by George Lee Sye

It’s been spoken about in political circles, it’s mentioned in finance news, it’s a situation that will benefit those who are in a position to capitalize on it and will cause misery for those who aren’t.

Australia’s Two Speed Economy

The Mining and Energy sector has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, and it’s on the back of this growth that Australia’s economy has remained solid while other countries struggle. The Australian Newspaper reported that construction work on new resource projects rose by 31 percent during 2011.

It’s also very clear that this sector is where the growth will continue to be for the foreseeable future, particularly in Western Australia.

Therein Lies the Opportunity for Action Takers

The question is how can a non-miner without any obvious mining industry skill or qualifications enter and build a career in this sector?

Here’s how, let me tell you about my friend Mick.

A New Career in Mining

Mick was working for the Queensland Government in a community service role. His military background had positioned him perfectly for his job.

He approached Soarent Vision in 2010 seeking to develop his skills further so he participated in our Lean Six Sigma Black Belt training program.

Mick’s participation served him in a number of ways:

Number 1 – He learnt the application of a highly valued methodology now implemented in all major mining companies today, it is also growing rapidly in popularity for the junior mining companies.

Number 2 – He developed a skill set that allows him to work in industries and processes which are foreign to him – in this case the Mining sector.

Number 3 – He chose a training program that was specifically designed for and is recognised as the preferred training for this industry – mining.

Number 4 – He developed a network of contacts that would serve him later.

Not only did Mick do the Lean Six Sigma training, he also took action that accelerated his entry into a career within the mining industry.

1. He chased opportunity to apply his new skills by volunteering to help a small manufacturing business to improve their processes – this gave him some runs on the board and demonstrated his initiative and drive.
2. He maintained his network of contacts.
3. When an opportunity was presented to him … he took it.

Mick now works for one of the largest mining companies in the world!

He has held three positions during his tenure with the organisation, is now financially much better off than he was two years ago, and his career prospects grow as he learns more about mining businesses and their processes.

Do You Want a Career in Mining?

If you do not have mining skills or qualifications, one of the most effective ways to enter and build a career in the mining industry today is through becoming a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Here’s why:
- You do not need to be a content expert or a miner; rather you facilitate process and engage with people who are content experts
- You can quickly generate quantifiable value for an organisation, value that is recognised at the highest levels
- You learn the business rapidly by understanding its processes
- You have room to move around the various functions of the business
- You quickly build a network within the business

The opportunity is there for the taking!

Take care.
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Soarent Vision provides the best Lean Six Sigma Training and Support for Mining and Energy companies in the world today.

It’s accredited, it’s not delivered by academics but people who use it, it’s not cheap but fair value for money, it’s designed purposefully for the Mining and Energy sector, and it can generate enormous value for both the course participant and the host company if they play their part.

For more information about the training, visit here – http://www.soarent.com.au/lean-six-sigma/academy-process-mastery

by George Lee Sye

When a company employs somebody, they usually do so for one reason … because that person is COMPETENT to do a job.

Here’s an idea – don’t employ people because they can do the job.

Resist it, even just once.

Instead …. employ people who are not scared of being incompetent and who have a track record of cycling continually through the incompetent – competent cycle.

When you employ that person, their job is not to do the job; no …. their job is to work out how to do the job better, not just once but over and over again.

When you employ people purely because of competency in doing a job, the inherent danger is that you employ people who will defend their competency and resist all form of change.

“This is the best way to do this, I should know.”

“This is how I was taught to do this.”

“If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.”

Change is uncomfortable because change means incompetence.

And incompetence brings with it the greatest risk of all … the risk of being criticized, being judged as incompetent, and heaven forbid .. failing.

Notice that the leaders of many of the current high growth companies are young and vibrant people from the younger generations. Why?

Well for one they have not developed competency to the point where they are unwilling to unlearn what it is they know.

No … they are competent in change, in innovation, in moving through a range of new and untested ideas and continually growing.

They are not scared of ‘failing’. The memory of falling over in order to learn to walk is still fresh enough in their minds that they remember.

This new order of competence is the most desirable trait in the modern business world.

If you are truly committed to being the best you can, be prepared to be incompetent frequently.

