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Pattern Interrupt: How to Productively Disrupt Behaviors Blocking Your Path to Success

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Today’s business leaders face numerous challenges, many of which stem from interactions with people. In office or service-based environments, engaging with colleagues, clients, and customers can account for 60-80% of daily activities. In some service industries, this number can rise as high as 90%.

These interactions are influenced by a range of factors, one of the most significant being your unique human wiring. This wiring influences your thoughts, actions, and how you engage with others.

Understanding Your Human Wiring

Every individual has a specific wiring pattern that influences how they generate ideas, process thoughts, communicate, thrive in different environments, and make decisions. Understanding this wiring is key to identifying recurring behaviors that might be hindering your progress—especially if you’re in a leadership position or working on scaling a business.

Often, these recurring behaviors are attempts to satisfy your wiring’s natural tendencies. Without awareness, you may find yourself stuck in a loop, repeating actions that don’t lead to the results you want.

A Common Wiring Pattern and Its Challenges

Over the years, we’ve worked with leaders who exhibit a particular wiring combination:

They enjoy creating and implementing their own ideas and are strong advocates for them.
They prefer to think things through and communicate directly—this is what we refer to as the “Internal Thinker.”
They juggle multiple tasks, often becoming impatient and setting unrealistic expectations for themselves or others.
They value information, structure, and doing things the right way.

Leaders with this wiring often struggle with the following:

Self-Critical Mindset

Without awareness, their internal dialogue can be self-limiting or self-sabotaging, often focusing on what isn’t working. They may overanalyze situations, becoming overly critical in an effort to avoid mistakes.

Delegation

Believing that they are the best person for the job, they can become bottlenecks. Their urgency to move on to the next idea often prevents them from adequately training their team, leading to an overflowing plate of responsibilities.

Fear

Fear of failure, making the wrong decision, or not looking like they have all of the answers in front of their team can paralyze their progress.

Procrastination

Procrastination often stems from their wiring. Impatience leads to delays in tasks perceived as time-consuming. As internal thinkers, they may procrastinate on difficult conversations, overanalyzing what to say. They also delay delegation, fearing it won’t be done perfectly or that it’s faster to do it themselves.

Imagine a leader wired for task-oriented work, responsible for nurturing and developing a team. This task-oriented leader must now focus on nurturing elements—like reinforcing training, encouraging idea-sharing, and being patient with mistakes.

How can they excel in this role?

Strategies to Interrupt Patterns and Improve Leadership

Disrupt Your Natural Impulse

Your wiring is a natural impulse, but your response is a choice. Recognizing your tendency to have your hand in or thumbprint on everything allows you to interrupt that pattern.

Pattern Interrupt: Instead of immediately solving a problem for your team, ask them how they would approach the situation. Encourage them to develop solutions, which not only builds their critical thinking skills but also strengthens your leadership capabilities.

If social interactions drain you, take small steps to build relationships.

Pattern Interrupt: Spend a few minutes asking about someone’s weekend or acknowledging an employee’s consistent performance. These small gestures can help foster a more positive team environment.

Retrain Your Brain

If you find yourself stuck in negative thinking, catch yourself in the moment and shift your focus to the outcome.

Pattern Interrupt: Replace thoughts like “nothing ever works out” with affirmations like “opportunities are aligning from expected and unexpected sources right now.” By consistently practicing this, you can train your brain to move away from self-limiting beliefs and open up space for creative, expansive thinking.

Be Responsible for Clear Communication

As an internal thinker, you might believe you’ve communicated something when you haven’t. Fear of being wrong can lead to deflecting responsibility for miscommunication.

Pattern Interrupt: Own your part in any miscommunication. If you missed a key detail, such as a deadline, acknowledge it, correct the mistake, and move forward. Owning clear communication is vital to effective leadership.

The Bottom Line

You may repeat certain behaviors because your wiring is operating in the background without your conscious awareness. The more you understand and create awareness around your natural wiring, the better you’ll be at interrupting patterns that no longer serve you. This will help you achieve your desired outcomes and lead more effectively.

Invitation

If you’re ready to scale your business with greater ease, I invite you to attend the Wake Up Profitable Boot Camp on October 21-22, 2024. This Master Class is specifically designed for business owners who are eager to grow their operations.

This class is powered by our proprietary Entrepreneurial Edge System and the first crucial step is Mastering Your Inner Entrepreneur. This transformative phase will help you understand and manage your unique wiring and build and lead a highly-productive team.

During the Boot Camp, we’ll also guide you through a Blueprint for scaling your business, showing you how to systematize operations and marketing. This is your opportunity to unlock your leadership potential and elevate your business to the next level.

