I was always big on the power of observation. I was the Watcher. As a child, I was the lookout person, whenever we were involved in mischief. Therefore, I saw more bad things than I actually performed. Incidentally, I studied people. Since I was watching them, I developed a sixth sense on how people act, even if I didn’t understand why they responded in a certain way.

In business, I noticed a peculiar phenomenon. People would not call for help immediately when they were in trouble. I would ask them to call me before they got in deep water, but invariably the phone would ring and I would hear their story and blub, blub, blub, blub on the other end of the line. They would not call me until the quicksand or water level was nearly over their head. I asked why they waited. Their responses would usually include a variation of these explanations;

1. They did not want to disturb me because they knew I was busy
2. They thought they could do it on their own
3. They did not want to admit they needed help

I do not mind investing the time to develop someone or to ease their transition into the organization.  Yes, I am busy and their calling me or not will not change by situation. Furthermore there are a lot of people on the planet who have access to my time and my counsel. I am routinely consulted for my opinion. Why shouldn’t they avail themselves of my services? Anyone who is busy knows that a phone call for an important issue is worth the interruption in their schedule.

Secondly, it is sure foolishness, if you need help, to avoid reaching out for assistance. You should not try to accomplish any task or climb any mountain on your own when you are struggling. We are interconnected and interdependent as human beings and need each other to survive. A hefty ego can be an anchor to weigh us down when we need to be buoyant and able to float when necessary. When I arrived at college I was use to studying on my own, because that’s the way we did it in my high school. However, those receiving the better grades in college studied in groups. They would quiz and challenge each other. In brain storming sessions at sales meetings, I noticed the result was better when team members bounced ideas off of each other, in a spirit of collaboration.

Thirdly, everyone needs help at some point in their lives. Successful people would not be where they are today without trusted mentors, teachers, parents, coaches, friends and Good Samaritans to help them along their journey. The most confident person requires help at strategic locations on their journey through life.

Emergency Assistance

When I receive notification of trouble, it falls into one of two categories.

1. A performance problem related to a skill deficiency on the part of the caller
2. A performance problem related to a hostile work environment boarding on harassment  caused by the manager

The person is in a desperate position. They cry out to me as their last hope. They want me to use my influence to repair their damaged career and to make their problems go away. If the problem is a skill deficiency, it is wise to solicit help early in the process. I can make recommendations for additional coaching and mentoring to guide them through the rough waters. People learn at different speeds, so I may be able to advise them on methods to accelerate their learning process.

Performance problems as a result of a hostile work environment are particularly precarious. If people have a legitimate complaint, but wait until they are about to be fired for poor performance, their case loses credibility. An early intervention and discussions with Human Resources, may lead to contacting the proper authorities and gaining the assistance they need, before it is too late.

Management realizes it is not usual for a person failing on the job to blame their manager, when faced with potential termination. This information works to the advantage of a bad manager. And if left unchecked early, the manager will build a case against their direct report and convince their superiors that the employee is incapable of doing the job.  

The moral of the story is, before you are in hot water, call for help immediately, before your situation blossom into a performance problem. It is difficult to intervene on behalf of a struggling employee on the verge of termination. The odds of a successful conclusion to your problems are increased if you call before you fall. Don’t hesitate until it is too late. .

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

I was the Product manager for tamoxifen, brand name Nolvadex, the largest selling drug for the treatment of breast cancer. I worked for Stuart Pharmaceuticals. The company was a part of the pioneering effort which led to Breast Cancer Awareness Week which became Breast Cancer Awareness Month. One of the primary messages is “Early detection is the best protection.” Early discovery gave women the best chance of a favorable prognosis.

All of us were exposed to many sayings as we were growing up which if followed, prevented us from getting into trouble. “Honesty is the best policy” would help us avoid lying and telling countless lies to cover-up and make matters worse. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” gave us wisdom on the simplicity of discipline over the complexity of a full-blown crisis. Many laws, rules and regulations also serve as a means to minimize discomfort and inconvenience.

“Prevention is the best intervention” is a claim that is true in many areas of our lives. We find ourselves in difficult situation knowing we could have avoided them if we acted on our knowledge and instincts. Why deal with headaches, inconvenience, stresses, disappointments, setbacks and unfulfilled expectations if we don’t have to? Rather than nip it in the bud, how can we terminate, before the situation germinates? This beckons us to review our lifestyle and exercise self-control in the most important areas.

I am an exercise enthusiast and you may identify with this thought. Part of my reason for staying in shape, outside of the obvious benefits, is to avoid the pain and agony of getting back into shape. If I can prevent this recurring discomfort, I can reap the benefits and ward off the problems of poor fitness. I must however, follow the guidelines of healthy living.

