Be prepared with clear expectations.

Claire and I were in a boat called a shredder. It has two side tubes that you sit on, with your feet on the “floor” of the boat. With Claire on one side and me on the other, we paddled our way down the river. Claire has boated on the Gauley and New Rivers for 25 years. She guided rafting trips for many of those years, so she knows the twists and turns well. She also knows the power of the rapids—and the danger that goes with it. With that knowledge comes an intense respect for the river—and a lot of dread too.

Me? My boating has been filled with joy and excitement—and total ignorance. I had never been thrown out of a raft and forced to swim through a rapid. Until you do, you have not truly experienced the full impact of a white water river trip, so you might say my brain had only tapped into the positive side of rafting.

My cautious sister, on the other hand, has the negative side of rafting imbedded in her brain. She has swum most of the challenging rapids, and she knows what it’s like to get thrown out of a boat when you least expect it. Boulders and swirling eddies await the unwary swimmer. On that beautiful day, when I looked over at Claire, she would be staring downstream . . . holding her breath. When I looked downstream, it didn’t look all that dreadful to me.

When I asked what was up, she said, “Can’t you hear that?” The sound was the next rapid coming up. This seemed like more fun and excitement to me. For Claire, however, it signaled time to think about what was ahead and how to navigate a rapid that she knew well, but that might have a surprise or two in store. (This is what made my sister a sought-after rafting guide. She knew what she was doing and didn’t take unnecessary chances.)

Turn negatives into positives

On that glorious day of rafting, I did have my first rapid swim. I got thrown out of the boat so fast that I didn’t have time to worry about what might happen to me in the water. The worst part was the egg on my shin where my leg hit a boulder. But I didn’t die. I popped up downstream, got back into the boat and thought, Excellent, now I don’t need to worry about swimming again because I just did. If and when it happens again, I will handle it.

How do you want to move through your life? Check in and monitor your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? Do you want to avoid the experiences of life because of what might happen? Or do you want to enjoy the excitement of what’s coming around the bend? My choice is to deal with what is at hand, and deal with what might happen when it happens. If I spend my life in dread, and the dreadful things don’t happen, what an enormous waste of time. I would much rather be joyful.

Make your choice

How you move through your world can be joyous or full of dread. Experience and knowledge is powerful. It will make you a great boater, as long as it doesn’t paralyze you. My sister doesn’t stop boating because of what might happen. She has too much skill for that. She just needs a gentle reminder to keep breathing.

I often find myself in this trap…wondering, What if I do it wrong? or How am I supposed to do this?

Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you’re doing it exactly the way you should be? Because, if you did everything right the first time, you’d never learn anything new. And who is defining the right way? What if your way is the right way?

 Sue Thomas is the owner of MAP.  She uses horses to teach people about leadership skills, collaboration, effective communication and team building. One morning, I was in her pasture with three horses and three other people to learn some new approaches to managing. My task, with rope harness in hand, was to go get Boss, a large, black gelding, and lead him back to Sue.

Now, I love animals and I am not particularly afraid of horses. So this was no big deal, right? I just needed to go and get him. But as I found myself walking towards Boss, I began to get nervous because the trap had taken hold. Was I going to do it right. What if I did it wrong? What if I looked foolish in front of the others?

When I got to Boss, I looped the rope around his neck and said, “C’mon big guy,” and walked back over to Sue. My legs were shaking so badly I could hardly walk. And I was so worried about doing it right that I couldn’t enjoy my connection with this big, wonderful horse. Yet I had successfully accomplished my task. So, what is my point in all this? My fear of being inadequate very nearly got in the way of my success. I was getting in my own way.

What thoughts do you have that get in your way? Try this:

• Set a clear goal. If you don’t know what you need to accomplish, it’s hard to clarify your approach. I needed to get Boss and bring him back. This was very clear for me.
• Tell yourself, until you actually believe it, that your way is the right way. You can approach a task quite differently from others and still be successful. You may even experience something new and different that surprises you. If I had taken this approach with Boss, I would have found joy in my accomplishment rather than feeling frustration and pain.
• Take comfort in the fact that, most of the time, other people aren’t aware of your mental chatter and how it can undo you. The feedback I received from the others in the pasture was that I looked confident, comfortable and that I made the process look easy. They had no idea my knees were buckling under me.

