Blog posts
Do it When you want to improve self awareness, empathy and social expertise.
As managers sometimes we send mixed messages to our employees. We tell them that they and their work are important to us, but if you ask them usually they have different opinion. Obviously we have to learn how to take care about them and show that they mean a lot to us.
Write down names of all of your employees and job activities of each employee.
Then, for each employee answer the following questions:
1. How often you ask that person about his job?
2. Scale (from 1 to 10) where are his/her job concerns on your priority list?
3. When was the last time you have asked that person about his/her opinion?
4. When changes happen on his/her work is that person involved from the beginning or just informed at the end?
When you answer all questions for all employees you will have visual picture of how much importance you deliver to each employee.
What other question would be appropriate to make?
Do it When you motivate your team or during team building. Nobody likes rules.
That’s because rules are limitations that someone else is putting on us.
That is so demotivating. But rules are necessary for doing business.
Without them we would be in anarchy. So lets turn it around.
Ask them to write down 10 rules that are so important for them on the job.
Then one by one has to say his 10 rules and someone is writing on the flip chart. Obviously, some of the rules are gonna be said several times. Just count it like votes.
At the end you will have 10 rules or you can narrow to 5 rules that are confirmed by all of them. Those rules are your company values and can be easily transferred into company mission.
Now coaching questions for you?
Imagine that you have to make your life according to 3 rules.
1. What would you choose?
2. What sort of person would you be if you obey those 3 rules?
3. Who else would benefit then?
4. Why is this important to you?
5. What will be your next steps?
Write down on comments or if it is more convenient email to me. Enjoy the journey.
Do it During team building. Great Zig Ziglar had funny story about gees.
He would ask participants 3 questions and encourage them for answers.
- Why are geese flying in “V” formation? And most of the people are familiar that using that trick geese save 70% of the energy.
- Why from time to time geese change formation for several seconds? Again, there is in every group someone that will explain that leading goose is accepting the majority of the air pressure and for a while another goose will take its position
- Why is one leg of the formation always longer than other? Looks like everyone has noticed that but no one has logical explanation. Then Zig would say: “Because in that “leg” are more geese!“
This will make people laugh, more connected and prepared for main topic. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q40h8dPmgwQ&feature=related[/youtube]
There much more we can learn from the geese.
1. Geese flying at the end of formation are honking for supporting ones at front.
2. When a goose drops out of formation due to sickness or tiredness, two other geese join her and protect until it is ready again.
Now, you can make a discussion:
Imagine our team being more efficient, supportive, caring and sharing the load.
1. What our team would look like?
2. What are even deeper goals with this achievement?
3. How are we going to know that we have made such team?
Looking for deeper goals will make your team building much more than they expected.
Now coaching questions for you?
1. What would be the master plan for achieving team building Zig Ziglar would be proud of you?
2. What are some of the best ways you can perform it?
3. How can you make this team building more meaningful of yourself and your team?
I feel your passion for getting to start.
Thank you for sharing your ideas with us and send us pictures from your team building.
Do it When you have to deal with participants that are not interested in training.
So many times people are “sent” to the training with idea of correcting there behaving.
No one likes to be changed, so we have to be very careful with them.
You can say: “OK people I know that was not your idea to come to this training. You had no choice. You came and I want to thank you. Now you have a complete choice! I want you to write down:
1. What would be the best possible outcome for you for next 2 hours (4 hours, 8 hours…)? And
2. How is that outcome going to help you in your everyday life?”
For sure you will open them, gain on your side and convey their goals with your training program.
Now questions for you?
1. What do you really want from them?
2. Why is that important to you?
3. Who would you be if you get their attention?
4. Who else would benefit then?
5. What would be some even more useful question for them?
6. How to connect their needs with needs of their job positions?
7. How are you going to implement that?
Thank you for your work!
In that movie Harry Nilsson sings: “Everybody Is Talking At Me. I don’t hear a word they’re saying, Only the echoes of my mind…” Obviously when everybody is talking, no one can hear anything. Somehow we have to practice that active listening.
Talking only when no one else is talking. Here is the most useful game for it.
I have hear it from Master ZI.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fwY3jGNsog&feature=related[/youtube]
Here are the rules for this game.
You start by saying “One”, someone has to continue with “Two”. Other person will say “Three” and so on, until the last person will say the last number. Every person has to be included.
It looks so easy, but we will make it very difficult.
First, it has to be perfect silence, so only numbers can be heard. People are not allowed to communicate verbally or non verbally. It is not allowed to make predictable sequence of who is gonna be next. And finally if two people say the number at one time or interrupt each other, they have to start from the beginning.
It will take several times until your people successfully finish the task.
For sure then they will be relief with applause.
Ask them:
What they have learned from the game?
How hard is to listen in perfect silence, waiting for someone else to talk?
How do they decide when is the time to talk?
When in communication they can use this skill?
Now, for you:
1. What is your real goal with this group?
2. How would you know that you have succeeded?
3. How dedicated on a scale from 1 to 10 you are to that goal?
Do it When you want to underline how important is active listening.
Here is a story concerning how important is active listening. William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, both eminent British statesmen were considered as two the smartest persons in England, in the late nineteenth century. A young journalist said that she would dine with both so she could decide which one was smarter. She has compared the two men this way: “When I dined with Mr. Gladstone, I felt as though he was the smartest man in England. But when I dined with Mr. Disraeli, I felt as though I was the smartest woman in England.”
The point being made is that Gladstone spoke but Disraeli was a good listener to the woman. That evening Disraeli made the woman the center of his universe. If you practice attentiveness to others, you’ll find it does wonders.
They will enjoy it, and so will you. You will accomplish much more.
Elements of active listening skills are:
- Maintaining eye contact
- Nodding
- Be focused to hear
- Questioning
- “Listen” to the speaker’s body language
- Paraphrasing
- Summarizing
- Empathy feedback
- Not interrupting
- Not finishing his/her sentences
- Clarifying
Questions for you:
1. What also is important for active listening?
2. What can we do to improve our listening skills?
3. What is the best way to practice active listening?
Whenever you have training or meeting there is someone that is late. Is it true?
What to do with those people that think there time is more valuable than ours?
Obviously we have to change their behavior. And how are we going to do that? The only way is by changing our behavior! Next time introduce to all in your team or group that you are starting at given time and expecting that everyone will be punctual. However, for those who are going to be late you are introducing money box. With label $ 10.
Just put that box on a single chair or on the desk where person has to pass entering the room. You don’t have to say anything participants will react.
Even money has shown best results you can make variations.
Someone who is late has to say motivational quote or sing a song.
Questions for you:
1. What other variations you can imagine?
2. What to do if person doesn’t want to pay a fine?
Please reply and send to us a picture of your money box.
Do it When you have a group of people size up to 20, whom don’t know each other, and you know you have to do something interesting.
People have tendency to talk only to people that they have been introduced. If they don’t know anybody they will talk on the phone or just stare at handouts.
So you have to introduce them quickly.
You need very nice Greeting cards. My suggestion is to take greeting cards with motivational quotes and/or pictures. Before the training in each of them write name of one participant. Then at the beginning of training randomly give them cards. Instantly they will recognize that they have someone else’s card.
Tell them to find the right person and in one nice sentence give the card. It will take just several minutes, and after that you will have totally relaxed group of people.
Now questions for you:
1. What is a good sentence for presenting card?
2. What can you give instead greeting card?
3. What would you do if the person likes the card and doesn’t want to give it to the right owner?
Do it On every training when someone says: “How can I be fresh whole day when I have to deal with people who are miserable?”
When I worked in Vancouver 94/95 I had a friend Natasha. During day shifts she worked as cashier at Safeway. In the evenings she worked as waitress and singer in the night bar.
I remember her as someone with great personality and always with a smile on her face.
Once I asked her: “I know it is hard working with people and especially working with money. As cashier, you work with people and money at the same time.
How do you constantly keep a smile on your face?”
Natasha said: “It is easy. When I notice that angry or miserable person comes to me I greet him with Australian accent. He or she can notice that immediately. Then customer asks me: “Are you from Australia?” And I reply: Yes! Then customer continues: “How do you like Vancouver?” Then I say that I am enjoying staying here. People are so nice and friendly. At that moment customer’s face shifts into smile, and we continue to chat while I make his/her bill.”
When I heard that I was astonished. I still think that Natasha is like Thinkel Bell, with magic stick bringing smile to the miserable people.
Now, think about someone who is perfect in dealing with all kinds of people.
1. How would your people look if they know the secret?
2. What would be their motivation?
3. What is his/her secret?
4. Why is that so important to you?
5. What actions would that person suggest for being “fresh” when dealing all day with people and money?
6. When are you going to implement those actions?
Do it When you want to boost your Self Awareness.
This is a tool from my friend Master ZI which I have implemented in my life several years ago. As good friend of mine he can coach me whenever I am looking for some answers in my life. But he has taught me how I can coach myself every day.
All we need is a nice small notebook.
On the first page you will write 2 questions:
1. What have I done today that makes me proud?
2. Which one of my virtues helped me to succeed in that?
Every night before you go to bed just shortly answer those 2 questions.
In a month you will have written proof how good you are. What have you accomplished, and what nice virtues you have.
Whenever you are in some doubts about your Capabilities and Self Awareness just read the notebook 😉
This is really great, but only if you are persistent to write down whenever you go to sleep and you are proud of something you have done.
So in the morning be sure that you will do something that will make you proud to your dairy. Now questions for you:
1. How would you feel after reading several pages of that notebook?
2. How might that help you in your everyday life?
3. Who else would benefit from that?
4. How would you know that your notebook works?
5. What 3rd or 4th questions might be useful to add in your notebook?
6. What will be your next step?
7. With all that self awareness that you boost, what would be your next goal?
8. Thank you for this session, and how useful was this session to you?