Category: The 10 Quick Tips

Ten Tips, Tactics, Approaches and Skills to Improve Leadership, Work Culture and Life.

Becoming a Deliberate Responder

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Matt Zobrist from Aegis Learning

React Less and Build Better Communication

By Matt Zobrist

A deliberate responder is someone who has listened and then intentionally decides what, how and when to respond, avoiding the pitfall of reacting without consideration or reflection. Successful leaders are able to control their emotions and measure their responses, earning respect and trust, and significantly decreasing misunderstandings and overreactions.

Here are 4 steps to help you become a deliberate responder:

1. Learn to pause or delay as needed.

Take a moment to yourself prior to responding. This can be a few seconds or a few minutes. This gives you time to: assess if you understood correctly and have all the information; breath and control your temper or emotions; plan a measured, non-sarcastic response. For highly emotional issues, waiting a few hours or a day, may be more appropriate. A good leader is able to recognize when his or her emotions are triggered and will delay responding until he or she has had a chance to calm down and logically consider all the information.

I once had a team member tell me in confidence that he had witnessed another team member do something dangerous, stupid and against policy. I immediately reacted by summoning this team member and asking him why he did such a bone-headed thing. I was upset that he would make such a mistake, and told him the consequences could have a long-term, career-damaging effect. I could sense his growing fear and confusion in his response. Fortunately, we had a sufficiently trusting relationship, that he overcame his fear and I was able to calm down while we spoke. It then became apparent that the first person did not have all the facts and had actually misinterpreted the situation entirely. Not only did I nearly create a permanent impairment in my team member’s career, but I felt like a real jerk for not calming down and finding out what really happened before reacting.

2. Avoid sarcasm or sarcastic remarks.

While jokes are fun with friends, as a general rule, once you become a supervisor, you should avoid making sarcastic comments to your team. The risk that your sarcasm could be misinterpreted outweighs any intent to be perceived as funny or intelligent. In fact, a sarcastic tone can easily be mistaken for a condescending one. I once received some feedback which indicated that I had a sarcasm problem. My immediate thought was “that’s stupid! Whoever said that doesn’t know what sarcasm is!” But, I put on my big-boy pants and proceeded to validate that feedback. Through asking trusted co-workers and my own self-reflection, I realized that I had the tendency to try and make a quick-witted comment or quip every time someone spoke to me, like I was an actor on a sit-com. These comments were so full of sarcasm that it created the feeling among some of my team that I was just trying to belittle them and show my superiority. I realized my sarcastic tone and impulsive responses were alienating my team and preventing serious dialogue from occurring. With a concerted effort to restrain myself, I was able to control myself and began taking a moment to consider my replies and how I delivered them. This increased the trust and dialogue within my team, improving our morale and productivity.

3. Plan your response and practice your tone.

Planning and rehearsing how you will respond to a specific inquiry or comment will help prevent over-reactions. You were once in your team members’ shoes and should be able to anticipate many of their concerns and questions, (both specific/personal and general/organizational). When one of these issues is brought up, pause and consider the appropriate pre-planned response, adapt it to the current inquiry, then deliver it. Remember this is not a memorized speech, it is simply anticipating what conversations may occur, and preparing how to handle them. As you do this, you increase your ability to not emotionally over-react and to provide a confident response with the appropriate tone.

4. Sincerity: Congruence between your verbals and non-verbals.

As with all communication, your tone and non-verbals need to match your verbal message. Having prepared and practiced responses will go along way to helping you keep your non-verbals in alignment with your words. When your verbals and non-verbals are in alignment, the risk of misinterpretations and misunderstandings decreases dramatically. This congruency also demonstrates sincerity in the communication. When your team knows you are sincere in your responses, trust and loyalty are strengthened.
Becoming a deliberate responder by learning to control your emotions, gather sufficient information and make a calm, confident and sincere response, it not easy. It takes daily effort and practice over time. But using these four principles consistently, any leader can improve his or her skills in this area.

