Some of the “bad” things that happen to hardworking, well-meaning, capable people each day include: 

• Missing the big opportunity
• Getting passed over for a promotion
• Getting demoted
• Losing a lot of money
• Getting fired
• Going bankrupt

What happens to us when our worst career nightmares come true?

There may not be scandalous headlines in the local papers, but with the emotional turmoil you’re experiencing, there may as well be.

Career-altering events can happen to anyone — and they do. But when they happen to us, they seem incomprehensible, largely because we’ve worked so hard to be nice, dedicated and well-meaning.

But even when we can partially blame the economy, there comes a time when we must take a hard look at what we could have done differently. Despite faltering companies, imperfect leaders, coworkers who don’t like us and other external variables, we must eventually engage in private, honest  introspection. It’s time to ask: What part did I play in the events leading up to the career crisis?

Defining Mojo

Historically and culturally, the word “mojo” has been associated with witchcraft and voodoo—specifically, the ability to cast spells. Over the years, it has become urban slang for personal power, magnetism and charisma.

In business speak today, mojo refers to the moment we do something purposeful and powerful — an act lauded by others. In sports, business and politics, the term has evolved to describe a sense of positive direction.

For some, mojo represents personal advancement: moving forward, making progress, achieving goals, clearing hurdles, passing the competition — and doing so with increasing ease. What you’re doing matters, and you enjoy it. Star athletes call this being “in the zone.” Others describe it as “flow.”

Mojo plays a vital role in our pursuit of happiness and meaning, as it involves achieving two simple goals: loving what you do and showing it.

Lost Mojo

In Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It, leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith introduces the term “nojo” — the opposite of mojo.

Nojo sufferers approach their work negatively. They’re bored, frustrated, dispirited and confused about the dark tunnel that envelops their career — and they aren’t shy about sharing their dissatisfaction with others.

Nojo happens when we experience a career failure and don’t get over it. Individuals who are incapable of looking inward to identify their role in a negative event get stuck — and stay stuck. As their spirit sours, they find themselves unable to recapture their mojo.

In some cases, people seem to have mojo one day and nojo the next. This volatility is often caused by a series of ongoing, hard-to-spot mistakes that in time lead to a crisis. If we can recognise our errors early, we can prevent events from spiralling out of control.

Common Career Mistakes

Goldsmith lists seven professional mistakes that contribute to career failures in otherwise competent, successful and smart people:

1. Over-committing
2. Waiting for the Facts to Change
3. Looking for Logic in All the Wrong Places
4. Bashing the Boss
5. Refusing to Change Because of “Sunk Costs”
6. Confusing the Mode You’re in
7. Maintaining Pointless Arguments

As you examine these potential pitfalls, try to pinpoint the ones to which you’re predisposed.  

1.   Over-committing

If you’re good at what you do and like your job, it’s easy to take on new challenges. You’re bursting with mojo. People want you in their meetings and on their teams.

The old adage, “If you want something done, just ask a busy person,” may apply to you. And if you’re ambitious, the last thing you want to admit to your boss or coworkers is that you can’t handle everything.

If you believe you have superpowers, you will box yourself into a corner by taking on too many tasks. At that point, the quality of work and good humour will begin to fail, and you’ll lose your mojo (and possibly much more).

Ironically, the habit of over-committing has an unintended consequence: It makes us appear under-committed — a perception rarely appreciated by customers, colleagues or bosses.

2.       Waiting for the Facts to Change

When we experience a setback, it’s not uncommon for us to wait for the facts to change into something more to our liking. Such wishful thinking is the opposite of over-committing, as it leads to under-acting. Instead of doing something, you freeze and do nothing.

When the facts are hard to swallow, ask yourself: “What path would I take if I knew the situation won’t get any better?” Then, get ready to pursue that path.

Doing nothing is akin to moving backward — a behaviour you cannot afford in a constantly changing world.

3.       Looking for Logic in All the Wrong Places

We devote many professional hours to finding logic in situations where none exists.

Human beings are profoundly illogical. Our minds crave order, fairness and justice, and we’re trained to value logic. But much of life, work and decisions that affect us are unreasonable, unfair or unjust, which sets us up for disappointment and can kill mojo.

We sometimes hope logic will prevail against all odds and that it will prove we’re in the right. If we capriciously stick to our guns until the bitter end, everyone will see how right we are. In the meantime, we seriously damage important relationships.

4.       Bashing the Boss

Talent-management firm DDI found that the average American spends 15 hours a month criticising or complaining about his or her boss. Indeed, boss-bashing is a popular diversion.

But while it may relieve tension and get a few laughs, denigrating your boss is not particularly attractive. Other people will wonder what you’ll say about them when they’re not around.

Bashing doesn’t build a better boss. It only serves to tarnish your reputation and lower your mojo. The negativity you spread will almost certainly affect others’ mojo, too.

5.       Refusing to Change Because of “Sunk Cost”

Once incurred, a sunk cost cannot be recovered. Unfortunately, it’s also the basis for many irrational decisions that go against our best interest. When we throw more money at a problem and hope for different results, we compound the error — all because we cannot admit our error.

Each of us has sunk costs in our lives. We didn’t become successful because of luck; rather, we had to invest a big piece of ourselves in our work. At some point, this investment may have stopped paying off, without our awareness.

Are your decisions based on what you might lose or what you have to gain? It it’s the former, your devotion to sunk costs may be costing you more than you know: your mojo.

6.       Confusing the Mode You’re in

We have two modes of behaviour: professional and relaxed. Our professional selves are image-conscious. We pay attention to how we look, dress, speak and behave. We can’t afford to be sloppy.

In relaxed mode, some of us go to opposite extremes. We’re less guarded about everything, including our speech, language and use of humour.

