Validate Your Life

The whole “work hours” thing is a foreign concept to me. Maybe because I just don’t make a distinction between work and play, or (most likely) I just always work.  Sometimes I wake up and start work at 2am. Sometimes I just don’t ever go to sleep and take a nap in the middle of the day.

It’s easier for me, I realize, to just say my sleep patterns (the times where I’m not working) than the times I am working;  I sometimes sleep around the 12ish to 3ish zone. I like exercising at night (moonlight runs).

So it’s strange, I work about 80-90 times harder and am more demanding of myself than I would have been if I worked for an employer other than myself.  This increase in work motivation, results, and demands is probably inherent to any freelance work or “business owner” work.  That’s an interesting pattern and managing the work that you do as an entrepreneur is what we’re talking about today. You have to develop this weird relationship with yourself where you’re the administrator who decides what we need to do (as a business) and then you put on the “employer cap” and do the stuff that you decided to do while wearing the administrative hat. Finally, you clean it all up by wearing, possibly a “customer hat” and test-running for the purposes of debugging your business feature.  This works with websites, products, services, expansions of any kind.

Having access to multiple outcome frames from multiple hats (points of view and angles) is a must for any entrepreneur. How do you do this? How do you don and even design the array of chapeaus you have to wear to be a successful entrepreneur?

Map it out

Map out which hats you need. Read my excerpt from my fourth book, Compassionate Reservoirs, where I discuss De Bono’s thinking hats.

Recognizing Venues of Impact

It is incredibly challenging and essential to discern when we do and when do not have an impact.    This can be accomplished by examining the people in the room.  Are they laughing at you or with you?  Are they looking towards you or through you or at you?  If their relationship with you is aimed so that they look or laugh or talk at you, you can’t have an impact because the people have either labeled you negatively or chosen not to change. In situations where people interact at you — the prepositional connotation is key — where you cannot have an impact, give up control and stop speaking.

When we don’t have the potential to impact — because of external factors with the people or internal limitations in ourselves — we should, obviously, aim cease conversing.  Continuing will only manufacture agitations and doubt.  Giving up control where we have no control is incredibly liberating, as well.  Acts of relinquishment provide freedom to stop bashing our psychological brain against the wall.  It inspires us to ascertain certainty in our convictions.  Whenever we certify our capacity for invigoration, we create opportunities for growth.  Pinpointing those areas of certification and linking them to areas that behold a capacity for impact is the vital consideration. Go to your studio and converse and make stuff, but make sure you studio is the place where you have control and an impact.  If your studio doesn’t have those qualities change the studio or find one that connects to your wisdom.

Wherever you have the potential for leaving an impact, you can experience with leading discussions by wearing different hats.   Edward de Bono’s “6 Thinking Hats” describes the six hats that successful people where and must wear in different situations.  Here’s the breakdown of the empowerment hats:

·         The White Hat – resourceful, use what data is available

·         The Black Hat – criticism and pessimism;

·         The Green Hat –- creativity;

·         The Red Hat – intuition and gut thinking;

·         The Blue Hat – control and managing, often links to other hats for problem solving

·         The Yellow Hat – optimism

The white is the ultimate hat of adaptive resourcefulness.  You connect with what is in front of you and around you and use it for that agenda.  It is the hat that you wear when you live out Teddy Roosevelt’s idea of “do what can with what you have where you are”.  I mentioned Teddy Roosevelt’s incredible ability to access his child-like voice and adapt when Teddy Roosevelt said that phrase and created the successful Rough Riders in my first book, Validate Your Life. De Bono is simply phrasing this capacity for adaptation and expansion in another context using the hat metaphor, but the underlying principle is the capacity access our inner voice and adapt beautifully.

Although the black hat may not sound like a hat of empowerment, the ability to criticism can toughen and make your agenda more connected and secure.

