One thing that comes up at every one of my workshops is the idea of Training, vs. Discipline. I introduce the idea of changing communication and culture by adopting the ideas of Accepting and Building on offers (Yes, and) and we discuss uses and methods.

The big question becomes; How does it become second nature?

When Kevin Durant goes to dunk the basketball, he doesn't think "let's see, right foot first, then the left foot, then I jump at this spot, then I move the ball up..." It all just Happens. Practice makes perfect, and it makes a new reality where you don't have to think, your body just Knows how to do it.

Accepting and Building is the same. It is a practice. And when you practice it enough, you just end up doing it. It becomes a new Discipline that your body understands and automatically does.

The first step is being aware of where your feet go. 
The next step is practicing where your feet go. 
The third step is letting them go where they have learned to go.

What things are you in the process of practicing that you want to become a Discipline? 
And also, what Disciplines do you have now that are detrimental to your goals? 

Identify habits.
Practice new habits.
Act.

I have read tons of articles and books about the alleged rules;

• The 10 rules for building a business.
  
• Three rules for making your company truly great.
  
• Richard Branson's five rules for making your business great.
  
• The three essential rules of successful CEOs.
  
• The five disfunctions of the team.
  
• The four ways to market your company.
  
• The five things you MUST do to make your business succeed.
  
• The three top fashions this season.
  
• The five best things a guy can say to his lady.
  
• The four exercises that will have you burning fat in seconds.
  

All these lists are about the (insert number here) things you need to do to achieve your goals. They are varied and sometimes contradictory. And they are based off one person's experience or perspective of events that they see from multiple angles.

Rules are a method that can help guide you. Goals are the thing that makes you take action. Rules are there to help, not to follow. They are guidelines, and they are edges, boundaries that you can test and push against to reach your goals. They are useful tools. They are not the thing that gets you success.

Success can only be lead by goals. Dreams. Ideas. Leadership to inspire others to join into that those goals and dreams. To consider the goal and the dream above the individual need. That is the recipe for success. 

So ask yourself; what rules have you found yourself attached to that hold you back? What are the self-imposed boundaries that set your goals and dreams on the back burner? Identify those rules, and see if they can be re-examined to assist in your actions to move forward. You can either let rules hold you back, or you can let them help you move forward. 

What 'rules of business success' are you following that stifle your growth?

I was recently at a bar and began a conversation with the guy next to me. He was telling me the story of working at a restaurant in Fiji where they had a test for all the applicants for a cooking position in the kitchen:
They would lay out a table of machetes, knives, hammers and saws, as well as one can opener. Then they would hand the applicant a can of food and say "open it." If the applicant used any other tool than the can opener, they would not get hired.

It makes sense. Are you using the right tool for the right job?

I see many organizations relying on Myers- Briggs tests, and every other tool in business consultant's handbags to try to get better clarity for their teams. I also hear many stories of how it helped for a day or a week, but didn't really provide long lasting change.

As you look to invest in your employees - ask yourself, are you using the right tools to complete the job? 

ImprovMindset uses a mixture of on-your-feet work and intellectual understanding to stimulate any team's process and provide long lasting effects. It's the can opener for your business solution. 

Use the right tool for the right job.