This process works in business and in relationships. There is a picture I own called The Journey, which I have used for many years. It shows a scene from the early 1900’s. There are many people and many action sequences. All who begin The Journey must pass through the Gateway of Opportunity on the Road to Success. There is a train called The Right System which leads you on a winding track to the top of the mountain to Success. However, along the route there are numerous distractions and diversions, such as, illiteracy, arrogance, weak morals, procrastination, lack of preparation, jealousy, bad business methods, etc. Engaging in the wrong activities may lead you into the River of Failure or a number of unsightly career and relationship ending dilemmas, which could have been prevented.  The picture also displays areas where second chances are earned as people learn their lessons.

People knew the consequences of the character damaging actions that would ruin their reputations, but did them anyway. Knowing your weakness and the areas where you are most vulnerable can help you devise a plan to protect yourself. Some recommend you conduct a personal assessment. The standard SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) can serve as a starting point. You simply write one of these words at the top of a column and list those attributes that personally apply to you. Strengths and Weaknesses refer to you and Opportunities and Threats refer to environment in which you live or work. Remember, the point of greatness vulnerability may not be through your weakness, but through your strength. We are often enamored by our strong points and leave ourselves open to temptation.

You may also want to think about the following:

• Knowledge of your Right System
• The benefits of compliance – if you stay on your path the goals and benefits and many rewards along the way
• Worst case scenarios – a review of the consequences – the impact on self,  family, career and other resources and relationships
• Examples of others who succeeded – showing discipline and resolve
• Examples of those who were not successful and what happened to them – learn from their mistakes – Why do you have to make all of the mistakes yourself?
• An accountability partner – who you can confess to and who can keep you on the right path

Prevention is the best intervention is the ideal situation. Although it may not be possible in your current area of need, it is never too late. If you are already in the throes of a situation, the standard intervention techniques are required to “correct the disconnect” between your current state your expectations. Once the intervention is successful, it becomes the preventative needed to ward off a relapse.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

Sometimes the best advice you will receive will come directly from you. People value your opinions. You humbly have a cadre of individuals who look to you for advice. These persons are friends, colleagues, class mates and acquaintances. When you listen to your children, you hear a perspective that was shaped by conversations with you. If you analyze their words, you will notice that they were once your words. These words will make you laugh and keep you in check as they remind you of what you said. By placing wisdom in the ears of others, and pay forward, you set yourself up to receive future blessings, as the words come home to roost when you least expect them.

A one year employee, was sent to Headquarters as a Senior Advisor for a Sales Training class of new recruits. His manager felt he would learn as much as he gave to the trainees. His Senior Advisor role was to give them a real world perspective of the Sales Representative position. He performed exceptionally well and was offered a job as full time Sales Trainer. I asked him how he was able to secure the job. He said he remembered my words from his Orientation. I said, “Every interaction is an interview.” He took these words to heart and landed a promotion, because he used them to guide his actions.

Many times, we do not consult ourselves before we make a decision. We go to a mentor and trusted friends and collect a series of suggestions. These are good ideas but since we are ultimately responsible for the decision we should:

• Step outside of our role
• Pretend we are advising a friend, peer or mentor
• Be thorough and thoughtful
• Engage in positive self talk, for it can be beneficial
• Avoid negative self talk, for it can be destructive

We would improve our decision making by listening to our voice of good judgment and experience. Our words represent our core values and the beliefs that define our character. They have been formed by our experiences and the experiences of people we observed and consulted with over the years. Think about this as a strategy, if we listened to the advice we gave to others, we would minimize indiscretions, snap emotional decisions, inappropriate remarks and a lack of discipline. How many times have we told people to?

• Be the best in everything they do
• Count to 10 or 20 before replying to a contentious situation
• Expect the unexpected and prepare for a rainy day
• Follow their dreams
• Follow their gut feelings for they may indicate that something is not what it appears to be and caution is warranted

How many times have you heard that your words or feedback was helpful to someone? The longer you live and the more you help others, this will become a common occurrence. Often when you reflect on your words, you find yourself thinking, “I should have followed that advice in a recent situation. My life would have been a lot better.”

I listened to an old sermon by Bishop T.D. Jakes in which he said he looked at the advice he had been giving and decided he needed someone like himself to help him. He said, he came to the conclusion that, “I need a me.” You need yourself and you should lean on your own understanding in some situations. Please consider the following:

• Create a list of your own quotations or sayings
• Listen to yourself when you talk and take notes
• Review past decisions and consider how you could have handled them differently
• Review current decisions you have to make
• Review some of your major decisions and how you arrived at your actions

Listening to yourself does not stop you from selecting a coach or mentor. You don’t know everything and will always benefit from additional wise counsel. But remember, don’t sell yourself short. You have developed considerable skills over years of experiencing life and helping others. We generally, do not suffer from not knowing what to do. It is listening to ourselves and following through to a decision that is the issue. Listen to yourself. You have so much to offer. Your track record validates your success rate.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

The days of delivering a half-hearted effort to gain results have come to an end. The ability to keep a customer based on the strength of your relationship and not the quality of your performance is also over. Average grades in school and on performance reviews, not to mention a lack of commitment in relationships are a liability and should not be tolerated. The demise of mediocrity has been forecast and foretold for a number of years and competition has made it a reality.

