Have You Identified the Most Positively Energizing People in Your Organization?

Last week at Rob Pasick’s CEO Connect, Kim Cameron  presented on his research about positive energizers at work. He has found that positive energizers not only are higher      performers but tend to enhance the work of others. Furthermore, high performing firms have three times as many positive energizing networks than low performing firms. Click on the link below to see Dr. Cameron’s presentation. Have you identified and reinforced your energizers at work? According to Dr. Cameron, here are some of their characteristics:

1. They connect with others as people

2. They are trustworthy, have integrity and are dependable

3. They use abundance language

4. They are fully engaged in conversations and are heedful

5. They solve problems

6. They see opportunities

7. They smile

8. They are genuine and authentic

9. They express gratitude and& humility

When you form teams, be sure to by include positive energizers. Next week we will discuss how to deal with de-energizers in the workplace.

LINK TO CEO VIDEO GALLERY: CEO Connect Video. Please note that the video will not be posted until later today.

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Are You Ready to Practice Positive Leadership This Week?

I am excited to have Dr. Kim Cameron, Associate Dean at Ross School of Business and one of the founders of Center for Positive Organization Scholarship at U of M, as the speaker at CEO Connect on March 29. In honor of this event, I suggest you all practice positive leadership this week. Here are a few of my favorite ideas on how to be a positive leader:

1. Rather than dwelling on deficiencies, you can focus on the strengths of your peers, bosses, and direct reports

2. Rather than kicking yourself in the butt for your own inadequacies, keep track of your own considerable achievements

3. Rather than dwelling on how people screwed up, you can tell stories about people’s outstanding achievements and the way they have gone beyond the call of duty

4. Rather than worrying about what may go wrong, you could visualize and talk about what could go right

If you have not signed up for Kim’s presentation or if you haven’t read his latest book on positive leadership, please click on the links below.

LINK TO CEO CONNECT: Kim Cameron CEO Connect

LINK TO KIM CAMERON'S BOOK: Positive Leadership

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Dr. Rob’s New Process for Decision Making

I’ve just finished reading The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver based on his observations, I have developed a new model for decision making. The model could be used to help an individual, family, or team reach a decision. Please take a look at the model and communicate with me about your reactions.

1. What do I want to create by taking this action?

2. What is the likelihood on a ten point scale that this action will lead to the goal I want to create?

3. What may be the unintended consequences of pursuing this goal?

4. If I succeed, is this really what I want?

5. What effort (time, stress, money, etc) will this action require (on a ten point scale)?

6. What part of myself is driving this action?

The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver is available on Amazon. Here is a link to order the book: The Signal and the Noise. 

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

When to Give Yourself a Timeout

Timeouts are not for kids only. Next time you get worked up, try giving yourself a timeout and try Dr. Rob’s steps to calming down:

1. To decide when to do a time out, recognize when you are getting angry, and before you explode, say “I need to take a break.”

2. Go somewhere quiet, where you can get away from people, especially the person with whom you are upset.

3. Take several deep, calming breaths.

4. Write down what is upsetting you:

    a. Describe what lead up to you being upset

    b. Write down any “stinking thinking” you are doing about what happened

    c. Write down some rational thoughts that

       counteract the “stinking thinking”

    d. Make an action plan of what to do next

5. Sit down and do nothing for 5 minutes. Be sure you are calmed down enough before reentering the situation that upset you in the first place.

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Are You Developing Your Future Leaders?

Young leaders are our future. Yet, with the time and economic pressures we face, we often neglect to develop our young, talented, future leaders. To address this problem, I have been meeting with a small group of young leaders to plan a program to best meet their needs. Based on our planning, we will be offering the first program in this new series. Here are the components that we have decided to include:

1. Finding your career sweet spot

2. Creating your future vision of personal success

3. Setting and achieving your goals

4. Creating and leveraging a network to achieve success

If you are interested in participating, sending some of your young leaders, or being a sponsor, please contact me or click on the link below to register. These events will be held at Zingerman’s Roadhouse each Wednesday in April from 7:00 to 9:00am. Enrollment is limited.

Link to Eventbrite registration: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5705242534.

Coach Rob

rob@leadersconnect.com

www.robertpasick.com

Why Embrace Positive Psychology?

This week I will be presenting at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship on my research about finding your occupational sweet spot. The    Center is based on the ideas of positive psychology which seeks “to find and nurture genius and talent and to make normal life more fulfilling rather than merely treating mental   illness.” Here are some key findings from the field of positive psychology:

1. “Recruit people who are in their element in the job, as opposed to having the right competencies for the job.”

2. “Young people should be trained to pursue excellence in their field, as well as engagement in accordance with their normal belief systems.” - Howard Gardner

3. “Evidence suggests that while negative emotions can be damaging, positive emotions can undo the cardiovascular   damage caused by negative emotions.” - Barbara Fredrickson

4. “A key aspect to successful living is healthy and strong relationships.” - George Vaillant

5. “Where as money makes a significant difference to the poor (where basic needs are not yet met), it has a greatly diminished effect once one reaches middle class.” - Daniel Gilbert

6. “Unlike money, which has at most a small effect, marriage is robustly related to happiness.” Martin Seligman

We are proud to have Kim Cameron, one of the world’s leading experts on Positive Organizational Scholarship, presenting at the next CEO Connect on March 29.

LINK TO POS WEBSITE: http://www.centerforpos.org/

Coach Rob Pasick

Email: rob@leadersconnect.com

Website: www.robertpasick.com

Be Consistent With Your Mission

While it may be common sense to think that we should be consistent with our missions, how many families can boast that they've been on the same mission for over 50 years? The Sarns family would never boast, but the fact is that they have been on a mission to help those with cardiovascular disease for over 50 years. Dick Sarns founded Sarns Inc. in 1960, which is now owned by Terumo, the leading     provider of heart lung machines and cardiovascular products used in open heart   surgery worldwide. In 1987, he founded NuStep, Inc. which has successfully developed, manufactured and sold over 60,000 NuStep Cross Trainers used in physical therapy settings worldwide. And he has not done it alone. At first he worked with his brilliant wife, Norma, and now works with his sons Steve and Dick. We are      extremely proud to have Dick and Steve Sarns as our presenters at the next CEO connect on February 22. How have they done it? Here are a few of my observations:

1. They have stayed highly focused on doing one thing and doing it better than anybody else.

2. Not only have they been highly committed to their customers, but they have been extremely dedicated to their employees.

3. They have sustained their humility.

4. They have been innovators who have been willing to take risks and go where others have been fearful of treading.

5. They have been strong supporters of their community and have given time, energy, and money to support Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

6. They have supported others who are trying to be entrepreneurs and researchers.

7. Through it all, through ups and downs, they have maintained a great sense of humor and a positive attitude.

Link to CEO Connect on February 22: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5439930980

Coach Rob

rob@leadersconnect.com

www.robertpasick.com