thelanterngroup | Behavior Matters! - Part 16

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Stuck

The plan was to take this week off and use it to get some much needed down time and relaxation.  I was going to use it as a mini refreshabattical and recharge my batteries, get a fresh perspective on the upcoming months and years, and maybe even have some fun.

I had intended to go to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and actually get to spend time there without feeling rushed; take a few walks around Lake of the Isles or Lake Calhoun – maybe sit on a bench and just watch the people go by; spend a few hours in the garden; go to a daytime Twins game at the new stadium; sit back with a drink on the front porch in the afternoon and say hi to all my neighbors; go camping for a night with my four year old son; take some time to do some fun reading and writing…but then, real life comes crashing in.  A client  decides that they finally need to finish some compensation plan books that we started in January – and now there are changes that require significant rework.  Tenants call and complain about sash cords being broken – and need them fixed now (even though they’ve been that way for a few months).  Dissertation committee needs to have a draft of Chapter 5 – sooner than expected.

So much for my relaxing week.

I have to say that I started to feel pretty bummed out about this yesterday.  I had these expectations for this week and those expectations were definitely not being met (not even close to it).  Then I started to really think about it – was this week that bad?

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How to start a movement – Dancing Man at Sasquatch

Derick Sivers (sivers.org) has some great insights on leadership – all garnered from watching a shirtless man dancing at a music festival.

We literally watch a movement start with one person out there baring his soul and his bad dancing with everyone to see.  But doing it with a passion and an abandon that is compelling.  This act of enthusiastic dancing draws another to emulate him.  Now it is more than just one crazy dancer, maybe there is something there.    Then the third person joins in, and now it is definitely something more.  People start looking at this as something different.  It is something that they could do to.  Something that looks, not so much like a crazy man dancing, but something that is fun and free.  In fact, as you watch what happens after that, you might just call it a movement.

And friends, as Arlo Guthrie states in Alice’s Restaurant:

“And the only reason I’m singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there’s only one thing you can do and that’s walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say “Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Alice’s restaurant.” And walk out.

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he’s really sick and they won’t take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they’re both faggots and they won’t take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. They may think it’s an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice’s Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it’s a movement.”

So lets go start a movement – will you be the first to dance or the first to follow?

The Story vs. The Analyst: How good communication gets ruined!

The largest part of our business is developing communications for sales incentive plans.  We create presentations, develop plan books, and design flash and other forms of communication. We got into this work by accident (one client many years ago asked us to create a “meeting in a box” for his IC plan – the rest, as they say, is history), but now we embrace it and have carved out a niche.  That niche is taking highly analytical and dry plan data and making it more interesting, more engaging, and more motivating for the sales representative.  Over the past 10 years we have done just this for thousands of plans and hundreds of thousands of participants.

We strive to tell a visual and emotive story with our work.  We work hard at capturing the vital information that is important to a sales person and making that information understandable and engaging.  I like to think we do a good job – when our clients allow us to.  You see, telling a story about incentive compensation and creating captivating visuals to convey that information isn’t easy.  It requires that we make choices about what information we share.  It means that we may have to simplify the message.  It may mean changing how we present and what types of communication that we use.  This, for some clients, is easier said than done.

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The Power of Communication – best “save the date” announcement ever

Ok, this is too funny. I think it is real, but even if it isn’t, it is good. Shows you the power of being creative, using different types of media, and having good production…this is what every incentive compensation plan communications needs but rarely gets. Think of the power of this video being about your compensation plan and being introduced to your sales force at your next National Meeting…WOW!  Motivation is about more than just the reward – it is about how we communicate, how we actively engage, how we convey the message and get people to not only notice, but care…and maybe even have a little bit of fun!

One Year Birthday

Alright, probably not as significant as a child’s one year birthday or other one year anniversary’s – but hey, we’ve been doing this now for one year (as of tomorrow)!   In looking back I have to say I’m pretty happy with what we’ve done.  By no means are we a top blog but we’ve done OK for a couple of people putting up random thoughts and insights on motivation.  Here are some stats:

  • 117 posts by us
  • 155 comments on those posts
  • Over 7,438 views
  • Average daily views is now almost 30
  • Most viewed post: Four Drive Model: New Theory on Employee Motivation (by the way, this was our first post – which I’ve just updated)

We are looking forward to the next year and all that we can do!  Let us know what you would like to see in the coming months and if you have any favorites from our past.

Refresh

It seems as though in this day and age, everyone is busy – and I mean busy.   We go from project to the next or possibly have them going on at the same time.   The need to get things done faster, with less resources, and with higher impact is making us feel like there are not enough hours in the day or days in the week.  We are becoming a nation that is stressed out and on the edge of burnout.   I know that I am.

What is necessary is to be able to take some time to slow down and relax.  To refresh…

Of course that is harder than it appears.  We are no longer able to take a day off and play golf or go to the cabin without still being hooked in.  Our cell phones and laptops, while wonderful tools, keep us plugged in no matter were we go.  We cannot escape the e-mail or phone call  that requires our attention NOW!!  Even if we do escape to some backwater place where we don’t get cell phone coverage or there is no wi-fi, we often have the stress of multiple projects and deadlines looming over us that keep us up at night.  None of this is good or healthy.

So what do we do?  How can we refresh ourselves?’

What we need is some serious down time.  Some time for ourselves to let our minds and body’s calm down and rejuvenate.  This is not a vacation (vacations often only add in more stress and pressure).  This is a time to slow down and allow ourselves an opportunity to vegetate.  To feel like we did in Junior High over the summer when the most pressure we had was to make sure we got home in time for dinner.  It is time that many people might call “wasted” time because it is unproductive – but I feel that it is time that is needed to repair and invigorate so that we can be productive.

I can attest that this isn’t easy and that I’ve never actually fully achieved it – but I’m going to try.  Here is my plan…

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Micromanage – a short how to guide

Just too funny!  Great link to see a short video on how you too can become a great micro-manager…

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9btr8_how-to-micromanage-like-a-real-ass_school

Buying Local Fulfills the Drive to Bond & Belong

A couple of weeks ago a day of celebration occurred at my house,  it was my Birthday which actually goes for more than one day it turns into a week of celebrating with friends and family. 

As I went about celebrating my Birthday, I enjoyed my FREE Birthday gifts from a couple of businesses.  The search for the FREE Birthday gift has become somewhat of a tradition and badge of honor to see what you can ‘rake’ in for FREE on your Birthday amongst my family members.   I have no problem walking into a place of business and proclaiming that ‘today is my Birthday’ which implies that I would like to be treated extra special during my visit.  A few of you may completely understand this line of behavior while others are probably thinking wow she is really off her rocker.  Regardless of what line of thought you align with the fact remains that I have high expectations for my business interactions on my Birthday. 

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The Laws of Motivation

Richard Denny has a great slideshare on what he sees as the Laws of Motivation…some interesting stuff here and I agree with most of it.  Take a look.

http://www.slideshare.net/abhishekshah/laws-of-motivation

However I do have some comments on these “Laws”…

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3 tips to increase the Drive to Bond & Belong

The 4-Drive Model of Employee Motivation’s second drive is the drive to Bond & Belong.  The drive is defined by our innate desire to form “close, positive relationships” with people around us.  The image of the lone wolf going it alone or the inventor holed up in his workshop are atypical – most people want to bond with others and feel they belong to a group.  Here are three tips to increase the B Drive: 

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