Listen with Your Eyes…

 

Effective listening is essential to good leadership. Many MMMs have focused on the importance of attentive, interactive listening when others are speaking. But that’s not the only kind of listening that matters. It’s also critical to listen with your eyes.

You can learn a lot by observing how people interact with one another. Watch their body language and their attitudes. Look for team members who are exerting positive or negative influence at work. Pay attention to changes in someone’s mood or behavior. Watch closely how your coworkers respond to one another in meetings.

This doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve been caught off guard more than once by something that was happening right in front of me, something I should have noticed. But I’m working on being more aware. I’ve come to realize how important this kind of listening is to my leadership.

You can learn a lot when you open your eyes and close your mouth. Great leaders understand the power of listening with their eyes.

Positive Feedback

 

Are you complimentary when you receive good service?  Do you provide a lift to someone by acknowledging their smile or positive outlook?  You might be surprised at the difference you can make in someone’s day by simply being complimentary. 

 

Here are just a few…

·         When a hotel clerk greets you with a smile and helpful attitude make sure they know you noticed. 

·         When the dry cleaner’s employee is prompt and professional, genuinely thank them. 

·         When your dining waitstaff is especially efficient give them a compliment and maybe even a larger tip. 

People that serve others for a living are often mistreated. Can you do your part to change that?  If they are doing a really exceptional job, go out of your way to let their boss know.  Positive feedback is a great motivator and can change someone’s day, maybe even their future!

 

Pay someone a genuine compliment today and have a blessed week!

It's all about attitude!

 

Ever wonder what makes a person or team give 100%? What if greater than 100% is achieved? Here is an interesting math fact that might shed some light on this.

 

If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented by:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

 

Then:  K N O W L E D G E

           11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

And:    H A R D W O R K

           8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

But,    A T T I T U D E

           1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

 

Hard work and knowledge will get you close, but attitude is what gets you to 100%!

Mind Games

 

I have read that over 66,000 thoughts flow through our minds every day.  I’m not sure if that is factual, but if it is anywhere near that many it is staggering.  No wonder I can’t focus. That also explains the fact that I can talk myself into believing almost anything.  The real challenge is what we do with all that thought power.  Too often those thoughts are negative.  Thoughts like the devil tempting us and thoughts like our own self-doubt.  We can be our own worst enemy with negative thoughts.  Clearly the preference is to use those thoughts to bolster confidence, to instill a positive attitude.  Remember the MMM a few weeks ago, "Choose Your Me”.  Our thoughts are incredibly powerful.  The mind can push our bodies beyond perceived limits.  It can strengthen us in times of loss and encourage us in times of doubt.   Controlling all of our thoughts is probably not possible, but controlling our thoughts when we need them to be positive is a great skill. 

 

Life is largely a mental game.  How we handle tens of thousands of thoughts per day plays impacts us significantly.  Our thoughts need to be positive, supportive, encouraging, and challenging, not negative.  What kind of games is your mind playing on you?

Energy Leaks

Have you ever heard of something called an energy leak?  It is a feeling, behavior or attitude  that drains you of energy.  Energy leaks are wasteful, they drain people of positive energy for no good reason.  Some examples of potential energy leaks...

- Jealousy

- Judging others

- Holding grudges

- Petty bickering

- The blame game

There are many, maybe hundreds more.  Everybody has these, they may be different from those listed, but we all have them.  The interesting thing is, we know it.  For some reason we think these thoughts and feelings might make us feel better.  The truth is, that energy spent on these feelings and behaviors is a waste.  It produces no positive outcome and sucks the energy right out of you.  Use your energy on positive thoughts, feeling and behaviors and stop wasting time on energy leaks! Enjoy the quote below..

 “Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”

-               Warren Buffett

Attitude

I have written before, as many have, about the importance of attitude.  Most such writings focus on the power of a positive mental attitude.  Much credit is given to the strength of a proper attitude.  The power of positive thinking is a popular concept and a valid one.  What about the power of a bad attitude?  What about the impact of a negative attitude?  What is the cost of having the wrong mental attitude?  Consider the thoughts of the third President of the United States.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude
from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the
man with the wrong mental attitude.”

-Thomas Jefferson

We are all Leaders…

We are all leaders.  We lead by our actions and reactions.  We lead with the tone of our voice and our level of caring.  We lead by our attitude, our patience and our listening skills.  Don’t think you are not a leader.  No title is required to lead.  You lead at home, in your neighborhood, in the PTO and at the youth sports fields.  The questions is... Is your leadership intentional, positive, encouraging and challenging?

Do you embrace your leadership role?  Are you intentional in how you lead?  Do you recognize your ability to influence others, both positively and negatively?  Are you growing as a leader?

The fact that we are all leaders is a given, we have the ability to influence others.  What you do with that influence is what defines you as a leader…

Attitude & Perspective

Many a MMM have dealt with the power of one’s attitude and perspective on life.  It is easy to forget how much control we have over our happiness.  Does that me that we can control all of our problems and their outcomes?  Nope. What it does mean is that we can control how we respond to them, what we learn from them, and the attitude we have while working through them.  Life is not about what happens to you, it is about how you respond to what happens to you!  Consider these two thought provoking quotes…

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”

-       John Wooden

“You either ride life or it rides you. Your mental attitude determines who is the rider, and who is the horse.”

-       Napoleon Hill 

Resolutions?

Are you a New Year’s resolution person?  I’ve never been one for resolutions just for the sake of resolution every January.  Frankly, it is an arbitrary point in time and not much different than another month end; save the fact that you have to remember to write the New Year on your checks. 

A New Year should be more than that!  It is a good time to look at one’s life with a little perspective.  There is something that feels good about the fresh start of a new year.  It is like a clean slate, a new leaf, a change opportunity.  There is new energy associated with the New Year.  I do like to take stock of where I stand at year end, where my life is going and where it needs to change.  Many MMM’s have addressed the topic of change.  The point is often made that we must change to grow and improve ourselves. 

The New Year is a great opportunity to focus on change for growth and improvement.  Radical change is difficult.  More is required than a date change to accomplish significant goals.  If your goals are challenging, you will need more than a simple resolution.  But simple changes are often important as well.  The New Year offers an opportunity for a new attitude, a different outlook, and a modification in perspective.

Whatever your resolutions, goals, or challenges are tackle them with gusto and commitment.  Stick to their pursuit for the good of the outcome and the betterment of your life.  Only you can change you!

Wishing you a blessed and prosperous year!

Energy Leaks

Have you ever heard of something called an energy leak?  It is a feeling, behavior or attitude that drains you of energy.  Energy leaks are wasteful. They drain people of positive energy and momentum for no good reason.  Some examples of potential energy leaks...

·         Jealousy

·         Judging others

·         Holding grudges

·         Petty bickering

·         The blame game

There are many, maybe hundreds, more.  Everybody has energy leaks.  Yours may be different from those listed but we all have them.  The interesting thing is that we are generally pretty aware of them.  For some reason we think these thoughts and feelings might make us feel better.  Or we think that we cannot change them.  Maybe we even derive some misplaced satisfaction from them. 

The truth is… energy spent on these feelings and behaviors is a waste.  It produces no positive outcome and sucks the energy right out of you.  Use your energy on positive thoughts, feeling and behaviors and stop wasting time on energy leaks!