There was a veteran sales representative who was losing market share to a relatively new competitive sales person. When the veteran complained to the doctor and asked why the change in prescribing, the doctor replied, “I am using the new product because the representative made a strong case and asked me to use it.” The veteran rep thought his relationship and mediocre service would hold onto the customer’s loyalty.

Some unions are losing their clout because they are protecting employees who are lower performers. Many organizations are moving aggressively to pay based on performance to differentiate the top performers from those on the lower tiers. They want to reward their excellence with higher incentives.

Quality has been the entrance criteria in some businesses, education and relationships for a long time. When there is so much competition, why should the other party settle for less than the best? If you have given less than your best, this is the official wake-up call or call to excellence.

Excellence is the expectation is the title of a poem and song from my book and CD entitled, “Teach the children to dance”. They speak of our obligation to instill excellence into the minds, actions and character of our children. As a global village and marketplace, we will find that many businesses and individuals will drive superiority into their products and services. This will enable them to effectively compete in every endeavor. Excellence becomes a habit when you do the following:

1. Benchmark your quality to the competition
2. Generate new ideas as a common practice
3. Measure what you treasure 

Benchmark

Benchmark or compare your quality against the competition. This involves more than collecting the best practices in your field. If you only collect and implement best practices, you will improve the quality of your operations, but will match the competition, not surpass their excellence. Excellence becomes a moving target. What was viewed as excellence yesterday may not be viewed as excellence today.  You want to be seen as superior, not equivalent in as many areas as possible. This will give you a competitive distinction over your peer group. 

New ideas 

Innovation and renovation are means to strive for excellence. Renovation will get you a reputation as a quality repairman, a great trouble-shooter. It shows that you have the insight and instincts to improve your situation. But the ability to innovate, create and solve problems with new solutions puts you in a league of excellence. Constantly look for ways to do something better. Ask yourself, “What else?” can be done to make this better. This mantra will help you to develop the mindset to constantly seek continuous improvement.

Daniel H. Pink in his book Driven suggests “the secret to high performance and satisfaction at work, at school, and at home – is the deeply human need to direct our own lives to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.” Find ways to incorporate this philosophy into your leadership and work environment.

Measure what you treasure

Consistently revise quality assurance steps to ensure the quality meets your highest expectations. Manufactures institute quality control measures throughout the production process.  Can you do the same to your work practices or personal behaviors to make a similar impression? Borrow another set of eyes and ears to help improve your performance. This may mean having someone else read your paper before you turn it in. Or you may have someone test you by asking questions before your exam. People use to say inspect what you expect or preview and then you review, to ensure you have the excellence you desire.  

Copyright ©2010 Orlando Ceaser

We intuitively attracted to people who are like us. The “birds of a feather flock together”; saying has some validity to it. Additionally, if people are different from us we try to mold people in our own image. You may remember the story of Narcissus. He was a handsome young man who one day fell in love with his own reflection in the river. His preoccupation with his own looks dominated his time and his thinking.  He was so absorbed with himself that he did not respond to a potential romantic interest, Hyacinth, who was a beautiful maiden. 

Hyacinth did all in her power to get his attention but nothing worked. Due to neglect and lack of interest Hyacinth wept and ultimately died of loneliness and a broken heart. The local goddess had pity on her and turned her into a flower. This story cuts to the very core of our vanity and self-centered behavior. If someone looks like us, acts as we do, and share our values, they must be OK because we are OK. If they speak our language and share our interests we are on our way to creating chemistry instead of conflict. 

People like people like themselves. This is fundamental. It is human nature.  This axiom applies to color, culture, background, financial status and other interests and affiliations. We have an affinity for our own image. We are in the cloning business to some degree. We are comfortable with ourselves and anyone like us must be good. We apply this rule every day as if it were an insurance policy. It is apparent in all human encounters and relationships, even during job interviews and performance evaluations. 

Narcissism became clear to me when monitoring the recruitment activity of my sales team. I noticed that each manager was hiring a certain type of sales person. I could meet a new sales person and almost pick the team they were on and their manager. I decided to follow through on a hunch to validate my suspicion. The company administered a personality profile as a part of our recruitment process. Inside the form were two pages. On one side the candidate was asked to select words others used to describe them. On the next page, they were asked to select the words that they felt were true descriptions of their personality. A correlation was made between the two sets of words and a score was generated which was matched to a personality profile.