When you are faced with something new and challenging, give yourself permission to do it wrong. Then enjoy the process of learning instead of beating yourself up over it. My lesson learned – I don’t need to be like everyone else. I can be different, which makes me unique. My knees can definitely support that.

The fact is, people long for goals that reach farther and demand more. Imagine that. People want to take on big goals, difficult goals. Is that you? Your team? I’ll bet it is. We seem to be longing to accomplish something important and valuable.

The research then goes on to discuss eight make-or-break factors that are predictors of whether goals are going to help people actually achieve great things. Here are three of them. You probably don’t have to be a professional in leadership development and teambuilding to know they would be on the list:

• I will need to learn new skills

There’s no question that new goals require new skills.  But here’s the one that I bet takes you by surprise:

• I will be pushed outside my comfort zone

Did you do a double-take? Many people do. Why? It’s easy to associate getting outside our comfort zones with mistakes, failure, feeling foolish, getting laughed at. 

But, I’m not the least bit surprised. You know why? I’ve spent my whole career at VoicePro helping people get outside their comfort zones. They aren’t crushed by the effort – they’re transformed by it. The word “empowered” is barely descriptive. I see magic happen every day. People “step out” and discover new strengths and abilities that can transfer far outside the specific knowledge they’re pursuing.

Of course, helping people out of their comfort zone is a skill – and an art. That’s why years of experience lead me to agree with the third success predictor:

• I will have access to formal training needed for new skills

As much as we all can learn on our own – from a book, from a mentor, from e-learning – we sometimes need formal training in a safe environment, where leaders won’t let us back down, but help us find new abilities.

It starts with a safe place away from the people and situations that can make us timid. But there’s much more. My job is to find a way to help you find yourself. Sometimes I coax.  Maybe I nudge. The trigger could be a question – or a story. Sometimes I’m a flashlight that shows the way. And sometimes I help swing that axe that chops a hole in the comfort zone wall. 

That’s what formal training should be about – not just knowledge, but power. By the way, this isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a mission statement and a commitment my staff and I live by.

What are your goals for yourself this year? For your team? Are you’re ready for a trip outside your comfort zone? Are you ready to reach for your goals?

Image by btmlinedan

Wow! I am completely elated.  I need to pinch myself. My dream has become a reality. Me–enrolled in a premiere coaching school, internationally acclaimed and accredited by the International Coach Federation. Yes!!!!!

What was I thinking an hour later (better yet 24 hours later, when the thoughts had become pervasive)?

How in h*** am I going to accomplish this? What was I thinking? And even more importantly, how am I going to do it to perfection?

What was I thinking after I had a chance to decompress, get a little bit (ok, a lot) of sleep, and sort through my assignments and commitments?

Knock it off, Luanne. This is your biggest enemy to learning – the need to get it right. If you don’t begin to look at learning as an opportunity to make mistakes–get it all wrong–you won’t learn what you need to. Always cautious and careful – never daring to take a risk.

What am I thinking now?

With this new awareness, I can make some better choices. First, I can reframe what it means to learn something. Maybe I need to frame learning as knowing something in my heart and soul. Knowing something isn’t getting others to say, “Wow! Look at how well you did.” Or getting universal approval. Knowing something is about experiencing it, feeling it in my body and emotionally connecting with it. It’s also about being able to apply what I have learned to make a difference in the world. I may be able to make a bigger difference by having experienced it “wrong” once or twice.

And finally, learning is really about the joy of getting curious – discovering something new – rather than the emotional pain that comes with having to be perfect. It’s about exploring the unknown and the undiscovered – in others and in myself.

What are your enemies of learning? What is keeping you from knowing? Consider the following possibilities as presented by Chalmers Brothers, author of Language and the Pursuit of Happiness. Is it:

• Your inability to admit, “I don’t know”?
• Your belief that you should already know?
• Your distrust of the person teaching you?
• Your making everything overly significant?
• Your forgetting that your body is a domain of learning? Practice is putting your body into it. When you don’t practice, you don’t get results. The capacity for new action is about doing. It’s not head learning or memorization.

