CHANGE TAKES COURAGE, BUT WHY SHOULD THEY CARE?

C-H-A-N-G-E – six little letters that can perpetrate so much anxiety. Reactions to a changing environment are always unpredictable. Being prepared to address the resistance to change is a key success factor necessary to achieve your goals as a change leader.

According to the Institute for Corporate Productivity, managing and coping with change is the number one critical issue faced by organizations today. In fact, in a survey of 631 executives, three of the top ten issues anticipated in 2013 relate to change! Surprise anyone? Not me.

Organizations and cultures must transform to win. It’s just that simple!! More of the same just isn’t going to allow a company to survive in the future. To thrive, we must embrace change.

See, here’s the thing. People don’t change because of policies or mandates or threats. People change because of people! Your role as a leader is to be the motivation that enables your team members to push beyond their uncertainties and make change possible. Mehmet Oz says that people don’t change their behaviors based purely on what they know. They change based on what they feel. I believe he is right.

To help your team adapt to the new future expectations, ensure they know why they should care. Four ways to accomplish this include:

Communicate/Connect – Early, often, consistently and in language they will understand. Eliminate the use of buzzwords or jargon. Emphasize WHY. Provide a goal to work towards rather than a problem to run away from.

Assess Their Needs – Listen to them with empathy and determine the source of their resistance. Remember, listening is not just waiting your turn to speak. Ensure everyone sticks to the facts. Ask what it will take for them to be successful.

Recruit Them To Help – Invite folks, rather than telling them, to be on your team. Ask, “tell me more” as often as possible. Achieve quick wins (by design) and celebrate ridiculously!

Exhibit the Desired Behaviors – Be a role model for expected mindsets and behaviors. Create a meaningful sense of urgency. And actively manage less than desired behaviors in team members.

Influence people to know why they should C-A-R-E and when they believe what you believe, they will go the extra mile.

In change, as long as the:

-       pressure to change,

-       truth about the current reality,

-       well-defined plans to achieve the desired change, and

-       the vision for and the benefits of the future state

collectively outweigh the level of resistance, transformation will occur. But, let any of those four elements fall absent from your culture, and your change process is destined for failure.

So, in the end, it’s just this simple. Your role as a leader is to make change possible. Make…change…possible. Not from a position of power, but because you inspired your team to have the courage to care as much as you do. And when you make change possible, you and those around you will be simply amazing!

Jump Off A Perfectly Good Boat?

One Saturday when I was a teenager, my parents and I were out for a day of fishing in our small boat on Lake Arthur in PA. It was a great sunny day and there were many boats on the lake.

As we were moving through a small cove, we came upon a Hobie Cat sailboat that was flipped on its side with the sail under water. The two people with the boat were unable to right the boat by themselves. They were in a pickle indeed.

I wanted to help. I just had to help them. As my Dad pulled the boat along side their disabled boat, I jumped into the water and swam over to help them. After many minutes of struggling we finally got their boat upright and on the water again. They thanked me and I began to make my way back to our boat, the Polish Petunia.

But there was a problem. I was exhausted from exerting so much energy with the Hobie Cat. And I failed to put on a life jacket before jumping into the water. I thought I was a good swimmer. But something made me panic in the open water because the Petunia looked a mile away. Candidly, I thought I was going to drown. I did make it back – but completely exhausted and panicked.

And, for the first time in my life, I was afraid to go back into the water.

Ever since that day I have had a fear of swimming in open water or a pool where I can’t touch the bottom. I immediately and intensely feel I am going to drown. Rational? Not really. But it is real to me. When I can’t touch the bottom I flail around like Wiley Coyote falling from a cliff.

Fast-forward 30+ years. Last week I was on vacation with family in Antigua – a beautiful place with incredible beaches and emerald green water. On Monday we chartered the Cool Cat, a 48-foot catamaran, for a lunch cruise and snorkeling expedition.

Excuse me? Snorkeling expedition? I don’t think so! Are you nuts? Why would I want to jump off of a perfectly good boat into open water where I cannot touch the bottom? No thanks – not for me. I will stay on the boat and take pictures.

And that was my plan – help everyone else get into the water, take some pictures, enjoy some rum punch and stay safe. Pura vida baby!

Until …

Everyone was encouraging me to come on in. The water temperature was 94 degrees and the underwater wildlife and scenery was spectacular. I love seeing animals in their natural surroundings and I so wanted to join them.

But I was afraid. No way was I going in there! I might drown. Or worse!

And for some reason, there was a moment where I heard a friend’s voice in my head telling me that my fears are just stories I tell myself. My fears are me telling myself I can’t or won’t be amazing. And being fearful must not stand in the way of me doing amazing things.

Now I had to get in the water and be amazing. I had to do it! This was a moment of truth.

So I strapped on the fins, grabbed a snorkel and mask (and a noodle to make me float!) and I jumped in. It scared the dookie out of me, I’ll tell ya that much.

The water felt warm, I was floating just fine and I was hanging with my peeps. But I was still incredibly scared.

Long story short … I had the time of my life. It took me 15 minutes or so to figure out how to use a snorkel and not breathe in mouthful after mouthful of water. And I had to get comfortable having my face under water without hyperventilating. But once I did it was beautiful. The fish and coral and the shipwreck – OMG was it incredible.

I WAS DOING IT!! And, I was damn good at it!

See, here's the thing. In order to move forward, sometimes you have to jump off a perfectly good boat. You have to find that strength to leave the comfy confines of certainty and dive (figuratively and literally) into the abyss of uncertainty. And you have to be willing – beyond belief – to be uncomfortable in how far you stretch your actions to achieve amazing.

Jumping off of a perfectly good boat may not seem rational, but I now see how it was the only answer in pursuit of progress. The only solution to move beyond being hesitant and show the world I could be amazing.

And I got to see some really cool fish, too!

What boat do you need to jump off of today? What security “blankets” do you need to shed in order to achieve your goals? Think about it – I bet you have some for sure. We all do.

Success is built upon the ladder rungs of risk. Meaningful and lasting change cannot happen without taking risks. What does that look like for you?

Make a decision to “get wet”. Take action. Show yourself just how amazing you can be. Jump, my friend, JUMP!

Your life is happening right here, right now. Make it amazing!

Just Exactly WHAT Is Your Story?

Did you ever want to be the lead character in a show?

How would you like to have a story written just about you?

Wouldn’t it be cool to be a movie star?

Well, guess what? It happens every day – you are a star! And, as a matter of fact, it is happening right now. You are the central character of an amazing story being told each minute of every day.

What in the world am I talking about?

Let me put it this way … it’s all in your head, man.

See, here's the thing. Everything that you do … everything that you say … everything that you think is possible or impossible. It is all playing out like a movie in your head. You write the script, you are the main star and you have ultimate control over the plot and how the story turns out. You are director, producer, writer and star.

It is my belief that our lives and our decisions and our fears play out in our own minds like a story. And many things influence the plots and storylines and chapters. Well, for example, things like our experiences, what others tell us is possible, and the dreams we have for ourselves and those around us.

What I am trying to say is this à the story in our mind is a representation of who we believe we are and whom we believe we can become. See yourself getting an “A” on your college test, and you probably have a chance of it happening. Envision that new job and the actions needed to make it a reality, and it just might come true. And – here’s the tricky part – if in your mind’s eye you see yourself doing a poor job on that meeting presentation at work, that is likely what will happen. It won’t go well.

It is not a perfect science or reality, but the stories we tell ourselves influence the way our lives turn out. Personally, I love being the star of my own story every day. I call it Eric’s Amazing Adventure!!

For example, just prior to going on stage or in front of an audience to give a talk, I close my eyes and see myself in my mind doing a kick-butt job and really engaging the audience. I feel their energy (and mine) and I see the smiles on their faces and on my face. I tell myself I am going to be amazing and that no matter what happens, I will get through it. I take a deep breath and open my eyes. It’s show time!

And it works …

What story is playing in your cranial movie theater? How can you re-write the script a bit to make your outcomes more aligned with your goals and dreams? Who’s help do you need to make sure the plot is precisely what you want it to be?

Think about it. Then get out your mental pen and start “writing” the story you deserve, the story you desire. I dare ya!

And, knowing you, the tale you tell yourself will be award winning indeed!

Your life is happening right here, right now. Make it amazing!

People, It's Time for a Pep Talk

Many of you know that I am both outspoken and passionate about living a life built on a foundation of personal growth and goal achievement. Living a life with intention.