So, what happens when we’re in relaxed mode, but still in the company of work colleagues and friends? Are we sarcastic and cynical in ways inappropriate to the office setting?

The more you close the gap between who you are as a professional and who you are when relaxed, the greater the trust and confidence you’ll generate. You’ll demonstrate genuineness and integrity, and you’ll avoid slipping into sloppiness with humour and language, which can put a dent in your mojo.

7.       Maintaining Pointless Arguments

Arguing happens anytime you put a group of intelligent, successful people into a room and give them a problem to solve. It also happens simply because people have egos, and it’s human nature to compete with other members of the tribe.

Arguing can put our mojo at risk by needlessly creating enemies instead of allies. Many arguments are traps in which we fight to improve our status among the tribe, rather than to solve a problem for the greater good.

Learn to avoid the following argument traps that do nothing more than zap your spirit:

• Let me keep talking: Everyone has opinions and enjoys expressing them. In fact, we feel it’s our right to do so. Sometimes, however, we just can’t stop; we have to have the last word. It can be very hard for smart people to “just let it go.”
• I had it rougher than you: When we revel in how poor we were and how much we had to overcome to achieve our current station in life, all we’re doing is trying to elicit other people’s admiration. What’s the point?
• Why did you do that? We’ll never know people’s true motivations. We can speculate with generosity or paranoia, but we never may get a completely frank answer. Why waste hours trying to get to the bottom of why people do things? It will only exhaust your mojo.
• It’s not fair: You disagree with a decision that has been made. Worse, you believe you haven’t been given a legitimate explanation. Arguing won’t change the outcome and makes you look childish. Deal with it. Save your precious mojo.

These four “losing” arguments have the same end result: no change in outcome. Look for ways to make your point, and then move on, with your mojo intact.

Mojo Recuperation

What can you do when you recognise these behaviours in yourself?

It’s easy to tell yourself that you I’ll stop doing that. But it’s harder to maintain progress whenever you seek lasting behaviour change.

Someone once asked Goldsmith, “Does anyone ever really change?” After surveying 86,000 former clients and, later on, more than 250,000 respondents from his leadership development seminars, his conclusion is unequivocal:

“Very few people achieve positive, lasting change without ongoing follow-up. Unless they know at the end of the day (or week or month) that someone is going to measure if they’re doing what they promised to do, most people fall prey to inertia.”

The key words in Goldsmith’s statement are “measure” and “follow-up.” Because very few people can succeed alone with self-help efforts, many seek assistance from a mentor or executive coach.

Remember that your competition continually responds to a changing business environment by working longer and harder. This means mojo is not an option; it’s a career differentiator. You need it to separate yourself from the masses — and your personal spirit will ultimately thank you.

Di Worrall (2010)

• “We never have a chance to really talk about the big picture of our work. We’re under so much pressure to deliver what is needed now. There’s little opportunity to understand how things tie in with larger goals; consequently, there’s no breathing space for creativity or innovation.“
• “I’d be able to grow and develop at work if I didn’t have to babysit around here…If my subordinates didn’t come to me for every little decision and if they would take more initiative, I’d be freer to do the same in my own job.”
• “There’s too much talking behind one’s back here. People talk about others, but rarely to others. I don’t feel people come to me directly; I find out about things from other people. If I knew and had a chance to talk to the person with a complaint, then we could confront the issues and work on solutions.”

Complaints may vary but griping is always in season at work. When things go from bad to worse the discussions end up in the manager’s office. When they don’t, they form an undercurrent of discontent and resentment that is counter-productive.

People spend vast amounts of time complaining. They invest amazingly creative energies coming up with clever ways of expressing their discontent. No matter how sophisticated, however, a complaint is unpleasant to listen to. It can instill an aura of negativity and un-productivity. It becomes contagious. At its worse, it poisons relationships and sabotages team efforts.

A review of journals and books yields little on the subject. That is, not until Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey wrote, How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work (Jossey-Bass 2001). Kegan is a Harvard psychologist best known for his work in developmental psychology. Lahey is a research director at a Harvard research centre. They term complaints in the office as “BMW” talk: bitching, moaning and whining.

Ask any group of people how they could be more supported at work and you’ll get prime examples of BMW. Sometimes the complaints are made with head-shaking amusement, sometimes resentment and resignation. They are made by people who love their jobs, hate their jobs; by those that are good at their jobs, not so good, new at work, and near retirement. Criticisms are levied at bosses, subordinates, peers, “them,” and occasionally at oneself.

We all complain, no matter what our position. No matter what the particular content of complaints, it turns out that most of us have an experience at work that we perceive as obstructing our own well-being, growth and development.

This conversation about what we can’t stand is so universal it goes unrecognised and accepted as normal. Obviously the use of this language form is more recognised in others than in ourselves. Complaining grows like a weed. The problem is that it does not usually lead to changing anything.

To be fair, complaining may help people let off steam. It can also create alliances and support when one realises they are not alone. But it rarely accomplishes more than this. It doesn’t transform anyone or anything. It often leaves people feeling worse by virtue of the negative feelings that flourish.

Why complaints are important

It is important to pay attention to complaints because they contain a seed of passion! For every statement of what a person can’t stand, there is an underlying reason, or statement about what they stand for.

Where there is passion there is possibility for transformation. There is energy and there is commitment. People do not complain about what they don’t care about. So underneath the complaint, there is a river of committed passion and a source of energy to be discovered and harnessed…if we look for it and ask about it!

Leaders and managers are faced with complaints all the time. Here are some typical ways leaders respond:

1. Acknowledge the person’s complaint and give them more information that would explain the situation and provide another perspective.
2. Acknowledge the person’s complaint by actively listening and empathising with them in order to help them to accept the situation.
3. Acknowledge their complaint and try to explore solutions using problem-solving methods. Depending on your leadership style, you will direct or coach them to take action, or you might take the monkey on yourself by agreeing to do something to fix the problem.

