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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Why are some people so inclined to be morale busters at work? And - How might we help them get over it?

by Rick Baker
On Aug 15, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

I want to create a Top 10 list of ways to help morale-busting people get over whatever it is that causes them to want to spread negativity at work. I am not talking about people who express concerns openly, in front of those who they blame for this or that. I am talking about people who do their complaining behind the backs of the people about whom they complain.

I'd like to create a list of the Top 10 Remedies for Behind-the-Back Complaints.

Any help you can provide will be appreciated...

Here's one - Ask people to accept an environment where others can, without risk, openly express concerns about one another directly to one another. And, if that doesn't work the concern must be escalated to the boss or the 'team'.

Thick-skinned people can handle both sides of that approach.

Do you agree?

Tags:

Thick Skin & Thin Skull | Thought Tweets

Objective, well-intentioned, well-delivered criticism will still gnaw, rip, and tear thin skin.

by Rick Baker
On Aug 15, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Criticism will always gnaw, rip, and tear at thin skin. That is a given. The only question is: how will the thin-skinned person react as the thin skin rips and tears? The natural reactions are fight & flight...aggression & avoidance. 

And, of importance – will ‘motivation’ get dragged into the bloody discussion after the ripping and tearing of thin skin? Sometimes it will. More often the thought will be there, but it will be unspoken. And, as they say, “It's the thought that counts.” I have strong views on ‘motivation’, and my strong views contain intolerance of those who blame others for the failures or the lack of motivation. Bosses have a tough enough job without having to bear the burden of every subordinate’s ‘motivation’.

Tags:

Thick Skin & Thin Skull | Thought Tweets

Courage, Confidence, & Succeeding at Business

by Rick Baker
On May 22, 2014

If you wish to excel at business, you must have a better than average amount of courage and self-confidence. These states of mind, these habits of character, are the building blocks that support thoughts and actions required to succeed. 

Spirited Leaders definitions:

  • Courage is the state of mind that gives you the ability to think and act productively in the face of difficult and fearful situations.
  • Confidence is the state of mind where you know you can handle the situation at hand and perhaps even excel in it. 

Courage & Confidence are the best states of mind for:

  • Tackling problems
  • Dealing with difficult people
  • Adjusting in reaction to changes
Of most importance, Courage & Confidence not only help you accept and handle setbacks ranging from light criticism to major failure...Courage & Confidence open your mind to learning from these 2 facts-of-life. When you learn from criticism - when you have what Spirited Leaders call thick skin & thin skull - you obtain the benefits of other people's perspectives not available to the vast majority of people [because their skin is thin and their skulls are thick]. When you learn from failures and defeats [both yours and others'] you improve and grow. 

With Courage & Confidence you have a heightened ability to be 'present'. You accept the situation [rather than agonize over it, link it to past problems or transform it into worries about the future].

With Courage & Confidence you accept other people [rather than try to change them]. As Covey taught, you have the ability to seek first to understand [rather than jump to conclusions, paint others with negative brushes, etc.].

Courage & Confidence are the great enablers.

Courage & Confidence are worth the effort it will take you to plant and grow them.

Put your foot down...say "No" to "No"

by Rick Baker
On Oct 15, 2013

Beliefs: some good, some not-so-good

Beliefs intertwine with perceptions and patterns in your brain. Then beliefs manifest their influence, acting as your 'internal filters'. These filters guide your view of the world. These filters guide your behaviour. Your beliefs become deeply-held in your subconscious mind. From that strong base, your beliefs generate your habits…some good, some bad. Your beliefs determine your appetite for new things, your attitude toward change, and your ability to replace bad habits with good habits.

Do you know the true nature and depths of your beliefs?

Have you taken the time to 'dig deep' and understand your most-powerful beliefs?

These beliefs, your strong-and-deeply-rooted beliefs, govern your life: deep beliefs are the roots of your greatest joys; deep beliefs are the roots of your darkest fears.

Your deepest and most-strongly-held beliefs aid your efforts toward certain goals while they resist your efforts toward other goals. In these ways, your beliefs are fundamental to your life. They are fundamental to how you feel during your life and they are fundamental to whether or not you achieve the success you desire.

