engagement Archives - Debra Kasowski

EPISODE 31: The Knowing and Doing Gap

September 29, 2016 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

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EPISODE 31: The Knowing and Doing Gap

Many of us know what to do but fall short on doing what we know we need to do. The difference between knowing and doing is that in knowing-what you believe to be true and is based on the knowledge and experience you have. Whereas, doing is about the actions you take based on the knowledge and experiences you have.

The gap between knowing and doing can be small as dime or as large as the universe. We filter the world through what we believe-what we know. Our perception is our reality. It does not mean it is always correct. Have you ever made an assumption and realized that you are totally wrong?

id-10087374 Doing means taking action – it means taking a risk. Why is it that so many of us know what to do but do not do it? You are operating from a place of fear. You’re scared to take risks because you scared to step out of that comfort zone. The comfort that you believe will protect and keep you from harm. It is a human need to feel safe and secure. You can take calculated risks. Calculated risks are where you have done your homework and decreased the risk, and lessened the uncertainty. And most of all minimized your fears.

Conduct Research– Get more information by surfing the web or reading articles or magazines or books in the area that you need more information.
Ask Questions. Interview someone who has been where you want to be or has the knowledge that you are seeking.
Challenge Assumptions. Challenge others assumptions because the best way is not always the way things have been done. Encourage people to look for better ways of doing things and exploring more perspectives and options.
Learn Best by Doing. Take small actions. Learn and adjust as you go. Learn from mistakes and experiences.

33059352 - if you never do you will never know !

Knowing is one thing. Talking the talk. Walking the talk means that you are acting based on what you know. Talking is not the same as taking action. Talking may make you make you look smart; however, acting and doing will give you the results that demonstrate you are truly smart.

The biggest gap between knowing and doing is procrastination. As you may know what to do, this means not hesitate on taking actions. The reason for this is sometimes you don’t realize the impact on your results by not taking those actions. You could be self-sabotaging yourself from getting the success you say that you want. If you’re not willing to do and take the actions necessary, it really means that you’re not really concerned about it all. Some people just believe that they’re entitled to the results they want. Taking action means that you must put in effort and the work required getting the results you desire. Some people procrastinate because they don’t believe in themselves or they don’t have a clear vision of what they’re trying to achieve. Whereas, others are in search for perfection and they hold themselves back from taking action. By wasting time you’re wasting money, resources, and the only time you’ve got. Time is not replaceable.

It is time to do the things we know we should be doing. If you haven’t listened to the Episode 28: Committed to Lifelong Learning take a listen as soon as possible after this podcast. Start scheduling what is important to you and stay focused on your course of action. It is one thing to know what to do and how to do it and another to actually take the steps required to make it become reality. Remember nothing happens without action.

What is the between what you know and what you know you must do?

What action steps are you ready to take?

We would love to have you subscribed to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get us free MP3 download 10 Surefire Strategies to Power Up Your Productivity and Performance. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at Debra@DebraKasowski.com. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time: 7:17 min

Keywords: Taking action, belief, challenge assumptions, knowing and doing gap, conduct research, step out of your comfort zone, questioning, leadership, engagement, fear of success, fear of failure, fear of rejection

How to Receive Feedback Well – Even When You Do Not Like It!

June 16, 2015 by Debra Kasowski Leave a Comment

Let’s face it sometimes receiving feedback is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Many of us have been in situations where individuals feel they must share unsolicited feedback about our parenting style, facilitation skills, the work that we do, how we drive a car, and even how we golf. Feedback can come from all directions. Some feedback is delivered with good intention and some perhaps not so much.

In Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen’s book, Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback (*even when its off base, unfair, poorly delivered, frankly you’re not in the mood), they discuss how people and organizations focus on improving the delivery of effective feedback versus how a person receives feedback. Just as the giver is offering their own perspective of a situation, the person who receives the feedback makes an interpretation. The problem lies in the fact that the giver and receiver may not see eye to eye. Has this ever happened to you?

Feedback can come from people who do not have the knowledge, skills, expertise, or experiences you do. They may not have kids. They mean never have had to deal with poor performers or productivity issues. They may never have run a business but what they do have is their “advice – welcomed or not” or “research”. You may not find these people credible or the delivery of their feedback totally off course. You may be quick to discard it with a “What do they know?” comment. However, you may be discarding it too soon. Take time to consider the value of their offering and learn to ask the right questions. Are they offering you a viewpoint you may have not seen or heard before? Life experience may be the greatest teacher.

Stone and Heen believe that feedback comes in three forms: appreciation, coaching, and evaluation. We all love to hear words of praise and appreciation; however, if that is all you received how will you learn, grow, or challenge yourself to a new level? It all comes down to whether or not you are open and willing to receive feedback by consider its merits.

When receiving the feedback, ask yourself: “Is this feedback to help me improve or am I being evaluated? If evaluation is first to come to your mind, chances are your body stiffened up and you may have even been put on the defensive. If you decided it was coaching in which you are receiving information to improve yourself, your body may have had a more relaxed posture. It is important for the receiver to understand where this feedback is coming from and where it is going. “Does this feedback help me get better outcomes?”

Take time to seek and understand their intention. Making assumptions leaves too much room for misinterpretation. What is the meaning behind the feedback? How was it intended?

By asking more questions, you can decide whether the feedback you receive has any merit or not. You can reject it if it has no validity.

Put your guard down and use feedback as a growth opportunity. Learning how to receive feedback well can improve your relationships, your teams, and your overall mindset.

There may be a diamond under all the rough and jagged edges. All you have to do is polish it out.

What techniques do you have in receiving feedback well?

Are You Using Twitter Effectively for Your Business?

June 7, 2013 by Debra Kasowski 2 Comments

Would you like to get more followers, find your ideal customers, and reach more people with your message? Are you getting overwhelmed by the Twitter Buzz? Who would have thought that 140 characters could have such punch? Twitter is more than people posting what they are up to or what they eating. Twitter is a very effective business tool if used correctly.

Twitter can do the following for you if used with intention:

Build and nurture a community or tribe of followers – In order to build your community, you need to interact with the people who comment or retweet your content. Reply to comments or ask questions about posts that resonate with you. Thank people for following you. Suggest followers to others #FF (Follow Friday). You are also building your credibility and visibility online.

2. Drive traffic to your website – Share great content from your website or blog. Provide a brief bio that grabs people’s attention and refers them to your website to learn more about you. Tweet about your free offerings that give people value.

3. Help you do research – #hashtags are like file folders where you can search by a hashtags and find who else is tweeting about your topic. For example, if you wanted #speaker to find out who is looking for speakers, you would search #speaker. Consider asking your followers a question about what you are researching. You are bound to have an answer from someone. You have a wealth of knowledge right at your fingertips.

4. Promote your products or services – If you wanted to share that you are a speaker, you could share some information and #speaker so you tweet would be put in the virtual folder.

5. Find your ideal customers. If you want to build the know, like, and trust factor so people will feel comfortable doing business with you, share a little bit about who you are. Be a REAL person instead of some text. Offer live tweets while you watch TV or tweet about trending topics. Tweet about the books you are reading or share a quote from one.

Twitter in business is not just self-promotion. If you are constantly tweeting about buy this or buy that, you can expect people to unfollow you. People do not want to be sold to. Twitter is a social platform so be social. Your tweets should provide value by inspiring, educating, or entertaining. By the way, thought provoking questions are also valuable in getting mentions and interactions. Engagement is key in social media. Create some Twitter Buzz by sharing this post!