Motivation on the Run

Have you ever caught yourself cutting down someone’s idea before it even escapes their lips? This article gives a good rundown on the effect of the negative on creativity. Good stuff!

Negative types stifle creativity – Jobs – Times Online

THERE’S one on every team, and if you’re really lucky, two — doom-mongering negative types who slam every bright suggestion with the words: “It’ll never work.”

Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Stanford Graduate School of Business, says that being critical is often interpreted as a sign of intelligence in business. “The fastest way for me to seem smart is to cut you down. So you come up with an idea, and I come up with a thousand different reasons why that idea won’t work. Now everyone sees you as dumb and me as smart — and we’ve created an environment where no one wants to come up with ideas.”

Nobody wants to come up with ideas or work with you and if you’re the boss, forget it. As we have learnt in this series, you need a range of soft skills to get on in the world of work, and they become more important the higher you climb on the corporate ladder.

A study by the Centre for Creative Leadership found that “effective leaders . . . blend the softer leadership skills . . . with the tough skills needed to keep an organisation afloat during difficult times”.

I have talked about the military leadership principles before and this is a great article about just that. It’s not all about screaming and demanding … it’s about people that know what to do and do it. This is a model that will work in business because it does several things. It takes it private, it uses encouragement, it is direct, and the communication is clear.

Leadership, the Army Way

My friend Dave was in the Army for ages. He’s out – he’s a civilian lawyer now. But you can tell that he was an Army officer, because he’s always cool and calm. I’m theatrical, he’s stoic.

I say, “Dave, you running any road races this year?” and he says, “No, I’m not really supposed to race, ever since I broke my neck.” He was a paratrooper, in the 82nd Airborne. Oh right, yeah, the broken-neck thing. Dave talks about breaking his neck like I talk about breaking the heel on my Steve Madden pumps.

Anyway, since Dave was in combat multiple times and has commanded lots of people, I asked him about leadership in the Army. We’ve all seen Platoon – military leadership is pretty much just a matter of screaming at people all the time, right?

THREE-PART STRATEGY. “It’s not what you’d think,” says Dave. “There’s very little of that sort of thing, barking out orders.” Why? I say. Isn’t the Army the epicenter of command-and-control leadership? Nope, says Dave. It’s just the opposite. Under fire, guys (a unisex term) have to trust you. Here’s a story, he says, to illustrate.

One time, says Dave, he was talking with a fellow in his command about an operation they were planning. There were several officers standing around, and Dave said: “So, here’s what I’d like you to do.” The fellow replied, “No, sir.” He didn’t want to do it.

Dave recalls standing there, with everyone watching to see his reaction. It was a bad moment. Then he asked the fellow to walk with him into his office. The way Dave tells it, this is what he said, “Lieutenant, you do a great job. This command relies on you.” (That’s part one.)

“Then I said, ‘It is unacceptable for you to refuse an order, much less to do so in front of enlisted men. I will not tolerate that. I expect you to follow the orders you’re given.’ (That’s part two.)

“And then I said: ‘You are a valued member of this command. You have an excellent track record and I have great respect for you. I need you on this team.’” (That’s part three.)

This makes perfect sense. Acknowledge, thank, praise — give the tough feedback — then acknowledge and praise some more.

Last week I started a series on the silent languages, which I named: personality, body, voice, surroundings, and words. If we can become fluent in these foreign languages, we can converse with more people and have favorable reactions from them.

Blending In
Imagine how easy it is to become part of the culture when you go to France, if you are fluent in French. You are able to express yourself in ways that the locals understand and carry on business and personal transactions without the assistance of an interpreter. This allows you to become independent and gives you the freedom to travel and spend your time enjoying the trip, not looking for someone that speaks your language.

The same goes for the silent languages mentioned above. The language of personality is the first silent language I want to look at in detail.

How fluent are you in the language of personality?
If you can determine the personality of someone you are dealing with, a prospect, co-worker or supervisor, you can understand how they will react under different circumstances. You can predict their actions to certain situations and anticipate and even prepare to diffuse issues. This information is invaluable in dealing with any of the above groups of people. Let’s look at the types and a little about each.

Personalities are part of who we are and will influence our actions as we interact with other people, especially with reactions to those of different personalties. The personalities I am talking about revolve around studies conducted long ago in a far far away place that gave us these dominant traits.

• dominant
• expressives
• analyticals
• solids

or if you prefer the Gary Smalley versions

• lion
• otter
• beaver
• golden retriever

There are others, but these are both descriptive and easy to understand, so I will stick with them for this discussion. In describing these different personalities, William A. Glaser does a great job with the first list. Here is how he expresses the qualities of each.

