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Learning About Habits

The Power of Habits and Switch Books

UPDATE (6/3/2013) – It has been 2 weeks that i have started, and I feel great. I’ve added a new short term destination which is a 5K run in Sept.

The last 3 weeks I’ve been reading about habits and change, now that I’m graduating from graduate school and starting a new job I wanted to start creating better habits.  I want better habits for exercise, healthy eating, and spiritual development.  I chose 2 books, because the reviews were good and I had seen them in different places and recommended by different people.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars		 Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book is powerful in explaining the why of habits. The author offers great stories and studies on habits. While reading the book, I felt that I wasn’t getting a good framework for creating new habits or changing bad one.  There are stories about both topics, but nothing was really concrete. At the end of the book, the author revisits all the topics and creates a framework for establishing new habits or changing old ones; but it seems like an after thought. Great book, it does a great job of setting a road map that is easy to follow when determining change. The process is simple and straightforward. The book is set up in a way that the reader can find the information that they need in order to implement change. The book doesn’t go too deep into the theory, but rather points to practices that maybe implemented in order for change to happen. Each part of the book works independent, but for big changes to happen all pieces need to intertwine one with another.  I truly like this book.

I want to show some highlights from both books, and then for my sake create a plan for my morning routine that I want to start.

The Basics

Habit-Loop

All habits have 3 parts to them, the Cue, the Routine and the Reward.  The 2 most important parts are the cue and the reward.  To change a habit you need to identify what is the cue, and what is the reward, and then change the routine that goes in the middle.  For new habits you need to create a cue that will trigger the routine that you want to implement and a reward for doing it.  Here is a link to 2 documents that diagram this very well: [UPDATE (09/10/2019) links are broken from the author’s site]

 Making Deeper Changes

The framework from Switch is easy to understand and follow.  Here are the basics:

  1. DIRECT the Rider
    1. FOLLOW THE BRIGHT SPOTS. Investigate what’s working and clone it.  [Jerry
      Sternin in Vietnam, solutions-focused therapy]
    2. SCRIPT THE CRITICAL MOVES. Don’t think big picture, think in terms of specific
      behaviors. [1% milk, four rules at the Brazilian railroad]
    3. POINT TO THE DESTINATION. Change is easier when you know where you’re
      going and why it’s worth it. [“You’ll be third graders soon,” “No dry holes” at BP]
  2. MOTIVATE the Elephant
    1. FIND THE FEELING. Knowing something isn’t enough to cause change. Make
      people feel something. [Piling gloves on the table, the chemotherapy video game,
      Robyn Waters’s demos at Target]
    2. SHRINK THE CHANGE. Break down the change until it no longer spooks the Elephant. [The 5-Minute Room Rescue, procurement reform]
    3. GROW YOUR PEOPLE. Cultivate a sense of identity and instill the growth mind-set. [Brasilata’s “inventors,” junior-high math kids’ turnaround]
  3. SHAPE the Path
    1. TWEAK THE ENVIRONMENT. When the situation changes, the behavior
      changes. So change the situation. [Throwing out the phone system at Rackspace,
      1-Click ordering, simplifying the online time sheet]
    2. BUILD HABITS. When behavior is habitual, it’s “free”—it doesn’t tax the Rider.
      Look for ways to encourage habits. [Setting “action triggers,” eating two bowls of
      soup while dieting, using checklists]
    3. RALLY THE HERD. Behavior is contagious. Help it spread. [“Fataki” in Tanzania,
      “free spaces” in hospitals, seeding the tip jar]

 My New Habit

My new habit for my morning routine: (I will update my progress)

  1. For the elephant:
    1. The feeling: A picture of my Dad by the alarm clock, reminding me what I want to avoid.
    2. The identity: I am a runner
  2. For the rider:
    1. Critical moves: Up by 6:00am, Scriptures by 6:20am, Gym by 6:30, off to work by 7:30am
    2. Destination:
      1. 5K Run – Mill Race Marathon, Columbus Indiana
      2. 1/2 marathon in a year, my buddy does vacation races and they look great.
  3. For the path:
    1. Tweak the environment: Pack the gym bag at night, just put on shoes and go
    2. Build a habit: Habit loop (from The Power of Habits)
      1. Cue: Alarm 6:00am
      2. Routine: Up by 6:00am, Scriptures by 6:20am, Gym by 6:30, off to work by 7:30am
      3. Reward: Buy lunch, otherwise shake for lunch
    3. Rally the herd: Find a gym buddy
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Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter Book Cover Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter
Liz Wiseman

Wonderful book about becoming better by helping those around us excel. Liz Wiseman wrote an article in the blog from Harvard Business Review and I was hooked. You can find the article about Smart Leaders here: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/smart_leaders_get_more_out_of.html I tried to sumarize, mainly so that I don't forget the key points down below.  You can find more information in The Wiseman Group website.

