Have Fun

The tag line for our business is “Serious Business Made Fun” and we like to make our work fun.  We like to encourage our clients to make work fun too.  Keeping employees engaged remains a tough proposition.  And, there are lots of strategies for doing so.  It’s important to remember and include “having fun” as one of the key strategies for keeping employees engaged.

When we lead one of our Values Discovery Sessions and participants select the values that are most important to them at work, it’s common for one or more people to include “fun” as a core value.  When people are having fun, they’re more productive and light-hearted.  Lots of great results come about when fun is part of the mix.

One of my favorite companies, Zappos.com has made fun an integral part of their culture.  In his book, Delivering Happiness, Zappos CEO talks about how important having fun is to creating productivity, loyalty and outstanding results.  At Zappos, they have cubicle decorating contests, theme parties, celebrations for hitting sales goals, and regularly scheduled pot-lucks and happy hours for everyone to socialize together.  They have an incredibly loyal staff, and as you may know, an unbelievably loyal customer base who makes Zappos a very profitable company.

Building fun into the workplace is simple, but it’s not always easy.  There are lots of reasons to be really serious about process, people, systems and results.  I would argue, however, that it’s important to look beyond the everyday seriousness and seek to inject everyday fun.  The key is to make sure that “fun” is defined in a way that is in alignment with the organization’s vision, mission and values.  That way, “fun” becomes a way to strengthen culture and keep employees focused on the desired outcomes.  Here are some things to consider:

1.      Invite employees to help define the “fun” activities that will fit with the culture.

2.      Build “fun” into the annual strategic planning and budgeting process so it doesn’t get overlooked.

3.      If possible, include customers in the “fun” to deepen their loyalty to the organization.

4.      Document “fun” events and share them organization-wide to reinforce that having fun is valued.

5.      Make sure senior leadership participates in all the “fun”.  It’s incredibly motivating for employees to see their leaders enjoying themselves.

Lynae

Finding Your Leadership Voice

Lynae and I were talking with a potential client the other day about leadership development.  We discussed the journey participants would travel throughout a year-long curriculum that aligned with the organization’s core competencies.

As with any plan, you have to know where to start.  With leadership development, we always start with vision, values, and finding your leadership voice.

In their book The Leadership Challenge, James Kouzes and Barry Posner say: “To act with integrity, you must first know who you are.  You must know what you stand for, what you believe in, and what you care most about.  Clarity of values will give you the confidence to make tough decisions, act with determination and speak your truth.”

When you find your leadership voice, you become a more effective communicator.  Effective communicators speak both from their minds and hearts.  They understand the importance of speaking with the intention to build relationships and encourage what is possible.  They choose words that affirm, appreciate, support, solve, and inspire.

Finding your leadership voice requires some introspection and exploration of what matters most to you and how you can use this self-awareness to inspire others.  With a strong sense of your own internal compass, you are in a more effective position to lead others to bring their best selves forward.  Here are some questions to ask yourself to find your voice.

What do you love to do?

• Where have you been successful?
• In what areas are you most likely to offer your expertise to others?

What matters to you?

• What personal motives and values drive you?
• What gives you the greatest sense of satisfaction and reward?

How can you serve?

• How do I use my passions and strengths to serve others?
• What do others value most from me?

Georgine

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

In Service to Others

Our world is spinning quite fast these days, and there are a lot of people experiencing some very hard times.  Now more than ever it’s helpful for each of us to find ways to be in service to others.  Every day, we have countless opportunities to give a little something extra to our colleagues, communities, families, and friends.  Acts of service don’t need to be heroic to make a difference.  Small things matter . . . sometimes small things can make a world of difference to someone.

Being in service to others is a philosophy and practice that benefits everyone, including ourselves.  I know that I feel empowered and capable when I do something that makes life a little easier for someone else.  When things are going on around me that are significant and out of my control, engaging in a single act of service may be the only thing I can do.  In addition, I know how grateful I am when someone extends themselves to me during a time of challenge or crisis.  It can be calming and reassuring – just what I need.

Here are some simple acts of service that might make a difference to someone today:

• Listen without judgment or comment.
• Ask: “How can I support you?”
• Jump in and join the effort without questioning “what’s in it for me?”
• Take care of more than your share of the problem.
• Be the first to volunteer for that project that no one wants.
• Instead of looking at what someone else can do, look at what you can do.
• When you see that something needs to be done, do it without being asked.
• Look people in the eye and greet them with a smile.
• Give someone else credit.
• Let others have a chance.
• Celebrate someone else’s accomplishment.

What will you do to be in service to others today?

Respectfully,

Lynae

Look For What You Want

Our good friend and colleague, Laura Goodrich, has just published a book to accompany her video Seeing Red Cars.  We are pleased for her success, and really appreciate her message.  It’s so much in alignment with Madd-Steiny’s philosophy of moving toward what you study.  When we work with organizations, we help them look for what is positive and life-giving about their culture and community, instead of only looking at something that needs to be “fixed”.