I asked a group of managers to:

1. Complete a different personality profile on words that described their ideal sales representative
2. Compare it to their personal personality survey taken a month earlier

Needless to say, many of my managers shared the same profile as the person they felt was the ideal candidate. The numerical ratings were the same. My managers were essentially looking for themselves in the recruiting process. 

Another fact of life is that companies have a dominant culture and tend to hire people who reflect their culture, values, and beliefs. Therefore, companies like people who are like most of their employees. People who succeed in these organizations match or confirm to a certain profile. If the companies see the need to diversify for business purposes, they may not create the inclusive culture necessary to capitalize on the benefits of diverse ideas and teams. There is a powerful force bringing people into compliance if they wish to coexist with others within the culture. 

Pursuing employment with a company involves learning the company culture / profile and determines if the company is a good match for you. Are there others like you thriving in the organization or are people who challenge the status quo perennially relegated to the lower rungs of employee development programs?  If the company is what you are looking for, you need to prove that you are like them in values, beliefs and levels of performance. 

Be yourself is a common pearl of wisdom distributed to job seekers. The intent is that we must be true to ourselves in order to deliver your best performance in an interview. Additionally, this increases the chance of enjoying the job when hired. You are an authority, an expert on your strengths and weaknesses.  Relying on reality should improve your ability to present a factual and believable interview and if you decide not to take the job you can be comfortable with the decision. 

Being you in an interview is valuable when interviewing with the right company. A company that has the right environment will enable people like you to grow and flourish. Many of us have had to be someone else in an interview to get the job. “Give them what they want to see and say what they want to hear has been our mode of operation.” However, there is pressure in maintaining the masquerade.  The charade requires an enormous amount of energy and can place you under tremendous stress. The constant fear of discovery or the reality of living a lie, gradually takes its toll.

Remember, Narcissism exists in people and in companies, through their culture. Do not be discouraged if it seems that you outwardly do not match the company or the individuals on staff. You may have to walk away from the opportunity.  Sometimes a job is so great that you are willing to gamble, hoping that it will become the right fit. Understand the risks involved. Strategies can be developed to show affiliation on some level. Preparation is the key. Research is mandatory. If you cannot be a clone, you may have to leave the job alone and find an acceptable match if not your perfect job.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

I have seen people obsessed, enamored with making the tough decision and others too paralyzed to perform. We confer accolades on leaders who can make the tough call. Leadership is not for the faint of heart and at times decisions must be made that are unpopular and uncomfortable. There is something about tough personnel decisions which are different from most tough calls. When people are involved, concerns arise about relationships, families and emotions.  In personnel matters, you may have to cut your losses early, and carefully weigh your initial investment and the long-term implications of your actions. You do not want to walk away too early from a viable investment that needs a little more time to be productive.

What effect does tough personnel decisions have on the manager making the call? A manager may adopt one of three options.

1. She objectively evaluates the person’s performance, character and job match and act with skill and dignity
2. She changes her perception of the person, as if they are the enemy
3. See changes her personality when interacting with the person, peers and superiors

Performance

We constantly face extremely competitive and challenging circumstances. Economic volatility and instability in many aspects of our lives threaten security. Companies are reducing payrolls and the adage of “lean and mean” is more like “anorexic with an attitude.” Everyone is being asked to do the work of multiple individuals with multiple priorities. Those who are not able to keep up are asked to leave the company voluntarily or involuntarily.

Character is very important, especially in light of corporate and political scandals and other high-profile breeches of ethics and morality. Integrity issues and violations of company policies will not be tolerated. Organizations realize their reputation has a numerical value attached to it. Anyone who poses a threat to the company’s image will be cleaved from the organization. This action requires courage and conviction.

People are misguided and opportunistic in their career selections. If they are in jobs that do not represent their passions, aspirations and interests, they will hold on to the wrong job rather than risk unemployment. Productivity and engagement levels will not reach the demands needed in today’s business climate. They may suffer and perform badly, but will not let go, even when the end is near.

Firing the poor job fit is an act of mercy, especially if you care about them. They may not view it as an act of goodwill or the actions of merciful management.  Years later they may describe it as the best thing that ever happened to them. I recall termination conferences where I was anxious and met a relaxed employee who knew they were in the wrong job. A few people thanked me for making the decision for them. Don’t let me delude you into thinking termination is always welcomed and appreciated, but when you have made the tough call and treated them with fairness, dignity, preserving their self-esteem, you have done your job appropriately.