What if there were a different approach to handling complaints, one that actually encouraged people to stay with the problem in order to pursue meaningful transformation?

Kegan and Lahey suggest asking this important question:

What sorts of things, if they were to happen more frequently in your work setting, would you experience as being more supportive of your own ongoing development at work? In other word, what do you really need to thrive?

Transforming thet language of complaints to the language of commitments

What commitments or convictions do you hold that are implied in your complaint? What value do you hold that is not being honoured? What commitment do you have that is not being fully recognised by this situation?

In every complaint there is a value that is not being honoured and it is usually the absence of this personal value that is rubbing the person the wrong way. Hence there is passion in complaints.

What if leaders could feel comfortable enough to listen to a complaint without explaining, empathising and trying to solve the problem? What if they took the time to explore for the unfulfilled values and commitments inherent in the BMW talk?

Unlock the underlying value and there is productive conversation about what needs to be done in order to create meaningful change. The key to doing this is through the use of language.

Leadership and language communities

Work settings are language communities in that structure, boundaries, norms and culture are organised linguistically. The importance of language and the way groups speak about themselves and their work cannot be underemphasised. In that sense all leaders are leading language communities. Though every person, in any setting has some opportunity to influence the nature of the language, leaders have exponentially greater access and opportunity to establish and influence others through the use of language. The only question is what kind of language leaders will choose to use.

We are all leaders at one time or in one way. We are all challenged by being stuck and blocked from creating changes that we say are important to us. We are all seeking language through which we can communicate more effectively and influence the decisions that others make.

The fact is that all of us are confronted with challenges when it comes to development and change. While it may be that sometimes this is because we have difficulty learning something or we attach a loss to shifting to something new, in all cases it is because we are committed to something. There is something we value that we are protecting. In the world of business and organisations this protective behaviour often shows up as complaining and various forms of discontent. It depletes work energy, negatively impacts retention of talented people and at its extreme breeds anti-organisational behaviour such as sabotage.

 Leading change through changing the language we use

Kegan and Lahey present a methodology to provide new meaning to complaints and to elicit the underlying commitments that can provide passion and energy for changing behaviours. Through the use of this new methodology each of us can begin to shift our own behaviour and our relationships with others in the organisation from complaining to commitment and effective change.

A methodology for transforming complaints to commitments

Adapted from: How the Way We talk Can Change the Way We Work; Seven Languages for Transformationby Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey (Jossey-Bass, 2001) with permission from the authors.

Step One:

Write down your answers to the following question: “What sorts of things, if they were to happen more frequently in your work setting, would you experience as being more supportive of your own ongoing development at work?”

 e.g.” More involvement in decision making”

Step two:

Pick just one you feel strongly about and complete the following sentence…“I am committed to the value or the importance of…”

e.g. , “I am committed to the importance of participating in decisions that affect me.”

Step three:

Consider your own part in the situation, by answering this question: “What am I doing or not doing that prevents my commitment from being fully realised?” 

e.g. I sometimes hold back instead of standing up for myself and stating my opinion

Step four:

Consider that you may have other values that are competing with the value or commitment you stated in step 2: “I may also be committed to…” (This is usually something self-protective.)

e.g. “I am also committed to not looking stupid.”

Step five:

Look at the reasons for holding the competing value stated in step 4 by finishing the statement: “I assume that if…”

e.g. “ I assume that if I honour my commitment to state my opinion (in step 2), then this might mean I look stupid….”

To bring about actual change, we must do more than just become aware of our paradoxes. We must disturb the balance, not merely look at it. This methodology creates a more complete and comprehensive space in which to consider and experience a problem. Far from solving the problem, we expand it.

By expanding the initial problem to uncover its root cause, leaders and employees are spared from wasting time, energy and money on solutions that might be highly ineffective because the problems will just recur in differing forms.

Once the real cause of our complaints are revealed, we can look at them, reexamine them, and possible alter them. This is what leads to genuine transformation.

D. Worrall (2010)

Companies continue to ignore the obvious: Offering incentives and rewards is less effective than tapping into truly meaningful intrinsic motivation. Leaders operate on old assumptions about motivation despite a wealth of well-documented scientific evidence.

The old “carrot-and-stick” mentality may actually inhibit employees from seeking creative solutions, partly because they focus on attaining rewards instead of solving problems.

So, how can you successfully tap into workers’ inherent motivation and creative drive? How can you boost the number of actively engaged employees from the paltry 33 percent reported by the Gallup Organisation? And how can you sustain employees’ enthusiasm after their first 30 days on the job?

Seven Deadly Flaws

In Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, former U.S. Department of Labor aide and speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore, Daniel H. Pink says businesses are out of sync with what scientists have been telling us over the last 50 years.

The hackneyed carrot-and-stick approach, now dubbed “Motivation 2.0,” encourages poor leadership practices, as Pink outlines in his “seven deadly flaws”:

1. Extinguishing motivation
2. Diminishing performance
3. Crushing creativity
4. Crowding out good behaviour
5. Encouraging cheating, shortcuts and unethical behaviour
6. Becoming addictive or obsessive
7. Fostering short-term thinking

In fact, Pink holds Motivation 2.0 partly responsible for the economic chaos of 2008. Mortgage brokers, for instance, were so hungry for commissions that they made questionable loans, which helped bring the US banking system to its knees.

It’s time to seriously question our outmoded leadership assumptions about employee performance, and re-examine the science of what truly motivates people at work.