The other hats are quite obvious in their application.  This hat idea is quite interesting, but I don’t think people have a choice to wear these hats.  They are patterned into one specific hat.  The most liberated person not only has the potential to wear all the different types of hats, but they have the awareness and scrutiny to decipher precisely when a certain situation calls for a specific hat.  Knowing when to communicate and when to liberate your control, or knowing which hat to wear, are different ways of expanding your potential for interaction.

Great, now that that’s all in the clear…

Visualize which hats are most important to you and then cut that number in half. If you think you need 4 hats to run your business, you only need two. Minimize. Make the differences between the types of hats you need to wear HUGE. In other words, make sure a “different hat” truly links up to a VERY different kind of thinking, cognitive questions, frames, and outcomes.

At most, I think three hats is by far all you need: Administrative hat, Employer hat, and Customer Hat. Keep in mind that these hats are just merely collections of cognitive frames.  What I mean by cognitive frames is that in NLP (something I study, teach, and practice) there’s multiple frames where different criteria and outcomes are envisioned.  The way you should structure your 2-3 entrepreneurial hats is so that each of those hat points of view is a collection of frames that achieve the objects of that point of view.  For example, if you decide to go with a customer hat, the customer hat would likely want an “outcome” (that of buying a product or service) but that would be very different and distinct from the type of outcome frame utilized the administrative hat.  Additionally, with a customer hat you’d likely want a backtrack frame so that you could reconnect with your original purchase idea to see if whatever you’ve installed (a website, a service, a product) moves in congruence with that frame.  Here’s the most common NLP.  Just pick and choose which one of the frames you’d like to associate with each of your hats and plug those into the cognitive structured Point-of-View!

When I coach clients some of the most effective techniques I use for remapping the clients’ model of the world to achieve the success results they want is framing.  I use framing all the time.  Framing is used by advanced NLP practitioners, and although they may not know it at the time, anyone who embraces a “different Point of View” mentality embraces a form of framing.  Frames are an incredible NLP tool and an amazing bit of transformation technology.  If you learn one thing from this article: learn the ability to frame and different types of frames.  If my clients knew how to frame (and I do try to teach them how to do this , they’d likely be clients for a much shorter period of time!  Learning to frame is like adding “another mind” to the problem.  If you can take problem x and frame it in 3 different ways, suddenly it’s like you have 3 cerebrums working on that same problem!  Framing is definitely part of the equation to using that so-called other 90% of your mind.  So onward!  What are some frames?  Alphabetical list of all 8 frames with major (most common frames) frames in bold:

• As-If Frame — How would I go about this goal as-if my desired state had already been realized? The as-if frame is a very intriguing one.  It was taught to me in acting class.  I was supposed to, if playing a scene where, for example, I had to congratulate you on achieving a degree, but in real life I had trouble congratulating you if I never knew you to achieve anything.  So I was supposed to think of you “as-if” you were a brother who’d just won an award and then that as-if would get the desired result for a scene.  So that was a small taste of the impact of as-if frame.  It’s most potent application is of course in coaching.  Envision how you would go about your life as-if the outcome (from outcome frame) had already been achieved or to go about a meeting as-if xyz person were there.  A great trick is to plug in an as-if outcome frame so you act as-if the outcome has been achieved then plugin a backtrack frame to examine the “backtracked steps” necessary to achieve that outcome frame as-if it were complete.  This is rad!
  • Similar to Dreamer Disney Reality Strategy
• Backtrack Frame — Does where we are now and where we are going have concordance and agreement with our goals and aims of a project or meeting? Backtrack frame is analogous to a “double check” frame.  Backtrack to make sure all ends are in agreement and understanding.  I like to think of the backtrack frame as though you observe all the “decision and action branches” of a project.  Every project has variety of action branches, and those branches have sub-actions, and a backtrack frame is just taking that entire action and/or decision “tree” if you will of a goal or outcome to make sure it’s heading in the productive and desired direction!
  • Similar to Open Frame and Evidence Frame
• Ecology Frame — What will the impact on my body, family, society, work environment, and/or community in pursuing this outcome? Ecology frame is one of the main and incredibly important frames because you ask “will this work?  can this be safely implemented?”  For example, staying in the same place is ecologically easy to do externally, but on your body and mind would staying in the same place be good?  Or, changing your diet may not ecologically effect work environment, community, family, and will hopefully make you “look attractive” but what will the impact be on your immune system?  Ecology frame is similar to Ed de Bono’s judgement hat.  Ecology frame is also very similar to the Realist Disney Reality Strategy.
• Evidence Frame – How will I know — what’s the exact criteria — of having achieved an outcome? Evidence frame is an outcome sub-frame. It adds detail and a more crisply vivid vision to manufacture a more rich and lucid end outcome frame.
  • Similar to Outcome frame
• Open Frame -- What are some comments and or questions to the topic? An open frame is just a frame for people to ask comments or questions about the topic.  Usually an open frame can be a corollary to an outcome frame.
  • Similar to Backtrack frame
• Outcome Frame – What will this look like when its finished? Easily, the most common and one of the most universally useful frames.  When you focus on the outcome frame you’re envisioning the end result.  The outcome from is essential to the Present_State comparison to Desired_State test of the TOTE model.  You needed to determine an outcome for all of your activities.  An outcome frame provides a focus for what you want to achieve.  Better yet, it’s the frame where you focus on visualizing what you want to achieve.  Do you have problems making decisions?  Having a clearly defined — crisp in immense detail and visualized — outcome frame is absolutely essential for having success in getting things done.  Ever merely have a meeting but nothing gets accomplished?  You need an outcome frame!  Not having an outcome frame means you can quickly experience overwhelm by taking on too much or not achieve your dreams at all because the actual “I’m finished!” state and criteria has not yet defined.  You can use outcome frames for projects, for meetings, for anything where a specific result is desired!  Achieving anything successfully, efficiently, smoothly and intelligently involves the outcome state.
• Problem Frame — What could go wrong in achieving this outcome? Problem frame kind of works from the opposite direction as the outcome frame by focusing on all the possible weird or unexpected things that could arise.
  • Similar to Critic Disney Reality Strategy and a sub-frame of the Ecology frame.
• Relevancy Frame – Is this behavior comment or question pertinent to an agreed upon outcome? This frame is essential if you have an open forum and embark on an “open frame” and take questions from a crowd.  One of my favorite radio programs at the moment is an Australian local radio program and the host is brilliant at maintaining a good relevancy frame; if a caller deters off the topic he’ll end the call or pull them back on topic.  He’s great at staying very open to a variety of opinions, but if one of those opinions becomes irrelevant, he moves on very quickly.  Relevancy frame is essential to staying on target, keeping the nose to the grindstone, and moving forward in the direction you want to go.
  • Similar to Evidence frame.

Here’s some suggestions based on how I structure my hats in relation to the consolidated frames integral to each hat (each hat represents a unique cluster of frames).

Who’s Time Is This?

I’ve introduced (a year after the original post) a concept of whose time is it?  Under each frame, the time belongings to either you off work, your boss, or you planning what your employee will do.

Administrative Hat

• Who’s Time is this?  This is just the boss’s time to plan and assign things for the employee to do.
• Ecology Frame — Consider how this will effect your environment, your belongings, your future, your past, your relationships, your friends, community, your body.
  • Trigger Question: How will achieving this outcome and living in the state of having this outcome achieved effect my body, ideas, beliefs, my community, my friends, family, society?
• Outcome Frame — The vivid visualized end result to be compared to the present state using TOTE, so you know when the outcome is achieved and if you have more work to do or you’re done!
  • Trigger Question: What does this outcome look like?
• Backtrack — Check agreement and understanding during or after a meeting to update a new idea arrival or to restart a discussion.
  • Trigger Question: Wait…what were we talking about again?

