by Philip Anast | Mar 20, 2024 | Blog
I had a chance to read Angela Duckworth’s book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” and it did not disappoint.
The psychologist and University of Pennsylvania professor attempts to answer the question whether talent or effort is more important in achieving success and reaching one’s goals. Citing numerous use cases and research, she draws the conclusion that it’s not the most talented who succeed in specific tasks, but those who demonstrate the most “grit.”
Showing passion and perseverance for a task or goal and doing so consistently over time are what have inspired some of our greatest thinkers and highest achievers, she asserts.
The Japanese call this continuous improvement kaizen.
What does one have to do to embark on this path? Is this just for the highest achievers?
Duckworth explains that deliberate practice is how experts practice, and that’s what’s required for achievement. Here are other takeaways:
- Make practice a habit.
- Seek out weaknesses that you haven’t mastered and create stretch goals.
- Enjoy working hard, embrace challenges, and don’t fear them.
When one imbues a purpose to these practices and goals, such as contributing to the well-being of others, then things can really take off. That’s when a job or career becomes a calling, she writes.
How one sees her work is more important than a job title, Duckworth asserts.
She also writes that “hard work, really, really matters,” and that one can’t overreact to setbacks.
This is important for those who mentor people in the workforce, as well as kids.
“Teaching a person to do hard things teaches them to do other hard things.”
“With practice, industriousness can be learned.”
Among her use cases, Duckworth references the lives and examples of some of the most storied coaches in professional sports to illustrate her thinking.
Pete Carroll, former head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, says, “Our opponent…creates challenges that help us become our best selves.”
For his part, John Wooden, winning coach of 10 men’s basketball championships at UCLA, writes, “Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.”
And while not referenced in this book, author Malcom Gladwell cites the Beatles and their night-in-and-night-out performances in Hamburg, Germany, that helped them master their craft.
by Philip Anast | Nov 9, 2022 | Blog
On the cusp of a new year, many of us start thinking about exercise regimens. But the founders of Politico and Axios recommend we put our “prose on a diet.” In their book, “Smart Brevity,” they spell out effective ways to communicate in a world of 24×7 news cycles and social media.
Theirs isn’t the first book to detail better ways to write. But they do build off the seminal “The Elements of Style” to account for our 21st century digital age.
Citing various research studies, they suggest that we’re “overindulging in words” and that we need to pay attention to how “people consume content,” and to “communicate to save people time.” The key is to get people focused “on what matters most.” That’s what they’ve done with their Axios newsletters, i.e., structured them in a way to inform, but also linking to the details if readers want to go deeper. Go “short, not shallow,” “with simplicity and brevity,” is their mantra.
In order to get people to understand what we’re saying, PR professionals also need to package content so it answers two questions:
- What’s new? (i.e., tell me something I don’t know.)
- Why does it matter?
It’s particularly important to be memorable in the subject line, be it in business communications or a story pitch to a reporter. The authors recommend no more than six words, grabbing the reader’s attention.
In the body of a communication, they also recommend bold-facing key points and using bullets to “impose rhythm.” The first sentence is important because it may be the only opportunity to “tell someone what they need to know.”
Here are other key takeaways, many already known, but still good reminders for anyone in the business of writing and communicating:
- Single out the person you want to reach
- Be simple and direct
- Use the right words
- As Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
- Sharpen thoughts and ideas
- “Deliver depth, detail and nuance more quickly”
- Less is more
- Use active verbs always
- Write direct, declarative sentences
- Use one-syllable words in lieu of two- and three-syllable ones
- “Tell me a story; don’t tell me about a story”
One thing I found interesting was their recommendation to use emojis in e-mail subject lines, as a means to stand out.
The book also includes chapters with best practices for writing e-mails and presentations, running meetings, writing speeches, building visuals, doing social media, and running companies.
The ultimate goal is to “win the war for attention,” and this book provides a worthy playbook for doing so.
by Philip Anast | Aug 4, 2021 | Blog
While searching for a high-school graduation gift this summer, I came across a book called, “Learn Like a Pro, Science-based tools to become better at anything.” Primarily a guidebook for students about how to learn, study and prepare for tests, it also has application for all who desire maximizing their learning abilities regardless of age.
The authors, Barbara Oakley and Olav Schewe, are university professors who share their failures along the way and how they transformed themselves into skilled learners.
As a PR professional for an award-winning PR and marketing agency, I wanted to give this book a “test drive” to see if it could help me in my own work, as well as provide colleagues with best practices.
