Increasing Employee & Client Engagement

Jack Nicklaus was on the 17th green in 1986 about to win his record 6th Masters at the age of 46 as he was blazing around the back nine.  He had a twelve footer down the hill with a slight break to the right.  The pressure was intense and this birdie could clinch it. He struck the putt and about a foot from the hole he raised his putter as it dropped.  The crowds roared as that did indeed carry him to a back nine 30 and another green jacket and his 18th Major Championship.

1. Vision
2. Visualization
3. Passion 
4. Clear Direction & Focus
5. Symbolic Reasoning
6. Defined Action Steps
7. Review

See it… and you can be it…  Many of the greatest athletes visualize their performance before they perform it.  Like seeing in the future.  By seeing it in the mind’s eye, it breeds confidence because when you step up to actually perform it, you have already done it… or at least your mind thinks it has.  After the round, a reporter asked Jack about the back nine.  He said he didn’t really feel the pressure.  He was having fun.  He was seeing the shots go in before he even hit them as if he had already done it.  Déjà vu… Your mind is incredibly powerful and an incredible tool.

It is more than just seeing it…  It is actually feeling it as well.  There is two types of visualization.  You are performing like you are watching yourself in a movie.  This is a more passive viewing.  Good but not as intense.  The better but more difficult visualization is actually in first person.  Looking out of your own eyes.  You feel the elements.  Wind on your face, the pressure in your hands in arms and the sounds in your ears.  It is as if you are actually performing the action. 

Think about things you want to do and accomplish…  Close your eyes and visualize it.  Think about what it would feel like to do those things.  Imagine yourself and how you would walk and carry yourself.  How would you talk to people or how would they talk to you. 

This can be hard for some people… Here are two things that can help jumpstart this process for you.   The first thing is to cut out pictures of those things that symbolize what you are trying to accomplish.  The second thing, I tell people to start thinking about those people who they admire and want to be like.  Think how they would do it.  Fake it until you make it.   After time you will be able to do it with yourself with those same characteristics of the traits you admire.  Become who and what you want to become. 

Create your own Déjà vu.

Check out the first two articles that got this started.

Goal Setting & The Black Hole
Setting Goals With Eagle Eye Vision
Does Your Strategy Have 2020 Vision

We are on our 7 Week Journey Through Goal Setting.  We are going to start with the 30,000 foot view…

1. Vision
2. Visualization
3. Passion
4. Clear Direction & Focus
5. Symbolic Reasoning
6. Defined Action Steps
7. Review

You can read the first article about Goal Setting & the Black Hole

We have talked about Vision before in Does Your Strategy Have 20/20 Vision - I want to take a different approach to vision right now.

The bald eagle… a symbol of our country and represents power, freedom, and transcendence.  These larger than life birds of prey, the way the soar… inspires us.  The eagle is really known for its vision.  When you hear someone reference Eagle Eye, you know they are referring to powerful, all seeing vision.

The eagle has a few distinct features.  Its eye is very large in relation to the size of the head.  It has 5x the light sensors humans do.  The have two fovea’s (the funnel shape of the retina) where humans only have one.  It is important because we see basically three colors and eagles can see five to help them locate well-camouflaged prey.  Eagles can see rabbit size objects from two miles away.  Pretty impressive huh…

We can all take away something from this majestic animal… The eagle is known for soaring at great altitudes and will fly for 50 miles scouring for the perfect target.  Our vision needs to start from the 30,000 foot view and decide an overall direction and see the entire landscape.  We do not have to look for the details yet, just the opportunities that we might want to engage.

Your vision then needs to narrow…  Eagles take in all the light possible to help them see everything.  We need to take in more info.  Be inquisitive.  ask questions, seek counsel from top people in that niche.  Do not just think the tip of the iceberg is it, go under and penetrate 3 or 4 levels deeper.  You have to have the whole playing field.  You have to know how the score is kept.  The one with the best information set…will win. 

The best visionaries have ability to see where the past has brought them, where the future will lead them tomorrow and the intuition and guts to believe in it and act upon it.

Aim Small, Miss Small… Small Details Matter…  An eagle being able to see five colors instead of three is the difference from not seeing the hidden details and not eating.  Look from every possible angle & every shade of color.  You have to take in bad info with the good and decipher which is which. 

Your vision must have  a dominant thought process…  Don’t think about fear and failure.  Be aware of the obstacles but don’t focus on them. You make your own future. The next step will be seeing what you want to see through visualization.

Become a Visionary Today.

It is Motivational Friday.  I was glad to see the discussion, insights and debate about my last article – We Do Not Need More Managers, We Need Leaders – In Case You Did Not Read - http://bit.ly/3pIEq1

Majority of people got it, but I think a few may of missed the spirit of the article.  I think we all agree that 90+ percent of managers are just… pawns & robots.   Most do not have skill to be a manager, they were just put there because it was their turn or they were a great salesperson and now they are suppose to carry the torch.

They take their job as a role rather than a position…  They are reactive based on circumstances rather than proactive based on needs.  They do what they think they are suppose to do or what is safe, easiest or popular… not what is best to do even if it means turning the boat over because they fear change or are scared because what someone might think.

