WorkPuzzle

What Makes Your Business Unique and Different?

Editor's Note:  Here is one of our New Year's Resolutions: WorkPuzzle will now be publishing articles written by guest contributors.  The first guest contributor is Mark Johnson.  Mark is a coach, speaker, and trainer who works with the Tom Ferry Companies.

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I've been thinking about the businesses where I choose to spend my hard earned money and time. And what I've found is these businesses all offer me something unique and different. It's really no different in your retention and recruiting efforts. So...

What makes you different and unique from the others in your market? 

Everyone is honest, hard working and knowledgable... so other than what everyone else has, what's your unique value to your target clients? How will they know you are different or unique? 

Like an airplane, a bus or a rental car any company or most any agent or brokerage... they all can get you there. We compete in a commodity business. 

So why would an agent choose you? 

Why would they stay with you? 

Why would they recommend you to others? 

Here is an excerpt from Gary Vaynerchuk's book the Thank You Economy to consider as you execute your business plans for 2013: 

" Consumers' demand for authenticity, originality, creativity and positive intent have made it necessary for brands to revert to a level of service rarely seen in decades. Which leads me to believe one of your best competitive advantages is superior customer service. Creating an exceptional experience..." 

We've entered a new era in business... one where the biggest return isn't tied to throwing money at advertising campaigns but in proving you care about your customer more than anyone else.  How?

1. Be authentic - online or offline - say what you mean and mean what you say. 

2. Speak your customers language. 

3. Build a sense of community around your brand. 

4. YIKES - use some "shock and awe" to blow your customers minds and get them engaged and talking. 

5.  Don't be afraid of what's new and unfamiliar... 

How can you create an exceptional experience for your agents?

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Mark Johnson.  Mark is a coach, speaker, and trainer who works with high-performing real estate agents, teams, managers and leaders in the highly competitive Southern California marketplace and across the United States. 

 A US Army veteran, Mark has since led multi-million dollar strategic operations initiatives, major sales and recruiting promotions, sales force automation ventures,  and help desk support projects.  He currently works with the Tom Ferry Companies.

 

Post Interview Engagement-Part 2

In my previous blog, I discussed the importance of engagement with prospective new agent hires after the interview, essentially, treating a potential hire as if they are hired.  It’s not enough to simply interview someone and know you want to hire them.  I have spoken with many of my recruiters and a lot of the good prospects fall off the grid post interview.  

As I oversee our accounts, there are several metrics upon which I keep an eye.

1.  Interviews/ month

2.  Interviews converting to licensing school

3.  Licensing school candidates converting to hires

 I believe adopting this strategy will positively affect the interview/month conversion rate.  

I recently posted a discussion on our private social network on this topic and received a couple of prolific comments from two of my high performing accounts. Rod Eller, Senior Vice President of Sales with Prudential Carolinas commented:

 "I think it is critical to build the relationship of mentor and coach.  While they are working through the licensing process is a great way to start.  Be the tutor and resource for questions that they may have regarding material that they are learning in class.  The bond of sharing in the process of career change is such a foundational part of developing a trust that you care and are there to help them be  all that they can be.  As a parent you wouldn't dream of not being a part of the first day of school.  Maybe, the analogy is too dramatic.  I don't think so.   I can't tell you how many times a recruit has told me how they have always dreamed about selling real estate.  Be a part of that dream!  Lee, love your "human" game approach, I believe that you're on to something! "

 Kathie Hedrick, Director of Career Development with Prudential Manor Homes in NY responded similarly;  

“Lee, we do pretty much what you have recommended.  We described the process as a shadowing program for the new agent.  This program is in place while they are working to obtain their license.  So once a candidate has been chosen to join the firm, we get them involved at once so that they quickly feel that they are a part of the company.  By the time they are licensed, they have a sense of belonging and have some established relationships.  So, the shadowing program starts before being
licensed and the formal training program starts when they earn their state license. “

 What do you think?  Do you see the benefit to this active and engaging form of hiring? For those hiring managers who do use a similar strategy, how do you stay in front of your prospective hires?

