Mindset Monday - The 6 Ps of change

This is a textual version of components from the July 13 Mindset Monday show. The full show is archived for your listening pleasure at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/PeterPocklington

Attitude of Gratitude

Thank You to Greg Kraer, a founding father of the Siemens Toastmaters in Malvern, PA.

Thank You to Keith Straw, who first introduced me to the meeting.

Thank You to Alex Lawes, my Toastmsters leadership mentor.

Thank You to all the Presidents I have known that have stepped forward and helped so many people, and to the current President, Ellen Hennesey for what she is about to do to change so
many peoples' lives.

The 6 Ps of Change - Interview with Pat Rocchi

Peter: My special guest today is Pat Rocchi. In addition to his toastmasters activities that I have already spoken to, Pat is a professional communications consultant, a speaker, an author, a singer with the A-capella Pops vocal ensemble. Pat recently spoke at the Toastmasters Region 7 Conference in New Brunswick, Canada, which represents ten thousand toastmasters, all the way from Canada south to Washington, D.C.

Pat was speaking on how to communicate in today's business World. Hey, Pat. Good Morning.

Pat: Good Morning, Peter. How are you. It's great to be with you.

Peter: I'm doing great, as always, Pat. Now that speaking engagement sounds daunting to me.

Pat: It was terrific Peter. I had the opportunity to present on my experience of communicating change, mostly for Corporations.

For example, I opened with the story of how General Electric transferred me from the nice warm climes of Daytona Beach, Florida to their power generation business in up-state New York.

After I accepted the job and moved my family,and that included a new born son, I learned that my main responsibility would be to announce the layoffs of 13,000 employees, internally and externally.

Peter: Wow! I bet that experience helped you formulate some of the mindset and principles that have carried you forward since then.

Pat: Yes! It pretty much inspired a book I wrote recently called "the Six P's of Change" - a handbook to help people guide themselves through the experience of change.

Peter: That is something I've heard said - the only constant is change.

Pat: We're seeing that all the time. Alvin Toffler said that probably about thirty years ago and it's something we can depend on every day.

Peter: Your book actually opens with the somewhat comforting thought from John Simone SR. "If you are in a bad situation don't worry. It will change. If you are in a good situation don't worry. It will change."

Pat: Yes, Peter. I've found that that's the case, that you should always be prepared for change. If you are in a bad situation - there is a way of getting out of it. But if you are in a good situation, don't get too comfortable in it - because things are just bound to change for you.

I just read in the newspaper this morining - The Philadelphia Inquirer - that there was a conference just for people who were laid off from HR jobs. Human Resources people, who probably thought they would have jobs in order to process employees through the layoff process - let alone the hiring process. Now they are the people who are looking for jobs.

So hopefully they were prepared for such change,and they weren't too terribly comfortable with themselves.

Peter: Yeah, I guess change is really the only constant. From what you said, it seems like the audience for this book is -- EVERYBODY!

Pat: I wrote it for everybody, because we all have to deal with change. If somebody were to look for me on Amazon they'd see the very nice reviews I've received.

These are people in very different walks of life. And personally I receive positive feedback from people who are adjusting their lives after a lay-off. I had feedback from a woman who is about 86 years old and who is about to go into assisted living and she said,"this is about me too. I'm going through change"

They all said the principles, the 6 P's that I cover, are all important to them.

Peter: Hey, I read your book first. I noted that the 6 Ps of change are Perception, Perspective, Prognostication, Pro-active Preparation, Planning, and Performance.

Now by my count that's seven, but I'll forgive you for that. Which, to you, is the most important of all?

Pat: I get asked that quite a bit. It's a little bit like asking which of my fingers is the most important. I believe you should always start at the beginning. So I really think that it's the first P - Perception.

That is, you have to develop the perception that change is a reality in our life. We can't ask whether we will deal with change but when we will deal with change. It will happen to us.

Peter: OK. As you heard in the intro to the show, I am personally a purveyour of prosperity. I have to ask. How have you benefited personally, apart from the book sales, from applying the principles that are taught in the book?

Pat: Well, before I wrote the book it was something that I lived. Let me review these real fast. It is that you have to: perceive that change is neither all positive or all negative; you have to learn the art of prognostication - which is about predicting the future; have proactive preparation for whatever you see is coming; plan; and then perform that plan - execute.

Once I started adopting these principles I found myself in a constant state of preparation for change - not a state of paranoia.

I have really come to believe that I have developed the skills to handle most of the changes that come my way. There are some changes - let's be honest - that are very, very difficult - life changing.

But, generally speaking, the changes I think are insurmountable. It's the same kind of positive thinking that Napoleon Hill espoused in his book - Think and Grow Rich.

Peter: Now you're talking about one of my favorite authors of all time. Isn't it great how "Think and Grow Rich" has two action words, a conjunction and just a state. I guess action is really important. And Positivity, another 'P' word.

I love the way you tied everything together from the beginning - from Perception. I also think that finishing at the end is important.

That leads me to Performance. That's also a key - right?

Pat: Yes. It's very interesting. I found out as I did research, and as I read many books, that there is lots of advice out there about how to plan your life - but very few people spend time on execution - which my performance section is all about. I think that there are landfills all around the world that are littered with plans that either were not executed properly or never even saw the light of day.

A few years ago, a man who I admire very much - named Larry Bosity - wrote a book called "Execution". This is a man who lived this. I knew him from General Electric, Jack Welch's right hand man. He left GE late in his career to become the President of Honeywell, and the President of Allied SIgnal. He turned both companies around and he found that it was a subject long overdue. So he was pretty much the correct person to write about that.

Peter: Oh man! Another book for me to read. I guess leaders do read and readers do lead.

Pat: Yes. I really do recommend that one. It's a subject that is often overlooked and I think it is appropriate for all of us. But I agree with you on that. It's all part of my proactive preparation. There is so much information out there that it can be difficult to keep up.

There is no excuse any more - with the proliferation of information that we have - of being uninformed in this world.

Every time I am with you, you talk about something that you have read. Some new idea that you have.

Peter: Yes. That's what feeds these programs. And the people that listen to these programs speak to me.

Reading alters perceptions, perceptions give you perspective - the allow you to prognosticate and prepare you proactively. And then you eventually perform.

Pat: RIGHT! I think so. It's all very regular. One follows the other. And one of the things that I think works about this book is that you can pick it up at any point and get into the process at the point you need to.

For instance, you might be having trouble dealing with change - well read the second chapter on perspective, and understand there is great opportunity very often in change.

Or you may say, "OK. I accept change. I know it is going to happen to me. What's my next step.?" Then read about proactive preparation and get your life in order.

Or maybe you have created the plan - so you can put the plan together and perform it.

I always end my talks with everybody with this little mantra - you have your, I have mine - "Always wish people a change filled life. Change that will make you happy. Change that will make you feel fulfilled. But, most importantly, change that you will make."

Peter: Wow. Hopefully today you will have changed some lives and some minds. I know that the people are listening.

May I just thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope people reflect on the information shared.

For myself,

I am Peter Pocklington
I am a Good News Merchant
I am a purveyor of prosperity, and
I am my own personal guarantee.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening

Invest in yourself, YOU ARE SO WORTH IT.

GOD BLESS!