I know it is possible because, as you saw in the examples, this was a weakness for me. Through concerted and focused effort, I became very adept at deliberately responding. Not perfect, but I keep practicing daily and get better all the time. If I can do it, I know anyone can.

Matt Zobrist from Aegis Learning

Matt Zobrist is an energetic and dynamic facilitator, coach, presenter and speaker with Aegis Learning, LLC.

Opening the Listening Channels

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Listening Barriers

Tim Schneider, Coach, Speaker, Author and Trainer from Aegis Learning

By Tim Schneider

An overlooked facet of the leadership communication puzzle is the ability to listen effectively. Listening skills, when not properly engaged will result in significant communication and relational disconnects with peers and team members.

The easiest method of improving the listening side of communication is to manage the environment in which listening is performed. If the dialog is important, and not just to you, the environment must be conducive to listening. This means that interruptions and distractions must be significantly reduced or eliminated. If your phone will disrupt an important dialog, silence it. If your cellular phone vibrating will move your attention to who is calling, turn it off for an important conversation. If the traffic by your office distracts your eyes and your attention, move to a more private or less traveled location.

Two important elements to consider about distraction values and listening. First is the time investment of how long it would take you to reconnect with a conversation after distraction compared with managing the distraction in the beginning. Or worse still, how much time will it take to repair the error that you make because you missed important details in the conversation.

The final consideration related to listening distraction is the not-so-subtle message of disrespect. In a conversation, you look down to see who is calling. How does that make the other person in the conversation feel? Are they the most important or is that dependant upon who is calling you on your cell phone? This disrespectful lack of focus on listening will often cause greater dysfunction in a relationship and many times impact future approachability and trust.

Another barrier to effective listening is the concept of assumptive responding. Assumptive responding is providing a response, not based on what you just heard, but rather on what you believed was said. This can be based on the situation or with whom you are having a dialog. Imagine for a moment, a team member has spent the last several days complaining about Ed, their co-worker. The team member asks if you have a moment to talk about Ed. Regardless of what is actually said in that conversation, there is a pretty good chance that your recollection of the dialog will include the team member complaining about Ed.

Those of you that have done what you have done for a living for five or more years are more likely to be candidates of assumptive responding. Having “been there, done that” or “heard it all before” will greatly impact your ability to truly listen compared to assumptive responding. Unlike managing your listening environment, dealing with assumptive responding is a little tougher. The skill is cognitive and requires both an improved focus and a reduction in the time desired to move into response mode. The bottom line is don’t be so anxious to judge the situation and hear something coming out of your mouth.

One additional listening skill is the use of complimentary validation. This is an extraordinary skill that really improves the flow of information while validating the comments of a communication sender. Complimentary validation is providing a compliment when key information is heard or processed in the listening cycle. Many people do this almost naturally or automatically and we often comment about those people that they were great listeners or they were excellent communicators or relationship builders.

In a typical conversation, routine relational dialog occurs. When you ask what someone did this past weekend and the person in dialog responds and says “we sat around and watched the grass grow.” Right behind that comment you will need to add a complimentary statement such as “those relaxing weekends are the best, that is outstanding you were able to do that.” In another conversation, you ask where someone is from and they indicate “Pawtucket.” You fire back a comment about what a great part of the country or pretty city that is Pawtucket.

The purpose of complimentary validation is simple. You are providing the acknowledgement that you were listening and, more importantly, you are providing the communication feedback that you want to hear more and are legitimately interested in the dialog. Using this skill will allow you to obtain far more information from a person than by using more traditional validation methods.

Listening is an important element in leadership communication that must be managed as actively as the rest of the communication cycle. Failure to engage good listening skills can have an adverse reaction in relationship management and the ability to communicate effectively in the future.

Tim Schneider

Tim Schneider is the founder, CEO and lead facilitator for Aegis Learning.  

