Author: Mark Brown

Discover a New Idea

I find it interesting that when I get intrigued by something, I am willing to put in the time and effort to learn more. It is not an unusual trait. You have probably experienced the same effect.

It starts with a new awareness. A fact that I was not aware of previously. Then I feed that curiosity with a simple search on the internet which produces a list ready to be explored.

After clicking and following a few leads, one of two things happen. Either I find my curiosity satisfied, and I am willing to move on, or I find my curiosity increasing.

As I continue to pursue more knowledge, the search process transforms into research. I find myself taking notes. I begin to organize and analyze data. Has this ever happened to you?

This can lead to taking action. Trying something new. Taking the knowledge and putting it to use.

For a thought to turn into action, and make it through all those obstacles, it must be linked to an outcome you desire. The desire for a new outcome is what allows us to dig deeper, solve problems, and tolerate mistakes. For me, and maybe for you also, only a few ideas survive this process.

It is difficult for us as human beings to change our behaviors. But yet all of our new actions or new behaviors begin with a single thought.

Usually I am intrigued by ideas that are related to my business, or my area of expertise. But sometimes inspiration comes from completely unrelated ideas.

I can tell you I am not very effective in this entire process. I am not sure anyone can be. Is our curiosity always bigger than our ability to follow through?

It only takes following through with one idea to make a huge improvement in your results. Also the time to research an idea in 2015 is a fraction of the time it would have taken in 1985. So we do research more. But do we take action faster also?

This process has lead me to be curious about how I could be more productive, yet more innovative, and even more curious than I am today.

Maybe we should do more searches, some of them even random.

 

The 3 A’s Which Create Today’s Success

You want to have a great day today? Tony Robbins said, “Although we cannot always control the events in our lives, we can always control our response to them, and the actions we take as a result.” It is true we cannot control all of the obstacles around us, but we can take control of our day in regard to the three A’s: attitude, awareness, and action.

1. Attitude: Your attitude is 100% within your control. Don’t let outside influences define your attitude. It can be so easy to let yourself get depressed, frustrated, or even angry because of your circumstances. But don’t let it happen. The day will only be as good as your own attitude.

2. Awareness: Make today special. What is on your agenda? How can you make the most of it? Every day is unique. Every day has the opportunity to be very significant and very successful. Become aware of your opportunities every day.

3. Action: You don’t accomplish your goals without action. If you are waiting for something to happen, don’t. What is the best action you can take today that will help you achieve your goals? Do it. Make it a priority. Don’t let yourself be distracted from accomplishing your main goal today.

Do the three A’s seem too simple to be effective? Keeping things simple can help us be more consistent. Focus on the three A’s a during your day, every day, and you will enjoy a lot more great days!

Heartfelt Recognition Makes a Difference

In one of my leadership positions, I implemented a recognition award for my team. Every quarter I accepted nominations for the winner, who would be selected for their efforts over the previous quarter.

There was nothing special about this process. You have probably seen similar programs at some point in your career. There was nothing special about the award itself either. In fact, there was no monetary consideration, and the award was a traveling trophy. If you were recognized, you were able to keep the trophy on your desk for the quarter, but then it was passed to the next recipient.

What made the award special was public recognition, and the letter which accompanied the trophy. The letter detailed the specifics of why the person was being recognized. It was written in a story format, and the story came from the heart of the people impacted. The stories had impact.

When I reflect on the success of that process, I can see the importance far beyond the award itself. Here are three main benefits we enjoyed.

1. Displayed Sincerity and Authenticity. The awards allowed the leadership team to model sincerity and authenticity to the organization. We researched and validated the activity being recognized to verify accurate representation.

2. Increased Awareness of Great Effort. Since we were not recognizing people just for doing a great job, but for specific actions, the team became more aware of opportunities for recognition. The staff began to learn how recognition within their own team can impact all parts of the organization.

3. Celebrated Shared Values. This might have been the greatest benefit. The entire organization began to develop an understanding of what we valued as a team. It created the culture we desired. It energized the entire workforce.

As I think of the impact of this one simple program, I can’t help but think that everyone must already be doing this. But I have heard from many of you, that it is not true. Many organizations, spend their time on problem solving, and fire-fighting, with little to no effort placed on recognition.

With such a large payoff, how can we ignore recognizing our people? What do you want to change in your organization?

Increase Your Ability to Connect

If you are trying to strengthen a connection with someone, get out of your own head, and get into theirs. If can discover how people spend their time and money, you will learn what they value. If you know what they value, you will have gained valuable insight in how you may improve your connection with them.

It seems like such a simple approach, but all of us live life through our own perspective. You have to intentionally refocus your thoughts to achieve another perspective. Here is how you can apply this simple tool.

1. Understand both time and money. If you want to understand someone, you need to see both aspects. Together they will give you a better understanding. Where do they spend money? When do they pay for premium, and when do they buy just average products (clothes, car, food, etc.)? How do they spend their time at work? How do they spend their free time? When are they the happiest? What activities do they enjoy? These simple questions can give you great insight.

2. Find common ground. Once you feel you understand what someone values, you need to determine what you have something in common. At times this is easy to recognize, and in other cases you will have to dig deeper. Making a connection with someone with whom you share an interest or hobby can be easy. But if you need to connect with someone when you don’t see common ground, you should consider values, ideals, and thoughts. This can be a tougher option to uncover.

3. Take action to connect. How can you meet their need? How can you create a connection based on the shared common ground? This is the action step. You may be able to develop your connection through shared goals, and interests. You might also be able to develop a connection by modifying your behavior to match what they value, in order to build rapport. However, always be authentic, and always maintain your own values. Never become something you are not just to make a connection.

Take a minute and think about someone you know fairly well. Think about how they spend their time and their money. What does that tell you about what they value, and what is important to them?

Now think about someone you want to connect with. Do you know how they spend their time and money? If not, your first step is learning more about them. If you do, then how would you describe their values? Does it give you any ideas on how to strengthen your connection with them?

This is a simple tool, but can be powerful at moments when we struggle to connect!