Change perception of employee

The manager approaches the personnel issue as the body approaches food for digestion. He wants to convert the situation into something that is easy to manage. Some will turn against the employee and find a way to diminish, discredit or ridicule them in order to make the tough call. They play the blame game and make the person into the bad guy.

The employee becomes the enemy and the manager is committed to sabotage over saving them. The employee’s actions are seen through a lens of suspicion. They are no longer given the benefit of the doubt. The manager may also spread damaging words among leadership circles about the person’s alleged ineptitude.

Because this person is no longer in favor, the manager feels justified in their actions to remove them. “They should have never been hired in the first place” is a common phrase uttered about a person on the ropes. Their pleas for assistance in doing a better job are not taken seriously.

Many lawsuits are filed because a person felt depreciated and disrespected. They may feel their reputation has been destroyed. They feel as if the organization has turned against them. They don’t like the way they are treated. The employee lashes out against the company in the only way they know how to hurt them. They tie up legal resources through a lawsuit. Sometimes the focus isn’t on winning the suit as to venting their frustration. They feel hurt and humiliated.

Companies that are more equitable in the treatment of employees generally have a lower rate of lawsuits. If employees who are terminated or leave the company feel you had their best interests at heart, they are less prone to sue you. They have been known to recommend their former company. They may say things such as, “It is a good company, but things did not work out for me.”

Personal transformation

The manager may change personally. They become more reserved, aloof, distant and insensitive. Managers have been known to get angry in order to carry out a disciplinary action. They become selectively ruthless in order to gather up the courage to make the tough call. The person has become the enemy in their mind. This can potentially cloud their judgment and objectivity. The employee is confused because the manager sent mixed messages with this personality shift. The employee understands they may not be performing well, but does not understand why they are personally under attack.

Some managers realize their employee is not viewed favorably by their superiors. Rather than defend their person and work to improve their skills, they abandon them and begin the process of termination, career assassination and dissociation through managerial neglect. They don’t want their leadership skills questioned by defending a worker no one wants.

Some managers resort to anger to give them courage. We learned this as children. I remember fighting when I was younger.  I was losing badly. Suddenly, I let out a scream and charged my opponent. This scream summoned all the courage and strength I had in me. Managers have been known to perform a variation on this anger method to help them cope with making a tough call.

Making the tough call in personnel matters is hard to do, especially if the person is nice. But we must stay focused on our role and responsibilities as leaders. We must staff the organization with people who will rally around our vision of the future. By thoroughly reviewing all options after gathering the data and acting humanely, we set a powerful example for our people. You cannot postpone the decision forever. Mark, a veteran District Sales Manager one day commented on a person who was perennially a poor performer; “I should have fired that him 15 years ago when my manager asked me to, but he was a man with a nice family and now, I regret it.” A new manager tried to right the situation and placed pressure on him to move or improve. The representative’s wife called the office in anger. He was admitted into the Emergency room with what they thought was a heart attack. He was off-limits until he retired, which took several years. The District Manager’s reluctance to fire the manager cost the company, the customers and the representative the opportunity to find his right job fit.

Making the tough decision is a necessary part of the DNA of an effective leader. Personnel matters have their unique challenges. A leader must be fair, courageous, objective and emotionally balanced in disseminating discipline. The employee must be treated with dignity and self-respect, even though they may ultimately be separated from the company.  

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

When events are hard to explain or define and we at a loss for words we conclude with, “Well I’ll know it when I see it.” People use this same model in judging personal performance and appraising employee results, especially in the absence of objective criteria. We are very comfortable assessing normal performance, but extraordinary performance can force us to be vague and make bland statements, such as, “She is the best I’ve ever seen.”

As a leader, I was exposed to varying levels of performance. The more people I saw, the more I developed an appreciation for truly great results. I also cultivated an aversion for truly mediocre results. I watched as managers, who were personally rated average or slightly above average were asked to assess consistent excellent performance. A paradox of the absurd occasionally appeared.  Some people ventured into the realm of rating someone distinguished (above excellent) when they were never rated that highly or ever saw that level of performance in their lives. Their personal experience was not a reliable frame of reference, but they stepped boldly into this domain.

For example, a relatively new Regional Sales Director rated a new District Sales manager as Excellent. The performance measures were based on quantifiable sales results from his team members and competencies related to management and leadership skills. He felt he had mastered the competencies of a manager fully functioning in the job in his first nine months. Also, he felt he had a profound impact on coaching his sales people to reach the sales results. When I asked how he had arrived at these determinations, he replied, “At his level of development, he is the best I’ve ever seen.” I relied in the affirmative. “Yes he is the best you have ever seen, but it is my job to introduce you to more people.” He needed to broaden his field of vision and be exposed to excellence on a grander scale.

