By harnessing this three-point structure, mantras create a strong linguistic chain of events; they take you from chaos, through clarity and into action. Automatically.

‘What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won’t happen unless I take responsibility for it?’

John Kotter, culture-change guru and former professor at Harvard Business School: —— We learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord with us . . . Those in leadership positions who fail to grasp or use the power of stories risk failure for their companies or for themselves.

First, we put ourself in a resourceful state: calm, positive, clear. Then we ‘anchor’ that state through a specific, replicable physical action – something out of the ordinary, like scrunching up our toes, stamping our foot, staring into the distance, throwing water over our face. Repeat, and repeat, and repeat – until it’s automatic.

introduce real, emotional pressure; a video camera perhaps, a hostile heckler in the room, a bet on the number of times we hesitate, an unrealistic time limit

OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. It

Four Stages for Organizational Change: ° A Case for Change; ° A Compelling Picture of the Future; ° A Sustained Capability to Change; ° A Credible Plan to Execute.

Rather than, ‘What if we run out of resources?’ we can ask, ‘What is the best way to use our resources?’ Rather than, ‘What if I don’t win the contract?’ we can ask, ‘What can I do to win the contract?’

‘What is my job on the planet? What is it that needs doing, that I know something about, that probably won’t happen unless I take responsibility for it?’