Tag Archives: Motivation

How to kill wisdom

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Barry Schwartz studies wisdom and gave a brilliant Ted lecture on the topic that you won’t want to miss. In case you don’t have 20 minutes to watch the whole lecture now, here are the highlights.

Leaders want to encourage certain behaviors in their employees, ones they believe will advance the organization’s mission. The goal is for people to grow in wisdom – acting based on intelligence, experience and common sense. Dr. Schwartz discusses how to promote practical wisdom, which he defines as the moral will (I want to contribute) and skill (I know how to help) to do the right things.

Using the example of hospital janitors, Dr. Schwartz outlined how people use practical wisdom to make a difference. Although their job descriptions included nothing about contact with human beings, their care for and interactions with others positively impacted patient care and outcomes. The janitors:

Ignored orders in order to help people. A janitor skipped cleaning the waiting room out of respect for sleeping visitors who had been at the hospital for days.

Improvised based on the situation. Because a parent did not see him do it the first time, one janitor re-mopped a comatose patient’s room.

Used their skills to serve others, not themselves. These janitors often added to their own workload, so that patients’ and families’ needs were met.

Leaders often create rules and incentives to increase the likelihood that people will exhibit desired behaviors. Dr. Schwartz cautions that rules keep people from making well-reasoned judgments and don’t allow improvisation in the service of what is right.

Incentives seem harmless, but they shift people’s thinking from, “What is my responsibility?” to “What is in my best interest?” In effect, activities that involve incentives have been shown to reduce morale and morality.

Rather than more rules, incentives or ethics policies, Dr. Schwartz advises us to:

Celebrate moral heroes who show practical wisdom every day.

Get to know the people in your organization in order to know how to encourage moral will and skill.

Allow people the time and give them permission to do the right thing, because moral heroes are made, not born.

Think you’ve got the right amount and types of rules and incentives? Maybe it’s time for a second look. As Dr. Schwartz says, without wisdom, brilliance can get you into trouble. Watch this Ted video now.

Need help developing practical wisdom in your organization? Contact Humanergy.

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Are you in danger of losing your high potentials?

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Retaining employees with high potential is essential to the success of your organization.

The Center for Creative Leadership’s High-Potential Talent: A View from Inside the Leadership Pipeline defines “high-potential talent as an employee who is assessed as having the ability, organizational commitment, and motivation to rise to and succeed in more senior positions in the organization.”

How are high potentials different from other employees? According to research by Ready, Conger and Hill (Are You a High Potential?, Harvard Business Review, June 2010), companies tend to describe high potentials this way:

“High potentials consistently and significantly outperform their peer groups in a variety of settings and circumstances. While achieving these superior levels of performance, they exhibit behaviors that reflect their companies’ culture and values in an exemplary manner. Moreover, they show a strong capacity to grow and succeed throughout their careers within an organization—more quickly and effectively than their peer groups do.”

To create a nimble strategy for managing your leadership pipeline, follow these steps:

Identify. Who are your high potentials? Though you may balk at creating a formal list of high potentials, many concede that identifying individuals with potential for growth is important for the organizations and the people themselves.

Engage and develop. Now that you have your list, create a plan to nurture your high potentials that includes both access to upper management and opportunities to grow. CCL’s research on high potentials notes that “high potentials receive more development opportunities – such as special assignments and training as well as mentoring and coaching from senior leaders – than other employees.” This gives them role models and advocates to develop those relationships that are the connective tissue within the organization.

Retain. CCL’s research indicates that people formally identified as high potentials have a higher retention rate than those not formally identified. Be aware, however, that identification as a high potential can trigger anxiety as well as excitement. Your strategy should manage for both, providing support to deal with the inevitable pressures as well as opportunities for development.

Deploy. High potentials want to understand the path that lies ahead, even if the specifics are a little vague. Provide answers to questions such as, What is the next step? What do I need to do or learn to get there? Communication, feedback and increasing levels of authority are critical to leveraging the talent pool, according to CCL.