The frame of reference is very important in a system, when you are evaluating talent. We speak of someone being a large fish in a small pond. We owe it to the individual to manage their opinions of their performance and put it in the proper context.

Geno is a television producer in Chicago. He told me a story I had heard many times before from superstar high school athletes whose eyes were opened when they went away to college. Geno was a star receiver on his high school football team and expected to dominate when he went to college. However, he was astounded by the level of talent and competition. For you see, all the players on the team were top talent and superstar high school athletes at their respective schools. He told me a story of running out for a pass and being covered by an individual who was a linebacker, who ran with him step for step. “Linebackers”, he said emphatically, “are not supposed to keep up with me. I run the 40 yard dash in 4.3 or 4.4 seconds.” Linebackers where he came from did not have that kind of speed. Geno was exposed to a higher level of excellence.

As a leader, we have to ensure we are evaluating and holding people to a realistically high standard. As individual performers, we cannot look merely at local talent. We have to expand our vision to see people anywhere in the world who may ultimately become our competition. Challenge yourself to truly give your best to be your best, because someday it will be needed to make the grade.

How do you find better talent? How do you push yourself to and beyond excellence? It requires research into the qualities of superior performance and the training measures necessary to get there and maintain it. It also requires introducing yourself to people who have a reputation for greatness in your area of interest. Find out their secrets and techniques to consistently deliver excellence. You must continue your research by reading and watching video. This is supplemented with personal conversations with coaches, mentors and accountability partners. These are people who care about you and will remind you of your promises to yourself and others.

Initially, compete against yourself and elevate your personal statistics. Then, look for documented records of achievement of individuals and teams in your field. Workout, research and study with experts in your area of concentration. If you want to be better, to use a sports analogy you have to scrimmage with the best. I captured this sentiment in a poem by the same title in my book Leadership above the rim – the poetry of possibility. The closing lines are,

“We spar with the upper echelon,

We face Goliath, yet press on,

Content to risk, poised to invest,

The time to scrimmage with the best.”

You must practice with prima donnas and execute with the elite. This exposure to excellence will drive your personal performance to world-class results and enabled you to accurately diagnose and develop excellence in yourself and others.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

The capacity for growth, along with the ability to excel lies within each of us. Our desire plays a major role in extending our performance beyond normal levels of exertion. Somehow we were convinced that external forces have the ultimate control over our results. Therefore, we erroneously believe others control our fate and we have to wait for them to grant us permission to achieve our personal greatness.

These rumors and misconceptions must be dispelled. The power is ours. We can think differently and summon strength from internal reservoirs of potential.  We can free ourselves to accomplish the dreams we desire. Success is not a secret or a great mystery. We have been exposed to examples of people who succeeded against tremendous odds. Their stories are known to us. I asked students from sixth grade through high school to tell me what it takes to be successful.  They easily listed characteristics, actions and behaviors. They seldom listed outside variables. The qualities were usually within the purview of the individual.

We have shielded ourselves from our own power source. By standing in front of our light, we are blinded by our possibilities. But it is time to realize we have access to energy and we must not be tentative. The supply of energy must be released. We have to grant ourselves permission to attain it. We essentially have to say it is OK; it is acceptable and desirable to pursue and express achievement.

When we say yes to our dreams, we discard the sandbags that hold us down.  Original hot air balloons rose to reach higher altitudes when pilots threw the appropriate number of sandbags overboard. The sandbags in our lives are the people who want to hold us back and personal barriers that prevent us from being successful.

Don’t blame circumstances

Environment is the convenient scapegoat for holding people back.  One managerial survival of such an environment gave a very memorable quote when she interviewed with other companies. She said, “When other companies were impressed with my experiences, I realized I was not as stupid as I was led to believe.” This gave her valuable insight into the temporary damaging influence of her environment. However, she gave herself permission to seek the outcome she wanted.

Additionally, there are always people who maintain that their circumstances drove them to be their best. Environment suppresses and environment is accountable for successes. How the person responds to their circumstances is the key. We are intrigued by the biographies of successful people. They were normal folk who had an abnormal drive to succeed, despite their circumstances. They give themselves permission to strive for a better life.

Develop confidence

An oppressive and depressive environment can chip away at your self-esteem and affect your confidence. We have a number of neuroses.  Anchored by insecurities there thrives the tendency to doubt our abilities. There may be old tapes running in our brain that sabotage our initiatives.  We can reverse the impact of negative influences.  We can learn to transfer authority to express our talents to our conscious mind.  By drawing on inner power, we gain strength and confidence.

When we lack confidence, we do not feel we have the right to utter the magical words of, “I give myself permission to release my inner power. I grant myself permission to be and to do my best. I give myself permission to be truly everything God has created me to be.” When we release the power we will discover that it was in us all the time, but we didn’t think we had the right to exert our authority.

