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How do You Turn “No I Can’t” to “Yes I Can”?

I recently published a short article titled “What’s Missing?” which identified some strong links between high levels of engagement and improved financial and business performance. These connections looked rare, looked like a win-win and so I was prompted to ask why organisations don’t get these connections, and more importantly, do something meangingful about them? You can read the piece and check out the data here.

We got loads of feedback and ideas and will highlight some of these over the next few weeks. First up is a note from John Coleman, Head of Change Delivery at Co-Operative Financial Services. He said:

I have worked for a company that has seen its business genuinely transform in the last 5 years whilst simultaneously recording engagement scores from seriously disengaged through to “world class”. The key for me is simple – if people believe they can make a difference, however small, they will. If they don’t, they won’t!

What do you think, is John right? Have you any examples of this in action? Have you ever helped someone to make the fundamental shift from “no I can’t” to “yes I can”.

I think John is onto something here. Certainly when I was time trialling I knew even before the start of a race whether or not I could do well. Sure there would be things beyond my control, maybe strong winds or a punctured tyre, but if I had chosen the right training, prepared well, and most importantly, picked the right attitude, then I believed I could do well.

John used this story to illustrate belief:

A mighty storm battered the coastline relentlessly for several days. When it ended, there were a million starfish left stranded, high and dry up the coastline. A young boy wandered across the beach, picking up the starfish and returning them to the sea. A man watched for several minutes before saying to the boy “you haven’t a hope of making any difference to this, there’s a million of them”. The boy looked at him, picked up another one and threw it into the sea before replying “I made a difference to that one didn’t I”.

Looking forward to reading your feedback and ideas, have a good day.

Oct 25, 2009 | Categories: Change, Communication | Tags: business, business performance, connections, financial, right attitude | Leave A Comment »

The Spiral of Success

The Spiral of Success

Of all the great athletes I have been fortunate to meet or coach in Cricket, I have yet to meet one who isn’t consistently successful over a period of time who doesn’t have a ‘positive’ and ‘aggressive’ attitude toward life. Likewise for winning teams, they are made up of characters whose predominant mindset is shaped by this outlook on life. Not aggressive in the violent sense of the word, more an approach to life based upon seeking opportunity, taking the initiative and making their own circumstances, rather than waiting for them. The ‘positive’ side of this equation is that the individual and team actively engages and participates in making their own future, even to the point of recreating themselves where it is required. Now this is not only in sport, it is in every field of endeavour, all the great Captains of Industry have had these traits, likewise in Politics. In my field of endeavour, professional cricket, the Champions Trophy has just finished in South Africa, the England side after being thrashed in the One Day series on home soil by Australia, came to the southern hemisphere looking a decidedly broken side.

And yet, in the space of a flight down south and some dark nights of reflection, the side came out and surprised even the most optimistic of England’s supporters by playing with a refreshingly ‘positive’ and ‘aggressive’ attitude. It culminated in them making the semi finals, they then fell, but not before they looked as if they had thrown off some of the previous 17 years of inferior performance in this format of the game. (In professional cricket each format is called a ‘product’ as it is being sold to a particular TV and advertising market place. England have been woeful pretty much since the 1992 World Cup Final. )

Nothing has changed with the skill levels, the fitness or technique of the players, the only thing that has moved has been England’s attitude. From without it is not possible to pinpoint where the shift has come from, only those in the dressing room and inner sanctum of the team will really know, if I were to surmise though, I would look to Andrew Strauss and his leadership. He showed both generosity and steely focus when it was required in this competition, it will take more than one competition to shift England’s fortunes and a semi final doesn’t mark dramatic success. Yet this could be the seed of success from which England begin to build a team that will match the world’s best consistently. I flag this because I believe England may well have a Captain who has the necessary VISION and COURAGE to move the side into becoming a more successful outfit, playing a more successful ‘brand’ of cricket in this ‘product’.
Every success spiral has a beginning ……..

Oct 09, 2009 | Categories: Latest News | Tags: andrew strauss, champions trophy, Change, cricket, leadership, spiral of success, success, vision | Leave A Comment »

The Top Ten Signs Your Employee Attitude Survey Needs to Change

This is a useful short video interview with Curt Coffman (co-author of First Break All The Rules) in which he gives ten thoughts and ideas about why your employee survey needs some attention. I particularly like tip #1 where Coffman talks about surveying the same things the same way over and over and yet expecting something different. I’m also a fan of tip #9, which makes the point that if you need to ask your employees 50 questions about how they are feeling, just how far removed, disengaged have you, the surveyer become? It’s a bit too brief in parts, but had I known about this sooner, I would have shown it to a few board directors before the ensuing battles about attitude and engagement surveys.

Click the link, enjoy the vid, and pop back and tell us what you think. Are these tips any good? Got any better ones?

Doug Shaw

Sep 23, 2009 | Categories: Change, Useful tip | Tags: Curt Coffman, directors, employee survey, tip, useful, video interview | Leave A Comment »

The Science of Motivation

So the recession is over eh? Well according to some indicators we are entering a new phase. And I wonder, what are businesses going to do with the workforce that remains? Leaders should be asked:

How are you going to motivate your people?

How are you going to get them to give the discretionary effort that’s so vital in delivering a great customer experience?

How are you going to get your people to trust you, and each other?

This feels like a rare opportunity to do something different, to apply some science to motivation. How? Well for a start, instead of returning to the tired old method of incentives (and let’s face it if we’ve learned only one thing from the banking crisis it’s that incentives drive value destroying behaviour), why don’t we try some new approaches? How about some autonomy, mastery and purpose? Here’s a link to a great talk given by Dan Pink on the science of motivation. I suggest you go get a cup of tea, and take 18 minutes to watch, listen, and then do.

Dan Pink – The Science of Motivation

Have a great day

Doug Shaw

Sep 17, 2009 | Categories: Change, Communication, Latest News, Useful tip | Tags: motivate, opportunity, recession, the science of motivation, trust | Leave A Comment »

The Importance of Timing

What an amazing world we live in today, I am sitting in my living room in Pretoria watching the 5th One day International between England and Australia in Nottingham ! There is a light breeze coming from the garden carrying the amazing fragrances of a highveld spring. Well I have waited a while to blog after the Ashes Victory and for the rejoicing to die down after Andrew Strauss and the England side did indeed hold their nerve. Congratulations on an emphatic last test victory to the England set up, it is amazing though where victory can come from. The otherwise unsung and obscure Stuart Broad swung the final test England’s way with a spell of bowling that quite literally turned the game on its head. It opened up the opportunity for England to take the game away from Australia and then close it out for victory. Broad up until then had been under pressure to hold his place because of his under performance with the ball, so how does he then go and turn the game upside down?
His selection had been based on potential rather than performance, flattering to deceive wouldn’t be far from the mark. He would chip in with small contributions but nothing that would markedly move the game England’s way. There was no doubt though about the intensity and passion in his play, looking like an angelic choir boy and playing with a healthy streak of mongrel. Now I would think that that there is many a CEO that wonders what they really want in their key staff, what are they looking for and who will make the difference in the short, medium and long term.
As a coach and manager at the sharp end of sport, this is what makes the difference in the composition of the team ……. some thoughts for your own talent identification process.
1. Sign the best players, full stop.
2. Passion, Intensity and Attitude go a long, long way.
3. Do your key players still want to challenge themselves, if not it is time for them to go.
4. Sign players who are driven by a desire for excellence.
5. Build the team around one cast of characters, core players who lead and set the benchmarks for the other younger players.
6. Your core leaders need integrity, courage, determination and the skills to close the deal when it really matters.
7. Sign the best players, full stop.

The selectors didn’t know that Stuart Broad was going to break the game open at that critical moment, but they sat with him as he developed and trusted what they believed they saw in him. As it happens with those who begin to learn to write their own script, they find the right moment to make their entrance.

Richard Pybus

Sep 15, 2009 | Categories: Latest News | Tags: andrew strauss, ashes, change management, cricket, human resources, leadership, opportunity, stuart broad, talent | 1 Comment »

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