During a recent seminar, I was able to hear from, among others, an executive at Northrop Grumman, a VP from a high tech organization with 2 Billion in sales in ‘08’ and a director from Canada’s World Bank. During the discussion, some of the current business trends among workers were addressed.
· Over 25% of the High Performers within organizations (those who are key to an organizations success) are thinking about leaving their current employer in the next year. This in itself is alarming, but even more so is this . . .
· Because of the economy, under-performers are going to hunker down even more and do only what is necessary to get by. The number of Highly Disengaged employees within organizations have doubled from 2008.
· There has also been a steady decrease in overall worker’s performance. Discretionary effort—going above and beyond the basic requirements of a job—has dropped 53%.
· And what is most alarming, is that the most disengaged are 50% more likely to stay—they will choose to stick around.
· Among the heads of Human Resource departments, their primary focus and priority for 2009 will be employment engagement (i.e. how to motivate, encourage and draw out the best from employees). When this priority is tracked, '09' has shown a 40% increase among HR directors to address this as a # 1 priority.
· Finally, organizations have discovered that managers and workers who receive coaching and are placed in an environment where they are able—even encouraged—to use their creativity, thrive. This is especially true among the High Performers.
In an article by Carole Nicolaides on Star Performers, she states that these invaluable workers need to have their visionary thinking and reflection encouraged in an environment that encourages genuine dialog and connection on a personal level.
For today’s managers and directors, keeping your High performers and increasing the overall performance of every member of your team is vital.
In two of the companies mentioned above, they had a common strategy for improving performance—Coaching. Both companies have spent significant amounts of money on external coaching, and have discovered that having their managers and directors learn a few basic coaching skills has increased productivity and organizational buy-in.
In the book True North, the story is told of one CEO who was asked this question,
“What happens if you spend significant money on training your people and they leave?” His answer?
“What if I don’t spend the money and they stay?”
Regardless of the challenges you and your organization face, you can create an environment where employees thrive and meet and exceed objectives, as well as help your managers develop the skills and habits that they need to excel.
What if investing 6 hours on the phone could:
· Increase your team's effectiveness by 50%
· Not only keep your high performers but actually increase their loyalty.
· Turn your disengaged employees into vital productive team members who want to increase their discretionary effort.
· Cost you nothing unless you get the results you want.
By signing up for the tele-class “Basic Coaching Skills for Creating High Performance” you will learn how 5 basic coaching skills—that anyone can learn and practice immediately—will allow you and your team to increase productivity and creativity.
You get results, Or at the end of the class, I will refund your tuition.
To sign-up or for more information . . .
Click this link!
In A Rut—Feeling Stuck? Part 1
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How To Keep The Best & Motivate the Rest
How To Get “Unstuck” And Moving Forward
I once heard this definition of a rut. A rut is simply a grave with the ends kicked out. Does this sound like your life? Stuck in a situation with no visible way to get unstuck?
Lifeless. Deflated. Bored. Unsure of what your next step in life should be. Well, if this is you, you aren’t alone. 
In a recent publication by Harvard Business School, a business psychologist stated that everyone will go through times of uncertainty where they feel stuck and paralyzed. But often the factor(s) that causes this crisis of “what to do next” is the motivator that finally pushes us towards something that matters and makes us come alive.
Over the next three weeks, we will look at three steps that can turn stuck into a motivator for forward movement!
So what is step # 1?
Change Your Perspective
Perspective is simply an outlook or point of view. A myth surrounding perspective is that the current viewpoint is the correct one—meaning the only one. We feel trapped by the “way it is,” and feel helpless to do anything about it. Now imagine you and a close friend were asked to look at a dime sitting on the floor. You stood on a chair looking down, while your friend lay face down on the floor with her nose one inch from the dime. If you were both asked to describe what you saw, a listener would be hard pressed to believe you were looking at the same thing. Your friend would be able to read the date on the dime, see tiny specks of dirt on the carpet, and the edging of the coin, but not much else. You would see a room, with your friend lying on the floor with their nose close to some kind of shiny object. So which perspective is right? Well obviously, both are.
Perspective is taking another look at a situation from a different direction, with the understanding that the new perspective might be (the reality is, it can be) as true as the current one. And a slight change of perspective can take your life in an entirely new and better direction. The lie (and it really is a lie!) that robs us of the ability to change, says that the current perspective is the only one, which leaves us stuck where we are. Immobilized, like a deer in the headlights. And as simple as it sounds, a slight change of perspective can take your life in an entirely new and better direction. But you have to believe that the way things are, are not how they HAVE to be.
Take some time this week to look at a current situation in your life. Follow these steps.
- Write it out—what the situation is, how it feels to be stuck where you are with no hope for change (for most of us this will be easy).
- Now, using another piece of paper, imagine what the opposite perspective would look like—daydream a little. Write that down, and express in words or pictures how your life would be different if this new perspective was reality.
In A Rut—Feeling Stuck? Part 2
How To Get “Unstuck” And Moving Forward
Last week, we began our 3 part process on how to get out of a rut. I love the definition of a rut as, "A grave with the ends kicked out." Not very appealing, is it? Anyway, last week I talked about step # 1-- which is perspective and asked you to develop a new perspective on a situation in your life that you wanted to change? So, I asked you to:
- Write out on paper your current perspective on a situation in your life that you wanted to change; and how it feels to be stuck where you are with no hope for change (for most of us this will be easy).
- Then, using another piece of paper, imagine what the opposite perspective would look like—daydream a little. Write that down, and express in words or pictures how your life would be different if this new perspective was a reality.
Now for step #2.
Choose
For some of you this simple next step might bring out a response of “No kidding, tell us something new.” Yet, if you were to take an honest look at your life, you might be surprised at how often you have let circumstances make your choices for you, i.e. the job market, the economy, your lack of training, your age, your sex, your boss, etc. It is very easy to get caught up in the thinking that says, “It has always been this way. I can’t change things. You don't understand my circumstances. I’ve tried before and it didn’t work.” But think about it. To get where you are today, you made choices along the way—OK, there were some bad choices, and you learned from them (my favorite saying is that good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment). Yet, truth is, you have also made numerous good choices.
It is also true, that your circumstances are real; acting as if they aren’t would be foolishness. But in the midst of any circumstance—no matter how constraining—you still have the power to choose—you have done it before. It is one of the greatest and most powerful gifts you have.
Think about the differences you see in how people react in the midst of a disaster—like Hurricane Ike. These past few weeks, as I watched the many interviews with those who had suffered loss, I saw very different responses. With the very same circumstances, some were able to look at the loss, start thinking about their next step, and choose to make something from the disaster, while others simply sat down and quit. What is the difference?
Those who moved forward, made a choice to do so—the others either choose to do nothing (which is a choice by the way) or else waited for someone else to come and fix it for them. Believe me; I am not being critical here. I know what it is like to give up and quit, how paralyzing circumstances can seem--I have been there.
But, no matter where you are, or what your circumstance might be, each of you has the ability to choose to take one or two steps--even tiny ones--that can and will move you in a new direction towards the life you really want to possess. It will not be easy, but you are not looking for easy, you are looking for change and a better life--and this takes a new perspective coupled with a choice.
This coming week, be bold. Choose to use the new perspective you developed last week, the one that is the total opposite of how you view your present situation. Imagine what your life would look like from this new point of view. Then, brainstorm a number of steps that would begin to move you in the direction you want to go. Be creative. Don’t listen to those voices that scream at you that it won’t make a difference, that you have failed before, that you don't have what it takes, that . . .
Those voices are a lie, you can choose!
So choose. Choose just one step and implement it. As you begin to realize that your new perspective is as real as your current one, and that you are choosing to do something to move towards that perspective, you will see two results.
· Because of your choice to take action, you will gain motivation to take even more steps, and your hope for a better future will strengthen. Hope comes from action and the knowledge that things can change.
· Your confidence in your own ability to bring about change will grow as you realize you have the ability to take control of your life—that circumstances don’t have the last word.
In A Rut—Feeling Stuck? Part 3
How To Get “Unstuck” And Moving Forward
A few weeks ago, we started our 3 part process on how to get ‘unstuck’ and move out of a rut. The first week I talked about step # 1-- which is perspective, and asked you to develop a new perspective on a situation in your life that you wanted to change. In Part 2, you were to choose just one step that would move you towards that new perspective, and implement it.
