I was recently working out at the Y and came across a poster which spoke to what makes an athlete a true winner and it struck me that the same behavior, way of thinking, words in into practice, apply to the essence true teamwork. Most importantly not what others do in relation to creating a great team, but what I do, what you do, in ensuring that essence of great teamwork lies inside of you and that you actively seek to bring that essence to life in your day to day dealings with your team. We all have tremendous qualities and strengths that we seek to bring forward to the benefit of the team and the organization. But do we, are we given the chance or is there even an environment in place that to make that happen? Certainly that environment can be created and it takes leadership that is willing and able to establish and maintain it. But it also takes, each member of the team taking full ownership of their part, their strengths, their opportunities, and their willingness to bring the essence of teamwork to life.

 So here is the original text of what I read. I am not entirely sure of whom the author is but we will give credit to the YMCA.

To be a real athlete you have to play for a buddy.

Help the friend who fails.

Cheer for the winner.

Be kind to those who lose.

Because a real athlete knows being a good sport makes you a winner.

Here is my spin as it relates to the essence of teamwork:

To be a real team member you have to be it in for the team

Help and encourage the team member who flounders

Recognize and celebrate each team member’s strengths

 Be humble, Be Kind, Be Honorable in light of others’ failures

Because a true team member knows, they only succeed, when the team succeeds.

So, I hope you consider what you can do to really bring to life the essence of teamwork, whether it is at work, home, play, community, church, or life in general. When we are able to bring forth our true strengths for the benefit of others, and help others do the same, we all win!

Paul Martinez – President – Dynamic Solutions, USA, LLC                                         www.ru-dynamicallydriven.com

There was a recent article in the local news paper focused on a study of laughter. Laughter apparently is something that is enjoyed by every living creature on the planet. Makes sense to me….who or what does not enjoy a good laugh and especially that euphoric feeling that comes along with it? That light hearted and positive feeling that resonates from your head to your toes and into your mind!  Have you ever notice how great things happen, when you are feeling good? And even greater things happen when you are feeling great, ecstatic, awesome, hey you pick your happy feeling adjective and make it a good one; the greater the  feeling of awesomeness and happiness  the better!

I also noted that this sense of joy that is common to all living things also serves as a tie that binds. Think of any happy occasion in your life and I’ll bet you, that you can instantly recall those that shared it with you and that they can recall it as well.  Joy brings a sense of connection that is unparalleled to any other sensation. And as such, it also evokes a feeling that anything is possible when we are feeling great, individually and even more so, collectively.

So with this in mind….as a LEADER…you need not ever delay JOY!

Do you remember the first time you heard the phrase “catch them doing something right”? Meaning as leaders, we should always be seeking opportunities to recognize all the things our people are doing great, correct, accurately, above and beyond your expectations, etc. Catching them doing the right thing deserves routine praise and recognition. Yes routine, because   we all want to know that what we are doing adds value to the organizational goals and objectives. Many employees will tell you, that they honestly don’t know if they do or don’t contribute as expected and as such, can only assume “no news is good news”. In this same vein, why do most employees quiver at the thought of their direct supervisor seeking them out for a quick feedback session? It is probably because this interaction, more often than not, means not so great news, and certainly little or no recognition of a job well done.

Check out this disengagement study that was done by the Saratoga Institute  

The ten most frequently mentioned issues that employees say companies do poorly are: 

1.  
   1. Lack of career growth
   2. Poor management
   3. Poor communication
   4. Pay: paid under-market
   5. Lack of recognition
   6. Poor senior leadership
   7. Lack of training
   8. Excessive workload
   9. Lack of tools and resources
   10. Lack of teamwork

You will notice number five is lack of recognition, but the second and third that precede it play directly into why number five exist to begin with.

So let’s go back to the beginning of this blog….every living creature has an affinity for joy in their lives. With joy comes a feeling that all things are possible, this is magnified when more than one person feels that sense of joy. Within a work environment this feeling of joy comes about from knowing what we do is recognized by those who lead us as a “job well done”.   When one feels validated and appreciated, there is a good chance that person will be more engaged in doing the best job possible for their direct manager and indirectly for the overall organization. This becomes even more plausible if the employee knows and understands and receives validation and recognition for the good job they do in direct support of the companies, mission, vision, core values, goals and objectives.

We all want to know that we are on the right track and actively contributing to the success of our respective organizations. When that validation and recognition is delivered by our boss in a sincere and consistent manner, the impact is felt at a greater level. Most people don’t need validation and recognition all the time, but would appreciate it from time to time. And if you as the leader can make it a moment of JOY, where a sense of fun is derived and all experience it in a meaningful way, your effort will be all the more impactful.

Joy, Laughter, a Sense of Fun, Recognition, are all feelings that are critical to our well being and effectiveness. What will you do……..to never again DELAY JOY!

Paul Martinez - Dynamic Solutions USA, LLC

In the midst of March madness emerges a story to teach us about our true self and the important role that sincere and caring leadership plays in our lives. Ever heard of Nolan Smith? For all those who watched the NCAA basketball championship game this past Monday, you know that Nolan is the point guard for the winning Duke Blue Devils.  My first introduction to Nolan was 5 days ago as I was working out and listening to ESPN cover a story on Nolan and his father.  To understand how Nolan teaches us about leadership, you first have to get a sense of his history. These are the take aways I had as I left the gym that day.  ( hopefully I remembered these with a high degree of accuracy)

·         Nolan’s father Derek played on the championship team for Louisville in 1980.   

·         Derek went on to play for 9 seasons in the NBA

·         Derek retired, when Nolan was 2, in part due to a knee injury, but his primary motive was spend time with his son and daughter.

·         Derek was asked to be the assistant for the Washington Wizards team.

·         Derek initially hesitated as time with his family was important to him.

·         Derek accepted the assistant position and Nolan was able to hang around the team and be present in practice and at games.

·          When Nolan was 8, the family went on a cruise. The story featured a key moment in Nolan’s young life. He was upset with something that happened in a pick-up game and threw the basket ball overboard. His father pulled Nolan aside and told him, if he was going to play the game, he needed to have the right attitude.

·         On that cruise Derek had an apparent heart attack and died.

·         The players of the Wizards took young Nolan under their wings and made every effort to keep him focused in a positive direction.

·         One team mate of Derek – Johnny Dawkins – became Uncle Johnny to Nolan and played a key role in his development as person and player.

·         Johnny went on to coach at Duke and kept track of Nolan

·         After high school- Nolan opted to play at Duke

·         Johnny left Duke to take a head coaching position, which left speculation of Nolan following suit.  From what I gathered, Nolan had still not come into his own as a player and with Johnny gone, there was concern.

·         KEY POINT – Nolan had to make a decision of whether to stay or go and had to wrestle with the question: WHO IS GOING TO HELP ME NOW?

·         HIS ANSWER:  HE WAS GOING TO HELP HIMSELF!

At this point, Nolan had all he needed in his life to strive for and reach his true potential.  He decided to take full and complete ownership of who he was, his talents, skills, and abilities. He had to reach down deep and come to the realization that no-one could offer up any more guidance in terms of him realizing he had an amazing skill set and abilities that had been nurtured and encouraged by his father, his family, his father’s former team mates, Uncle Johnny, and all the others coaches and supporters along his journey.  He now had to BELIEVE in himself, in his purpose, in his goals and dreams, and make them come to reality.  Well obviously this past Monday, was a capstone of one of his journeys in life.  I’m sure he will have many more, especially, since he has fully taken ownership of Nolan Smith!

                So what does Nolan’s story reveal about leadership? 

I used to work for a man that talked about Skill versus Will. As a leader you have an obligation to your subordinates to provide them with the tools and abilities – SKILL – to get the job done, as well as creating the vision, motivating, inspiring, encouraging, coaching, removing obstacles, and constantly surveying the landscape for potential road blocks or pitfalls. But what you can’t do for your people is give them the – WILL - to perform to the best of their abilities on a consistent basis. You can’t force anyone to live up to their full potential.  We can however, be candid and clear about our expectations and whether our subordinates are meeting them, as well as pointing out based on your experience and expertise, that they have a greater amount of potential than is being displayed. To that end, we must have regular sincere and meaningful dialogue that gets to the heart of them being true to their talents, skills and abilities, and ultimately, themselves. Because quite frankly, that is why you brought them onto your team, to fill a need in the organization has, which they should be able to perform in excess of your expectations, assuming they are fully engaged and willing to give their best effort.  Bottom line – we need to have the discussion that makes it clear, you believe in their skills, talents, and abilities.  You commit to doing your part, but ultimately they have to decide, choose, and commit to doing their part – Be a Nolan Smith!

From an individual point of view – the story resonates from the perspective of owning self. Being true to who you are, tapping into your purpose, your core beliefs, and values. The reality is the best parent, friend, support system, boss, leader, can only take you so far in life; they can encourage, support,  motivate, inspire, coach, and articulate their vision for your potential, but only you can manifest your true potential based on what you know and believe about yourself. For Nolan, this realization hit him, when his mentor, coach, and uncle made a choice to move on and at that moment, when he decided to own his true self, he marked the beginning of a fabulous future.

So leaders, you are often in the role of having to bring this fact to light for your followers and in doing so, you go beyond helping a follower to excel and often times ignite the spark necessary to develop a future leader.

On a special note – I want to say; Mom and Sister were amazing figures in this story  and the love the family had for each other was tremendously heart- warming.  

Paul Martinez - President - Dynamic Solutions

5:00 AM and it’s freezing outside on a cold January day in Colorado. I tell myself do you really have to get out of bed to go workout? Absolutely retorts back the side of me that is totally committed to get back into mountain climbing shape before the season begins in June.  At the gym, I set my treadmill at 30 degrees of incline with a speed of precisely at 3.9 MPH. I know if I maintain a steady pace, I can burn 1,000 calories in a little over a half hour and if I intermittently challenge myself to 40-45 degrees of incline for a minute at a time, I can probably get the thousand calories in under a half hour. This lovely machine requires that I hold on for dear life. Can you imagine what would happen if I did not hold on going 3.9 MPH at 45 degree incline?  I can guarantee you it would be a fast and painful fall. Sadly, it is a fall which my IPOD has had to endure on more than one occasion, so I oft think to myself, I don’t want to be doing that. 

            I wasn’t always able to go that speed and distance without getting seriously winded and enduring some serious pain in my quads, hamstrings, forearms, calf muscles and shins. It took me a good year before I could endure it at that level without feeling like my lungs were going to burst. But now has come the time to continue to push myself to the next level; which may be maintaining the same speed with a consistent 35 degree incline and beyond.

All this serves as a reminder that if I CHOOSE, I can get better at anything I do physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually.  I have the ability within myself to push myself to the proverbial edge; knowing that if I continue to push myself in all areas of my life, I GROW. In the end, isn’t that what it’s all about, being the best you can be while on the planet.  My father passed away last year in late July and I saw in him an individual who even days before he passed, had a passion for being better and more than what he was the day before. He had a sincere belief in striving to do your best every day of your life. I know part of what drives me to be the best I can be is the reality that with the little he had in terms of formal education, he became a man resolute to be all he could be and never gave up on the notion that it was up to him to make that happen. He never blamed his station in life or his circumstances for not accomplishing what he sought to achieve.

            The irony is that there is no other way to make growth happen is there? Think of anyone who you see as being at the top of their game.  I would be willing to bet that they have to endure and push themselves on a daily, weekly, monthly, annual basis to ensure they remain at the top of their game. It certainly does not happen all by itself. Granted there are those who have incredible natural talent, but I would argue even they benefit from a good coach to expose blind spots or to gain experience, which serves to elevate their natural abilities to a whole new level. From there, it is up to them to hone and develop their talents to THEIR desired level.

            One time I was at a movie theatre with my daughter watching the pre-movie commercials and announcements, when a commercial featuring Dana Kilpatrick came on. Dana stated she is “constantly on the brink of crashing, because that is the fastest.” Her mindset for getting better was to push herself to the edge, get comfortable, then push herself again.  I love it….

            The same pushing of self applies to whatever you have dedicated your professional life to.  There will be times when you burn yourself out or you crash in a bad way. But I would rather burn out doing what I love or crash from time to time, knowing that I gave it my best and I took steps to  “ stretch and grow” in my talents and abilities.  If I don’t push myself, who will? If you don’t push yourself and seek all the best that lies within you, who will?

Exactly: no one.

 It’s not that people don’t care and don’t want to see you or me succeed. I certainly have a lot of family and friends who encourage me to do my best, but the stark and frank reality is that until I decide and you decide to go forward and step out of our comfort zone and turn up the speed and degrees of incline in your life, understand how you can add value to all you do, dedicate yourself to being a life-long learner, and bottom line make yourself  better in every way possible; you and  I will fail to stretch and in turn, not likely grow.

            So this year, make a commitment in all areas of your life: mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to STRETCH AND GROW!  

For the first time in history we are seeing significant interaction of 4-generations in the workforce. We are also seeing the impact of these four generations and the dichotomy of views each holds respective of their own generational values, beliefs and points of view. These dichotomies would imply differences which often are manifested by varying attitudes, behaviors, thought processes, approaches  to getting the job done, as well as what work means in the greater context of living. If we take a moment to reflect on what has transpired over that last 80 years, it is clear and reasonable that differences would and should exist between the 4 generations. Seriously take a step back in time and reflect what it might have been like to live and grow up in the 1930’s, 1950’s 1970’s 1990’s and so on versus 2009. Significant strides have been made in all aspects of life: technologically, socially, economically, relationally, and from a societal perspective to name a few. Some Veterans and Boomers often reflect on the good old days of the 1940’s and 50’s where June and Ward Cleaver represented the epitome of the American Family, while the millennials can hardly relate to world without internet, texting, micro wave popcorn and cable TV.  The people, events, social norms, and our formative years’ experiences that shaped each generation’s values, beliefs, and attitudes are without a doubt distinct and unique. So where in lies the common thread to understanding these varying values, beliefs, thoughts and opinions?  And how do we apply it in order to more effectively understand each other and in turn work side by side in an effort to create a collaborative work environment that values each point of view and applies the collective strengths present within each person and generation?      

I believe the common thread is the human experience. Regardless of what period in time you grew up, or what events, people, or experienced shaped your world, only you know what those events meant to your existence and how they impacted the way you think, behave, and interact with the people in your life. Bottom line, we all have a desire to live a life that is rewarding and full, and which allows us to identify our unique gifts and talents and put them to work in a positive and meaningful way. Work is an expression of who you are and as you develop a career you soon start to realize I better love or at least like what I am doing and who I am doing it with, otherwise it can lead to a miserable and painful existence.

So how do we connect our human experiences so we better understand each others’ generational points of view….it’s rather simple on the surface but requires desire, tenacity, and dedication. It is:

COMMUNICATION that is Meaningful and Insightful.

Dale Carnegie in his book  How to Win Friends and Influence People  reveals a couple of insights which pave the way for meaningful and insightful communication. He notes the sweetest sound to any person  is the sound of their NAME and the one topic they love and know most about is THEMSELVES. So with this in mind, challenge yourself, your team, and your unit to have meaningful and insightful communication in understanding each other’s generational points of view. I’m willing to bet you will find you have much more in common then you first believed and you will generate a level of understanding you never thought possible. This translates into a team working together more effectively to achieve the common goals and objectives of the organization.

Here are a few recommendations to create an environment where people can share some of their generational experiences that are important and meaningful in their life:

·         Favorite Music: During company events, unit meetings, recognition events, allow people to share their favorite music growing up. It is amazing how music connects us to the events in our lives and how we each have a different memory and perspective which can serve to create common ground on various levels.

·         Fun Event of Your Life: At the end of a unit meeting or staff meeting – have people share one event that was fun and/or memorable in their life.  First car, first date, first pet, vacations, etc.

·         Impactful events that left an impression – we each have experienced good and bad events that led to shaping our psyche and general attitudes about the world around us. Again at a unit or staff meeting take the time to share some of these profound and meaningful experiences - Think D-Day, Kennedy, Man Landing on the moon, 9-11-01, and Election of President Obama.  

·         Story – we all have our story and it is uniquely ours. Too often we believe it is a common story or one that would not be of interest to anyone. On the contrary our lives have so much meaning and value and can contribute positively to others.  I am of the belief, I learn and grow from each  person in my life and what they have taught me from their own experiences. Take the time to learn the story of someone you work.

·         Childhood – Deepak Chopra once stated, “ There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in”. Do you remember when that door opened in your childhood?  Our formative years did so much in determining who we are, what we believe, and how we saw our future unfold. Take the time to know a little more about each other’s childhoods and enter the world of greater understanding of each other.

The human experience is one that connects us all. When we are willing to understand each other’s generational experiences we gain insight into the individual, not just your peer, your boss or your internal or external customer, but the individual. In doing so you enrich your own experience, you gain wisdom and understanding, you eliminate erroneous thinking and stereotyping, you get to the heart of what makes an individual tick, and how you can help each other succeed. Yes the 20 something and the 70 something have something in common and when we seek those common connections, we are all the better for it, personally and professionally. Good luck!  

I have always been a fan of accountability because it takes the onus off everyone but YOU to meet and exceed your level of success in all aspects of your life. If you break down the word you have account and ability, which I would translate into accounting for one’s personal ability. Truly who but you is responsible for where you want to be in life? Who but you is going to fight for what you want to accomplish in your life? Who but you is going to account for the daily actions and behaviors you choose to exhibit, which ultimately lead to the breadth and depth of abilities needed to obtain and achieve that which you deem success?

More importantly recognize we each have our own unique gifts and talents which we are personally responsible to identify, develop, perfect, and enthusiastically act on. If you are not sure what those gifts or talents are, I urge you to be still and contemplate where you are most at home, where people have given you compliments or praise, where you feel most at peace, confident, content, and harmonious. Consider the activities associated with these events/times and hone in on the talents and gifts associated with what you do best. Cultivate those actions, words, deeds, behaviors and watch in amazement where it takes you.  And yes, when you first start off, things may not always go as you expect. You will stumble and fall, but then you will get up and move forward, knowing in your heart you are on the right path to shining and bringing forth your best abilities!

I encourage you to look at yourself introspectively & ask yourself the following questions:

• What did I do today that is getting me closer to my personal and professional goals?
• How dedicated am I to bring forth my best efforts and does my consistency support my dedication?
• Do I believe I am actively using my gifts and talents or do they remain tucked away for someday?
• What do I have in place to measure my personal accountability?  Diary, spread sheet, goal statement broken out by strategic and tactical steps you will take to reach your desired destination.
• Who can I recruit as my accountability partner? The sole purpose of this partner is to share your goals, objectives and measurements; and for this individual to hold you in check for either reaching or not reaching them.
• What do I need to change, maintain and/or do away with relative to thoughts, words, deeds, self talk, actions, and behaviors to better align myself with what I want to achieve in life or bring out my natural gifts and talents?
• Am I enthusiastic about what I am trying to achieve for myself? 
• Do I have a passion for reaching my personal and professional objectives?

(If no to either of the two above– I recommend you rethink or reconnect as to why you are doing what you are doing – if you have no passion or enthusiasm for what has to be done to accomplish your goals and objectives, or if you feel conflicted internally– it simply won’t happen or you will do it with a great deal of resentment and later regret. Be smart about how you use your time, it is so valuable and irretrievable. )

• Am I moving forward in my life with Joy, Peace, Wisdom, Faith, Hope, and Love for me and others?
• Do I feel good about where I am in life and do I feel fulfilled by my day to day activities?

You and you alone can allow yourself to shine, as only you can – Account for Your Ability!  

Here is a quote by Maryanne Williamson that offers further encouragement to be the best YOU:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are we not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it is in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”  

When I ask the question what keeps you up at night, what I am really asking is: What within your organization needs improvement, attention and focus? Where are the inefficiencies, redundancies, wasted efforts, lack of effort, and day to day negative behaviors that have a less than positive impact on your productivity and bottom line results?  If you don’t know what these are, what are you doing to find out? And if you do know what they are but are not taking action to turn things around; then you have to ask yourself WHY?

            I am a big movie fan, in part because of the imagery and words that can have a significant impact on our views, perspectives, and attitudes.  Movies can also open up a broad range of possibilities that may exist if we decide to do things differently. Along these lines, I am always on the lookout for those poignant phrases that the writer places in key moments of the script, which tend to generate a call to action.  These are a couple of my favorites:

From Brave Heart – “Every man dies, but not ever man really lives” How does this relate to business? When recent surveys are revealing that about 67% of employees are disengaged it becomes easy enough to see why executives and managers struggle with what it will take to get the whole of the organization moving toward common goals and objectives.  What can be done…..as managers and leaders we need to fully engage in the discussions that will lead us to know each person that works for us fully; what are their values, beliefs? What motivates them to want to do a good job day in and day out? Do you have a personal relationship with each of your direct reports; where upon you seek to understand what really matters to them- family, friends, activities, personal interests, etc. If you develop this on a consistent basis, you build trust, understanding, effective working relationships and solid, open, lines of communication, which lead to a willingness to give the best effort possible. Think about it, don’t you tend to give your best when you feel valued, respected, validated, and when you know the organization you are a part of, fully recognizes the role you play as being critical to their success. Ultimately we all want to be part of something which will lead to a feeling of living our personal and professional lives to the fullest.

Now….that is not to say there won’t be challenges, which leads to my next favorite line:

Vanilla Sky:  “Every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around” Bottom line we all have choices and we need to recognize how each choice we makes has a significant impact on our life. Some may say the choice was insignificant or rudimentary, but the reality is that even those small choices add up to a bigger statement about who we are and what we are or are not willing to do.  In the world of work; we face choices daily that will enhance our ability to do our jobs to the best of our abilities or not. Do you seek stretch assignments, challenges out of your comfort zone? Do you do the bare minimum to get by and collect the paycheck or are you actively looking for ways to improve the productivity of you and your co-workers? Are you a team player: always trying to assist where you can or taking the initiative to get things going in the right direction? Are you a Change Champion?  Do you actively embrace the change that comes down the pike with your best foot forward, wrap your mind, heart, emotions, and actions around learning the change completely, implement it, assist those who are struggling with it, and actively give your honest opinion about what is going right and what is going wrong?  In life, work, home, community…there will always be challenges, but those who recognize their part and what they can do to positively move things forward are the same individual’s company’s value and will fight to keep. We all have opportunity to improve; question is, are we willing to take that first step to turn it all around?  

Whether we act on these or not, is completely up to us, but the reality is we can only look to ourselves every day and determine if in fact we gave 100% to our personal and professional life. Do we have an opportunity to turn things around and make better choices that will lead us in a better direction and ultimately an opportunity or chance to fulfill our life’s destiny? Or, do we sustain our current ways of doing things /behaviors in the hopes that one day, events and circumstances in our life will all of a sudden change? So recognize, what keeps you up at night, does not have to, if you are willing to take action!