Are you more like a chicken or a pig?

There’s a great quote by former tennis champion Martina Navratilova - “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved, the pig is committed”.

I have coached a lot of people over the years who are more like chickens… involved in the process. Only a few are like the pigs,... are fully committed.

I’ve been working with one person this year that could be the most coachable person I’ve ever coached. What is it about this person that makes them so coachable?

I’ve narrowed it down to four things:

1. Enormous desire to change

The person I’m referring to is super hungry for success. They are crystal clear on their goal. How clear are you on yours? They know if they can improve their presentation and speaking skills quickly they will become more successful, faster. They want to lead their team successfully and have recognised that it’s their communication and presentation skills that are holding them back. Much like a Rottweiler with a bone; they don’t want to let go. They have that hunger in their belly for success. If you don’t have that I suggest there’s not that much point in being coached by me. Hunger is the son of determination. 

2. They have some stake in the game – They pay for some of the coaching

If someone else is fully funding your professional development how committed will you really be?  Some degree of self-funding should make a huge difference to your results. The best people I’ve coached understand this and often confidently approach their employer with an offer to pay for a percentage of their own development. You would have to seriously question whether you are working for the right person if you’re immediate manager or MD said “No we’re not really interested in supporting your own professional development. That’s your issue, not ours”.

3. They are willing to practice the new skills consistently

If you don’t make time to practice the new skills regularly you won’t see any shifts in your behaviour. In fact, you’ll slowly get worse. My 13 year old daughter Emily is learning the guitar this year, after she informed my wife and I that she had a rare gift for the instrument. She is trying to master it by practicing as little as possible. I’m not holding my breath for her to be offered a scholarship at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.  Regular practice supported by quality coaching and feedback makes a huge difference. No practice. No difference. Yes, you’re busy and who really has the time to practice anyway? I’m sure you have other pressing priorities that are getting in your way. The higher performers that I coach make time to keep working on their skills. That’s why they are higher performers.

4. They pick one skill or idea and work hard at

The easiest thing to do after you receive any coaching or attend a training session is… you guessed it… nothing. In fact I have pages of notes in my office from conferences that I’ve attended with all sorts of tips, ideas, stories and clever quotes I’ve heard from other speakers and trainers. To date, I’ve done nothing with most of them other than let them form into small piles on my desk. 

Think of all the conferences, workshops and training sessions that you have been to over the past 10 years. How many times have you sat there and thought, “Wow, that’s a good idea, I’ll do that when I get back to work”. You get back to work and have 957 unread emails, a child with head lice and a laundry crisis. All those ideas that seemed so great at your conference are quickly forgotten.

What would it take for you to actually implement a few of the ideas that you have heard?

3 suggestions to help you to embrace new ideas

If you want to get more benefit from any coaching or training sessions you attend next year here are my top 3 suggestions;

1. Pick 1 new idea you plan on implementing as soon as the training session finishes
2. Click here to set yourself a 30 day challenge and measure your results
3. Share with the people that matter to you what you are working on and why

So, were you the winner of the best person I coached this year?  I’ll send you an SMS later today to confirm if you are the winner. For obvious reasons I can’t publish the winner in this forum. If you don’t receive an SMS from me today, don’t despair. Next year might be your year.

Think more like the Pig, turning himself into ham, and less like the Chicken, just casually laying those eggs. I don’t think you can be half committed.

You’re either in or out when it comes to improving your results.

Posted in Presenting; Tagged Coaching, Habits, Presenting, Leadership; Posted 24 November 2015 by Steve Herzberg