How to think about the future, yours and others?

Well, not like you thought in the past! That’s for sure.

This TCI is a bit longer because it is a beginning of the business year and I wanted to explain a bit more about this important subject. I know that people can do very well if they make some small adjustments in the way they carry on and get bet much better results than they currently do, with much less stress and with much better effectiveness.

The following awareness is crucial for your future success-Every thing is Different and will become even more different than we dare to think. There is no sense thinking that things will be as they were. They won’t!

Ask yourself:

• Can you be different? I would say-Yes you can, but will you dare to be different?
• Can you think different? I would say-Yes you can, but will you try?
• Can you be flexible enough to adapt to change and not bend everything to what you think the case should be? I would say-Yes you can, but can you put your ego on one side for a while?

Your ability to reply with a genuine and considered YES to these 3 questions will make a huge difference in your ability to be a successful and… a happy, yes, happy professional (After all, what’s the point of success without happiness…)

In my career as a trainer, coach, facilitator (I actually don’t like these titles, I think of my self more as a catalyst of change) I meet many people, some of them in very influential positions, who are locked in their own view of what they think is going on, which is their own reality and not real reality. I am often asked to come and train their work force to improve in a particular skill that the top manager thinks is needed and all too often I find that they entirely misdiagnosed the need. And guess what…they don’t want to know about it and moreover, if “their” expectations (that they formed up on top of their misdiagnosis) have not been met, they tend to cast blame elsewhere.

What is the reason for the misdiagnosis? My experience would say ­ Ego. The ego tends to produce a limited view that will always regard the person as an authority that knows better than anyone else and therefore does not see the need to check with anyone else. It amounts to Ego deciding and Ego protecting itself. That way of proceeding blocks the system and keeps people at bay. In the end it will come back to haunt the person. Believe it!

We seem to be in a time where the truth cannot be denied for long- it’s quick these days- you must have noticed it. People are sensitive and they see and feel things, they may not say much, but they will act when the time comes.

One of the main changes that I see happening is the movement from hard to soft. As you may have noticed, people, and you included, do not respond to hardness too well. They may respond in the short term out of fear but not in the long term. Hardness does not convey Warmth, and genuine Warmth happens to be the main catalyst for change and improvement!

If you are a manager and you read this column get used to the idea that soft is not weak, the opposite is true- Soft coming from the right place and expressed correctly is real strength, one that understands people, understands the bigger picture, understands the pressures and stresses that are involved, and is able to take it on internally, deal with people respectfully. When leadership is caring on all levels people are willing and eager to become responsible and demonstrate accountability.

It starts from the top by example!

That’s real Leadership! Leadership of the future is the one that can galvanize people together in such a way that the work place for them is a real second family, a place they want to be in and contribute, because underlying all that they need to do is a sense of trust, of belonging and humanity.

I can also tell you that hard style of leadership training does not go far theses days. People are not interested in sitting and reading power point or listening to some rehashed, old formulas. Those days are gone, thankfully! My detection of people in training indicates they want to feel that they are understood, that they are heard, that training makes them more at ease, provides them an arena for practice where they can come out of the seminar with personal and interpersonal management skills that can melt some of the hardness of the environment they operate in.

Much can be written and spoken about this but this is not the arena to do it from- this likely catches you in your busy time when the hardness of your situation affords you maybe a minute or two to glance through it.

Yes, you picking up the phone and calling me does mean more business for me, but that’s not all, not by a long shot. I believe and know that people have an amazing potential and I love to see people succeed, and I know how to instill confidence in them.

Your success and the success of your reports is very important to me and I will tell you very honestly that almost in every seminar people come to me and tell me “I wish the people at the top would get this seminar because how are we going to institute these changes when we have no support from top management”?

Professionals today are forced to operate in hard conditions in relentless drive for fast results and although this seems to be an integral part of the business world, this constant pressure causes burn outs, lack of motivation and reduced productivity. Since it is unlikely that stress conditions will change the best way is to increase the skill level that handles stress, such as strategic thinking, stress management, change management and others. When all levels ( very important to have all levels agree to a Trust Network, to prevent a disconnect) of the organization receive frequent, top quality training that caters to their professional needs they experience relief of stress and aggravation, improvement in the ability to provide services and working environment which is pleasant to be in. This will result in greater ability to manage change, personal intactness and the establishment of a Trust Network (which is a whole new dynamic to get into).

The Thinking Coach professional training seminars and staff provide people with high caliber learning experience which can become a catalyst for real change. These trainings are different and they appeal to those who want to move on and close the door on the unfortunate aspects of the past.

Call me at 561-758-5048
Or e-mail at elih@thethinkingcoach.com

Success -Eli