​Scientists have quite recently discovered that a blue dot deep in our brain actually acts as a master switch for our brain with three settings.

This blue dot is called the locus coeruleus, and the best way to think about it is as a tiny little gearbox with 3 gears.

Gear 1, the slowest mode, is where your mind is just wandering aimlessly and we tend to day-dream (scientists call this the default more network).

The good thing about this gear is it can unlock our creativity and help us see connections we might otherwise miss.

Gear 2, the intermediate speed mode is actually the sweet spot that we want to be in when you need to get stuff done, especially when you’re doing important work.

In this gear, you are able to focus effectively on the task at hand and get things done. We can call this execution mode.

Gear 3, the fastest speed mode, is where everything in terms of information processing is happening much faster.

But this isn’t necessarily a good thing because there is a speed vs accuracy trade-off. The thinking part of your brain isn’t fully online at this point and you’re likely to make mistakes.

If your brain spends too much time in gear 3, you’re basically in a more stressed and reactive mode and are just responding to things instead of being able to step back, analyze the situation and come up with creative solutions.

So, ideally you want to start off your day in gear 1 – a good way to activate this state is to NOT look at your phone first thing in the morning but to get outside within about half an hour of waking and get some health sunlight into our eyes which stimulates creativity.

Then within about 2 or 3 hours you want to get into gear 2, and brighter lights help with this in making you more alert so you can be more focused and get into GSD (Get S@#! Done) mode.

You want to avoid getting into gear 3 as much as possible because that will activate the stress system of your body and can ultimately lead to burnout.

Here are 3 things you can do to keep your brain in the goldilocks zone:

• Mindful Focus: Incorporate short, mindful breaks to shift your brain into a more creative state.
• Novelty: Engage with new and challenging experiences to stimulate brain plasticity.
• Sleep: Ensure you're well-rested, as sleep is critical for your brain’s recovery and optimal performance.

So, what gear do you think your brain is in right now?

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Side-note: This kind of stuff has always fascinated me so I'm working on a NEW project to help people improve their mental performance by unlocking the mysteries of how our brains work, and how to keep our brains healthy and effective so we can keep performing at high levels for as long as possible.

If you're interested in learning more, you can check out the details here:
https://lnkd.in/gNUJKGpB

You will often hear people in the professional service space, including lawyers, accountants and consultants of all stripes, as well as people in sales talking about becoming the Trusted Advisor to their clients.

But if you ask them what that means, most people will have trouble describing what it is, let alone explain how to become the Trusted Advisor.

At it's core, there are two critical ingredients needed to create a Trusted Advisor. Ingredient 1 is Trust and ingredient 2 is Advice. That means that you need to have others feel like they trust you AND to believe that you have something to say that's worth paying attention to (this is the ADVICE piece).

Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

So, how do you inspire trust? Well, according to Charles Green, author of The Trusted Advisor, here is the best way to think about it:

Trustworthiness = (Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy)/Self-orientation

Credibility is tied to the level of authority with which you speak about a particular subject.

Reliability is directly related to how dependable you are perceived to be.

Intimacy has to do with how safe and secure others feel when they entrust us with something that could be used to cause them or others harm. It's essentially how comfortable they are in sharing information with you that makes them vulnerable in some way.

Self-orientation is related to how much they perceive you to be focused on your own needs and interests versus theirs.

Of course, with this equation it is easy to see we need to dial up others' perception of our credibility, reliability and intimacy while dialing down our self-orientation. If you can do that successfully then you are effectively raising the level of trust they have in you.

Ok, so what about the Advice piece? This requires two things:

1. A deep level of knowledge based on your research and/or experience in an area that's important to them AND that they have limited knowledge about. For example, they might know that marketing is important for their business but not have the depth of knowledge about effective content marketing that you do.
2. An ability to articulate your knowledge in a way that demonstrates your credibility on the topic without making you sound like a condescending know-it-all.

With a solid understanding these essential building blocks in place, you will have the foundation of what is needed to become a trusted advisor.