The Hawthorne Studies

In the 1920s, Harvard Business School initiated the first studies of human behaviour at work, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. Clinical psychologist Elton Mayo and Harvard Medical School physiologist L.J. Henderson were recruited to study the impact of various working conditions, such as how lighting affects fatigue levels.

Early research was conducted at AT&T’s Western Electric Hawthorne Plant. The results were published by F.J. Roethlisberger and W. Dickson in Management and the Worker.

The researchers found that workers’ and managers’ social needs had a powerful impact on their behaviour at work. Workers enthusiastically embraced opportunities to contribute their thoughts, ideas and experiences regarding workplace issues.

Unfortunately, these findings failed to change work conditions for employees.

Scientific Management

At the beginning of the 20th century, American engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor asserted that businesses were being run in inefficient, haphazard ways. He invented the concept of “scientific management,” which assumed workers were little more than machines. To make the machine run smoothly, you rewarded the behaviours you wanted and punished those you discouraged.

“Work,” Taylor stated, “consists of mainly simple, not particularly interesting, tasks. The only way to get people to do them is to incentivise them properly and monitor them carefully.”

Thus began the firmly entrenched practice of motivating people with the proverbial carrots and sticks.

In the 1900s, Taylor had a point. We were, after all, building railroads, highways and major factories. But today, in much of the developed world, this is no longer entirely true. For many people, jobs have become more complex, challenging and self-directed.

Freud, Skinner & Maslow

The 20th century saw the birth of psychology and study of the human psyche. Sigmund Freud proposed that all humans were driven to seek pleasure and avoid pain. In the 1930s, behavioural psychologist B.F. Skinner created a large body of experimental research to show the effects of positive reinforcement on augmenting certain behaviours and extinguishing others.

In the 1950s, psychologist Abraham Maslow questioned the idea that human behaviour was purely rat- or pigeon-like. He launched the field of humanistic psychology, proposing that once survival needs were met, people sought to achieve self-mastery and actualisation.

In the 1960s, MIT management professor Douglas McGregor imported Maslow’s ideas to the business world. He proposed that humans had higher drives that weren’t contingent on rewards and punishments. If managers could tap into these inner motivations and grant employees greater autonomy and respect, workers would unleash greater performance.

While McGregor’s writing influenced some organisations, there were only modest improvements —mostly more flexible dress codes, working conditions and empowerment programs.  

Despite these psychological insights, businesses entered the 21st century using outdated and ineffective motivational strategies.

The Third Drive in Human Motivation

In 1949, psychologist Harry Harlow placed puzzles in monkeys’ cages and was surprised to find that the primates successfully solved them.

Harlow saw no logical reason for them to do so. Their survival didn’t depend on it, and they didn’t receive any rewards or avoid any punishments. Apparently, the monkeys solved the puzzles simply because they had a desire to do so.

As to their motivation, Harlow offered a novel theory: “The performance of the task provided intrinsic reward.” The monkeys performed because they found it gratifying to solve puzzles. They enjoyed it, and the joy of the task was its own reward.

Further experiments found that offering external rewards to solve these puzzles didn’t improve performance. In fact, rewards disrupted task completion.

This led Harlow to identify a third drive in human motivation:

1. The first drive for behaviours is survival. We drink, eat and copulate to ensure our survival.
2. The second drive is to seek rewards and avoid punishment.
3. The third drive is intrinsic: to achieve internal satisfaction.

But Harlow’s theory was met with disdain from the behavioural scientists who dominated motivational theory at the time. It took almost two decades for scientists to return their attention to intrinsic drives.

Here’s the Scoop – Rewards Can Actually have a Negative Impact on Motivation

In 1969, psychologist Edward Deci ran a series of experiments that showed students lost intrinsic interest in an activity when money was offered as an external reward. The results surprised many behavioural scientists.

Although rewards can deliver a short-term boost, the effect wears off. Even worse, rewards can reduce a person’s longer-term motivation to continue a project.

Deci proposed that human beings have an inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn.

Open Source Innovations

The third drive has become more important as our society moves from a manufacturing-based economy to one of knowledge and services.

Carrots and sticks continue to provide effective incentive and motivation for work tasks that are routine and repetitive. But for jobs that require complex creativity, intrinsic motivation works best.

As proof, examine the case of two companies that set out to publish online encyclopedias:

1. Microsoft hired the best people and devoted considerable funds to achieve Encarta.
2. A global force of volunteers created Wikipedia with no budget or salaries.

Encarta no longer exists, while Wikipedia thrives as a fully functional volunteer project. Wiki is a form of server software which enables users to freely create and alter the content of web pages. The world of Wiki has grown to include other applications such as wikibooks; wiktionary; wikiquotes; wikispecies; and wikinews. A Climate for Change (2009)

Most businesses haven’t caught up to this new understanding of what motivates us. Too many organisations, governments and nonprofits still operate from assumptions about human potential and individual performance — ideas that are clearly outdated and ineffective. They continue to pursue short-term incentive plans and pay-for-performance schemes in the face of evidence against them.

Unleashing Motivation

How do you move yourself — and your company — away from using carrot-and-stick incentives?

Pink describes three critical conditions for an intrinsic motivational environment:

1. Autonomy: Give people autonomy over what they’re doing and how they do it, including choosing their time, tasks, team and techniques.
2. Mastery: Give them an opportunity to master their work and make progress through deliberate practice.
3. Purpose: Make sure people have a sense of purpose in their work — preferably to something higher and beyond their job, salary and company.

Autonomy may seem daunting when it comes to practical implementations. Some companies, however, have already forged new and innovative work environments that are generating huge results — most notably, Best Buy’s ROWE (“results-oriented work environment”) program. With ROWE, employees have no schedules and are measured only by what they get done.

