Carla Fowler

MD PhD. Managing Director of THAXA Executive Coaching. Active angel investor in biotech/medtech. Obsessed with high performance.

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

https://t.co/dZs3S1Gqop

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

Feeling like you have an enormous lift in front of you? A challenging goal? Like the place you want to get to is too far away? Sometimes when you think about it all at once, you feel like you are never going to make it.

If this resonates with you, I invite you to listen to this conversation I had with @TimWinner where we talk about the importance of breaking down big challenges into manageable clear next steps (and you can hear the story that inspired the 100 steps concept). Link to the episode in the comments!

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

https://t.co/k8UnWjndOl

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

I was featured as a guest expert on the Thoughful Entrepreneur Podcast with @joshelledge a while back. If you like to listen to your content, you can check out the link below - but as an added bonus, Josh has featured this episode on his blog too. I'm happy to be able to share our conversation!

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

https://t.co/8v1EYaW9Gm

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

Fresh as of last week, a great conversation with Eric Wright for the Discoposse podcast.
We hit a wide range of topics, but here are a few key ideas we discussed:

How to shift from a desire to be right to a focus on having a top-notch approach to learning and decision-making as a tool for navigating uncertainty.

How focusing on the few most potent things to invest can help us have more bandwidth and ability to adapt during periods of uncertainty.

How to look for decisions that have a 80% chance of 20% improvement and then take action as opposed to waiting until you have a solution that has 100% certainty of solving 100% of the problem. (This can help us keep moving forwards and be adaptable but improving during times of uncertainty).

I hope you will be able to listen to the whole episode!

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

https://t.co/4fZqct439x

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

Karl Pontau and I got to dive deep into how human connection helps improve results in the workplace and what performance science tells us about that!

For example, one surprising principle that helps with team motivation and connection is actually FOCUS! When leaders take the time to think and clarify their objectives and the priorities that the team needs to focus on - AND then communicates that clarity to their teams? There's some magic that happens.

Suddenly, team members know what they are aiming at.

They know how to contribute.

They know why they matter.

And they know how to focus the

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

whole episode here: https://t.co/BwBaMnSXMv

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

@dallasburnett and I had a great long-form conversation last week on his podcast The Last 10%.

Here's one great takeaway from the show.

If you are feeling stuck and want to improve your results, stop looking for a magic trick or hack and ask yourself the following questions:

What can you do today that is "doable and valuable"?

How can you consistently stack up actions that are "doable and valuable" over time?

How can you eliminate the things that will get in the way of consistently stacking up actions that are "doable and valuable"?

As you make progress, how does what is "doable and valuable" change? What is now doable that is even more valuable?

Now what would it take to stack up the next level of "doable and valuable" things?

We already have many of the answers - don't get distracted looking for a hack. Focus on doable and valuable!

[Dallas Burnett @DallasBurnett]

https://t.co/YJBjTQj9sA

[Dallas Burnett @DallasBurnett]

🚀 Dive into the world of high performance with Dr. Carla Fowler on the latest episode of The Last 10%! From medical breakthroughs to Ultimate Frisbee champs, her journey is a masterclass in focus and resilience. Don't miss out! 🎧✨ #Podcast #HighPerformance #TheLast10

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

Check out the whole episode here: https://t.co/I1jzmERbVN

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

In the face of rapid change, it may seem counter-intuitive to think that we may be struggling with stagnation. This is a case where two things can be true at the same time.

As human beings we like to have a sense of momentum.

But when we are faced with uncertainty our instinct is often to lock things down, to try to control, to keep things the same.

I recommend a different approach - to get reacquainted with and train up our muscles of learning and growth as way of gaining fitness for change.

We can remember that our comfort with being a beginner can be trained. And this training gets us into motion from standing still, watching and waiting.

In this clip from the Voice of Influence podcast, I discuss the importance of growth and performance improvement - (especially in times of uncertainty). Please tune into this conversation with @AndreaWenburg

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

@LeadTheTeam and I had a great time talking about how to get into action on the things that matter to you on his podcast, the Leadership Toolkit. We have to let go of the idea of having to "know before you go" and instead embrace being a beginner.

When I was starting my coaching practice over 12 years ago, I did not have business or sales training. I was also designing a new coaching methodology. There was no way I could no everything before I started, but the only way to build any momentum and traction was to start - knowing that I didn't know everything.

The urgency to start and stack up traction is not an excuse to not learn - but we often need to have a balance between learning facts and practicing skills.

For me, that was reading books on sales and business even as I was actively out networking and introducing people to my coaching practice.

Another example of this is an amazing skier I met this past winter while skiing in the back country. He had learned to ski as an adult with a mix of watching YouTube videos and real-time practice on the slopes.

You can hear the whole story here:

https://t.co/5ygnEFC0r5

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

In the performance space, we talk a lot about the importance of motivation and knowing your "why" for doing something.

Sometimes we feel like we have to have a big purposeful "WHY", thick with meaning, heavy in its weight.

I received a nice THANK YOU card from my friends the other day that reminds us that our reason for doing something can also be simple and not significant.

And there's nothing wrong with that. Whatever you need to get you into action towards your goal or the results you want - USE IT!

It may be as simple as, "There will be snacks."

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

Doing a live show is always fun! Thanks to @LeadTheTeam for inviting me to a live recording of the Leadership Toolkit Podcast - happening tomorrow 4/2 at 2pm Eastern. I just saw his question list and know it's going to be a great conversation with lots of useful tips and ideas for leaders.

Here's the link to tune in: https://t.co/Jfw2tUdITd

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

The stories we tell ourselves matter.

Part 1:

This is true when we have an experience that is or feels like a failure. What we say to ourselves and others when this happens is important to how we go forwards. The story can motivate us to try again and help us learn so we do better in the future. But it can also break our confidence or make us wary of taking a risk again.

Take away:

If you have had an experience of failure recently, take some time to listen to your thoughts and internal voice to see what story you are telling. Write it down on paper. Then ask yourself how that story makes you feel and what actions (or inaction) it prompts for you. Write that down. Now decide if you are happy with the story and whether you would like to change it to motivate different actions.

Part 2:

It is also interesting to look at the stories we tell ourselves when we have been successful. Do those stories highlight our strengths, efforts, resilience OR do they minimize or discount those things. Luck certainly plays a role in our outcomes, no doubt about it... but we are also actors and what we bring to the challenges we face makes an impact to.

Take away:
If you have had an experience of success recently, take some time to listen to your thoughts and internal voice to see what story you are telling. Write it down on paper. Then ask yourself how that story makes you feel and what actions (or inaction) it prompts for you. Write that down. Now decide if you are happy with the story and whether you would like to change it to motivate different actions. Are there places where you are discounting your strengths and impact where acknowledgement is what is needed?

This post was inspired by my conversation with Jenn Drummond who has many many stories to tell! Thanks, Jenn for having me on the Seek your Summit Podcast!

https://t.co/O5ZUbcKGlU

[Carla Fowler @DrCarlaFowler]

@jannalandry10 and @jsesol asked me some great questions on their podcast, Pull the Chute.

One interesting topic they discussed was related to goal focus or target.

In my experience, I've noticed that different people are motivated by different things.

For some, the goal is project related. For example:

"I want to complete 20 touch points with potential customers every day."

For others, the goal is person related. For example:

"I want to approach my outreach and sales calls with curiosity, energy, and a desire to understand the customer's pain point."

Both of these goals are process type goals (vs. outcome goals) - but they are different in nature. The first has more to do with the logistics of a process and the second has more to do with how one is being within the process.

I've seen both of these be successful in producing an outcome goal. In this case, for example, the outcome/results-based goal might be to close 50 customers.

My observation is that what matters most in the success is whether the goal motivates and directs the person into action.

This prompts an interesting question we can all think about:

Is there an area of your life that could use a process goal to help prompt action?

Which of the options feels most motivating to you? Do you like to focus on who or how you are being? Or do you like to focus on the logistics that you are committing to complete? Do you like to do both?

Feel free to comment below or check out the whole conversation from Pull the Chute!

https://t.co/gUZV9VGnio