People can tell you how great you are, but if you do not believe it, the results will be compromised.

Don’t delegate authority

We are known to abdicate power to someone else. We have placed the key to our success into the hands of another person. It may be a friend, employer or a mate. Sometimes others don’t want us to succeed and offer advice to keep us in our place. We therefore allow their wishes to hold us back. Managers and peers have secretly conspired to hold us at a lower status. If we do not take responsibility for our lives and lack the courage to be our true selves, we will underperform versus our potential.

We must hoist the anchor that has held us in place and prepare to sail toward our objectives. It is acceptable to be great. It is OK to want more, to be more, and to do more. We are positively entitled to receive wealth, as we define it, in order to improve self and contribute to mankind. But we have been conditioned to restrict the full expression of our abilities. We are told to stay with the pack and not to go too far ahead of the crowd. But in reality the crowd will never reach their peak if someone is not constantly pushing their performance into a higher range.

You were blessed at birth with permission to excel, but barriers were erected to hold you back. The issue may have been clouded by misconceptions and misinformation. However, it is incumbent upon you to align your obligations with your expectations and grant yourself the permission to excel.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

I was on a teleconference with managers from around the world. The scheduled briefing would update us on the next round of staff reductions.  We sat patiently, muted, on hold, while music played in the background. Ironically, the Righteous Brothers began to sing, “You’ve lost that loving feeling.” We listened and then the refrain, “You love that loving feeling, now it’s gone, gone, gone, oh oh oh oh.

We spend more than a third of our waking hours on job related activities. Our relationship with our job can be filled with richness or rivalry. Are our needs still being met? Do we express excitement and commitment? Is the fire still there? Are we growing and improving our skills and growing closer or separating? These are very important questions. If the answers are negative we will not be able to resist temptation and resort to flirting with every viable option that shows interest.

It may seem trivial to compare employment to a committed relationship, but there are contrasts and similarities.

The Early Days

The honey moon signifies the early stage of a romantic relationship when expectations are high. We are compatible with our mate, find delight spending time together and never seem to tire of each other’s company. We can’t wait to get back to work or in the arms of our companion. In a corporate relationship, to borrow a concept from Situational Leadership, we are the “enthusiastic beginner.”  We are filled with the joy of feeling we made the right decision. We anticipate many years of financial satisfaction and career success. We don’t know what we don’t know, but we are committed to the partnership.

But when the honeymoon is over, we realize it is harder than we thought. We become the “reluctant contributor” or the “disillusioned learner.” We begin to take each other for granted. We make unbelievable demands and forget to ask for input on matters that affect each person. At times our actions of entitlement display our arrogance and insecurity. We seem to say, “There are people out there who would love to take your place.”

Subsequently, as in our personal lives, we regret going to work and begin to hold back our passion and cooperation on projects, meetings and assignments. We do just enough to get by and maintain our position. Everyone knows the thrill is gone, because we lost that loving feeling.

Fidelity

When people feel they are not appreciated, their mind first drifts to greener pastures or better opportunities. They cruise the Internet job sites, wants ads and solicit referrals for better options. The relationship analogy may seem to breakdown when discussing loyalty. You may say people have a right to seek a job that pays more money. However, there are many people who will stay with a company that may not pay the most money, but satisfies them in other ways.  The company is concerned about their personal and professional development and they are treated with respect and paid a decent wage. There is a part of me that feels our transience in personal relationships may be influenced by our transience in our professional relationships, but that is an entirely different conversation.

Culture

A possible cure for losing that loving feeling may be the type of culture environment we create. Do we make each other feel important, special, needed and appreciated? Do we listen to concerns and opinions? Can we laugh with each other and at ourselves? Do we try not to take ourselves too seriously? In an organization, leadership is practiced at every level and people are supported and encouraged to improve their skills and reach their potential.

When people generally care about each other, it sets a strong example of how people should be treated. When we pay attention to someone as if they are the only one in the room, it inspires them to give more and achieve their personal greatness.

Celebrations

The practice of instituting routines and rituals that keeps a spark alive is essential. When we become too predictable, it sometimes equates to dull and boring. How can we inject vitality and creativity into our relationships?  It may be helpful to read books on relationships to gain insight into how to improve matters at work and at home.

We should explore ways to list the similarities and differences in our personal and professional connections. It may be safer to do this individually rather than in a group setting, otherwise it could really get out of control.

Companies remember birthdays, anniversaries (employment and marriage), customs and holidays, while being respectful of religious beliefs. Organizations volunteer in community events and encourage their teams to be good corporate and community citizens. I am not suggesting date days or date nights at work. However, I think you get the idea of the value of bonding around a mission and vision.

