Greetings!
Many times in business and our personal lives we may feel stuck and unsure of which direction to go. And yet by looking around and seeking counsel from trusted friends, colleagues or coaches and asking ourselves the right questions, the answer can become rather obvious. In this issue we examine the lessons learned in the last year from a client perspective and how to influence your own and others behavior through asking the right questions. As a leader in your business, how often do you seek the wisdom of other leaders through lessons learned and ask yourself the tough questions that can cause you to change your or others behavior? In this issue we offer some helpful insights about these topics. We hope that we are adding value to you and your business. We welcome your feedback or suggestions. If you would like to
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Happy reading!
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Bill Spreitzer 919-388-3600
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Lessons Learned: Nuggets of Wisdom
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(Note: Periodically we will be highlighting organizations that exemplify best practices in the areas of leadership, sales, customer loyalty, strategic planning and other related topics.)I once heard that "experience" is learning from your own successes and setbacks and "wisdom" is learning from those of others. Well a friend and client of mine, Reema Owens, President of RainTree Healthcare Group (RTG), leads an up and coming assisted living facilities organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of the mentally and physically disabled. As part of our beginning-of-the-year strategic planning process, I asked Reema what lessons she and her team learned over the past year that will help RTG achieve their objectives and goals in 2010 and beyond. The following are the valuable "nuggets of wisdom" Reema shared with me: - Letting go of fear (and control) - When I consider the time I spend saying, "If it's going to be done right I guess I'll have to do it myself", it is painfully evident to me that I have a strong desire to control every aspect of RTG. This need for control comes out of my fear of what might go wrong if a mistake is made. A related lesson is that if I continue to hold on to the "reigns" too tightly and not trust my staff, then they will continue to depend on me to solve all of the problems that arise. As a leader, I need to focus on the future direction and vision of the organization, enrolling others in that vision and trust the RTG team members to do their jobs in excellence.
- See and treat people as their greatest possibility or potential - I have learned through trial and error that a key part in achieving extraordinary results through others is to see beyond where a person is at today and interact with them based on their greatest potential (i.e., provide a bigger "box" for them to live into). My personal experience has shown me that I rise to the occasion when I am challenged and the people I work with believe and trust in me to meet or exceed their expectations.
- Talented people come and go, but well devised processes and systems remain in place - When implementing new systems or processes at RTG, my default thinking and emphasis has been on identifying and hiring the people that can make the system work rather than focusing on developing or refining processes that allow people to work efficiently and effectively. Of course, the painful lesson is when these "talented" people leave, they take their knowledge of how to work effectively within a suboptimal system/process with them resulting in a longer learning curve for the next person and a temporary decline in effectiveness. "A cookie cutter system continues to work regardless of who bakes the cookies."
- Hire the "right" people for the "right" job and empower them - As business owners and leaders, I think that we all have made a wrong hiring decision based on our subjective feelings about an applicant vs. their demonstrated competencies in previous jobs. At RTG, we have implemented a technology based hiring system that asks the right questions based on the characteristics and needs of the job. By utilizing this system, we are relying much less on our subjective feelings or emotions about a candidate and more on his/her demonstrated capabilities and other objective credentials. The results have saved endless hours of mine and my staff's time and energy in not only interviewing and hiring personnel but in training.
If you have any "nuggets of wisdom" you would like to share, please visit our website at www.excelleratesolutions.com and make a posting to our blog. Also feel free to contact Reema Owens at rrowens28@aol.com or call her at (704)763-6300. Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide. ©2010
Bill Spreitzer - Excellerate Solutions, Inc.
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Influencing Behavior
It seems that most of us have a tough enough time controlling our own behavior, much less influencing the behavior of others. Yet most of life is about "enrollment" - be it in business or in our personal lives. Enrolling others in thinking and behaving differently and in accordance with desired outcomes is what leaders do so effectively. Our coaching practice focuses on what we call the 3 C's: Connection, Clarity and Commitment. This article discusses the Clarity and Commitment areas, where behaviors are influenced and breakthroughs are attained. I've found three questions to be especially helpful to influence behavior. - What's important?
- What do you want to have happen?
- What's next?
Let's briefly examine each of these questions. By asking ourselves, or others, "what's important?" we are helping to prioritize all of the other "stuff" that's floating around a particular issue or situation. It goes a long way in helping to attain clarity. The next question starts the process of commitment. By stepping back from the emotions around a situation and asking "what do you want to have happen?" a person begins to internalize and think more objectively about what is possible about changing a situation. We become more realistic with our expectations and start to think about what we really want to occur. Finally, by asking "what's next?", we are really asking ourselves or others what are we committed to do to change the situation. A recent client was having difficulty generating sales in a new market. After awhile he decided what "was really important" was getting more appointments with decision makers. What he "wanted to have happen" was to be comfortable in talking about his business with decision makers in his new market. And what he "decided to do next" was to practice talking about his business with people both outside and inside his new market. He's now in action and on his way to achieve his goal of increased sales. By examining the answers to these three questions we can prepare ourselves and others to address the situations in our lives, both personally and professionally, where a behavior change is needed. By guiding others to answer these questions, we can influence their thinking and behavior so that they achieve more clarity and commitment in their lives. So, when you feel you are stuck, ask yourself the three questions. Copyright protected, all rights reserved worldwide. ©2010
Dave Vogelpohl - Excellerate Solutions, Inc.
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Motivational Quotes
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."
By Henry Ford
"Once your mind is stretched by a new idea, it will never again return to its original size."
By Oliver Wendell Holmes
"In the presence of the question, the mind thinks again."
By Nancy Kline, Time to Think
"When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."
By Alexander Graham Bell
"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
By John R. Wooden
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