Student Motivation Techniques

Most leaders spend their time exactly backwards. They do the most of what matters least. This framework by Mike Michalowicz identifies four ways a leader (and in fact every person leading themselves) can spend their time. From least to most important: Do, Decide, Delegate, Design. -> Do is executing tasks yourself. Necessary sometimes. But the least valuable use of a leader's time, and the one that consumes most of it. -> Decide is making the calls. Better than doing, but still a trap. If every decision runs through you, you become the bottleneck. -> Delegate is assigning outcomes, not just tasks. You hand someone a result to own, not a checklist to follow. That's where leverage starts. -> Design is creating the conditions in which the whole thing works without you. The organization, the culture, the system. This is the most important category. It's also where leaders spend the least time. Now apply this to yourself. Because self-leadership follows the same logic. -> Do You can spend your days doing: executing, responding, ticking boxes. Busy, but not building anything. -> Decide You can spend them deciding: managing trade-offs, solving problems as they arise. Useful, but reactive. -> Delegate Or you can learn to delegate the parts of your life that others can own. Your calendar. Your defaults. Your habits. Systems you've designed well enough that they run without constant intervention. -> Design And then, rarely, you step back and design. You ask what kind of life you are actually building. What conditions need to be true for it to work. What you want to emerge. That last question is the hardest. It's also the one worth the most time. #throughthepit #leadership #selfleadership

Let me say this clearly. Most leadership problems don’t start with strategy. They don’t start with people. They start when a leader doesn’t know how to lead themselves. I’ve seen this play out in real environments.  Meetings, teams, senior rooms. You go through a day. Some things go well. Some don’t. Sometimes nothing happens at all. But there’s always one constant. 𝗬𝗼𝘂. And when you’re not aware of what’s happening inside you, that’s when things quietly start to break. I break leadership down into three very practical things that actually show up at work. 1) 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Great leaders know their triggers. They notice when they’re stressed. When they’re irritated. When they’re not in their best state. Because if you walk into a meeting upset and don’t realise it, you’ll fixate on one small issue and miss the real effort your team just made. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. 2) 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 This is where people overcorrect. They try to change everything at once. They go extreme. And then they quit. Leadership doesn’t work like that. It’s five minutes of reflection after a meeting. Ten minutes before bed. One habit you can actually repeat. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. 3) 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 And no, this isn’t soft. If you don’t manage your energy, you’ll leak pressure onto your team and carry it home with you. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺. 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵. If you’re early in your career, this is how you build credibility before the title. If you’re stepping into a bigger responsibility, this is how you stay steady under pressure. Self-leadership isn’t a big moment. It’s small decisions, repeated daily. And honestly, it might be the reminder you didn’t know you needed.

“What’s wrong with me?” “I’m a stupid idiot.” “I can’t even get this done.” That’s my inner critic. The harsh judgemental voice that decimates me when I make a mistake. That magnifies my flaws, and undermines my abilities. I let it rip me apart because I thought I deserve it. The drained and awful feeling after that. There are many names for this condition. Some call it the perfectionist. Others call it the childhood trauma. I call it The Habit I am releasing. That critical voice inside our heads is the major obstacle to building self-confidence and achieving our goals. It was honed from past experiences but continues to fuel our fear and doubt. After coaching many senior executives on public speaking and confidence, I've seen how that harsh inner critic can hold them back from being their best, most confident selves. I've seen and felt the transformative power of learning to release it. I feel more energized and at peace. It’s a mindful work in progress. Here are some strategies I've found effective in releasing The Habit…gently. 🌟 Recognize the Critic The first step is to become aware of your inner critic. When you notice harsh or overly negative thoughts, pause and just observe it instead of being in it. 🌟 Name It. This allows separation from your true self. "That’s just Negative Nellie again" rather than accepting those thoughts as truth. 🌟 Challenge the Thoughts Question it. Is there actual evidence for this negative thought? Or what would you say to a friend in this situation? 🌟 Reframe Negative Self-Talk and use YET for a growth mindset. Instead of "I'm going to mess this up," say "This is an opportunity to learn and grow." Instead of "I can't do this," add the word "yet" to the end. "I can't do this... yet." 🌟 Embrace Self-Compassion Treat yourself with the same kindness you'd offer someone you love. When you make a mistake, instead of harsh self-criticism, offer yourself understanding and encouragement. Building an encouraging inner voice is a process that takes time and practice. With consistent effort, we can create an inner dialogue that lifts us up to achieve our biggest dreams and goals. What strategies have you found helpful in managing your inner critic? #Confidence #GeorginaChangCommunications

Lead yourself before you lead others. We spend hours analysing P&L statements and refining strategy decks, but how often do we talk about the inner work it takes to lead? The emotional labour of leadership is rarely visible. The self-motivation required to show up, the resilience to weather uncertainty, and the fear of failing the very people you’re supposed to guide. In a list of leadership challenges that seldom get airtime, leaders often forget to motivate themselves. Without that anchor, it’s easy to burn out, especially when you’re expected to be the motivational engine for everyone else. Another overlooked theme is fear. Beyond the fear of making a poor decision, many leaders fear not being respected and the fear of being “found out" as complacent. Yet emotional intelligence isn’t taught in most leadership courses, and we’re left to figure it out on our own. When I was running operations for a fast food brand, I discovered this emotional labour the hard way. On the surface, I was coaching crew members, managing supply chains and hitting growth targets. Behind the scenes, I was grappling with my motivation. There were nights when I questioned whether I could lead a team through another unpredictable rush or resolve yet another staffing crisis. I felt guilty about wanting a day off. I feared my team wouldn’t respect me if I admitted I was exhausted. What helped wasn’t a new management technique, it was learning to lead myself. I started each morning by asking why I was doing this work, reminding myself of our mission to create opportunities. When fear crept in, I named it and examined it. Was I afraid of failing, or of looking incompetent? Most of the time, the fear was exaggerated, and simply acknowledging it lowered its impact. I also built practices into my routine. 1) Scheduled downtime: Blocking out “white space” on my calendar felt selfish at first, but it gave me the clarity to make better decisions. 2) Journaling wins and worries: Noting both achievements and anxieties turned vague stress into tangible items I could address. 3) Peer support: Finding a confidential circle of fellow operators to share fears and frustrations reminded me I wasn’t alone. The more I invested in my emotional well-being, the more effective I became. My team saw me as authentic rather than invincible, and that openness built trust. If we want sustainable leadership, we need to normalise talking about this invisible work. Metrics and KPIs are important, but so is acknowledging the human being behind the title. As you plan your next sprint or expansion, ask yourself: How am I caring for the person who has to lead it? Because leading others starts with leading yourself.

Relying on motivation to achieve your goals is a recipe for disaster.   Most people don’t fail because they’re not motivated. They fail because they haven't built a system that carries them through low-energy days.   I’ve worked with high performers across industries, from execs to consultants to founders. They all have one thing in common: they execute with consistency.   Here’s the 8-step system I share with clients who are ready to stop relying on willpower, and start building real traction:   1/ Define the North Star 🔸 Identify the long-term result you’re aiming for.   2/ Build a system, not just a wishlist 🔸 Define the behaviours that make success inevitable.   3/ Set milestones that drive urgency 🔸 Break the goal into monthly and quarterly checkpoints.   4/ Focus on 1–3 high leverage tasks per day 🔸 Do the small things that have a big impact, daily.   5/ Time-block 60–90 mins of deep work 🔸 Protect focused time like your future depends on it.   6/ Cut out the noise. 🔸 Eliminate low-ROI inputs that drain your energy.   7/ Run a performance review every week 🔸 Track what’s working, what’s noise, and what’s next.   8/ Reconnect to why it matters 🔸 Emotion fuels consistency, remind yourself regularly.   This isn’t theory. It’s a system used by real people, doing real work, with real results.   Because motivation fades.   But execution systems compound.   Which of these 8 steps do you already follow?   ♻️ Repost to help your network upgrade how they operate. 🔔 And follow Mostyn Wilson for frameworks for high performance. - - - - 📌 Want a high-res PDF of this sheet? And 40+ other free resources? Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eE287NTG

Yesterday I took the entire revenue team (sales, cs, marketing) off the floor for out for a very specific training. Goal Setting. Yep. The entire org for over 60 min together learning how to set and achieve goals. I do this 2x a year with my teams. Why? Because most people never accomplish their goals because they never actually set them and never actually create a plan to achieve them. I've gotten pretty dang good at setting goals. I've gotten pretty dang good at achieving goals. It makes life so much more fun. So here are the key concepts I teach in goal settting. 1. Set a goal in each of the 5 buckets. Self. Health. Wealth. Proffessional. Experience. 2. Identify the Keystone Goal - Which goal if achieved will have the biggest impact on all the rest. 3. Who do you need to BE in order to achieve this goal - How would this person act, work, communicate, behave, etc 4. What do you need to BELIEVE to achieve this goal - this combined with number 3 is where we create our affirmations. 5. Why do you want this goal - aka what will change in your world when you achieve it - If nothing changes... nothing changes. 6. What are you done dealing with now/whats the negative of NOT achieving your goal - Having a negative is important when things get hard. 7. Why you Why Now - Why are you capable of achieving this goal, what traits, resources, etc do you have that allow you to believe you can do this. 8. What are your 3x3s - 3 things daily, weekly, and monthly that if done will give you your best shot at achieving - Example - Put workout clothes out the night before with the alarm across the room - that would be a good daily for health 9. Make it visual - Vision boards (we will be doing this in a couple weeks as a team) - but also visualize it each morning, each evening, not just the accomplishing of the goal, but the process to achieve it. 10. Accountability - Share it with people that not only want to see you win, but also with people that won't allow you to lose/will hold you to the fire. --- All written out by each individual and then my challenge to them is to read it every morning and every night for 60 days. Watch what happens when you do. A team that sets goals together, wins together. I can't wait to see so many of theirs goals, so many of their affirmations, and so many of their achievements. This is going to be good ya'll. Just wait and see. PS - this is one of the most popular modules in the Sales Leadership Accelerator in fact it's unlocked right out the gate for all members. PPS - I'll be doing this workshop at Pavilion GTM in a few weeks as well here in Austin. Lets set and smash some goals ya'll!

“Believe in yourself” is useless advice for high achievers battling self-doubt. You know the type: Outperforming peers. Trusted with results. Still convinced they’re not ready for the next level. They think deeply. Which means they don’t respond to vague motivation or feel-good advice. I see this especially often among high-achieving Asian women, where cultural conditioning around humility and perfectionism can make self-doubt even more persistent…even when the evidence of capability is overwhelming. Encouragement doesn’t fix this. Evidence does. Here’s what I use to build real self-confidence in the people I work with: 1. Start small. Then stretch. I identify a weaker skill and put them into a project where that skill is required—but at a manageable level. Once they succeed, I raise the bar with a harder version. 2. Replay the win (at least 3 times). Not vague praise. Specifics. “The challenge was X. You did Y. That created W value for the business.” This is how people internalize their contribution, not just the outcome. 3. Repeat until the pattern clicks. You can’t do this for every skill. But do it enough times and something shifts. They stop believing success is luck. They start believing they can learn new skills on demand. The goal isn’t confidence for its own sake—it’s helping talented people see what’s already true about their abilities. So next time a talented colleague is getting in their own way… Don’t tell them to believe in themselves. Give them evidence they can’t ignore. Where have you seen evidence work better than encouragement?

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. It's a one-way ticket to burnout and frustration... True productivity is about removing hidden barriers that hold you back. It's easy to fall into the trap of busyness, convincing yourself that being constantly active means being productive. Fearful you can't take a step back to reassess. This leads to: - Decreased focus and quality of work - Increased stress and overwhelm - Missed opportunities for growth and innovation Sound familiar? Then it's time to uncover and overcome these hidden barriers. Here's how: 1. Identify your energy drains ↳ Track your activities for a week ↳ Note which tasks leave you feeling depleted 2. Streamline your workflow ↳ Batch similar tasks together ↳ Use automation tools for repetitive work 3. Create boundaries ↳ Set specific work hours ↳ Learn to say no to non-essential commitments 4. Prioritize self-care ↳ Schedule regular breaks throughout the day ↳ Invest in activities that recharge you 👉 When I first started tackling these hidden barriers... It was uncomfortable and felt counterintuitive. But it turned out to be the key to unlocking my true potential. You don't have to work harder to achieve more. You just need to work smarter by addressing what's holding you back. True productivity isn't about doing everything—it's about doing the right things. #Optimize #Productivity #WorkSmart

Are your communication habits costing you influence and connection at work? One of my clients was technically brilliant and delivered great results. But she struggled with something that was holding her back from her full potential. Getting affected by other people's moods meant her own mood would dampen. Miscommunication led to misunderstandings and wasted time within her team.  Feeling insecure, made her act distant and unable to make real connections with colleagues. From a CEO's perspective, this looked like someone with limited executive presence who might not be ready for greater responsibility. Someone who creates confusion rather than clarity. Someone who might struggle with clients, stakeholders, or high-pressure situations. She could see exactly how this was limiting her career growth, but felt completely stuck on how to change these deeply ingrained patterns. If this resonates with you, here’s how to start your own transformation: First, create the foundation through self-awareness and self-management: 1. Get honest about what truly motivates you. Ask yourself: "What actually gets me out of bed excited?" "What drains my energy?" “What’s important to me?” Owning your authentic drivers helps you perform better but also show up more genuinely. 2. Know your limiting beliefs and emotional reactions. Pay attention to that voice in your head during conversations. Is it criticizing, second-guessing, or creating stories? Quieten that voice down (simply tell it to shut the f*%k up), then focus your attention on the conversation. Next, build better communication skills on that foundation using curiosity: 3. Get curious about their perspective. Instead of preparing your response while they speak, ask yourself: "What's behind their opinion? What experiences might have shaped this view?" This shift helps you truly listen rather than just wait for your turn to talk. 4. Get curious about what might be at play. Look beyond the surface conversation and wonder: "What pressures might they be under? What's driving this reaction?" This helps you respond to the real issue, not just the words being said. 5. Get curious about the person in front of you. Notice their energy, body language, and tone. Ask yourself: "What do they need right now? How are they really feeling?" This genuine interest in them as a person creates deeper connection and trust.   Back to my client: The breakthrough came when she stopped fighting who she was and started embracing it. Today, she's more relaxed, sets clear boundaries, communicates directly, and tunes into others' needs effectively. The result? Meetings that used to drag on with confusion now end with clarity and positive momentum. Her team respects her more. And leadership now sees her as someone ready for bigger challenges. What tips do you have for more effective communication? ***** Hi, I’m Ilse. I support ambitious and sensitive senior female leaders who are tired of getting into their own way. 📆 20/8/25