culture

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Facts on Friday

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The real difference between us and chimpanzees is the mysterious glue that enables millions of humans to cooperate effectively. This mysterious glue is made of stories, not genes. We cooperate effectively with strangers because we believe in things like gods, nations, money, and human rights. Yet none of these things exists outside the stories that people invent and tell one another. There are no gods in the universe, no nations, no money, and no human rights – except in the common imagination of human beings. You can never convince a chimpanzee to give you a banana by promising him that after he dies, he will get limitless bananas in chimpanzee heaven. Only Sapiens can believe such stories. This is why we rule the world, and chimpanzees are locked up in zoos and research laboratories.

From “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari

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This level of mindfulness

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My heroes have always had a "growth mindset”, believing they can learn, grow, and change throughout their entire lives. It’s incredibly refreshing to be the designer of what happens next and not being a pawn in the system. First you have to take responsibility, then you need to find an interesting problem, then you take your customer on the journey to solve their problem. Never use fear, shame, and anger to get people to do what you want you want them to do.

We all remember the saying, “failure is not an option!” and if this is the case, then neither is success. Therefore, what we need is a process that you can do over and over again. And the fuel you need for that is possibility, because if we can see it in our heads that it’s possible then it’s easier to own it. This is possible and once it’s possible then you can be responsible, and once you can be responsible, then you can build a process. Don’t seek perfection, seek possibilities.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
— Albert Einstein
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Barriers to risk

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I see organisations today trying to reduce expenses by hiring inexperienced people to pound the phones, e-mails to arrange meetings and rush the sales process without looking into how companies buy. I think that it’s a good idea to look at the company culture and determine how much risk they are willing to take. Are they really involved in innovation or it’s more of a lip service?


The following questions will give you a feeling of what their culture really is like:
1. Do their executives lead by example?
2. How much experimentation is allowed?
3. How much resources (time and money) do they put into new ventures
4. What metrics are they measuring? 
5. And are those metrics connected to new things, for example, new to the market type of products?




Over the past few years, I have studied corporate cultures and change, and what fascinates me is when we speak about change is that we think in terms of “Good vs. Bad.” I don’t think it’s as simple as that, I think corporate complacency is the worst kind of culture. I think the world has become so complexed that we keep more and more ridiculous processes in place. And this results in employees becoming complacent and no longer think that they can affect change, they just give up and hide behind the mentality of “things are just fine!” Contact me via e-mail when you willing to make incremental change in your organisation.

What’s in it for me?

When asking for help appeal to people’s self-interest as subconsciously, they are asking themselves: What does one stand to gain from this action, activity or situation? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “self-interest” means a concern for one's own advantage, interest, and well-being. I have found that when you discover something that will benefit the other person, usually they will respond more enthusiastically to your request. A key step is to understand the other person’s psychology. Once you make them see how you can in some way meet their needs or advance their cause, their resistance to your requests for help will magically fall away. You must train yourself to think your way inside the other person’s mind, to see their needs and interests and get rid of your own feelings that obscure the truth.

“Most men are so thoroughly subjective that nothing really interests them but themselves.”
— Arthur Schopenhauer

I would like to think that this cynical truth is not the way I behave or act, but the personal gratification of sharing, helping, or sacrificing can never be truly altruistic as I gain an intrinsic reward. According to my mentor, the validity of this argument depends on whetherintrinsic rewards qualify as "benefits". Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that everyone acts out of self-interest as humans are always motivated by self-interest and selfishness.

Excellence is a journey

When an organisation has a strong and clearly stated set of values and the employees act in accordance with those values and the culture will be strong. However, if the values are ill defined, constantly changing and people are not held accountable or incentivised to uphold those values, then the culture will be weak. I think culture equals values plus behaviour. You can become anything that you want to become! Success is predictable if you commit yourself to becoming excellent.


I have been studying success for years both professionally and personally, and what I have found is that competence and commitment are the prerequisite for success. Excellence is a journey, it’s not a destination! I think complacency and satisfaction are the key enemies of excellence. Becoming excellent in your chosen field is indispensable, if you are not then you haven’t got a chance in our competitive society. You don’t have to be a quantum leap different from anybody else. You just have to be different in the critical areas that make a difference, and you can achieve this simply by setting it as a goal, and subsequently work on it. 

Calm is a superpower

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All the successful people that I have met in my life all seem to be at peace with themselves. No matter what the trials and tribulations they are faced with or are facing they have a level of acceptance, they are mentally prepared, tough, and ready to take on the challenge. As a result, their inner peace gives them a different perspective on the world. If you master the inside world then the outside world will be kinder and more beautiful.

“One of the best lessons you can learn in life is to master how to remain calm.”
— Bruce Lee

 

The trick is not to be fooled by illusions of superiority and to learn to accurately reevaluate our competence each day. Think about it? When you are angry or upset you often see the things around you in a negative light, but if you are happy, suddenly, everything around you are bathed in rainbows and sunshine. Dealing with your inner demons is a necessary step towards living a truly fulfilled and successful life. 