So my point was that managers absolutely must lead…  My goal is for every manager to want to be a leader… BUT the great part about leadership is it does not have to be appointed by position or role.  EVERYONE can choose to lead no matter what his or her role is in the organization.  It is a matter of CHOICE.  That could be the only thing holding someone back.  The decision to lead…  Lead the conversation, Lead the discussion, Lead by doing…

Before everyone goes crazy about the title…  I was in the process of writing this as a follow up article and actually had a great response by Melissa Paulik “I think I understand the spirit of the post and if you can be a manager that is actually a leader that is clearly a good thing. But, save me from the company that is full of self-proclaimed leaders who never actually manage anything. Sometimes even the leaders need to roll up their sleeves”

Melissa, we are on the same wavelength.  It fed perfectly into my thoughts for this week.  There are two different leadership styles.  One that sits atop the mountain like the old kings did and pushed their men into battle or the style like General Patton or Maximus from Gladiator that led from the front and were pulling their men into battle. 

One is a spectator and one is a PARTICIPANT…  One has a pressed shirt and one is in the trenches up to their neck in dirt.  I believe in delegation & empowerment and will talk about those soon. It is important for people to see that you are in the game.  You have felt what they have felt and you share the same sweat they do.  Those actions will speak volumes and more than your words.

I am going to leave you with one of my favorite quotes. 

Not even seats on the 50 yard line interest me… BECAUSE I CAME TO PLAY.

It is Motivational Friday. Hopefully, you do not think manager and leader are interchangeable…  They are almost polar opposites in many ways.

A manager according to Wikipedia is a human organization activity, which simply is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives.

A definition of Leader more inclusive of followers comes from Alan Keith of Genentech who said “Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen” – like change.

So that says to me that Leaders lead people and managers manage tasks. 

Leadership from Seth Godin’s perspective… Leadership is not management.   Management is a manipulative resource to get a known job done.  It is following a process and reacting to the outside world and managing it as efficient and cost effective as possible.

Leadership is creating change you believe in… Movements have leaders and movements make things happen.  Leaders have followers.  Managers have employees.

Managers make widgets and Leaders make change…  Change is frightening.  Change seems more like a threat than a promise.  That is too bad because the future belongs to our leaders regardless of where they work or what they do. 

This says to me Leadership is at the outer edges and Managers stay in the center where it is known and comfortable…  A Manager’s authority comes from their role and a Leader’s influence comes from their ideas.

You may have heard the phrase, Leaders do the right thing and Managers do things right…

I Want to Start the Month of May Off on the Right Path… I am sure like many of you, am so tired of reading, hearing, and talking about the “Doom & Gloom”.  I have done a couple of speeches and written a couple of articles this month about changing your script and had great reviews and was picked up by other blogs.  So I wanted to share hopefully a different outlook and the power of changing your script and re-channeling your focus.

Is the Sky Really Falling??? You can’t open a newspaper or watching the news and hear about all the bad things going on.  The issue is most of it is true.  The financial, real estate, airline, automotive, & hospitality are all in the dumps… AT THE SAME TIME.  Yes this is a perfect storm and why it is deep and wide. It is not the end all that it is cracked up to be though.  This is not the first time and definitely won’t be the last.  Even if this is more prolonged than the ones in recent past.

I Truly Believe Life is 1% What Happens to You & 99% How You React To It… Life is a choice.  We all have a choice how we percieve this time and how it affects us.  You can’t do the same things you have always done and get different results.  You have to change how you are approaching everything.

1.  Change Your reps… If you are used to doing 40 push ups a day, then you have to increase your reps to 200 to get the same results right now.

2.  Change Your Angle… Instead of sitting in a crowd looking at the sky waiting for it to fall.  Change your viewing angle.  Look down, under every rock twice for opportunities. Don’t watch the news, make your own news.

3.  Change Your Motion… Instead of being a statue, increase your motion.  Be fluid, be loose, be liquid.  Laugh a lot.  Smile, enjoy life and remember it could always be worse.

4.  Change Your Focus… Quit focusing where you are right now, put all your time, energy and passion where you want to be.  Determine where you will be in 6 months or 12 months and you will be there.

5.  Change Your Mindset… Change breeds fear because it is unknown. Fear of the unknown is what paralyzes people.  Put that fear to the side and look at the situation for what it really is…  Once you break it down into smaller compartments, it won’t feel so big.  Another great idea is to look at what other successful people are doing and copy them.  That will bring confidence.

6.  Change Your View… You will have to really believe in your heart in what you are doing.  It has to be genuine, but if you dont feel it.  Then fake it until you make it.  Just add these to your daily routine and before you know it, you will own it and it will be you.  So even though you may feel you have to conciously do it, it will become subconcious with time.

7.  Change…Period… No one is going to ordain you that it is now time to change.  You have to DECIDE to do that yourself.  Then spend every day trying to perfect it.

These do not guarantee success, but they do guarantee a 100% chance for change.  I believe if you commit to these principles, they can transform everything you do and the way that you view your life.  I hope it will bless you as much as it has me.  Now, get out of your own way and get out there and make change happen.

What ways are you defeating the doom & gloom? Please share what you are doing and ways others can grow?