WorkPuzzle

The Case Against Positive Thinking to Achieve Success

The idea that positive thinking alone can change a person’s circumstances is a seductive thought.  It’s something that we all, at some level, want to believe is true. 

It’s easy to head down this path.  For sure, positive thinking is better than negative thinking, but what happens when this becomes your sole strategy for success?  

According to new research highlighted in the New Yorker Magazine, you’ll probably end up with a good dose of disappointment and failure—exactly opposite of the success you’re thinking about experiencing.

Adam Alter an assistant professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business, tracks the renewed growth of the positive thinking movement back to 2006:

Since publishing “The Secret,” in 2006, the Australian author Rhonda Byrne has been writing self-help manifestos based on the idea that people who think positive thoughts are rewarded with happiness, wealth, influence, wisdom, and success….

Byrne’s idea isn’t new—it’s been a mainstay among greeting-card companies, motivational speakers, and schoolteachers for decades—but she’s become one of its most visible prophets.

‘The way to change a lack of belief is very simple,’ Byrne writes. ‘Begin thinking the opposite thoughts to what you’ve been thinking about yourself: that you can do it, and that you have everything within you to do it.’

How does Byrne’s philosophy work out in real life?  Not very well.  

While you can always find a few (what Byrne calls) “heros,” the vast majority of people end up even more frustrated than when they started.  Alter highlights some of the research that debunks this philosophy:

According to a great deal of research, positive fantasies may lessen your chances of succeeding.

In one experiment, the social psychologists Gabriele Oettingen and Doris Mayer asked eighty-three German students to rate the extent to which they “experienced positive thoughts, images, or fantasies on the subject of transition into work life, graduating from university, looking for and finding a job.”

Two years later, they approached the same students and asked about their post-college job experiences. Those who harbored positive fantasies put in fewer job applications, received fewer job offers, and ultimately earned lower salaries.

The same was true in other contexts, too. Students who fantasized were less likely to ask their romantic crushes on a date and more likely to struggle academically. Hip-surgery patients also recovered more slowly when they dwelled on positive fantasies of walking without pain.

The research documents the dismal results of this philosophy, but it doesn’t offer any information on why this philosophy doesn’t work.   Alter offers two hypotheses on this topic:

1.  Less Preparation.  Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the future, the positive thinker ends up being less prepared, and more acutely distressed, when things eventually happen that he can’t persuade himself to believe are good.

2.  False Feeling of Working Towards Goals.  [Positive] fantasies hamper progress and dull the will to succeed.  Imagining a positive outcome [just] conveys the sense that you’re approaching your goals, which takes the edge off the need to achieve.

So, now that everyone is depressed, what does work?  We’ll cover that in the next WorkPuzzle.  There is a success philosophy that is counterintuitive to positive thinking that researchers have shown to produce much more reliable results. 

For those of you who are high performers already, you’ll instantly connect with these ideas.  

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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. 

Coaching Insight : The Grow Model of Coaching – Part 6

We all follow a path. It may be a wide path that doesn't take much thought or planning or a narrow path that very few others find, takes some clearing, requires work, and leads to success.

But we are all on a path. How do you help those you coach to design and follow a path that will lead to personal and financial success? 

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW (Goals, Reality, Options/Obstacles and Way Forward).

Defining the appropriate path for your agents brings us to the  letter W in the acronym GROW.  W is for the "Way Forward." 

Many coaches make the mistake of beginning with this step. It's understandable; we are all busy and it takes time to thoroughly understand and examine an agent's true motivation. But it's definitely worth the effort if it will result in a success for both the company and the agent. 

If we are following the GROW methodology, then it is imperative that we take each step as it comes. By understanding the Goals, Reality, Obstacles & Options you are now ready for the last step. How do we move ahead and find the appropriate "Way Forward?”

Define the Goals and reassess them with the current Reality. Examine the Obstacles and Options to overcome them. The options you listed must be converted into actions to take. Daily action (the Way Forward) should initially be broken down into small steps that allow you to build into  weekly and monthly actions steps. Each of these steps must somehow address overcoming what you've discovered in the earlier processes. 

Action steps should never take longer than 2 weeks to complete. If they do take that long, then break those longer steps into shorter ones. Dissect them with as much specificity as you can. To complete all of the above, you need to have a free flow of questions and brainstorming between you and your agent. Some examples include:

Who do I need as support?

What do I need to learn?

How will I keep myself motivated?

Do my steps fit the SMART model of action steps: Specific; Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time sensitive?

How will this affect my life away from work?

How can I better manage my time in completing each action?

How will I reward myself at each stage? 

There are likely many more questions that could be asked, however remember "small steps.” Successfully complete this and you will see significant progress and exceptional achievement. 

So there you have it. The GROW model of coaching. Use it and let me know what you think. I look forward to sharing more tips on successful coaching over the next two months. But for now consider more about what I mentioned about paths: 

We have all hiked on paths, some interesting and some uninteresting. The interesting ones have most likely been more challenging and taken more planning. Make yours and all the paths of those you coach interesting ones. 

 

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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. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 5

Over the past few weeks, I have offered a model of coaching that provides a structure intended to be a strong and lasting blueprint that you can use for almost all of your group and individual coaching. The model is called GROW.

Today we will focus on the O of GROW, which stands for both Obstacles and Options as defined below.

Obstacle: Barrier, hurdle, stumbling block, obstruction, snag, handicap, complication, disadvantage.

Option: Choice, alternative, a different path

As you may recall from last week we reviewed Reality (the R in the GROW model). The key to fully understanding the Reality is to establish an honest account of what occurred with last year’s goals.

The next step in the process is to develop a fairly exhaustive list of possible Obstacles likely to hinder the reaching of ones original well-defined Goals (See edition on Goals). Obstacles can include blind-spots and false assumptions that prevented an individual from reaching their goals last year.

This can require excessive amounts of brainstorming between you and the person you're coaching (your client), with the client leading the way. Have him/her write down each Obstacle. Your job during this exercise is to act as the facilitator. Listen carefully for Obstacles that are not being considered.

After a complete and thorough spectrum of Obstacles has been identified, you are ready to build a list of Options or alternative ways to address those obstacles and the blind spots.

In defining solutions it is imperative that they are coming from the client, remember you are the coach and should only offer suggestions when it is clear that there are obvious solutions the client is not clearly seeing.

The Options step should carry with it a sense of exploration and should not be rushed. You are about to build a new road map and forge a new path to markedly improved results. This is imporant work.

Avoid the temptation to get lazy with this step. Keep on probing, asking, and asking more, until you have a bit of a Eureka moment. You won't always have a Eureka moment, but it helps to always aim for one.

Now that you have a clear list of all options you are ready to build a path for the W in the GROW model: the Way forward. Till next week...

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

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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. 

Informatica Reveals the Latest Cutting-Edge Recruiting Tactic

A few weeks ago, Laura Montini of Inc. Magazine reported on the Social Recruiting Strategies Conference that took place in San Francisco earlier in the month.

This is a global conference attended by many of the most progressive technology companies in the world.  The purpose of the conference is to promote the idea of using social media to recruit in today’s talent acquisition marketplace.

The keynote speaker was Brad Cook, the global vice president of talent acquisition at Informatica.  You may not have heard of Informatica, but this company has 3,500 employees and operates in 28 countries around the world.  Informatica is one of the worldwide leaders in cloud-based data storage and management technologies.

Considering his background and place in the technology world, Cook gave some unexpected advice during his keynote address.  Here is an excerpt from the article in Inc. Magazine.

"For me social recruiting doesn't mean social media. With the digital age that we have today, nobody knows each other," Cook said.

He recalled how, when he was in the sales department at Cisco Systems, he'd periodically get calls from recruiters asking, how's your job going? Are you looking for a change?

Now Cook is in charge of finding talent for… a software development business--arguably one of the most difficult areas to recruit in right now due to heavy demand for a particular skill set and strong competition from tech giants like Google and Facebook.  

Cook said the best recruiter he's ever worked with is a woman who doesn't incorporate social media into any part of her job. She makes a point of maintaining all of her candidate relationships via phone. "She knows who their grandkids are, what their dogs' names are. She has all of that stuff," Cook said.

 

"The point of this strategy isn't just to make your candidates feel warm and fuzzy. Maintaining these relationships cuts down on the work you have to do in the long run," Cook said.

"You're going to continue to be busy because you've got to go through 10 people to find one. Wouldn't you rather go through five people to find one?" Cook posed. "When you start building those relationships longer-term you can actually get to that point."

Here’s a surprise:   The most effective social recruiting tool available today is already sitting on your desk!  Also, the most effective social recruiting tactic (picking up that phone and calling candidates) is something most real estate hiring managers (who used to be real estate agents) are already proficient at executing.  Isn’t this how you built your real estate business in the first place?

Cook was later asked what kind of technology investments recruiting organizations should be considering.  His answer was surprisingly simple:

“Of course, there is a very important role for modern technology in the recruiting process, especially once you have a candidate who is interested. Applicants should be able to go to a well-designed and informative career page on your site. “

This is where you will get the highest return for your recruiting technology investment.  Many organizations spin their wheels chasing after the latest social technologies that may reduce workload in the short-term, but are not effective because they result in keeping the candidates at an arms-length away.

Here are some applications for the real estate hiring process from Cook’s keynote address:

Talk to New Candidates on the Phone.   Modern technology (social networks, twitter feeds, drip email campaigns) has its place in the recruiting process, but the most progressive and effective hiring managers pick up the phone and talk to candidates.

Talk to Pipeline Candidates on the Phone.  Many hiring managers view the recruiting process as a one-time event.   It’s an interview and then plug the candidate into a drip email campaign and hope for the best.   Progressive and effective recruiters don’t just rely on this tactic—they also frequently pick up the phone and talk to their post-interview pipeline candidates.

Invest in Your Company’s Career Page and Application Process.   Cook ended his keynote address by suggesting, “If you do nothing else at the end of this (conference), go back and apply to your career site…. you need to know what pain you're putting your candidates through. That's the best way to learn how to fix it.”

This is all good advice from some of the top recruiters in the world.

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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. 

Coaching Insight: The GROW Model of Coaching - Part 4

Our last edition of Coaching Insights offered a detailed explanation and sampling of the G in the GROW methodology of coaching techniques.

This week we will continue delving into each letter of the acronym in more depth, in hopes of enriching your coaching efforts. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Two weeks ago I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal - The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality - The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options - The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has to make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward - The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

This week we will look in depth at the concepts of the representation of the letter R – Reality.

Facing reality isn't easy for everyone; but it is essential. For the purposes of both the coach and the agent there are several questions that need to be answered with introspection and honesty:

• Where am I now in meeting my goal?
• What was the result of last year’s goals?
• What resources am I using or ignoring?
• Who will help me and how?
• Am I looking at all the factors?

Without a solid and honest answer to these and other individual questions, it is impossible to be successful in utilizing the GROW method.

As a manager, leader or coach, this phase of the model requires us to elicit from our agents an accurate and concrete acknowledgment of where they are now. How does your typical agent or for that matter, how do YOU handle this part of the process? Keep in mind that what your agent expresses as their reality may not match what you perceive as their current position.  

While some degree of aiming high and having confidence is essential, overestimating ones strengths and fantasizing about how successful one can be has been found to often deliver opposite results, according to researchers.   

So how do you transform the subjective vision your agent may have to one that will help them succeed as a top performer? You must use data, statistics, and numbers – tangible and verifiable measurements.

The first step is to collect the appropriate data and defined metrics and use this to set a baseline. This baseline can then be used along with ongoing data to measure future performance and growth. Without this baseline, it is impossible to know when one reaches his/her defined capacity for growth. The lack of concrete numbers, in fact, may communicate something even more problematic: complacency. 

Any sports fan knows that metrics and measurement is almost sacred ground to management, fans, media and coaches alike. Can you imagine sports without clear measurement?

One nugget of measurement that appeared to elude most people who bet on Denver in the Superbowl (I know, I may not stop with these analogies until April) was that the Seahawks allowed only 16 passing touchdowns all season long. I'm not exactly sure how that went so undetected, but it did. That is REALITY. And the fact that this particular Reality was overlooked became apparent in how the game played out. 

What Reality could you be missing with those you coach; with your own current condition? Once you get those nailed down you'll be ready for the next stage in GROW---- Obstacles and Options. We'll tackle that element of the GROW methodology in our next edition of Coaching Insights. 

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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. 

The One Question You Should Ask During Every Interview

Last week, I pointed you to a helpful recruiting data site called PayScale.  PayScale is the “Zillow” of hiring —while Zillow tells you how much your house is worth, PayScale tells you how much your talents are worth in the hiring market.

Of course, people get interested in PayScale when they start to consider changing jobs.   This site passively collects data from millions of users who are in this state and uses this information to help companies and individuals better understand the job marketplace.

Follow-up With Your Candidates More Successfully.

As a real estate hiring manager, this information can be helpful.  For example, if you find out about a candidate’s work history during the interview, you can determine the individual’s earning potential if he were to remain in his existing career field.

By contrasting this information with the potential of a real estate career, you can help your candidates make better business decisions about their employment.  Initially, Most high-quality candidates will trust third party data more then your opinion on how they should proceed.

Beyond this surface data that’s useable with individual candidates,  PayScale also does research using aggregate data they collect from all their users.  This can also be helpful.

Understand Why People Change Jobs.

