Attitude of Gratitude: Bring On The Corn

Embracing our differences in the workplace   I, like many, am thankful the election is over. I am happy to see yard signs disappear, text messages dwindle, and most of all—vitriolic commercials cease. This campaigning season seemed like a toxic game of tug-of-war from start to finish. I did, however, notice at least one positive thing emerge from this election cycle—a reminder that we are different.   Even if we look alike, talk alike, live near one another, have similar hobbies, even come from the same family, we sometimes and dare I say even often, have different beliefs, goals and desires. We are passionate about different things, called to different things and make different decisions, like which presidential candidate deserves our vote.   That’s just fine. I’ll say it louder, for those in the back. That’s JUST FINE. We can disagree and still have a relationship. We can be friends, we can be neighbors, we can be brothers, and we can still work well together.   In fact, in the workplace, our disagreements and differences are what makes us successful as a team. You’ve heard the common colloquialism, “variety is the spice of life.” Well, it’s stew season and never have I so appreciated the sweetness of carrots, mixed with the crunch of celery and the acidity of an onion, all simmering in chili powder, cumin and garlic, alongside chunks of satisfying beef. Stew can’t be a bowl of only carrots, or only beef. It loses the symphony of flavor. Similarly, the flavor of life is in each of our differences. If we were all carrots, the stew would taste terrible. When we embrace and even maximize our differences, we get a tasty meal, and a successful business.   Fostering this culture in the workplace starts with the leader. As Patrick often says, “more is caught than taught.” It takes a strong leader, like you, to be the one who sets the example for your team in how to work alongside, engage with and show love to one another, especially during a disagreement.   Consider modeling the following things:   Being unoffendable: As the leader, you need to be confident enough to know that other’s ideas, thoughts and opinions are not a threat to you. When someone thinks differently than you, it’s an opportunity to learn. If you don’t understand, ask questions until you do. If you find yourself in a conversation in which you are strongly disagreeing, walk away and come back later. You may find that you can let things go, or you may find that you can better address them later, after you have taken the time to think about it. Being unoffendable doesn’t mean that you allow people to say things to you that are hurtful, but it does mean that you don’t always respond right away. Take big breaths often. Give yourself the time and space you need to decide what needs to be addressed and what needs to be let go.   Thinking like family: Family members cannot up and leave one another. They are bound by blood. This means that reconciliation is necessary and practiced often. If there is conflict on your team, sit down with those involved and model talking it through with love and empathy. The answer to a problem is not to “ghost” someone by avoiding him or her, but rather to engage that person with questions, trying to reach that point of understanding. If the team thinks of themselves as brothers and sisters, the security of familial ties will propel them toward one another instead of away when challenges arise.   Assuming the best: It’s easy to assume that another person is intending to hurt you, when it’s simply a misunderstanding. Teach your team that it’s better to assume the best. Assume what you would want others to assume about you. When you don’t know, ask questions. You’ll quickly realize that you might have made it worse in your head than the reality. Someone didn’t return your email? It doesn’t mean that they didn’t like your idea. It’s more likely that the email was overlooked, or the response is requiring more thought or time than you had expected. Give other people more time, space and grace. Usually there’s much more going on under the surface with people than what meets the eye.   Communicating often then communicating some more: Communicate until you’re blue in the face, until you’re sure you’ve said the same thing ten times, until you really get your team rolling their eyes. Then you know that they understand. When plans, goals, concepts and requests are communicated poorly, it leaves room for confusion which then leads, unwittingly, to frustration. Unfortunately, many people can mistake feeling confused as feelings of inadequacy which causes them to shut down instead of asking questions. This then leads to feelings of resentment and avoidance. Strong communication from the get-go can help avoid unnecessary conflicts.   If you accidentally offend, apologize quickly: You will probably offend people. It’s mostly a fact of life. If it’s brought to your attention, be quick to apologize. You can also model addressing tension within the office. It’s always best to tell someone if he/she hurt or frustrated you. Ask questions. You could say something like, “Can you tell me more about your decision to xyz?” or “Is there a way that we could do xyz differently?”  If your team sees you apologizing, addressing things and quickly reconciling, they are likely to do the same.   This takes practice. It’s not easy to create this culture in the workplace but it is effective. Once those on your team feel like they can be genuine and still be accepted, cared for and loved, they will bring their best selves to the workplace—their great ideas, their great experiences, their excellent talent. This will lead to greater success for your team and your business.   ###   This blog is based loosely on the IOL Podcast #151: Global Community Builds Unity with Dave Strash. Check it out!   This blog was written by Ashley Buenger:

How to make sales We all want to be the hero or heroine of the story.  It is, by far, the most attractive role. The hero fights the dragon, finds love, and wins the accolades. The hero is the warrior, the king, the maiden, the beauty. It’s Luke Skywalker in Star Wars or Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. It’s Cinderella or Erin Brockovich. These heroes fight adversity, overcome challenges, and finish triumphantly. That’s who we want to be.   Yet, in the world of business, you’re not the hero. The customer is the hero if you are trying to sell a product or service. It’s the athlete who won the race while wearing the shoes you designed, the mother who got dinner on the table using your famous chicken rub, and the corporate executive who impressed his boss using the program you created. Your product or service helps your customer become the hero. That’s how you make sales.*   This is applicable in the world of technology. The market is rapidly changing. New products are replacing old ones every five years or so. Imagine if you had created the Apple IIc and were sure that it was the best possible product on the market. Can you imagine trying to sell that thing now? No, because technology has advanced way past that model. If you were determined to make your product the hero instead of your customer, then your story would have been over as soon as the Plus was released.     So how do you make the customer the hero?   Start with the customer Consider your customer first. Think about their lives and what needs they have. If they are the center of the story, get as interested in them as you are in Luke’s backstory. Understand their history, their desires, their needs, and their wants. Understand who they want to be, how they are motivated, and what they spend money on. Every conversation is important, no detail is extraneous. That means you need to figure out where your customers are and how you can interact with them—virtually, on the phone, or in person.   Identify the problem Every good story has a problem. The adversity is what makes it interesting. Identify what kind of giant your customer is facing. Is it hungry children and only half an hour to make dinner? Is it complicated data that needs sorting? Is it an evil villain dressed in black plastic and leather with a breathing problem? Whatever it is, name it.   Show that you have the solution You have the solution to the problem that your customer is having. Think of your product or service as the GUIDE in the story. You are Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are Gandolf, and you are the Fairy God Mother. You can help the hero get from where they are (“stressed out”) to where they want to be, (“peaceful bliss”) and you know how to get them there. This may require you to first tell your customer what the problem is. For example, a mother doesn’t know why she feels so frazzled all the time. So, you tell the mother her task list is too long, and no human could possibly complete it in the time frame she has allotted. So you offer her your exceptional cleaning service that is incredibly affordable and will help cross off at least 10-15 items on her list. Your service will help her be the hero in her home—she will be less stressed and the tasks will be finished. This applies to any hero, any problem, any product.   Do it again Never stop this cycle. Identify your customer, figure out the problem, show how you have the solution, then do it again. Ryan Morris, IOL podcast guest and principal consultant at Morris Management Partners, strongly encourages business leaders to have a proactive mentality, no matter the market they are in. In his words: Always be asking questions you don’t know the answers to Consider allowing the sun to set on your products to create space for new ones that meet the ever-changing needs of customers (think Apple IIc) Nobody wakes up and decides they want to buy what you are selling, you must continue to show them why and how. Customer satisfaction must be a priority or else your customers will go be someone else’s customers. Remember, identify your customer, figure out the problem, show how you have the solution, and then do it again.   The role of the guide in any story is underrated. Think of Yoda, of Mr. Miyagi, of Galadriel of Lord of the Rings. The guide has the wisdom, the foresight and the courage to help the hero. It is an honorable position to be the guide. May you go forth and teach your hero to slay the dragon. May the force be with you.   ###   *This post is based on the Storybrand Framework, created by Donald Miller. To learn more, check out the website, www.storybrand.com, and consider purchasing his books or attending a workshop.   This blog was written by Ashley Buenger: