Tag Attitude

How to Boost the Morale of Your Team

Steve Keating 4 Comments

High morale is often the little recognized secret to success. Organizations and leaders that work to ensure the morale and engagement level of their people remain high, outperform those who don’t. Boosting the morale of your team is essential for maintaining productivity, job satisfaction, and overall team cohesion. High morale can lead to increased motivation, creativity, and a more positive work environment. High morale means lower turnover and far fewer personal issues, even in turbulent times. Here are some strategies to intentionally boost your team’s morale on a regular basis.

• Effective Communication:

• Keep an open line of communication with your team members. Regularly check in with them to see how they are doing both personally and professionally.

• Provide clear and transparent information about company goals, expectations, and changes. It is virtually impossible to over communicate.

• Recognize and Appreciate:

• Acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and contributions of your team members. Publicly praise their achievements, either in team meetings or through company-wide channels.

• Consider implementing a rewards and recognition program to formally acknowledge outstanding performance. People tend to do what’s required of them for pay, they do more than required for the recognition.

• Provide Opportunities for Growth:

• Offer opportunities for skill development and career advancement within the organization.

• Help team members set and achieve professional goals. Provide resources and support for their growth. If your people are not aware of their career path within your organization then they have no career path within your organization.

• Empower and Delegate:

• Trust your team members with responsibility and delegate tasks that align with their skills and interests.

• Empower them to make decisions within their areas of expertise, fostering a sense of ownership and autonomy. There is very little that can boost morale more than being trusted by the people above you in the organization.

• Work-Life Balance:

• Encourage a healthy work-life balance. Avoid overloading your team with excessive work or unrealistic deadlines.

• Promote flexible working arrangements when possible, such as remote work or flexible hours.

• Team Building:

• Organize team-building activities and events to strengthen team bonds.

• Create a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose through team projects and collaborative efforts. Remember, the deepest relationships are typically built “off the clock” so provide opportunities for those relationships to grow.

• Provide Constructive Feedback:

• Offer regular, constructive feedback to help team members improve their skills and performance.

• Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes, and provide guidance on how to make positive changes. Your people NEED to know how they are doing, without direct input from their leaders their imaginations take over and that’s usually not helpful for morale.

• Lead by Example:

• Demonstrate a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and professionalism.

• Be a role model for the behaviors and values you want to see in your team.

• Address Issues Promptly:

• Address conflicts and issues within the team promptly and professionally.

• Show that you are committed to resolving problems and maintaining a positive work environment.

• Celebrate Achievements:

• Celebrate team and individual achievements, whether they are big or small. This can include milestones, project completions, or personal accomplishments.

• Use celebrations as an opportunity to build team spirit and show your appreciation.

• Provide Support During Challenges:

• During difficult times, such as tight deadlines or challenging projects, offer your support and help your team manage stress.

• Show empathy and understanding for their concerns and provide resources if needed.

Leadership is not a part-time job. Authentic Leaders know that like creating a solid culture, boosting morale is an ongoing process. It requires consistent effort, adaptability, and a genuine commitment to the well-being and success of your team members. By implementing these strategies, you can create a positive work environment that fosters high morale and team satisfaction.

That will make your life as a leader much more rewarding and much less stressful. But as always, the amount of effort you put into the morale building process is completely up to you. I hope for your people’s sake, you choose to put in a whole lot of effort.

How to Consistently Give Your Best Effort

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I’ve always believed there are two areas of our lives that we have complete control over. Those two areas are our attitude and the amount of effort we put into accomplishing whatever it is we are trying to get done.

It may seem that controlling our attitude is the harder of the two but truly putting forth our best effort day after day is a significant challenge as well. Consistently giving your best effort is essential for achieving success and personal growth in various aspects of life. Whether it’s in your career, relationships, or personal pursuits. It may seem like a generalization but the reality is the more consistent you are in your effort, the more consistently positive your results will be. So here are some thoughts that may help you give your best effort even when you’d rather just say the hell with it.

• Start by defining clear and specific goals for yourself. What do you want to achieve? Having a clear sense of purpose will give you direction and motivation. Write those goals down. Share them with the important people in your life. Ask them to hold you accountable for achieving those goals in a given time frame. Develop a plan to achieve each one of those goals because it’s that process that will make your goals real.

