Motivation

Always a hot topic.

Motivation comes from within, and is based on these three needs:

• Autonomy
• Relatedness
• Competence
  
  How can you apply these to your team?

Autonomy: When people feel like they are in charge, they’re more motivated.  So next time you assign a project, frame the information or situation in a way that gives them control.

Relatedness: When talking to team members about goals, projects and tasks, share how it helps them, the team, the company, the client and/or the world.

Competence: People feel best when they are learning and growing. Even learning unrelated to work can improve on-the-job performance. Encourage team members to follow a passion they have: salsa dancing, guitar lessons, cooking classes or even CrossFit.

More time spent on communicating the work can save time on the work.

Want to know more? Watch Dan Pink's video on Drive.

Well, I heard...

Copyright: 123RF Stock Photo

Have you ever been on a team and a new person joined that you knew nothing about?

Have you ever been been assigned a new boss or project leader that you didn't know?

What did you do?  

Chances are you made up a story and sometimes that story can undermine that person's credibility.  

If you're a new manager or new to the team, here are some ideas on how to fill in the information gap so that you can start off on the right foot. 

1. Encourage the person above you to send out a note which highlights your accomplishments.
2. Make time to meet with each person on your team.  Have a conversation about your goals and theirs.  This is especially important if you have been promoted over a colleague who also wanted that role. Meet with that person and appreciate their contributions. Offer them important work. Give trust to earn trust. 
3. Pay it forward.  Be sure that when you bring new people onboard, that you share WHY they have been chosen.

Sharing the WHAT and the WHY every time you communicate with your team makes for better results.  

That was then... This is now...

Image Credit: gerrylagendyk.blogspot.com

First impressions stick and lead to expectations.

When they are good, we may assume positive intentions for everything a person does (halo effect), when they are not good, we assume the worst (horn effect).

Consider Sarah. 

When Sarah started, she didn’t know the database that well and asked a lot of questions that she could have answered on her own with a query. 

One day, as you are rushing out of the office to meet with a client, you realize you forgot to research a couple of key items about them that you think might be captured in the database.  You see Sarah, but hesitate to ask her to check on it because you are stuck with the first impression – Sarah doesn’t understand how to use our database.  It makes you impatient and grumpy.  And it may undermine Sarah’s abilities.

The solution is to challenge your assumption and ask for her help.  If she helps you, re-write the story of Sarah in your head.

Who needs a second chance at a first impression in your office?

H-E-B & Harvey

Company culture is the personality of a company. It’s the environment employees work in and it has a huge impact on productivity and profitability.

Employees at H-E-B know that their company made helping those impacted by Harvey a priority. H-E-B sent disaster relief units, including pharmacy and ATM operations, and mobile kitchens to serve hot meals to the community and first responders. One kitchen can whip up 6,000 meals every day!

If you worked at H-E-B, how would you feel?

As a leader, manager, or supervisor you set the tone for your team.  What tone are you setting today?

Since moving our HQ to Texas, we’ve had the pleasure of shopping at H-E-B and we are fans! To learn more about HEB click here. 

Don't Mess With Texas

What do a polygraph, a DiSC Assessment, and Wonder Woman have in common?

They were all invented by Dr. William Marston. 

• In 1917, Dr. Marston discovered the link between blood pressure and lying which led to the creation of the prototype for the polygraph and the lasso of truth.

• In the 1930’s, he applied his studies on human behavior to help Universal Studios transition from melodramatic silent pictures to movies with audio and encouraged the need for more natural gestures and facial expression by actors.

• In the 1940’s, he introduced us to Wonder Woman.  Her heroic behaviors show strong will, power, and the use of the behavioral style dimensions of DiSC — dominance, influence, submission, and compliance — to accomplish her missions.

Many of you have enjoyed the benefits of understanding DiSC for self-awareness, teams, managing, and leading.  If you’d like to have a live or virtual DiSC session, let’s chat. 

Want to hear more about Dr. Marston, watch this CBS report. 

“Not even girls want to be girls so long as our feminine archetype lacks force, strength and power. Not wanting to be girls, they don’t want to be tender, submissive, peace-loving as good women are. Women’s strong qualities have become despised because of their weakness. The obvious remedy is to create a feminine character with all the strength of Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman.”

— Dr. William Moulton Marston

Persuasive Speakers

make their presentations audience-centered, they listen while they speak.  

How is that possible you ask?  

They listen to what their audience may be trying to tell them - verbally and non-verbally.  

Q:   Which of these signs indicate the audience may be defensive:

1.   Hand/arm gestures are small and close to their body.

2.   Minimal facial expressions.

3.   Asking a lot of questions.

4.   Physically turning their body away from you.

5.   Arms are crossed in front of body.

6.   Little or no eye contact

A:   All of them - except 3. 

Embrace #3.  If they are asking questions, they are trying to understand and possibly get on board.

If they are defensive, allow that person or the team a chance to vent.  

Boo Y'all!

What are your plans for all that leftover Halloween candy?

Here's an idea, send someone a sweet message.  

How will you use yours?