“Dominants think that life is not worth living unless they are doing something.”
“Expressives think that life is not worth living unless they are talking.”
“Analyticals think that life is not worth living unless they are thinking.”
“Solids think that life is not worth living unless they are relaxing.”

It’s easy
In your mind, run through your friends and co-workers and you can see how easy it is to figure out which are which. You can do it without effort with people you know well, but the harder part is to pick up on these traits early in a conversation, so you can tailor your speech patterns and information toward them. Remember in sales, as in life, it not about you … it’s all about them. The fastest way to make someone comfortable is to put them at ease by communicating with them in their native language.

Let’s deal with each one
If they are lion, treat them like a king and don’t waste their time. They are forceful and strong willed, so be prepared to be firm and not take offense when they question you. They are blunt and usually very opinionated, so stay away from topics that are not related to the task at hand.

An otter? Be friendly and ask how they are doing and ask about their family by name. They are very creative, so use creativity in dealing with them. And above all, you will need to be a good listener. Since they enjoy talking, you must be prepared to spend enough time with them, so as to not make them feel slighted.

The beaver is hard at work and really doesn’t want to be disturbed, but if you must, have all your information ready and know the details. The more in depth, the better. Charts and graphs that represent the information is a good approach and remember that the bottom line is the most important part to them. I’m not talking about price, but the complete value you bring to the table.

The golden retriever just wants everyone to get along and wants to make everyone happy, if possible. Look for sincere ways to praise them and give credit when they do a job well. They are true blue, so don’t jerk them around and be a problem solver for them. This will endear you to them and they will look to you for future solutions that require your expertise.

Conclusion
How fluent are you in the language of personalities? The good news is, it is a learned art. The bad news is, I don’t know of a Berlitz course that will help. As with all things, practice is the secret to getting better, so practice everyday.

Wise words from Carly Fiorina in a speech she gave down under. I have to agree that good principles are one of the most important qualities of a leader. The definition of integrity goes along with this: to do right, even when no one is watching.

Computerworld > Fiorina: Lead without losing your soul

former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina said that leadership comes with a price — which is why it is so important to have a strong internal compass.In a candid address to the Global Business Forum in both Sydney and Auckland, Fiorina talked about the principles of leadership.

Claiming leaders are made not born, she observered that there is nothing more draining than witnessing a person compromise to achieve a goal.

“Principles are important. When you come to those moments and you are about to compromise — don’t.
“Do not sell your soul. There are plenty of opportunities to sell your soul in life and if you do, nobody will ever pay you back.

“Keep your soul and be in control of your own choices — that is what life is about.”

 

 Motivation39 [21:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Now returning for his encore presentation, the one, the only (thank goodness), purveyor of all things motivational … Larry Hendrick.

This episode is made up of updates. Update on a past podcast, update on a goal, update on reading materials, update on last week (I was under the weather), and the meaning of life.

For those of you tuning in for Motivation39 podcast, there will be a slight delay in this weeks episode, due to unforeseen circumstances.

A conspiracy has broken out this week and I am caught smack dab in the middle of it. A very real, full fledged conspiracy, I tell you. It all started innocently enough with a telephone call. You know how it is, a quick call, nothing to fret about.

“I only need a few seconds of your time” she said with a low throaty voice. You know … the kind that bring the hackles up on the back of your neck like a mad dog ready to do battle.

OK, I’ll play along, “what can I do for you?” I asked with sincerity dripping from my voice. “I’ve got a problem I hope you can help me with” she continued. “Can you be more specific and tell me about the problem?” I inquired. “Yes, I have it all here in this big black bag” she said as she pulled something long and broad from the bag. That was the last thing I remember about our conversation …

When I came to, the sun was chasing away the night and my head hurt in several places, both inside and outside.

It’s a conspiracy, I tell you … but Motivation39 is coming soon. They do say patience is a virtue, don’t they? But just who is “they” anyway that say that?

What different languages do you speak, and how fluent are you in these languages?

In this context, I’m not talking about foreign languages, but perceptual languages. Salesmen have known for years that people “talk” about themselves whether they are speaking or not. To “listen” intently and understand what the other person is “saying” is critical to sales success. This is the realm of true salesmen and others can learn from their lead.

How many times have you heard someone say, “He sure talk a bunch, he should go into sales” or something to that effect. Well, contrary to popular opinion, people who “talk a bunch” make terrible sales people, because they are too busy talking to understand what the prospect needs, but I digress.