Choose to “befriend” the following, as suggested by Chalmers:

• Willingness to declare “I don’t know”
• Listening
• Openness
• Respect and admiration for your “teacher”
• Willingness to question your own questions
• A mood of perplexity and curiosity

Who knows what you might learn and what you might accomplish as a result? Vanquish your own enemies to learning and a universe of knowledge can be yours.

Image by NASA

How can we use this knowledge to be more effective leaders? One way is to learn from the world of sports. Dr. Judd Blaslotto at the University of Chicago compared mental visualization with actual physical practice of basketball free throws. His amazing discovery: Those who visualized but did not physically make a single free throw improved their percentages almost as much as those who physically practiced everyday for an hour. Top athletes now include visualization (or mental rehearsal) as part of their normal routine.

In the same way, you can be more intentional about what you think and what you visualize. Visualization is the process of creating a mental image (or intention) of what you want to feel or have happen. Managing what and how you think can be tricky, but a few key principles can help.

• First, visualize what you want, not what you don’t want. Remember, movement goes in the direction of the image. So if you’re riding a bicycle, look in the direction you want to go, not at the ditch at the side of the road, or you’re likely to steer involuntarily toward the ditch. Likewise, when you walk into a high-stakes meeting, instead of concentrating on not being nervous, visualize yourself projecting composed confidence.
• Second, listen to your “inner monologue.” Your inner monologue functions as guiding imagery for you and molds your behavior and performance. So if you realize you’re thinking things like: “I’m over my head” or “I’m blowing it,” make a choice to replace that self-talk with something more helpful, such as: “This is a problem to solve and I can figure it out”  or “I am handling this.”
• Finally, when communicating with others, rather than focusing on the removal of something negative, focus on the presence of something positive. Rather than ask, “Why didn’t someone catch this error?” ask instead, “What can we do to ensure fewer errors in the future?” This may seem like a minor shift, but the effect on your communication, influence, and results can be profound.  Remember, you will move in the direction of your mental images, so if you anticipate positive results, you’re more likely to achieve them.

We face challenging situations everyday. Much is out of our control; for instance, what people’s predisposition might be, what could get pitched our way and blindside us, or even what might happen when we’re looking the other way. So when something solidly within our control is actually within our grasp, we must seize on it. Our thoughts are well within our control, and if visualizing a successful outcome will hedge our bets, then our course is clear.

Image by qthomasbower

Andre Agassi

In an effort to achieve distinction in the market place, corporations hire marketing firms and branding consultants, sometimes at great cost, to help them redefine who they are and how they are perceived. This work can be painstaking and expensive, requiring a substantial commitment in terms of corporate man-hours. Their efforts often pay off in the delivery of a high quality product that is the enterprise’s new and improved brand image.

But where does it go from there?

We’ve seen it all before. Company leaders determine that a rebranding will help the bottom line. The marketing department, brand image taskforce, or high-priced consultant, launches into action and comes up with the new brand image. A corporate rollout ensues: Bands play, balloons wave in the air, everybody cheers. The new brand, with logo, tagline and mission statement, is plastered across every available surface, with announcements and decrees reverberating down every hall. “Our image is remade,” they declare. “Hurrah for us!”

Then—everyone goes back to work. Business proceeds as usual with little or no follow-up on how to implement this new image over the long term. The efforts of so many, and in some cases the expenditure of millions of dollars, fade away—another memory of another unfinished corporate initiative.

There is no question that brand image is critical to the success of many companies. Moreover, there is no question that rebranding may be important to claim, or reclaim, market share. However, the question begs to be asked, why curtail the rebranding effort when it is only half-complete? Why halt the initiative on the threshold of success?

In order to eliminate the business-as-usual syndrome, a branding initiative must become a strategic imperative that goes beyond banners, slogans, and new marketing materials. You must actively engage those who matter the most—the employees that carry that brand image to the customer and out into the market place—by making the brand a way of life within the company.

The associates and employees of a company are the voice of that company. They speak to customers and clients, they speak to venders and partners, and they speak to family and friends. In short, they carry the image of the company into the world at large. Without the acceptance and commitment of the entire workforce an image makeover is destined to fail.

