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25 Great Minds to Help you Get Focused as a Team
They say you are a product of your environment and surround yourself with the best to bring out the best in you.
Below are the top 25 amazing minds that I am truly grateful for being in contact with whilst developing GetFocused.
I share the key lessons that I have taken away from reading their books and consuming their content that has helped shape the GetFocused methodology and mindset.
Authors to support you with the GetFocused Key Meeting Principles:
Focused Mindset
Open to Engage
Committing to Routine
Unite on Objectives
Share what Matters
Adopting a Focused Mindset:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is quite simply my bible. I have it always on my coffee table and constantly refer to it.
Lesson:
"Live and lead by the 7 habits: Be Proactive, Begin with the End in Mind, Put First Things First, Think Win-Win, Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, Synergize & Sharpen the Saw."
Book to read:
2. David Allen
Quite simply the mastermind to working productively and with purpose.
I have managed to create a lot more structure to my day and get more focused by blocking out time in the following way:
The strategic block — three hours of uninterrupted for pre-planned, strategic and money-making activities.
The buffer block — emails, finances, making calls, and the ‘stuff’ required in running a business.
Breakout block — three hours interrupted time doing anything other than work. This is your thinking, reflection, and playtime. And it’s not the same as your weekend.
Lesson:
"Time is your most valuable asset, spend it wisely and share it purposefully."
Book to read:
3. Nir Eyal
The importance of being free from distractions to connect, communicate and collaborate with those that you are closest to (both emotionally and physically).
Lesson:
"We are using our devices as digital pacification devices….what is the pain we are trying to resolve or thing you are wanting to be distracted from?"
Books to read:
4. Tim Ferriss
Time management and the value of outsourcing work you are not good at. Work on high value items.
Tim also highlights the importance of networking with people who are ahead in their journey and if you do not ask you do not get! Do not be intimidated in elegantly asking for help or advice. Ask for advice you get money, ask for money you get advice.
Lesson:
"You can fail a plenty as long as you get a few important things right."
Books to read:
5. James Kerr
Always play for the shirt. As part of a tribe, it is important to keep focused on the tribal and team objectives not necessarily your own. Always let go of your ego and work collectively. Leaders also have to get their hands dirty to really understand the problem at hand.
Lesson:
"No one is bigger than the team & individual brilliance does not automatically lead to outstanding results. One selfish mindset will infect a collective culture."
Book to read:
Open to Engage
1. Stephen J Dubner & Steven Levitt
Reading all Dubners and Levitt’s books gave me the confidence and encouraged me to ‘think different’. I think this is one of my gifted talents - but it also highlighted you must think positive but test negative.
Lesson:
"Have fun, think small, don't fear the obvious or the obscure."
Books to read:
All Patrick's books offer a refreshing fable-style of writing to business and productivity books. A truly informing and entertaining read.
Lesson:
"Meetings are ineffective and boring because they lack drama, or conflict (the key ingredient to make many human activities interesting)."
Books to read:
The best keynote I have ever seen. (Was even more impactful that Simon Sinek). Morten helps you understand the importance of focussing on what matters;
Lesson:
"Do less then obsess."
Book to read:
Quite simply the power of repetition!
Lesson:
“Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.”
Books to read:
Trust is a habit. It takes time, work and consistency. You have to commit!
Thoughts create habits, habits lead actions, actions dictate your productivity & performance.
Habits are the fulcrum for a happy and successful team!
Lesson:
"To change a habit, make a decision, then act out the new behavior."
Book to read:
Committing to Routine
Honoured to be working with Dan closely as part of his Key Person of Influence DENT Accelerator. I consider him my entrepreneurial guru:
Lesson:
"Entrepreneurship is a team sport - stand out, scale-up and make a positive impact in the world."
Books to Read:
Please note Daniel also recommended the children’s’ book Stone Soup (by Marcia Brown). A beautiful story that highlights the value in everyone coming together to help offer and giving a little to create something of real value - embracing the power of win-win partnerships.