Recommended Reading-A Book Review

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“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”   Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History

Leading Edge from Aegis Learning

Leadership Requires Courage:

  • Courage to Make Decisions
  • Courage to Stretch and Push
  • Courage to Take Risks

“To win without risk is a triumph without glory.”   Pierre Corneille

By Teresa Lowry

I love books and I love to read. As a child weekly trips to the library were greeted with anticipation and delight. Such a place of abundance. All those books. Later, every house I lived in contained bookshelves with stacks of books, read and unread. Bought, borrowed or gifted, each shows up at the right time. There are books on my iPad although nothing can replace the touch and feel of a book in my hands. Cracking the spine, the fresh pages, the anticipation of what’s ahead. About those fresh pages. This won’t last long. Invariably there will be smudges of chocolate on the pages. I also love chocolate.

If I really enjoy a book I want to share it with you. Books educate, entertain, and take us away. My personal favorites are the biographies of great leaders, historical novels, and all things inspirational. I am excited to combine my two passions leadership training and reading, and share with you our Aegis Learning friends, what I’m reading this month.

THE GAMBLER: HOW PENNILESS DROPOUT KIRK KERKORIAN BECAME THE
GREATEST DEAL MAKER IN CAPALIST HISTORY

The Gambler by William C. Rempel is the biography of Kirk Kerkorian the business tycoon and humanitarian. This is the rags-to-riches story of the visionary self-made billionaire who transformed the leisure industry and Las Vegas. Kerkorian exemplified so many of the attributes we teach at Aegis Learning. He was a humble leader. Described time and again as low key and unpretentious he traveled without an entourage. He drove a Ford Taurus and always paid his own way even in his hotels and casinos. He relished his personal anonymity. A generous benefactor, you will not find his name on buildings or statutes. Requesting anonymity was often one of the requirements of accepting a donation or gift from him.

Another key leadership quality was his practice of delegating to his trusted executive team. He relied on the judgment of his key people. Rempel writes that Kerkorian had come to appreciate how much more he could accomplish by delegating management decisions. As delegator in chief Kirk trusted his team to manage the details. That meant no muddied chain of command, no interference from above.

KERKORIAN AS RISK TAKER AND COURAGEOUS LEADER

The key leadership principal that appears time and again when reading about Kerkorian is that he was a fearless risk taker. Three times in twenty-five years he would build the world’s largest resort hotel in Las Vegas. His first record breaker, the International Hotel opened on July 2, 1969. The naysayers and pundits expected a flop. Kerkorian persevered. On a personal note, the progress of the International Hotel was watched closely by my family. My dad, a carpenter, was fortunate to obtain work on the construction of the International. He would come home from the site and regale us with stories about the magnitude of the project and all the fancy amenities. At 30 stories tall we could see the hotel from our nearby neighborhood. Kerkorian went on to break records and build the largest, literally “Grandest” hotels in Las Vegas two more times.

Risk taking, and risk tolerance are important leadership characteristics and skills. Effective leaders must challenge paradigms, confront difficult situations and take risks on a daily basis. Calculated risks. With each action, the leader must determine the desired outcome, identify the potential negative consequences of the action and then choose if the risk justifies the reward.

KNOW WHEN TO HOLD EM, KNOW WHEN TO FOLD EM

Effective leaders understand that all applications for courage need to be considered in a broader and more global perspective. Simply put, there are times to fight and times to keep quiet and acquiesce. Giving ground tactically on a single issue or event is not a sign of weakness. Rather it is a sign that the leader has exercised the good judgment to maintain power and credibility to use courage another day.

As the story goes, Kerkorian waged a tremendous campaign to buy Chrysler Corporation. Rempel reports Kerkorian had one of the most audacious strategies ever floated over Detroit: a buyout that would take the nation’s number three automaker private. The company fought him. Ultimately, he did not get the takeover he had hoped for. One of Kirk’s most enduring and endearing qualities was his limited capacity for grudges. He didn’t collect them. “Its business” he would say and move on.