Google is famous for its “20-percent time” program, which allows engineers to spend 20 percent of their time on projects that interest them. Google Mail is one successful project that came out of the program.

The Australian tech company Atlassian implemented a similar program, with engineers given a full day each quarter to work on any software problem they choose — a ritual the company calls “FedEx” days. (Completed projects are delivered overnight.)

Creating Flow

People are most productive and satisfied when their work puts them in a state of “flow” — more commonly recognised as being “in the zone.” In the flow state, one experiences a heightened sense of focus and a generally higher sense of satisfaction.

What we know about flow is primarily based on the work of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, whose seminal book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, describes it as the moment in which “a person’s body or mind is stretched to the limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

You can’t give people the opportunity to create “flow” experiences without providing autonomy, time to practice and improve mastery, and a sense of higher purpose.

Rethinking Management

Intrinsic motivation theories aren’t palatable to everyone. Unfortunately, our notions of what constitutes proper motivation in the office are often too entrenched to be flexible. Some companies have given lip service to worker “empowerment,” without actually letting go of control.

Jonar Nadar asserts in his 2006 book, How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People that empowerment programs structured as a skill or gift have only enjoyed limited success. Rather, genuine “empowerment emerges not when leaders put new things in place, but when leaders remove obstructions to an individual’s or group’s capacity to communicate views and explore new possibilities” D Worrall (2009) A Climate for Change.  Such an ideal is difficult to achieve while the typical organisation is still driven by prescriptive policies, punitive supervisory practices and hierarchical boundaries that preside over the ebb and flow of working life.

At its core, management hasn’t changed all that much since Taylor and his scientific management theory proposed that we need to control the passive nature of workers with extrinsic motivators.

This doesn’t work for motivating non-routine, right-brain activities required of knowledge workers today. Management, in this sense, is deeply out of sync with human nature — in essence, management is the problem, not the solution.

Rethinking Human Nature

Our basic nature is to be curious and self-directed, to seek out and explore solutions to problems. If your employees are inert, disengaged and bored, something has flipped their default setting.

Many leaders will resist giving up their carrots, and many workers will find it hard to imagine a world without incentives. We’re conditioned to like the carrots and avoid the sticks.

But leaders who recognise the value of, and who can implement, intrinsic motivation can expect a whole new workplace — and an entirely new definition of work. We don’t need better management as much as a renaissance of self-direction.

The bigger, unanswered question is whether today’s leaders are ready to rise to the new challenges autonomy will require.

D. Worrall (2010)

References:

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. N.Y. Harper and Row.

Pink, D.H. (2009) Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Riverhead.

Nadar, J (2000) How to Lose Friends and Infuriate People. Plutonium.

Roethlisberger, F.J. & Dickson, W. (2003) Management and the Worker. Routledge.

Worrall, D. (2009) A Climate for Change. Life Success Publishing.

Further Resources:

For more ideas about techniques that inspire and motivate a 21^st century workforce, see A Climate for Change (2009) by D Worrall at www.aclimateforchangebook.com

For more Change Leadership Articles like these and for information about Executive Coaching and Business Consulting for Leaders of Change, contact Di of Worrall Associates at  enquiry@humanresourceschange.com.au or visit http://www.worrallassociates.com.au/change-management.html

Just as Agent 86 had his heart and mind focused on a specific intention, it is equally crucial that you motivate both your mind (what you think you should do) and your heart (what you value). It is difficult to examine your values, beliefs, and true purpose without a trusted partner such as a coach. Once you have explored with your coach what is really important to you in your life (career, family, community, your values and purpose), it should become clear what you need to do. Setting  goals then becomes a natural extension of your values.

Goals are very exciting and energizing. They drive us to achieve beyond our expectations. They make it easier for us to focus and concentrate, and give us permission to say “no” to distractions. Then dreams really do come true. But unless you spend time to explore, plan and prioritise, setting the wrong goals can lead to disappointment and disillusion. This saps your energy and motivation.

3 is a Magic Number

 If you have prioritised 3 areas or values in your life, you are ready to set your goals. Three is an ideal number, as more than that can disperse your focus and concentration. You should be prepared to spend time, money and energy on achieving these goals. Remember, goal setting is not for sissies! It requires sacrifice. You have to really want to achieve them and be willing to say “no” to distractions.  

If you find yourself resisting the process of committing to specific goals, then it’s highly likely you have an underlying fear of failure – or of success.  A coach can help you work through this obstacle.

“Out deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

 Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

Marianne Williamson

Once your priorities are clear, saying “no” to activities which distract you, become far more important than saying “yes” to the myriad of distractions we are bombarded with on a daily basis. Clear priorities also make it more difficult for the “procrastinator” in you to take hold and sabotage your potential to succeed to the level you’re really capable of.

At this point you’re ready to cast those ideas into the form of a SMART goal. A SMART goal is:

S—specific

M—measurable

A—action-oriented

R—realistic

T—time framed

1. Be Specific

Be specific when you write down a goal. Narrow your focus. “Getting fit” is not a goal, but an outcome. “Exercising regularly” is not specific enough. Write down things like, “I am so happy and grateful that I feel energized, fit and vibrant as I ride my bike for 40 minutes four times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday).” Notice 3 things about how this goal is described that make it specific:  

1. It is stated in the present tense, as though you are already in possession of the goal.
2. It brings the goal to life by tapping into the positive senses of what it is like to be experiencing the goal.
3. It reinforces the feeling of gratitude which is an attitude known to greatly enhance the speed at which we attain and maintain goal- achievement

Don’t try to be all inclusive. Focus on making progress on two or three goals before expanding them. The more you can refine and define, the more specific you are, the easier it is to stay focused. Don’t forget to ask for the help of your coach. Your coach can send you email reminders and hold you accountable.

2. Be Measurable 

Write down your goals and their measures. You will need to track the minutes, the days or the number of times you engage in your goal behavior. If you don’t complete the originally defined time or measure, write down and acknowledge what you did complete. This will track your efforts and help sustain and encourage you when you lack energy or motivation.

3. Be Action-Oriented

Make sure the goal you write down is action-oriented. Simply, this means that your goals need to contain a verb, or action-oriented statement. For example, “I ride my bike X times per week… I save “x” $$$ per month… I attract x new clients per month

4. Be Realistic

Select goals that are realistic and motivational. If you know that 40 minutes on the bike or treadmill will exhaust you, or create stress because of the time involved in showering, changing, or other inconveniences, then change the goal to something easier and more attainable and pleasurable – like running with a friend. Make sure your goal is something you like to do. When you create pleasurable memories while you are engaged in the activity, then you increase your chances of doing it more often.

Some people find it useful to reward themselves after goal activity, as long as the reward doesn’t sabotage your goals.

“No pain, no gain” is also true in many areas of goal setting. However, if there is too much pain, you will not gain your goal. Make sure you are willing to pay the price of achieving your goal. By the same token, you need to evaluate and review your goals so that they are not too easy. If you are well on your way to achieving your goals, then you may have set them too low. Try stretching them 10 or 20 percent. If you are not on track, give yourself permission to reduce your measures by 10 percent.

Review your goals regularly and look at issues of alignment with your values. If you are not achieving your goals, you may have picked the wrong goals. People usually do what they want to do, and if you are choosing not to follow your goals, there is a reason that needs to be further examined.

5. Be Time-Framed 

Your goals need to be time-framed. There needs to be a beginning and an end. This would look something like: Have a fifteen percent increase in sales by the end of the year by increasing the quantity of pre-qualified client leads by “x”.   This should be tracked at regular intervals.

As you track your progress, ask for someone to hold you accountable. Research shows that it is easier to stay on track when you have support and reminders.  Executive coaches are trained and have expertise in this area. Ask for help. You don’t have to do this alone.

Reframe Failure as Feedback

The secret to dealing with incomplete goals is to reframe “failure” as “feedback”.

There are no failures. With the help of your coach, you can review without judgement and analyse where you have fallen short of your goals. This is where the real learning about yourself or your business takes place. The self-awareness that can be gained when you set a goal that you do not achieve is worth the price of admission.

But if falling short of a goal is a particularly negative experience for you, it can be difficult to see past the negativity and appreciate the real prize – which is the lessons to be learned from the experience. This is where a good coach can be an important part of helping you repair your bruised self-esteem and re-frame the experience of “failure” into a precious and vital opportunity to grow and improve.  With a coach, reviewing the reasons for incompletion tells us something about our true values, competing commitments, real priorities and gives us invaluable information about what really matters to us.

If  self-sabotage is the culprit behind a failed goal, therein is an opportunity to revise some of your “old tapes” or outdated assumptions and beliefs that are limiting the full expression of your capabilities and gifts. But rather than giving in to them, use your coach to explore them and to revise them into empowering beliefs.

Choosing and planning your goals is hard work. It takes time and commitment. The rewards, however, are great. By aligning your head with your heart you will set meaningful, attainable goals that will help you make progress toward what you truly value in your life. In the words of Earl Nightingale, the greater success lies not in the achievement of the goal itself, but rather…

“Success is the progressive realisation of a worthy ideal”

 D Worrall (2010)

References:

Cairo, J. (1998). Motivation and Goals: How to Set and Achieve Goals and Inspire Others. Career Press.

Mollicone-Long, G. (2007) The Secret of Successful Failing, Pathfinders Publishing.

Proctor, B. (2007) The Goal Achiever. Life Success Publishing.

Tracy, B. (2003). Goals! How to Get Everything You Want —Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. Berrett-Koehler.

Worrall, D. (2009) A Climate for Change, Life Success Publishing.

Further Resources:

For more on goal setting, values and SMART goals see A Climate for Change (2009), D Worrall at www.aclimateforchangebook.com

For further information on Executive Coaching and Business Consulting for Leaders of Change, contact Di at Worrall Assoc. on enquiry@humanresourceschange.com.au

 

Corporations spend billions every year on strategic planning. They align their business goals and operations with their mission and values – their core reasons for being in business. Corporations may complete this exercise in-house or engage the services of an external Consultant who has specialized skills in areas like values alignment, cultural and business analysis,  and strategic planning. .

Executives and Small Business Owners  also involve themselves in similar planning sessions with their executive coaches. They examine their strengths and weaknesses with their coach, they look at their career and personal goals, and make strategic decisions about where and how to spend their time and energy.

Some coaches straddle the field of “executive coaching” as well as “life” coaching.. Life coaches do the same thing with individuals. They explore and clarify with you your identity, your values, and your true purpose in life. How can you know what you need to do, where you need to spend your time and energy, if you don’t know what is most important to you? This is difficult and important work. And it is hard to do alone. Taking the time to make personal definitions for yourself will make the process of goal setting and staying on track much easier.

Regardless of whether your goals are to finish a university degree, get a better job, start a business, buy a home, or lose weight, the process is the same. The aspirational goals you set must be consistent with your c ore values and true identity if you want to sustain your motivation over time. 2.

Here are three essential elements you must consider before writing down your goals:

1.            Examine your identity: Quite simply, who are you? Self-awareness is the cornerstone to emotional intelligence and so important that this one feature will do more for your success in life than any other social competency. If you know yourself well, you can choose a path aligned with your strengths and weaknesses. You will not get distracted by people, places and things that are not congruent with your true self.

How do you improve your self-awareness? Through working with your coach, doing assessments, examining your attitude, your passions, your self-image, examining your assumptions and beliefs and being willing to ask for and receive feedback.

Avoid defining yourself in terms of external things (job titles, education, family roles, etc.) and look at your personal integrity, ethics, and things that are important to you.

There are  a range of behaviour styles, leadership, team, values, wealth creation and personality type assessments available through your coach. Gaining a deeper understanding of your own preferred, natural way of behaving and thinking can greatly improve your understanding of yourself. As a side benefit, it also improves your understanding of others different from yourself. Ask your coach about the assessment tools they offer.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to gain clarity about your identity:

• When thinking about myself, what am I most proud of?
• How would my friends describe me?
• How would my co-workers describe me?
• What does my family say about me?
• What are the three most important areas in my personal life?
• How have I changed over my adult years?
• What are my strengths?
• What do I avoid or dislike doing?

2.            Define your values: What are your most fundamental beliefs? Identify three important moral values that are important to you. The more clearly defined your values are, the more energy and focus you will have for your goals. Values provide the basic structure you need to build your personal life, your career, your business and any other aspect of your life.

Consider your attitude towards other people. Think about your current obligations to your community, family and friends. Reflect on the core beliefs you have that you would want to pass on to the younger generation. If you were to mentor someone, what values would you project as being most important in the world?

Here are two exercises to help define your values. Look over the following list of values and rank each from 1 to 10 (with 1 representing values most important to you).  Be sure to add any that are important to you but not on this list.

Values Identification Exercise 1.0

What are the five values you ranked the highest? Those five values should be receiving 80% of your time and energy. Write down your five most important values on a separate sheet of paper and post them somewhere you will see them every day. This will drive your actions and keep you focused on what is most important.

Values Identification Exercise 2.0

Your highest values are nearly always reflected in how you spend your time. The things highest on your list inspire you to action. The things lowest on your list are where you find yourself procrastinating. _2.

Answer the following questions. Then list your top 3 things in order of importance.

• How do you fill the space where you live?
• What do you spend your time doing?
• What do you spend your money on?
• What do you think about and talk about?
• Where are you the most disciplined? _3.

 The values you have identified are the foundation of your success. They help you prioritise the goals you set for yourself. Without values clearly defined and prioritised, it is difficult to prioritise goals. This makes it easier to make a choice when commitments compete for your attention.

3.      Establish your goals: Goal setting is not easy. It is hard work requiring time and thought. It means soul searching. Fear of failure – and fear of success – can stop people from setting clear goals and interferes with the process of actually putting them into writing.

If you have completed steps one and two – you have examined your identity and clarified your values  –  then you have already done the hard work. The goal setting should be a natural extension of your values.

For example, if you value good health, then your goals of eating well and exercising regularly follow naturally. Focus on only three goals at a time, in order to be focused. Break each goal down to two or three components, along with specific, measurable, realistic time-frames..

D Worrall  (2010)

References:

Covey, S (1989 ) The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Simon & Shuster.

Worrall, D (2009) A Climate for Change, Life Success Publishing.

Demartini, J (2002) from Worrall D( 2009)  A Climate for Change, Life Success Publishing..

Resources

For more on goal setting, values and SMART goals see A Climate for Change (2009), D Worrall at www.aclimateforchangebook.com

For further information on Executive Coaching and Business Consulting for Leaders of Change, contact Di at Worrall Assoc. on enquiry@humanresourceschange.com.au

Wouldn’t you be even the teeniest bit interested?

My friend and best-selling author Gina Mollicone-Long has been transforming lives for over a decade now. We first connected when I was researching my first book and found her then best-seller The Secret of Successful Failing.  Gina tells me that she has never seen a problem that can’t be solved in 12 hours or less. Now she’s put her secrets into her newest book called THINK OR SINK.

For less than USD $15 you can find out her secrets. Plus, when you buy a copy TODAY ONLY you will get over 100 gift bonuses from some of the leading success experts and best-selling authors like Bob Proctor, Mark Victor Hansen, Marci Shimoff, Peggy McColl and John Gray ( and something from me!)  just to name a few. These bonuses are worth thousands.

Check out http://www.ginaml.com/think

I highly recommend this book. The techniques are easy to understand and will make a difference in your life.

P.S. Check out the important message below from Gina… You’ll be glad you did.

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM GINA

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS STRESS!

Some people consider crawling along in traffic an opportunity to listen to their favorite music or relax and do their best thinking. For others, traffic is a nightmare that will ruin their entire day. For some, a late appointment is a stressful experience, for others, living in a third-world country without running water is a joyful one. Adversity or opportunity? It depends on your perspective.

It is not your circumstances that are to blame for the issues in your life. Rather, it is your response to those issues that is the problem. This book shows you how to control your response to life’s issues so that they lead to powerful results. Your response is always a choice. Whether you know it or not, either you make the right choice, or the wrong one is made for you.

Successful people and great leaders do one thing differently than most people during times of challenge. They think for themselves and choose powerful states of being instead of sinking into the prevailing negative default state of their circumstances and the people around them.

You can learn how easy it is for you to do the same thing and start creating amazing successful results in your own life.

You can have these secrets for less than $15 along with over 100 amazing gift bonuses from other leading success experts and best-selling authors like Bob Proctor, Mark Victor Hansen, Marci Shimoff, Peggy McColl and John Gray just to name a few.

These bonuses are worth thousands. You can get all of them for less than $15 investment in Think or Sink. You must act TODAY to get all of the amazing bonuses.

Find out all about it at http://www.ginaml.com/think

PS. Can you help spread the word about this campaign? We are sending this to over five million people and yet, we know you know friends, associates, and clients who haven’t heard about this yet.

