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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

The Power of Tailored Communication

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When it comes to introducing new products, delivering services, or launching a new business line, it’s important to remember that research shows change initiatives have a failure rate ranging from 50 to 70 percent. One significant factor contributing to this high failure rate is the manner in which these changes are communicated.

Effective communication can be challenging, particularly because people have different preferences for receiving information. However, by tailoring your communication to suit the recipient’s preferred style, you significantly increase the chances of your message being received and understood. Whether you’re launching a book, communicating to a prospect, presenting to an investor, or coaching your own team, delivering your communication to their preferences is key to successfully launching a new project, gaining support for a product, providing your service, or enrolling others in an idea.

The secret to effectively implement any initiative and enroll others is in paying attention to how people are naturally wired. This is an aspect that leaders often overlook, but it is essential for success. Each individual has their own innate preferences for giving and receiving information, which remain with them throughout their lifetime. By understanding and acknowledging these preferences, you can deliver information in a way that resonates with the recipient.

When information is presented in the recipient’s preferred format, it has a lasting impact. The key is to pay attention to the subtle cues individuals provide, allowing you to tailor your delivery to match their preferred style.

The format you choose to communicate your message effectively depends on your audience. For example, I once had a client who was frustrated because although she was generating leads, she struggled to close deals. Her approach involved providing a wealth of detailed information, as she believed that more information would be better.

However, this approach did not resonate with her ideal clients. Her company attracted individuals who preferred concise bullet points and wanted to hire her company to complete services they didn’t want to do themselves. As it turned out, she was overwhelming her potential clients with excessive information, simply because she had a personal preference for it. Once she began to notice the cues from those who preferred a summary sheet format, she adjusted her approach accordingly. The results were remarkable—she successfully closed 100 percent of her clients for three consecutive months by delivering information in a concise summary sheet format.

There are numerous benefits to tailoring your communication to match the recipient’s preferences.

  • If you’re writing a book, understanding human wiring helps you to keep in mind how to format your book so that readers of all preferences remain engaged.
  • If you’re leading a team, understanding human wiring promotes successful project implementation.
  • If you’re trying to sell your products or services, knowing human wiring results in increased sales closures.
  • If you’re a speaker, you can learn how to leave the audience satisfied and wanting more.

If you’re inspired to become masterful in understanding human wiring, I invite you to join us for

Wired to Win: How Are You Hardwired?

Join us online or onsite.

REGISTER HERE to get your human wiring assessment and reserve your seat for the class.

How Your Leadership Must Change As Your Business Grows

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The skills necessary for leadership in a start-up phase versus a growth phase differs significantly. If you’re in the growth stage and wonder why you have more turnover than you did in the start up phase, you may be primarily apply a visionary entrepreneur leadership style that is no longer working.

In the start-up phase, the primary goal is to establish a strong foundation and create a viable business model. This often looks like lofty goals, long hours, and the go-to person for decision making. Employees also work along side the founder.

In contrast, the growth phase is focused on expanding operations and scaling the business. The new skill is working with and through others, engaging and enrolling others, and putting in accountability systems. It’s important as a growth-stage leader that you don’t insert yourself into something you delegated (only to mess it up) leaving your team feeling that they can’t be trusted. On the flip side, delegating so much and never checking in that they don’t feel supported or have a place to go for coaching.

Here are some of the key competencies that are necessary for leadership in each phase. I invite you to consider which of these competencies might be missing in the phase that you’re in:

Leadership competencies for start-up phase:

Visionary thinking: The ability to envision the future of the company and create a clear roadmap for achieving long-term goals.

Adaptability: The capacity to quickly pivot and adjust the business model.

Risk-taking: The willingness to take calculated risks to drive growth and seize new opportunities.

Flexibility: The ability to wear multiple hats and adapt to the evolving needs of the organization.

Resourcefulness: The skill to effectively leverage limited resources and build a sustainable business with limited capital.

In the start-up phase, you’re also doing double duty by working in the business. As your company expands, you will hire a team but are still the go-to person.

As your team becomes experts in their roles, it is necessary for you, as the leader, to learn new competencies and level up your personal development for the growth phase. If you continually insert yourself into the business because you’re concerned about what you’ll do with your time now that your team is handling the operations, it’s time to level up.