To register for the Wake Up Profitable Boot Camp visit https://www.excellerateassociates.com/wake-up-profitable-boot-camp Monday-Tuesday, October 21-22, 2024,

or

Join our Introduction: Scale and Systematize half-day class at https://www.excellerateassociates.com/attend-profit-lab-intro/ on September 12 or October 10, 2024

How Continuous Leadership Development Drives Organizational Success

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Jim Rohn, a best-selling author, once shared an insightful lesson from his mentor: “Success is to be attracted by the person you become.” His mentor further advised, “Learn the skills. Practice the skills. Apply the skills.” This wisdom is particularly relevant for leaders today. Leadership is a dynamic skill that must evolve with changing circumstances, experience, and the demands of the environment.

Leadership is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing journey. To remain effective, you must continuously develop and refine your skills, understanding that what worked in the past may not be enough to navigate future challenges. By expanding your leadership abilities, you can more effectively respond to new situations, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and build resilience within your team.

An Example of The Benefits of Continuously Developing Your Leadership

Consider the case of a technology company CEO who successfully led a startup that grew into a mid-sized enterprise. Initially, the CEO’s hands-on, directive leadership style was well-suited to the fast-paced environment of a startup. However, as the company expanded, this approach began to limit creativity and hinder decision-making within the broader leadership team.

The CEO realized that his micromanagement and pressure were stifling the team’s potential. The more he tried to control, the less effective the team became. He recognized his need for a new approach, deciding to transition to a more collaborative and empowering leadership style. This shift wasn’t easy. It required the CEO to develop new skills in managing his innate human wiring, delegation, active listening, and fostering autonomy among team members.

The CEO invested in leadership coaching, sought feedback from peers, and learned to trust his team to make decisions independently. This meant resisting the urge to bypass team leads or do delegated tasks because they weren’t completed on his timeline. Instead, he implemented tools focused on setting and managing expectations and celebrating successes rather than dwelling on what wasn’t done.

The Impact of Leadership Evolution

The results of this shift were transformative. By empowering the leadership team and learning to manage expectations, the company became more agile and capable of quickly responding to market changes. The new leadership approach also led to increased employee engagement, as team members felt more valued and motivated to contribute their ideas. Ultimately, this change in leadership style was crucial in the company’s ability to innovate, scale, and succeed.

The story of the CEO demonstrates the critical importance of not only expanding your leadership skills but fostering an environment where personal development is welcomed rather than for someone who is broken and needs to be fixed (a common misperception about personal and leadership development). Leaders who embrace the need for growth and adaptation are better equipped to meet the challenges of our evolving marketplace. By continuously developing your leadership capabilities, you not only enhance your own effectiveness, but also empower your teams, drive innovation, and ensure sustainable success for your organization.

 

Invitation

Would you like to learn more about our comprehensive approach to scaling a business? Join us for our next:

Introduction: Scale and Systematize Your Business

Join us online or onsite at one of our convenient sessions held monthly:

Excellerate Associates
Business Innovation Lab CoWorking & Conference Center
38221 Plymouth Road, Conference Suite 1
Livonia, MI 48150

Tuition: $57

Register HERE

Wired for Success: The Impact of Human Wiring on Company Culture

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In today’s fast-paced business world, where being adaptable and coming up with new ideas is critically important, we can’t ignore how crucial company culture is. One key tool that often gets overlooked in building a great company culture, no matter how big or small your company is, is understanding how people are wired—the mix of traits, strengths, and preferences that make each person unique. Knowing human wiring is a game-changer.

Let’s talk about the struggles when a company doesn’t understand or implement human wiring:

First off, without understanding how people are wired, companies run into problems like:

  • Employees feeling unhappy
  • Less productive, and
  • Leaving their jobs more often

When you don’t know about different communication styles and problem-solving methods, teams end up not understanding each other, leading to conflicts.

Also, not being clued in on human wiring can mess up efforts to make workplaces more diverse and inclusive. Real diversity isn’t just about having different backgrounds; it’s also about appreciating how people think and work differently. Without this understanding, companies risk creating an environment that stifles creativity and falls short of its potential.

Now, let’s talk about the good stuff—matching people with the right jobs:

One big advantage of knowing human wiring is that it helps match individuals with roles that suit their natural strengths. Everyone has their own set of skills and ways of communicating and problem-solving. By digging into the details of human wiring, organizations can make smarter choices when assigning tasks, making sure people are in roles that let their talents shine.

This matching process boosts overall productivity and job satisfaction. People do better in roles that match their natural tendencies. For example, someone who loves crunching numbers might do great in a data-focused job, while someone with awesome people skills might be more energized in customer-facing roles. Recognizing and using these natural abilities leads to a more efficient and happy workplace.

How do you make the most of those natural strengths?

Understanding human wiring isn’t just about putting people in the right roles but also about making the most of their natural strengths. By figuring out and nurturing these strengths, organizations can create an environment that helps individuals grow and the whole team succeed.

For example, a team with people who have different problem-solving styles—some more analytical, others more creative—can tackle challenges from all angles, sparking innovation. Leaders who get human wiring can adjust their management styles to bring out the best in each team member, creating a dynamic and collaborative work culture.

