Sucessful Resolutions

Have you found yourself making new year's resolutions in the last week--or feeling guilty that you didn't? Why are they so alluring, when so many get broken? One reason is because, on some level, we are all conscious of the gap between our ideal situation and our current reality. The beginning of a new calendar year seems like a good time to make a fresh start in reducing that gap, so we pledge to "do better or different."

I understand this desire to be our best selves. For all of my adult life, I have been driven to help people and organizations do just that. Fortunately, a lifetime of study and experience has contributed to a better batting average that most people have with their new year's resolutions. What are some keys to successfully setting and achieving goals that you can apply, individually or with your team?

1. Create a sense of urgency. Why is this change needed? What will happen if it doesn't occur?
2. Be specific about the results you want. Write & post them. Visualize them. Make them real.
3. Enlist others. Build a team that shares your vision. Draw on their talents.
4. Produce short-term, visible wins. Showing progress will reinforce your drive.
5. Don't give up. Breaking old patterns takes time. Even if you have a temporary setback, never, ever give up!

What's Your Halter?

One of the joys of working with such a variety of nonprofit organizations is the opportunity to dip into so many different worlds, learn from each, and cross pollinate ideas and solutions. When I was working with an organization that trains seeing eye dogs, I learned that these dogs are just like other dogs when they are not on their halters. Visiting homes where the dogs were being raised gave me the opportunity to see them spread out in front of the fireplace, begging for belly rubs, just like any other dog. I was surprised, after seeing how disciplined and single-minded they were at work.

We all have "high performance profiles," a set of elements that together cause us to excel at what we do. For a seeing eye dog, it's obvious that donning his halter means getting serious. For me, there are a host of factors that contribute to being able to sustain peak performance. For years, I've worked at cultivating them so that I can achieve optimum performance when needed. One factor I've just noticed is wearing a watch. My watch has become for me what the seeing eye dog's halter is to him--it means "work." When I strap it on in the morning, it is time to get down to business.

What are the factors that help you and your team perform well? Do you do better when you get enough sleep? When you are close to deadline? When you frequently review goals? When you get positive feedback? Pay attention to what contributes to success, and then build in those elements to be able to achieve and sustain peak performance.

All You Need is Love

John Lennon died 30 years ago today. I am reminded of an assignment given the first day of the first teaching methods course I took in undergraduate school. Our professor asked us to come in the next week with our personal philosophy or perspective on what it takes to be a good teacher. Most of the students in the class didn't even do the assignment. I had spent the entire weekend painting a banner on canvas with dozens of Peter Max figures surrounding the statement, "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE." I was actually embarrassed by my over-achievement, but committed to the sentiment. The banner hung in the entrance to the University of Michigan School of Education for many years. All this time later, I would say that you need more than love to be successful at anything, but it's the very best place to start.

Be the Change

One of the most frequently seen quotes about change is from Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world." We're so familiar with this quote that we can forget to stop and reflect on its powerful meaning.

Maybe the most difficult challenge we face is to live one's life in complete alignment with one's values and vision. How many organizational leaders want everyone around them to change but don't want to align their own behavior with the values and vision they espouse? Every day, I wrestle with reducing the gap between my actions and the change I want to see in the world.

It is said that the way someone does one thing is the way they do everything. Think about that. How you do every little thing (yes, even how you handle being cut off in Beltway traffic) is a statement about who you are and what you value. As you go through the day today, pay attention to how you handle the little things, and ask yourself the degree to which you ARE the change you want to see in the world.

The Freedom to Experiment

I recently spent time with my long-time friend and successful artist, Linda Maldonado. Linda shared that she is now thinking of her work as "experimental." She said that once she gave herself permission to define her artwork in this way, she found untapped creativity and freedom of expression. She felt less confined than she had when she was using more restrictive labels, such as "watercolorist" or "mixed media artist."

Linda's recent works exhibit a vibrancy and intensity that her previous work only hinted at. I couldn't help but think of the connection between her expanded view of her work and the powerful results produced--and observe that we all hold ourselves back by the labels we put on our work. Labels--in fact, nouns in general--create boundaries within which we then feel we need to remain. They literally prevent us from "thinking outside of the name." By expanding beyond such labels as "nonprofit," "member-supported," "administrative services," and similar categories, we free ourselves to see and consider possibilities that have been hidden to us by our self-limiting definitions.

Thanks, Linda, for reminding me of the value of experimentation. Especially in these economic times, we can feel that experimentation is careless or wasteful--that we have to get everything right the first time. We set out on a path before exploring alternatives, and then feel committed to that path even when it might not be ideal. I vow this holiday season to be more experimental in my life and in my work, and encourage others to do the same. Play with ideas, consider alternatives, move toward the unfamiliar, and see what freedom and insights you find as a result.

Only One Question

I was asked by an interviewer what single question I would ask to diagnose whether an organization needed help. I was stumped. Great question, no ready answer. I asked her if I could get back to her. Then it took me weeks of reflection to decide. The one question that would tell me more about the health of an organization than any other is how its employees--not its CEO--would answer, "How much fun are you having?" Fun is the result of people working together with shared purpose and in harmony. They may work hard, they may not be compensated as generously as they deserve, and they may not have all of the resources they'd like. But when people work with shared purpose and in harmony, the result is that deep level of personal satisfaction, knowing tht you've made a positive difference--and that is fun. Think about when you have experienced it. So, how much fun are the folks in your organization having?

Not long ago, I attended a professional networking meeting at which each person had 3 minutes to introduce him/herself to another person in the room. At the conclusion of that 3 minute interaction, each partner then writes down 3 words or phrases that they believe characterize the person they've just met. They drop the card with their observations into an envelope the other is carrying, and then the two separate to each meet another new person and repeat the process.

In about 20 minutes, we each had 7 cards in our envelope from 7 individuals we had never met before. When we each examined how we were described on our cards, we discovered that perceptions of very different people we had just met were remarkably consistent. The 21+ phrases on my 7 cards were definitely "me," and were definitely unlike the phrases on the cards of those around me, although theirs were equally consistent for them.

What does this mean? As I reflected on it, I thought about how we each have a story, a way we approach life--some would even call it an aura. Recent research has shown (a la "Blink") that first impressions DO have a lot of validity. Organizations make first impressions too. Have you ever entered a restaurant and had the feeling that this was not going to be a peak culinary experience? Most likely, that's just what you found to be true. Similarly, have you ever walked into a school and thought, "I wish I could be a student here," or "I would love to have my own child attend this school?" Organizations, like individuals, communicate first impressions that are usually lasting and accurate.

Think about your own organization's personality. What 3 words would a first time visitor to your website or office use to describe their experience of you? Professional, Friendly, Creative? Stiff, Tense, Inefficient? Your "brand identity" is formed in first impressions. Make them intentional, authentic, and positive!