Traits of Multipliers

  • Talent Magnet
  • Liberator
  • Debate Maker
  • Challenger
  • Investor

Talent Magnet

The Four Practices of the Talent Magnet

  1. Look for Talent Everywhere
    1. Appreciate all types of genius
    2. Ignore boundaries
  2. Find People’s Native Genius
    1. Look for what is native
    2. Label it
  3. Utilize People to Their Fullest
    1. Connect people with opportunities
    2. Shine a spotlight
  4. Remove the Blockers
    1. Get rid of prima donnas
    2. Get out of the way

Becoming a Talent Magnet

  1. Become a genius watcher
  2. Pull some weeds

Liberator

The Three Practices of the Liberator

  1. Create Space
    1. Release others by restraining yourself
    2. Shift the ratio of listening to talking
    3. Operate consistently
    4. Level the playing field
  2. Demand Best Work
    1. Defend the standard
    2. Distinguish best work from outcomes
  3. Generate Rapid Learning Cycles
    1. Admit and share mistakes
    2. Insist on learning from mistakes

Becoming a Liberator

  1. Play your chips
  2. Label your opinions
  3. Make your mistakes known

Challenger

The Three Practices of the Challenger

  1. Seed the Opportunity
    1. Show the need
    2. Challenge the assumptions
    3. Reframe problems
    4. Create a starting point
  2. Lay Down a Challenge
    1. Extend a concrete challenge
    2. Ask the hard questions
    3. Let others fill in the blanks
  3. Generate Belief in What Is Possible
    1. Helicopter down
    2. Lay out a path
    3. Co-create the plan
    4. Orchestrate an early win

Becoming a Challenger

  1. Ask a leading question
  2. Take a bus trip
  3. Take a massive baby step

Debate Maker

The Three Practices of the Debate Maker

  1. Frame the Issue
    1. Define the question
    2. Form the team
    3. Assemble the data
    4. Frame the decision
  2. Spark the Debate
    1. Create safety for best thinking
    2. Demand rigor
  3. Drive a Sound Decision
    1. Reclarify the decision-making process
    2. Make the decision
    3. Communicate the decision and rationale

Becoming a Debate Maker

  1. Ask the hard question
  2. Ask for the data
  3. Ask each person

Investor

The Three Practices of the Investor

  1. Define Ownership
    1. Name the lead
    2. Give ownership for the end goal
    3. Stretch the role
  2. Invest Resources
    1. Teach and coach
    2. Provide backup
  3. Hold People Accountable
    1. Give it back
    2. Expect complete work
    3. Respect natural consequences
    4. Make the scoreboard visible

Becoming an Investor

  1. Let them know who is boss
  2. Let nature take its course
  3. Ask for the F-I-X
  4. Hand back the pen

 

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IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!

–Rudyard Kipling

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Getting Past No

Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to CooperationGetting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation Book Cover Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to CooperationGetting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation
William Ury
Random House Inc
1993

This book is now my favorite negotiations book, not only does it give a clear framework of what to do when you encounter opposition in a negotiation it also enlightens the reader on the benefits of negotiation. This is a much more enjoyable book than Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, but reading Getting to Yes is essential but not required.
If you seem to come to negotiation circumstances and feel that you did poorly or caved in, then you need to read this book. If you feel cheated or unable to articulate a response to an argument,then you need to read this book. If you want to take a negotiations class and you think your are not good, then you need to read this book.

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Say YES to the Offer

YesToMBA-Final

So you have yourself an offer, maybe even a few, so which is YOUR offer.  TLC has a show called “Say Yes to the Dress,” and if you have a woman in your life you  have seen it.  So in the show they tell the bride that all their dreams will begin to come true as soon as they find THE Dress.  To find the dress they have to try a few on and then they’ll KNOW if is THE dress.  The show also goes into a few basics and that is what I want to address today.

Know Your Budget

This includes 2 things, first how much money you need, second how much you can get.  If you are 35, married and with 3 kids your needs are different than if you are single in your 20’s.  So how much can you get, well weigh in your experience in the field and the resources you have available.  Know that there will be positions that will have higher salaries by their own nature and there isn’t anything to negotiate.  Know if you have limitations, you can’t expect to get paid a premium if you decided that you don’t want to relocate and want less travel.  So understand all the other things that have led to the number on that paper.

Look for what you like, you can do alterations on the small things

When you first see the offer you will probably look for 3 things:

  1. Salary
  2. Signing Bonus
  3. Variable Compensation

We all want to see that 6 figure number in the salary and a good compensation and a double digit percentage on the Variable Comp.  The thing is, those 3 things are the things that you can do alterations on; the other things on that paper might have more weight and less leeway.  Here are some:

  1. Title, were you expecting Manager and got Analyst? or Assistant?
  2. Salary Grade, does your salary grade represent the seniority that you expect? How soon can you change?
  3. Location, YES it matters? Is the cost of living comparable to the salary? Will you be happy there? Does it fit with family? lifestyle? social?
  4. Manager, Do you know the manager? Will he/she help you or sink you?
  5. Relocation, Does the relocation outweigh the location? Will it be adequate to move the family
  6. The OTHER benefits:
    1. Health Insurance: For some this might mean everything
    2. Pension, Savings, Retirement Plans: Are you getting free money? Are you interested?
    3. Perks: Parking, a Car, tuition, Options, Stock, etc

So see the total package, compare on all levels other offers.  What can be changed, what cannot.  Total dollar value might be very similar, but what are the things that are most important to you? On the things that matter most, which one do you like best?  If you find something you don’t like, put on your negotiation hat and see if you can fix it.

Picture yourself in it

So you can’t put on the offer, but picture yourself with that offer.  Can you see yourself driving in Austin or Minneapolis. Do you want to see the seasons or just hot and humid? Make a budget with the salary and see if you could live with that money.

Get an opinion, but you make the decision

You like to get an opinion, do it. Go talk to someone, maybe a mentor or you dad.  Some like to talk to a professor or career counseling to find out if the job is right.  What ever you do, don’t let them make the decision for you. The decision is yours, and yours alone.  I know, you have a spouse and I would involve them in everything and the decision is together, but I’m not talking about how to run your marriage.  What I want to make clear is that your friend will not have to live with your decision, and most opinions will be based on the numbers on the paper and not with your feelings about the location, your manager and your 45minute commute.  So be a big boy/girl and decide for yourself.

Finally, YOU have to LOVE it

Again as the wedding dress you have to fall in love with the offer.  You need to feel like that offer was meant for you.  Will the offer be perfect, probably not, but it needs to be perfect for YOU NOW.  Now you can send your acceptance letter and start focusing on your job.

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Vicepresidenta Roxana Baldetti en BYU

Baldetti en BYU

Baldetti en BYU

Por algun tiempo he tenido las ganas de escribir en español y contar sobre la visita de la visepresidenta Roxana Baldetti a BYU.  El 31 de agosto recibi un correo de oficina de asuntos internacionales de la universidad que decía:

Her Excellency Mrs. Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elias, Vice President of Guatemala, will visit Utah next week.  We have the honor of hosting her at BYU on Tuesday, September 4.  We have room at the luncheon for a few students.  We would like to invite you to the  luncheon honoring her at 12:45 p.m. in the President’s Dining Room, 3264 WSC.

En corto, que iba a tener el privilegio de participar en este almuerzo con el presidente de la universidad, aunque al final no fue el presidente sino el vicepresidente.  Acepté la invitación y estaba muy emocionado.

El día del evento todo estuvo muy bien, tuve el placer de conocer a la visepresidenta, el almuerzo estuvo delicioso.  Los platillos ya los habia comido antes en otros eventos de la universidad, pero les hicieron cambios para congraciar a los representates de Guatemala.  El postre que normalmente lo hacen con crema, lo hicieron con una compota de banano y les quedó muy sabroso.  La ensalada la sirvieron con platalinas en lugar de papalinas, tambien un toque muy sabroso.  Hubo un número especial por el grupo de baile “Living Legends” donde mostran bailes de los indios americanos, mi favorito es el baile de los aros. Realmente fue un bonito festival de arte y cultura.