So how do you attain associate buy-in? Start at the top. The direction must be set at the top echelons of the organization. Everyone at the senior level must be on board, speaking with one voice, living the cause. Then, the message must be handed down so everyone at every level not only sees the brand, and hears about the brand, but actually experiences the brand in every aspect of corporate life. Through educational programs, town meetings, and special visits to staff meetings, everyone must be speaking with the same voice—over the long term. With perseverance, dedication and consistency, the organization will become the brand, and true employee acceptance and the culture change that comes with it will have been achieved. The company and the brand image will have become one.

Here’s where I hear you mumbling to yourself, “Yeh, but those are high level skills. We’re talking about…talking.  I do that every day.  Do I really need to practice that?” Yes. Really. 

Now you’re thinking, “But all the really great presenters are laid back…talking off the cuff.”

I agree…almost. The best speakers seem like they’re having a conversation just with you. Nothing stilted, very relaxed. Check out some these great speeches housed on one of my favorite websites, TED - Steve Jobs, former UCLA coach John Wooden, even Bono.   “They look like they’re making it up as they go along,” you say.   My response: that’s how you know they practiced.

 The most compelling speakers know that practice serves a valuable purpose on so many levels. Let’s take a look at some of them.

• Practice helps you test your material. Is it too long? Are your explanations clear? Are you getting to the point or rambling? Maybe you’ll change up some cold facts for an unforgettable story. Or see a place for a demonstration instead of a PowerPoint slide.
• Practice helps you know your material without memorizing it. Nothing makes listeners zone out more than what feels like a 10^th grade memorization exercise. When you see a great movie, the actors are living the lines, not reciting them. That applies to you, too.
• Practice puts you in control. If the projector fails, if your notes get out of order, if a marching band starts playing in the hallway…you’ll be able to stay focused because you know what you’re saying.
• Practice lets you “be yourself.” Do you sound like you’re reading a stilted, written document or having a conversation?  Practicing lets you relax, breathe deeply, keep your mind clear. Someone will ask a challenging question – and you won’t get ruffled. You’ll notice confusion on your audience’s faces, and you’ll brainstorm an idea on how to clarify it on the spot.  
• Practice lets you have a bigger idea. There’s a great video of Bobbie McFerrin (Composer and performer of Don’t Worry, Be Happy) on TED that illustrates how our mind thinks in music. He has the audience improvise a song with him instead of explaining the science. And it communicates so much more than the words of the panel of neuroscientists that share the stage with him.  

 How you get the most out of your practice?  Try this advice.

• Practice out loud. Really. Don’t just read over the text or review your notes. That’s cheating. Stand up, say it loud. There’s a great scene in the movie Elizabeth in which Cate Blanchett as the young British queen goes over and over a speech she’ll be giving to advisors who don’t think she’s capable of ruling. As she practices, she truly “finds her voice” – ways to persuade, disarm, amuse and captivate even her critics.
• Practice without looking at your slides. Don’t let them become a crutch. (In fact, we recommend you eliminate a lot of slides since they can become a distraction not an aid – check this blog entry from the archives.)
• Practice being imperfect. Get truly comfortable with your material, so a stumble or missed paragraph doesn’t become a disaster. You just walk your way through it.

 Looking for more ideas on great presentations?  Check out these tips from VoicePro’s workshops. 

Image by i_zhorov

This is the question that causes sleepless nights, and the angst felt at the top trickles down through the entire organization. That, combined with incessant media hyperbole, creates a culture of tension and fear, leaving everyone with the deep, disquieting, single most important question: What about me?

Yet, from the executive suite to the plant floor, everyone is expected to show up day after day and do the job without complaining. It’s incredibly hard to remain emotionally intact in such circumstances.

At VoicePro^®, we are toughing out these difficult times along with everyone else. And while we can’t give you strategic solutions to the monumental problems of the present economy, we can, from our own experience, offer suggestions for maintaining a sense of emotional equilibrium during these tough times. They include acknowledging your feelings and surrounding them with a healthy and positive framework.

Change Your Story

Your story is the internal narrative you have created about yourself. It’s the ongoing dialogue you have with yourself that defines you and controls how you handle triumph and how you face up to adversity. Just by changing your story you can impact what you feel—and in turn what you do.