The art of listening goes deeper than the ears. People speak volumes in other ways, and that is what you have to read. These are the languages you must speak and interpret everyday.

From my experience there are five different languages that every salesman needs to speak fluently:

personality

body

voice

surroundings

words

Over the next few days, I will explore each of these in more detail, but think about each of these in the context of meeting someone for the first time. In the first few moments, you will learn many things about him. Let’s look at this quick example.

As you meet for the first time, you smile, extend your hand for a shake, you exchange hellos and names. Now, tell me what you know about the other person.

Come on, more than that, think harder.

Did he return your smile?
How was his handshake?
Did he look you in the eyes?
How is he dressed?
How is his grooming?
How’s the voice?
Is he outgoing?
Does he appear confident?
When he sits, how is he positioned?
What is he doing with his hands?
Is he friendly?
Do you like him?
If others are present, how do they respond to him?
If meeting in his office, what are the personal touches ?
Is he in control?

We make these decisions within the first few moments through the use of the five languages. We must learn these languages to improve our effectiveness and to function as interpreters, because there is always someone standing there who doesn’t speak the language.

SUCCESS! I started using a WordPress plugin a few weeks back and I don’t know about you, but I am using it constantly. It links to previous posts on the site that are related to the content of the current article using keywords from the text and title and then makes suggestions for other articles to read.

The plugin is titled Related Posts and as mentioned last month, I did not give up, but persisted until I figured out how to get it working. It isn’t that it was all that difficult, but a couple of steps assume you have or know something that is not covered.

I have re-discovered articles from some time back, especially on Business Unusual, and am reliving a lot of fun moments. Talk about deja vu, all over again. It has been a blast for me to find and read thoughts from over a year ago and most manage to bring a smile to my face.

For instance, with this Business Unusual article about my Palm Tungsten T5, the plugin suggested four other articles about the Palm and I was able to stroll down memory lane one more time by reading these articles. On Motivation on the Run, February 24th, I wrote this article on success and four other articles on success were suggested.

The plugin has a full option page that lets me decide how many articles to suggest and how to present them on the page. It also allows you to include an excerpt from the article if you choose. These are things you have to decide at setup, but are easy to change, if later, you want to increase or decrease the count of suggestions.

Related Posts is currently my favorite plugin, just because of the nostalgia it brings. Yes, I know I have only been writing a short period of time, but it is still fun to stroll down the lane of past writings.

Are you excited that the week is over and Friday has rolled around? Are your weekends too short and the work weeks too long? Is it difficult to drag out of bed every morning and get it together? If so, join the club.

What? Isn’t this Motivation on the Run, the motivation blog? You bet! hang in there for a minute.

I’m not about to tell you to quit your job, or leave home and never return. No, I am talking about weariness caused by stress.

Stress can sap your eagerness and motivation faster than any other de-motivator. Let’s look at all the things stress can cause in your life.

loss of sleep

exhaustion

over sleeping

loss of appetite

increase in eating

lack of interest

rejection of authority

headaches

emptiness

under achievement

nausea

short tempered

complete loss of concern for one’s own well being

signs of heart attack

You will notice that some are opposites of each other, ‘loss of sleep’ and ‘over sleeping’ are both symptoms of stress. And you might have both happen in a short time span over the same event. That is why stress is such a serious problem if it is not nipped in the bud quickly.

But how do we quell stress? There have been volumes written on this topic and smarter people than myself have waded in and expressed their opinions, but let me share a couple of things from personal experience.

If you think you are having a heart attack, go to the emergency room, because you are better safe than sorry. I did, and it turned out to be stress. Over my lifetime, I have probably experienced all of the above symptoms and, if you are over forty, you probably have too.

So what do you do?

First, there are several things that you are not to do, like alcohol or drugs. No depressants are needed at this time, so no booze and no sleeping pills.

Here’s how I start the process; first I realize that worrying about the situation and getting stressed out, is not accomplishing anything. I need to determine what I can control and put a plan together and attack that with the energy that was wasted on stressing out. Second, realize I can not control the actions of other people, so I need to focus on something positive that I can control.

Over simplified? maybe, but if it’s too complicated, I won’t remember the steps to overcome and succeed.

Go and conquer with a positive attitude!

In January, I introduced you to Despair.com and the unMotivators. They have a full line of posters that are … ah, … different. The unMotivational Posters are available for purchase, and ZDNet has twenty five of the images from the posters. I had to quit about half way through the first time, because my side was hurting so much from being doubled over. You have to take a look at these.

Images: Demotivators | News Images on ZDNet

Achievement – You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor.

© Despair, Inc.