Nice spin on this one

I once watched a video of  Steven Covey show you how to prioritize your day by taking an ice bucket filled with small rocks and having a person try to fit in the big rocks. This video and the exercise that we performed following has always left an impression on me and this new video has an interesting twist that takes you out of the boardroom and really shows the even bigger picture in life.  I hope you enjoy it!


http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/the-empty-pickle-jar/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_FR-_-08.10.12-_-PickleJarMovie&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=PickleJarMovie

Why is it that sometimes you find your self stuck?

We have all been there at some point in our lives when you hit a roadblock of some sort or you get caught up in a "rut". Some of us actually walk around with limiting beliefs saying things like "I can never do that", "I will never lose this weight" or "I could never earn that kind of money". All too many of us just cant step outside of our comfort zone to achieve our goals. Why is that?

Let me introduce you to the subconscious world-  Homeostasis. The subconscious physiological process of maintaining a stable physical state of equilibrium regardless of varying external conditions. In other words the state of being in our comfort zone.Think about when you have had to speak in front of a group and you notice physical changes in your body for example, sweaty palms, butterfly's in your stomach etc. These are reactions to our bodies fight or flight mechanism. Which I think is a great analogy to what we do to our selves when we are working towards any kind of a goal. Some of us choose to fight and some of us choose  flight or flee. When we flee the situation we stay in our "rut" we give in to those limiting beliefs and we remain stuck. However when we choose to fight through our comfort zone we manage the subconscious stress associated with change and we achieve our goal. We grow!

So how do you fight through your comfort zone? Consider the conscious versus the subconscious or real versus imagined. I encourage you to check out a book by Dr. Maxwell maltz who wrote Pscho-Cybernetics. In it he states:
"Change occurs not by intellect, and not by intelligence; change is brought about by experience. Remember, experiencing is the same to the subconscious mind as imagining. The subconscious mind does not know the difference between real and unreal. It accepts what you feed it".

 So start feeding your mind with unlimited beliefs. "I can do it" "I will lose the weight" "I can earn that kind of money". With that going for you the opportunities our boundless! 

The ability to demonstrate positive communication techniques

One of the most important skills for any leader to excel at is communication. Most communication techniques are hard core skills and other communication mechanisms revolve around the leaders actions, behaviors and how they utilize those communication techniques with others. One action utilized with others is to have the ability to describe what matters most to themselves and to the success of their team.

It is easy to let the day to day interactions and distractions take over the leaders line of thought. However true leaders must understand that they must always be focused on what matters most and be able to quickly describe that focus when called upon to do so. This vital piece needs to be a part of any leaders skill set and and it needs to be up to date.

What I am describing is an elevator speech. How often have you been asked by your boss something simple like "how are things going?" This is a perfect opportunity and if you are not properly prepared you can be caught off guard and squander your chances.A two minute prepared speech effectively communicating  the things that matter most to you and to the success of your team will enlist support, help, appreciation and confidence in you that will go along way towards your success as a leader.    

The Essence of Leadership

If you are looking for a shot in the arm for your leadership team. Play this at your next staff meeting to help get your point across. Enjoy!

http://www.theleadershipmovie.com/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_FR-_-07.06.12-_-TEOLmovie&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_camp

Alignment

To be an exemplary leader one must have the ability to align their actions and behaviors with the organizational business objectives. Top leaders must realize that their teams are always watching them and whether they want to be or think they are or not, they are definitely role models. Having said that, successful leaders must walk their talk otherwise inconsistencies occur and a muddled corporate culture with mixed corporate objectives end up being the result.

Here are a few of the dozen or so questions to ask yourself or of your managers to check to see if you and your managers are in alignment with your organizational culture and or organizational objectives:

Has anyone in your organization up line or down told you or described you to others as a good corporate role model?
Has anyone pointed out consistencies or inconsistencies in your executive or management behaviors and ANY corporate business objectives?
Has anyone ever told you that you are not doing what you tell others to do?
Does your HR department assume any role or responsibility in recognizing the need for and making recommendations that would help managers and senior leaders to better align employee strengths and skills with corporate business objectives.  

Once an assessment is complete the key question is what are you willing to do to make improvements in corporate alignment and how will you know if you have been successful.

Do you or someone on your leadership team display negative or non constructive leadership actions and behaviors?

We all have had our moments where we have done or said something that we wish we could take back. I am not talking about these types of situations. I am talking about CONSISTENT  negative or non constructive leadership actions or behaviors that reduce your ability to build relationships within a team. These actions  and behaviors also derail a leaders opportunities to advance in the organization. To be more specific I am referring to:

  

_  Stressed out                  

-  Talks too much

_ Use of strong, inappropriate words

_ Demanding

_ Overly-directive

_ Controlling

_ Lashes out at others

_ Over-burdened

_ Over-whelmed

_ Avoids others

_ Too quiet

_ Pulls back

_ Shuts down
-  Defensive


Ask yourself the following set of questions and ask yourself how will you know if you have made improvements in your leadership actions and behaviors and in demonstrating a more specific positive leadership presence.  Then rate yourself on your overall responses on a scale of 1 to 10. Keep this rating handy when you revisit this topic in another 90 days. Also When you review this topic months later you will have a reference point to work from for any adjustments.


DO YOU model the exemplary and constructive behaviors you want
others to use?
ARE YOU open to engaging in discussion with your team about your
own behaviors?
Does your team see you acting over-burdened and over-whelmed?
____ If so, do you reach out to your team during those times? _____ Do
you reach out in a positive and constructive way? ____ How do you do
this?
Have you and your team ever practiced having difficult conversations
about issues you are currently dealing with or issues you know to be
forthcoming?
Do you show calm mannerisms? _____ Do you sense that your team
needs more security and comfort? _______ What makes you think
that?
Do you believe that yelling and screaming are NOT good management
techniques?
Do you believe that barking out commands does not demonstrate a
positive leadership presence?
Do you believe that development of team members is an important
positive leadership skill?

What is praise?

Praise is positive feedback, a genuine positive statement that is given sincerely and is a true statement. Successful leaders celebrate the simple and small things and from that their team follows through on big accomplishments. Unfortunately it is not done enough in most cases. Have you ever come home and said man! they just give me too much praise at work! Or have you ever heard someone over lunch or out with friends and hear those words? No I didn't think so.

We are usually conditioned to look for the problem and issues and yes we have to do that as part of process control and so forth. However those are management issues and giving praise is a leadership behavior and action.

Ask yourself how many times this week did you catch someone doing something right...and let them know you noticed. Also how can you and your team become even better at giving praise and spreading that habit of giving well deserved praise through out the organization. Imagine the implications this can make on your team and your workplace for that mater.