To wrap it up

Knowing about human wiring becomes super powerful when you think about the problems it solves. By being proactive about understanding human wiring, organizations set the stage for a workplace culture that’s not just adaptable but also drives long-term success in today’s ever-changing business world.

Invitation

If you want to up your game in understanding human wiring, check out our next “Wired to Win 101 How Are You Hardwired” class. Get your whole team on board for one of the most insightful team-building sessions ever.

Place your name on our Waiting List to be notified of our upcoming schedule at:  https://www.excellerateassociates.com/wired-to-win-101/

The Value of Completion

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If you have ever been on the receiving end of ghosting, it left you with many questions.

What went wrong?
What happened?
What’s going on?

According to Psychology Today, ghosting is abruptly ending communication with someone without explanation. While some people believe it’s a way of coping with decision fatigue others believe that ghosting is troubling given it offers no sense of completion.

There’s value in completion. Think of a time where you:

-Completed a 5k run
-Returned the sales person call that you wouldn’t be working with them
-Achieved a stretch goal you didn’t think you could
-Finished a difficult class
-Gave your employer the required notice
-Sat through a boring event because you gave your word you would be there to support someone

In each of these cases, you completed: a goal, a conversation or a promise. You gave them feedback. You allowed them to move on. You honored your word.

Completing conversations, relationships, business arrangements, or commitments allows you to say what there is to say, clarify misperceptions, be your word, finalize a transaction, acknowledge someone, or stretch yourself beyond your self-imposed limits.

When you complete a commitment, relationship, transaction, or goal with full ownership of your part, you can walk away:

With a new perspective
Fully self-expressed
Resolved
Understood
Clarified
Improved
Free

Excellerate Exercise:

Where in your life could you complete something that is unsaid or undone? If you need to complete conversations, start with taking full responsibility of your part.

  • I promised I would follow up and didn’t and the impact is….
  • I haven’t told you and was keeping it in and there’s an impact on you…
  • I wasn’t intentional about fulfilling my promise and the impact on you is…

Leadership: Managing Multiple Commitments

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Meeting your multiple commitments with ease, can seem impossible. Ask anyone how they are doing. What is the typical answer?

I’m so busy.

We all have full lives that can, at times, collide:

⋙ Managing your business (or several of them) or career
⋙ Attending family events
⋙ Focusing on self-care activities, like exercise

So, how do you powerfully satisfy multiple commitments with ease?

Systems thinking. Systems thinking is a holistic approach that focuses on the way parts interrelate within the context of larger systems. When using systems thinking, you consider how each area of life interrelates.

One of my clients couldn’t get traction on both her business goals and personal goals. From a human wiring standpoint, she was wired to perform functions in sequence. She would work on one thing, get it done, and move on to the next.

She saw each commitment as a separate from the other. Behaviorally, she also put her business goals ahead of her personal goals.
Using systems thinking, we explored options by looking at how seemingly separate commitments could be integrated. How could she get her self-care routine accomplished, be on time for that morning appointment, and forward what she was up to in her business.

There were a number of options we discussed, such as:

1. Write down goals in all areas of life.

As she wrote down her goals in all areas of her life, she also realized where she was being unclear about the outcome she desired. According to research, you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. Writing down goals also compels you to choose metrics so that you celebrate when you reach it. With this clarity, you can filter the most important activities and enroll others to support your goals (and release others that don’t).

2. Ask for assistance.

My client was naturally wired to want to figure out things for herself and be sequential about each task. Becoming aware of her natural default behavior, she learned to ask herself, “who else could perform this task?” That simple question prompted her brain to explore options and ask for assistance rather than take on everything herself.

3. Use Visual Cues.

Visual cues, like posting your goals or, in my client’s case, bringing her walking shoes to work gave her the visual reminder to put her self-care first. There are other ways to integrate exercise, like parking in the furthest spot from the door, use a stand-up desk, or take short breaks doing simple squats at your desk.

4. Delegate.

My client was of the mindset that it was just quicker to get a task done if she did it herself. However, in the long run, the tasks absorbed time better spent on forwarding another goal. She learned that when she didn’t give her team or her children opportunities to step up, she wasn’t allowing herself or others to grow.

Systems thinking expands the range of options to accomplish goals. Can you see how integrating small steps can have you take giant leaps over time and in multiple areas?

When you have multiple commitments, you may first want to ask if you’re really committed or just interested in that goal. When you are merely interested, you will do what’s convenient. When you’re committed, you’ll do whatever it takes.

Take a minute to ask yourself:

➥ Where in your business or life could you integrate commitments getting two things accomplished at one time?
➥ Where could you ask for assistance or delegate?
➥ Where could you take an easy task that would forward your goal?

Then, take action consistent with your commitment not the circumstance.

Invitation

If inspired to learn more about how to powerfully manage all areas of your life, join us for the Introduction to Scaling & Systematizing Your Business. Join us online or onsite.

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