SO MUCH MORE

I highly recommend The Gambler. Yes, much of the story involves my home city of Las Vegas but there is so much more. Kerkorian’s humble beginnings, years as a World War II pilot and airline owner provide the backdrop for the development of a courageous leader and entrepreneur. His interactions with Howard Hughes, Ted Turner, Lee Iacocca and other visionaries make for a fascinating and educational read.

Teresa Lowry is a passionate advocate for learning, growth and generating real organizational change.

Inspiration Versus Motivation

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Push or Pull

By Polly Walker

Today I was in a meeting and I looked over the Director’s desk and saw a plaque that read: “Inspire: fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something”. I thought to myself, “Self, that sounds a lot like motivation to me. What’s the difference?” Luckily the meeting was over and the director didn’t notice the bemused look on my face as I contemplated this question. I decided that I was needed to establish and understand the difference (if there is one). So, I started with Webster’s Dictionary.

MOTIVATE: To provide with a motive. Impel. (Impel = to urge or drive forward or on by or as if by the exertion of strong moral pressure)

INSPIRE: To influence, move or guide by divine or supernatural inspiration.
From these definitions, and from my own personal experience, motivation is more about pushing to do something that’s hard or a challenge. For example, starting and accomplishing a workout regimen or following through and finishing a difficult assignment or task. Inspiration, on the other hand, is following a magnetic pull to do something you are drawn to…usually something fun or positive: learning to paint or trying a new recipe, for example.

So I had my answer. Motivate is a “push”, while inspiration is a “pull”. Neat, huh? But as soon as I answered my first question, another one took its place: Is it a leader’s job to MOTIVATE or INSPIRE? And do motivation and inspiration come from within a person… or from someone or something else? What do you think?

Polly Walker’s areas of focus include leadership development, quality management, customer service, team member engagement and process improvement. She is an engaging and experienced facilitator, team builder, trainer, and change manager. 

Correct Fit: The Beginning and The End

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Hiring and Firing Right are Key

Tim Schneider, Coach, Speaker, Author and Trainer from Aegis Learning

By Tim Schneider

Correct Fit-The Beginning

The first interaction a leader has with a team member is during the hiring and recruiting process. Although usually brief, this first meeting needs to be used to assess the proper fit for a potential team member.

Traditionally, interviews were used to discuss qualifications, education and experience. All of those things have value but not nearly as much as fit and interpersonal skills. To drive this point home, look at your current problematic team members. The ones with two inch thick files. The ones that come off and on disciplinary action with regularity. The ones that constantly are causing trouble but avoid termination.

Now, as you look at those problematic team members, critically review why they are problematic. Is it because of a lack of technical skills, qualification and education or is it because of a lack of fit with the existing team or lack of interpersonal skills? Most managers and leaders agree it is because of the latter and not the former. Interpersonal skills and ability to fit with the existing team are far greater predictors of workplace success than technical ability or education.

Back to the interview. The leader’s job in the interview process is to determine if someone will fit properly with the existing group and in the culture built by the leader and team. This is most often discovered in situational questions about how a job candidate would respond and react to the common scenarios in your working environment. The leader can then compare the job candidate’s response to the desired outcome or how his or her team currently responds and reacts. This is also a great technique for behavioral interviewing.

The leader must also check and test a potential team member’s interpersonal skills. How they work with others. How they communicate. How they solve problems. How they handle adversity. How they operate under pressure and stress. What do terms like accountability and responsibility mean to them? These are the interpersonal skill check points that are so critical in the modern working environment.

The effective leader recruits team members based on interpersonal skills and fit and avoids the common over-emphasis on experience and education.

Correct Fit-The End

The most difficult role of coaching is ending someone’s employment on your team. Difficult but necessary.

In fact, many managers and supervisors make a far bigger mistake by extending employment longer than they should and providing way too many opportunities for improvement and change. This is not an invitation to be rash and take these decisions lightly, but the impact of not terminating a team member when required is far greater than terminating a team member too soon.
The Lakota Sioux tribes of the northern and western plains had a saying. They believed “when you encounter a dead horse, it is best to dismount.” Not comparing team members to dead horses but good leaders recognize when someone is not fitting or not performing pretty early in the team relationship. When the determination is made that the team member will not perform or will not fit after appropriate coaching and counseling, the leader must end their employment.

In the modern working dynamic, most firing decision require multiple levels of approval and many sets of documentation and hoops to jump through. One of the biggest leadership mistakes is to look at these obstacles as insurmountable. Some mangers and supervisors, when told to obtain additional documentation, simply give up and label the team member as fire-proof or protected. This mistake, although convenient at the time, will lead to greater performance and behavior problems with the entire team.

Dragging a termination decision or action too long sends a horrible message to other team members. Rewarding poor performance or behavior will tell the team that those actions work. As a leader, you will also be faced with people that dare you to fire them. Don’t back down. Do them the favor for which they are asking.

Tim Schneider

Tim Schneider is the founder, CEO and lead facilitator for Aegis Learning.  

The Care and Feeding of Your Leader

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An Aegis Learning Customer

Your Leader May Crave the Same Things You Crave

By Tim Schneider

Over the years of leadership development and organizational development work, we have seen our fair share of bad leaders. In the same breath, we have not seen many that were purposefully bad; that set a predetermined course to do the wrong thing and treat people badly.

Equally often, we have been asked for advice on how to manage someone’s boss or supervisor. Agreeing that the competencies we provide work smashingly on subordinate team members but really can’t be applied upwardly in an organization.

With full disclosure, this will not help you today if you have a bad boss or a disconnected relationship with your supervisor. These strategies are designed for long-term success and proactively creating a great connection between you and your leader.

Leaders Are Human

The same emotions, distractions, events and life that impact you, impact them. Hopefully, most leaders have a pretty high level of emotional intelligence to help them deal with these events and to control their reactions but at the end of the day, they are every bit as fragile of a human as you. They may project tough but the reality is usually different.

Understanding and even inquiring about how your leader is doing can be a powerful reminder of his or her humanity.

Empathy Goes a Long Way

The best evolution from understanding moves to empathy.

Empathy is a bridge between the emotional state of one person to another. To empathize with your leader, you must try to feel what he or she is going through. Is there a lot of pressure? Is something going on at home? Are they being micromanaged?

If you know what that feels like, you can be empathetic.

Saying you understand or saying you’re sorry for what your leader is experiencing is a strong statement of empathy.

Appreciation and Positive Feedback

When was the last time you thanked your leader? Told him or her they were doing a good job? You appreciated his or her efforts in supporting you?

If you can’t remember the answer to those questions, it may be time to share some appreciation and positive feedback.

Make the assumption that they don’t hear much and also don’t get stuck on if you hear it from your leader or not. Just express appreciation and your genuine praise of his or her efforts.

Your Priorities and Your Leader’s Priorities

There is a high likelihood your leader manages more than just you. Your priorities and needs then have to be triaged with the needs and priorities of others. Please don’t assume you are the center of your leader’s universe. He or she is balancing service to many people and organizational elements.

Here again, a little understanding and empathy will go a long way.

Encouragement

We have yet to find the bold S in a blue chevron under the shirt of any leader. They are not superhuman and will wear down, get tired and simply be subject to burnout. Like with praise and appreciation, sharing a bit of upward encouragement can be very powerful for everyone involved.

As much as we cannot manage our leader, we do have some significant tools available to influence the health of this relationship over the long haul.

Tim Schneider

Tim Schneider is the founder of Aegis Learning and has been working with teams and leaders for 25 years.   He generates results, impact and his sole focus is your success.

He is the author of The Ten Competencies of Outstanding Leadership and Beyond Engagement and a widely sought speaker, training facilitator and individual development coach.

Striking the Leadership Balance

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Self-Synchronize and Live a Life of Purpose

By Linda Florence

Organizations are dynamic in nature with constantly shifting priorities in a fast-paced business environment. The culture adapts to meet ever changing demands to ensure the business remains viable and even thrives. Despite continuous innovations in new technologies, organizations consist of individuals with a shared mission. The primary difference between the success and failure of any organization comes down to one common denominator; and that is, leadership.

The lines between work and personal life are increasingly blurred; separating work and life outside of work is increasingly difficult. It is not possible to be two entirely different people, one at work and one at home. We often hear the term ‘work-life balance’ as a successful leadership trait, and some organizations tout promoting this as part of its culture. What does that ‘balance’ really mean? Leadership is a choice, not a position. We cannot have one philosophy at work and a different perspective on life at home, with our friends and family. Successful leaders understand their role is to serve others.

To strike that so called ‘balance,’ leaders must have a consistent approach to all interactions both at home and at work. Leadership balance and engagement result in part, in increased career satisfaction and reduced stress. Given that employee engagement equates with business success, the employer naturally benefits from individual leaders who strive for balance. An engaged workforce is more productive than one that is disconnected from the organization.

Striking this balance refers to being in sync with yourself and living your purpose, regardless of your role; this includes being engaged in the industry, invested in the organization and helping others to success. It is not necessary to be in a formal leadership role to act consistent with serving others.

The culture of an organization reflects this leadership philosophy. Organizations that promote balance through leadership and engagement leads to higher levels of career satisfaction and overall individual well-being, which ultimately benefits the entity.

Linda F. Florence is a talented and dynamic instructor specializing in human resource management issues including hiring, disciplinary practices, policies, compensation and retention strategies. She has over 20 years of senior management level experience in the hospitality, financial services, retail and higher education.

Three Artistic Proofs To Drive Continuous Improvement

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Ancient Wisdom Drive Quality

By Polly Walker

In my 25-year career, I have facilitated or been involved with approximately 80 process improvements. These projects ranged from small, quick fixes in one section or business unit all the way up to complex, multi-department systems improvements. Even though the size and scope of the process problem and solutions varies greatly from project to project, there is a technique I use that ensures the engagement of the workgroup, the buy-in of team members and management and, ultimately, the success of the project.

Almost all of us have heard of Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher. Among his accomplishments was coining the term “the three artistic proofs”, or Ethos, Pathos and Logos. If you have heard these terms, they are relevant to giving a great speech or effectively persuading an audience. For each of the three artistic proofs, I will provide a short definition and then outline how that technique is key to an effective process improvement project.

Ethos: Credibility or character driven by using language that is appropriate for the audience or topic.

As the leader (a facilitator, a project sponsor, etc.) involved with the process improvement, you want to use language that is appropriate for the team, the project sponsor and all audiences involved with the process improvement. You will want to adjust the technicality or the complexity of the language based on your audience. For example, the work group itself should be mainly comprised of the subject matter experts so when speaking with them or presenting results, use their technical language and acronyms. On the other hand, if you are explaining the process improvement recommendations to an executive leadership team you will want to adjust the language to simpler, higher level language.

Pathos: Emotional appeal, inspiring action by sharing experience.

Emotional appeal is also a critical skill for managing the project. You should be able to explain (by appealing to the emotions of the audience) how the process problem impacts both the team members and the customers. Additionally, as the facilitator you should be working to build relationships with and among your work group as you move forward with the process improvement project. Relationships and emotion are key to building consensus and moving quickly through the four stages of a team (forming, storming, norming and performing) not only during the process improvement but after the project is done and the team members are implementing the changes.

Logos: Appealing to logic, convincing the audience by using reason, citing facts.

Gathering and citing facts is key to your process improvement project. You need to have the relevant data and information on the process issues to ensure team buy in and share the depth and breadth of the problem. This is especially important if there is denial that there is even actually a problem. Additionally, data gathered before, after, and during the project to show if the changes worked is also critically important.

Even though the size and scope of the process problem and solutions varies greatly from project to project, the “three artistic proofs” (Ethos, Pathos and Logos) can help ensure the effectiveness and success of any process improvement project.

Polly Walker’s areas of focus include leadership development, quality management, customer service, team member engagement and process improvement. She is an engaging and experienced facilitator, team builder, trainer, and change manager. She holds an Operational Excellence Certification from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, a Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA) certification from the American Society for Quality (ASQ), a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and is on the Board of Examiners for the Southwest Alliance for Excellence.

Five Ways to Build a Positive Working Environment

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Matt Zobrist from Aegis Learning

Enhance Engagement and Overall Performance!

By Matt Zobrist

A positive work environment is one where team members are happy and engaged with each other and in their work. Positivity at work leads to increased trust, better performance, and improved results. The following are five things any leader, or any person for that matter, can do immediately to generate and improve the positive atmosphere in your workplace. They do not require training; rather they are extremely intuitive, but their value is often overlooked. The true benefit of these practices becomes evident as they are implemented consistently.

Practice gratitude.

One of the easiest ways in which you can increase the positivity of your work environment is through the simple expressions of appreciation. The key to showing gratitude is sincerity. Making others feel appreciated through sincere daily affirmations of gratitude can go a long way to building trust as establishing harmony amongst team members. Being grateful is contagious – next time you tell someone how truly grateful you are for something they did, watch how they will be more willing to reciprocate to others.

Gratitude, however, is not a one-way street. Feeling grateful for things in your own life is very important as well. Personal gratitude is being able to look at yourself and honestly appreciate your skills, abilities, successes as well as your hardships and failures (learning opportunities).

Be Optimistic.

Collin Powell said, “Optimism is a force multiplier.” Optimism is being confidently hopeful about the future. By conveying, through your words and actions, that you totally believe in the immediate and future success of your team, you will foster positive attitudes within you team members. Make daily optimistic statements that you are confident in your team members’ abilities and skills. Always see the glass as half-full. A pessimistic leader is a sure way to stifle positivity in the team.

Smile.

Smiling is a powerful way to increase the positivity of your team. Studies have shown that smiling not only effects those around you, but it impacts you! Ever noticed that when someone smiles at you, you can’t help but smile back? Smiles are infectious because there is an unconscious drive among humans to mirror the facial expressions of those around us. Add to that the physiological effects of smiling in the human brain (releases feel-good neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins), and you can see why smiling can improve happiness in yourself and team. Happy people are more positive. Start each morning by smiling at yourself in the mirror, and make sure your first contact with each team member you wear a smile!

Laugh.

The power of laughter is amazing. It naturally lightens moods and increases our spirits because it releases endorphins, which increase our state of happiness. Laughing, like smiling, is contagious and it makes everyone involved feel better. Laughing decreases stress and physical tension, it is also said to be healthy for your heart and immune system. Comedian and cancer survivor Steve Mazan says: “the true power of laughter is that it allows us to forget, for a brief time, all the things that weigh us down.” That momentary escape gives us an opportunity to “push the reset” button on our attitude. After laughing, we can have a new, more positive perspective to refocus and tackle our objectives with confidence.

Sincerity.

Sincerity is acting without deceit, pretense or hypocrisy. Sincerity is a necessary part of the four preceding points. Sincerity is when your tone and nonverbal signals consistently match your verbal message. Your facial expressions and body language will alert people if you are being sincere. Sincerity is what makes the difference between your spoken “thank you” being perceived as true appreciation or taken as a platitude. Without sincerity, your optimistic statements may be perceived as being cliché, instead of inspiring.
Likely you are doing some of these things already. The key to boosting the positivity in your workplace is to do all of them sincerely and consistently. Starting each day with a smile, being truly appreciative, demonstrating optimism, and taking time to laugh, are all things, increase positivity in your workplace.

Did you catch the subtle head-fake? The more you practice and implement these strategies consistently, YOU will be the most affected! As you act more positive, your own perceptions of your environment will become more positive! You will become happier, more engaged and more productive. Even if no one else does these things, as you consistently do them, you will become a beacon of positivity because the reality of your environment will have become more positive. People who have a positive environment are able to increase productivity, efficiency and engagement.