According to Deepak Chopra, whenever you think, you are altering your brain chemistry. This means that your story, the story you tell yourself, creates neural patterns in your brain that become your reality. Negative thoughts over time turn into negative behaviors, and you become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Just as an athlete learns to perform physical feats through mental practicing, you can change your story by changing your thoughts and giving yourself new, more positive metal images.

Don’t Let Yourself Go Negative

Negativism will drain your energy. So when you catch yourself with depressing thoughts about yourself or your situation, stop. Go back and rephrase, removing the negative tone and replacing it with something more constructive. Keep it upbeat and in the present tense: I am managing my situation very well, right now, rather than, I will be able to handle it (in the future).

Surround yourself with positive people. Avoid the gloom-and-doom conversations at the coffee machine or in the lunch room. The moment people start talking about how helpless they are and how the deck is stacked against them, get up and go somewhere else.

Take the Time to Quiet Your Mind

It’s so easy to go into drive mode when you’re under pressure. In tough economic times, every sales pitch counts. Personnel issues take on an added dimension, because the lives of families are on the line. Even small changes in the bottom line are momentous. It’s tempting to give in to anxious thoughts and try harder and harder and harder, spinning your wheels until you’re emotionally exhausted.

Just as a parent does with a child, you need to give yourself a timeout. Take five minutes to sit quietly with your feet on the floor and your eyes closed. Relax the tension in your face, your shoulders, and your hands. Now, listen to your breathing. Breathe out, breathe in. Breathe out, breathe in. That’s all there is to it, just five minutes a day.

When we do this exercise at VoicePro^® with workshop participants, the change in atmosphere is almost instantaneous. A calm settles over the room, and when the moment is over, everyone is focused and ready to concentrate on what’s coming next.

Act As If It Were True

In 12-step programs, it’s called “fake it till you make it.” The idea is that if you behave in a certain way, even if initially it feels forced, you will come to feel that way. Studies have shown that “faking it till you make it” can have an immediate—and surprisingly strong—impact on your emotions. So If you act calm, confident and assertive, you will eventually feel calm, confident and assertive. The altered neural patterns in your brain will have given you a new reality.

So straighten up, square your shoulders, and stand tall. Move with purpose, and smile as if you mean it.

Yes, the reality is, times are tough. But we don’t have to give in to anxiety or sink into despair. At VoicePro^®, we’re writing our own story. You too can write yours, however you see it, however you want.

 Image by Piez

Ever feel like you’re starring in that scene – except that it’s set in an office or conference room instead of a dusty street? Take your communication tips from John Wayne and you’re going to end up the loser. It’s a fact. Studies show that when two strangers meet, the one who is most physically relaxed is perceived by both as having the higher status. In a group setting, the most relaxed person is most likely to ultimately become the group leader. 

So, you see, personal power doesn’t come from being so intense you seem wound tight. And it certainly isn’t conveyed when you’re being nervous and fidgety. Power comes from being able to relax. When you’re comfortable with yourself, you telegraph confidence and self-esteem. Stay calm physically, mentally and emotionally and you’re in control.

Relaxation is one of the Five Great Skills® at the core of VoicePro’s approach to effective communication. They’re skills anyone can learn, practice and use to present themselves and their ideas. What are the other four skills? Let’s take a quick look.

• Energy. When you communicate with authentic conviction, people see confidence.
• Expression. It’s in your face, your voice and your body language, and it’s crucial to the understanding of your message.
• Organization. When you put together your message in a powerful way, you create strong personal influence.
• Focus. It shouldn’t be on your message or your own concerns. Your focus needs to be on others. That’s how connection is made. 

Want to know more? Visit us at www.voiceproinc.com and even watch a video on the topic with our own Luanne Paynick. Just register to for a free membership – it only takes a minute.

And the next time you find yourself striding into your own OK Corral , take a moment to settle yourself. Take a deep breath and loosen up. Relaxation may be just the silver bullet you’re looking for.

Why does the fear of speaking rank so high? When people are asked to speak in front of a live audience, alarming thoughts can quickly surface: “What will they think of me?”  “Will I be good enough?” “They’re judging me, so I must be perfect.” “I’ve got to get it right, or I’ll…fall apart…never be successful…ruin my career…be hated by everyone…look stupid…FAIL….” And on and on and on. When you choose to think about something as benign as public speaking in this manner, the impact is not good – for your desired outcome, for your audience, or for yourself.