Employee Hat

• Who’s Time is this? This is your boss’s time.  You have to make a non-porous distinction betwen your boss’s time and your time (while of course, neglecting the cognitive dissonance, and inducing some productive amnesia, that you’re also you’re own boss).  Your boss’s time (yes, I’m aware you’re the boss and thus is your time as boss) must not be looked at as your time, because it’s not.  When you’ve got the employee frame going you are working for some other person, another archetype, that person is not the person working for that.  You aren’t the same person.  The person (the boss frame) who defines the work that the employee frame productively accomplishes are distinct individuals (although they possess the same brain and body).
• Evidence Frame– Gauge how well you’re progressing.  Looking at evidence.  Assessing progress.
  • Trigger Question: What are milestones and how will know — what will I see and feel — to understand that I’ve completed a sub-outcome?
• Outcome Frame — Implement strategies and actions to achieve sub-goals that are congruent and components of the major administrative outcome.
  • Trigger Question: How can implement this sub-goal that ties in with the administrative main meta-outcome?

Employee Hat – Customer Frame/Hat

• Who’s Time is this?  This is still your boss’s time.  You’re in the employee frame, but because you’re an entrepreneur, you also need a way to test the boss-defined, employee-accomplished work.  The customer hate frame accomplishes this.
• Backtrack Frame — Focus on a customer outcome and constantly backtrack to ensure the interface appropriately matches up.
  • Trigger Question: How does this interface help me get the product or service I want?
• Outcome Frame — Get the desired product or service you want and shape what that will look like and even possibly what the process may be like (you will obviously use the framework designed by the Administrative hat and created by the Employer hat for this one!) .
  • Trigger Question: Do I trust this service-provider? How can I find the service (or product) I seek? How do I know it’s legitimate? Is this a good price?

Off-Work Time

Whose time is this?  This is your time.  This is what you would do when not at work.  It could be scheduling, gaming, communicating, planning.  This is basically the “not wearing a hat” frame.

Ideas for implementing these different hats

• Different Logins  – If you have blog or other kind of customer-driven interface you could create different logins to explore the product or service.  For example, if you’re creating an iPhone app that requires a login, you could create “john_adminhat” “john_employerhat” and “john_customerhat” logins.  These will function to remind you that “Oh yeah! I have to be in the customer hat to see how this goes and plug-in the backtrack frame and outcome frame for getting a a product!”  or “Oh yeah I shouldn’t be focused on product buying, I need to focus on design for the customer” (admin hat), or “I need to implement the design I decided upon (employer hat or “design hat”)
• Different Emails -- This one is similar to the different logins. But if you’re setting up something with e-commerce, and want to “test buy” a product you’ve put up, then having all those debugging test buys (undoubtedly the “Customer Hat”) consolidate toward your customer email (yourname_customerhat@gmail.com would work) is a great way to keep track to see if all your welcome messages and auto-responders work.  This sounds overly organized (and it is!) but when you setup something like an online store, or some advaned bit of ecommerce, knowing the difference between “Hey, yeah I sent myself this email when I was troubleshooting wearing the customer hat!” or “Oh yeah, this is a little administrative hat note to myself to change the usernames around!” is very valuable.
• Different Accents — Yes, I know this one is strange, but with my voice acting experience, I’ve found actually speaking in a different accent is conducive to getting things done more efficiently and structuring auditorially when I’m in a different cognitive mode.  I’m convinced you truly do think differently when speaking in a different accent.  Therefore, although the idea of accent utilization is very peculiar, I recommend this anecdote for implementing your different kinds of entrepreneurial points of view.
• Inter-relationship — What’s so cool about using these different hats for your business, is you make the functioning of your business hermetic, and airtight, with no problems or flaws or cracks where stuff can happen.  You’ve thought through all those by employing, administering, or “customering” scenarios and outcomes and cycling through the various frames.  Frames and applying these hats catalyzes growth, expansion, and new ideas, but such application also makes ideas and concepts and projects airtight and moves them forward and makes them seamless and extensible!