One of the methods they recommend is the Pomodoro Technique, where an individual sets aside e-mail, mobile phones and other distractions for 25 minutes of uninterrupted study or work. The technique avails itself of the focused mode of learning, where the brain tackles an assignment or problem intently. After the focused period, the doer takes a five-minute break so that the diffuse mode of learning can continue working in the background while the person listens to music, takes a walk, gets a snack, etc. The idea is to rinse and repeat. The diffuse mode, incidentally, is the part of the brain that spurs creativity.
Focused and diffuse modes of learning help build connections between neurons, the brain’s building blocks. The links between neurons are synapses. The stronger the neural connections, the stronger knowledge, understanding and insights take root in long-term memory.
Exercise also plays a part in these neural connections because it produces a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor BDNF, a type of fertilizer for the brain.
The Pomodoro Technique may even mitigate procrastination by giving the user a set amount of time to focus intently on a task with a built-in reward at the end of the period. For those struggling with a particular task, like an essay or math problem, stepping away to do something else allows the diffuse mode to continue pondering the issue at hand. Often, new ideas emerge in our brains when we return to that task.
In a new business presentation, for example, the authors might recommend that team members review materials for one hour a day, every other day, in the week before presenting. The breaks allow the diffuse mode to do its thing. As that presentation day approaches, reviewing materials and rehearsing the presentation grow in frequency.
For the chapters on self-discipline and motivation, who better to reference than Theodore Roosevelt to make their points. In 1912, the former President sustained a bullet wound by a would-be assassin in Milwaukee. The shot missed Roosevelt’s vital organs, and while still bleeding, he continued speaking for over 90 minutes! Roosevelt, from a young age, pushed himself to read, study and exercise at a breath-taking pace. He is said to have read one book a day during his eight years in the White House.
Their point is that not everyone has self-discipline or that type of sheer will. But there are ways to improve one’s chances of success at assignments and getting things done.
The way to do it is by limiting the distractions and temptations that require such self-discipline in the first place. Again, removing mobile phones during focused work, limiting the distractions on one’s desk and workspace are great starts.
To be deep learners, the authors have several recommendations while reading books and other materials: The first is to skim a book chapter or white paper for section headings, executive summaries, graphics and bold-faced copy to get a feel for the material. Later, with focused reading, it’s important to turn your gaze away every few pages to engage in a method called recall (or retrieval), which entails summarizing, in one’s own words, what has been learned. Studies suggest this method of reading breeds greater retention than reading materials repeatedly, where the strong neural connections often don’t form because one hasn’t really absorbed the material.
To aid in this process, the authors recommend taking notes on the right 2/3 of a notebook, leaving the left 1/3 to summarize key words and thoughts later in the day. This helps in the recall/retrieval process.
Another area impacting effective learning and time management is the writing and editing process. The authors assert not to confuse the two. When one is writing, one ought to pour one’s heart into writing without worrying about everything being perfect. It’s essential to get thoughts on paper and digital screen. The editing process takes place later and is more effective as its own discipline.
Setting process, milestone and long-term goals also go a long way to sowing a path to success. To establish goals and fulfill them, one must develop good habits and weed out the bad ones. This exercise can be accomplished by finding the triggers to bad habits and resetting them so that there are positive cues and then rewards at the end of the tunnel.
That’s all for now. My Pomodoro session has now concluded, and it’s time for a break.
by Philip Anast | Jun 23, 2021 | Blog
A recent cyberattack on a fuel pipeline has hospital and health system officials rethinking what they need to do better to protect their own networks from breaches and the huge consequences that can result.
For communications professionals at such institutions, rehearsing such crisis scenarios and what should follow can be the difference between saving a reputation or seeing it destroyed.
The ability to respond promptly to disasters or damaging reports can build confidence in constituents that the organization is on top of the crisis and is a leader in its sector.
One thing to consider is that crisis plans should make very clear who is responsible for what. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind:
Prepare in advance with inputs from the organization’s functional areas. The time to plan for a crisis is long before it hits. A well- thought-out crisis plan is designed to help an organization communicate internally and externally with clear, succinct, and timely direction.
The goal is to minimize confusion and maintain confidence amidst whatever crisis may occur. Opinions vary and emotions are strong when the stakes are high, the book Crucial Conversations tells us. The time for addressing conflicting perspectives is in the preparation phase of a crisis plan, not during the crisis itself. While there will undoubtedly be differences of opinion in one’s approach depending on the circumstances, a detailed plan rehearsed with key players and influencers can minimize disruption when things get tense. Still, even if things get heated, the book’s authors tell us to leverage the power of dialogue with absolute candor and deep respect for others’ viewpoints to realize the desired goals.
