What is top right thinking?

The top right quadrant is the “good” box – the STAR – at least according the Boston Matrix.

The same 2×2 matrix is used throughout business and usually it’s the same – the top right box is the one that delivers real commercial performance and creates businesses that the best people love to work for.

Top Right Thinking is a business that is all about understanding and using the science and research that enables us to be at our best at work. With the end goal of translating that into STAR level profit.

The first time I saw someone draw a cross on a piece of flipchart and then put 2 axis on it and name them, I was amazed. I thought they were super clever, really business savvy and fantastic on their feet.

I have since used the same matrix probably over 1000 times to describe how to get success in just about anything you do.

Thus a reference to “top right” – this is the best box, the STAR, the one where you have relatively low investment for the biggest rewards – became a bit of a mantra of mine. Who doesn’t want to be in that box ?!

I use this in my coaching and mentoring every day. I challenge people how to be better, but with the lowest time expended possible. This isn’t because my clients are lazy. Quite the opposite. But they are time poor (aren’t we all ?!) So the best result I can get for them is a superior performance, but with only a relatively small investment of time or money.

So far so good. Sounds great ? Now the hard bit. You may have to do some things you really don’t want to do. And unfortunately for us, the way our brains are wired to work is that we can always find really compelling and logical reasons NOT to do those things – despite our best intentions. So here are my 3 rules for success. Easy but not easy. That is easy to understand, easy to say, easy to remember. But really hard to do. But that’s where I come in. I can help make it happen.

Rule 1 – Find out what is really getting in your way. Get feedback you won’t like. In order to do this you need to make it really safe for people to tell you the truth – probably including something that you don’t want to hear…

Rule 2 – Given Rule 1, decide how much you really want the superior performance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know – you REALLY want it. So why won’t you get it ? Well one brilliant study found that even when people were going to die if they didn’t make changes to their diet and lifestyle, only 2 in 10 actually made the change. 8 died instead. Clearly some of those REALLY wanted to live…So what’s going on there…Bluntly chances are they wanted it but their brains still wanted to hold onto the unhelpful things too. Rule 2 is face facts. Getting what you want probably means giving something else up.

Rule 3 – Get some help. Our brains are wired to trip us up. Coaching works because a good coach can help you see what your personal trips are and help you avoid them. If it was easy to do it for yourself you would have done it already. People have often asked me what makes a good coach. I’ve given lots of textbook answers over the years. But the one I like now is:

A Good Coach…

Someone who helps you tell yourself the truth. And someone you trust enough to say that truth aloud with, however ugly it might sound or however vulnerable it makes you feel.

That’s it. Easy. But not easy.

Top Right Performance starts here…

For more information visit Profitablyengaged.com