Now … how the hell do I upload this blog thingy?

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Soarent Vision arguably provides the most advanced and business relevant Master Black Belt training in the world today.

With a unique focus on influence and persuasion concepts, this program integrates perfectly with Soarent Vision’s AQF accredited Lean Six Sigma program for Green Belts and Black Belts, and prepares Master Black Belts to be the most influential and high performance leaders on the planet.

By George Lee Sye

The degree of success we experience in anything is determined by the level or quality of our thinking.

To shift to a new level of performance we must begin to think differently. You already know that don’t you?

A golfer who plays ‘C’ grade level golf thinks at a level relevant to his current capability … he thinks like a C grader. While he might want to play like one, he definitely does not think like a professional golfer.

The professional’s focus on the course is completely different; the thought patterns that underpin the pros golf swing are different, the pro sees shots the C grader doesn’t know exist, how the pro thinks in tough situations is nothing like the C grader in the same situation.

In order for the C grader to become a professional golfer, not only must he improve the technical aspects of his game (his swing and game skills), he must also shift the way he thinks.

How have we adopted this in our business?

Well for one I play games on iPad. I kid you not.

When somebody sees me playing Scrabble or Angry Birds or Tour de France or Red Bull X Riders; and they ask “what are you doing?” … I give the same response every time.

“I’m researching, what do ya think I’m doing?”

It never fails to get the reaction I want.

I buy apps that have a new or unique concept; apps like Agenda, iAnnotate PDF and even company marketing tools like Getinge HC.

I play with PlasmaGlobe, Planetary and GoSkyWatch … all of which just blow me away.

I’ve checked out iView and SyncSpace just so I understand what can be done today.

Talking Tom 2 is fun. I toyed with it until I finally worked out how they make money out of it.

Inquisitiveness is a trait you must have, and more importantly … must use.

The world is changing so fast, technology is moving so quickly ahead, problems are being resolved in unique ways so rapidly … that in a very short time those other people who resist their child like urges will be wondering what the hell happened.

This applies to every aspect of your work, including process improvement.

One who continues to look at a process or problem in the same way they always have cannot expect to get a new level of performance.

A business improvement practitioners who raises the same old issues around not getting support, not getting access to people, not getting time to do the work … and then approaches the project the same as before, is … well … nuts.

It’s time to change folks.

Time to develop those inquisitiveness muscles because it’s these muscles that will get you ahead of the pack.

Here’s an inquisitiveness workout to try

Think of something you laboriously do each week in paper form or on MS Word or Excel and find an app that does something similar. Buy the thing and try it.

It’s only a couple of bucks for heavens sake.

Read everything and anything … it it’s not that interesting then just scan it.

Stop saying “we can’t do that” and start doing things others can’t do. Start saying “they can’t do that.”

Ask someone who has already solved a problem you have, “How the hell did you solve that?” If you don’t know that person, find them and ask.

And then try it … you’ll never know if you don’t give it a go.

Be a kid and stop being so adult in your thinking.

Explore and try ideas for approaching your work differently. Change how you set the project up at the beginning before it starts. Change how you use your time and where you put your energies.

Your thinking will change.

So will the results you get.

Something from our friend George Carlin

MY NEXT LIFE

I want to live my next life backwards:

• You start out dead and get that out of the way.
• Then you wake up in a nursing home feeling better every day.
• Then you get kicked out for being too healthy, enjoy your
• retirement and collect your pension.
• Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.
• You work 40 years until you’re too young to work.
• You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you’re
• generally promiscuous.
• Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and
• you have no responsibilities.
• Then you become a baby, and then… you spend your last 9 months
• floating peacefully inspa-like conditions – central heating, room service
• on tap, and then… you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

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Soarent Vision arguably provides the most advanced and business relevant Master Black Belt training in the world today.

With a unique focus on influence and persuasion concepts, this program integrates perfectly with Soarent Vision’s AQF accredited Lean Six Sigma program for Green Belts and Black Belts, and prepares Master Black Belts to be the most influential and high performance leaders on the planet.

Work-life balance, says Nigel Marsh, is too important to be left in the hands of your employer. At TEDxSydney, Marsh lays out an ideal day balanced between family time, personal time and productivity — and offers some stirring encouragement to make it happen.

This short video is well worth watching if you are committed to the ideals of balance in your life.

Work Life Balance – Nigel Marsh

Soarent Vision’s MOST EFFECTIVE LEADER ON THE PLANET (MELP) seminar is confirmed for February 28 to March 1, 2011 in Perth.

http://www.soarent.com.au/most-effective-leader-on-the-planet

This unique event has continued to evolve over the past 5 years.

In its current form it is proving to be a most significant platform for greater business performance in companies such as Rio Tinto and Western Power.

Here are 11 reasons why MELP is so effective as a growth platform for growth companies.

1. Time Expansion – participants leave with a mindset and system that causes them to have more discretionary time, and at the same time achieve more where it matters most
2. Outcome Focused – participants leave with greater focus directed to outcomes and results as a basis for action, rather than just doing things
3. Continual Improvement – it causes participants to unconsciously recognise important areas that are not moving forward and bring them back into focus BEFORE they become a problem
4. Seeking Positive Change – participants are more prepared for, open to and engaged in the change process that all organisations must go through to survive and thrive
5. Breadth of Focus – it causes participants to have greater focus across all of the important elements of their professional AND personal lives
6. Financial Understanding – the importance of positive cash flow and wealth accumulation in both personal and professional environments is reinforced and strategies are provided for achieving these outcomes
7. Less Stress, More Energy – participants will understand how stress is created if they use traditional organising systems in the modern environment, and leave with both the desire and ability to massively minimise stress and increase levels of physical energy
8. Weight Loss – while MELP is not a weight loss program, one of the most significant outcomes of the event is weight loss as participants find themselves less stressed, more focused and with a better understanding of how to best look after their bodies
9. Goal Achievement – it causes participants to be more effective in achieving goals and objectives
10. Leadership – participants leave with a much greater understanding of performance psychology and associated language, they become better coaches of their peers, employees and families as a result
11. Business Growth – participants are given a 4th generation self organization system that is uniquely linked to the business planning system

Read more here …. http://www.soarent.com.au/business-leadership/academy-business-leadership

How To Enrol

Places are still available and you can enrol in a number of ways.

• Contact your business improvement team if you are a Soarent Vision client, or
• Register online here - http://bit.ly/hivL4o

For more information, call our office on (07) 3279 3070.

We look forward to seeing you there.

George Lee Sye Delivering MELP

The most important skill you will ever develop as a leader is the ability to elicit empowering emotional states in other people, and then link those states to the behaviours you wish them to engage in. You do that; you will become a force to be reckoned with.

After ten years of special operations and working with some of the highest performing people [in their field] in the world, I am convinced of one thing ….. you will never reach your potential in this regard unless you first have mastery over your own thinking and emotional states; no way. Why? Because self mastery precedes mastery of others; the ability to consciously direct your own focus and alter and shift your own emotional states is the foundation for consciously and consistently achieve the same with others.

How do you actually achieve that?

Click here to read more.

Did you read the March 2010, Australian Financial Review’s Boss Magazine which focused on REINVENTING LEADERSHIP ?  The magazine published an amazing article which was an excerpt of the speech Don Argus delivered at a Leadership Victoria dinner in December 2009.

His key comments around leadership were these:

“In my experience, success goes to those enterprises whose leaders mobilize their people and unleash their competence, creativity and commitment.”

“Those people who are to expand their enterprises were the ones who understood human nature and how to tap the best in people – they understood that the bottom line is ultimately the result of human endeavour.”

“The skill to make things happen comes directly from blending two sides of the leader’s personality: the tough, competitive side that demands winning performance and loves to win; and the softer, compassionate side that is caring and understanding of others.”

In reference to Marius Kloppers, the CEO of BHP BIlliton, he made the following statement:

“Marius quickly realised many organisations smother the potential of their employees under layer upon layer of control and bureaucracy. As a result, their human assets are painfully underused ….

What is really being underused is what might be called “peoples’ discretionary effort”, that is, performance above and beyond the expected minimum. It is their initiative, creativity, motivation and loyalty. This discretionary effort is the part of a person’s performance that is liberated or shutdown by the way their leaders treat them and the quality of their work environment.”

So what is the real message we should take away from this?

Exceptional leadership education, relevant to the needs of the modern business world, must focus on the behavioural elements of an organisation.  It must educate business leaders in new and more effective ways to:

1. Unleash competence, not manage behaviour – soft skills are critical in this pursuit;
2. Enhance individual performance, at home and work, as a foundation to realising bottom line potential – we must acknowledge the inter-dependence between employees personal and professional lives; and
3. Simplify the way leaders execute their business plans and manage their organisations.

Are you ready to step up and make the shift ?

Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about ageing that you think in fractions.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ….. You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME  21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40 …. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21,TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80′s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Not my words … but certainly words to ponder are they not.

These are the words of George Carlin, may he rest in peace.

GEORGE LEE SYE

George Lee Sye

You may or may not be aware of this – more has been discovered in the last 10 years about performance and human achievement psychology than in the previous 100 years.

You may or may not be aware of this – more has been discovered in the last 10 years about performance and human achievement psychology than in the previous 100 years.

Albert Einstein, Milton Erickson, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung were way before their time. They paved a way for us to explore this intriguing topic. They knew something that few realised at the time – most of what happens in our life is driven by our UNCONSCIOUS MINDS.

Who’s driving your car most of the time?

It’s a fact that more than 95 percent of the ‘neural’ activity in your brain is controlled by the unconscious component of your mind. Yep, you got it … that really means LESS than 5 percent is controlled by the conscious mind.  I’m serious!

You don’t have to think about breathing, balancing yourself while walking, moving all of the muscles required to clean your teeth or catch a ball in the air. You don’t even have to think about driving the car. ‘Mmmmm, I don’t remember driving that last 5 kilometres … ooops, my conscious mind must have been elsewhere.’

THINK ABOUT IT – when the unconscious mind does it’s job, the conscious mind is left to focus on important issues at hand at any given moment; issues such as a conversation, typing a sentence, playing a piece of music, answering the phone or coming up with some plan or course of action. But …. this most amazing process can also cause problems for us.

Out of rapport with ourselves – is it possible?

The truth is we struggle to achieve our goals when our unconscious mind is NOT IN RAPPORT with our conscious mind. When you want something, but your beliefs are out of alignment with that, you get what you believe, not that which you consciously want. For example you might WANT to sink that putt on the golf course, but unconsciously you EXPECT to miss it. The expectation is usually met.

How does this related to business or business leadership?

The challenge for leaders today might be viewed in this way. There are so many negative influences in the western environment, the unconscious mind is being conditioned in a way that disempowers or limits most people. People are generally so busy and so focused on engaging in activities driven by demand and deadlines, they inadvertently condition an unconscious pattern of reaction. The result – proaction becomes difficult to do.

Think about this – when do most people do something about their health or their wealth? That’s right, when it’s broken. You’ve only got to look at health and wealth statistics to see that I’m right when I say most people have in many ways conditioned an unconscious pattern of reaction to the demands of work and daily life.

You as a leader are focused on driving improvement and creating growth in your company or part of the business, but your aspirations beyond some average result are proving difficult to achieve.

Why?

My experience is that the weakness of your organisation is the collective limitations of the people in it. Unless the unconscious limitations, or unconscious patterns of thinking of your staff are changed, your aspirations will never be in rapport with the psychology of the people who are there to help you bring those dreams to life.

So what do you do about it?

In one word – education. You have to find out what is taking place right now when it comes to performance enhancement. And if you pursue one course of learning in the next year, choose to LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND, particularly how it behaves and how neural patterns are created and replaced. This information IS AVAILABLE to you, and it is the domain of the most remarkable leaders this century will produce.

Learn this and your effectiveness as a leader will be massively increased, of that I am certain!

Why not join me for a 3-hour session where we discuss this type of content in much more detail – you can view information about that event here.

Don’t have time to go to a course … hmmmm, it’s going to be very hard for you to keep up if that’s the case.

Here’s to your future success.

George Lee Sye