2008 has been an exciting year for me and the Maximize Possibility Blog. I have formed some great relationships with fellow bloggers, seen a steady increase in readership and comments, and most importantly I have acquired a wealth of new knowledge to share with my readers and use in my quest to help my Clients Maximize Possibility in their organizations.
The end of the year offers an excellent opportunity to reflect on highlights of the last past twelve months and look forward to the excitement that 2009 promises to bring us. As I looked back through my blog archives for the past year I found myself making a list of the posts I had the most fun writing and the ones which generated the greatest response from my readers.
I'd like to share these posts (in no particular order) for those of you (like me) with a fondness for reminiscing during this time of year, as well as newer followers to my blog who may have missed these posts. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing and sharing them with you!
Five Signs Your Firm's Culture May Be Inbred
Hiring During a Recession: Beware of the "Low Bid"
Five Signs that Personal Accountability Isn't a Core Cultural Value
Personal Accountability: Who Are You Really Pointing the Finger at?
Is Having an Asshole for a Boss Really Such a Bad Thing?
Cutting Through the BS
Wanted: HR Professionals with Business Acumen
Is Talent Management Too Important to be Left to HR?
Four Signs You Are Guilty of Loving Your Employees Too Much
Does HR Really Want to Reduce Turnover?
Can Technology Trump Talent?
Workplace Bullying: A Label of Convenience?
Eight Ways to Improve Employee Morale
Hey! I Want my $200,000 Back! Tales of Regret and Lousy Hiring Decisions
Four Employee Engagement Drivers of Passion for One's Job
Hiring Top Talent: Is Your Organization Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is?
Ten Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job
Here's wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2009!
With 2008 coming to an end, there has been an abundance of excellent posts reflecting on the year that was 2008 and looking ahead to what 2009 will bring us. In this rendition of my Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week I'd like to feature my five favorite posts from bloggers reflecting on 2008 and looking ahead to 2009. Enjoy!
Lance Huan, Your HR Guy: Predictions for 2009 - Lance has posted an excellent and provocative three part series with predictions for HR in 2009. Click the following links to read Part I, Part II, and my favorite, Part III.
Tim De Jardine, Cheezhead Blog: Hiring Strategies for 2009 - Guest blogger Tim De Jardine outlines his best practices strategies for hiring and selection in 2009.
Dan Bobinski, Workplace Excellence: My End-of-Year List of Recommended Reads - Dan shares his five favorite books from 2008. It is a great list, so be sure to check it out!
Jennifer McClure, Fistful of Talent: Five Must-Use Social Media Tools for HR and Recruiting Professionals in 2009 - If you have yet to make social media and Web 2.0 a part of your recruiting and hiring strategy, the time to act is now! Jennifer McClure provides five must-use social media tools for recruiting and hiring during 2009, along with a bunch of great links to additional information to help get you started.
Lisa Haneberg, Management Craft: Thinking About the New Year - Lisa provides some great links to free resources to help you start 2009 off with a bang, and also shares her New Years resolutions for 2009.
Every Friday I like to feature an online resource that will help you to Maximize Possibility in your organization and your life at work. Today I would like to feature an online newsletter that I have found to be very valuable and am confident you will enjoy too.
The Resource: Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine Newsletter
What it Covers: Jeffrey writes insightful articles on timely and relevant sales topics including product branding, personal branding, prospecting, public speaking and sales presentations, closing the sale, and just about anything else you can think of when it comes to sales and selling.
Why You Should Check it Out: Jeffrey is a seasoned sales expert and shares his knowledge and experience in his free email newsletter. He has seen boom times, as well as bust, and does an excellent job of providing sales advice that is useful in any economic climate.
Jeffrey's newsletter also features a Q&A section where he offers his readers answers to their sales related questions. He also regularly features a guest columnist which greatly adds to the breadth and diversity of this resource.
Whether you are a rookie sales representative, an HR professional, or a line manager you are sure to find great value in Jeffrey Gitomer's newsletter. Regardless of profession everyone has a product to sell, and that product is YOU!
Sign up for Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Caffeine Newsletter today!
While most of us were enjoying time away from work sharing the holidays with loved ones, Peggy Andrews was hard at work putting together the latest Carnival of Human Resources.
Head over to her blog to check out an excellent collection of 18 posts on human resources, talent management, leadership, and much, much more!
With all the great posts hitting the Blogosphere this past week on the topics of leadership, talent management, and human resource management, we'd like to point you to five posts (and a bonus pick!) that we consider to be the best of the best for the week of December 15th to December 21st, 2008.
Wally Bock, Three Star Leadership: Layoff Survivors: The Few, The Fatigued, The Forgotten - Understandably, victims of corporate layoffs receive a lot of attention in the media. What we don't hear much about are the layoff survivors who keep their jobs. Wally takes a look at some resent research on layoff survivors and discusses the management challenges they present. Also, be sure to download Wally's free whitepaper on managing headcount in a downturn.
Steve Roesler, All Things Workplace: Stress, Fear, Action, Relief - Steve takes a look at workplace fear and stress and how taking action can provide relief.
Jon Ingham's Strategic Human Capital Management (HCM) Blog: Human vs. Financial Capital - Jon examines the old saying "Our people are our greatest asset" by comparing the trends in human versus financial capital.
John Agno, The Leadership Blog: Without a Sales Process: Expect Little Revenue - Jon reminds us of the importance of a sales process to driving sales performance and company revenues.
Nina Simosko: Leadership Pheromones - Ever noticed how some people seem to naturally command respect from others and assume leadership roles? Nina takes a look at the "leadership pheromones" these individuals possess that make them natural leaders.
Bonus Pick: Ann Bares of Compensation Force reports on an interesting reward and compensation plan being used by Credit Suisse whereby the company is unloading toxic assets from its balance sheet and giving them to employees as a part of their total compensation package.
Every Friday we like to feature an online resource that will help you to Maximize Possibility in your organization and your life at work. Today we have an excellent online resource that I am confident you will enjoy.
The Resource: Ann Bares' Compensation Force Blog
What it Covers: As her blog name would indicate, Ann writes primarily on compensation issues in the workplace. Whether its pay for performance, severance packages, changes in minimum wage regulations, or salary creep, Ann covers it all. On top of her expertise in the compensation field, Ann also comments quite thoughtfully on a wide array of human resources and talent management issues.
Why You Should Check it Out: Ann is a true professional in the compensation industry. Her posts are full of substance and draw on her 20+ years of compensation and performance management consulting experience.
One of my favorite things about Ann's blog is her extensive use of research in her posts. She does an excellent job of keeping abreast of the latest industry research and sharing it with her readers. Compensation Force has quickly become my go-to place for compensation and performance management industry research links and information.
If you are interested in compensation and performance management issues, Ann's blog should be on the top of your reading list. Head on over and check it out for yourself!
Posts from Ann's blog you may enjoy:
If you are an executive or senior level manager in a publicly held organization, you should already know this, but just in case you forgot: Succession planning is a fiduciary responsibility to your Shareholders.
Remember your Shareholders? That is right... the people who actually own your company and vote for the board of directors that decides if you get to keep your job or not.
While succession planning does not make a lot of financial headlines, it can have a considerable impact on the value of your organization's stock. Remember Management 101? Your job as an executive is to increase the value of your stockholders' investments in your organization and provide positive financial returns.
A perfect example of the fiduciary responsibility executives owe to their stockholders in the form of succession planning is Apple (AAPL).
Yesterday the stock was down 5% on news that Apple was pulling out of the upcoming annual Macworldconference in January and that CEO Steve Jobs would not be delivering the keynote speech at the conference as expected.
This set off a renewed frenzy of speculation about Jobs' health (he was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and recently worried investors with his overly "thin" appearance at a product launch in June) and once again brought to bear the fact that there is no heir-apparent to the leader who is seen by many as irreplaceable. This led nervous investors to unload their shares as a result of the uncertainty surrounding Apple's future leadership.
With all due fairness, Apple could have pulled out of the Macworld conference for any number of reasons that have nothing to do with Jobs' health, and Apple could have a well thought out succession plan in the wings and just has not went public with it.
Here is the catch... investors are nervous, the economy is in the tank, corruption and scandal have become pervasive in both government and on Wall Street, and transparency is a hard thing to come by these days. Quite simply, Stockholders want assurance that their investments are in good hands - not only today, but also in the future.
An executive leadership succession plan is an essential part of assuring stockholders that their investments in an organization will not be blundered.
Key things to consider when developing a leadership succession plan:
- Executive succession planning is not something that can be pawned off on HR (sorry HR).
- Succession planning requires commitment and active involvement from top level executives and managers to develop and prepare the future leaders of your organization.
- It is essential to thoroughly understand the potential of your employees and keep an up to date inventory of the talent that can be tapped in your organization.
- Keep both stockholders and employees "in the loop" as to the future leadership potential within your organization.
- Succession planning is not an item on a to-do list that can be checked off and considered completed. Rather, it is a dynamic and continually evolving process that requires a serious commitment from all members involved to ensure a successful transition of power and leadership.
- It is not enough to simply name the next leader of your organization - this is nothing more than replacement planning. Succession planning is the purposeful creation of a "leadership pipeline" of individuals who have been trained and developed to move to the next level within your organization.
Take a good hard look at your organization's leadership succession plan. Are you prepared for the future? Where can you improve? What can you do different?
Remember... Management Succession Planning is a fiduciary responsibility!
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
Succession Planning and Diamonds in the Rough
11 Ways to Recruit and Retain the Best Talent During a Down Economy
Are you Promoting the Right People?
Change Your Game Before Someone Does For You
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
1-866-988-RAIN
Any time you get together with family, it can be quite stressful...
In the Young household, Christmas Eve is when we celebrate. We also enjoy our own family tradition of having a feast that my wife, son, and daughter look forward to in the weeks ahead. Oh yeah.... And we open up presents!
Christmas Day is a rich tradition as well. Our Christmas tradition means going to the in-laws for the entire day. It's an incredible day for our family as we celebrate together. There's a rich feast as my mother-in-law is an amazing cook and the rest of the family brings dishes that are simply amazing. Christmas is not a time to go on a diet!
Then there's the gift opening. Always fun.... Especially when we watch the children open their Christmas gifts.
Then there's the family banter. And that's not always so fun… For those of you familiar with the DISC behavioral assessment profile I'm a High DI - meaning I am a problem-seeking people lover. I usually have a perspective for most everything. But at Christmas time, I hold back… Christmas time at my in-laws is a special time where I "flex" my behavioral style to a much more adaptive quiet "Chris". Trust me... It takes a lot of energy to keep me quiet!
If I didn't "flex", there's a strong likelihood that I would offend someone who is "opposite" my Behavior Style. Remember… The more a person flexes their Behavioral Style, the more "energy" they use up in a particular period of time. This energy use leads to one of a couple of "paths" – energy burnout or tension flare-ups.
How do I handle the energy burnout? The same way many people do… At around 3pm on Christmas it's nap time. By then I am typically emotionally drained and I either need a nap or I need to go for a walk. I need to escape!
Yes.... I love my family. But I don't want to spend lots and lots of time with some of them!
Following are Ten Ways to Minimize Stress at Christmas...
- Visualize a good time. In the days prior to Christmas – think positive thoughts about your time with your family members. Remember the good times from Christmas past. Visualize a low stress Christmas. You will get what you "look for". Just as the expectations you set of your employees affects their performance, the expectations you set of your family get together will determine if you have an enjoyable time or not.
- Smile a lot. Smiling improves your "likeability factor". If others see you as "likeable" – they will in turn "flex" their Behaviors to meet yours. Besides… Many people look for visual "cues" in others to tell them how things are going. By smiling, I am either telling them I am happy or not a threat to them.
- Don't take anything personally. Everyone sees the world differently and is a product of days, weeks, months, and years of life history. What others say or do doesn't truly reflect you – but rather their own "issues". Robert Hartman conducted some very interesting on how individuals view the world around them (called axiology). Click here for more info.
- Talk about what others talk about. People like people who are most like themselves. Be like others and they will be less likely to see you as a "threat".
- When in doubt - say nothing. What you say may be used against you. If you doubt what you are about to say will be taken in a positive light – don't say it.
- Know when to disengage. Feeling tense? Ready to verbally "spar" with someone you can't stand? Go for a walk. Take a nap. Read a book. Watch television. Play a game with the kids. Do what it takes to get out of the situation so that you don't end up saying or doing something you will regret.
- Minimize alcohol intake. Alcohol frees up inhibitions and with it – the best intentions disappear. Limit yourself to one beverage at most.
- Remember… "This too shall pass." You can tolerate anything for a short period of time.
- Forgive. In the "spirit of Christmas" – forgive. Just forgive others for what they may have done – perceived or real. Most importantly, forgive yourself.
- You are normal! The more people in your family or at a get together – the more likely you will meet someone who drives you crazy! It's normal!
- Spend Christmas with only your immediate family!
Christmas should be a time of celebration. Enjoy your time with your family members and loved ones by flexing your Behavioral Style. You will be glad you did!
Merry Christmas!
Other posts you may be interested in:
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
1-866-988-RAIN
With all the great posts hitting the Blogosphere this past week on the topics of leadership, talent management, and human resource management, we'd like to point you to five posts (and a bonus pick!) that we consider to be the best of the best for the week of December 8th to December 14th, 2008.
Carmine Coyote, Slow Leadership Blog: What is Quality Leadership - Carmine looks past the Hollywood portrayal of business leaders and examines what quality leaders are really made of.
Wally Bock, Three Star Leadership: Leaders Eat Last - Wally reflects on the leadership lessons he took away from his time serving with the Marine Corps and applies them to these troubling economic times.
Simon Cooper, Brilliant Leadership: Motivating Staff - As a primer to his upcoming Motivation Bite Size series Simon provides four requisite conditions that must be satisfied for employees to be motivated in their work.
Gautam Ghosh's White Spaces: Re-Imagining HR - Having re-branded and re-named his blog, Gautam sets his sights on the human resources function and explores what it would take to re-invent HR.
Lance Huan, Your HR Guy: The One Thing You Should Do Today - In these troubling and uncertain times Lance offers his advice for dealing with the fear of the unknown.
Bonus Pick: For those of you working for organizations that are having a holiday party, Susan Heathfield of About.com provides seven common office party gaffes that can equate to career suicide if not avoided.
Every Friday we like to feature an online resource that will help you to Maximize Possibility in your organization and your life at work. Today we have an excellent online resource that I am confident will enjoy.
The Resource: HRResource.com -- Training and Education for Human Resource Professionals
What it Covers: HRResource is a collaborative online community of HR professionals who contribute to the site via blog posts, articles, and white papers on a wide range of human resource topics including leadership, compliance, strategy, talent management, recruitment, selection, and much more.
The website has an excellent collection of podcasts, audio and visual lectures, job postings, and online forums for HR professionals to exchange information and keep abreast of the latest happening in the human resources industry.
HRResource also has an excellent online directory of organizations that provide HR training and consulting services. In addition to this it also offers a variety of training teleconferences, webinars, and seminars that provide continuing education units (CEUs) for those of you with PHR or the SPHR certifications.
Why You Should Check it Out: What I really like about this site is the breadth of resources from a diverse range of sources that it provides. Whether you are in the mood to read a highly researched white paper, a short and engaging blog post, or view an informative video presentation on the latest HR news you are sure to find something to suit your needs.
What are you waiting for? Head on over to HRResource.com and check it out for yourself!
Some features on HRResource that you will enjoy:
Important Question: What is your Personal Brand?
A powerful brand is Ferrari. When you think of the word and image, "Ferrari", what comes to mind?
- Fast
- Red (perhaps Yellow...)
- Exotic
- Expensive
Perhaps you want one... perhaps not.
Well... Guess what? YOU HAVE A PERSONAL BRAND.
Thinking of your Personal Brand... What do people think of when your name comes to mind?
- Hard-working?
- Caring?
- Personal Accountability?
- Team Player?
- Positive Energy?
Or:
- Does only enough to get by?
- Cares only for themselves?
- No Personal Accountability -- blames everyone / everything else for their short-comings?
- Not a team player?
- Negative energy?
Perhaps your team members want to help you? Perhaps they want to work with you? Perhaps not...
Do your Customers think of you as:
- Attentive
- Caring
- Consultative
- Helpful
- Positive energy
Or:
- Not attentive
- Not caring
- Not consultative
- Not helpful
- Negative energy
Perhaps your Customer wants to listen to you? Perhaps your Customer wants to buy from you? Perhaps not...
The reality is that people think of you the way they perceive you.
What you do and how you do it creates perceptions. It is important to realize that not everyone sees your world the same way you do.
What are you doing to improve your Personal Brand image?
What are you doing to improve your contribution?
What are you doing to make your difference
You might be saying, "Look, Chris... This is JUST A JOB. It is not my life." To which I would reply: "How can anything that takes up 25% of your life and puts food on your table just be anything?
To those who say, "This is just a job," I say, "Stop ripping yourself and the world off." Love what you do or find work that you can love.
Key point -- What will your legacy be? We are all creating a legacy. Trust me. Is your legacy the one you want everyone to remember you for?
- "This person, (insert your name), gave only the minimum in their life and job."
- "This person, (insert your name), hated their job but collected the paycheck because they needed the benefits and felt that they could not do any better."
- "This person, (insert your name), just showed up."
- "This person, (insert your name), lived."
- "This person, (insert your name), did everything they did with passion, energy, and gusto."
Which person are you? Do not compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to you.
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
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Lisa is hosting the latest Carnival of Human Resources at her blog, HR Thoughts.
Head on over and check it out for a great collection of blog posts from some of the best bloggers in the industry!
I opened up today’s Wall Street Journal to find more bad economic news of corporate layoffs and job cuts abound.
It is really bad folks.
These are the worst economic times my generation (X Generation) has ever seen. This quarter (Q4 ‘08) is likely to be the worst economically, and the after-effects will be felt for the coming 12-24 months. One key sign of the “after-effect” will be the continued business layoffs. Everything economically happens after the original impact. That is why it is called the “lag effect”.
Here is my worry. Companies are making speedy job cuts – Especially the harder-hit sectors such as finance. I am concerned because in my consulting experience, I know one thing with dramatic certainty: most organizations have no clue as to the true potential of their talent. In other words – most organizations have no idea what their “talent inventory” is.
How do companies decide who stays and who goes? On a good day, most organizations use anecdotal performance data that does not accurately represent the true potential of an employee team member. Instead, employers are relying on the “gut feel” of managers or decision-makers who decide “who stays and who goes”.
In other words – those who are liked by the person making the “who stays and who goes” decisions get to keep their jobs.
“Who goes” is typically going to be a cross-function of who is more of a perceived liability to the organization coupled with who is out-of-favor with the decision-makers deciding on the job cuts.
The “Who goes” decision is not very scientific at all. Needless to say, this is lousy recessionary Talent Management Strategy.
Why? Human beings are inherently biased. With a particular Client in mind, I think of the nicest people who are liked the most by the management – these people get to keep their jobs… For the record, not everyone listens to our suggested Talent Management Strategy. That strategy is simple – keep the best talent possible.
Instead most organizations and ultimately the management retain the people they like the most – at least initially. In this particular instance (and in general) these “well-liked people” share one thing in common – they are nice people AND their performance is the lowest. Will they be cut first? They should be, but they will not be cut. They are too nice. Will they go in the second round of corporate layoffs? Would they go in a downturn? That depends. It depends on if the economic problem is too significant and how much their manager is willing to go to bat for them.
The net result is lower performers stay. When low performers stay, the inherent long-term risk to the organization is obvious.
What can be done? Maintain a “talent inventory” at all times in the event that corporate layoffs become necessary. Match the talent with the performance. If there is a spread between actual performance and the potential of the team member, review the situation. Can the employee team member be inspired or motivated?
It is critical that a “talent inventory” be maintained at all times. Through a “talent inventory”, a company can better manage and understand the true potential of each team member. In an economic downturn, the company can compare the existing talent inventory to the company’s true economic needs. The result is better planning for the economic downturn – targeted layoffs and job cuts. An additional benefit is the maximization of employee performance today and tomorrow.
What can you do?
· Benchmark each position.
· Profile each team member.
· Compare each team member to the Job Benchmark.
· Implement customized coaching plans to address performance gaps.
· Don’t let brown-nosing impact your talent management strategy.
It is not too late to understand the true potential of your talent and avoid job cuts based on likeability instead of performance and potential.
Give me a call if I can help.
Now go Maximize Possibility!
Other blog posts you may be interested in:
Is "Brown Nosing" Encouraging a Culture of Mediocrity in Your Organization?
10 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Job in a Recession
Four Tips for Improving Employee Training and Development in a Down Economy
Four Tips for Hiring During a Recession
Change Your Game Before Someone Does For You
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
1-866-988-RAIN
With all the great posts hitting the Blogosphere this past week on the topics of leadership, talent management, and human resource management, we'd like to point you to five posts that we consider to be the best of the best for the week of December 1st to December 7th, 2008.
Tim Sanders, Sanders Says: Recession Strategy: Make Yourself Emotionally Attractive - Tim shares a great suggestion for thriving in a recession -- make yourself emotionally attractive to your customers -- and offers four tips for being more emotionally attractive.
Steve Roesler, All Things Workplace: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Genuine Growth - Steve writes a great post about understanding our own strengths and weaknesses and how they are tied to personal / professional growth and realizing our goals.
Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership: 7 Myths About Management - Dan puts on his "Mythbuster" cap and takes a look at (and debunks) seven common myths about management.
I4CP Trendwatcher: In a Down Economy, Don't Ignore Culture Issues - The fine folks at I4CP have put out yet another great piece of research, this time taking a look at the important role that an organization's culture plays during an economic downturn.
Fistful of Talent: The Talent Management Blog Power Rankings 2.0 - Kris Dunn and the gang over at Fistful of Talent have compiled their second "power rankings" of the top 25 talent management blogs. Head on over and check it out!
Every Friday we like to feature an online resource that will help you to Maximize Possibility in your organization and your life at work. Today we have an excellent online resource that I am confident will enjoy.
The Resource: Jon Ingham's Strategic Human Capital Management (HCM) Blog
What it Covers: As its name would suggest, Jon's blog covers strategic human capital management. But that's not all... Jon also provides great insight into the global HR industry, the use of social media and networking in the human resources function, and the transition of HR to HR 2.0
Why You Should Check it Out: Jon has his finger placed firmly on the pulse of the human capital management world and does a great job of keeping his readers abreast of the latest trends in the industry with timely and relevant blog posts.
I really enjoy Jon's experience in the global HR industry and the resulting perspective he shares in his posts. It is important to keep up with international trends in this industry and Jon's blog offers a great medium for doing so.
Lastly, Jon has incredible vision and insight when it comes to leveraging social media and social networking to add value to and transform the world of HR. I have greatly expanded my understanding and appreciation of how these applications can be integrated into new and existing HR systems and am confident that you will too.
Head on over to Jon's blog and check it out for yourself!
Posts from Jon's blog that you might enjoy:
The power of the human mind is incredible.
Rarely, do we harness our mindset properly. Instead, many people are committed to a life of “stories” or perspective that could have a better ending.
An example… Take the coldest part of the year for you. Perhaps you are about to enjoy the coldest part of your year it like I am!
In North Dakota right now, it is around 10 degrees at night and 25-35 degrees in the day.
Perspective… 
People here are bundled up BIG TIME… Gloves, scarves, heavy coats, remote car starters… Fashion goes out the window. Who cares what you look like – just stay WARM! I love to watch people as they run from their warm car though the cold air into a warm building. We spend a LOT of time running in the early winter in North Dakota. Today, it will be 35-38 degrees on the warm side and people are FREEZING!
But the “best” is yet to come. By my wife’s birthday in February, it will be -20 with a minus 50-70 degree wind chill. We get that kind of weather for a week or two – then it gets better.
How do you think 30 degrees (freezing) feels compared to minus 20? HEAVENLY!
By March, some people are outside washing cars, walking around without jackets – few wear anything more than a long sleeve shirt.
You know what the temp is in March? Pretty much like it is now… 10 degrees at night and 25-35 degrees in the day.
What changes between now and March?
Perspective. Mindset. Attitude. A change in how we view the world… The same temperature 4-5 months apart and people are dressed COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY.
How is your perspective, your mindset, your attitude impacting you?
Impacting today and your future?
Are you seeing the “glass as half-full” or “half empty”?
What rewards are you reaping?
The choice is yours – choose carefully.
Now go maximize possibility!
Other posts you may be interested in:
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
1-866-988-RAIN
Ever been to a circus and noticed how an elephant can be safely secured with nothing more than a thin rope and a short wooden stake?
Without a doubt the 5-ton elephant could easily pull the stake from the ground and go charging towards its freedom, but it does not. How can this be?
The answer is self-limiting beliefs.
Consider this... When a captive elephant is a baby it is chained to a heavy metal stake that is driven deep into the ground. The intent is to limit movement and to condition the baby elephant for adulthood.
Adult elephants, which are obviously much, much larger than baby elephants do not require a heavy metal stake and chain. Instead, adult elephants are often held by a simple wooden stake and rope.
One has to wonder - "How does a wooden stake hold a full grown adult elephant?"
The answer is simple.... The wooden stake is not the only thing holding the adult elephant.
What else is holding the adult elephant back?
Its mind.
As a baby the elephant likely tried repeated times to free itself from its fetters, but was unsuccessful. After hundreds of attempts and considerable pain the elephant comes to realize that it cannot get free and stops trying. As an adult the elephant remembers the pain from its childhood and refrains from pulling on the rope when it feels the slightest resistance from the stake.
Human beings are similar in that we are limited by reality as we perceive it to be.
What self-limiting mental beliefs are holding you back?
What "wooden stakes" do you need to free yourself from?
- The economic news of today?
- A negative influence in your life?
Whatever the "wooden stake" in your life is, identify it today and adopt a positive mental attitude to pull it from the ground and realize your full potential.
Self-limiting beliefs can easily be mistaken for reality when in fact the next breakthrough in your life could be just a short wooden stake away!
Now go maximize possibility!
Other posts you may be interested in:
Chris Young helps organizations Maximize Possibility through talent management, cultural transformation, and strategic intervention. Bring Chris in today!
1-866-988-RAIN
There were a lot of great blog posts this past week on the topics of leadership, talent management, and human resource management. We'd like to point you to five posts (and a bonus pick!) that we consider to be the best of the best for the week of November 24th to November 30th, 2008.
Alison Green (AKA Ask a Manager), U.S. News and World Report: Why Poor Performers Don't Get Fired - Alison takes a look at performance management and examines four common reasons why managers do not fire poor performers.
Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership By Dan: How to Write a Great Individual Development Plan (IDP) - Dan provides an excellent guide for writing an Individual Development Plan (IDP) for anyone who is serious about their own personal development and Maximizing their Possibilities in life.
Nina Simosko, Slow Leadership Blog: Conceding, Winning, and Knowing How to Choose Between Them - Nina writes a great post about the art of negotiation and how achieve long-term mutually beneficial relationships by knowing when to win and when to concede.
Ann Bares, Compensation Force: Why I Am an Evangelist for Leadership Commitment to Performance Management - Ann shares a great story about why it is so important to have executive level leadership buy-in and commitment when formulating a performance management plan.
Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer: The Key To Innovation is... Happiness at Work - CHO Alex reports on his experiences at the recent Top Dog Live innovation conference in London. He is pleased to find that rather than focusing on creative processes and systems, the speakers at this conference were focused on how organizations can encourage innovation by seeking to engage their employees and help them find happiness in their work.
Bonus Pick: Check out Frank Roche's excellent post where he proposes 10 Tenets For a New HR