The next step is to build on top of this foundation to become a Level 4 consultant/seller, The Essential Trusted Advisor. This is the level at which you are a sought-after guru in your space and people are willing to pay 10x or more what they would pay others just to get access to you.

I'll be sharing more about the different levels and what it takes to get to Level 4 in my next newsletter issue coming out later this week.

Here's a sneak peak:

To make sure you don't miss out, join here to get it delivered right to your inbox as soon as it comes out: https://hfactor-newsletter.beehiiv.com/

I’ve been putting off writing this post for a long time now but recent events make it clear that I can’t put it off any longer.
 
Specifically, I’m referring to recent events in the Middle East. I’ve been following what’s been happening there very closely, especially over the past year.
 
In a nutshell, the stage has now been set for a massive escalation in tensions that could spiral out of control very quickly.
 
Iran has made it’s move and there is likely to be a counter-retaliation, which will further raise the temperature on the escalation ladder, and once we hit the tipping point, we will all feel the impacts.
 
You may think that whatever’s happening is way over there and we don’t need to worry about any major impacts here, but you’d be wrong.
 
You see, there is this very narrow passage in the Persian Gulf called the Strait of Hormuz.

​Ok, so why does this matter?
 
Only because 30 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped through this passage.
 
Now consider an escalation scenario where this passage gets blocked – what do you think would happen?
 
If you guessed there would be a major energy-supply shock, you’d be right.
 
But how bad would it get?
 
Pretty darn bad. For starters, the price of fuel could go up by at least 3-4 times (in the range of US $8-$12/gallon) and possibly even way higher. And because oil prices drive the cost of just about everything (think manufacturing and transportation of stuff), the prices of everything would rise astronomically.
 
Lots of trucking companies will end up going bankrupt because they won’t be able to afford the high costs of diesel. This means that lots of goods simply will not be transported, and those that are will cost even more due to added transportation fees and fuel surcharges (we’ve seen those before, right?)
 
Inflation of 2% will be a very distant memory as we would be likely to see inflation in the double-digits, and climbing.
 
If you heard about people fighting over toilet rolls at Costo during Covid and thought that was crazy, you’re going to see much more wild and crazy things happening as people get desperate for virtually everything.
 
Shortages and super-high prices will be the norm, and crime will skyrocket.
 
Winter time in the northern climes will be especially harsh as people won’t be able to afford heating costs.
 
There would be runs on banks and those banks that are highly leveraged (including the Big Banks) will fail (except that some may get taxpayer funded bailouts).
 
Business and personal bankruptcies will reach record highs as a combination of lower demand (due to fewer people/companies being able to afford sky-high prices) and crushing debt and higher expenses drive ordinary people and businesses into bankruptcy.
 
Many people will lose their homes, cars and any other property of value. If you think this is a big exaggeration, go back and see what happened during the oil shock of the 1970’s.
 
This time it’s going to be much worse.
 
In short, it’s going to be a dog-eat-dog world.
 
I strongly believe that, in order to make it through this, you’ll need to be able to think on your feet, make fast decisions under pressure, get others to cooperate and collaborate with you when most will be extremely self-centred, and solve big problems creatively and better than anyone else can.

That means having a resilient and powerful brain/mind that you can count on to not only help you survive in extremely harsh conditions but also to be among the few who thrive.
 
Because I believe our brains will be our most valuable asset in such a scenario to help us get through it, I’m creating a course called SuperBrain OS (SuperBrain Operating System) that anyone can use to learn how to use this amazing organ we’ve been gifted with in the best way possible to lead us away from despair, negativity and disaster and towards hope, positivity and success.

​If you’re interested, you can check it out here. 

How many times have we heard someone say “You/We need to be more strategic” and you know if you were to ask them what strategy means they wouldn’t be able to give you a solid answer.
 
And that’s exactly the problem. People throw around buzzwords like “strategy” and “tactics” without really understanding what they mean and the difference between the two.
 
Let’s fix this.
 