Thoughts like these rarely help. In fact, they work against you. Before you know it, you’re in a fight-or-flight mode – your heart rate quickens, your breath gets shallow and high, your palms sweat, you start to fidget, you shake, you talk way too fast, etc. The most upsetting outcome is that you are at your absolute worst at a time when you need to be at your best.

If you find yourself reacting like this, you can follow the steps VoicePro® recommends in its programs. You can breathe deeply (pushing your first breath out, followed by a deep breath in). Focus on your audience–really seeing them–will also make a difference. If you do what it takes to prepare sufficiently for the interaction, which is often half the battle, you will feel ready and raring to go. This will lead to a less anxious and fearful you.

But the above actions are just that – actions. It’s said that if you don’t like the results of what you’re doing, do something different. And though that may be true to some degree, actions alone won’t have the impact you desire  when you get up to give a presentation. So I suggest that, in addition, you do something about those debilitating thoughts that cause you so much trouble. You approach the entire event by reframing how you think about it.

With your new thinking you’ll rid yourself of fear and anxiety. You’ll experience “new” emotions such as enjoyment, anticipation, and a sense of belonging. You’ll feel supportive and helpful, not preachy. The presence of these new feelings will be all you need to overcome what you fear the most.

I’m here to say, the evening was worth the discomfort for one reason alone. Passion! I was able to experience passion on many levels that evening; the passion the staff and chefs at the institute had for their work and their students, my daughter’s passion for the possibilities of becoming a baker (not to mention a Food Network star), and my passion for the phenomenal flourless chocolate cake that was set in front of me and that I gobbled down with gusto.

It was easy to understand the zeal with which I attacked the cake. And I know of my daughter’s passion to enter this work because of the long talks we’ve had and the excitement with which she has shared her hopes and dreams. But how did I recognize the passion of the staff? After all, I hadn’t met them before. For all I knew this was just a job to them. They had been forced to brave the weather, just as I had. And surely, after all the times they had been through this exercise, their ardor would have cooled.

Not so. With every word, with every move, and with every interaction they had with the students and with the audience, their exuberance rang out loud and clear. Their voices were strong and vibrant. Their faces lit up with a light that can only come from the inside. They were alive physically, their movements sure, and their gestures open and genuine. I could easily picture everything they described. They made a strong personal connection with everyone in the audience, willing to share their passion with all who were willing to listen. The result? I want my daughter to experience what they have to offer. And, even more important, my daughter wants what they have to offer (and she is NOT an easy sell)!

When we speak of passion at VoicePro®, we refer to the many implications it has on the effectiveness of our communication with other people – conveying genuine authenticity, making an emotional connection with the audience, being able to “ditch” the script and have a real conversation, helping others experience what you want them to experience because you see it as real – in your head and most importantly, in your heart.

The next time you go before a group of people to speak, find the passion for your subject within you. Take the time to connect with it. Ditch the script, Speak from your heart and, like the staff and chefs at ICASI, inspire your audience to join you in your pursuit, whatever it may be.

Image by segismundoart

Preparing for an upcoming event can lead to greater balance. You can also take certain actions to recover from a trying moment – taking steps after the fact to “find your balance.” According to Dr. Heller, seeking greater balance through the actions you take before and after the event are relatively easy. It is when you are faced with the need to have balance in the moment that things get a bit dicey.

Being able to find balance in the moment, especially in the moments you are interacting with others, is a challenge – to say the least. Let’s face it, as soon as another person enters the moment, things get complicated. Your thoughts can trigger emotions, your passion can ramp up, and both can impact your language and your actions for a not so balanced outcome – for you, for them and for the relationship. Or, your body can literally stop you in your tracks, or the other person, simply due to your posture – for a total loss of balance.

When most people think of balance, they think of stillness. “I need stillness in order to achieve balance.” Yet how many of us are frequently still? Most people I know are in continuous motion. That being said, how will they ever achieve that desired state of balance?

What if for a moment you accepted the idea of being out of balance? That you decided it was ok to be off balance, instead of always trying to be in balance. With this new line of thinking you just might, according to Dr. Heller, minimize the guilt or shame associated with being out of balance. With that lack of guilt or shame, you just might find yourself finding balance a little more quickly. And, according to Dr. Heller, being out of balance is the root of our creativity.  Wow! Who would have thought that something we are trying to avoid – being out of balance – could bring about anything positive?

So, though being more accepting of being out of balance is a good idea, I think we would all agree that is not where we desire to live for a great length of time. So, how do we move through being out of balance more quickly?

• Be ok with being out of balance.
• Recognize the signs in the moment that tell you “I’m out of balance.” (a quickening of your breath, a tensing of your shoulders, a shift in your body’s center of gravity, etc.).
• Continue to breathe – deeply, silently, and frequently.
• Be comfortable with moments of silence and stillness in your interactions.
• Keep your posture open.

Image by hickoree

I have been peripherally involved in a number of M&A projects over the years, and I have observed one critical area relating to assimilation. Differences in corporate cultures are frequently overlooked. Brushing off cultural differences can have a negative impact from the very beginning of the M&A process as the core team, or teams, form. Underappreciating the cultural differences can have ramifications with regard to implementation time-lines and costs in ways that can be hard to measure in an analytical process.

The following example comes to mind: 

In 2009 a small, but very effective, family services nonprofit organization found itself in a seemingly insurmountable financial crisis. Tumbling stock value in the endowment, unparalleled state funding cuts, and decreases in private donations brought the organization to the brink of closing its doors.

Salvation came in the form of an M&A with a larger health organization in the area. The merger resulted in operational funding, administrative, and infrastructure support, while allowing the family services organization to continue to bring the community the high quality care it had been known for, for over one hundred years.

Everyone recognized this union as a true win/win for both organizations, and all attacked the logistics with vigor.

The brick walls began to appear when the transition teams got deep into the technical areas. One significant wall, which could not be breached, involved a software system consolidation. After working for six months to merge two systems, management came to the realization that they could not be effectively consolidated and a costly rollback was implemented.

The technical staff and transition teams were speaking a different language. Both were speaking English, yes, but language used (sometimes the exact same language) had very different meanings – meaning based on specifics within the organizations, their clients, and their processes. If these differences had been recognized early on, the decisions made would have been different; and six to eight months of wasted time, money, and energy would have been saved.

How could this situation have been avoided?

• The merging organizations must recognize that there are differences that cannot be quantitatively identified, and be willing to take steps to learn what those differences are and how to deal with them.
• Utilize a facilitator, either in-house or an external resource, who can help the parties move out of their comfort zones and expand their awareness of all available channels of communication.
• Recognize the importance of flexibility in their communication approach, based upon their audience and the situation.
• Be willing, and able, to confront issues promptly.
• Be able to move any relationship from a state of conflict to one of compatibility.
• Be able to put the “need to get results” and the “need for good work relationships” in balance, without sacrificing one for the benefit of the other.
• Take an in-depth look at a real-time relationship and what may have caused it to derail – on both parties’ parts.
• Implement what is learned – practice effective approaches that minimize the risk of derailment in the relationships, and maximize communication and collaboration.

It is hard for many in corporate America to get their arms around the importance of interpersonal skills, and how they affect the way we learn, process, and execute. Nevertheless, these skills, if cultivated, can lead to greater efficiency, and greater cost savings in most areas of business.

Image by mel.trainwrecks

Who dat? Who dat?  Who dat says they’re gonna lead those Saints?

They call the quarterback of a football team the field general, and Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, scores big points for leadership.  Communication plays a key role.  No, we haven’t been in the huddle, and we know he’s not doing PowerPoint presentations in the locker room or writing project outlines and meeting agendas.  Still, we’re willing to bet our souvenir program that the communication skills he shows in public statements mirror his team interactions.  How about a little post-game analysis of his post-Super Bowl interview? Our playbook? Some tips for effective partnerships (find more at VociePro^®)

Seek common ground 

Brees spent four years building a bond with his teammates. Their common ground?  A desire to prove their worth. In the interview, he addresses the fact that most of the core of the current roster had joined the Saints as free agents after being released from former teams. “Obviously they were free agents because their other team didn’t want them anymore, thought they couldn’t play anymore and said ‘heck with them…we just all looked at one other and said, ‘We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’”

Of course, Brees brought the whole city of New Orleans into partnership, too. “Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? 85 percent of the city was under water…We played for so much more than just ourselves­; we played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat nation that has been behind us every step of the way.”