Identify stakeholders. Designing an effective crisis management plan also requires an understanding of stakeholders and their roles. Stakeholders are all those who have an interest in the outcome. For a health system, the list is generally long and can include patients, governments, administrators, board members, and clinicians. Each might need slightly different things during a crisis, which is why each stakeholder should be considered a separate audience.
Identify a communications chain of command. Crisis plans should – in advance – identify all of those who will be involved with managing a crisis, what areas they are responsible for and who is ultimately responsible for making decisions. Then, all of those involved should receive the training they need to be effective in their roles. For example, specialists from all functional areas of the organization should be available to lend their expertise should the need arise, and executive spokespeople should receive media training.
Create real-world tools that can be modified later. One of the most valuable things to have in a crisis is a head start. Messaging, scripts, and spokespeople should be prepared in advance. The communications team or the company’s PR firm can later assist in adapting standard scripts to specific situations based on the event and fallout.
Ensure that crisis management messaging addresses various aspects of the crisis. When communicating bad news or another type of crisis, it is imperative that the organization’s spokespersons do the following:
Elaborate with the “what” – explain what happened with concise language, together with the organization’s position on the issue
Educate with the “how” – explain how audiences should respond to the situation and how the organization is responding
Engage with the “why” – explain the impact the situation has on operations so that impacts are not blown out of proportion
By giving thoughtful consideration to the development of a crisis management plan, organizations are more likely to be able to recover from bad news. In some cases, they might even exit the crisis with stronger brand relationships.
by Philip Anast | Mar 31, 2021 | Blog
Michael J. Gerhardt’s book, “Lincoln’s Mentors,” teaches us about the thirst for knowledge and ambition of our 16th president. While Abraham Lincoln was an imperfect human being, we learn about the ways this self-made man educated himself and drew courage and insights from others during his lifetime. It is a model from which we can learn how to intentionally seek out others to become “better angels of our nature” – in the workplace and in our personal lives.
The University of North Carolina professor traces Lincoln’s humble beginnings and perseverance to make something of himself – to be esteemed by his countrymen.
Of particular importance is how Lincoln sought out various mentors in life. They came from three groups:
- Books
- Historical figures
- People he met and from whom he solicited counsel
Books
In his early life, Lincoln struggled to access books. Yet, he never wasted an opportunity when he did get his hands on one to read and re-read it. For Lincoln, the Bible, “Aesop’s Fables,” Shakespeare, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and “The Pilgrim’s Progress” were ones he cherished. They influenced not only his character but also his oratory and the way he commanded language in his writings. They also influenced his relationships, leadership and vision for the country.
Historical figures
In this camp, Lincoln counted figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Chief Justice John Marshall as mentors who shaped his vision for life and for his country. With Jackson, in particular, he saw a figure who sought to preserve the Union at all costs, even as South Carolina threatened to secede as early as 1832.
Personal mentors
This last group of individuals were those with whom Lincoln had relationships of varying degrees – people like John Todd Stuart and Orville Browning of Illinois, and Whig Party stalwarts Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, as well as Zachary Taylor. Clay had the most influence on Lincoln’s political philosophy, one could argue, as Lincoln was first a member of the Whig Party. Lincoln built his case for the Emancipation Proclamation based, in part, on what he learned from his mentor Clay over many decades.
An important note about mentorship: Lincoln was not best friends with all the aforementioned. With some, there was affinity and later distance. But mentorship does not necessarily translate to friendship. His mentors provided him different points of view to consider as he learned to compromise when it made sense and when to hold his position unfettered.
Secondly, Lincoln did not parrot his mentors. He learned from their successes and mistakes and made their substance his own.
For 21st Century individuals like ourselves, it would seem that our digital age presents us with no shortage of mentorship opportunities.
While we can connect with people on LinkedIn and other social networks, it takes concerted effort to build mentorship relationships and nurture them.
Here are three suggestions for successfully building and nurturing mentor relationships:
- Take mentorship relationships seriously. Be respectful of a mentor’s time and make the most of the encounter
- Come prepared for meetings. Do your homework to make conversations thoughtful and meaningful
- Mentor others. While gleaning the insights of experienced individuals can advance your career and broaden your personal strengths, “paying it forward” provides its own rewards.
While digital tools like e-mail, texting and Zoom are great, my hope is that in our quasi-post-COVID-19 world, we will once again have more opportunities for face-to-face encounters with individuals who inspire us to be “better angels of our nature.” By investing in mentor relationships, we can take a page from Lincoln’s playbook, and take the chance to listen, learn and grow.