Maximizing the potential of your organization’s future leaders requires planning and commitment. Allowing the “cream to rise to the top” on its own is not an option if your goal is converting raw talent into exceptional leadership for the long-term benefit of the organization.

Need strategies to engage your high potentials? Contact Humanergy.

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Assume the best

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You get to work and read an email from a coworker:

Christi – the side door was left unlocked between 2 and 3 pm again. Have you thought of creating a checklist that will help you remember?

Jane

You think:

  • What a jerk
  • Thanks for the helpful suggestion. I’ll try it!
  • She seems to have good ideas, so maybe she can help me figure out what to do

Your answer to this question says a lot about what you believe to be true about people. If you sometimes think the worst of people, you can change and more often give people the benefit of the doubt. Try these tips:

Slow things down. A frenetic pace can promote reactivity and impatience. Take a moment to stop, think and choose your behavior.

Train yourself to think from others’ point of view. Remember that people bring a diversity of culture, learning and experience to every life situation. Practice thinking, “I wonder why she feels that way” and respond based upon genuine curiosity. Learn why they take the actions they take. Ask about what you don’t understand.

Give yourself cues. Display a picture or quote that reminds you of people’s positive qualities. Light a scented candle or play relaxing music to set a laid-back tone.

Treat yourself with respect. People who are critical of others are often their own worst critic. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt, and it will be easier to lighten up with others as well.

Remember that giving others a break is really doing you a favor. When you assume the best, you experience less stress. It doesn’t mean you won’t confront truly inappropriate behavior. You just don’t assume that every possible slight is real or intentional. By choosing your battles, you have more productive energy for addressing the issues that matter most.

People are fallible and everyone makes mistakes. You might assume that some of these mistakes are directed at you. In reality, most often, the behavior is a result of ignorance or a different frame of reference. Or, said less kindly in the phrase known as Hanlon’s Razor, “Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice.”

 

 

Need to make a commitment to assume positive intent? Contact Humanergy.

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Are you a Tough Mudder?

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Phil, a fellow Humanergist, just returned from the Tough Mudder challenge held in South Amherst, Ohio. This is billed as “probably the toughest event on the planet.” The Tough Mudder is a 10 to 12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces. Typical obstacles include navigating electric wires dangled above mud pits, swimming through ice water and running over every type of terrain you could imagine (and some you can’t).

It was difficult for me to understand the enthusiasm – even euphoria – that Tough Mudder participants exhibit. Phil summed it up by saying, “It was the best thing I’ve ever done. I overcame fears and erased perceived limitations that I’ve carried for years.”

As a leader, how would your outcomes be impacted if you took your continuous improvement to the extreme? How can you purposefully create situations that confront the fears or self-imposed limitations that are barriers to your full potential?

There are ways to stretch yourself and change profoundly – and these don’t involve mixing water and electricity.

Know yourself on a deeper level. Ask yourself, Am I really living the life I want? What fears hold me back? What self-imposed limitations do I operate within? With this fuller self-awareness, you can design your “Tough Muddler-like” change process. If your job is in sales but your passion is writing, you will only succeed if you link your challenge to what you really love.

Embrace pain. If you haven’t done something difficult in a while, seek out an opportunity to stretch in a way that is uncomfortable. Life-changing evolution involves moving out of your comfort zone. If it doesn’t hurt a little, you’re just tweaking. Learn Spanish in six months to set yourself up for an international assignment. Take leadership of that huge project at work and deliver value in the face of massive uncertainty.

Take yourself off autopilot. Even if you aren’t interested in a mind-blowing, life-changing experience, examine your daily routine and make a change. Either stop doing something that is counterproductive or start a behavior that will get you closer to your goals. Choose something tangible and go after it with a renewed ferocity. If you’ve always thought, “I should be a better communicator,” stop thinking and start doing. Commit to a new behavioral change, tell others and track your progress.

Being a Tough Mudder means approaching every day with zest and tenacity, with a commitment to push past fear and redefine “your best effort.” Sure, you may fail spectacularly. This new bold approach may also enable you to reach heights you’d never dreamed possible.