Keep the lines of communication open

One Super Bowl translation of this concept could be: look for solutions, not someone to blame.  The Saints failed on a fourth-and-goal conversion near half-time that left them on the wrong end of a 10-3 score.   Pundits started sensing a blowout, but not the Saints.  Surely, Brees’ public comments echo the sideline focus on looking ahead, not behind. “When you get down that far and come away with nothing it’s disappointing, but we needed momentum going into halftime…the defense got it right back for us, and we at least had an opportunity to go down and score points …”  In the half-time locker room, still down 10-6, discussion apparently continued to center on goals instead of shortcomings.  The result? They opted for the gutsy opening move of an onside kick that that paid off in a Super Bowl Ring.

Give respect and appreciation

Let’s start with the game stats: in a 1300-word interview Brees used the word “I” just nine times.  The word “we”?  Try 59 times.  But communicating partnership is about more than pronoun choice.  Brees was quick to give credit where credit was due. “…we just all looked at one other and said, ‘We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief…So forever now, all of us, we will walk together as Super Bowl champions, world champions and bringing home the trophy to New Orleans.”

 Take a minute…right now.  What’s your game plan?  How can you be a better communicator, a better partner, a better leader?  Write it down…and we’d love for you to post it here or contact us.

Image by dewittrobinson

Well, fast-forward to 2010, and I must say things are more than “Ok.” We have survived the storm, and have explored new opportunities in ways I never thought we could. But, I digress. Back to January and February of 2009. I found myself asking, “Just what will my next steps be in my career?” It was a question that popped up over and over again in the dark of the night – awakening me and keeping me awake. So, being who I am, I hired a coach – Jim Smith as a matter of fact. And he, with tremendous skill and insight, helped me figure out my next steps – steps that would work for me and for VoicePro^®.

One of the very big steps I decided to take was to sign up for the Newfield Coaching Training program, with the end goal having the Newfield and International Coach Federation certification. I am just beginning the pre-course learning that the Newfield Coach Training has offered me. I am so excited to stretch my boundaries and see the world through new lenses. And, with your permission I would love to take you along for the ride (so to speak). My world will be even richer if, through the sharing of my “aha” moments, you can benefit too.

 I have read my first “paper” and I am in the process of dissecting and analyzing it. I must say, that though I am not thinking, “Wow, that’s new. I never heard that before!” I am thinking, “Isn’t that concept framed in a new and interesting way?” And, “How might I apply this in my life – right now?”

 For example. According to Humberto Maturana, “Everything we say in relation to what we observe (the world) reveals the kind of observer we are.” As soon as I read this quote, I wanted to step outside myself and listen for the words that reveal just how I am observing my world. 

• Am I the distrustful person who states, “I’ll never be able to do this.”
• Am I the person who says, “Learning this is hard for me,” thus opening up to the possibilities at hand?
• Or am I the person who invites the assistance others can offer with a comment like, “I need help doing this.”

 It is exciting to me to know that my reaction to the world, the words I choose to define the experience or situation, will determine the possibilities for the actions I will take. I certainly see how our participants experience this reality in our programs. How they define their learning experience most definitely determines the actions they take within the program, and even more importantly the results they gain upon completion. For some reason, I haven’t really sat back and thought about the magnitude of this concept, and it’s impact on my world outside the classroom. I believe it’s time for me to pay more attention to the language I am using and what it says about me, and the actions I take that define my life.

So, I invite you to join me by doing the following:

• Become an observer of YOU! Pay attention as you interact with others.
• Listen to how you define the challenges facing you – personally or in the work place.
• What does your language have to say about how you approach your world?
• What kind of impact is it having on your outcomes?
• If you were to define it (speak about it) differently, would you get a different outcome?

 Let me know what you find out. I’d love to hear!

Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/dexxus/2532351811/