The key to the success of the first two steps was realizing that your new perspective is as real as your current one and that by choosing to do something to move towards that perspective, you would begin to see results. The final step is really the glue that holds the first two together.
Find a Partner
When my Father went into the Army just prior to WWII, the ways things were done was a little different than today. In his day, the selection for certain duties was determined by what was affectionately called the “Bear Pit.” The way it worked was this. A number of “volunteers” were placed into a deep hole, and the first 3 or 4 who were thrown out were stuck with a dirty job, while the rest received leave. In the hole almost anything was fair, and your job was to fight to stay in while others were being tossed out. Now my Dad didn’t particularly like the duties they were fighting to avoid, so he came up with a plan. As soon as they were in the Pit, he and a buddy would link their belts together back to back. This “partnership” made it almost impossible for them to be thrown out, and together they could effectively fight off the opposition.
I am unsure if my Dad was aware of it or not, but there is a Proverb in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes that states, Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. . . . A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.
Whether it is fighting off opposition, moving towards a dream or goal, or working on creating a new perspective to bring about change in your life, it is easier and more effective to do it with a partner. Most of us realize the frustration that comes from trying something new and seeing it fail. A partner who is committed to your success is invaluable in attaining the goals you set for your life. They can offer encouragement, suggest a new perspective, as well as give corrective feedback when you get off course.
In the leadership book True North, Bill George interviews dozens of successful entrepreneurs and leaders, and one of the traits they all shared was their purposeful choice to surround themselves with mentors, coaches, and friends, who partnered with them in order to help them become more effective and focused and ultimately more productive. We may think we can do it alone, but those whose lives have made a difference have had help along the way. They knew they had blind spots and weaknesses and surrounded themselves with accountability partners and knowledgeable tutors who not only helped them see their Achilles' heel, but also added fuel to the flame of their strengths and passions.
If you are in a rut, and have been struggling on your own to gain greater success in any area of your life, find someone to partner with you—to hold you accountable for the steps you need to take to attain your goals—to stand back-to-back with you.
If you are unsure of where to go for this type of help, I would love to talk to you about how we might be able to work together. What I do as a Life and Executive Coach is partner with you to implement practical, strategic changes that will maximize the strengths you already possess. Together, we will work towards realizing your business and personal goals, all the while moving you towards authentic fulfillment and balance in your personal, spiritual and professional life.
Let me help you:
· Gain greater clarity on personal goals and objectives
· Enhance and fire up your personal strengths
· Clarify and break down the unavoidable obstacles to growth
· Increase positive momentum so you can see tangible results
· Live out of your values and passion
Drifting
Now that summer is over (I am not sure where it went), are you back into the grind? I don’t know if it is just me, but time seems to be going by so much faster these days, and many of the things I planned on doing during the warm months—well I just never seemed to get around to them.
Life just seems to move me along at its pace, and unfortunately it often seems like I am being carried along by it, instead of by the things I want to do.
I once heard a sermon in which the teacher compared life to being on a small rowboat on a lazy river. We can place the oars in the water, give it some effort and energy, and we move slowly forward. The deceiving thing is that if we take the oars out of the water, we don’t stand still. We get carried along by the current—slowly, almost imperceptibly—but forward progress stops. We cease from moving in the direction we want, and we are carried downstream by the whims of the river--often ending up in places we would rather not be.
Truth is we only have two choices in life. We can establish the direction and goals for our life, or we can allow them to be set by all the circumstances around us. Are you drifting or are you moving purposefully towards the life you want? I don’t mean are you thinking about and daydreaming about what you would like to become or do. Are you pursuing it with a plan that will get you there?
Wouldn’t it be great, if by this time next year you were able to look back with satisfaction at what you achieved and accomplished, instead of simply sighing at the realization that all you completed was adding another year to your life.
Stephen Covey insight-fully stated, “How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most.”
Don’t let another year go by as you drift with the current of circumstances and might-have-beens.
Let me help you create a life and legacy that matters. Follow this link, contact me, and we can talk, and take some time to help you discover ways to make this year one where you set the direction. No cost, no obligation.
There is nothing to lose, except another year like that last one.
Ayn Rand—a writer, and fugitive from Communism—once stated, “Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach.