Training programs that have multiple applications increase the velocity of adding value to the participants. If we use this same technique we will add creativity to our lives and enable us to improve in areas we never thought possible. It is amazing when a training program at work, enables us to be a better parent, mate and member of society. When we are stimulated on many levels it is almost impossible to lose that loving feeling in the areas that are important to us.

Copyright © 20010 Orlando Ceaser

I will state the role of motivation in a personal business case for career excellence. In uncertain economic times it is important to gain control over your career.  I will discuss the value of proper thinking to help you take your performance to a higher level and differentiate yourself from others. You will maximize the impact of your leadership by challenging your peers to develop their skills. This will increase productivity in your sphere of influence. 

I have developed a number of sayings during my time in business;

1.  If your job is not fun, it is not fair. If it is not fair you must be empowered to make a difference.  
2. Every interaction is an interview. Someone is watching you, evaluating you for a promotion, an assignment, or additional responsibility.
3. You are an audition in search of the right audience

These comments are designed to get people to think before they act and to become more strategic in their actions, because they may we walking into the perfect storm for career development. 

I have learned that the way we mentally frame the events in our lives will determine our actions, and our success, because we realize that appropriate thinking can lead to appropriate actions.  Additionally, it is important to be optimistic.  Dr. Martin Seligman in his book Learned Optimism said, “We have found over the years that positive statements you make to yourself have little if any effect. What is crucial is what you think when you fail, using the power of “non-negative thinking.”  Recent research indicates that optimism also improves your health. Changing the destructive things you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill of optimism.”    

I often listen to a recording by Earl Nightingale called the Strangest Secret and review the book Danger in the Comfort Zone by Judith Bardwick.

In his timeless recording Mr. Nightingale defined “Success as the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal. We can influence our level of success by altering our thinking. Many experts claim that we only use 10% of our mental ability, so therefore there is plenty of room for growth into our virtually untapped reserves.

The Strangest Secret according to Mr. Nightingale’s research is the realization that we become what we think about. William James said that the greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.” So when someone says something is primarily mental, they are telling the truth. Motivation is mental. The desire to succeed is mental.  We can achieve our goals if we control our thinking.  

The economy is going through turbulent times.  During tough times the weak among us tend to get nervous and freak out. The sky is always falling and they can always find something to complain about. The strong however, will show that in every adversity is the seed of an equivalent benefit. They look for the gifts and opportunities to shine and make a difference and provide greater service to their customers. 

Job Security

Judith Bardwick in her book Danger in the Comfort Zone speaks of three conditions or stages that companies and individuals go through that affect motivation. They are entitlement, fear and earnings. The first phase is entitlement, where people feel that everyone owes them something, a guaranteed job, predictable income, a forecast they can exceed, world-class benefits etc.  “People are complacent, she says; they get raises, bonuses and benefits pretty much as a matter of course, so there is no incentive to work hard.” When you move people beyond entitlement they must go through fear.  

According to Judith, in fear people are concerned about job security, reduced promotional opportunities and the impact on their retirement and health benefits. “People are paralyzed; the threat of layoffs makes them focus on protecting their jobs rather than doing them.”

The goal is to grow to a stage of earning. In the earning state “People are energized by challenge; they know their work will be judged and that rewards will be based on accomplishments.

I attended a conference by the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, a few years ago. He said, There is no such thing as job security any longer, however there is and there always will be employment security, which is based on skills.”  He said the lifetime employment contract was revoked and we can debate over who caused it, but one thing is true, those who have the transferable skills will hold jobs longer and get new ones when they need them. They don’t worry as much and therefore concentrate on doing their current job to the best of their ability, for they know that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. As long as they provide value and grow their skills, they will reap the benefits and rewards for excellence. Our goal is to elevate our skills through continuous learning and improvement and control the things that we can control.

I don’t have, nor do I know anyone who has the secret of motivation that applies to everyone. Motivation is individualized and should be customized to the person. Years ago we developed a motivational survey and used it to ensure that leadership and those being led were on the same page. The motivational survey asked you to rank 20 items on their importance to you and then it asked you to rank what you were getting from the job and many times there was a disconnect. A survey of this kind is very useful in identifying what drives your behavior. 

Success Attitude

You have heard that attitude is everything and that most of what we do every day is mental. Therefore it is important to frame things in order to put them in the right perspective. How we frame things has a lot to do with performance. The key to proper framing is when faced with a challenging situation adopt a point of view that allows you to play a role in the solution. Don’t say it can’t be done, rather it hasn’t been done and think of ways to make it happen. Instead of saying others don’t get it, say they don’t get it, yet. This allows for hope and trust for change in the future. Then think of a way you can help enlighten those who need to see the light. Just complaining is not productive and is not good for your attitude.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser