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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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CHANGE...why it's like pulling teeth

by Rick Baker
On Feb 28, 2012

CHANGE...why it faces a DENTAL thing.

D is for Doubt. When you boil it down, Doubt is a lack of confidence. Doubt is a lack of self-confidence and it shrouds everything. Doubt seeks the comfort of safe territory. Change is the arch-enemy of Doubt. Change is always trying to drag Doubt out of safe places and drop it into uncharted, scary territory. Knowing this, whether it is visibly evident or not, Doubt always resists change.

E is for Ego, excessive Ego. Sometimes Ego is like Doubt. It can be silent and invisible. Other times Ego can be boisterous, side-tracking, and demanding attention. Excessive Ego likes to rule behind the scenes and it likes to blind-side us. Your own Ego can do that to you if you don't take action to keep it in check.

N is for Negativity. Negativity is closely related to Doubt. While Negativity is also born from fear, it does not necessarily appear so fearful as Doubt. Sometimes Negativity appears cynical, sometimes aggressive, even hostile. Other times it self-justifies by making statements like "I don't want to be a Devil's Advocate...but". 

T is for Time...specifically, not enough Time. When you hear those 3 words in a sentence you know you are facing deep-rooted resistance to Change. Probably, most people believe they don't have enough time. That's a side-effect of busy times and busy lives. Some people actually accept that thinking as justification for their status quo. About Time

A is for Ambivalence. Ambivalence is a mindset that can be described this way, "that may be a good idea but we tried something like that a few years ago and it didn't work...so...I just don't know". Ambivalence is conflicted thoughts: without a clear winner the thoughts keep on conflicting and nothing gets resolved, and so - no change gets done.

L is for Laziness. We all have of some of that, don't we. Most of us resist its influence. Most of us view Laziness as a weakness that should be countered...at least, while we are at work. But...some people don't resist their Laziness. Some people embrace Laziness as a fact of their business lives, a necessary part of their workdays. 

Yes - CHANGE...Why...it's like pulling teeth!

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Change: Creating Positive Change

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Thought Tweet #415

by Rick Baker
On Feb 17, 2012

Thought Tweet #415 "Only the strongest survive." That's not what Darwin said!

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Here's what Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Here's a link to an article about Change.

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | STRENGTHS: People-Focused for Success | Thought Tweets | Wisdom: Surviving the Test of Time

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Getting Present

by Rick Baker
On Feb 17, 2012

Often, we start meetings with a 'getting present' chat. Either we take turns answering a non-business question or sharing with one another how we feel...personal, but not intrusive.

We find getting present questions are a great way to start group sessions and workshops.

Getting present questions:

  • help People get comfortable
  • help People with one another connect
  • help People focus
All of these are very important things to do.
 
Why is it important to help People get comfortable?
 
 
Why is it important to help People connect with one another?
 
Answer: Some People are natural Connectors. Most People are not; most People benefit when Situations allow them to relax and exchange warm-up communication. 
 
Why is it important to help People focus?
 
Answer: Most People find it tough to concentrate; most People spend a lot of time thinking about the past, for example - the last task they were working on; most People spend a lot of time thinking about the future, for example - the work they will complete later in the day; few People are able to concentrate and Focus on the present. 
 
So, Leaders must help People be comfortable, get connected, and get Focused.
 
Tactics like getting present questions help Leaders get this important work done.
 
Leaders can obtain quick & straightforward help in these areas.
 
For example, if you want to understand more about 'getting present' and 'focusing on Now', check out:

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Communication: Improving Communication | Entrepreneur Thinking | Leaders' Thoughts | Networking: The Joys of Connection

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Thought Tweet #414

by Rick Baker
On Feb 16, 2012

Thought Tweet #414 “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” Nathaniel Branden

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

With respect to "Change",  I think there is at least one step between "Awareness" and "Acceptance". That middle step is perhaps best captured with the word "Desire". A link to more thoughts about "Change"

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Thought Tweets

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Know Negativity

by Rick Baker
On Feb 10, 2012

Have you ever stopped to think about negativity?

I mean - have you ever set aside 30 minutes or so to consider what negativity does and the many forms negativity takes.


An Introduction to What Negativity Does

  1. It consumes and wastes our precious personal-energy.
  2. It is contagious, affecting one then infecting other people...wasting their personal-energies.
  3. If you believe in the Law of Attraction then negativity attracts more negativity and causes negative outcomes.
 
The Forms Negativity Takes
 
We do not have to think and do these negative things.
 
We do them because they are part of human nature. We do them because many of us were not born with the gift of self-monitoring and self-regulation....so, if we want to be less negative then we must learn how to do it. And, learning how to be less negative takes work and discipline. It is a skill. 
 
Being less negative is a skill we can learn if we choose to.
 
Working on being less negative is a Good Habit.
 

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Change: Creating Positive Change | Communication: Improving Communication | Criticism: Constructive Criticism is an Oxymoron | Emotions & Feelings @ Work | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | Optimism & Pessimism | Thick Skin & Thin Skull

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Inspire People - Grow Profits!

by Rick Baker
On Jan 25, 2012

Two Facts:

  1. When it comes to doing business, inspired People generate better results.
  2. Business Leaders can inspire their People.
Another even-more-important Fact:
  • You can expand your ability to inspire the People who follow your Leadership.
 This is an accurate statement, regardless of how well you inspired your People in the past.
 
The keys are:
  1. Accepting the fact People will need your injection of Inspiration: they need and want that from their Leader.
  2. Working at it: taking specific inspiration-actions designed to accomplish specific inspiration-results.
Wise folks have taught this throughout the ages.
 
Here is one example: about people who are struggling, in 1926, Robert Collier1 wrote:
 
"For men and women like them do not need "Charity" - nor even sympathy. What they do need is Inspiration - and Opportunity - the kind of Inspiration that makes a man go out and create his own Opportunity."
 
Everyone struggles from time to time.
 
The People who follow your Leadership will struggle from time to time.
 
So - from time to time, your People will need an injection of Inspiration.
 
As a Leader, you can assume or hope somebody else will deliver that injection of Inspiration. Or, you can embrace it as part of your role.
 
Spirited Leaders will choose to embrace it.
 
 
HOW?
 
There are many ways...1-Page Tools are really helpful.
 
***
 
Spirited Leader's Definition of INSPIRE2:
  • to exert an animating, enlivening influence on
  • to encourage, impel, & motivate...to excite and impart motion, to bolster focused Action
 
 
 
Footnotes:

Tags:

1-Page Tools | Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Change: Creating Positive Change | Definitions - Spirited Words Defined | INSPIRE PEOPLE - GROW PROFITS! | Spirited Leaders

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Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.