"What Do You Do?"

How many times a day do you get asked "what do you do?"  I typically don't like to ask this question as I prefer to get to know the person I am having a dialect with so I ask them questions about themselves.  "How long have you lived in Florida?" "What brought you to this networking event or cause?" ""Got any plans that are special this summer?"  My reaction to the "what do you do?" question is - the other person wants to qualify me quickly whether I am a candidate to do business with them?  There are some people who are simply curious of what my occupation is and they will typically ask other questions.  I used to change my "30-second elevator speech" nearly every time I am asked that question which hasn't really served me.  My coach got me to focus more on my message and my purpose so I now have it down to exactly what I do - "I listen".  Simple answer but also a complex answer as I really create a safe space for people - business owners and leaders to really discover something they want to change to make their business more successful or their life more balanced and happy.  That is my WHY - I LISTEN to people.  My point in this blog is to suggest you really get clear what your true purpose and passion is and create a simple statement describing those two keys things when describing what you do as it really is your Why (the driver behind what and how you do what you do). By embodying this message about yourself, people will believe you and want to do business with you. Keep it simple and be genuine and see what happens.

People Believing in You

I was in a discussion this morning about when people follow leaders and are inspired by who they are.  Why do people respect and hang on every word some people say, want to do things for them and just simply enjoy being in their presence?  It all boils down to being genuine, making people feel comfortable and listening to what others are saying. Great leaders inspire people to want to follow them even if the path may not always be smooth.  Not all leaders have these traits or rather are too busy to take the time to get to know their  people or engage them in a dialog. Separating a leader of a company from an inspiring (great) leader is a huge space, one that many will never cross or change because they can't and have no desire to do so.  "You are lucky you have a job" or "it's not my job to motivate people, I hire people to do that" will only get a leader so far in his/her success with a lot of casualties along the way.  Those exceptional leaders who see the value in their people are going to strive for excellence and do so with a united front of their team(s), driving success, well-being and engaged employees.  Ask yourself and reflect on - "Who Am I As A Leader?"

The Importance of Finding Out Your Why

I am currently reading the book "Start With Why" by Simon Sinek.  The book goes into detail about the significance of being very clear on Why you do what you do - personally and professionally.  Through my coach training I worked on this concept as the most significant part of who we all are and what the drivers are that motivate us to our success.  Most people are really good at knowing What they are doing and How they are doing it but they typically don't see the significance or have clarity around Why they do something which is really where success and happiness shows up.  Walmart knows what their Why is - a store for the everyday man or woman who typically lives from pay check to pay check.  Southwest Airlines does as well - low cost airline for the everyday person - economical, efficient and no frills. (these are my words not a quote)  So, to start thinking about the purpose behind what you do start asking yourself some questions and from the answers bringing your discovery to light.  examples:  "what is significant about doing this?"  "what do I like/love about this?" "what makes me jump out of bed in the morning and motivates me to do what I am doing?"  "what experience do I want to create for the benefit of others and why is that important?"  These questions lead to deeper meaning in who you are and what you do.

Appreciation Shown at the Work Place

I read the results of a survey in USA Today that the employees polled said that Appreciation was shown by fellow colleagues 54% of the time; by supervisors 30% of the time and by executives 16% of the time.  Are you surprised?  I am not disappointingly.  What does this mean and what needs to change?

This means that management and leaders are too busy running the company to remember the importance of slowing down long enough to see the value of staff and staff's contribution and saying something to people  doing a great job.  Wouldn't it be inspiring and uplifting to the morale of the company if the practice of Appreciation was incorporated into the company culture on a regular basis?  Imagine working in an environment where you are recognized for the skills and talent you bring to the company to help them succeed.  A simple spoken Thank You, an occasional note in the company newsletter, a small gift card, etc. don't take up a lot of energy and money and the results go such a long way.

The new leader of mortgage giant Freddie Mac makes it a point to go around to people's cubicles and engaging in conversation with regular staff to see how they are doing.  He invites people to join him for lunch as well.  The morale of this agency probably is at a very low point for most of the staff who work there.  He sees the relevance and importance of taking time out of his busy day to remember to acknowledge these people.

Gallup has conducted  employee surveys on 500 top companies and a common theme that showed up over and over again.  "Show me appreciation for what I do; understand what my strengths are so you can use me for my best abilities; let me grow through education programs and give me opportunities to improve myself in the service of the company.  Money is not the end all for everyone.  People will contribute to the success of a company by being acknowledged and recognized and given opportunities to grow and create new ideas.

Too many companies don't see this but it's where they need to be for future success and I want to be part of this change.

The Value of Building Open and Honest Relationships

I pride myself in being an open book when I show up in the world.  Honesty and integrity are core values of mine and they show up when I am interfacing with others. Practicing this I have found helps build strong relationships based on trust and faith. Being compassionate and a really good listener has served me both personally and professionally.  At the end of the day it's not what we say or do but how we make people feel that matters the most.  Think about those conversations you have had with someone in your life where you have felt heard and understood with no judgment.  How did that make you feel? What was the significance of that experience?  Thank you CTI for teaching me these skills that I practice everyday and make me the coach that I am now, continually growing and evolving.

Communication Transparency Accountability

These three words were used to describe what was missing in a local government decision that was made that made many people very angry.  If these three words were/ingrained in how leaders operate, challenges would be  discussed openly and solutions found more often.  Yet most companies ignore the significance of communication, transparency and accountability.  The leaders assume that all is OK and everyone understands how I operate and agree with what I do and say. This is not the case, consequently lots of back stabbing, working in fear, unproductive, wasted time with people talking about the problems and disfunction of an organization.  How can this change?

Awareness of the importance of dialog, open communication (transparency) and holding people accountable including the leaders themselves in doing what needs to be done for the good of the company and the clients/customers. Being open to listening to the people to hear new ideas, give their opinions of the impact of a decision, empowering the people to be more engaged in the work process and the culture of the company are key to the success of an organization.

Question to contemplate:  "What is your definition of open communication and how important is it in how you conduct your business?"

Character Strengths

So I took a strengths test last week (I have taken about six different ones).  My top strength is "Gratitude" which is what I am going to talk about here.  I say an affirmation every morning - " I live in gratitude for the many gifts that come my way as the day unfolds".  I then proceed to say with conviction - "thank you" ten times.  You would be surprised at the little things that pop up during the day that work in my favor and I always follow them with "thank you".  Making it across the bridge before they close it; finding the right parking space; being someplace on time when I was so concerned I was going to be late; traveling on I-95 and not being delayed by stopped traffic.  The big ones - appreciating my loving family and friends; my good health, positive outlook on life, where I live, being a US citizen; bringing value to my clients are just some of things I am grateful for.

Oprah got me motivated in 1994 to start writing down five things I am grateful for in a gratitude journal.  I have practiced this for 16 years and each day is always different in some way.  Doing this exercise has made me very aware of all the gifts around me.

What has happened to you in the past hour that you can say "thank you" for?  My wish is that you become more aware of the little things that make life a bit easier in the direction of happiness.