One Person Makes a Difference

5. CHANGE

(5 out of 5 posts)

Individuals respond to change in three ways. A few become early adopters. Most become late adopters. And some remain persistent skeptics who never stop resisting. Make yourself an early adopter. Look for opportunities to change. Anyone who takes on risk and responsibility in society must resist the temptation to be a cog in the machine.

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One Person Makes a Difference

4. WRITE SOMETHING

(4 of 5 posts)

The act of writing is powerful. It makes you think through problems. It doesn't matter what you write about. You need only add a small observation about your world. When you dod you make yourself part of a larger world.

One Person Makes a Difference

3. COUNT SOMETHING

(3 of 5 posts)

We should be scientists in this world. We should quantify things that interest us when possible to get a handle on their abstract essence. You will learn something.

One Person Makes a Difference

(2 of 5 Posts)

2. DON'T COMPLAIN

There are difficulties of having to work with other human beings under circumstances only partly in one's control. Choose not to complain! It's boring, doesn't solve anything, and will get you down. Therefore, be prepared to discuss something else.

One Person Does Make a Difference

(1 of 5 posts)

If you ever thought surgeon's knew it all, let me refer you to a book by a surgeon for people in the medical field...with applications to anyone involved in delivering a service to a customer. Atul Gawande wrote, Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance. In the Afterward he wrote a piece entitled, Suggestions for Becoming a Positive Deviant. There a five suggestions:

1. ASK THE UNSCRIPTED QUESTION

Encounter people at a real, personal level. Intentionally make conversation with them. Learn something about them. Sometimes you discover the unexpected.

Bags Fly Free

I give kudos to Southwest Airlines and their marketing campaign, Bags Fly Free. What a novel concept and a great piece of advertising. It reminds me of what I've learned about business:

You tell people what you want to do.

You tell people what you are doing - while you're doing it.

You tell people what you've just done.

So...it's all about marketing, even when you're providing a customer service.

"Clientele" - A Customer Service Verb

Management guru Tom Peter's wrote in a blog that businesses have wasted opportunities every day because they do not "clientele." He defined it: "to create a relationship-building encounter with your customer, so that the relationship with the store is better when she leaves than it was when she came in."

How is your clientele?

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The Spirit of Fellowship

Socrates was a strong believer in the idea of teamwork.  He called the process "koinonia" - the spirit of fellowship.  Another Mars Hill aficionado, the Apostle Paul, wrote of the same concept in the New Testament of the Bible, asking for those who followed the itinerant rabbi named Christ to strive for authentic community.

Here are Socrates seven steps to achieving this spirit of fellowship:

1. Establish dialogue.  Present your ideas, but don't try to make everybody agree with them.

2. Exchange ideas.  Have everybody present their ideas.

3. Don't argue. While people are presenting ideas, just take notes and focus on the person speaking.

4. Don't interrupt. Let participants say everything that is on their minds. Don't speak up while somebody else is presenting an idea.

5. Listen carefully.  Otherwise, you might not get a full understanding of what a person is saying.

6. Clarify your thinking. Eliminate all your biases against others on the team.  Any biases will cloud your judgment of some one's ideas.

7. Be honest. Say what's on your mind.  The only way to establish trust is through honesty.

MSU President Leads the Way

Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon was the featured speaker at the March, 2009, Howell Chamber "Good Morning Livingston."

She was refreshingly positive and candid about MSU, their role in the higher educational landscape, and the current mindset of the current culture.

:: MSU - She reminded us of their founding principle, "Good enough for the powerful, open to the poorest." She referred to MSU as the "Magic Johnson" of universities. Magic was a fantastic scorer but he was also a key player who wanted to see his teammates succeed by providing them with assists.

:: Current Mindset and approaching solving problems - We need to adopt the philosophy of having Silver Buckshot solutions in a Silver Bullet world where people want immediate solutions. When we simply shoot with buckshot we will hit (solve) what we can and make mid course directions to solve the next one.

Choosing a Bright Outlook

Marcus Buckingham reflects on making the choice to be positive:

Thinking back on President Obama’s inauguration speech, I feel like it really set the tone for 2009 and thereafter. The first line of his speech—“I stand here today humbled by the task before us”—was a solemn reality check. His mention of the “gathering clouds and raging storms” that greet his new administration was clearly a warning that the road ahead will not be easy.
And yet.

And yet the speech was ultimately optimistic: “The challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many... But know this, America: They will be met.” Along with the new president, I too believe that we can succeed even in these daunting times. And I assure you, the fastest way to overcome the obstacles we face now is for people to offer up and contribute the very best of themselves to their country, their organizations, their teams, their families. President Obama signaled that he will put the need for service front and center in his presidency, encouraging those who demonstrate “the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.”

It will take hard work, a redoubling of our efforts. Now is not the time to cry, “woe is me” but rather, “what more can I do? How can I help? How else can I serve?”

In closing his inaugural address, President Obama reminded us that “there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character as giving our all to a difficult task.” You could say that it’s the mission of the Strengths movement to make everyone see the truth of that statement.So in the coming year, know that the commitment to give your all, and more importantly, to give the best of you, will strengthen our economy and strengthen our collective spirit. The challenges will be met.