The following is a summary of Episode 88 of our podcast, The Engineering Career Coach (TECC) Podcast. You can also listen to the show through the website, or by subscribing on iTunes.
Key points:
- Performance = Potential – Interference (gives example of Steve Jobs)
- Once we as engineers learn to deal with or remove the interferences we can not only increase our performance, but we can then work harder on increasing our potential.
- Bridge the knowing-doing gap: we know what to do, but we’re not quite doing what we need to do.
Steps for how people and teams can eliminate interference:
- Identify interference
- Prioritize
- Bring resources in
- Review new interference
- Improve
How to apply this concept in coaching:
An interference will take energy to overcome; energy that might best be used somewhere else. Taking care of a customer, making a sales call, meeting with a center of influence, or attending to a family need, may be a much better use of your energy.
Some recurring items of interference:
External interference:
- Emails
- Social media
- Phone calls
Internal interference:
- The negative stories we tell ourselves.
- The false interpretations we make about others.
- Our own limiting beliefs about who we are and what we can accomplish.
About our guest:
Calvin Guyer is a coach, and he developed his unique frame of reference as a coach through his military service working on highly complex engineering projects and as a certified financial planner working with high net worth families and business owners.
Calvin has had a series of leadership roles in various industries throughout his career. In1994, he was appointed Director of the Air Force Jet Engine Oil Analysis Program. He assembled a team of technicians, engineers, equipment manufacturers, and researcher to identify and solve key technical and programmatic issues. The Air Force Chief of Safety and the Air Force Deputy Commander for Maintenance praised the report, its findings and recommended full implementation. In 2009, he was tapped to lead a branch of nine advisors at Merrill Lynch with over $5 million in production. He successfully managed the office during a troubling economic downturn.
What are the other interferences or distractions that is hindering your productivity?
Anthony Fasano, PE, author of Engineer Your Own Success, found success as an engineer at a very early age and now writes and podcasts to help other engineers do the same. Visit Anthony’s website at EngineeringCareerCoach.com to access all of the free engineering career resources he has created to help engineers succeed.