Bob the Builder Is A Smart Guy!

What did Bob the Builder do that is so different to what a lot of people do? 

People who want positive confirmation and reinforcement often use positive affirmations and mantras as part of their life.  I’m certainly not here to say that they are not worthy of your consideration or that you should stop doing them, but there are limitations to repeated words. 

Sometimes (and I’ve certainly found this in my own life) it can be a thin veneer of hopeful positiveness over a large pit of a very deep internal disbelief.  It doesn’t matter how loud you shout, the little voice of self-doubt on your shoulder can be heard.

Daniel Pink wrote a wonderful book called “To Sell Is Human” and in it I found a great example about how Bob the Builder approaches decision-making and change.

Stop reading and listen to the Bob the Builder audio now and you will see what I mean.

Well I hope you listened because I would like to ask you a question.  What did Bob the Builder do that is so different to what a lot of people do? 

The answer is simple – he asked a question and then answered it.  When you are next faced with something that is a little scary because it involves change, then don’t let the emotional aspects overwhelm you.  Ask some questions. 

Let us suppose that you are about to approach a new client but you are nervous about doing so.  Start by asking yourself a positive question such as “What will I do well when I walk through that door?”  The answer to that question will let you know where your strengths are and where you should be aiming to try and maximise the opportunities that are about to present themselves. 

Then ask yourself the question “So what am I nervous about?”  The answer to that question will highlight the areas that need more work.  Follow up with more questions such as “Why am I nervous about that?” or maybe “What can I do to work through that weakness and stop it being a weakness?” 

The point is that as you will come up with answers about what you can do to make things work so you start to find the solutions that you need to be successful in that situation. 

Asking questions takes you away from that emotional plain where panic lives and brings you through to the rational world where you can start to put a plan together that will give you confidence and a platform to work off. 

One of the most powerful questions I have used in my life has always started with the words “Just suppose...”  It means that I can sit and envisage the positive outcome that I am about to see by saying “Just suppose this works and everything I’ve planned comes to fruition”.  By doing so I start to focus through on the positives and what could happen and I often find this gives me the bravery I need to push through to the end result.

 Even if I need to look at a few negative aspects, by using the “Just suppose…” question, I seem to be able to keep the negativity at arms-length. Almost like it is a hypothetical situation or I am thinking about it for someone else. It makes it easier to be logical and less emotional so I can find the answer that serves me best.

It works. Do you think you can use it? That was a question, right? Did you answer ‘yes?’

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