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Editor's Note: Lee Gray is the Senior Account Manager at Tidemark Inc. Lee is a guest contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. .

How Mastering Habits Can Have a Profound Impact on Your Performance in the New Year—Part 4

Hopefully, you’ve spent some time working on your habits as you’ve started the new year.  If you’re just joining the discussion, you may want to catch up by reading  the previous posts on this topic (1,2,3).

We’ll finish up this series by introducing the concept of a “keystone habit.”  From a holistic perspective, this concept has the greatest application to real estate organizations and individual offices.

In his book, Charles Duhigg introduces this concept in a chapter he calls “The Ballad of Paul O’Neill.”  If you’re a political buff, you may remember that Paul O’Neill was Treasury Secretary during President Bush’s first term.  However, he is more famous for his work as CEO of Alcoa during the late ‘80s and ‘90s. 

Here is a quick summary (as written up by Keren Threlfall ) of what happened at Alcoa:

Investors and employees alike were shocked when Paul O’Neill shared this in his speech of acceptance as the new CEO of Alcoa:

“I want to talk to you about worker safety. Every year, numerous Alcoa workers are injured so badly that they miss a day of work. I intend to make Alcoa the safest company in America. I intend to go for zero injuries.”

Some people thought perhaps he had a touch of dementia. Investors called their clients and advised them to sell their stock immediately. (Those who did so would later realize that was some pretty bad advice.)

What O’Neill was doing was introducing a keystone habit.

“O’Neill believed that some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits as they move through an organization. Some habits, in other words, matter more than others in remaking businesses and lives. These are “keystone habits,” and they can influence how people work, eat, play, live, spend, and communicate. Keystone habits start a process that, over time, transforms everything.”

As the company focused on safety, employees and investors were amazed at the other areas of change, as well. Alcoa eventually rose to new heights in production, employee satisfaction, and in their portfolios, as well.

By the time O'Neill retired in 2000 to become Treasury Secretary, the company's annual net income was five times larger than before he arrived, and its market capitalization had risen by $27 billion. Someone who invested a million dollars in Alcoa on the day O'Neill was hired would have earned another million dollars in dividends while he headed the company, and the value of their stock would be five times bigger when he left.

There is a lot more to his story—more than I can write here and stay within the reasonable bounds of a WorkPuzzle discussion.  If you want to delve more into the details, read the lengthy article published on keystone habits in the Huffington Post last year. 

There are two principles that I took away from the Ballad of Paul O’Neil:

1.  The organizational habits that matter the most are the ones that, when they start to gain momentum, dislodge and remake other patterns.

2.  Keystone habits encourage change by creating structures that help other organizational habits to flourish.

As a business leader, the challenge is to identify the keystone habit for your organization.  Obviously, it would not be appropriate to select the same one that Paul O’Neil used (safety).  Instead, look for ones that would impact your organization as described above.

Any ideas?  

Here’s what I’ve noticed after working with hundreds of real estate managers and organizations over the last seven years:  the keystone habit for most real estate organizations is recruiting.  

In the years ahead, the keystone habit that will increasingly impact the real estate industry will be new agent recruiting.

Why?  This is the one habit that best fits the two principles outlined in Duhigg’s research for a real estate organization. New agent recruiting has the capacity to dislodge and remake other patterns.  Also, new agent recruiting has the unique ability to encourage change through the creation of new structures.

What are your thoughts?  Do you see new agent recruiting as the keystone habit that can help your organization prosper?

Bonus Materials:  As we wrap our discussion on habits, you may have an interest in referencing this cool infographic on habits (some of you may remember, I really like infographics).  If you're serious about changing habits, this breaks down the process and helps in the diagnosis of each stage.

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

How Mastering Habits Can Have a Profound Impact on Your Performance in the Upcoming Year—Part 2

The first step to “minding our habits” (as Meryl Streep advised to do in my previous blog) is understanding how habits work and drawing conclusions on why they have a powerful impact on human behavior.

