Entries by Jon Duschinsky

Think Different

February 9, 2023 /0 Comments/in , , /by
Bored dog

Authored by Jon Duschinsky, Feb 2023 

Take an average Monday morning team meeting. 

Sometimes they are fun and engaging and everyone appears to be in a good mood. Other times they are like a particularly gruesome version of purgatory and everyone is tired/hungover/cold/the coffee machine is broken etc etc.  

But people rarely come out of these kind of meetings saying, “that was fun and engaging because I was fun and engaging”, or “that was miserable because I was miserable”. 

It would seem presumptuous and arrogant to think that one person could be solely responsible for a group experience. 

But that’s actually what happens. We cause things to be fun or to be painfully dull by how we choose to show up. And one person can – as I’m sure you’ve experienced – single-handedly dictate the energy in a room. 

The truth is that we are continually generating and creating outcomes, not just through our actions, but by how we choose to show up in a particular moment. 

You can walk one of your team through their annual review and they can leave feeling inspired or they can leave feeling depressed, without the content of the review itself changing at all.  

Show up as an inspiring leader who believes in their team and the weaker areas of the review become an opportunity for growth.  Show up as a tired leader who just wants to get home at the end of the day and they become a big, dark cloud for the employee. 

The content doesn’t change. The context does. 

It is remarkable how much attention we focus on the content of our interactions with others, and how little we dedicate to the context.  

And the reason this matters is that we all have a Default Context. 

Our Default Context is the way that we typically show up if we don’t stop and think about it first. 

It’s usually driven by ego, by which I mean a combination of fear, anxiety, a feeling of inadequacy and a need to prove one’s worth to others. 

My default context is some version of “Let’s just get this done”: a bit impatient, caring only about the big picture, not interested in the opinions of others and wanting to get on with it so that I can show the world how productive I am. 

You can see how much of a contribution that context can be in a meeting….!

What is your Default Context? Can you name its characteristics? 

Doing this exercise and becoming aware of your Default Context gives you something that most people don’t have: the awareness to choose a different context, one that will create the outcomes you want. 

Let’s go back to that annual review example for a moment. Imagine you’re sitting down to deliver a review to a team member who is showing up strong in some areas but not in others. 

Think about the outcomes that you want to generate from the meeting. Annual reviews can be thorny affairs, so what would be a really great result in this case? 

Perhaps it would be that the employee remains calm and engaged, that they see the opportunities to grow and even share their own ideas about how they could improve their performance. 

If those are the outcomes you want, what context do you need to adopt in order to generate them?

Perhaps “trusted mentor” or “caring guide”, or even “inspiring coach”. Certainly not my Default Context, and likely not yours either. 

I love to choose contexts that are represented by characters in movies. I find it gives me an anchor when my Default Context starts to take over (which it inevitably does). 

Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society would be a great one for this example. Could you imagine how inspired your employee would be if you showed up like that? 

Before we close, there’s one more important thing to say about contexts. 

You know the saying that with great power comes great responsibility? 

Well, if you can distinguish your Default Context, it means that you now have the power to choose a different one, which will better serve whatever situation you are in. 

And that means you now have the responsibility for the outcomes you generate.  

Those turgid Monday morning meetings? That’s now on you. As Williams famously said in the movie “I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way”. 

Change your context and change your world!

Sounds good, no?

Yours,

Jon

PS. How we can help you further:
1. Check out our other articles and resources here
2. Book a free consultation with Jon Duschinsky here.
3. Sign up for our Power of Purpose newsletter here
 

Anyone who sees Jon in action recognizes his energy and vision; what they don’t always see is the rigor and the intellect behind the performance. Jon has a great empathy for the people and causes that he touches. Above all else, he makes connections –thinking laterally – broadly – drawing on his experience on the global stage and applying it for all our benefit.

Senior Partner, Global Consultancy

Jon inspires you to think bigger. He brings to bear his international experience and global vision to hold up a mirror to your organization and challenge you to take ownership of the change you want to be in the world. With passion, dedication and authenticity, he then commits to ensure you achieve it.

Vice-President, National Healthcare Provider

As a mentor, Jon helped provide clarity as the business was pivoting and changing its direction.  Through challenging, emotional and stressful times, he helped me focus on what really mattered in the conversation.  Jon is a committed professional that listens, understands and makes a difference.  He has truly changed my perspective and helped take my leadership to the next level

Executive Director, Global Consultancy

Jon, we want to personally thank you for your contribution to a successful meeting. Working with you has been such a pleasure. Planning our session was simple and headache-free, and your delivery on-site absolutely hit the mark. Your presentation style is rehearsed, polished, dynamic, engaging, thought-provoking and envelope-pushing

Vice-President, US Membership Organization

Jon’s techniques and mentorship style have opened up new avenues for me to channel my energy where it belongs. My energy was fading until we discussed some changes that dramatically improved productivity and made me more present at work

Founder, Startup Incubator

Working with Jon was a unique experience for us. It was a journey that helped us articulate our global positioning and value proposition and which provided us, the founders, a new perspective on the opportunities to create much greater impact for our customers. Jon helped us bridge between the international demand for our solutions and the clients with whom we work. Together we created a value proposition that we are using successfully to attract different stakeholders, from global corporates to high net worth individuals as impact investors. We will definitely continue working with Jon on our future endeavours

Founder & CEO, Global Impact Organization

This work is transformational. I’ve had great mentors before, but this is next level, this is for folks ready to make a grand leap into discovering and activating purpose. I feel incredibly fortunate and know that this work will last me a lifetime

People & Talent Manager, International Design Agency

It’s not just the power of the questions, it’s the ability to be able to call bulls**t on the answers. There’s nothing that I could throw at Jon that would phase him – the business acumen, knowledge of metrics and markets means that this program brings huge value to C-suite leaders

Vice-President, Global Hospitality Group

The way you have laid out our strategy for the next three years was so dynamic! You made it feel so achievable and so inspiring. This is a strategic plan that will definitely not sit on a shelf – thank you!”

Board Member, National Non-Profit Organization

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