• Organize your tasks and responsibilities. Create a to-do list or use a task management system to prioritize your activities. This will help you focus on what’s most important and avoid wasting time on less meaningful tasks. Remember, there is no bigger waste of time than doing well that which doesn’t need to be done at all.

• Manage your time effectively. Allocate dedicated time for important tasks and avoid procrastination. Use techniques like time blocking to ensure you allocate sufficient time to high-priority activities.

• Plan ahead for your tasks and projects. This includes doing research, gathering necessary resources, and creating a step-by-step plan. Proper preparation can significantly improve your performance.

• Cultivate a growth mindset, which means believing in your ability to improve through effort and learning. Embrace challenges as opportunities to grow, and don’t be discouraged by setbacks.

• Keep your workspace and environment organized. A clutter-free and well-structured space can help you stay focused and reduce distractions. Do not fool yourself into thinking that mess on your desk somehow makes you more productive, it’s exactly the opposite.

• Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can reduce the quality of your work and lead to errors. Concentrate on the task at hand and give it your full attention. All multitasking really does is give you the opportunity to screw up multiple tasks at once, so avoid it at all cost.

• Learn to manage stress effectively. High stress levels can lead to burnout and hinder your ability to perform at your best. Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, exercise, or deep breathing.

• Avoid overworking yourself. Take regular breaks to recharge and maintain your productivity. Short breaks can help you regain focus and creativity. Do not kid yourself into thinking that things like eating lunch at your desk makes you more productive. It actually makes you less productive later in the day. You NEED to recharge throughout the day!

• Solicit feedback from peers, mentors, or supervisors. Constructive feedback can provide valuable insights into areas where you can improve and help you refine your efforts. Sometimes we can convince ourselves that we’re giving our best effort when others can clearly see that we are not.

• Commit to lifelong learning. Stay updated with industry trends, new technologies, and best practices. Expanding your knowledge and skills will enable you to excel in your field. I’d actually recommend blocking 15-30 minutes every week for the purpose of learning something new. If you can’t answer the question, “what have you learned lately?” then you may not be giving your best effort even if you think you are.

• Understand that giving your best effort is an ongoing process. There will be challenges and setbacks along the way. Maintain your determination and resilience to keep pushing forward. This is the hardest part, you’ll need to stay far away from negative emotions or you’ll risk allowing other people and events gaining control over your level of effort rather than you.

• Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Recognizing your successes can boost your motivation and help you maintain a positive mindset. Remember, all progress is progress and even tiny progress begets more progress.

• Regularly reflect on your performance and assess what is and isn’t working. Be open to making adjustments and refining your approach to consistently improve.

Consistently giving your best effort is a lifelong commitment to personal and professional development. It requires discipline, dedication, and a willingness to adapt and learn from your experiences. By trying these ideas and staying committed to your goals, you can maximize your potential and achieve success in every area of your life.

How to Maintain a Positive Attitude

Steve Keating 1 Comment

So why the heck am I writing about a positive attitude in a leadership blog? Why am I not staying on topic here and talking about leading people? Why go all Pollyanna and say everything will be better just by staying positive. 

Well here’s why. Because every single aspect of your life WILL IN FACT be better if you CHOOSE to have a positive attitude. Every relationship will be stronger. Every decision will be easier. Every problem will present with it tremendous opportunity. Every bad day will be a little less bad. Every good day will be a little bit better. A positive attitude keeps your mind open. A positive attitude keeps your blood pressure lower. 

A positive attitude changes everything. 

Here’s something else about positive attitudes. Maintaining one day in and day out is a mighty big challenge. We are surrounded by negativity. We hear negativity in the media. It’s downright pervasive on social media. We hear it from colleagues, friends and even family. It’s literally everywhere. 

Yet in the face of all that negativity a choice remains. And that’s the choice of maintaining our own positive attitude. It’s not an easy choice. It’s a choice we must make each and every day because if we don’t make that choice for ourselves someone or something else will make it for us. Nothing is as contagious as someone else’s negative attitude. 

So you must make a conscious choice everyday. A choice that says “for today I will be in charge of my attitude and I will not allow anyone or anything to rob me of that precious life changing choice.”And then you need to fight like hell to make it happen. 

Below are a few ideas to help you in that fight. They help me, but to be honest with you I still lose that fight way too often. But I win it more than most people so I’m claiming victory. I’m hoping this post can share that victory with you. So here we go. 

  • Focus on the things you are grateful for in your life. Regularly acknowledge and appreciate the positive aspects, no matter how small. Keeping a gratitude journal can be helpful, where you write down things you are thankful for each day.
  • Spend time with people who uplift and inspire you. Positive and supportive relationships can have a significant impact on your attitude and outlook. You know the kind of people I’m talking about…those people who annoyingly see the bright side of everything. Let them annoy you a little more often because positive attitudes can be just as contagious as negative ones if you’re exposed often enough. 
  • Be conscious of your thoughts and emotions. When negative thoughts pop up, try to observe them without judgment and replace them with more positive and constructive ones.
  • Instead of dwelling on problems, direct your energy towards finding solutions. This proactive approach can boost your confidence and create a more positive mindset.
  • Identify activities that make you feel happy and fulfilled. It could be hobbies, sports, spending time in nature, or creative pursuits. Regularly engaging in such activities can boost your overall mood.
  • Pay attention to the information you consume, whether it’s through the news, social media, or conversations. Limit exposure to negative or toxic content and seek more positive and uplifting sources.
  • Use positive affirmations to reframe your mindset and reinforce a positive attitude. Tell yourself affirming statements about your abilities, worth, and potential. If this sounds hokey to you don’t worry. It’s sounds hokey to me too and I wouldn’t mention it here except for the one small fact that it absolutely works. 
  • Failure is a natural part of life. Instead of dwelling on mistakes or setbacks, view them as opportunities to learn and grow. This perspective can help you maintain a positive attitude even during challenging times. Failure is never final unless you decide to make it so. 
  • Laughter is a powerful tool for lifting your spirits. Find humor in everyday situations, and don’t take yourself too seriously. Share laughs with friends, watch comedy, or engage in activities that make you smile. If you can’t find a single thing to laugh about during the day then do what I do, find a mirror and have yourself a big ol’ laugh. 
  • Acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem. Celebrate your progress and give yourself credit for your efforts. You’re still trying, you’re still fighting the fight, you’re still on your way to success and I can’t think of anything more positive than that. 

Maintaining a positive attitude is a journey and it will not always be easy. It requires practice, patience, and self-compassion. Be kind to yourself and continue working on building a positive mindset, one step, and one day, at a time.

Want more of LeadToday? I’ve changed things up on my Twitter feed for subscribers. I recently began publishing two or three videos each week focusing on an element of Authentic Leadership. I’ll post these videos each Tuesday and Thursday morning. Sometimes a bonus video pops up at other times during the week. They will be about 10 minutes long so we can get into the topic in a more meaningful way. The investment for subscribers in still only $4.99 a month. That’s for at least 80 MINUTES of quality video content on leadership a month.

If you’re interested in taking a look, head on over to my Twitter profile page. If you’re not a follower yet just hit the follow button. It will change to a subscribe button and once you hit that you’re on your way. You can cancel at any time you’ve decided you have nothing left to learn about leading the people who you count on for your success.

Here’s the link to my Twitter… https://twitter.com/leadtoday

Dealing with Negative Attitudes

Steve Keating 1 Comment

Dealing with negative attitudes can be a bit of a sticky wicket. (To be transparent I don’t know much about wickets. They apparently have something to do with an incredibly popular game that I, as an American, know nothing about) 

One of the things that makes dealing with negative attitudes so challenging is that we can see them in other people…in ourselves, not so much. Step one in dealing with negative attitudes is making sure your attitude is not the source of someone else’s poor attitude. 

Oftentimes that’s easier said than done. I am no different than anyone else in that respect. I’ve found that a hard look in the mirror coupled with a healthy dose of honesty is the best antidote for a negative attitude. “Things” are hardly ever as bad as they seem at first glance. A second, and sometimes third glance can go a long way toward snapping me back to reality. 

Only after we are certain we have positive control over our attitude can work on helping others gain a positive control over their own.

Dealing with other people’s poor attitudes is an even bigger challenge than dealing with our own. It’s important to approach the person with patience, empathy, and care. Here are some ideas that may make it less of a challenge.

  • Stay calm. Don’t let the other person’s poor attitude affect your own behavior. Take a deep breath and try to remain calm and composed. Remember, attitudes are contagious. Make sure yours isn’t infected with negativity while you’re trying to inject positivity into someone else. 
  • Listen, listen some more and then a little more. It’s essential to listen to what the other person is saying and try to understand where they are coming from. Ask open-ended questions to encourage them to share what the heck is going on that’s causing them to lose control of their attitude.
  • Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see things from their perspective. This can help you understand how they got to where they are. Never dismiss their feelings or perspective. Their perspective is likely different from yours because it comes from their life experiences. If you had the identical life experiences you’d likely have the exact same perspective too.
  • Speak in a calm and assertive tone, using “I” statements to express your own feelings and concerns. Never ever “blame” the other person for their feelings. Don’t tell them they are wrong to feel the way they feel. Negative attitudes are born from emotions. Trying to use logic, at least what you think is logic, to overcome emotions is a losing proposition.
  • Set boundaries and limitations. If the other person’s poor attitude is causing you undue stress or anxiety, it’s okay to set boundaries. Be clear about what you will and won’t tolerate in terms of behavior. The flight attendants on a plane tell you to “put your own oxygen mask on first” because if you pass out from lack of oxygen you won’t be able to help anyone. It’s the same with attitudes. If someone is sucking the positive oxygen out of your life then you need to put your positive mask on and separate yourself from that person. You can try again another time but you need to refill your positivity tank before making another attempt.
  • Know your own capabilities. It’s likely you’re not Superman or Superwoman. Sometimes another person may need more help than you are able to provide. If you think another person’s negative attitude goes beyond a bad day at work or a dispute at home then you may need to encourage them to seek outside help. This is particularly true if the other person’s negative attitude is prolonged and persistent. It could be a lot more serious than they are letting on.

Remember, dealing with other people’s poor attitudes can be difficult. It’s important to approach the situation with care and respect. By remaining calm, listening actively, and communicating assertively, you can help someone else “catch” your positive attitude and turn their crummy day into something terrific.

Accepting the Inevitable 

Steve Keating 3 Comments

No matter when or where you’re reading this it’s going to get dark out at night. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s likely to happen sometime after the sun goes down. Assuming of course that the sun does indeed go down.

Try not to be too upset when the darkness arrives because I’m equally confident that light will return the next day. That’s very very likely to happen shortly after sunrise. 

I can predict those things with great confidence because they are inevitable. A short definition of inevitable is “sure to happen” or “unavoidable.” So while some people may not think it’s much of a prediction, others will act as if I can see into the future. 

That’s because some people cooperate with the inevitable and some people fight it as if they can somehow change the unchangeable. The most successful people know what is inevitable and what isn’t. They change what they can and when faced with the inevitable things of life they accept them. They adjust their attitudes about them in order to focus on those things they can control and change.

Less successful people don’t always distinguish between what they can control and what they can’t. They spend precious time, sweat and tears, often lots and lots of tears, trying to change things that are not changeable. Frequently they try to change other people too. Generally speaking, trying to change other people is the biggest waste of time and effort. You can try to help people change themselves but if they don’t see a need to change, they ain’t changing. The fact that some people will never change is perhaps life’s greatest inevitability.

It is inevitable that there will be parts of most jobs that people won’t like. If you’re in a customer service roll there will be some very difficult people to deal with. If you’re in a sales roll there will be people who won’t buy from you…ever. If you’re a doctor there will be people who pay good money for your diagnosis and then ignore your advice. If you paint lines on streets there will inevitably be some knucklehead who will immediately drive over your newly painted line.

Those things are just gonna happen. Allowing them to negatively affect your attitude or ruin your entire day is as crazy as getting upset when it gets dark out at night. 

Never allow things beyond your control to upset you to the point that you don’t control the things you can. Especially the one thing you and you alone have complete control over, your attitude. 

Don’t be surprised when the inevitable happens, smile and say to yourself, “yep, I saw that coming about 100 miles away.” Then go about your day as if you did indeed see it coming, because you should have. 

Some readers of this post will find it useful some will not…I’m okay with that because I know it’s inevitable. 🙂

Forget About It

Steve Keating 1 Comment

Many years ago, okay, many many years ago, I was making cold calls with my Sales Manager. We had a solid process (at the time) for cold calling. We would walk into a company and ask to leave some literature with the receptionist. We would then ask the receptionist for the name of the person they would be passing the literature to so we could follow up directly. It was an effective way to learn the name of the decision maker. 

We were part way through a full day of prospecting when we made a call on a paper company. I greeted the receptionist and asked if I could drop off some literature for the person who made training decisions. She cheerfully said sure and I handed her the first piece of literature I was planning to leave behind. As I was taking the second piece of literature out of my folder I noticed the receptionist putting the first piece beneath the desk. 

I handed the second brochure over and the receptionist again placed it beneath the desk. I asked what she was doing with the literature and she said she was “speeding up the process.” I asked what that meant and she said that her boss would throw the “crap” away so she was speeding up the process. 

I was not exactly happy with her answer. So I asked if she thought that was an appropriate way to treat people. She said she would never treat people that way but it was fine for salespeople. 

Before I could “discuss” this any further my Sales Manager thanked her for her time and guided me to the door. 

When we got back to our car I asked my manager if he could believe what just happened. He said he didn’t see anything unusual and I should just “forget about it” because we had lots more calls to make. It wouldn’t be productive to let a poor call affect my effectiveness on the next call. 

As I said earlier that was many many years ago so I haven’t exactly forgotten about it. But I also haven’t forgotten the point my Sales Manager was making. 

The point was do not let one bad customer experience allow the next customer interaction to be negatively affected. The idea was to sell in “call tight compartments” so that each call was “fresh.”

Selling one call at a time protects you from becoming overconfident when things were going well. It also keeps you from bringing disappointment and maybe even anger into your next call. 

That’s not only good advice for a salesperson, it’s good advice for everyone. Do not let a poor interaction with one person carry over to the interaction you have with the next person. This is particularly important for leaders to keep in mind. 

Everyone will have negative experiences involving other people. No one has to allow that to make them negative. Staying positive in the face of negativity is a choice. It’s a choice we should all make everyday.

The Promise of Tomorrow

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Every year holds it’s own set of lessons. Those who study history know that the years teach us many things that a single day will never know.

I don’t think we’ll need much history however to understand some of the lessons from the year 2020. For too many families around the world one of those lessons is that tomorrow is promised to no one. No one can know if their own tomorrow will actually arrive. 

But we also know that if our tomorrow does arrive we have much more control over it than we often choose to take. Many people let their days unfold as if they have no say whatsoever in the events of that day. They let the day happen. 

The happiest and most successful people never let a day happen “to them.” They make the day happen “for them.” 

They may not be able to choose each of the “events” that come their way each day but they are able to choose exactly how they will respond to them. They choose very very frequently to respond with a positive attitude.

That positive attitude allows them to take something good from every experience. It allows them to learn from even their least favorite event of any given day. It allows them to constantly be looking forward to the promise of an even better tomorrow. 

You have the same choice. The only question is whether or not you’ll actually make it. 

I know people who make the choice of a positive attitude 100% of the time. They are happier than me. I am happier than people who make the choice of a positive attitude less frequently than me. 

I know people who choose to look for opportunities in every problem 100% of the time. They are more successful than me. I am more successful than people who look for opportunities in problems less than I do. 

It is very clear that happiness and success come from our choices and no choice we make is more important than the choice of a positive attitude. Choosing to look for opportunities inside problems is a close second. 

Yet I’m tempted to tell you it’s not possible 100% of the time cause it seems impossible to me. But I know people who prove me wrong. It’s not only a possibility for them, it is a reality. So I’m going to keep trying to make it my reality too. 

The promise of tomorrow doesn’t wait. You need to go get it. Your choice of a positive attitude is the fastest ride to those promises you’ll ever find. You willing to hop on board with me?