For years…or more accurately, decades, I’ve noodled the concept of ‘special.’ It seems most of us share a deep desire to both be seen as special and to fit in. In some ways, that can seem almost contradictory. But, it seems to work itself out most of the time. As a business coach/consultant/trainer/adviser, I see these needs show up often—in both leaders and their people. People long for a sense of being seen as singular in their skill, their competency, their contribution and also a longing to be one with the group. I find that companies that recognize these two essential human needs and work with them in a conscious way do better. Before anybody is tempted to mock the idea with a disparaging reference to the “everyone’s a winner!” campaign, I offer the following. Recognizing someone as special is not about a badge or canned moniker. It’s about looking someone in the eyes and sincerely saying ‘nice job’ when they do a nice job. It’s being aware and recognizing when someone goes above and beyond…even a little bit. Sometimes, it’s setting the bar just high enough to invite more and taking the time to acknowledge them when they make it happen. Creating a connected group that trusts and supports one another is similar, but dovetails slightly. Like with noticing someone’s special achievement, communicating appreciation is still critical. However here it’s important to weave a more united ‘we.’ Camaraderie is built on the connection that mutual trust and honesty forge. Inclusion is the bigger energy here—as a group entity is being formed. Being perceived as special and belonging are powerful human needs. Rather than being exclusive of one another, they can actually support and catalyze each other. Supporting the big human needs in the workplace is not about kowtowing to or going soft. Nor is it about campaigns or psycho-babble. It’s about attending to that which lifts and inspires people beyond a protective survival mindset and into greater potential. When critical human needs are attended to, we are much more likely to move into our greater potential.                       Discover more here!                           Discover 8 Powerful Ways to Energize Your...

Business seems too often to be given a pass when it comes to human behavior. Once a week hundreds of thousands of people gather to espouse their faith and gather in fellowship. They listen to stories of good deeds, kindness and compassion, experience the warmth of relationship and caring support and likely feel a sense of peace and joy. Then, on Monday they return to work, which in many cases offers up a very different type of experience. Good deeds, kindness, compassion, warm relationships, caring support, the feeling of peace and joy. Poof! Gone. And, somehow, this all seems to work…at work. Or, does it? I don’t believe it does work. What I do believe is that much of our current business consciousness is akin to an old massive trunk of archaic mindsets, paradigms and jungle mentality that we keep dragging into the future. What worked for the Industrial Age does not work now. In fact, it hasn’t worked for over a century. But, like all things caught in a tenacious institutional vice grip, it’s been a tough one to wrestle free. The idea that we continue to operate business organizations with these old concepts can be a tough pill to swallow. Yet, all the shiny new technology, political correctness, HR razzle-dazzle and MBA driven Mission Statements are not the kiss that will transform the toad. What will transform the toad is a good dose of that which those millions of folks gather to experience once a week. Not the dogma or the doctrine, but the experience of being human in a more heart-based and less ego-driven way. Business is not a world unto itself. It is an extension of human endeavor—designed, created and operated by humans. And it has powerfully moved into our time. We need not be dictated to by yesterday’s less evolved patterns and behaviors. To do so, would be the tail wagging the dog. Instead, we have the ability to update and refresh what business means and how it is run. One of the big reasons why people disengage from their workplace is because they don’t feel good being there. I’m not referring to being Pollyanna or “oh, poor me” or “I’d rather be home watching TV and eating chips.” I’m stating that the workplace is often a survival-based, ego-driven structure where many people don’t feel safe or good. It’s that simple and that serious. If you are wondering why American business feels stalled, that’s a big reason why. The people that work there aren’t fully there. For you traditionalists out there, I offer this. Creativity, performance, productivity and innovation are at their greatest when people are engaged. People are most apt to be engaged...

Recently, I was talking with a friend of mine who owns his own business. For the most part, he’s happy with the way things are going. His people have been with him for a long time and the processes they’ve created run smoothly. The company’s revenue and profitability are good and he has a sizable group of loyal clients. The one thing, however, that he really wants to change are the company’s goal setting practices. That, he feels, has been a weak muscle and one he’d like to start building. His instinct to incorporate more clear and focused goal setting practices into the company is a good one. Goal setting and action planning are key to a company moving in an intentional direction. Proactive goal setting, though, requires an all important ‘pre’ activity. That ‘pre’ activity is the time and attention required to get clear on where you are now and where you want to go. This is not a step you want to skim over. In most cases, this step unleashes the energetic fuel that will be needed to complete or exceed the goal. Without becoming clear on the want and desire, the effort can become dry and mechanical…not so compelling. Business theory and logic may try to gloss over it, but we human beings spend a lot of time being. Being is alive, it’s emotional and it’s creative. All of which, prove advantageous for setting goals and making them happen. Rationale and reason are invited to the game, but alone they lack the compelling ‘why’ that sustains the action and keeps things moving forward. That’s why it’s critical that people set their own goals and participate in determining their own course of action to realize those goals. Goals and action plans laid on people lack ownership and a personal why. They may work as an ultimatum, but rarely as a powerful impetus for action. Leaders worth their salt, want their people to be personally involved in the forward movement of the company. Without it, it’s back to the mechanical. Emotion and desire forge commitment. They are the glue that connects people to the mission and vision. As importantly, they are the fuel that propels action and companies forward. Plug into your desire. It’s the rocket booster of action. Discover 8 Powerful Ways to Energize Your People!...

  True leadership development is essentially code for stepping into one’s own human potential. It is so much more than running a good company, making wise strategic decisions or inspiring people to follow. Those are the external manifestations of a good leader. It’s the internal manifestations—one’s personal evolvement and maturation that inform the action and behavior of a person as leader. That is the core differentiator between lackluster, good and great. In our culture, we have become so mesmerized by the external symbols and trappings of what we currently perceive to be ‘successful’ leadership, that we may have disconnected from the deeper truths of what it means to be a great leader. Yes, financial generation is tremendously important in the business sector, but what about those internal human attributes that characterize a person of note. A person we can look to and witness integrity, fairness, hopefulness, courage and compassion. In this chaotic world, that is becoming more critical in a leader, not less so. As social animals, we need each other to survive…whether we choose to admit that or not. And we also need one another to demonstrate what’s possible from a human development perspective in this planetary experience of life. Leadership is a big part of that modeling and informing. The question then becomes what is a leader modeling. Is it simply a mindless drive for the material or is it something more. Is it in the way they carry themselves during a crisis or how they reach out to someone in need or how they make decisions aligned with truth and integrity. Leaders that possess an integrated heart, mind and gut are those that will move this world forward. Extreme rationalism, disconnected from healthy human emotion will not inspire. Extreme emotionality, untethered to sound emotional intelligence can be destructive. Each of us has the opportunity to intentionally step into our own personal leadership and cultivate those attributes that are real and substantial to our forward movement as a species. Whether we assume a title of leader or not, we will always have one follower…ourselves. That’s where true leadership begins. It is and always has been, an inside job. Be the leader you wish to see in the world. What are the leadership qualities you most value? If you could use some help getting clear, contact us. It’s critically important to your company, your people, your influence as a leader and your future, to be clear. Sign me up for a Strategy...

It’s easy in business to get pulled away from that which really needs attention. There are so many variations on blinking lights and buzzing alerts that the ‘Butterfly Syndrome’ is easily activated. If you aren’t familiar with the Butterfly Syndrome, it’s that attention shifting behavior, where we move reactively from one thing to the next. Email can be an attractive Butterfly and so can social media. Of course smart phones are the Monarch of all attention catching Butterflies. Their compelling pull can lure even the most focused of business folk. For me, the biggest issue with the Butterfly Syndrome is that it can be so effective at keeping us from locking our attention on that which is most important or critical. Whether it be taking the time to increase our awareness around a particular area, crafting a plan of action, implementing that action or bringing it to completion, Butterflies will be flitting along the path. Staying with the program and keeping it moving forward requires a steadiness of mind and a pledge to largely ignore those beating wings. Of course, some Butterflies require attention in the moment. This, of course, increases the challenge. Simply ignoring everything that flutters around isn’t realistic. To be able to attend to that one important Butterfly, do what needs to be done and return reliably to the work at hand is an art. It requires the skill of discernment and the discipline to return to the intentioned activity—the Butterfly master program. As long as business and life continue to introduce new exotic variations of Butterflies, we will be invited to develop our attention-placing and focusing abilities. Humans, over the last many decades, have taken a hit in this area. It’s time to muster our will and not be seduced towards ever-shorter attention spans. Placing attention and holding it for longer than seven seconds is a choice and a practice. It is essential to all aspects of fulfilling life and work. Butterflies can be great. It is however, a decision, conscious or unconscious, as to when we look at them and for how long. Attention and focus are the precious skills of our time. We get to choose when, how often and how well we pay attention and focus. At work, in life, it matters. Getting clear and calm helps you develop both skills. Discover 6 Ways to Create a Calming Moment…at...

As a business owner, there is an interesting corollary between hats and trust. In that, I mean the number of hats I feel compelled to wear in my business is oftentimes directly related to the level of trust I place in those that work in and for my company. Or, more accurately, do not place. My perceived workload as well as my concern about the health and future of my business are nearly always a barometer of how well I am trusting the vibrant resources in my midst. Trust is a big deal in business. It cannot be commanded nor intellectually generated. Once established, it can disappear in a flash. Trust is experienced not in the mind, but elsewhere. It can inform the mind, but it’s held in the heart. Which is why it can be such a challenge to foster in business. Workplaces are not traditionally environments where we allow our heart access. The truth is, if you want to activate trust within a company, the human heart is going to need to be involved. Otherwise, it’s simply a mental concept, impotent and without value. The best way to understand how to develop trust in others is to understand how it develops within ourselves. While our openness and ability to trust varies dramatically, the elements that foster it are shared. Consistency, honesty and empathy are critical to building trust. Whereas inconstancy, duplicity and indifference will prevent it from developing and ravage what trust exists. There is no tactical game plan for building trust in a company and without it, the true potential of any given enterprise will be largely unrealized. Leading is about vision, mission and action. Most importantly, however, it’s about developing trust within oneself and within the hearts of the people of the company. The level of trust each person experiences within the organization for the organization, will directly impact their work and performance. Trust engages the heart and spirit. It’s the vital component between lackluster and good, good and great. Leaders begin the work of building trust in others by first trusting others. Need trust? Becoming aware of that 24/7 security vigilante otherwise known as your ‘ego’ will help.  Discover 7 Ways to Quiet Security-Seeking Egos in the Workplace right...