In This Issue: March 8, 2007

• Inspired by this video I'm writing about When to Go Undercover.
• Market Place Product of the Month: Molly Gordon's: Authentic Wealth - Getting Into the Right Relationship with Money. A tele-retreat that is particularly powerful for anyone running their own business who worries at all about the money thing (with a special bonus just for my readers).
• Got It Going On: Australia. Prague. Finland. Istanbul. Cyber Space. Some places I'm speaking over the next few months.
• The Book I Wished I'd Written: A new section featuring a cool book I've discovered - and secretly wished I'd written myself.

Know anyone who's looking for something? Please forward Outside the Lines to anyone you think might be interested.

Like to reprint any of my articles? Please do - details on how to go about it are at the end of the newsletter.

Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons

When to Go Undercover

I'm a show-off.

As a four year old, I used to go up to strangers in supermarkets and say "Hello. I'm Michael. I can hop. Do you want to see me hop?"

And I would then demonstrate my hopping to the bemused stranger.

These days I'm still doing just that, albeit in a (slightly) more subtle way. (Both showing off AND hopping around).

But even I'm beginning to realise that there are times when it pays to go "undercover", to fade into the background rather than step forward into the spotlight.

Here are three moments to consider.

1. When you first arrive

When you first show up - a new role, a new job, a new situation - sometimes the temptation is to take control, make a splash, put your thumbprint on whatever's going on.

It can be more useful to step back to get a sense of the landscape. Work on the assumption that not only do you not know what's really going on - but also, what worked before won't work in exactly the same way again.

Some questions to ask for the shadows:

• What's important, what's not important?
• Who's in my camp, who's not?
• Where am I vulnerable?

2. When you're making too much noise

If (like me) you're an extrovert you often need to talk to work out what you're thinking.

But when you take up the space, you're excluding others. What if you kept quiet this time around?

Here are some questions to help measure the cost of speaking

• What am I missing by talking?
• Who's not speaking - and what's being lost?
• Who matters in the room? And how are they perceiving me right now?

3. When you're not sure what's happening

In the swirl of the moment, when all's flurry and action and uncertainty, it's easy to press ever onwards.

This can be a time to step back, to gain perspective on what's happening.

As you shift from "doing" to "being", here are some questions that might present themselves:

• What's the most important thing to be doing?
• What's making me anxious?
• Why am I holding my breath?

Don't take my word for it

Smart folks thinking out aloud about how to hide

"The work an unknown good man has done is like a vein of water flowing hidden underground, secretly making the ground green."
- Thomas Carlyle, Scottish philosopher

"Naked is the best disguise."
- Jeanette Winterson, British author

"Once I had all the attention, all I had to do was deliver."
- Ethel Merman, American singer

Want to learn more? Here are some useful resources

Get them on Your Side, Samuel Bacharach. A short, smart book with some core concepts and strategies for getting the right people to support your work

Purple Cow, Seth Godin. The best - and the purple-est - book I know on the importance of standing out.

The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins. The starting point for showing up to any new job or new role.

Comments? Feedback?
michael@boxofcrayons.biz

Market Place Product of the Month

Molly Gordon's Authentic Wealth, Getting into Right Relationship with Money

Money doesn't have to be a source of pain.

And frustratingly it is for most of us - and perhaps none more than for those running their own businesses.

Over the eight sessions with Molly Gordon's Authentic Wealth tele-retreat you'll learn how to have a balanced and authentic relationship with wealth.

All Molly's work is a lovely blend of the practical and the wise. This retreat gives you solid foundations and practical tools to help you get on top of "the money thing".

So think back now over the past year...

- Have you felt hopeful, free, and creative about wealth?

If not, please give this tele-retreat serious consideration.

You can see all that Molly offers here.

And here's something that I think is cool and I hope makes this offer now totally irresistible...

Molly and I are going to run a special teleforum in May exclusively for any of you who sign up for her program. You'll get a blend of my wisdom and hers, and really targeted support to help incorporate the Authentic Wealth principles into your life.

So if the teleforum's notched up your curiosity, check out Molly's program here.

PS - I'm an affiliate of Molly's, and proud to be so. As with all products I recommend, I stand fully behind them.

Got It Going On

Curious what I really look like? You can see a photo of me at my new speaker page.

This Month
I'm now in Australia seeing family and friends and meeting old and new clients. I'll also run some workshops for the local coaching chapters, speaking on "Be Different - or Be Dead: 12 levers to differentiate your practice."

• Melbourne, Australia March 13 - See details here.
• Canberra, Australia: March 21 Contact adargan@grapevine.net.au for details
• Sydney, Australia: March 28 - See details here.

Coming Months
I'll be speaking in Toronto, Prague, Helsinki, and Istanbul (maybe). You can check out the details here.

The next Get Unstuck teleforum with be on Wednesday, April 18th at 2pm. I'm reviewing the whole Get Unstuck & Get Going process - so it's perfect for anyone without or with a a copy of the Get Unstuck & Get Going tool, especially as it's free. Book your space now.

The Book I Wished I'd Written

Actually, I couldn't have written this book but I wish I had drawn it.

Zoom, a short picture book by Istvan Banyai, does just what it say on the title.

Imagine a camera panning back - and back - and back - and back.

This device takes you through 30 or so montages - a farmhouse, a boat cruise, a farm, a metropolis - each one connected.

I love the way each page opens up to a new world in the midst of a story which you can imagine and re-imagine.

I also love the reminder of the importance of stepping back to create a new perspective on any situation. I've just read Ron Heifitz's book Leadership on the Line, and he talks about the importance of "Getting on the Balcony" as a way of creating resilience and effectiveness as a leader. This book is a fun reminder of just how to get on that balcony.

You can check out Zoom (and Heifitz's book too) here.

About Michael

Michael Bungay Stanier is Cartoon Head of MichaelBungayStanier.com, a company that provides products and services so people can have lives of fun, inspiration and action.

To learn more about his corporate offerings, see BoxOfCrayons.biz

You can find out more by contacting Michael directly at Michael@boxofcrayons.biz or +1 (416) 532-1322.

Subscribe - To subscribe to Outside the Lines click here or go to MichaelBungayStanier.com.

Reprint - I'd be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of Outside the Lines in your newsletters, websites, and message boards. Simply include the following attribution:

Michael Bungay Stanier is a professional keynote speaker, the author of the best selling coaching tool, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters and the creator of Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun. A certified coach and Rhodes Scholar, he works with teams and organizations to help them do less Good Work and more Great Work

Schedule - Outside the Lines is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. Your contact information is never traded, never rented, never sold.

I send out an extra email one to three times a month detailing programs and offers.

©Box of Crayons 2007. Box of Crayons is a registered trading name of Maida CC Inc.

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