A question of attribution

There is a brilliant play by Alan Bennet which includes a conversation between Anthony Blunt (surveyor of the Queens pictures, later exposed as a spy) and Queen Elizabeth. At one point he points out that one of the pictures in the royal collection is a fake. The Queen looks at it and even she can see it is a fake. She asks why no one spotted the fake at the time it was added to the collection and Blunt says that a fake is not obvious in it’s own time, whilst later it becomes obvious.

There is something about this idea that struck me as an amazing distinction although I wasn’t able to put my finger on why. The idea that only when viewed from the future does the forgery become obvious even to someone that doesn’t know that much about paintings.

Look back at some family pictures from 20 years ago and instead of noticing the difference between the people you just observe that they all have very curious clothes and hairstyles. Look at a costume drama from the 1970s and even though it is set 200 years ago you will still realise that it was made in the 1970s.

There is so much about the way we dress and do interact now that tells us far more about 2009 than it does about what we think we are.

The same idea applies to music, and business. Things that seem very different are just another version of the norm. The key to creating something new and interesting is to realise how much of what we do is just the fashion of the day and putting our focus on what is not.

Goals aren't just for Christmas

I have been setting and recording my goals since January 2000. It has always been a tradition in my family to make New Year's resolutions and this was initially an extension of that. I didn't do much to follow them up when I started but looking back at the computer file that I have kept for the past 10 years it is surprising how many of them I have accomplished. There are a few that turn up each year and don't seem to have made much headway. I am now beginning to understand why, I'll talk about that in the future. Today I wanted to talk about how I set them and when.

My initial method was to use a CD in a set by Tony Robins called Personal Power II, it got me started so it was useful, but I don't think the method was quite right for me. I won't give a link for it as you can find the whole 25CD set on ebay for around 10 Dollars. The Robins method is to write down all the things that you want to achieve in a great long list take about 5 mins writing as fast as you can. You then repeat this for all the thing goals, and then all the financial ones.
Once you have 3 long lists you write next to each item when you want it (1, 2, 5 and 10 years). You then pick the top 3 from each list to get a total of 9 goals. For each goal you then describe what you will see feel and hear when you get it. Lastly write down the one thing that you will do tomorrow to get you started.

The structure is pretty good but it seemed to me to concentrate on getting stuff rather than enjoying the journey of getting it. I also noticed that there were 2 other problems. I wrote down stuff that I didn't really want that much and the more difficult goals like learning a language or keeping fit require something built into the process to keep me going.

I have made changes over the years and developed my own approach. Some of the main things I do are.
1. When considering a goal, does it make me excited, does it make me go WOW. Coach Michael Neill is responsible for showing me how important this is.
2. What will I get from the journey rather than the destination? There is no point spending 30 years getting something if you hate what you have to do to get it. Change the destination or the mode of transport.
3. A goal often seems fun when looked at as a whole but what will the minutes be like. Does paradise become less appealing if I have to stay out of the sun all day and the food all has to be flown in. I consider how I will pass my time and how satisfying it will be.
4. When a goal requires long term commitment I make sure I am willing to put in the time and effort necessary and use some visualisation and anchoring techniques to keep that motivation in place.

This summer I took Your Best Year Yet: Make the Next 12 Months Your Best Ever! as part of my holiday reading . It uses your values and your roles as a way to set goals. This seems to be a much better way to get at what you want rather than what you think you want. I worked through the process and I feel that I have chosen goals that I will achieve. They tie in pretty well with the ones in my own method but I like the structure that results from Best Year Yet.

I strongly recommend goal setting during a summer holiday. There is a lightness and a fun about it that I don't feel in the middle of winter. Deciding what you want next is much easier when you are aware of how much you already have.

Finding your inner consultant is like taking a holiday without leaving home.

When I started running a business I didn't go on holiday. I thought that I didn't have the money or the time. When I finally did take a holiday I made a strange discovery. I discovered that a holiday actually gave me more time. When I returned many of the things that I had been struggling with had answers that I had previously missed because I had been working so hard on them. Solving a problem by taking it head on can work but often the answer is to go around it or to solve a different problem instead. You have the wisdom but you prevent yourself from using it. A holiday frees you up.

I was bought up with the ethos that the harder you work the better you will do, it certainly goes a long way but I think working smarter is more effective. I think this is the trick with holidays, when I return I apply my effort in just the right place so it is far more effective. The thing that interested me is that I had the knowledge of the right place to apply that effort all along but somehow I didn’t think of it. This is what I mean by “your inner consultant”, the wisdom that you have gained from experience and from all the books you have read. Most of us can’t go on holiday everyday so I started to search for ways to use this ability without actually going on holiday. This website is all about that search. Check out the Audio book to get a great overview of what I have found so far.


There is actually a great way to have a real holiday without leaving home. My partner and I call it a Mykonos holiday or a Paris holiday but you can name it after any place that you have had a wonderful time. This is what you do.