Goodrich’s message is simple:  Focus on what you want.  We are conditioned throughout our lives and in our culture to identify what we don’t want.  Many of us have a natural inclination to be motivated by our fear of loss or failure.  In the book, Goodrich cites research that “it is estimated that we have 12,000 – 50,000 thoughts coursing through our brains each day, 70% of them are focused on what we don’t want and what we’d like to avoid.”  Perhaps it’s that Neanderthal in all of us that is motivated to avoid being eaten by something bigger than we are.  There is something undeniably important about outrunning predators.  But, I believe that one of the most threatening predator to our success is our own thought process.  The downside to thinking about what we don’t want, is that we often take our eye off the “ball”─the “ball” being our goals and desires.

So, what can you do, right now, to help focus on what you want and create the results you desire?  Start as I do on most days (not all days . . . I’m an imperfect animal with Neanderthal tendencies):

Create a list of what you want from the day.  This is not a ”to-do list”.  Rather, it’s a list of what you want your day to bring and the experiences you want to have.

This list, helps set an intention for your day and shifts your focus to what you want.  And, these intentions don’t mean you are aspiring to greatness every moment; small steps matter.  Here are some examples:

Today, I want to . . .

-       Create something new.

-       Step outside of my comfort zone.

-       Feel a sense of accomplishment.

-       Have fun.

-       Learn something.

When you set these intentions, your focus then becomes about “how to “ vs. “how not to”.  Try it tomorrow when you awake and see if you don’t find more and get more, of what you want.

Lynae

Values and Health

Last week, I participated in an event with the Minneapolis Heart Institute which focused on women’s heart health.  I talked about values and how they play an important role in helping people gain a strong sense of self, which in turn can help people choose healthy behaviors.

I did some homework for the talk and discovered that there is a growing body of research that affirms the “role of self” in preventing and recovering from health events.  To quote one of the articles I found, “How the self is defined determines what goals will be meaningful, which in turn determines what behaviors will be enacted to meet those goals.”  So, it follows (as the article also pointed out) that “the self likely plays a pivotal role in regulating individual thoughts, motivations and decision-making activities relevant to health behaviors.”  In other words, if I value vitality, it’s likely that I would behave in ways that increase my energy – like exercising regularly, eating well, and getting plenty of sleep.

Values are at the core of our selves, and help us gain a clear sense of who we are and how we want to live.  I was delighted to see research about how the role of self and one’s value system influences health.  It just reinforced what Georgine and I have believed and shared with clients for many years now.  That’s why we created a suite of products to help people discover their values – to help people improve their results.

What I appreciated about being able to participate in the event last week was to help women see how values can serve as another tool to help them make healthy choices.  And, perhaps clarifying your values will help you too.  Here are some questions to help you get started:

·    What are your 5 core values – those values that are most important to you right now in the age and stage of your life?
·    How do these values show up for you?
·    What do you gather around you in your life that reinforce or align with your values?
·    What can you let go of that doesn’t support your values?
·    How do your values help you make choices that help you live a healthy life?

Wishing you health and vitality,

Lynae

Honoring Diversity – What Makes You Unique?

One of the reasons I love what I do is because of the fascinating people I have the opportunity to meet every day.  The highly social aspect of my personality is always curious about others; their “stories” and deepening relationships by just getting to know them.

One of the exercises that Madd-Steiny often facilitates in our learning modules around the topic of honoring diversity has participants answer the simple question: ‘What makes you unique?’

We hear that life experiences in diverse cultures and communities, family systems, education, life events, and work experiences create each of our unique stories.  Invariably, this discussion always creates a curiosity to hear more about the unique and individual stories.

We believe that in order to embrace a culture of respect and inclusion every individual needs to be honored for their uniqueness.  This can be advanced in any organization when individuals and groups take time to create a forum where dialogue and listening can take place.

One of my all time favorite authors, Margaret Wheatley, said it best in her book Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future.

“Great healing is available to us when we listen to each other.  No matter what we have experienced in life, if we can tell our story to someone who listens, we find it easier to deal with our circumstances.  Listening is such a simple act.  It requires us to be present (and that takes practice!) and willing to just sit there and listen with the intent to understand.  Why is being heard so healing?  It has something to do with the fact that listening creates a relationship.

We know from science that nothing in the universe exists in isolation.  Everything takes form from relationships.  Our natural state is to be together.  Though we keep moving away from each other, we never lose the need to be in relationship.  Not listening creates fragmentation.  Listening moves us closer to becoming more whole.”

Here are some questions that you might consider asking others to learn about what makes them unique:

·    What is your favorite thing about this time of year?
·    What traditions do you practice in your family that has a legacy?
·    What was an experience in your life that was a “defining moment” for you and shaped who you are today?

Enjoy and honor the stories you’ll hear!

Sincerely, Georgine

Generosity

Recently, I’ve heard a lot of “talk” about a new book out by Ken Blanchard (author of The One Minute Manager) and S.Truett Cathy (author of It’s Easier to Succeed Than to Fail) called The Generosity Factor: Discover the Joy of Giving Your Time, Talent, and Treasure.

I don’t know about you, but for me when I hear something once I take notice.  When I hear something twice, I take interest. And, when I hear something three times (or more), I take action.  So, I went out and bought the book.

I found the book to be an inspirational and easy read.  What I received from the book was a reminder about the power of giving.

I couldn’t help but think about a blog that my partner, Lynae, wrote a few weeks back on Getting What you Want after being inspired by hearing Zig Zigler speak at a conference we attended, about the power of giving generously.

Generosity is the mindset of giving freely without expecting anything in return. Generosity involves giving of your time, attention, assets, or talents.  Although the term generosity often goes hand-in-hand with charity, it is not solely based on one’s economic status, but instead, includes the individual’s pure intentions of expressing appreciation, looking out for an individual’s/group’s common good and/or giving from the heart.

For me, the book inspired more than a heart of giving. It inspired my heart of receiving. I haven’t always been so gracious in receiving gifts from others, be it appreciation, feedback, help, or tokens. I do believe that giving and receiving go hand in hand.

We have always heard that the act of giving has a cause and effect relationship with the receiver. They are more inclined to “pass it on” and acknowledge others that make a difference in their lives.

Madd-Steiny’s focus on helping create and sustain values-based work cultures has a lot to do with the art of giving and receiving. When we are generous with each other, we have an eye on the greater good that we can accomplish together and feel more empowered to make a difference in our world.

Here are some tips I would suggest for practicing the art of giving and receiving in your environment.

·    Be generous with “calling out” action and/or contributions from others that you appreciate
·    Be fully present “in the now” with each interaction you have with others.
·    Get good at saying “thank you” when you receive a token of generosity
·    Express your appreciation for the give and take (collaboration) of your relationships

Georgine

Monuments

Last week, I took my twin nieces to Mt. Rushmore.  (That’s us in the photo.)  I was awestruck by the powerful sight of four of our greatest presidents carved into a granite mountainside.  It got me thinking about monuments, their power, and their meaning in our culture.

Monuments are imbued with meaning by their creators.  Mt. Rushmore is a memorial to American history and instills hope and is meant to represent a basic belief in the decency of our country and its government.  But I believe Mt. Rushmore holds greater power than imagined by its artist because of the personal meaning for each individual who visits.  For me, the monument represents America’s values of freedom, liberty and opportunity.  I can only imagine what it might mean to others: hope, strength, truth, justice, happiness, or possibility.

In organizations, we create monuments imbued with meaning that is intended to send a message, represent shared values, or align with the company vision.  Sometimes the monuments are explicit, such as a sculpture of a company founder or a mural depicting major events in a company’s history.  Other times, monuments are subtle reminders of important beliefs, such as a plaque on which are listed the company’s core values.  More subtle still . . . a monument can be found in the form of company lore─a story told time and again.  The important thing to remember for leaders who erect monuments (or perpetuate a company’s oral history) is to make sure they are inspirational.  A monument endures when its meaning is universal and can stand the test of time.

·    So, what monuments exist in your company?
·    Do they inspire and appropriately represent your organization’s vision and values?
·    What do they mean to you and others?
·    How do they help your company progress and grow?

Lynae

Make Respect a Habit

“Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors.

Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits.

Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”  -Gandhi

I have always loved this quote from Gandhi and ran across it just the other day. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen it over the years, it still causes me to pause and affirm to live each day at my best.

The part of this quote that I am most focused on today is the part about habits. In our work with leadership development we know that people are creatures of habit.  Habits serve us well because once we have a habit engrained we become very efficient. We don’t have to exert much intellectual energy to accomplish tasks. Did you know that brain researchers estimate that out of every 11,000 signals we receive from our senses, our brain consciously processes only 40? This shows how often we operate on “auto pilot” as we go about our work and personal lives.

Habits, our automatic responses, can be bad or good. One bad habit I have worked on is interrupting people before they have finished talking. This behavior is not respectful. Even though I have never interrupted someone with the conscious intension to be disrespectful, this behavior doesn’t match my values and so I risk being perceived as not honoring what others have to say. I am committed to practicing good habits in listening because they align with my values and create the perceptions that I want others to have of me.

Og Mandino, author of The Greatest Salesman in the World, gives the advice to “make yourself a slave to good habits”.  Here are three simple tips to develop a good habit.

1.    Start simple.
Choose one behavior that you want to make habitual. Write it down on a piece of paper as an affirmation and post it somewhere that you will see each day. Visualize yourself behaving that way in a number of different situations.

2.    Commit for 21 days.
Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. Consistency is also important during this conditioning phase so commit to doing your new behavior every day for 21 days.

3.    Celebrate outcomes.
Notice what the results are when you practice your behavior. If your behavior is a personal health related one, notice how you feel.  Good habits in self care result in higher levels of self respect. If your behavior is interpersonal, notice the results your behavior has on others.  Consider sharing your commitment with a friend or co-worker and ask him/her to give you feedback as he/she observes your behavior.

Warm Regards,
Georgine