In Praise of Praise



Grandparenting on Balboa Island, summer 2010

Yesterday I got a call from my oldest daughter, April.  She said, “I don’t know what you said to Savannah last night, but whatever it was, she was delighted.  She was absolutely beaming when she hung up the phone.”     

Savannah is my granddaughter.  On Sunday night, Savannah made a batch of snickerdoodle cookies.  My wife was visiting when Savannah pulled them out of the oven and brought one home for me.  Later I called Savannah to tell her how much I had enjoyed the cookie and what a good little baker she is.  April filled me in on the rest of the story.     

April said that when Savannah answered the phone, she didn’t know who Savannah was talking to, but she knew it was someone who loved her.  She said she could see the pleasure coming off her, and watched as Savannah’s smile got bigger and bigger, witnessing the pride and joy and self-confidence light her up.  “Dad, she was just glowing.”    

When Savannah hung up, April asked, “Who was that?”    

“Papa.  He liked my cookies.”  April said she was grinning from ear to ear.    

I tell you that little story, not to demonstrate my world-class grandparenting skills (though clearly it does), but to illustrate what a difference praise can make.  To all of us.  And it’s benefits and impact are just as important in the business world as they are in family life.    

In their book, The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization, authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, explore the idea of praise.  They call it “cheering.”  They note that cheering is the “secret sauce” that makes the difference in truly productive, effective teams and that “the more embedded cheering is in the organization’s daily life, the more teamwork flourishes naturally.”  (Emphasis added.)    

Gostick and Elton performed a 350,000-person study, as well as explored dozens of high-performing companies.  They found that to be effective, praise should be positive, immediate, specific, close, and shared.  

The first, praise should be positive.  That seems obvious.  But this means that you emphasize accomplishment rather than speaking about how much better a person has become, or taking the opportunity to insert a sly comment about how you wish they could now tackle this other problem with as much tenacity.  Praise should be free and open-handed.  Root for people.  Check your own insecurities and jealousies at the door.   

The second, praise should be immediate.  This is clearly illustrated in my little vignette with Savannah.  She knew I liked her cookie because I called her right after I ate it, when the moment and the effort were both still fresh in our minds.  I will see Savannah in a couple of days as we spend Thanksgiving together and I could have planned to mention it to her then, but it clearly wouldn’t have been nearly as meaningful four days later.   The closer the praise is to the event, the greater its impact.

I talk about the third principle a lot in my Creating Connections seminar.  When you praise or cheer, be as specific as possible.  Every week before our team meeting at Quma, we take a moment to do “Wins and Acknowledgements.”  This is more effective if, instead of telling everyone what a great job Jennie is doing in the office, I recall and share a specific moment where I saw Jennie juggling two phone lines and simultaneously calmly and kindly helping someone in our store.  If I can verbally recreate the moment for the team, then everyone has a mental picture of Jennie’s skills and talents, and Jennie has the clear message that she is seen and appreciated.   

Fourth, cheer closely.  This means that you praise in the person’s environment.  When you are praising an individual for their performance on the team, do it front of the team.  Recognize and appreciate people in their natural environment.  If you’re a manager, get out of your office and recognize them in front of their peers.  In the story with Savannah, her whole family could see that she had done something wonderful.  This caused her brothers and sister to chime in on the cheering as well.  She told her mom later that she wants to make cookies every Sunday.   

Finally, share the praise.  The more praise in your culture, the more successful you will be at achieving your goals.  This means that praise doesn’t just need to come “from the top down.”  Create experiences where peers and coworkers have a chance to share praise about each other.  Peers are often the ones who give the most effective positive reinforcement because they know best the circumstances of someone’s outstanding performance.   

Praise is the little thing that makes the biggest impact.  As Gostick and Elton point out,     “…cheer is, of course, our favorite aspect of break-through teams, because it’s so much fun and creates such measurable results.”  I’m sure all of our teams can benefit from more fun and measurable results.  So, Cheer!  Praise!  Acknowledge!  Give thanks!  No matter your team, your organization, your corporate culture, or your family dynamics, praise can change your world.   

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Dr. Deaton’s Book Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind



Did you know that 8000 new books hit the market every single day?  And that in the year 2000, there were 52 million published titles worldwide?  At this rate, you would have to read almost six books a minute, round-the-clock, in order to keep up.   Now that’s speed reading.

While not all of those 8000 titles are worth your time or mental energy, there are certainly many books written and published that will add insights, elevate your game, heighten your thought processes, and inspire your creativity.  But how do you find these great books amid the vast published profusion?

Here’s where I bless your life.

To help you find some of the best reading out there, I thought that once a month I would do a book review of a book that I believe is worth your time and thought.

Wait, it gets better.

If you leave a comment on the blog about the book I review, or something else that you’ve been reading or thinking about, we will enter your name in our book giveaway at the end of the month, and if your name is selected I will send you a signed copy of one of my books.

See what I mean about blessing your life?  And now, without further ado…

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

(4 out of 5 Q’s…that’s good)

This is a story not only about harnessing the power of the wind, but about harnessing the spark within each of us to learn, to imagine, to create, and to better our lives.

William Kamkwamba writes, “Before I discovered the miracles of science, magic ruled the world.”  William was born in Malawi, a country where, indeed, modern science was mystery.  Malawi was withered by drought and hunger, and hope and opportunity were as scarce as food and water.  Even in the midst of such dire circumstances, William craved knowledge.  He got his hands on a book called Using Energy, which described the principles of creating electricity.  William was intrigued by the idea of the windmill to bring electricity and water to his village,  and thereby change his life and the lives of those around him.  He had many critics.  William’s neighbors derided his efforts and called him crazy, but he started small and began to build a windmill using whatever he could find — scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle remains.

The book tells of William’s struggle to become educated.  He wanted to study science in Malawi’s top boarding schools.  But famine had left his family’s farm devastated and his parents destitute.  Unable to pay the eighty-dollar-a-year tuition for his education, William was forced to drop out and help his family forage for food as thousands across the country starved and died.

Through it all, William refused to let go of his dreams to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford and what the West considers a necessity—electricity and running water.  After his first crude yet operable windmill, that powered four small light bulbs, he continued to make improvements.  A second machine turned a water pump that could battle the drought and famine that loomed with every season.  Soon, news of William’s magetsi a mphepo—his “electric wind”—spread beyond the borders of his small town, and this boy who was once called crazy became an inspiration to people all over the world.

This is a remarkable story about human resourcefulness, ingenuity, sheer determination, and the will to overcome crippling adversity.  The book is full of  potent lessons taught within a compelling and fascinating story, and I think both the truths and the tale will inspire and teach you.  William closes his book with these words, “But whatever it was I decided to do, I would apply this one lesson I’d learned:  If you want to make it, all you have to do is try.”

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Chinese Lessons in the Deep South



Last week I travelled to lovely Savannah, Georgia where I taught an Ownership Spirit seminar to the leaders of Anthem Education Group.  It was a pleasure to be there in the heart of the south (truth be told, I would have gone for the southern accents alone).  Meeting and working with the talented, dedicated educators and business leaders of Anthem Education made the training memorable and fulfilling.  I had the privilege of speaking to Anthem’s Circle of Excellence, which was made up of  leaders throughout the organization, who had excelled in their roles and were being honored for their contributions.

Anthem Education provides post-secondary education and job training and offers associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees.  Recently, along with other companies in their industry, Anthem has been under increasing pressures from economic and legislative forces resulting in new challenges to their goals and vision.  I spoke to these leaders about the critical role their own thoughts played in this process, and the vital importance of thinking and acting as an Owner when circumstances are especially challenging.

After the seminar I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Dr. Paul Bao, Vice President and Anthem’s Chief Academic Officer.  He was enthusiastic about the principles I shared during the seminar.  In speaking about some of  their current challenges, Dr. Bao mentioned that the Chinese word for “crisis” was made up of two characters, the first which means “danger” and the second which means “opportunity.”

I had heard this somewhere before, and was impressed with the insight it brought.  I also told him that I had come across something on the Internet that had debunked the idea.

He replied, “I am Chinese.  I was born in China and have taught there on the university level.  I am bilingual, fluent in both Chinese and English.  Those are the characters for ‘crisis.’”  I later received this email from him:

Dear Dr. Deaton,

It was a great pleasure meeting you today, and I enjoyed your seminar immensely and learned a lot. The dichotomy of Owner and Victim is an interesting approach and serves really well as a vehicle to convey your wonderful message. I have been trying to own my own thoughts and actions ever since I read Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits  and will try even harder after attending your seminar.

As promised,  here are the two Chinese characters for the word crisis:

  

The first character means danger and the second character means opportunity. It reflects some primitive dialecticism found in ancient Chinese culture, I suppose.

Sincerely,

Paul

Since then, I have reflected on the juxtaposition of these two ideas.  Danger and Opportunity.  They seem to be at odds with each other, a dichotomy as Dr. Bao says, and, at first, almost irreconcilable ideas within the same word.  And yet, in a concise and powerful way this character embodies the Owner/Victim choice perfectly.  In every “crisis” there are two ways of seeing ourselves:  1)  In danger — of failure, of embarrassment, of rejection, of falling flat, of losing everything or 2)  With opportunity — for success, for growth, for new ideas, for innovation, for stretching, for reaching previously unimagined destinations.

This is the very choice we face each and every day.  When we choose Victim-thinking, we see: Danger!  Fear!  Insurmountable Odds!  Failure as the Only Option!  In contrast, when we make the choice of Ownership, we see:  Opportunity!  Possibility!  A Previously Hidden Solution!  A Way to Make it Happen Anyway!  And just like in the Chinese character, these two ideas are both found in every choice we make.  They exist simultaneously in every new choice.  The determining factor then, is us.  When we see Opportunity rather than Danger, the circumstance (or crisis, if you will) hasn’t changed at all–the only thing that has changed is our perspective, Owner or Victim.

No matter what industry we work in, we all face challenges.  You, like me, probably can’t get through a day without hearing about the current economic crisis and how many ways it is hurting your organization.  (Danger!  Danger!!)  What Dr. Bao reinforced for me, once again, is that real power, real breakthroughs, real progress, all come when we remember that there simultaneously exists another choice (Opportunity!  Opportunity!!) if we will but look at our particular challenge in a different way.

I’m interested in your thoughts.

Rock-Solid Vision



Last week I went to St. George, Utah to teach a seminar sponsored by Dixie Applied Technical College.  I traveled with my wife, Susan, to the beautiful red rock country of southern Utah and had a marvelous time teaching and learning from the leaders of this small but dogged technical college.

The morning session was sponsored by Dixie ATC and they opened it to other community and business leaders in the area.  We had a nice-sized group, with good chemistry and energy.  In the afternoon, I met with twenty-one of Dixie ATC’s top leaders, mostly department and curriculum heads, and we did a session that was a combination of Ownership Spirit and Destination Thinking for Leaders, to set the foundation for their next destination.  I have rarely met with a more prepared group.  There was great feedback and discussion from the audience, who had all read the Ownership Spirit book.  We had a focused, pertinent discussion, with a group that has clearly made significant progress in changing their negative, unproductive thought patterns and these leaders had some great breakthroughs.

Dixie ATC’s current campus is spread across town in various leased buildings.  As we collaborated on creating a “new destination” for Dixie ATC, these leaders started to envision one vibrant campus with multiple, state-of-the-art buildings, a new student center, parking lots, and administrative offices.  The excitement for their future began to build.

Traditionally, the college has depended upon the state legislature to fund their programs and facilities.  About halfway through our session, one of the leaders shared the newly announced capital funding priority list by the Utah legislature.  There was good news and bad.  Dixie ATC was prioritized 9th on the funding list.  (The good news was that they were 9th, which stands a fairly good chance of being funded.  The bad news was that they were 9th, which also stands a reasonable possibility of not being funded.)

The remarkable thing was that as the excitement and energy for the new destination grew, these leaders started thinking like Owners.  They began to see many more steps they could take, beyond waiting for state funding, to make their vision come to fruition.  They generated plans about fundraising and donors, about setting up trusts and scholarships and grants by partnering with philanthropists in the community, and how they could improve the quality of their curriculum and student services whether they had new buildings or not.  They could see that there was a lot they could do, almost immediately, to stride forward to the realization of their vision.  Ultimately, their biggest breakthrough was the realization that by uniting their hearts, minds, and talents, they could reach their goals without excuses — that regardless of the economy, the state budget, the legislature’s priorities, the price of land, or anything else, Dixie ATC had someplace great to be.

It was an exhilarating privilege to witness the creation of a new creation and the increased power it brought to a team of leaders!

A few days later, I received an email from my college-age son.  He has recently set some high goals for himself and had a similar epiphany about getting to his own destination.  He wrote:

My attitude was such that I thought, “I’ll do my best to accomplish that goal, but [I have] no real intent of reaching the goal.”   The equivalent of saying I will go and do it…but I don’t really expect it to [happen].  I expect to die trying or come back home saying I did my best, but not actually accomplish it.  Long story short…I am now giving all [my] effort to achieve the goals as well as all [my] heart, which I’ve discovered is a little painful.  It’s easy to give all might, mind and strength but I’ve found it hard to give my heart.  Because if you give your heart, it hurts.

My son is right.  To really believe you can accomplish your lofty goals takes your whole heart, your whole commitment.  No excuses.

Whenever we create a new destination for ourselves or our organizations, it’s a little scary.  You’re suddenly working without a net.  And there can be a tendency to hold a piece back–a piece that says “I knew that couldn’t really happen,” a piece that prevents us from putting our full weight on the rope, as it were.  The trouble is, it’s that tiny, unbelieving piece that is keeping us from where we are and our “new destination.”  Thomas Hood said, “Half of the failures in life come from pulling one’s horse when he is leaping.”  To really get where we want to be, we have to go at our goal without excuses, with not only all of our talent and work ethic and skill, but also, with all of our hearts.

I’m interested in your thoughts.