Twelve Days of Respect

Ask anyone in your workplace what treatment they most want to experience at work and they will likely top their list with the desire to be valued and treated with respect.

When employees feel valued and respected in the workplace, productivity and employee engagement soars because employees have higher self-esteem around the work that they do.

Now, the interesting thing about respect is that you can’t control when or how others demonstrate respect.  You can only control whether or not you exercise it on a regular basis.  And, when you demonstrate respect you encourage it in others.

So, instead of the Twelve Days of Christmas, we are offering you the Twelve Days of Respect to cultivate respect in your workplace.

1. When you see it, say it. When you observe or experience respectful behaviors, verbalize your appreciation. Call out the specific behaviors that make a difference for you and your team.
2. Show a “can do” attitude. No matter what the situation, take the initiative and the lead, when appropriate.  Your attitude will affect others around you.
3. Be a good listener.  Everyone loves to be around a good listener. Listen to what others have to say. It shows that you care, and that you respect them and their opinions.
4. Respect other’s time. Recognize that everyone is busy, everyone has challenges, and everyone feels pressure.  When you respect other people’s time as much as our own, you earn respect.
5. Encourage fun and laughter. Laugh at yourself or about experiences that you have shared with your team. Laughter elicits good feelings, lightens the load, and bonds the team together.
6. Pay it forward. Be the first to demonstrate respect whether someone has earned it from you or not.  Respectful behaviors given often produce respectful behaviors in return.
7. Empathize. Ask questions out of curiosity to better understand someone else’s situation. Everyone benefits from stepping back and taking the time to walk in another person’s shoes.
8. Be considerate. Good manners make others feel comfortable and are a source of personal power and strength. Be polite. Say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. When you show consideration to others, you make them feel valued.
9. Be on time for meetings. Arrive to meetings a few minutes prior to its start time to send the message that you think the gathering is important. The individual leading the meeting will appreciate your promptness.
10. Speak up when you see behaviors of disrespect. Speak up about observations and experiences of disrespect.  Share the impact that the behavior has on you and your team.  Request the behaviors that you would like to experience and/or observe.  This may take courage and practice, yet speaking up about disrespectful behaviors in a respectful way will earn you respect.
11. Walk the talk of respect. Pay particular attention to the things that you criticize and take an inward look at your own behavior. Demonstrate the behaviors that you desire and admire in others.
12. Honor diversity. Focus on the good traits in everyone. Every personality, including your own, has its positive traits and its negative traits.

Happy Holidays!  Georgine

Making Amends

The nature of being human includes making mistakes, missteps, or misstatements.  I can attest to being quite human then . . . especially lately.  Anyway, it’s important for us to make amends when we do something that has made someone else:

• Work hard to fix your mistake or clean up your mess
• Feel bad because you said something offensive or hurtful (even if unintentionally so)
• Question your integrity or intentions.

It’s important to make amends because it’s in the best interest of healthy and productive relationships to do so.  Whether in your professional or personal life, making amends and owning your mistakes is an act of commitment to relationship.  It says to others that you know your humanness has “gotten in the way” and you’re sorry.  It also says that you are aware of your shortcomings and are willing to look at them and work to overcome them.  Making amends is a powerful action that also builds trust among colleagues, partners and friends.  Mistakes are easier to forgive when there is an attempt to make amends.

Speaking of forgiveness . . . well, there’s another powerful act of commitment to relationship.  When someone with whom you work or are friends with makes a mistake, and he or she attempts to make amends, choose to forgive.  It takes courage to acknowledge one’s own mistakes.  Give the gift of forgiveness in return.  It’s a gift that will release both of you from feelings of resentment or mistrust.  And, it will hasten the return to productivity, grace and ease in the relationship.  Finally, it might make things that much easier for others to forgive you when the time comes that you slip up.  Because, that time will come, you human being.

Making amends includes:

• Being aware that your action(s) have caused hurt or inconvenience for others.
• Owning up to your shortcomings.
• Apologizing to those who have been affected.
• Forgiving yourself and moving on.

Accepting amends from others includes:

• Acknowledging and receiving their apology without judgment.
• Forgiving them and moving on.
• Hoping they’ll do the same for you when you next slip up.

Warmly,

Lynae

Honoring Diversity: A Lesson from the Elephant

I attended a meeting the other day where the organizational leader told the famous Indian legend of the six blind men and the elephant.  It goes like this.

Six blind men went to see an elephant to learn about what it was like.  The first man felt the broad side of the elephant and said it was like a wall.  The second man felt the tusk and said it was like a spear.  The third man felt the elephant’s tail and said it was like a rope.  The forth man felt the trunk and said an elephant is like a snake.  The fifth man felt the knee and said it was like a tree.  The sixth man felt the elephant’s ear and said it was like a fan.

The moral of story is that everyone was right – each man had an accurate perspective from his vantage point.

The leader that told the story used it to initiate a discussion about the importance of seeing the big picture in project planning, decision making and problem solving.  Every department in an organization, like each individual, has an important perspective to share that leads to goal accomplishment and organizational success.  It is only when we honor the collective and sometimes diverse perspectives that we can see clearly the best solution or plan.

Sometimes we forget to honor and celebrate our diversity.  Most of us are more comfortable working with people who are similar to us.  Our similarities make it easier for us to trust each other’s judgment because we understand it. At the same time, we could be prone to judge different ideas negatively and miss out on the benefits and contributions of honoring diverse perspectives.

In our flagship program, respectFULL teams™, we explore our individual and unique perspectives and how they came to be a part of us and how we view the world. We lead discussions around how to take full advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone on the team and how to value differences, seek inclusiveness, and honor differing points of view.

Here are a few of the tips we offer for honoring diversity.

1.    Ask questions and develop a curiosity to seek out diverse ideas and opinions.  The more you learn about others’ perspectives, the broader your own perspective becomes.

2.   Share your perspective. The best way to find commonalities is to share your ideas with others and get their feedback. You may be surprised to find that you have more in common that you think.

3.   Honor the values and beliefs of others.  Everyone has a set of values and beliefs that guide the way they live and interact with others. Showing respect for others is the single most important thing we can do to build harmony amidst differences.

Uniquely yours, Georgine

A New Chapter for Do Respect™

We are really excited to share that our 3-minute video, Do Respect™, is about to be released by our new business partner and video distributor, Star Thrower.  Star Thrower offers the best training and development video and multimedia tools available.

This collaboration and release has been in the works for a few months now.  Sometime over the next week or so, we’ll be announcing the release and we hope you’ll help us share this great news by forwarding our release announcement to anyone you think is interested.  Better yet, we hope you’ll consider buying it for your own use!

As many of you know, Do Respect™ is a 3-minute inspirational video to engage employees to act in ways that enhance workplace culture.  We’ve already sold several copies of the video to companies, school districts and government agencies that are using it in a variety of ways.  Just today, I received an email inquiry from the judicial officer at a community college in Iowa.  Part of what she does for the college is teach conflict resolution skills to students.  She believes, as we do, that respect is very much a part of conflict resolution both in college and in life.  Her plan is to use the video when she’s counseling students to ensure that their attitudes don’t stunt their potential.  She is convinced that respect is the first step in reaching potential.  Wow!  That inspires us.

We look forward to sharing more stories like this one about how our video makes a difference in people’s attitudes, beliefs and actions.  And, we’d appreciate you looking out for our announcement about the release and helping us get the Do Respect message out far and wide!

With respect,

Lynae

Reputation

I read today on Forbes.com about America’s 10 most reputable and least reputable companies.  The list comes from the results of a survey by a research firm called the Reputation Institute.  They asked more than 30,000 consumers to share their perceptions about 150 companies based on four emotional indicators:  trust, esteem, admiration and good feeling.

This research was astounding to me because the results are derived from emotional indicators . . . not indicators of profitability, efficiency, effectiveness or value.  Emotional indicators.  I like knowing that someone is paying attention to how consumers feel about a company instead of just looking at someone’s buying habits.

So, when people do business with you or the company you work for, how do you think they feel?  At Madd-Steiny, we want our reputation to be one that’s based on our clients feeling valued, appreciated, and respected.  We built our company around six core values and we strive to ensure our actions and reputation are in alignment with them:

• Collaboration – we endeavor to leverage the wisdom and skills of our clients.
• Diversity – we honor varied opinions, perspectives and ideas.
• Integrity – we walk our talk.
• Communication – everything is out on the table and open for discussion.
• Accountability – we own our success and our mistakes.
• Fun – our work is serious business, but we make it fun!

With respect,

Lynae

Is Perception Reality?

I’ve always been amazed with the 3-D artwork of Julian Beever.  I choose one of his pavement chalk drawings to accompany my blog this week because I wanted to write about perception.  And, his artwork is the perfect illustration that things are not always as they seem.

Our perceptions motivate our reactions to other people and situations, how we proceed with projects at work, the choices we make, the attitudes we express, etc.

One of my favorite perception stories is told in the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey and it goes like this.

A store manager heard one of his salespeople say to a customer, “No, we haven’t had any for some weeks now, and it doesn’t look as if we’ll be getting any soon.”  He then observed the customer turn and head for the door.  The manager was shocked to hear these words and rushed to the customer as she was walking out the door.  “That isn’t true,” he said, but the customer just gave him an odd look and walked out the door.  He confronted the salesperson and said, “Never, ever say that we don’t have something.  If we don’t have it, say we’ve ordered it and it’s on its way.  Now what did that customer want?  “Rain,” said the salesperson.

How often have you made an assumption or jumped to a conclusion, responded accordingly and then found out that the “miss” was in your perception?  I have, plenty of times!  It’s easy to do.

This story reminds me that everyone has a unique perspective because of their frame of reference.  And, this story reminds me to stay curious and observant in life, to ask questions to understand diverse perspectives, and to gather information about a situation before I form an opinion.

Respectfully yours, Georgine

“Our paradigms, correct or incorrect, are the sources of our attitudes and behaviors, and ultimately our relationships with others.”  Stephen Covey

Respect Yourself

A few days ago, my husband and I were driving up to our lake house and listening to a soul music station on XM radio.  The wonderful “Respect Yourself” by The Staples Singers came on and got me going!  This 1990 tune has great rhythm and a wonderful message.  As we look forward to a new year, this is a great resolution for each of us.  Respecting ourselves is the first and most important step toward showing respect toward others – always an important theme for Madd-Steiny Productions.

So, what can we do in the coming new year, and every day beyond, to respect ourselves?  Here are some things I resolve to do for myself:

·    Be gentle with yourself.  Forgive mistakes easily and quiet any harsh voices in your head.
·    Smile when you look in the mirror.
·    Get started on that hobby, exercise regimen, or book you’ve been meaning to begin.
·    Finish what you start.  Your good intentions are worth seeing through to the end.
·    Honor your beliefs by walking your talk consistently (even when no one is watching!)
·    Do more of what makes you feel good and less of what doesn’t.

What will you do to respect yourself more in the new year?

Lynae

Practice Respect by Demonstrating an Open Mind

I’ve been thinking lately about the power of having an open mind.  Probably because the holiday season brings increased social gatherings with friends and families in which we get to engage in good old fashioned dialogue. I had a conversation with my spouse the other day on the way home from one of these gatherings about “open-mindedness”.

The text book definition of “open minded” includes words like; curiosity, impartially, non-prejudice and broad-minded.  My favorite is “receptive”.  When we are receptive, we can actively listen to any thought or idea even if we disagree.

Aristotle once said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it”. I think that what he is saying is that everyone has their own “truth” and it may not be what is true for you at the moment.

An individual’s belief system is based on things like life experiences, upbringing, generational influences and ethnicity.  Everyone has an interesting and unique story that has shaped their beliefs.  I have found that if I practice listening to others with a curiosity to understand their perspective, I learn a lot about that person and more often than not, broaden my own perspective and viewpoint.

With the New Year just ahead of us, we often think about resolutions; changes we want to make to expand our businesses, ways we can improve our health or build our skills.  Keeping an open mind will help you in finding new ways of doing things and make change more exciting.

Here are a few tips that will help you keep an open mind.
1.    Let go of the need to be “right”. Allow everyone to be “right” and see how it transforms a conversation.
2.    Listen actively and practice clarifying what you heard and understood the other person to say.
3.    Exercise your curiosity by asking questions to better understand someone’s perspective.  Chances are you’ll learn a lot!

Respectfully,

Georgine

Culture Soup

A client recently shared a book with me called Soup: A Recipe to Nourish your Team and Culture by Jon Gordon.

I found this book, written as a fun business fable, to be quite delightful.  Gordon’s analogy around “soup” is based upon “who is stirring the pot” or leading the organization and what ingredients are going into the pot or organizational culture.

Gordon explains that in the past, managers were focused on the numbers, and the numbers were good. So morale was up and everyone was happy. But then the recession hit and the numbers went down. Well, when you’re focused on numbers and they’re going down, morale also goes down. So does engagement, and so does performance.

Gordon encourages leaders to take a new focus – culture.  A focus on culture is centered on purpose, value-based behaviors, morale and engaged relationships.  Leaders that use these ingredients build winning teams and nourishing cultures.

Engaged relationships are interactive, collaborative, and meaningful.  They are also essential to outcomes in any organization.

Here are some of Gordon’s insights that I thought were spot on!

• When you are driving through life at 100 miles per hour you can become so focused on creating success that you don’t make the time to develop the relationships that lead to your success. What our employees need the most, we’re delivering the least.

• Where there’s a void in communication, negativity fills it. The number one thing a manager can do during times of uncertainty is to communicate. Tell the truth, give them a plan, and help them believe. Optimism is a competitive advantage right now, and you need to convey it in all you say and do.

• The main question every employee in every organization wants to know is, “Do you care about me; can I trust you?” Employees who feel cared for, honored and nourished are more engaged in what they’re doing and will work at their highest potential.

With Respect,
Georgine

The Power of Words

I attended a conference recently and had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Doreen Virtue speak. She spoke of the energetic power of the words. Because words are essentially sound waves they do have mass and do have an effect on us.

The most important lesson I took away is that our positive words are so much more powerful to influence our relationships, customer service, team environment, and work culture.

In a service situation the language that we use can have a strong effect on how the customer perceives our service. And, the words we use with our co-workers can have a strong effect on how our team operates together.

Numerous studies have shown how the words we speak to ourselves have an impact on the way we feel and act. Words are a powerful force and the powerful effects of negative words cannot be underestimated. Because we are constantly giving messages to ourselves and others, it is more vital than ever to ensure that those words you hear in your mind and speak to others are as positive as possible.

I invite you to put it to the test for just one week. Try to be consciously aware of the way you speak and see where you could choose words that are more positive. I believe that you will be pleased by the results.

Here is a list of 10 positive words and phrases that you may want to try.

1.    Yes
2.    I understand
3.    What I can do is …
4.    How can I help?
5.    I’m sorry for …
6.    I would suggest/recommend …
7.    What I like about what you said is …
8.    That’s interesting
9.    Tell me more
10.  What a great opportunity

Yours truly, Georgine