Whispering Change

Whatever there be of progress in life comes not through adaptation but through daring. - Henry Miller

Have you seen the movie The Horse Whisperer? In one scene, Annie, the mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer named Tom Booker to help the girl's equally injured horse. Annie asks, "I've heard you help people with horse problems." To which Booker replied, "Truth is, I help horses with people problems."

Booker's character was fashioned after Monty Roberts, called the Man Who Listens to Horses. Monty grew up on a ranch in a family of horse traders. One of the time honored tasks on the ranch was catching, corralling and then breaking the mustangs. This could mean weeks of work. The wildest, most powerful animals could finally be broken only after much blood, sweat, and suffering.

Monty knew, even as a young boy, that there had to be a better way ... a way to break the mustangs without breaking their spirits so cruelly. Then he noticed something, whenever one was separated from the herd and left to wander, it could become sick, even to the point of death. Monty started thinking. If these were such herd animals with such a powerful, innate instinct for connection with other creatures, then maybe that instinct could be used for taming them. He began experimenting on a different way of "breaking" wild mustangs, until in his early adulthood he developed a whole new method.

He would enter the corral with the horse and stay as far away from the animal as possible. He made certain that he and the mustang never made eye contact. No matter how the animal acted, Monty stayed away and kept his eyes diverted. Soon, that horse was nuzzling Monty trying to get some attention. At the end of an hour, Monty could have the wildest mustang saddled with a rider. Now, he travels the world demonstrating this approach.

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. - George Bernard Shaw

What impact do you think this new method of "breaking" horses had on the rancher's traditions? It could save them time and money. It allowed the most spirited horses to be tamed without being broken. It was much more humane. I'm sure you can think of a dozen positive effects this new method of breaking horses had on the ranching community. But, you'd be wrong. The method never caught on. Ranchers still break their horses the old fashioned way, refusing to use the proven, superior method.

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. - Anthony Robbins

Isn't that just like human nature? We cling to our traditions and habits long after they have outlived their usefulness. For most people, the familiar is preferred, even if it is not the most efficient. For instance, most people solve problems essentially the same way no matter what the difficulty. However, research has proven that distinct problems require varied methods if the best solution is to emerge. The same is true when dealing with people, most have a "one-approach-fits-all" mentality which is sure to fail more than it succeeds because people are as diverse as diamonds. Sure there are some universal principles in dealing with people, but each one is an individual and should be treated that way.

Never solve a problem from its original perspective. - Charles Thompson

Maybe it's time you "whispered" some new life into your own soul. Look at things differently. Try a new perspective the next time you face a problem. Empathize with the people around you; see things from their point of view. Who knows, you may just discover a whole new way ... a better way ... of living and leading.

Appreciating Human Resources

I know several people who work in the Human Resources department of their firms. Each spends considerable time upgrading their skills and keeping current with the latest government regulations. They are well qualified and highly capable individuals.

Okay, while I do appreciate my Human Resources friends, that's not what I meant with the title! In accounting terms, when something appreciates, it increases in value. What I’m talking about is increasing the value of your human resources ... the people in your organization.

The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership. - Harvey S. Firestone

How can we increase the value of the individuals on our team? Try these ...

V – Value Each Individual. Adding value to people begins by valuing them individually. Each person in your organization is someone of worth, not only because of their contributions, but because they are human beings. They deserve your respect. Value them for the unique individuals that they are.

Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back. - Princess Diana

A – Acknowledge Their Dreams. Everyone has them. While you can't help them with all their goals, you can do something about the ambitions they have that are relevant to your organization. If you can determine what those aspirations are and begin to do what you can to help turn them into realities, their personal growth and their loyalty to you will skyrocket.

L – Lead From Service. Serve your people. Obviously, if you are the leader, you can't be their servant in every area. But you can keep your eyes open to ways that you can help make their jobs, tasks, lives ... a little easier. This is ancient wisdom, but it is as true today as it was thousands of years ago. People thrive in an environment where their leaders make a priority of looking for ways to serve.

The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. - Colin Powell

U – Unlock Their Potential. Each person on your team has within them a gold mine of promise. How do you extract it? Constantly put resources in their hands (like my books or this email). Challenge them with new opportunities. Stretch them to act and think in ways that may be unfamiliar. Remember, though, you can't expect your people to stretch and grow if you are rigid and inflexible!

If I had more skill in what I'm attempting, I wouldn't need so much courage. - Ashleigh Brilliant

E – Embrace Every Attempt. For people to grow, they must be allowed to fail. Learn from the failure, and move forward. You must give your team the freedom to make the attempt to achieve. Every time your people try something new and challenging, even if they fail, celebrate the initiative and courage it took to try.

When we add value to our people, we will appreciate our appreciating human resources!

Obstacles and Opportunities

Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure. - Earl Wilson

It seems whenever I talk about a successful person, someone will inevitably say something like, "Yeah, they got all the breaks." Or, "If I had been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I could have been a high achiever, too." Or, my favorite, "She is so lucky." Sour grapes from sour people always produce a sour whine!

I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you dislike? - Jean Cocteau

The truth is, most people who have achieved at a high level have done so in spite of obstacles. It may be that the process of overcoming is the essential factor in attaining success.

In The Psychology of Motivation, Denis Waitley tells the story of a laundry worker who earned sixty dollars a week at his job, but he had a burning desire to be a writer. While his wife worked at night he stayed home and typed his manuscripts. When he finished each one, he would send it to publishers and agents, only to be rejected each time with a form letter. He never even knew if his manuscript had been opened, much less read.

But he continued. Finally, he received a personal rejection letter, quite a step up for this fledgling writer. It was a warm, personal note stating that although his work wasn't good enough for publishing, he showed promise and he should keep trying. Keep trying he did. Every moment of free time he spent writing, finally finishing another manuscript, sending it to the friendly publisher. It was rejected. Then another. Same story. Finances got so tight that the young writer and his wife turned off their phone so they could pay the medical bills for their new baby.

Luck take a second look at what appears to be someone's "good luck." You'll find not luck but preparation, planning, and success-producing thinking. - David Joseph Schwartz

After eighteen months, he had finished another manuscript, but in discouragement and despair he threw the manuscript in the garbage. But his wife saw what he had done and rescued his work. She believed in him and sent the work to Doubleday, the publisher who had sent him the friendly rejections. That manuscript rescued from the trash was published. The title, Carrie, sold over five million copies, and was one of the top-grossing films of 1976. Stephen King would never have to work in the laundry again!

No-one gets an iron-clad guarantee of success. Certainly, factors like opportunity, luck and timing are important. But the backbone of success is usually found in old-fashioned, basic concepts like hard work, determination, good planning and perseverance. - Mia Hamm

What kind of obstacles are you facing? Is discouragement crouching at your door? Don't give up. Turn those obstacles into opportunities to learn, improve, and discover new ways to succeed. Then, with time, hard work and perseverance, you too can become an overnight success.

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied. - Proverbs 13:4, Holy Bible