So recently, while doing research for a talk I was preparing on goal setting and daring to be amazing, i discovered what is measurably one of the best You Tube videos ever published. And I want to share it with you today. I guarantee you it will be the uplift to make whatever kind of day you are having turn into one of the best days you've had in a while. 

See here's the thing. Your day-to-day activities and priorities and distractions can occupy every thought and movement you have in a given day. And it can be so all encompassing that you might forget to focus on yourself and the impact you have on the world. You may forget to be awesome! As Kid President says in this video, "The world needs you to stop being boring. It's time to do something."

This young man is nine years old and from what I have read on the web, the idea for this video and it's script mainly was of his own doing. What a great kid. And boy, what a humbling reminder that if you allow ourselves to think like a kid sometimes, the solutions to your challenges may just come into a little bit better focus. Love this kid!

So now, I present to you, Kid President. It's time for your Pep Talk!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o

Ya know, what if there really are two paths in life and at those life changing moments when we have a choice? What if one path led to amazing and one just led to the same old, same old? Like the Kid, I wanna be on the road that leads to awesome!

What reason do you create for the world to dance? What would be your Space Jam?

And do you believe - I mean truly believe - with all your heart, that it is time for you to be amazing? If not now, then when? Seriously ... when? 

I believe that you truly have everything you need inside of you to create and live a bigger life than you do today. To jump beyond the boundaries that you have drawn for yourself in this life and show the world (and yourself) just what amazing means to you. On that growth path of life, if you aren't letting yourself be somewhat uncomfortable with how hard you are pushing, then you aren't pushing hard enough.

You have three choices in life and in anything that you make a possibility: Give Up, Give In or Give It All You Got Baby! Where are you right now!

As Hunter S. Thompson kinda once said, "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, beer in one hand and a cigar in the other, body thoroughly used up and totally worn out, and screaming "Woohoo! What a Ride!" 

Maybe a bit extreme, but you get the point. Cautious is for when you are diving into swimming pools and merging onto freeways. Most other parts of your life have room for and a call for taking some risk to gain access to the greater reward. Aren't you worth it?

Your life is happening right here, right now. Make it amazing ... I dare ya!

Please remember to forward this newsletter to anyone you know who might also benefit from it. Thanks in advance for sharing this edition of Simply Amazing!

  

And don't forget to check me out on Twitter. I share a thought or two every day and also share some great insights from other thought leaders I trust and respect.

Thanks, and until next time, go ahead and Dare to be Amazing! What have you got to lose?

I Will Never, Ever Understand What Happened in Boston

For many reasons, Monday’s are usually my favorite day of the week. One of the reasons is that I spend many Monday evenings writing the Simply Amazing newsletters. I love the challenge of writing inspirational content and sharing some stories. And I am motivated by the reactions shared by the readers.

Today was like every other Monday until 2:50 PM. At that moment, our country was once again forever impacted by the actions of terrorists. This time ground zero was the finish line of the marathon in Boston, MA. Lives were lost, other lives were irreparably changed and a nation is again lost for words after the inexplicable actions of some low life thugs.

Today I dedicate this issue of Simply Amazing to those who were so deeply affected by today’s tragedy and the heroes and heroines who were there to make a difference in this time of need. It makes sense to focus our thoughts and prayers their way today.

See, here’s the thing. I will never, ever, never understand why and how a human can execute such a gutless action on innocent people. It makes me wonder about the future viability of the human race. I’m just sick. I just don’t get it.

My friend Don was running in the Boston marathon today to celebrate a great milestone in his life. I have been thinking about him all afternoon and evening. Don, I hope you are safe my friend. We are praying for you.

In times like this, I find myself evaluating what is important in my life and what is just fluff. I am blessed in so many ways and today’s events work to melt away what I see as problems and obstacles. I had the best day of my life compared to those in Boston at that finish line and I can’t ever forget that.

That’s the way I feel. I suspect that many of you are also deeply affected by these senseless acts of terrorism. Sure works to remind us to live every day like we mean it. To live every day like it’s our last. And to stop saying that we will chase our dreams tomorrow.

Live for today for you may not get another chance. Make a commitment today to reach for the ring and make change possible.

Across the miles and oceans and cultures, join me in holding hands throughout cyberspace and say a prayer for our brothers and sisters impacted by the bombs in Boston. And let’s not forget to support those men and women working to find the answers and bring justice to those who acted with complete disregard today. May God bless them all.