things well, you need to improve on other items and you are not tapping into the true power of your people and your network. Or perhaps I'm alone on this.

If you are unclear on what you want and why you want it, your customers, direct reports and colleagues will be unclear as well. And perhaps that is where we slip up when trying to grow business?

Find the Quiet

Our lives are full of chatter and meetings, opinions and deadlines, politics and stress. We aim to please while we lose ourselves in the process.

Big company or sole proprietorship, it is imperative to have an honest look under the hood. You may discover the reason you're doing all this in the first place.

Do you know what you want and why?

Kneale Mann

image credit: soshable | original: mar 2011

Leadership and Inspiration

After more than twenty-five years in the workforce, I remain absolutely fascinated by the reasons why two seemingly similar companies can travel very different journeys. One could thrive and grow and expand while the other struggles. Could it be the products each offer? Perhaps. Is it the price? Maybe. But it’s something much deeper.

Leadership is not a job title but a mind space, an attitude, that ‘thing’ we can often not quite put our finger on. And great leaders not only inspire a company, they can inspire a generation. But let’s back up for a moment. You work hard and want to be a part of a sound company and do purposeful work.

Simon Sinek has written a book on it and in his TEDTalk outlines what sets apart those leaders who inspire and make profound differences in their work and the people around them.

It begins with one simple question


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

Why We Do What We Do

We have all tried and failed. We have all found sufficient excuses not to get it done. We have all blamed seemingly endless reasons why it didn’t go our way.

Tony Robbins has been helping people for more than three decades. If you need that kick in the butt, watch this. If you’re one of the over 3 million who have seen it since 2005, watch it again.

Then what will you do?


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED

Finding Your Why Business

Focus on what you want and why you want it, not on whom you’re going to sell it to or how you’re going to sell it.

That is from an email a friend sent me last week. It caused me to pause and read the line a few times. I don't sell paint or fix your plumbing or solve your revenue issues in one meeting. The value I bring is tougher to measure in a world of instant wins and spams that claim to solve all your problems with a click of a mouse.

Clients and prospects don't care about my quarter century of experience, they have issues that need attention. And that remains the challenge when deciding what companies to approach in the first place.

Narrow the Focus

No matter if you run a publicly traded multi-national organization or work for yourself, you cannot be everything to everyone. You do some things well, you need to improve on other items and you are not tapping into the true power of your people and your network. Or perhaps I'm alone on this.

If you are unclear on what you want and why you want it, your customers, direct reports and colleagues will be unclear as well. And perhaps that is where we slip up when trying to grow business?

I'm often called a social media guy. In reality, I'm a help clients build a stronger business guy. I'm a work with clients on business, marketing and digital guy. If that requires two cans and a string, so be it. My focus is not what Kneale Mann thinks you should do but rather what you want and why you want it. We all have the same tools to choose from and it's not about what we can do but rather what we will do.

Find the Quiet

Our day is full of chatter and meetings, opinions and deadlines, politics and stress. We aim to please while we lose ourselves in the process. I have earmarked some time this week for a business spring cleaning to assess and focus on why I want what I want. If I can't keep refining that, I am useless to my clients and prospects.

Big company or sole proprietorship, it is imperative to have an honest look under the hood. You may discover the reason you're doing all this in the first place.

Do you know what you want and why you want it?

Kneale Mann | How can I help?

image credit: dailymakeover

Do You Know Why?

How and What Come Next.

On any given day, like you, my mind is filled with ideas. Each is fighting for prominence in my consciousness. Sound familiar? But after attending The Art of Management this week, those ideas seem a bit more organized.

Malcolm Gladwell, Simon Sinek, Mitch Joel, Nilofer Merchant and Michael Eisner all presented brilliantly. Unfortunately I had to leave before Mr. Gladwell but I have seen him speak and present before and do so
if you ever get the chance.

And I can't forget the entertaining host Ron Tite who kept it all together and shared several excellent presenations throughout the day.

You can read the Twitter stream here - #TAOM

Michael told engaging stories about his years at Paramount and Disney and dovetailed them into all the projects he’s working on now. As always, Mitch shared many examples of how the adoption of digital and social media continue to enhance our experience, our commerce and our lives. He also shared a shaving trick, ask him about it if you get the chance. Nilofer discussed that the future will not be created, it will be co-created with true collaboration.

The presenter I knew the least about before the event was Simon Sinek.

They tell us that we need to do better PowerPoint presentations. Don’t put a lot of words on the screen, don’t bore people with charts and graphs and tell stories. Agreed! Well, Simon did an hour with three markers and an easel. Try that at your next meeting.

Sinek's message is clear – find the why and you will change your focus, your business and your life.

We aren't too bad at finding the how (objective or strategy). We are even better at finding the what (tactics and execution). We prefer to make stuff over planning how to make stuff. But few of us can aptly articulate the why which is our purpose.

If we can find why we are doing it, what and how become much clearer.

Simon talked about leadership in a simple yet powerful way.

There are only two ways to lead – by force or by inspiration. Strong leaders know why they do what they do and inspire people who believe what they believe.

Do you know your why?

knealemann | email



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image credit: simon sinek - the golden circle