UnYielded: Thriving No Matter What

Unleash the Quiet Power of Intention - Andy Williams (Part 1)

November 18, 2020 Bobbi Kahler Season 1 Episode 16
UnYielded: Thriving No Matter What
Unleash the Quiet Power of Intention - Andy Williams (Part 1)
Show Notes Transcript

This is part 1 of a rare two-part episode because we covered so many valuable insights, tools and hacks that we couldn't fit them all into just one episode. My guest today is Andy Williams, a solution facilitator, and he is at his best when he's helping others solve complex problems that require new approaches and new ways of thinking. Those around him and closest to him tell him that his super power is being intentional.

And after talking with him, I completely agree. After a successful career with a heavy focus on sales effectiveness, he is currently on a sabbatical from full-time work, putting first things first and will soon be gearing up to help launch and scale a technology startup. 

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Andy Williams Show Notes (Part 1 only)

Contact

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andypwilliams/

 

Mentioned

Michael Hyatt

The 5 Love Languages - https://www.5lovelanguages.com/

Thinking Fast and Slow - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow

Daniel Kahneman - https://scholar.princeton.edu/kahneman/home

Amos Tversky - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky

 


Bobbi’s Takeaways (Part 1 only)

I hope that you have enjoyed the first part of our conversation. Here are just some of my key takeaways from part 1. 

1.       We are always being led by something or someone. So be intentional about leading yourself and your own life. This reminds me of something that I heard years ago, and it's always stuck with me. And it's this: be the author of your own life because if you don't, someone else will. 

 

2.       Number two, I love how he uses the framing of what would Future Andy want Current Andy to do right now to guide his decisions. 

 

3.       I completely agree with him when he says that goals are not the only way to be successful. Sometimes what's more valuable is to set a direction that we believe in that is clear enough so that we can take action. To be highly effective, this direction should have two components: one, is it clear enough? And two, is it motivating?

 

4.       Once you have your direction established daily habits that will lead you in that direction. I think that this is super important step, and I use it myself. Once we have the daily habits in place, we need less discipline to do those things. 

 

5.       I thought it was really powerful when he talked about how he and his wife, Suzanne, worked to stay carefully aligned by checking in and saying, how are we doing? What do we think of the direction now? Like he said, it takes a little bit more work, but it's part of being intentional.

 

6.       A few things stood out to me when he was talking about his framework and hacks for making decisions. One, be honest about your beliefs and preferences. Sometimes I think that this can be hard for us to do, but it's important if we're going to make a good decision and one that we can live with and be happy with too. Don't try to be perfect with decisions. In coaching, I see this all the time where people agonize, and they try to get the decision just right as though there's only one perfect decision. We can spend so much time and so much energy trying to get something perfect that we can never get to action. And besides that, I think perfect is a really elusive goal. Three - and I love this one - always have more than just two options or two alternatives and act the moment that you decide or don't decide until you're ready to act. Otherwise you just end up making the same decisions multiple times, and this makes you become even more attached to your decision. If there's no new information, then there's no reason to keep considering it. And number five, when making decisions save yourself the anxiety that is sometimes attached to it by recognizing that sometimes you can make the very best decision and still get the wrong outcome. 

In part 2, we cover things like how sometimes a masterplan can obscure better opportunities for us. We also discuss how he and Suzanne have built their marriage very intentionally. We discuss the value of pushing a comfort zone right up to what he calls the delusional zone.

We also talk about how he views failure, and finally, we discuss his thoughts on leadership. I hope that you'll tune in and enjoy it. 

Speaking of leadership, I'm often asked for my favorite leadership books. I've put together what I call my Eclectic, But Essential Leadership Book List. You can check it out by going to http://www.unyielded.net/leadershipbooklist

If you're finding this podcast and this episode helpful, please consider leaving us a five star review on Apple. It's the very best way to help us to spread this message of hope that we can all thrive by living truly fulfilled and authentic lives.