On a warm summer afternoon a couple of months ago, I was sitting on my Uncle Jack’s porch…chatting with him about many things, some serious and some definitely-not.

 

That’s when he surprised me by asking, “Haven’t I ever told you my Plus-Minus Theory?”

 

I said “No” and sat back to catch a little more shade and listen to my Uncle Jack’s Plus-Minus Theory.

 

He explained, “At the end of the day we should think about the ‘pluses’ of the day and the ‘minuses’ of the day. If we find the ‘minuses’ consumed more than 75% of the day then we better make changes.”

 

Now, since that afternoon, I have thought about pluses and minuses every single day.

 

And, I have shared my Uncle Jack’s ‘theory’ with a number of folks.

 

Each time I share the story and the theory I talk about the thoughts I have had for several years about feeling good and feeling bad at work and the thoughts I had about measuring these feelings. I talk about the fact I have worked at teaching and helping people learn the importance of doing these things. I talk about the Minus10-to-Plus10 Scale we use to measure feelings.

 

And, I never fail to mention I had no idea my favourite Uncle had already established a ‘theory’ on this topic, beating me [and many of the motivational gurus by decades].

 

Clearly, this is proof we need to spend more time with our Favourite Uncles!

 

Footnotes:

1. At Spirited Leaders we use colours as visual signals:
   • green = good things…especially Good Habits
   • blue = New Things
   • red = Bad Habits
2. Minus10-to-Plus10 Scale: like my Uncle Jack’s ‘pluses’ and ‘minuses’ we are talking about monitoring feelings throughout the workday. Negative feelings are feelings that signal you are not in situations or taking actions aligned with your goals. Positive feelings are feelings that signal you arein situations or taking actions aligned with your goals.
   • Plus 1-4: you are at least accepting the situation and have some comfort about your action
   • Plus 5-7: you enjoy the situation and the action you are taking
   • Plus 8-10: you are enthusiastic about the situation and your actions

Link: How do you feel when you are at work?

Intention may be one of the most underrated forces.

 

I recently listened to a CD where Deepak Chopra said: Intention has organizational power…in a way; Intention is the most powerful force in the universe.

 

If that is even partially true then, definitely, Intention is one of the most underrated forces.

 

 

Intention is closely linked to Inspiration.

 

When I use the word Intention, I mean – ‘a determination to act in a certain way’.

 

When I use the word Inspiration, I mean – ‘a power to influence emotions and move action’.

 

Putting that together…

 

Be determined to act in certain ways and that will give you the power to influence emotions and move action…your emotions and actions – and – the emotions and actions of other people.

 

Be determined to act in a certain way.

 

What way is that? [you might ask]

 

Seems to me the choices are unlimited! [you might think as you ask]

 

True - the choices are unlimited.

 

So – we need to figure out a way to do this sort of exercise quickly…before we get bored or annoyed or distracted by easier and perhaps more immediately-rewarding things.

 

Get a piece of paper and write across the top:

 

 

 

Draw a line down the middle of the page

 

On one side of the line write Feel Good when I do them and on the other side of the line write Do Not Feel Good when I do them.

 

Then, think about the actions you do at work… consider the specific actions you take as you perform tasks. Think of the specific actions you take as you interact with other people. Think of the specific actions you take when you are working on your business goals. Think of 30 or so specific actions.

 

Write those actions on the page…on one side or the other.

 

Now, circle the actions you believe contribute to you work goals.

 

Take a close look at the actions you have circled on the side of the page titled ‘I Feel Good when I do them’.

 

Focus on these actions as you begin to plan how you will be determined to act in certain ways that will give you the power to influence emotions and move action…your emotions and actions – and – the emotions and actions of other people.

 

That’s a good 1st step toward acting with Intent and acting to Inspire.

 

Actions I Do at Work
I Feel Good when I do them	I Do Not Feel Good when I do them

Some time ago Man became Man.

 

We say Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations.

 

Using that view…some time ago, a long time ago, People became People.

 

When that happened, People began to face Situations.

 

We know some of those Situations must have been awe-inspiring…imagine our ancient ancestors looking up and marvelling at the fullness of the moon and all those twinkling stars.

 

And, no question, our ancient ancestors faced some really unpleasant and dangerous Situations. Picture the snarling jaws of a Saber-Toothed Tiger…or picture an invading marauder trying to steal your ancestor’s cave.

 

When your ancestors faced those dangers, your ancestors prevailed….at least they prevailed long enough to allow you to get here.

 

Your ancestors prevailed because People were blessed with an ‘internal system’. It is a complicated self-protection system…involving chemistry, electricity, the brain, and most other body parts.

 

Here is how it operated in ancient times. When your ancestors faced danger their ‘internal system’ provided them 3 options:

• Fight
• Flight
• Standing Ground

Depending on the nature of the danger, your ancestors either fought or ran or stood fast in an effort to intimidate the cause of the danger. The ‘internal system’ that our ancestors used still exists in People. We see it in action on the streets and in the places where children sort out their differences. In those places and Situations we see fights, and fleeing, and drawing lines in the sand.

 

However, in business 2 of these 3 natural actions/reactions are unacceptable.

 

When confronted by danger [or perceived danger], business People cannot resolve things by beating up on one another or by running away from one another.

 

However, business People can stand their ground, get defensive, and protect their turf.

 

We see quite a bit of that.