Issue #54

Mirror, Mirror, On My Phone

Self improvement is often portrayed as a bit woo woo and flaky. The reality is that if you want to improve your business skills or any aspect of yourself, it takes proper hard work.

I once asked a mentor why one particular person was soaring ahead in their career, whilst I languished in the doldrums (Stoke, actually, see “A Fridge Too Far”).

He said, “Well, they did what they did and you are doing what you do. Looks like what they do works better.”

That manages to sound a lot more stupid and profound than it really is.

It states the truth that I needed to be more aware of what I was actually doing, because clearly I was not doing the right things.

I was doing some things that worked and a lot of things that didn’t.

I was aware of some of the stuff I was doing, but clearly not aware of other stuff.

I felt a matrix coming on. A way of ordering my thinking so I did not get confused with all the possibilities.

You need solid tools to create a proper picture of yourself.

So I made this one I have described below.

Just sitting around breathing softly to whale song isn’t going to improve your performance.

But asking some hard questions and not letting yourself off the hook for the truth will.

Then you need a good mirror. That is, a tool that will reflect back to you a true picture of yourself.

That way you can see what you’re doing instead of guessing based on ropey feedback and your latest panic.

The “Mastery Mirror” gives you a framework to think about what you are doing and what you know about what you are doing.

Matrix Overview

The axes are easy to understand:

• Horizontal - things you know you do or should be doing and things you don’t know.
• Vertical - stuff you do and stuff you don’t do.

It is in combining them that the clarity arrives. I have included suggested actions for each quadrant to help you move forwards.

Quadrants

1. Top-Right: Mastery (Known/Doing)

This is where your strengths lie, things you know and actively do.

Examples

• Applying learned skills in familiar situations.
• Routine tasks that you’ve nailed.

Actions

1. Maximise - Use strengths by taking on more responsibilities in these areas.
2. Teach - Share your knowledge and skills with others, solidifying your mastery.
3. Innovate - Look for ways to improve or innovate within these areas.

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2. Top-Left: Discovery (Unknown/Doing)

This represents areas where you are taking action without full knowledge, often where learning or experimentation occurs.

Examples

• Trying new approaches without full expertise.
• Acting on intuition or partial information.

Actions

1. Learn - Invest time and money in these areas to move them to the Mastery quadrant.
2. Reflect - Regularly look at what’s working, or not.
3. Seek Feedback - Engage others for insights and coaching.

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3. Bottom-Right: Stagnation (Known/Not Doing)

These are areas you know about but are not taking action on, missed opportunities.

Examples

• Procrastinating on known tasks.
• Ignoring areas where you could apply your skills.

Actions

1. Prioritise - Put these tasks in your time boxed diary.
2. Motivate - Find what’s blocking you; deal with it.
3. Plan - Start taking small actions in these areas.

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4. Bottom-Left: Blind Spot (Unknown/Not Doing)

The most challenging quadrant, areas you are neither aware of nor taking action on.

Examples

• Ignored responsibilities, missed opportunities, potential risks.
• Hidden gaps in knowledge and skills.

Actions

1. Explore - Ask more questions and try new experiences.
2. Research - Invest time in what you don’t know.
3. Consult - Get external perspectives from mentors, colleagues or competitors.

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Make a list for each quadrant then an action to deal with each item listed.

If you’re like me then you’ll find about 20 new things to do. I have already got enough to do, so I don’t immediately put them into my timebox diary slots.

I put them onto my “Car Park” list, which is a journal of ideas that I keep on my desk.

As things arise in my fevered brain, I jot them in there as quickly as possible, so I can go back to doing what earns me money.

Once a week or so, I look through it and see what needs to go onto a “To Do” list.

The whole simple 3 notebook system is explained here, if you are curious.

But don’t let it distract you from the main tool we’re talking about here - the mirror that will help you focus on what matters in the long term.

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I'm on LinkedIn and Twitter / X everyday because none of us are perfect.

One last treat, here's a video about resilience, for the times when you don't want to reflect, you just need to plough on:

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Don't forget to tell your friends about this newsletter, just forward it to them and wait for them to bring you flowers and chocolates in pure gratitude...

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