First of all, it makes no sense to talk about strategy when you don’t have a clear longer-term goal or objective you’re trying to achieve.
 
Once have your goal/objective in mind with a solid vision of what your desired future state looks like, strategy is about taking the big-picture view or what I call the 30,000 foot view.
 
Here you’re basically defining a vision for the future and identifying the key areas of focus that will drive you/your business forward to achieve your goal.
 
Your strategy should typically have these types of characteristics:
 
·      Long-term Focus: Strategies are designed with a long-term perspective, often spanning several years.
·      Vision and Goal Alignment:  They align with you/your company's mission and vision, providing a roadmap to achieve overarching goals.
·  Resource Allocation: Strategy involves making decisions on where to allocate your time/effort/people/money for maximum impact.
·     Competitive Advantage: It aims to create a unique position in the market that differentiates you/your company from competitors.
 
Then comes tactics – now we’re at the ground level and focusing on the day-to-day actions/activities that are in align with our strategy and will help us reach our goal.
 
They are the short-term moves that translate the strategic vision into reality. Tactics are more flexible and adaptive, designed to respond to immediate challenges and opportunities within the framework of the overall strategy.
 
Your tactics should typically have these types of characteristics:

• Short-term Focus: Tactics are concerned with immediate actions and results.
• Implementation: They involve the day-to-day activities required to execute the strategy.
• Adaptability: Tactics can be quickly adjusted to respond to changing circumstances.
• Specificity: They are detailed and specific, outlining who will do what and by when.

If you choose and act on the right tactics, they will support your strategy and help you ultimately reach your goal.

That’s the right way to think about strategy and tactics.

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Dealing with hard design problems requires empathy, framing challenges, generating ideas, testing concepts, and iterating solutions.
 Here are the 5 proven steps to create solutions that actually work that people will pay money for:
1.    Gain Expertise: Understand the problem and user needs by empathizing with the people directly involved and researching current solutions.
2.    Frame Challenge: Define the problem you're solving to ensure you're addressing the right questions.
3.    Generate Ideas: Brainstorm a variety of solutions and concepts to explore.
4.    Test Concepts: Create prototypes to test your ideas and gather feedback.
5.    Refine Solutions: Iterate and improve your initial prototypes based on feedback.
 
Bookmark the infographic above so you can always have access to these 5 steps! 

 

Micro-expressions are brief facial expressions that reveal our true emotions, often lasting only a fraction of a second.
 
These fleeting cues offer valuable insights into people's feelings and thoughts, which can be crucial in various fields such as sales, psychology, law enforcement, and general interpersonal communication.
 
In this article, we will explore the concept of micro-expressions and their significance, drawing from the extensive research in this area.
 
What are Micro-expressions?
 
Micro-expressions, as defined by the NCBI research article "Detecting Micro-expressions of Emotions: From Research to Real World Applications," are involuntary facial expressions that occur when someone is trying to conceal their true emotions.
 
These micro-expressions are thought to display genuine emotions that go against what the individual may be trying to convey verbally or through other nonverbal cues.
 
The idea of micro-expressions has been recently popularized by TV shows like “Lie To Me” which features the character Dr. Cal Lightman, portrayed as the world's leading deception expert who studies facial expressions and involuntary body language to expose the truth behind the lies.
 
However, the whole concept of micro-expressions dates back to the 1970s research by Dr. Paul Ekman who viewed micro-expressions as universal and consistent across cultures, indicating that they are innate rather than learned behaviors.
 
Detecting Micro-expressions:
 
According to Ekman, there are seven universal emotions expressed through micro-expressions: anger, fear, sadness, surprise, contempt, disgust, and happiness.
 
The big idea here is that by studying facial movements and paying attention to subtle cues, one can effectively read micro-expressions and decipher the underlying emotions.
 
The Science behind Micro-expressions:
 
Science plays a crucial role in understanding and utilizing micro-expressions. The Science of People's article on micro-expressions explores the neurological processes behind these rapid facial expressions.
 