“Your best is whatever you can do comfortably without having a breakdown” J.R. Moehringer, The Tender Bar

Need help reaching your Tough Mudder potential? contact us

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It really IS all about you

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My mantra for 2012 is “me first.” Self-care is something I struggle with, since I usually define myself as the person who takes care of others. In fact, somewhere deep down, I believe that doing something for myself is selfish.

As difficult as this may be, you do need to prioritize yourself. Otherwise, you will not be as effective in any of your roles in life. If you need some excuses to put you first, here are a few:

You will live longer. Research shows that regular exercise, not smoking, drinking in moderation and eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits a day will add 14 years to your life. (Think you don’t have time to exercise? Hey, you’ve just added 122,640 more hours to your life. You can squeeze it in.)

You won’t be as cranky. Exercise improves your mood. Need I say more?

Your brain will work better. An article in the New York Times promotes physical exercise over “brain exercises” like computer games or sudoku to boost our brains as we age.  In humans, exercise improves what scientists call “executive function,” the set of abilities that allows you to select behavior that’s appropriate to the situation, inhibit inappropriate behavior and focus on the job at hand in spite of distractions. Take a break for a noon workout or come in later, so you can hit the gym. You don’t need a better reason than enhancing that all-important executive function!

You will do more in less time. Corporate fitness programs have been shown to improve productivity. Ironically, the very executives who institute these programs are often the least healthy of the bunch. The excuse? They’re too busy. Your productivity as a leader matters as much as that of your employees. Don’t shirk your responsibility to bring your best self to work each day.

Exercise, eat right and get enough sleep. It sounds simple, yet is profoundly hard for many of us….myself included.

I’m following the Mayo Clinic’s guidelines for fitness, which means at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a week, plus strength training at least twice a week. I’m tracking my food intake, and I’m pausing at the end of each and every day to be thankful. What really makes a difference for me is public accountability. I am connected with a group of dear friends (and friends of friends) on Facebook who are mutually committed to support and kick each other in the behind as needed.

Take the plunge and put you first. Self-care isn’t selfish. It is a wonderful gift to yourself and others.

 

Have needs that Humanergy could fill? Contact us

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The real reason you’re not achieving your goals

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Advice abounds when it comes to setting goals. You’ve probably been told a million times to make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Result-driven and Time-bound). Yet year after year, you either don’t bother setting goals or you lose track of your resolutions by about February. What are some of the barriers that might be keeping you from goal attainment?

You don’t want to be accountable. You may set nonspecific goals (or none at all) if you fear being held accountable. You think that you can stay beneath the radar and won’t be held to task. Sorry. The days of just going through the motions are long gone, and every person needs to know where they’re going and how they’ll get there. Otherwise, why pay you? There will be someone else just waiting to step into your shoes.

You set goals too high. Challenging goals are necessary to activate our motivation for achievement. It’s been said that you should aim for the stars. However, if you find that you lose momentum quickly or never achieve your milestones, you may need to become a more realistic goal-setter. Dream big, but do not set the bar so high that you cannot be successful. If you consistently set unrealistically high goals, face the fact that you are not setting goals at all. You’re really aiming at nothing, so there’s no hitting it.

You set goals too low. Maybe you’re setting low, attainable goals because you fear the consequences of failure. Even if your boss demands 100% goal success, you can always set a separate set of personal goals that don’t get reported in your annual review. To boost success, share them with a trusted person, who can be your sounding board, cheerleader and guide. When you succeed, take pride in and celebrate your achievements, knowing that you stretched yourself past your comfort zone. If possible, report these achievements to your boss,

Your goals don’t align with a worthwhile purpose. If your objectives and targets don’t motivate you, it may be that your work doesn’t fit with what is really important to you. Your goals should help you get out of bed in the morning and fuel you through the challenges that inevitably come. If your goals don’t fire you up, consider a move to a different type of position – one that gets your juices flowing and lines up with what really matters.