I met Caspar 5 years ago when he spoke as keynote speaker in Riga following his round the world adventure with his family. Inspired and motivated I felt compelled to introduce him to my family. Caspar kindly accepted and we have kept in close contact since:
Lesson:
"A happy team is a fast team."
Books to Read:
3. Ben Horowitz
Hire slow and fire fast….The importance of surrounding yourself with the best. The business is a reflection on how and where you are mentally. You must have heart, head and health goals to succeed.
Lesson:
“Sometimes you don’t need a solution; you just need clarity."
Books to read:
4. Ichak Adizes
Helped GetFocused understand our key target markets:
Typically we work with EARLY GROWTH companies experiencing the growing pains as they transition into HIGH GROWTH TRIBES,
Companies struggling to adapt their culture and build their team to accommodate the tremendous growth they are experiencing. Needing to develop and implement systems to increase profits, whilst simultaneously nurturing a healthy culture.
Lesson:
"Change brings opportunities and threats. Your job as a team is to mitigate the threats and amplify the opportunities."
Books to read:
5. John Doerr
John introduced me to OKR's and the importance to establish meeting rhythms and stay focused on what matters.
Lesson:
"Ideas are easy. Execution is everything. The importance to focus on what matters…ignore what doesn’t. The rest will take care of itself."
Books to read:
Unite on Objectives
1. Simon Sinek
I had the amazing opportunity to meet Simon and asked him the question:
"When are relationships actually built?”
He answered very simply “In all that in-between time."
Lesson:
"A team is not a group of people that work together. A team is a group of people that trust each other."
Books to read:
2. Ray Dalio
Ray is the biggest advocate of radical transparency within the team and to evaluate ideas on merit. A constant reminder that life is a journey and to lead by example by listening & learning actively! Effectively always aim to 'Walk the Talk'!
Lesson:
“It is far more common for people to allow ego to stand in the way of learning.”
Book to read:
3. Seth Godin
Reading Seth's work bought a lot of clarity into GetFocused’s key strategy to unite remote teams into a purposeful tribe.
Lesson:
“A Tribe is a group of people, connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea."
Books to read:
4. Phil Knight
Phil Knight best autobiography I have read! The story of how Phil Knight developed a brand he is passionate about. It also highlights the importance to team up with the best! You will always experience knockbacks but it will be your team that pulls you through.
Lesson:
"Life is growth. You grow or you die."
Books to read:
Please note - also worth watching 'Soul' to remind yourself that you measure yourself with progress (not necessarily purpose)
This book gave the courage to transition my Travel and Events business Travel Out There in to GetFocused. Showing me ways to adapt to the changing environments we were facing.
Lesson:
"Focus on the non-customers to create new demand…there are a lot more of them!"
Books to read:
Share What Matters
1. Wim Hof
I have always been swimming in the nearby lake…when it started to freeze over I did not want to stop my routine and thought I wanted to learn more about the Wim Hof Method. It was a game-changer for me and made me realise the power of breathing and cold exposure!
Lesson:
"Breathe Mother F$*Ker."
Books to read:
2. James Clear
The most impactful ‘how to book’ I have found on helping you to build good habits and break bad ones.
Lesson:
"To make habits stick, make them obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying."
Books to Read:
This was the first book I read on habits..and I simply could not put it down. The examples and case studies Charles shared really helped develop the GetFocused focus loop and methodology.
Lesson:
"Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
Books to read:
4. Hal Elrod
I had always considered myself a lark rather than a night owl. Hal has helped me really utilise the ‘me-time’ first thing in the day. Time, since when having kids, is very valuable.
Lesson:
"LifeSAVERS Morning Routine: Silence, Affirmations, Visualisation, Exercise, Read, Scribe."
Books to read:
5. Jack Black
Jack Black takes your visualisation efforts to a new level. Where your 'focus goes your energy flows' and I began to realise that committing to times of creative visualisation helps create strong foundations to build on. It also helped me appreciate the now by connecting to the past and planning for the future.
Lesson:
"Instigate a trigger to adopt a mindset. (I have a gratitude shell that I carry with me everywhere in my pocket)."
Book to read: