Categoría: attitude

Stuck in a moment, but you can get out of it

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Did you find yourself banging your head against a wall for a while? That you are spinning around? That, you are stuck in a moment (like the song says), and you can’t get out of it? I have prepared 5 tips  for you that can be helpful.

 

1. Spare time: allow yourself have a blank morning, or an hour. Work hard, play hard. Sometimes we think we are so busy that there is not any room for fun. We need more space for peace of mind. More space for surprise. Let yourself think out of the box. Let your team do the same.

2. Trust. Towards others do not start a conversation with someone you have just met by judging. Expect the best from them, even more if you do not know them yet. They could be that difference you need. Build trust towards you, stay true to your standards.

3. Acknowledgement. Let others know when they did a good job done, when you liked it, honestly. Celebrate success, even more than when it is yours. Be proud, do not hide of what you believe in, or you do. Be thankful if someone makes a compliment.

4. Confidence. You could be that type of people who is an explorer, who does not stand by standards. If others think differently from you does not mean you are wrong. If you are not an explorer but a follower, do not tell the others they are wrong when they prefer to plunge into the jungle. Some of their bright ideas could bring you out of dark!

5. Listen. Always and mostly to who does not see the world as you do. You can always get the best advice from those who know you and might think alike. But open your mind. Could it happen that they show you something new? Or make you realize that there is a better approach for your project? Or that you just need to let it go and start from scratch?

You can never find alternative paths following the same road.

The «W.A.I.T.» principle for better meetings

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Meetings, meetings and more meetings. We have plenty of them in our agendas, scheduled, improvised, well planned, .. How many of them have we left with the thought that nothing was decided, that the important stuff was not said, or that everyone had to say something no matter what? Unproductive meetings take place pretty often.

Want to make the most of YOUR time? Let’s look at one of the biggest time-consuming activity: MEETINGS! You will be gaining time, respect and freedom.

When you are one of the attendees you need to be prepared. Ask for the agenda and documentation in advance (so you can know what to expect). During the meeting, use the W.A.I.T principle, Why Am I Talking? Do I have a point to make? Is someone asking for my opinion on something? Will, what I say, add any value to the ongoing discussion? If yes, then be concise. Think before you speak, consider what others said and what you want to obtain from your speech.

Did someone say something that bothered you? Are you going to speak just to correct someone else’s mistake? Is that correction critical? Would make any harm if you ignore it? Are you just speaking to fill in a silence? If your answer was yes, then, do not talk. There is no need to. Do not panic if you do not say a word during the session.  Next time, make sure you participate only if it’s  important for you to do so. It will help you in many ways, one is that you that sense of wasting time will reduce and at the same time it will free you for productive, creative work. Space to think and create. Sometimes we feel… lost, idle if we do not have a busy agenda, or if we do not say a word during a session… It is not real, you are no more important than others by having no free slot or talking more than anyone else. You are as important as your valuable opinion. When you speak up at the right time.

Why Am I talking - productive meetings

The diagram refers to meetings but it is applicable to one to one conversations, professional or personal (follow the left side of the diagram). Say what you need, do not over-talk, find the right moment.

Ready to be more efficient?

Thanks to Work Compass (http://workcompass.com/blog/)

 

The 4 colors connection with teams productivity

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colors, mood and productivity

There is a connection between colors and mood. It can reflect the way we feel or we can use it to alter our current attitude.

Teams are comprised of individuals, so when we look at them we should see like a rainbow of personalities and moods. when it’s  single colored it impacts on the productivity.

We are not in the same mood every single day. It varies, it can be one color but slightly tainted with another. Or, it can evolve during the day. By the powerful «contagion effect» it’s possible that we accommodate our “emotional state” to the one that surrounds us. We will base this analysis in four basic colors.

Black:

  • Attitude: Negativity invades the team. There is no expectation of a promising future ahead of the team. It exists a Negative and defensive relationship among members.
  • Performance: Team is under-performing. Basic tasks are simply and poorly executed.
  • Response to change: They will see a new project as a threat to the status quo.

Blue:

  • Attitude: They are installed in a kind of sadness status, with no progress or change is expected in the near future. The team is worried by uncertainty. Collaboration is possible but with no remarkable results.
  • Performance: We are handling a non-motivated team, with low performance results.
  • Response to change: New projects, new ideas could bring excitement and motivation and finally change their behavior.

 

Yellow:

  • Attitude: A motivated team, sees the future as an opportunity, they are awaiting for new challenges. We can see a positive work atmosphere, collaboration is possible and positive.
  • Performance: Good, average performance.
  • Response to change: Will not take the lead, but actively participate in new topics. They will develop a functional solution to the issue.

 

Red:

  • Attitude: Highly motivated team, looking forward the next defiance. There is no need to promote collaboration, it is natural within the team, and everyone knows their role and play their part in moving the machine.
  • Performance: Will always exceed expectations. It’s always looking for the best results, and they go one step further.
  • Response to change: Will be leading and/or detecting new opportunities.

 

When we lead teams we need to be aware of what color is our team’s mood, of what is going on. Like this we are able to find the adequate leverages to change it. So we get the best from ourselves, the team and the Company. Only then we will give the ultimate service to our customers.

The transformer power of language. Use it for the best version of you.

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Your future you

Language helps us to express feelings, desires, expectations, … so many things as we have been reading. The way we use verb tenses conditions a lot how do we face challenges in life. It also exposes our attitude towards difficulties and changes (do we let it just happen? do we act? do we have fear?).

 

I should…: You are aware that something needs to be done, action taken,… but you are postponing the action.

I want to… : Implies desire, the initiative to start a change, to become something different.

I will…: Shows a clear intention. It implies that we have defined a target.

I have planned to: You already have something in mind, there is plan and an execution on its way.

I am -ing…: Already on the move, towards a final destination.

When the time to look back finally arrives, you should say, I made it: You walked all the way and you succeed. You arrived after all the efforts and sacrifices.

And you should not have to say, I should have…: You regret a decision or a non-decision making. At some point, there was something you didn’t risk trying. This should not happen.Time flies.

Any decision you make needs to be thoughtful. When you are in doubt, choosing between two roads you will discuss a lot with yourself. Eventually you will go for one and you will get, learn, earn some things yet leaving other things.

You can not spend your life stuck, complaining, letting things happening around you, to you, and doing nothing (I should, I could…).  In the end, by allowing yourself to be unhappy an bored days may seem to pass really slow but it is the other way around. Move, try, progress (start using I will, I am…).

If you are on the I should, I would… move to I want to, I will, I am. Transform your language, transform your attitude.

What helps to build a brand can destroy it

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Brand development

It can take years to build a brand, a name, a reputation and only a few actions to take it down.

Companies want to sell products, an image, an experience. They then decide what do they want to be recognized for, start they brand. They put a lot of effort in marketing for their products, slogans, on how to sell better their products. There is a lot of investment on employees so they internalize and potentiate what makes the company (in case it’s a service company) or the product unique. Like this, they can focus on what is key, focus on achieving the expected results.

We, as individuals, do also want to sell something. We have to figure out what do we want to be recognized for. Is it because you are a hard worker? do you keep your word? Are you an expert on something? You decide, this will be your presentation card, and brick by brick construct it.

But Companies and individuals have two sides. The one we have described is the commercial, professional one. We sell THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GOOD AT. You can rely on us.

The other one is the behavioral side, HOW DO WE ACT. What does define ourselves, our values. In a Company, it’s written down and shared by all employees. Would I want someone working with us if they didn’t share our vision of customers, products and services? Will they bring the same passion? Are they able to help us build the image we want to project? In the case of individuals it becomes a bit more tricky. Because we can be loyal to ourselves and apply our principles to everyday actions or we can decide we want to be recognized for something we are not. Then, we need to double our effort, as we will be playing a role.

In any case, to build a reputation can take years, it’s the result of the sum of many actions. When what we sell differs from what we do, a crack appears. When it happens more than once, what helped to build what we are known for disappears. Trust, which is the basis of any brand disappears. And it doesn’t matter if it’s personal, digital, … it doesn’t matter. It is always the «do the talk» thing. In any possible interaction you have.

That is why is so important to keep as honest and simple as possible what you are and what you sell. Then, we can focus on what we are good at, besides on what we would like to be without effort.

 

Work hard. Play hard

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Taking seriously our jobs is not incompatible with having some fun.

Work hard it will pay off later. I have heard this sentence quite a few times. I agree. But, I am pretty sure that if I asked «what is for you to work hard? » there wouldn’t be two similar answers.

Things that come to my mind when thinking about what is «to work hard«:

  • Keep your promises (easy to do?)
  • be gentle
  • learn new things
  • apply what you learn
  • be patient (when learning and teaching)
  • create a «space to fall»
  • allow yourself to fall, allow others to do so
  • be constant
  • keep your goals in mind, always
  • be active, don’t way to be assigned with a task
  • create something when projects are on hold
  • think out of the box
  • the toughest it gets, the biggest (and honest) your smile has to be
  • keep it simple
  • do not assume
  • follow your path, no matter what (ignore the «you won’t make it»)
  • try not to use negative language
  • do not betray your principles

And when it comes to the «play» part:

  • make sure you have time for friends, family and yourself
  • do positive networking
  • go out for lunch or for a drink with cool people
  • have some laughs
  • relax, meetings can be a bit more distended
  • make the most of your time out
  • meet new people
  • get surrounded by positive vibes
  • celebrate
  • do not take others (comments, behaviors,…) too seriously
  • smile, you are alive
  • participate in «not as what I usually do» events

Daily life is full of surprises, challenges, goals. Decide what you want, decide who you are (We will talk about personal brand) and Work hard. But do not forget to play hard, to make it easier, less serious. Make sure you recharge your batteries whenever and however you can.

Love for simplicity

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I have written about good manners, about the three pillars that have to be in balance (or at least 2 of the three). We also had the opportunity to read about communication, … in all of them simplicity was present.

Complexity shows up in very unexpected ways. It can be in our personal life, at the workplace, anywhere.

Those who look for simplicity try to keep everything as manageable as possible. Effortless is their mantra, for themselves and for those who are around them. That’s why when they face challenge, when they learn something new, or work on an unknown project, might feel uncomfortable at the beginning. Relying on the small things that make them happy, helps, it makes the journey more bearable. And soon they will be able to make easy to understand for others their project, new work… Things will go «back to their place».

When life is based on complication, when you try to be someone you are not, when you live two lifes completely different happiness requires too many elaborated components. And when the unexpected shows up, you can not handle everything at the level you used to. There is nothing like an «easy support», you need twice the usual effort to keep everything in place.

No one asks for difficulties to come up, we love a quiet, structured (or at least as much as possible) life. What we have in mind, programmed does not usually follow our timing. There are many obstacles, uncertainty along the way.

The more you keep your day to day uncomplicated, the more coherent are the possibles YOUs, the easier will be what comes ahead, whatever it is.

These are some of the very simple things I love: good conversations, hang out with friends, a drink at the beach, slow tourism, family time … What are yours?

The contagion effect (we can be heroes…)

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Changing oneself is not easy, changing a group’s behavior is complex

Usually we think about transformation from a top-down perspective, change must be accepted, promoted and lead by top management. They believe in it, they act consequently, movement begins. But, there are times when this doesn’t happen or it is not enough. A Bottom-up approach is what it is needed.

But, Why is so difficult to change the way we do things? Why is even more complicated to change a Company’s values (through employees’ behavior)? Because of individual ATTITUDE.

Attitude, is what we bring from home, it’s how do we face life. It can be conservative, aggressive, positive, negative, … many things. Is it possible to trigger the change in your attitude? Of course it is. One I like to explore today is by «contagion».

«Contagion way» – «Contagion effect»:

  • Patient zero can no longer handle the current situation. It goes against his deepest principles, his/her personal rules. He chooses to stop accepting, tolerating, he chooses to change his attitude.
  • Patient zero always had a «different» attitude. Apparently with crazy ideas, deep believes.

Both patients end up being the one who isn’t like the others. Who goes against the tide. Despite fighting alone, being exposed, knowing they are observed, they keep going. They have a special freedom, the one that is given by consistency.

All of the sudden, another one decides to join patient zero.  To get infected. Now both are exposed. But, they keep going. Patient zero does not have to be a natural leader, he can be an occasional one. That is sufficient.

Do not try to infect everyone the very first day. It will take time. Just add more and more people to your different craziness. This will end up in a big group. That’s when it will become the new normal. This is when the old way will no longer be ok. A change in our attitude, the true transformation.

Act positively, be consistent, do never accept what goes against your principles. Your principles tell who you are, no matter where.

Take a look at this video, it adds movement to the contagion effect:

Leadership – contagious behavior

 

The more I observe change around me and the motives behind it, the more I like this topic.

Curiosity killed the labels

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Or when the need or desire to learn more frees us

We all tend to label people. It is human. It makes life easier, keeps everything in some kind of order for us. This is this, he/she is … And it gets more important if we are the kind of person that likes every single thing in its place.

But when we label people three things happen. Firstly, we spend a lot of energy classifying, deciding what the other is or seems to be while finding new adjectives that keep him/her tagged. Secondly, as we have decide to put them in a specific place we close the door to difference, we tend to isolate from the rest. Our comfort zone, our comfort group. And, lastly, we may feel that we know a lot, that there is no need to be taught anything new. If this happens, we can be walking the unlearning path, towards stagnation.

When you decide to learn, your curiosity grows. The more you know, the more you need to explore unknown lands. Then you start caring less about who and more about what. The time dedicated to label people reduces significantly. Listening increases. Of course, this does not mean you need to agree on everything the other says and thinks. It means you are more open minded. You are freer, there is less need to sort things, to have everything classified. All the effort is focused in expanding your knowledge.

Once you tag less, you hear and understand, then, you are able to adapt your speech to different listeners. New conversations arise, a whole new horizon is ahead of you. But also, you save a lot of energy, complete focus on developing yourself, following YOUR own way, caring less about what others do, think and say.

Not easy to stop categorizing all of the sudden. Being curious, helps. Maybe, that one you thought was YYYY can tell you so many things about what you are interested in. Remember, you can label but at the same time you are being labeled too.

 

Rafa, thanks for recommending me «Meditations by Marcus Aurelius». Awesome lecture.