Choose a day on your calender when you don't have anything that you need to do. Block out the day and make sure all the chores, work and other stuff that you would usually do on that day are taken care of. Sort out any food the day before so that you won't need to do any cooking other that a quick 5 minutes putting things together. You can always go out to eat if that is what you would do on holiday. Put on the phone answering machine.

Now having set things up there is only one rule.You can only do stuff that you would do on holiday in the place you have chosen. No TV, no Internet, no phone calls. If holiday for you means spending the day in a café then do that, if it involves just siting in the sun do that. If you like to do more energetic things that is fine but remember the golden rule. You can only do stuff that you would do on holiday in the place you have chosen.

Please comment on your plans for a holiday at home.

Reading the signs. What can you learn about an organisation from its car park.

One of the things I have learnt over the years is that most organisations are like holograms. Something that applies to a small part of it applies to the whole. I think this is because over time any part that did not reflect the rest of it would change. It is an organic thing, if part of you is injured but the rest is really healthy then the injury tends to heal quickly.

You can learn a lot from a company's website but feedback to the web designers is often slow. Visit the factory or offices and you can learn a great deal without even going in the door. There are so many signs, not just about how things are now but also pointers to the history of the company.

The most obvious thing to look at is the cars and bikes. The number will give you a rough idea of how many people work there, particularly if there are poor transport links. The age and type of car will then indicate the income of the owners, the age (look for stickers) and possibly their gender and interests. Whenever you consider a factor I recommend that you then look at how it has changed. Is the car park struggling to cope with the number of cars? If parking in the area is not generally a problem then it could mean they are doing really well or possibly that they can't afford to move at the moment. Remember it and consider other things. A car park with a lot of empty spaces also tells a story.

How are the bays labelled? If the ones near the front door are reserved for certain company positions (finance director, MD etc) then it indicates a company with a strong hierarchy. It is interesting to look for changes in the way the bays are marked. Removal of designated spaces indicates a change in company culture. When and why did that happen. The company attitude towards wheelchair users may be indicated by the designated bays. Are there more than the statutory minimum? Has a lot of thought gone into their positioning? Are they being used?

There are many other signs that point towards the culture of the company. The name board(s), smoking areas, rubbish, air conditioning, plants etc. The point is not to focus on what is there but what it indicates about the beliefs and values of the people who put it there and allowed it to remain.

Take the Plant Test 2)

Today I have another thought experiment for you. Considering things from a plant’s point of view works well because it allows you to have a different perspective without involving distortions that another person might bring to the table.

Imagine your plant knows what mood you are in. I expect there are people who would say it does, but we’ll leave that for another time.
Enthusiastic, angry, happy, curious bored delighted? Your plant knows what state you are in and makes a note of it.

Your plant is also observing each task you are working on. A call to someone you love talking to, or someone that you find very hard work. Planing your strategy for the coming year, writing a great sales letter, tidying your desk or perhaps doing some of the admin that keeps things running smoothly.

It then compares the your state with the task. How well do you think that they match?

Not very well for most of us. Sometimes you are in the wrong state because you are not looking forward to the task, or would rather be outside in the sunshine. I often find that we carry a mood over from one task to another. Why would you want to do that?

There are a few things that you can play with.

Instead of working your way down a to do list, consider what would be the perfect task to do in this mood?
You may do this already without thinking about it. When you are in a happy chatting mood you might decide to make a sales call. You have just sorted out one lot of admin so why not do some more whilst you are on a roll.


Another approach would be to run through your to do list in your normal way but before each task ask the question.

“What would be the perfect mood or state for this task?

Just asking that question will make some changes. There are many ways to change your mood or your state but realising how you want to be and then having the intent to change to it will have a big effect on your day.

Take the Plant Test 1)

When I developed the idea of "Your Inner Consultant" one of my main questions was "If my business were a plant, what could I do to make it grow strongly and help protect it from changes in the environment"? It turned out to be a great way to get myself thinking creatively. Check out "Find your Inner Consultant" .

I have recently turned the whole concept upside down and considered how would it be to look at things from the plant's point of view. It resulted in an interesting thought experiment.

If you have a plant in the place where you work (if you don't then you might enjoy getting one) imagine it is a really smart plant. One that knows all there is to know about running your business. It sits there observing everything you do and all your interactions throughout the day. It is on your side and wants things to improve. Unfortunately like most plants it can't communicate so you will have to imagine what it would notice. If you don't have a business then apply it to your career or any part of your life that you want to grow and change.

Today's Plant Test

Today imagine your plant is watching each thing you do and placing each activity into one of four categories.

1. Things that will build your business and make the whole experience better for you and your customers.

2. Getting things done that contribute to running your business.

3. Stuff that has no real value to the business but it keeps you entertained.

4.Stuff that has no value to the business, you don't find it that entertaining and you only do it in order to put off something that you should do but don't want to.

Most of my time is spent in 2, but a lot more than I would like is in 3 and 4. I have decided as an experiment that whenever I find myself in 3 or 4 I will think of activities in category 1. It is taking a bit of persistence but when I look at it this way I start moving in a better direction.