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Preaching to the choir

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Think about the times you have sat in an audience - whether in person or on a digital device – listening to a speaker, you are being influenced. It doesn’t matter what they are saying whether you think it is good or bad, how much you agree  or disagree with it, you are being influenced. This morning I looked up the word, influence and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, influence means “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.”

 

Each of us live our lives based on a worldview, and our worldview is essentially one’s spectrum of perceptions from knowledge to beliefs with countless opinions in between. In other words, our worldview consists of our knowledge, our opinions, and our beliefs. And if we have self-confidence, we hold each of these or all of them as truths, not true in that they could be proven, true, in that is how we see it. 

  • Knowledge is what we know with enough certainty and evidence to support it.

  • Beliefs is what we hold as true, although there is no objective or formal evidence to prove it. 

  • Opinions is what we hold with enough evidence to know that is the way we see things.

I can inform someone’s knowledge and if they disagree, I can support my view with enough evidence to convince them unless they just object no matter what. On the other hand, beliefs are what I believe even when I have no direct evidence to support it. Most of us have had beliefs through our lives that changed and became opinions. Opinions are what we hold as true because we have enough evidence and strong enough beliefs to see something as being proper. We have opinions about everything, for example, sports, relationships, health, parenting, leadership, management, etc. The reason why I have different views today than previously is that I have been persuaded to change many of my opinions through additional evidence and by views of others I trust.

Our clients always come first

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How you approach life says a lot about who you are. As I get older, I have learned to focus more on experiences that bring meaning and fulfilment to my life. I try to consistently pursue life goals that will make me and my closest relations happy; this is a trait that many individuals search for their entire lives. I think that nothing gives a person inner wholeness and peace like a distinct understanding of where they are going, how they can get there, and a sense of control over their actions. Contact me via e-mail and let me have your thoughts on happiness.

“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”
— Seneca

According to the World Happiness Report 2012, “No people can be truly happy if they do not feel that they are choosing the course of their own life.” The report also found that having this freedom of choice is one of the six factors that explain why some people are happier than others. Nordic countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, have appeared on the top 10 of the World Happiness Report since it started publishing its annual rankings in 2012.

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What is holding you back?

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Culture and employee engagement are a rising topic in business and when people know that their contribution matters to their company, they are less likely to leave. I think organisations that intentionally create and cultivate a healthy culture are more likely to earn the trust and loyalty of their stakeholders. According to David Sturt there are 6 aspects of a great company culture:

  1. Purpose - connecting employees to your organisation’s reason for being or the difference you make in the world.

  2. Opportunity - providing employees the ability to learn new skills, develop, and contribute.

  3. Success - giving employees the opportunity to innovate, do meaningful work and be on winning teams.

  4. Appreciation - acknowledging and recognising employees’ outstanding work and unique contributions.

  5. Well-being - paying attention to and constantly working to improve employees’ physical, social, emotional, and financial health.

  6. Leadership - connecting employees to purpose, empowering them to do great work, and creating a sense of camaraderie.

You can watch David Sturt’s brilliant “Can talking to strangers boost your creativity?” TED Talk here.

Fear can be toxic

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Many business people believe that their success is solely dependent on their product and services. What I have learned through my experience is that what is going on outside of the organisation also matters. I think positive emotions are consistently associated with better performance, quality and customer service, and this is true, irrelevant of the industry or roles within the organisation.
Try adding the following words to your vocabulary:

  • I can

  • I will 

  • I know

  • I believe

  • I dream 

  • I am confident 

  • All things are possible 


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Perfection doesn't exist

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I don’t believe in perfectionism! You need perfection in manufacturing and measurable systems, but perfection is the biggest killer of creativity. According to the Harvard Business Review: Perfectionism is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can motivate you to perform at a high level and deliver top-quality work. On the other, it can cause you unnecessary anxiety and sometimes annoy your colleagues. Currently, the system isn’t built for discovery, it’s built for being told and when it makes no sense, I struggle and question the logic.

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist.....Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”
— Stephen Hawkings
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What are you grateful for?

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Dr. Robert Emmons said, “You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” When we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin - two hormones that make us feel lighter and happier inside. I think we experience gratitude when we move our focus from what we don’t have to what we do, and when we take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in our lives. Contact me via e-mail and let me know what you are grateful for.

The choice is yours

Image c/o Aspen Garfoot

Image c/o Aspen Garfoot

Everyone has a choice of how to react to their various experiences. I was brought up to be like Teflon - the non-stick version. My mother would say, “Don’t let other peoples opinion of you become your reality.” I think that it’s essential to take responsibility and learn from the experiences, and I have seen others who are clueless about what happens to them.

“Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. ”
— Aldous Huxley

Have a great day and learn from your experiences.

A problem without a solution is...

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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt

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Win, lose or draw

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How many people do you know who are unaffected by praise or blame?We spend on much time reacting to labels, are own and others’. When you win, be kind and when you lose, be kind, most people learn these valuable lesson in kindergarten. I think that to completely disagree with someone and yet engage with them with respect and honesty, is a superpower. I have observed that smart people are not offended by the truth.

“We all need a personal mythology not because it tells us who we are but because it tells us who to aspire to be.”
— David Amerland