One of the research topics I found interesting was the motivation employees have to change jobs.  If everything is wonderful in an existing job, employees tend to stay in one spot.  Change most commonly happens when things are not going well.

PayScale recently conducted research on what causes a person to change jobs.  The research was based on survey results from more than 24,000 workers.  Here is a partial list of the top reasons that individuals start looking for a new job:

Pay.   Commonly called Total Cash Compensation (TCC), this metric combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or value of other non-cash benefits (e.g., healthcare).

Stress.  This is the proportion of respondents who answered either "Fairly stressful" or "Extremely stressful" to the question, "How stressful is your job/work environment?"

Low Job Satisfaction.   This is the proportion of respondents who answered either "Dissatisfied" or "I hate my job" to the question "How satisfied are you in your job?"

Hate Their Boss.  This is the proportion of respondents in a given category that chose "Boss" in response to the question, "If you could change one thing about your current work situation, what would it be?"

Know What Questions to Ask During an Interview.

All of these factors are important.   If possible, you should touch on each issue during a typical interview.  If you cycle through these issues with open-ended questions, you’ll strike a nerve with at least one of these topics.

If you were forced to only focus on one topic, which one of these hot-buttons tends to be most important? 

It’s questions about the candidate’s boss.

The PayScale research demonstrated that many candidates are not happy with their first-level manager.  Also, this question tends to be the one packed with the most emotion.   They don’t just dislike him—they hate him! 

As we’ve discussed in previous WorkPuzzles, finding a person’s unique pain is critical to the hiring process.   Candidates will not be open to your solution until they feel they’ve been heard, and the solutions you’re offering are customized to their situation.

This all starts with asking the right questions and letting your candidates express their pain and frustration.  Thanks to the PayScale research, you now know where you’ll most likely find this pain.

 

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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. 

Coaching Insight: How to GROW your Coaching Skills – Part 3

In the past few editions of Coaching Insights you have been introduced to the GROW concept of coaching techniques. Beginning this week, and over the course of the next few weeks we will delve into each letter representation of the acronym in more depth and then we will tie it all together into the overall GROW methodology. 

Keep in mind, when it comes to coaching, if you are not working from a proven model it’s very difficult to be effective. If you don’t have a well thought out program, you'll end up directing and prodding and have little to show for it in the end.  

Last week I introduced you to a broad overview of the GROW Model:

Goal - The End point; what the person would like to achieve. 

Reality - The current status of where you are now, and how you have arrived there.

Obstacles/ Options - The variables that keep the person from reaching their goals; the choices one has make to overcome the obstacles. 

Way Forward - The action steps that will lead to the successful completion of the goal. 

If you were to just use the above skeleton outline and nothing more, you would provide much more meaningful and productive coaching benefits than you would without a model. But, the difference between mediocre and excellent coaching will be achieved by developing a deeper understanding of the impact each step can have when it is woven into your coaching style.

Today, we will begin with the first step in the process.  G = Goal.

It is difficult to even begin a day without setting goals; take a shower, brush your teeth. This holds true in coaching and defining relationships as well, just on a different scale. 

The Goal phase isn't as simple as it might sound. It must be arrived at with thoughtful reflection and keen awareness of a number of factors. Your mentee might have an idea where they want to ultimately end up, but they may need help in defining this elusive Goal. Your responsibility is to help them seek a measurable, concrete objective; one that is so well outlined that they will know explicitly when it has been reached. 

The goal should, therefore, not be arbitrary. When an individual does that, it will render a goal where there is little if any personal ownership or "buy-in." How do you achieve this? You find a way to personalize the goal through simple but directed conversation – the first step in any good coaching program. What motivates them, what makes them happy, what frustrates them? What are their short term goals versus long term goals? Why are they doing this in the first place? What do they hope to gain? What are their expectations? This is perhaps the most important part of the GROW program. Get to know the individual; take some time now for better success later.

Once this is done, you've tackled the most difficult, but essential piece to the Goal stage of coaching, and you have added to your relationship the knowledge of what motivates this individual. This is a priceless accomplishment when it comes to coaching, because goals can sometimes be empty without a greater motivation behind them. 

Now that you have the ultimate goal, press for a specific, measurable, and time based goal. This goal has to make its arrival clear and worthy of celebration. 

Next week, I'll delve into the next phase of the GROW model- Reality. This is where humility, honesty and vulnerability will all be required. 

I'll leave you with a quote from one of the greatest and most quoted coaches of our time Lou Holtz:

"If you're bored with life - you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don't have enough goals."

 

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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.