Leadership competencies for the growth and scaling phase include:

Strategic thinking: As your team handles the daily operations, you keep your eye on the market indicators, look for trends that may impact your business, and identify ways to expand using the existing resources.

Operational excellence: The skill to optimize processes, systems, and resources to maximize efficiency and profitability. This includes making sure your team has the training they need to level up. This is where Goal setting, Meeting Mastery, Performance

Management Systems, and having an Existence Systems in place are critical. Your team handles the details and you no longer know how to do each and every position in the company, that’s why you hire others.

Talent management: The ability to attract, retain, and develop top talent to support the company’s growth. The skills of engagement and enrollment are more critical than ever in the growth phase. As a leader, it’s critical to not only communicate the strategic direction, but connect the ways each position impacts the company goals. You create a culture where your talent thrives.

Communication: The capacity to effectively communicate the vision, mission, and goals of the company to all stakeholders. As your company expands, your communication should be reinforcing and re-enrolling the team in the company’s greater Contribution in the World. Quarterly State of the Company Address, regular performance feedback, and celebrating successes are critical at this stage.

Leadership development: The skill to build a strong leadership team and foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. Developing leaders should not only be focused at the senior leadership team, but building bench strength in the company. Leaders should also be increasing their personal awareness, which is crucial to leadership effectiveness.

In summary, the competencies necessary for leadership in a start-up versus a growth phase differ depending on the priorities of the organization. Successful leaders in both phases must be adaptable, flexible, and able to effectively manage resources, but those in the growth phase must also possess strategic thinking, talent management, personal awareness, and communication skills to take their organization to the next level.

Invitation to Level Up Your Leadership and Scale Your Business

If you are inspired to scale your business and expand your capacity as a leader, I invite you to our Wake Up Profitable Boot Camp on April 25-26, 2023.

The first step is mastering your inner entrepreneur. You will experience a fundamental shift in your thinking about how to scale. You will walk through our Entrepreneurial Edge System, a systems approach to building a profitable and resilient business model.

You will start connecting areas of your business, expand opportunities to generate revenue, systematize your business for greater freedom, and tap into resources you already have but haven’t used. A systems approach has you create possibilities and design a pathway to achieving them.

As soon as you register, we’ll schedule a Private one-on-one session so that you’re walking into the boot camp already making progress. Register today, take your human wiring assessment, and start the road to scaling with greater leadership and ease at https://www.excellerateassociates.com/wake-up-profitable-boot-camp.

How to Build an Unstoppable Team

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Many of the core issues that face business leaders today have to do with people. In particular, how do you effectively give your team what they innately need to create unstoppable teams?

Human Wiring tells us how people are best engaged in decision making, why some people want lots of information to make an effective decision and others want critical points of information. None of this wiring is good or bad or right or wrong, it does, however, give us critical insights on how to align people with positions and keep them engaged. When you know what your employees innately need, you are able to avoid burnout, increase employee engagement, and create unstoppable teams.

What’s Underneath Feeling Burned Out and How Do You Overcome It?

It’s not a secret that the pandemic played into a global feeling of burn out. Collectively, our brains had to (and in many cases still have to) make a lot of brand new decisions related to the post-pandemic world.

The pandemic has left many people in a state of burn out. One of my clients who is naturally wired as an External Thinker wondered why she felt burned out and de-energized. She described how, for the previous 24 months and with few exceptions, she worked from home…alone. Her only connection was online.

As an External or Verbal Thinker as her predominant wiring, she derives her energy by being with people face to face. With a few exceptions during the previous 24 months, she was online. She did not get enough of her natural motivators met, leaving her fatigued.

The first step to overcoming fatigue was to understand her human wiring. With this information, we were able to determine what was missing. We looked at:

How she functioned on or in a team
Her need to create and act on her own ideas.
How she processed thought.
Her preferred work style.
How much information she needed for effective decision making.

Based on her human wiring, we suggested adjustments to her schedule that involved face-to-face communication, development of challenging assignments, and delegation and automation of routine tasks. She was able to get her innate needs met, causing her to be re-engaged with her work.

As a leader, when you understand human wiring, you can proactively determine ways create an environment in which you utilize your team’s innate strengths. When you tap into their innate strengths, you will help to create a culture where both the individual and the organization thrives.

Invitation

If you’re inspired to learn about your human wiring and what best motivates you and your team, join us for:

Wired to Win 101: How Are You Hardwired?

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