Al concluir con la comida y el número especial la visepresidenta nos dejó con algunas palabras traducidas por el Elder Carlos H. Amado, donde nos dijo lo mucho que habia apreciado la ayuda que la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días habia brindado al pueblo de Guatemala.  Ella habia aprendido la forma en que los Mormones cuidan de los probres y necesitados y esperaba ella, como responsable de los projectos sociales de Guatemala, poder ayudar a los más necesitados salir de la probreza.

Hace unos días el Presidente de Guatemala recibió a un miembro de los 12 apóstoles y recordaron la visita de la visepresidenta en BYU.  Hay veces que vemos noticias y nos damos cuenta que en una pequeña manera fuimos parte de importantes eventos.  Realmente estoy muy agradecido de poder estar en esta universidad, pero tambien de ser Guatemalteco.

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International Marketing

International+Marketing

This semester I’m taking a class called “International Marketing.” It is a requirement so that I can graduate with a certificate in Global Management.  The course feels very open and flexible, and the professor seems to be taking a more open approach to the course itself.  So this got me thinking about, what should a course in International Marketing have.  For me, these would be the learning outcomes:

  1. Effectively create marketing strategy decisions that will consider the global landscape
  2. Provide arguments for and against marketing decisions that cross borders
  3. Build a framework by which to measure risk of cross border marketing plans
  4. Have knowledge of how to structure global teams and how to measure them

Wikipedia defines International Marketing as:

International marketing (IM) or global marketing refers to marketing carried out by companies overseas or across national borderlines. This strategy uses an extension of the techniques used in the home country of a firm. It refers to the firm-level marketing practices across the border including market identification and targeting, entry mode selection, marketing mix, and strategic decisions to compete in international markets. According to the American Marketing Association (AMA) “international marketing is the multinational process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.” In contrast to the definition of marketing only the word multinational has been added. In simple words international marketing is the application of marketing principles to across national boundaries.

So in essence you 2 things, (1) knowledge of your home country and (2) knowledge of the foreign country.  I have worked and traveled in several countries, and just knowing a different country and culture does help you understand the intricacies of a country and allows you to compare and contrast things that will and will not work.  Knowing a second language multiplies that knowledge.  In my case, I speak Spanish and English, and have worked in 8 countries and traveled to others, but I want to learn a way to translate this knowledge into a framework to understand other cultures and markets.  I think that the short answer I will find this semester is no, there is no framework.

A similar discipline to marketing is that of negotiation, in a way marketing is a negotiation, some very active like a rep visiting a client overseas, but mostly passive, like a commercial or a logo.  In the book “Negotiating Globally” the author Jeanne Brett goes deep into culture as the basis for thinking globally.  She compares culture to an iceberg and structures 3 distinct layers, the first being the only one we can see (p. 28).  Here are the layers:

  1. Behaviors and institutions
  2. Knowledge structures: Values, beliefs, and norms
  3. Fundamental assumptions

I want to have a framework that takes a marketing strategy and is able to break it down into:

  • Which behaviors and institutions does this plan relay on
  • What are the core values, beliefs and norms? Are they the same in all targets? How should we account for the differences?
  • Lastly, Is our product/service/offering go against any fundamental assumption?

In thinking about his, I think on the examples of products that are launched in markets that have no need for them.  Or just lost in translation blunders (here are some)There was probably some executive that said: “we’ll create the demand.” There are other products that would seem no need for them, or have had poor reception in other markets and seem all the craze in others.  Is there a way to x-ray the marketing plan in order to extract this knowledge?

I really want to find a way, maybe I will this semester or maybe I’ll just read old cases that shed no light on the subject.  As always, the burden is on me to come up with the learning I want.

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The Mirage of Global Markets

The Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets LocalizeThe Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize Book Cover The Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets LocalizeThe Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize
David Arnold

It's a bit dated now, but it clearly shows the patterns to be mindful of when entering international markets.

The Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets LocalizeThe Mirage of Global Markets: How Globalizing Companies Can Succeed as Markets Localize by David Arnold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s a bit dated now, but it clearly shows the patterns to be mindful of when entering international markets.

View all my reviews

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Getting to Yes

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In Book Cover Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
Roger Fisher, William Ury
Penguin Books
1991

I really enjoyed the book, in particular the Objective Negotiation part. I really feel that the book creates a good framework for a negotiator. A good companion book would be The Truth about Negotiations and Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation.
The other part I really enjoyed was that of one-text, the idea being that for multilateral negotiations or when a 3rd party is needed, the best way is to use one-text that each part can comment on. I did a simulation not too long ago, and had we used this method all parties would have come out with a better agreement.