Matt Zobrist from Aegis Learning

Matt Zobrist is an energetic and dynamic facilitator, coach, presenter and speaker with Aegis Learning, LLC.

Matt has a passion for helping others develop their leadership skills. His animated, high-energy style, combined with humor and personal experiences make each presentation enjoyable and memorable, as well as educational, for the audience.

What’s On Your Mind?

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Businesses Lose Billions Because of a Lack of Mindfulness

“The only way to do meditation wrong is by not doing it”  Dalai Lama

By Teresa Lowry

Mindfulness. The state of being fully present, letting go of the past and not worrying about the future. Leadership requires you to be fully present. Strong leaders are mindful.

A lack of mindfulness costs U.S. businesses up to 9 billion dollars a year. There is also the loss of connection with team members. Think of the missed opportunities for empathy with customers and our team because we are not fully present. Consider the stress to mind and body when we live in a state of regret for the past or anxiety about the future. Eckhart Tolle, in his book “The Power of Now,” says that we are addicted to time, always looking at the past or toward the future. Seldom do we find ourselves constantly in the now.

With mindfulness we have less stress and better focus. We enhance our ability to listen and respond in a meaningful and connected way. Our improved focus means fewer mistakes, greater productivity. This is the quality of living we desire for ourselves and others. One of the ways to cultivate mindfulness is to engage in a regular meditation practice.

Leadership of Self

Transcendental Meditation was part of my childhood experience, fostered by a mother who was ahead of her time. Sadly, I did not carry the practice into my adulthood. I had the foundation and believed in the benefits from both philosophical and scientific perspectives. I read all the books and articles. Intellectually I agreed with the benefits of meditation: stress reduction, clarity, peace, yet a daily practice eluded me.

Then it dawned on me. Could it be that my ego was addicted to stress? Had my intensity and multitasking become a way of proving to others that I was important, a hard worker? I wore my stress like a badge of honor. Proof if you will, of my commitment to my organization. What was the result? Predictably my frenetic way of operating did not give confidence to my team or customers. It often unnecessarily ratcheted up the intensity of a crisis. With an overly assertive tense tone and rapid pacing I created a toxic environment. The faulty logic was as follows: if I am calm, centered, peaceful, the organization will think I am not working hard enough, lack passion and commitment.

Most team members report that the stress level in the work environment is influenced by the leader. When the leader is stressed the team feels it and embodies this stress. When the leader is calm, positive and centered the stress levels in the workplace are reduced. Our response to stress has become a habit. Like all habits it can be modified or eliminated.

Meditation

Meditation is a practice where you focus your mind on a particular object, thought, or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. It is an excellent way to strengthen our focus and gain mindfulness. Start small. Really small. Commit to a few minutes each morning. Identify a location that is comfortable where you will not be interrupted. Sit, close your eyes and take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Note that we tend to become shallow breathers as we power through our days. Deeper breathing helps us both mentally and physically.

Resist the siren song to do something else. Ignore the washing machine buzzer, that the baseboards need to be cleaned, never mind the dog hair accumulated on the sofa cushion. Leave electronic devices in another room. Forgive yourself the relentless mind chatter and to do lists. Clear your mind, always returning to your breath and positive affirmation for the day. A few minutes each morning as you fortify this practice into habit is a great beginning.

The 2017 Nevada State Bar convention included a session on mindfulness meditation for attorneys. There we were in a room filled with calm, deep breathing recognizing that unless we find alternative ways to manage stress the legal profession (like most others) will continue to be challenged by members who turn to self-defeating, unhealthy even dangerous behaviors to cope.

I am pleased to report that I have come full circle. The meditation practice that began in childhood, lost during the ego driven years, is now back. This enables me to start each day from a place of mindfulness, calm and peace. Thanks Mom!

Teresa Lowry is a passionate advocate for learning, growth and generating real organizational change.