Early in his book, Charles Duhigg points out that good habits are actually an essential part of an individual's existence.  While bad habits seem to attract the most attention in a typical discussion concerning performance, good habits quietly perform their role without much notice. However, their importance should not be diminished--the human brain would be unable to effectively function without the widespread use of good habits.  

For example, think about backing your car out of the garage.  Most of us can do this task with very little thought or focused attention.  However, as I’ve tried to teach my teenagers to perform this task, it’s amazing how much mental energy it takes for them to negotiate all the variables in the process (how much speed, where’s the brake, watch the mirrors, how far to the back wall, etc.)  However, after a few dozen times, they (and most other people) can perform this task with very little thought.

So, good habits empower humans to perform hundreds of tasks each day with very little mental energy and focus. If we had to think about each of these behaviors every time we did them, even the basics of life would be debilitating.

However, anything that has the capacity for this much good also has the power to create and sustain undesirable actions.  Bad habits are just as strong as good habits.  Once the brain goes on autopilot, it is very difficult to get it out of what Duhigg calls the “Habit Loop.”   

The Habit Loop is the way of explaining what happens in the brain as a habit is executed.  The following diagram helps describe this process:

The diagram above is fairly intuitive—the cue is something that your brain notices, the routine is something you automatically do to solve the problem, and the reward is some benefit you get for solving the problem.

For example, Duhigg points out that most of us brush our teeth as the result of the habit loop.    When we wake up in the morning, the surface of our teeth feels fuzzy (the cue).  To solve the problem, we brush our teeth (the routine).  After brushing our teeth, our mouths feel fresh, minty, and clean (the reward).  This good habit leads to healthy teeth.

As you probably guessed, bad habits follow the same process.  A cue ignites the brain’s craving for a certain reward and launches a routine that quickly and efficiently makes the reward a reality.  Duhigg does a great job of explaining the bad habit process in the following video:

 

So, the key to mastering habits is recognizing that certain cues exist and these cues lead the brain to anticipate a certain reward.  This craving for the reward can be strong and unrelenting--so much so that an individual's willpower to change is, in the long term, rendered ineffective.   To change a habit, the habit loop must be disrupted by altering the routine.

Once you watch the video and think about how this process works, take some time to identify one of two habits you’d like to change.  As the author suggests, sketch out your own habit loop and try to diagnose the cues, routines, and rewards that make your habit come to life.

In our next discussion, I’ll show you how understanding the habit process can make you a more effective sales person (why do your company’s clients do what they do?) and a more effective coach (why do your agents do what they do.)

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

How Mastering Habits Can Have a Profound Impact on Your Performance in the Upcoming Year

As things wind down for the year, I’m sure some of you are already starting to do some strategic planning for next year.  While reflection on the events of the previous year and hope for improvement are foundational pieces of any good planning process, I think many of us wonder if we truly have the capacity to make and sustain significant change. 

I’ve personally pondered this question even more than usual in the last few months after reading Charles Duhigg’s best selling book titled The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.  Why?  Because I’m starting to understand the powerful grip that habit has on my life—especially as I get older.

The researchers have been making this point for a while.  In fact, I even wrote a blog on this topic a couple of years ago where I highlighted the work of Tony Schwartz.  Schwartz made this statement in his book Be Excellent at Anything:

“Fully 95% of our behavior occurs out of habit, either unconsciously or in reaction to external demands.  We’re run by the automatic processes of the primitive parts of the brain far more than we rely on the complex conscious capacities of our prefrontal cortex—we think we’re in charge of our lives, but we’re not.”

If this is true, then mastering habits is one of the most important components to making positive changes in our lives.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the lessons that I learned from Duhigg’s book.   The information I’ll share will not only impact your personal performance, your ability to coach, and your effectiveness as a recruiter, but it will also help you understand your customers better.  It really is amazing how the science of habit infiltrates nearly every part of a person’s life.

To get you thinking about this topic, I’d like to share a movie clip of Meryl Streep playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.  This performance won Streep both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for best actress in 2011. 

This clip shows Margaret Thatcher, long after retiring from political office , reflecting on the importance of "thoughts" over "feelings" during a tense doctor's visit.   Notice what she says about habit.

 

Our habits are directly connected to both our character and our destiny.  Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks and we will learn how to “mind our habits….”

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

7 Reasons to Hire an Optimist

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Does it really matter? Rigorous scientific findings suggest your outlook on life directly impacts the success you experience.

You might remember me describing, from a variety of angles, the concept of learned helplessness over the last several years. Today, it dawned on me, I have never discussed learned optimism and how understanding this concept can improve you and your organization.

Whether you are an optimist or a pessimist is easily determined by the explanations you use to account for the negative events in your life.

This is part of what psychologists call "explanatory style."  Explanatory style is a psychological attribute that indicates how people explain to themselves why they experience a particular event.

There are three dimensions to every explanation that goes through a person's mind in response to an event.  And, all other things being equal (talent, environment, circumstances), the choice in the explanation will determine the level of success you'll experience in whatever you do. 

The three dimensions of explanatory style are personal, permanent, and pervasive:

1.  Are things that happen to me personal?   This involves how one explains where the cause of an event arises. People experiencing events may see themselves as the cause; that is, they have internalized/ personalized the cause for the event.

Example: "I always have problems with math" (internal) as opposed to "These math problems can be difficult for some people" (external).

 2.  Are things that happen to me permanent?  This involves how one explains the extent of the cause. People may see the situation as unchangeable or changeable.

Example:  "I always lose my keys" or "I need find a consistent place to put my keys". 

3.  Are things that happen to me pervasive?  This involves how one explains the extent of the effects. A person with a pervasive perspective would see the situation as affecting all aspects of life.

Example:  "I can't do anything right" or "Everything I touch seems to turn to gold".

In terms of explanatory style, optimists have the following perspective when things go wrong:

-they place no blame on themselves.

-they assure themselves that any setback can and will be corrected soon.

-they believe this experience was specific to a particular event and cannot be generalized to all other events. 

I know these distinctions may sound trivial on the surface, but researchers have consistently demonstrated the powerful impact of explanatory style on the lives of people. 

What impact?  Here is an abbreviated list of some of the researched-based consequences of being an optimist:

1. Optimists suffer much less anxiety and depression.

2. Optimists adapt better to negative events (including bypass surgery, and breast cancer) 

3. Optimism enables problem-focused coping, humor, making plans, positive reframing (putting the situation in the best possible light) and, when the situation is uncontrollable, to accepting the situation's reality.Optimists are capable of learning lessons from negative situations. Thus optimists have a coping advantage over pessimists. 


4.  Perhaps surprisingly, optimists don't tend to use denial, whilst pessimists often attempt to distance themselves from the problem.Optimists are not simply people who stick their heads in the sand and ignore threats to their well-being. For example, they attend to health warnings and usually discover potentially serious problems earlier, rather than later.


5.  Optimists exert more continuous effort and tend not to give up, possibly assuming that the situation can be handled successfully in one way or another. Pessimists, on the other hand, are far more likely to anticipate disaster - and, as a result, are more likely to give up. 


6.  Optimists report more health-promoting behaviors (like eating a healthy diet or having regular medical check-ups) and enjoy better physical health than pessimists. 


7.  Optimists seem to be more productive in the work place.

In the future I may share real life examples of where this has separated those who do well from those who don't. All the more reason to have a hope-filled Christmas season!

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

What the Mattress Industry Can Teach You About Millennial Generation Hiring

In the past couple of years, I’ve written several blogs on the advantages of seeking out and hiring young people.  In theory, replacing an aging sales force with a new generation of young agents makes sense.

 But, as many of your have told me, theory and practice can be miles apart.  There is often frustration (perhaps on both sides of the hiring equation) around turning young talented individuals into productive agents.

What may surprise you is that you’re not the only one struggling with the issue—other industries are experiencing this frustration as well.   The case study we’ll discuss today comes from the mattress industry.

Mark Quinn, a Segment VP of Marketing with Leggett & Platt, writes a popular blog called Q’s Views, on the mattress sales profession.  In a recent article, Mark does a great job of putting his finger on the Millennial Generation issue:

“Technology has simultaneously been the Millennial generation’s best friend and worst enemy. While they have grown up with social media and iPhones, they’ve also lived under the specter of Mark Zuckerberg, Kevin Systrom, and Mike Krieger.

…Seeing Facebook and Instagram make these twentysomethings into billionaires has upped the ante for what young people expect out of life—and their careers.

It’s easy for inexperienced professionals to get caught up in the Zuckerberg example—he didn’t finish college and didn’t spend 80 hours a week working his way up in a traditional corporation.

With a lack of context, it’s tempting to believe we’re all destined to be exceptions on the level of Facebook.  That’s just it—these guys are exceptions and not the rule.”

Because many individuals from the Millennial generation approach work from this perspective, many real estate hiring managers have given up on this group of candidates. 

Mark takes a different approach.  He believes that some simple career coaching early in the hiring process can help some young people focus on the realities of building a true career.  In turn, he reaps the benefit of bringing young employees into his ageing industry

Here is what he tells his young candidates:

“Your best bet—if you plan to have a career that spans more than 10 years—is to find your niche and strategize your vertical move from there. While you can make wildly zigzagging moves across industries, remember one thing: What you skip over is often what you need in order to be successful later.”

He goes on to outline five steps that tend to make people successful in the mattress industry: 

1.  Learn the basics.   I learned the basics. I took people I emulated to lunch, and I replicated the basics of what they did. The basics are overlooked by many starting out, but they’re called basics for a reason. If you aren’t good at them, don’t plan on being talented at much else.

2.  Develop your own strategy. I tried to swim upstream whenever possible. While other trainers focused on the products they were selling, I took speaking classes because I wanted to be the most dynamic person in the room. My strategy was to give the salespeople a skill and help them make more money. They were teaching spec; I was educating them on sales, which is a skill that would benefit them no matter what industry they worked in.

3. Have pure intentions. I genuinely wanted to help people – hence, my focus on developing people’s skills. If you’re trying to provide information, you’ll be somewhat successful. If your intention is to help people find a new approach to doing things, you’ll create ripples that last a lot longer.

4.  Put in the effort. Many people fail to follow through and end up disappointing those around them. If you say you’re going to call, pick up the phone. If you can learn from someone who works on Saturdays, use your day off to enhance your days on.

5.  Be memorable. You can be memorable for being the guy who never met a 3-hour lunch he didn’t want to take – or you can be memorable for doing things no one else does. Call a customer on his birthday, remember the names of his children, and send him a fishing article when it reminds you of him. He’ll remember you, simply for remembering him.

Of course, all of this advice does not track directly to the real estate industry—that’s not the point.   This case study illustrates the importance of setting expectations early in the hiring process and painting a picture of the future. 

If you become effective at cutting through the initial layer of self-centered nonsense, you will find that some of these young people have the capacity to be your next top performer.

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Join the WorkPuzzle Discussion at the Tidemark Online Community (TMOC)

Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

Understanding the New Sales Paradigm

Getting new agent candidates past the stigma of "becoming a Salesperson" has always been one of the primary obstacles to a succesful hire. Most of us, some unconsciously, tend to hold rather negative views of sales people. However, the negative image of a salesmen is slowly changing.

 How and Why?

In times past, when conducting a transaction, the sales person held most, if not all, the information regarding a given product. Oftentimes, the buyer had no prior knowledge of the product. The information imbalance caused the buyer to feel vulnerable, and made it difficult to differentiate the slimy sales people from the values-based sales people. However, with the advent of the information age, that has all radically changed. Now the buyer has access to almost as much information as the salesperson does.  As a result, the image of the slimly sales person is changing as well.

 Sales people are becoming facilitators of transactions.

In the brief video (about his new book) Daniel Pink clearly outlines this change and further describes how this change has made us all sales people. I think you'll not only enjoy this, but also it will help you guide new agent candidates over their fears.

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Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

By joining TMOC, you'll get to see who else is in the group and your comments will only be seen by those whom you trust.   Joining TMOC is quick, easy, and free (no kidding…this takes less than 2 minutes).   To get started, click here.

Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

The Infographic Craze: The Revenge of the Non-Technical Majors

As Dave mentioned in his last post, we've been covering some technically heavy topics in the past couple of months. I thought I'd follow his lead and share something that is a little less serious, unrelated to our normal charter, and (I believe) very interesting.

The topic: Infographics. 

If you’re not familiar with this phenomenon, an infographic is a computer generated picture that boils down a lot of information into a single page.  Because the presentation is graphical, the mind is able to soak in much more information from a small space.

There are several infographic sites on the internet, but one of my favorites is visual.ly.  On this site alone there are hundreds of infographics on every topic imaginable—and some of them are truly amazing. 

For fun, I picked one infographic that I thought many of you may have an interest in digesting (pun intended) as we head into the winter months. 

As we all try to stay healthy this time of year, there seems to be a myriad of nutritional supplements available and even more information on how each one could possibly cure a common aliment . 

How could a person possibly boil all the information about such a complex topic onto a single page?   Here you go:

This infographic has become so popular that the author doubled down on his creation and built an interactive version. The interactive version connects the supplement bubble to the research studies that guided its representation on the infographic. 

You could spend years reading through all of these studies, and yet this person has graphically boiled the information down to one page.  If you walked into your local GNC with this document in your hand, you’d probably spend less money and make better decisions.

Are there applications for this technology in the real estate industry?  Perhaps.  If you think about it, a real estate transaction is very complex and the process is typically not understood by the consumer.  Maybe this will get your creative juices flowing on how you can serve your customers more effectively.

Or, maybe you’ll just know what supplements to choose to keep from getting sick this winter...  

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. 

10 Ways to be Happier at Work

It has been awhile since I have written something light hearted, and I couldn't resist highlighting a recent article I read in Inc. Magazine 

I have a special interest in the research of human well-being. It’s not surprising that the article in Inc., entitled, “Be Happier: 10 Things to Stop Doing Right Now,”  piqued my interest.  Now, I don't know if the following tips are research driven, but I CAN tell you that it all rings very true.

Sometimes the route to happiness depends more on what you don't do.--by Jeff Haden

"Happiness--in your business life and your personal life--is often a matter of subtraction, not addition. Consider, for example, what happens when you stop doing the following 10 things:

1. Blaming.

People make mistakes. Employees don't meet your expectations. Vendors don't deliver on time. So you blame them for your problems. But you're also to blame. Maybe you didn't provide enough training. Maybe you didn't build in enough of a buffer. Maybe you asked too much, too soon. Taking responsibility when things go wrong instead of blaming others isn't masochistic, it's empowering--because then you focus on doing things better or smarter next time. And when you get better or smarter, you also get happier. 

2. Impressing.

No one likes you for your clothes, your car, your possessions, your title, or your accomplishments. Those are all "things." People may like your things--but that doesn't mean they like you. Sure, superficially they might seem to, but superficial is also insubstantial, and a relationship that is not based on substance is not a real relationship. Genuine relationships make you happier, and you'll only form genuine relationships when you stop trying to impress and start trying to just be yourself.

3. Clinging.

When you're afraid or insecure, you hold on tightly to what you know, even if what you know isn't particularly good for you. An absence of fear or insecurity isn't happiness: It's just an absence of fear or insecurity. Holding on to what you think you need won't make you happier; letting go so you can reach for and try to earn what you want will. Even if you don't succeed in earning what you want, the act of trying alone will make you feel better about yourself.

