Weekly Thought – April 25, 2017

Fred consciously motivated people. He spent hours thinking about those in his network and how to stretch them. He thought of himself as a conduit for several of his friends who were speakers. As he read, listened, thought, he would put “material” into mental files to be accessed when he talked with any of these three people. He wanted to be part of their growth – and the use of their great gifts.

Ideas on Motivation

One of the ways I motivate people to think is always carrying blank cards in my pocket. When anyone says something worth writing down, I do. For years I tried to keep mental notes of memorable lines and then jot them down later. Then I realized the positive effect of asking someone, “May I write that down?” Often I get the response, “I didn’t know it was that good!”

People love to be quoted and doing so motivates them to think better. One of the nicest compliments you can earn is “He makes me think smart when I’m with him.” It’s a sign you are motivating people to think.

One of my early bosses had a way of saying nice things about his employees which would get back to them. True things which were nice. We appreciated it and worked hard to keep on doing things which he could notice. People work hard to uphold a good reputation.

Ask “what is special about this person?” For example, some people have a way of focusing on the positive in people. That can give you an opportunity to say “Here’s a person who looks for the best in others.” It not only strengthens the person, but gives them an idea of what you value.

I have consciously augmented my wife’s reputation as a creative listener. She is. I began doing it to comfort her because she was ill at ease in social situations and felt that she had little to say. We would come home and she would lament, “All I did was listen.”

One night at a dinner party, she was sitting next to a powerful top executive. His wife, seated next to me said, “Oh, I feel sorry for your wife having to sit next to my husband.” I replied, “He will talk his head off.” “You don’t know him at all then.” “No, I don’t know him, but I know my wife.” Sure enough, this man with the surly reputation did talk his head off. I am sure his wife wondered what in the world happened to him. What happened was Mary Alice. She had the ability to listen dynamically, to make people feel comfortable, and smart. She didn’t compete with him, and he thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

Effective leaders work to develop motivational strategies. They spend time thinking about specific techniques which are sincere motivation, not shallow manipulation.

This week think about: 1) Who is one of the best motivators I know? 2) How can I know the people around me and motivate them more strongly? 3) What is my motivation to motivate others?

Words of Wisdom: “People work hard to uphold a good reputation.”

Wisdom from the Word: “For everything that was written in former times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we may have hope.” (Romans 15:4 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 18, 2017

Fred refused to sacrifice his integrity for the sake of winning. He believed in the value of moving people to action, but never tricked them into action which only benefited him. His dear friend Zig Ziglar dedicated his life to inspiring and motivating others. They shared the joy of seeing the wood catch fire.

Motivation or Manipulation?

There is a critical difference between motivation and manipulation. One is getting people to do something from mutual advantage. The other is getting people to do what you want them to do, primarily for your advantage. If the person benefits, it’s purely a secondary goal.

Manipulation carries a hidden agenda; motivation carries an open agenda.

We all agree that motivation is good and manipulation is bad. But sometimes only a fine line separates the two, and it’s difficult to know which side of the line you are standing. The issues aren’t always clear-cut. Intent is the key. What could be motivation in one instance could be tainted by self-interest and turned into manipulation.

A psychiatrist friend chided me one night by saying, “You businessmen mistake manipulation for motivation. The difference is you can substitute the word “thirst” for motivation, but not manipulation.” That got my mind working. He was saying unless you are satisfying someone’s thirst, you are probably manipulating rather than motivating. What a simple, yet effective, measurement. Bottom line for me: I can motivate with integrity when I am bringing to consciousness a genuine thirst in another.

Whenever we try to motivate without the other person’s knowing what we are doing we need to be very careful. We can try to bring out a latent desire a person doesn’t even know exists. But we must always keep in mind: 1) recognize how close we are to manipulation; 2) set a checkpoint, and be willing to stop if an authentic thirst doesn’t develop; 3) never resort to immoral means even for righteous ends.

My good friend Zig Ziglar reminded my daughter one time to be sure and understand the difference between the “need to” and the “want to.” He was saying to her she must move away from her clear vision of what someone needed until she satisfied their own desire and want.

Remember the little boy whose obedience was not willing? “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside.” Manipulation often results in silent rebellion. True motivation is a path to growth and maturity.

This week think about: 1) What motivates me to take action? 2) How do protect myself from manipulation? 3) Who can I help find their “thirst” this week?

Words of Wisdom: “Bottom line for me: I can motivate with integrity when I am bringing to consciousness a genuine thirst in another.”