Where did your beliefs come from?

When it comes to questions like this, all of us are students. None of us know with certainty why or how we have beliefs. Yet, certain things make sense to us. As examples:

·         We perceive things and our perceptions of those things are taken to our brains

·         Our brains file vast amounts of information in memory, for future reference

·         Our brains like to simplify our lives so they sort things into patterns/concepts

·         With repetition bits and pieces of information solidify into bigger pieces and then into patterns

·         Diversity of perceptions expand and complicate perceptions, building a hierarchy of sorted/related patterns [and concepts]

An illustration...

When we are infants we hear our parents say the word "No". That's an audio perception. As our parents repeat the word "No" we learn "No" is an important part of our lives. Simple repetition of that spoken word causes neurons in our brains to construct deeper "No" pathways. Recognizing the importance of "No", our infant brains begin to build a "No" pattern. Our infant brains quickly pick up diverse perceptions that will feed into the "No" pattern. A parent may show an angry face while saying the word "No". The visual body language signal and the verbal sound signal send 2 separate messages, both of which feed into the growing "No" pattern in our infant brains. We notice/perceive that different situations precede our parents’ "No" messages. We perceive more diversity, more repetition and the "No" pattern becomes stronger, deeper, and more-nuanced. Even as infants we have a very broad and deep understanding of the word “No”. We recognize its sound, we recognize what it looks like when it is written, we recognize the facial expressions and the various forms of body language that accompany the word “No”, and we know the word “No” is expressed to us as a result of a wide range of different situations.

We learn our parents are not the only ones who deliver "No" messages to us. Other family members, to varying degrees, deliver "No" messages. We meet neighbours who have little people of their own and both those neighbours and the toddlers they bring into our lives add more "No" to our perceptions.

Why all this discussion around the word “No”?

That question begs the questions…

Do you understand how the pattern/concept “No” has fed negatives into your belief system?

Do you understand the extent the pattern/concept “No” throttles your efforts toward your desired goals & success?

Do you understand how to go about repairing the damage the word “No” has done to you belief system?

Are you willing to make an effort to find out?

Did our ancestors have thicker skin?

by Rick Baker
On Aug 1, 2013

Our skin is about a millimetre thick.

That's thick enough to protect our soft and vulnerable internal things from most damage.

Yet, far too often, it is not thick enough to protect our soft and vulnerable egos. Somehow, the opinions of others can pierce our thin skin, offend our egos, and distract, dampen, and damage our spirits.

Why does this happen?

How does this happen?

Has this always been the case?

Or -

Did our ancestors have thicker skin?

Did our ancestors view criticism as a noble form of communication? Was there a time when many people, perhaps even whole tribes or communities, had skin that thick?

If so, what happened?

How did people's skin become thinner?

Is it the larger the community the thinner the skin?

Is it the more-advanced the civilization the thinner the skin?

Is it the more the possessions the less the skin?

The more the stuff the less the skin?

And -

Why don't more people take the time to do some self-analysis, obtain some help, and thicken up their skin?

Do people see thin skin as an inevitable part of their destiny...pre-determined, evolution-engineered?

Do they blame their parents, their grandparents, their great-grandparents and so on?

Or - 

Do they wonder - Did our ancestors have thicker skin?

Thought Tweet #775

by Rick Baker
On Jul 5, 2013

Thought Tweet #775 Why are some people so inclined to be morale busters at work? And - How might we help them get over it?

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

I want to create a Top 10 list of ways to help morale-busting people get over whatever it is that causes them to want to spread negativity at work. I am not talking about people who express concerns openly, in front of those who they blame for this or that. I am talking about people who do their complaining behind the backs of the people about whom they complain.

I'd like to create a list of the Top 10 Remedies for Behind-the-Back Complaints.

Any help you can provide will be appreciated...

Here's one -

  1. Ask people to accept an environment where others can, without risk, openly express concerns about one another directly to one another. And, if that doesn't work the concern must be escalated to the boss or the 'team'.

Thick-skinned people can handle both sides of that approach.

Do you agree?

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