It takes time to develop goals that matter and give your life meaning and motivation. Don’t shortchange the thinking part of the process. Devote some time to journaling about what you want out of life, personally and professionally. You’ll then be in a stronger position to establish goals that you will accomplish.

(Stay tuned to our next blog for more ways to overcome barriers to goal attainment – just in time for those New Year’s resolutions!)

 

Need some goals guidance? Contact Humanergy!

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Your leadership dreams

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Leadership is more than dreaming, but the power of imaginative thinking is sometimes underestimated. What can leaders gain from straying away from facts and reality to connect with new aspirations and potential?

You can remove constraints. You may be narrowing your vision of personal and professional success. Sometimes we operate on autopilot and do what others expect us to do. Or we quickly dismiss a new course of action because it is unfamiliar and unsafe. Structured dreaming allows you to mentally test drive the road not taken.

You will be more open to opportunities. You may never know how many potentially life-changing turning points you have missed because you were not open to them. Having a vision for your future primes you to recognize opportunities that would otherwise have been invisible.

You will be better able to enable others’ dreams. Being in touch with your own aspirations will help you encourage others to reach their own. You will understand the power of a life purpose and work to connect people with what they were meant to do.

You will be more directed. With your picture of future success as a guide, you will structure your time better. Distractions like aimless web surfing will be less attractive, as you spend your available time on advancing your dream. Even if your dream won’t be realized right away, you will take the necessary small steps to advance your future.

You can connect with a higher purpose. Some people dream of professional or financial success. Consider what else you want to achieve that cannot be bought or is less tangible? What difference do you want to make in the world?

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’” George Bernard Shaw

 


Who are you?

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Recent discussions about confidence have led us to explore identity, or how you answer the question, “Who am I?” Identity in this context isn’t about your job, other life roles or what you do. What we’re talking about here is the core of who you are. This core includes:

What is important to me? What values am I holding myself accountable to uphold? What priorities matter most?

What is success? Who determines my success, and how is it measured?

The core of your identity can be a solid foundation for personal and professional success and happiness. What are the elements of a harmful core?

I try to project a “persona” that is inconsistent with how I feel inside. Marshall Goldsmith writes in Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It: “Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside.” If you try to be something or someone on the outside that doesn’t jive with what’s inside, you are doomed to failure. People can sense the disconnect between your inward and outward selves, and the effort it takes to keep up the charade will take a toll.

I believe that external forces make me act this way. People with a strong core will not bend to external pressure to violate their code or ignore their priorities. If they do make a mistake in judgment, they immediately take action to ensure that they do not do it again. As Albert Einstein said, “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.”

What people think about me is vital. Looking for external validation is a never-ending battle. People with a strong core identity don’t need others to tell them that they are good or did a great job. It might be the icing on the cake to get an “atta girl” comment, but knowing that something meaningful was achieved is sufficient (and darn tasty cake!). People’s perceptions matter to a certain extent, but they aren’t a requirement for happiness or satisfaction.

If I make a mistake, it shakes my sense of self. A strong core is not very permeable. That is, things that happen or mistakes you make don’t have a long-lasting or major effect on how you perceive yourself. Major blunders may cause you to re-examine what’s important, but everyday, human mistakes are learned from and taken in stride.

How can you beef up your core identity?

Figure out what’s important and how you’ll define success. Think about people you admire. What qualities do they exhibit that you want to emulate? How would you want people to describe you? When your life is summarized, what do you want people to remember?

Share it with others. Make your values, priorities and definition of success public to increase your accountability. Ask a trusted person to help you stay aligned with your core, giving ongoing feedback and guidance.

Explore inconsistencies. When you perceive that your internal and external selves don’t match up, take the time to figure out why. Use that insight to create a core you can live by in all circumstances.

Your core identity is your choice. You have the power to decide who you are and what you value. In the final analysis, however, what you do matters more than what you say is important. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Action expresses priorities.”

 

Want to learn more or just need to ask some questions of a Humanergist? Contact us.

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Start a revolution of kindness

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The other day my ten-year-old was pondering the future of her big sister, Shannon, who has graduated from college and is living and working away from home. Little Maggie wondered if Shannon would stay in Grand Rapids and buy a house there. I told her that houses are expensive, and Shannon would have to save for many years before she could buy one. Maggie’s answer? “Well, I’ll have a lemonade stand and give her the money to help out.”

I didn’t dampen Maggie’s enthusiasm by informing her of the microscopic nature of her gift. No act of kindness is meaningless. The interaction did make me think of times when I didn’t do something nice for another person, thinking it would be too little or too late. Have I stopped myself from expressing a kind word, thinking it might be inadequate to the situation? Or, when have I not taken the time to reach out, when it would have made someone’s day better?

What difference does simple kindness make to the quality of our leadership? Thoughtless, selfish leaders may be able to get the job done in the short run. However, they will not create the type of employee loyalty and sense of ownership that are the hallmarks of a resilient, successful organization.

Leaders can and should model generosity of spirit. How can we, as leaders, celebrate and evangelize thoughtfulness at work?

Look around. Tunnel vision abounds; people are maxed out with work and highly focused, and they often don’t notice what is going on with co-workers unless it directly impacts their work. Take time to notice the demeanor of your people. Then you’ll see where a touch of care might be most needed.

Be courteous. Pretty elementary stuff, but manners are incredibly important. In our rush to get things done, we can forget the basics. “Please” and “thanks” go a long way, especially when accompanied by a genuine smile.

Identify greatness. “That report was thorough and concise. Well done.” Specific feedback about what went well feeds the spirit and boosts morale. It also helps people replicate high performance, since they know the qualities and outcomes that made the difference.

Ask questions. Take a break from passing on sage advice, and ask a question or two. I love Michelle Price’s blog post called 12 Most Simple Acts of Kindness as a Leadership Tool. When you ask, “How are you?” make sure you really listen to the answer.

Organizations need people to work together effectively to accomplish goals, overcome problems and create lasting solutions. It is not always fun, and interpersonal friction can create noise that gets in the way. Counteract the ambient negativity with a daily routine of simple, thoughtful actions. Think big by doing small things. It only takes a few seconds each day to start a revolution of kindness.


Rituals at work

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We typically associate ritual with religious services, mystical practices or organizations like the Masons. A ritual, according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, is 1) the established form for a ceremony or 2) a ritual observance, ceremonial act or an act (or series of acts) regularly repeated in a set precise manner.

Lindsay Mannering wrote in the Huffington Post about rituals, saying, “I like to think that rituals are our way of telling the future: we know what to expect when, and we know what to do how.” In addition to helping us anticipate the future, are there other useful aspects of workplace rituals?

Rituals reduce stress and increase focus. I have loved my summer work schedule, which includes arriving early in the morning, before anyone else is in the office. In addition to checking voicemail and email, I open the front door and take a moment to appreciate the day’s weather. I breathe deeply and get ready to start the day. This daily ritual has allowed me to be more productive, because I begin the day more calm and relaxed.

Rituals bind people together. When Humanergists bring in new work, we ring a bell dedicated to that purpose. Bell ringing has become a joyful act, even if it is a little corny. It forms a shared memory that unites us, signifying that something wonderful has happened as a result of our work together.

Rituals make best practices stick. Some people have a daily practice of walking around and touching base with people in the workplace. Because it’s a routine (or ritual), they don’t make a conscious choice each day. It’s just what they do. The benefits of this discipline are many – increased connection, better communication flow and an accurate understanding of the “pulse” of the organization.

Rituals allow us to free our minds and focus deeper, increasing our presence on the task at hand. Adam Kayce blogs about the intention that is required:

“What makes the difference? Intention. Have the intention to carry your focus and presence deeper as you do your daily rituals, and see what happens. If you’ve never thought of your work as potential for ritual before, take a moment and reflect on your day… where does this idea of ritual make perfect sense?”

Do you want to use ritual to build best practice and make work more meaningful? Or, do you want to chat about another topic that’s on your mind? Contact Humanergy.

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