THE ART OF ENGAGEMENT: or how to get employees on the same page

A lot of business owners spend a great deal of time and effort  formulating strategies to make their business grow.  Then they pass on their ideas to staff who are often befuddled and the strategies never seem to achieve their goals.  In fact Jim Haudan tells us that 75% of strategic plans fail to be executed.

When one goes through a new strategy process, one goes down a lot of deadends, rejects a lot of options, hears other opinions and finally comes to some sort of strategy.  The strategy is based on all the efforts made by that one person.  A one way presentation such as a Power Point will not necessarily lead everyone else to the same conclusion.

The employees at the bottom who actually execute the strategy decided by others often feel overworked, confused, not aware of the big picture and distrustful of higher staff motivations.  Often they have had a new series of strategies imposed on them without taking away previous instructions.  The trick is to tap into something that the people really connect with.

In large companies many employees don't see a personal connection to the strategies.  Most workers want to be part of something big, want to feel a sense of belonging, want to make things better and want to feel their contribution can make a difference.  Too often they get disillusioned.

Jim Haudan, the author believes one of the best ways to communicate is with stories, particularly visual stories.  This can be a tool when the employees participate so that they can see better how they fit into what needs to be done.  They need to see the bigger picture including market trends and what the competition is up to. They need to trust their managers and their leaders.

Wall Street analysts are learning to appreciate not just a strategy that has been announced to them, but  if the skill levels of the employees are able to execute.  That means the leaders have to think out how to develop the skills needed for a new strategy and to really motivate staff to acquire the skills.

Change is frightening to many employees.  Their leaders need to convey the attitude that change is not an indictment of past performance.  What was done in the past worked, but it won't be enough for the future.  When this is understood everyone can work together to make a better future.  Leaders and managers will inevitably be surprised that the front line workers want to and can contribute ideas to make their strategies work better.

One quote from author, Jim Haudan "Without understanding company strategy an employee can't take responsibility.  People who do understand can't avoid it."

There are many steps to be taken to integrate the strategies with the execution.  We can all learn from Jim's experience and insight.  They started at the strategic planning end of things and found out there was nothing automatic about execution.  As they examined why their own strategies did not connect they learned.  In a very real way they are proving that the learning process is critical to acceptance of any strategy.

Find out more at:  http://www.rootsofengagement.com

100 Ways to Motivate yourself

If you got past the title you demonstrated one of author Steve Chandler's contentions that most of us already have some motivation, but would like to be able to generate a little bit more.

Like almost all self improvement books there is a lot you have already heard or read, but it does help keep the momentum going with some new perspectives and the reminders of what you already have been told (and even believed a little bit).  This is a third edition and in fact he has more than 100 suggestions (110).

As you read it much will seem familiar and perhaps even corny.  But somewhere in there you should be able to find something that hits a nerve and just might spark a small change in attitude or behaviour that will be positive.

We too often avoid doing things because we feel we can't give it justice, but in fact once we start generally we improve. G K Chesterton once said, "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

Some tips were intended to be easy to get you in the right direction.  Singing helps put you in a good mood.  Reading mystery books sharpens your brain.   Simplifying your life by removing clutter helps you focus on what is important.  Learning to say no helps cut the clutter.

Conversely listing what you don't want in your life encourages you to think what must be done to avoid these unwanted things and tasks.  For instance if you don't want to be fat and unfit you should consider an exercise strategy and a change in diet.

Problems can be discouraging, but turn your thinking to the idea that without problems there are no solutions.  Rituals are those things you usually do before the action you are focused on, for instance a few warmups before running or cycling.  They can help build momentum and help you get really moving.

VB6 VEGAN BEFORE 6

Dieting is a preoccupation of most adult Canadians and Americans.  By dieting I mean going off your eating routine and eating by a number of rules.  The problem for most of us is that the regimentation eventually becomes too difficult to continue.  And before you know it we are back to our unhealthy habits.

Mark Bittman, a food writer for the New York Times is well aware of this cycle and is on a job where it is very easy to eat an unhealthy diet. His job also gives him time to think about what would be a healthier diet.

Motivation is crucial and Mark deals with it from different angles. The biggest obstacle is the big change and the tight restrictions required by a defined diet.  There is no getting around it most weight reducing diets are a form of torture for many of us.  The idea of having one meal free of most restrictions makes it more bearable.  Mark is also understanding that we all have cravings for things that are not healthy.  He gives you permission to indulge once in awhile.

A vegan diet is healthier than the typical North American diet, but is unappealing to most.  Being healthy is only one of its merits, though and Mark appeals to environmental concerns.  Livestock is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.  Most people don't stop to realize that livestock converts a lot of plants to meat, but the plants could more efficiently feed a larger number of people.  Plus methane from manure is a very significant greenhouse gas.

Mark is advocating a life style change recognizing that it is a more difficult sale than giving desperate people a short term restrictive diet to achieve a goal (however temporary).  The core of the book is to switch from processed foods and meat to more fruits and vegetables and the greater the shift the better.  He also feels that the effort will get easier as time flows.  Ultimately the more effort you put into anything the more you are likely to benefit.

My own experience has been somewhat like a yo-yo diet.  I have in fact on two occasions lost over 30 pounds in a period of a few months, maintained weight for a few years, but found myself gradually reverting to old habits.  The least painful diet was a high fibre diet and later followed by the Fit for Life diet.  Both have had a long lasting effect on me in the fact that I do eat more fruits, vegetables and fibre and less meat.  Unfortunately I have not lost my interest in meat or sugar and deal with stress by compulsively eating comfort foods.

Mark is aware of this tendency and tries to provide healthy alternatives by way of attractive recipes and dealing with guilt feelings when we let down.  The world has opened up and we are now aware of a much greater variety of food options.  It is true that food corporations have made a science of enticing us to eat very tasty food and delivering greater profit for the shareholders.

Mark wants you to enjoy tasting your food and encourages spices to improve the flavor.  Chewing slowly can be part of the strategy as it helps give a feeling of satisfaction before you have over eaten.

Synopsis:  VB6 requires commitment to eat more plant food, including whole grains; eat less animal products and processed foods and eat much less junk food.

I am glad I read Mark's book and listened to him on the radio.  A life style change has appeal and I have been made a few minor painless changes already and am seriously considering making bigger moves.  If you are conscious of your own bad habits you would do well to read his book and help you move in a better direction.  It is workable if you are willing to give it some effort.

You can see that Mark enjoys food and you can too.  Check out his website http://markbittman.com/

Some thoughts on what happens to farm animals when we convert to veganism:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/01/what-happens-to-farm-animals-when.html

"To Sell is Human" and We all do it

Selling is one profession that has very low public esteem.  For some it reeks of poor ethics, for others of ostentatious behaviour and for others is just too difficult.  Daniel Pink did not consider himself a salesman and his general thinking was that it is a job with declining prospects.  However a closer look revealed that selling is more common and important than ever.  Daniel realized that he himself is in sales.  He added a category he calls "non sales selling" and chances are many of you are in the same category.

"Non-sales selling" involves almost everyone.  There are a lot of worthy ideas that don't get executed because no one has been able to sell the idea.  Each day however people like yourself do sell their ideas and get things done that benefit many others.  And even more common, many people fail to sell their worthy ideas.

Selling has changed, not only our understanding, but conditions. Before more modern times the salesman had the knowledge and the buyer was dependent on that knowledge.  Now the tables have turned and the buyer often knows more than the seller.

"Always Be Closing" was a phrase common to selling and really offended a lot of people as presented in the movie "Glengarry Ross".  Daniel updates the ABC acronym to "attunement, buoyancy and clarity."

Attunement simply means understanding your customer or prospect.  Buoyancy requires you to deal with rejection (the real reason people give up selling).  Clarity means identifying the real problem or opportunity.

Sales techniques suggested by Daniel are less manipulative, but practical.  Questioning and listening are key.  A question I also found very effective at opening conversations at trade shows is "Where are you (folks) from?"  It is more important to understand the customer than to trap them into an unwise purchase. Pink suggests websites where you can learn aspects of selling through interaction.

A change in attitude is to see yourself as a servant.  It is not satisfying to feel you have to put one over on a customer in order to make a living.  It is also not effective over the long run.  It is more satisfying to realize you are really meeting a need.

Daniel has a short section on commissions.  I have spent a good hunk of my life selling on commission and can appreciate the benefits, but I have also seen some of the bad aspects.  Commissions can encourage unhealthy competition and unethical manipulation.  I remember a contest where we were allowed to bend all the rules and in the end it created a lot of bad feelings.  I also remember another contest where there were two components--an individual goal and a team goal.  If you achieved both goals you got a bigger prize but as long as you achieved the team goal everyone got something. The advantage here was that we did achieve a high goal and had a lot more collaboration.

A few years back I stumbled on "Drive,"  another book by Daniel and bought it with a birthday gift card.   I originally read Daniel Pink because of his thoughts on motivation and he demonstrates that there is more to sales, business and life than just money.  I highly recommend that book as well.

To end I would like to borrow a quote used by Daniel at the beginning of 'To Sell is Human".  He borrowed it from Arthur Miller  in the Death of a Salesman with a comment aimed at Willy Loman, "The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell.  And the funny thing is, you're a salesman and you don't know that ."  By now you should realize you are all sales people.

To keep up to date with a very innovative thinker visit his website at http://www.danpink.com/