4. Interrupting.

Interrupting isn't just rude. When you interrupt someone, what you're really saying is, "I'm not listening to you so I can understand what you're saying; I'm listening to you so I can decide what I want to say." Want people to like you? Listen to what they say. Focus on what they say. Ask questions to make sure you understand what they say. They'll love you for it--and you'll love how that makes you feel.

5. Whining.

Your words have power, especially over you. Whining about your problems makes you feel worse, not better. If something is wrong, don't waste time complaining. Put that effort into making the situation better. Unless you want to whine about it forever, eventually, you'll have to do that. So why waste time? Fix it now. Don't talk about what's wrong. Talk about how you'll make things better, even if that conversation is only with yourself. And do the same with your friends or colleagues. Don't just be the shoulder they cry on. Friends don't let friends whine--friends help friends make their lives better.

6. Controlling.

Yeah, you're the boss. Yeah, you're the titan of industry. Yeah, you're the small tail that wags a huge dog. Still, the only thing you really control is you. If you find yourself trying hard to control other people, you've decided that you, your goals, your dreams, or even just your opinions are more important than theirs. Plus, control is short term at best, because it often requires force, or fear, or authority, or some form of pressure--none of those let you feel good about yourself. Find people who want to go where you're going. They'll work harder, have more fun, and create better business and personal relationships. And all of you will be happier.

7. Criticizing.

Yeah, you're more educated. Yeah, you're more experienced. Yeah, you've been around more blocks and climbed more mountains and slayed more dragons. That doesn't make you smarter, or better, or more insightful. That just makes you you: unique, matchless, one of a kind, but in the end, just you. Just like everyone else--including your employees. Everyone is different: not better, not worse, just different. Appreciate the differences instead of the shortcomings and you'll see people--and yourself--in a better light.

8. Preaching.

Criticizing has a brother. His name is Preaching. They share the same father: Judging. The higher you rise and the more you accomplish, the more likely you are to think you know everything--and to tell people everything you think you know. When you speak with more finality than foundation, people may hear you but they don't listen. Few things are sadder and leave you feeling less happy.

9. Dwelling.

The past is valuable. Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others. Then let it go. Easier said than done? It depends on your focus. When something bad happens to you, see that as a chance to learn something you didn't know. When another person makes a mistake, see that as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding. The past is just training; it doesn't define you. Think about what went wrong, but only in terms of how you will make sure that, next time, you and the people around you will know how to make sure it goes right.  

10. Fearing.

We're all afraid: of what might or might not happen, of what we can't change, or what we won't be able to do, or how other people might perceive us. So it's easier to hesitate, to wait for the right moment, to decide we need to think a little longer or do some more research or explore a few more alternatives. Meanwhile days, weeks, months, and even years pass us by. And so do our dreams. Don't let your fears hold you back. Whatever you've been planning, whatever you've imagined, whatever you've dreamed of, get started on it today. If you want to start a business, take the first step. If you want to change careers, take the first step. If you want to expand or enter a new market or offer new products or services, take the first step. Put your fears aside and get started. Do something. Do anything."

I hope you and those you work with can embrace the heart of these timeless messages. Doing so will certainly bring more joy to your life.

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Engage in the WorkPuzzle discussion by joining the TMOC private social network.  Commenting on a public blog like WorkPuzzle can be a little intimidating, so why not join the discussion inside the privacy of the TMOC discussion group?  

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Already of a member of TMOC?  If so, join the WorkPuzzle Dialog Group by clicking on the WorkPuzzle Group icon on the left side of your TMOC homepage.  Questions?   Email the WorkPuzzle editor (workpuzzle@hiringcenter.net) and we'll walk through the process.

 

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Editor's Note: This article was written by Dr. David Mashburn. Dave is a Clinical and Consulting Psychologist, a Partner at Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle. Comments or questions are welcome. If you're an email subscriber, reply to this WorkPuzzle email. If you read the blog directly from the web, you can click the "comments" link below.