You can easily tell them about our program and give them the opportunity to enjoy all the gifts by simply forwarding this message right now.

http://www.ginaml.com/think

Do this right away. This incredible campaign won’t last much longer.

I asked Paula Jandey of Renaissance Tiles, one of my current small business clients to describe her experience:

What compelled you to seek out the services of a coach?

I felt the need for coaching due to an instability in the economy which as a consequence was flowing on to my business and my personal life as I wanted to have expert guidance on priorities and better management of all areas to ensure that I overcome these difficulties and regain the stability. I also had personal issues which I felt could be helped with guidance also.

 Where are you finding the most beneficial in our coaching relationship ?

• for your business

I am finding that a more solid concentration of priorities, closer scrutiny of the business, and having more confidence to make better decisions in certain key areas has been a benefit.

• for your personal/professional development

For me personally the benefit would have to be more confidence in myself to achieve what I want to achieve and strength to do it!.

What is it about my approach that you find most valuable?

I prefer your approach, firstly because you are a woman who strives for success as a woman. This factor is incredibly important to me, because you then can understand my goals and needs as a woman.  Secondly you have respect for everyone, and see the best in everyone…. As you say “Everyone was born perfect”….

We still have a few more places for our complimentary Business Breakthrough for 2010 coaching sessions for corporate professionals and business entrepreneurs.

Just call 02 9599 6791 or email di@humanresourceschange.com.au to book your session.

Babes In Business Suits

Babes in Business Suits is the first in a remarkable series by Canadian author and publisher Felicia Pizzonia, celebrating the entrepreneurial success stories of women around the world.  

Babes In Business Suits showcases the work and accomplishments of 12 of the world’s top female entrepreneurs – and I have the honour of being the “aussie babe”  featured in the book!

All the women featured are from different countries and different backgrounds. We share our success stories, and our trials and tribulations in the hope that you will feel motivated and inspired you to reach out for your goals.

If you want to buy a copy before it hits the book stores here in Australia, I have a limited supply at www.worrallassociates.com.au/babesinbizsuits

To Your Success

Di

At first glance, corporate downsizing could appear to be a logical pathway to improved profitability during poor economic conditions. Dr Wayne Casio in his 2002 book, “Responsible Restructuring” cites research which offers some surprising results to the contrary. Drawn from an 18-year study of leading companies, this research indicates that the most  profitable companies were those where employee turnover remained less than 5% in any particular year and those which were on a path of growth. In stark contrast, organisations that were downsizing appeared at the bottom of the profitability bucket. So, downsizing as a strategy in isolation may not yield the profitability outcomes businesses may hope for.

Downsizing may not be the right strategy if, on balance, the negative consequences of employee redundancy outweigh the short term benefits as the following examples illustrate:

• Redundancy communicates a message of permanent separation from an organisation, so the decision to declare a position redundant creates a significant barrier to re-instating that talent in the near term and represents a significant depletion of knowledge and experience
• Downsizing is likely to carry forward uncertainty and fear for those who remain. Loyalty is tested, stress levels increase, trust declines and productivity is compromised.
• Downsizing represents a threat to the continuity of  day to day operations. Customer responsiveness and productivity may suffer as employees learn new processes and adjust to a different team dynamic.
• Fewer resources mean the business is less adept at responding to the needs of the market and possible loss of market share when the economy turns around
• The cost of redundancy can be high, particularly where it concerns long serving employees and unionised workforces. These costs are exacerbated if these employees are returned to the workforce on temporary contracts when conditions improve.
• Remember how difficult it was to find a good employee? Especially in recent years when talent was scarce. This cycle of redundancies and layoffs is only temporary. We will return to full employment again before you know it. Do you really want to make it even more difficult for yourself than you have to when the war for talent resumes?

This excerpt has been taken from Di Worrall’s new FREE email Report: Downsizing with Dignity: the Manager’s Guide to Downsizing and Redundancies. You can subscribe to the complete series at:

http://www.humanresourceschange.com.au/change-management-news-articles/downsizing_redundancies.html

 We’re also reminded of the impact these events are having on domestic pets, livestock and the local wildlife population. Losses which cannot be calculated. But amongst all this, are stories of hope and inspiration – take this wild koala.  

 Koalas are relatively shy and retiring, rarely venturing by choice into human populations by day, let alone interact with them. In fact they can be highly aggressive and dangerous if disturbed or cornered.  Yet, in the face of unrivalled heat,  this koala’s survival instinct led it onto the verandah of a house to seek water. It overcame its natural aversion to humans, accepted their water, had a bath in it and posed for a photo.

What do we do when our back is against the wall in hard business or economic times? Just sit back and wait for our boss, our union, our government, or our bank to do something about it? Or are we dissatisfied enough to rattle our own comfort zone, make a change and try something a little or a lot different, before we get past the point of no return. 

Why not improve your personal resilience to change by trying something different – Learn something new at a free seminar, network face to face with new people, ask someone you know for help, look through the on-line job sites, book an appointment with a career coach,  try temping instead of permanent work, get to know how Linked In, Plaxo or Facebook can expand your networks.

You might want to try something different to improve the resilience of your business to change – control costs by cutting back on excessive policies or eliminating unproductive product lines. Look to your supply chain for partnerships and deals or improve your skills in managing uncertainty by attending a seminar, buying a book, listening to an expert.

You never know, there might be the hand of help or a door of opportunity just waiting for you to open. But only if you take the first step.     

Di Worrall is an author, social commentator and change management consultant. For a FREE subscription to the newsletter – Creating a Climate for Change click on the following website  http://www.worrallassociates.com.au/

Get a FREE chapter of Di’s new book – A Climate for Change on

http://www.aclimateforchangebook.com/