Wisdom from the Word: “This is the reason I do my best to always have a clear conscience toward God and toward people.” (Acts 24:16 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 11, 2017

Fred developed ideas, strategies, and people. He loved seeing growth and progress. He also appreciated the value of measures and metrics. Wanting to know if the process worked led him to define criteria for the effectiveness of training.

Thank you for your consistent, prayerful support of the Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute. Our next event is April 18, 19, 2017 at Greenville College in Greenville, IL. Please pray for the team members who will be traveling to campus to “stretch and bless the next generation of leaders… to the glory of God.”

Training Touchstones

The development of others is a strategic element in good leadership. Bringing others along to grow the organization is part of the mission. As training moves along, here are five ways to measure progress:

1) Is this person’s job fitting well with his or her talents? If not, I never be successful in fully developing the potential. It is my responsibility to assess the long range outcome and make sure the job and the talent match.

2) How much willingness to do the job am I seeing? I want to see if the person is enthusiastic about the opportunity to grow. Training has to be more than just an interesting way to pass time. And if I suspect the trainee is thinking, “Well, I’ll do it if you want me to, but I’m not really keen on it” I already know not to expect much.

3) How consistent is the person’s effort? Long-term, not sporadic engagement is what I want. It is the day in, day out effort that benefits both the organization and the employee. A friend once told me, “The amateur performs well when he feels like it. The pro performs well whether he feels like it or not.”

4) What are the objective results? I find many people want to tell me about activity, carry on conversations, give me excuses but produce little or nothing. I like to measure what has actually been done. Some people get by for years talking a good game but doing little. In our family we have a saying “Show me the baby, don’t tell me about the labor pains.”

5) Is this person willing to be evaluated? I am not going to spend time developing someone who resists having his results measured. In the same way, I do not want to attempt to train someone who will never ask for help. If a person knew all the answers, they would not need the training. I see too many whose egos won’t allow them to learn from others.

This week carefully consider: 1) How can I use these questions in my development of others? 2) What do I use as the measurement of personal progress? 3) When do I do my most effective training?

Words of Wisdom: “The development of others is a strategic element in good leadership.”

Wisdom from the Word: “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40 NET Bible)

Weekly Thought – April 4, 2017

Fred’s understanding of people created a high demand for his consulting services. He was particularly effective in labor negotiations, sales/marketing campaigns, and board restructuring. He had a clear view and a sound mind when it came to the productivity of organizations. Fred’s ideas were utilized throughout his 60 year business career. Later on Jim Collins popularized these concepts with the “right people in the right seats” language of Good to Great.

Maximizing Effectiveness

The secret of any organization’s success is choosing the right people to play key roles. I recently read about business executive Bernard Tapie who became famous in France by taking over failing corporations and turning them into successful money makers. He developed an empire of 45 companies. His secret: whenever he assumed control of a failing business he immediately brought in his fifteen member management team to reorganize. They worked like a well-oiled machine and repeated the process over and over.

One of the most important aspects of successful leadership is putting together a group of people to carry out the mission. Great athletic coaches know they must have talent to win and so take an active role in the recruiting process. Teams that just happen get happenstance results.

In the small organization staffing can be particularly vexing. But it is extremely important. A costly mistake in smaller operations is thinking they can get by with inferior employees because they aren’t large. Actually, the opposite is true. In a firm of one hundred employees, if one doesn’t pull their weight, it is a loss of 1% productivity. If a company has only 3 employees, one who is unproductive represents 33% of the workforce.

Attracting the right people requires enthusiastically selling your organization to quality prospects. Julian Price who built Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company surprised the industry by his ability to draw outstanding men and women to a small, regional company in the South. It was small, but mighty in its people pull. In interviewing he would say, “We are going to build a mighty company here. Don’t you want to be part of it?” The challenge of growth and the promise of a future brought many to Greensboro, North Carolina.

Leaders should not be timid about going for the most qualified who bring to the organization the skills needed for growth. When we believe in our vision and our mission it becomes a critical endeavor and one worth sharing. People want to be part of something exciting. Finding the right people to fulfill the dream is the privilege and responsibility of leadership.

This week carefully consider: 1) How strong are my recruiting skills? 2) What is the profile of my ideal team member? 3) When do I enjoy pulling together on a project?

Words of Wisdom: “Teams that just happen get happenstance results.”

Wisdom from the Word: “The one who works his field will have plenty of food, but whoever chases daydreams lacks wisdom.” (Proverbs 12:11 NET Bible)