It explains that while our conscious mind can control our verbal and nonverbal expressions, micro-expressions are rooted in the limbic system, which operates independently of conscious thought. This explains why micro-expressions can be more reliable indicators of someone's true emotions than their deliberate facial expressions.
 
Where micro-expression knowledge creates a competitive advantage:
 
People who can detect and use their knowledge of micro-expressions can separate themselves from the pack in many fields. In the field of psychology, they can help therapists gain deeper insights into their patients' emotional states and guide their treatments accordingly.
 
I also wrote a previous article on how it applies in sales when interacting with buyers.
 
Essentially, micro-expressions are invaluable wherever human-to-human communication happens, helping us navigate complex social interactions and react appropriately.
 
Debunking Myths about Micro-expressions:
 
Since this whole concept of Micro-expressions has risen in popularity, there’s been a lot of hype surrounding it, including some very outlandish claims. One of the big claims is that by monitoring micro-expressions you can always tell when someone is lying.
 
This is an overreach in my view, because micro-expressions by themselves cannot be a definitive indicator that someone is lying and the research shows that you cannot rely on micro-expressions alone to determine this.
 
For instance, is all too easy to misinterpret an indication of anxiety for deception.
 
It is best to use the micro-expression you detect as simply a key datapoint. Combine it with other cues from wider body language as well as verbal and non-verbal vocal cues to make an assumption about how someone might be feeling in that moment and whether it aligns with what they are saying. Then, you should ideally probe further to confirm (or disconfirm) your interpretation.
 
Wrap-up:
 
Micro-expressions offer a glimpse into our true emotions, bypassing the conscious filters we put up to control our expressions. These subtle facial cues can provide valuable insights into someone's feelings and intentions.

​By understanding the concept of micro-expressions, learning to detect them, and debunking myths surrounding them, we can improve our communication skills, enhance our emotional intelligence, and gain a deeper understanding of human behavior.
 
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It's the "radio station" we listen to and more importantly, the people we’re trying to engage with listen to.
 
It's WIIFM (What's In It For Me).
 
Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re all selfish (although some people will argue we only do things that ultimately benefit us in some way) but it does mean we have to care about what is important to others if we want to get through to them.
 
Bottom line: If you don't have a good WIIFM message, no one is going to tune in to what you have to say.
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I think we all intuitively know this is true and yet I constantly see people behaving like they have no clue.
 
I’ve seen people shamelessly push their ideas, products, services, and “solutions” on others thinking, “If I just tell them how great it is they’ll buy my stuff.”
 
The problem is, it just doesn’t work.
 
Why?
 
Because people buy for their reasons, not yours.
 
Think about the last time you were actually excited about buying something.
 
If you’re like most people, it’s not because you had to buy it because you were forced to but because you WANTED to buy it.
 
And because you WANTED to buy it, you actually enjoyed the experience.
 
So, what if we could help people realize that we can help them get what they want?
 
And what if we also made it easy for them to buy from us and provided them with a great experience that made them feel good about it?
 
Don’t you think we’d all get a bit further in selling things that actually matter?

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 Are you making this huge mistake of confusing outputs with outcomes?
 
Most people think they're the same but they're dead wrong and it's costing them time, money and opportunities.
 
Why?
 
Well, outputs are the tangible products or services delivered, such as a report, a software feature, or a marketing campaign.
 
They are easy to point to and say, “I produced this great report on X topic” or, “I ran 50 training sessions last year.”
 
The problem is, nobody really cares about that.
 
On the other hand, outcomes are the changes or benefits that occur as a result of the outputs.
 
They are the ultimate impacts on the customer or the business, such as increased customer satisfaction, improved product quality, higher productivity…you get the idea.
 
And that’s what people really care about, the RESULTS of what you did.
 
Just because you did a bunch of activity, doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t produce the types of outcomes people really care about.
 
You’ll be far better off by first figuring out what results really matter to the people you’re talking to and how the outputs you created led to those results.
 
So, let’s not just count what we produce (outputs), but make what we produce count (outcomes).
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