Cultivating A Winner From Within: 8 steps to start a Revolution

Contact Steve

Cultivating A Winner From Within:
8 steps to start a Revolution

Table of Contents

Introduction

Step 1: Set Your Foundation

Step 2: Establish Your Goal

Step 3: Build A Coalition

Step 4: Manage The Change

Step 5: Increase Commitment

Step 6: Stay Focused And Organized

Step 7: Pass The Baton

Step 8: Celebrate And Unite

Appendix:

Analytic Outline
Lost At Sea Answers
Characteristics of A Healthy Revolution
Mantra Creation Worksheet

Introduction

Five minutes into my presentation on Dynamics of Customer Focus, a hand shoots up from the back of the room. The conference room is at what was formerly known as Comisky Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. It’s crowded, packed full, shoulder-to-shoulder with employees from a local manufacturing company sent here for me to teach them how to better take care of the customer. The owner of the company is not present, nor was he present at the first of these workshops for his employees a month ago. I am introducing the subject of the day, the reason we are here and why they are sitting on hard metal chairs around tables formed in a giant U: the more we do our jobs from the customers’ point of view, the more likely they are to buy from us and remain our loyal customers.

It makes sense.

Except to the guy in the back with his hand in the air. He usually sits in the back, chair tipped on two legs with his arms either crossed defiantly across his chest or lazily clasped on top of his head, a bored expression on his face, revealing he really has better things to do, like wash his car. Yet, he wishes to be heard, especially when the boss is not around.

I’ve been watching this one since I first walked in the room. Moses was how he introduced himself--a prophetic name, an ironic name in this instance, that I could not have made up on my own (I also had employees introduce themselves today as Elijah and Capt. Kirk, but I’m not sure, yet, how they will fit in to this scenario). His cap was on backwards. He hadn’t shaved in two days and his ponytail hung limply down the middle of his back.

“This one is going to be a trouble,” I begrudgingly thought to myself rather than about the subject of the seminar. I can most always spot the malcontent, the one in the room who never wants to go along, always giving his buddy next to him a poke in the ribs, asking inane questions that don’t pertain to the topic of the day such as, “When are we going on break?” and “Can I step out for a smoke?” They always have to go to the bathroom, cough the loudest and give more smirks and whispers than a second grade reading room. Moses was no different. Buckle your seatbelt. Here we go.

“You’re just wasting your breath.

We’ve been through all this before.

Nothing is ever going to change around here.”

Most every company I work with, teaching or giving a seminar, has several employees who will approach me, like spies in some dark secluded parking garage, their eyes twitching furtively from side-to-side, desperate not to get caught, and in varying forms and phrasing voice these same sentiments.

“Management will never change”

“They never let us give our opinion on anything.”

“They decide something and just drop it on us.”

“We need training, but all they do is hand us a new piece of equipment and say ‘figure it out.’ By the way, we’re going to start using it next week.”

“No one ever listens to us.”

“This all sounds good, but the bosses will never go for it, so it really doesn’t matter anyway.”

I hear the same version from the manager’s point of view, only it goes like this:

“Employees don’t care. They just want a paycheck.”

“I wish my people would support my decisions. It’s for their own good.”

“Things aren’t as simple as they think. It’s complicated.”

“Why can’t they just keep quiet and do the work.”

“Employees today just don’t care. Why can’t they be more committed to doing a better job? That’s how they’ll get a raise.”

At a company based in Seattle, I once gave my best effort at getting a group of employees to open up and talk, but they remained steadfast in their quiet and subdued responses. After three hours of cajoling them into reluctant participation, I stopped right in the middle of the workshop, actually right in the middle of a sentence, and said, “Okay, what’s going on here?”

Their heads snapped simultaneously to the front of the room and looked at me as if I had just landed from Mars, eyes wide, mouths gaped open. Now that I had their attention, I pressed on.

“Look, I do this for a living and I can tell something is terribly wrong here. You haven’t talked to each other once today. You seem not to care, yet I know you’re good people. What is it?”

Silence weighed heavy as they looked at each other around the room. Eyeball met eyeball. Stare met stare as if with one word, the commandant would burst in and drag the verbal offender away to be tortured and never seen again. In the future, they would respectfully whisper his name around the water cooler and home campfires as an example of what happens when you dare to speak up.

Finally, one brave soul glanced up and timidly raised his hand, taking a risk that the others could only dream about. The others looked at him with varying expressions of, “What courage. What gumption. What a stupid guy.”

“Do you see any management here? No. Do you know why? Because they sent us here to fix us. Nothing we say or do will ever change anything. So it just doesn’t matter.”

My heart broke with his words. These were good people. What little they did say indicated they were thoughtful and caring about their jobs, but over time had been sucked into a black hole of complacency and despondency.

“It just doesn’t matter.”

That one statement sums up the same thoughts expressed to me by hundreds of employees and managers alike as I give seminars meant to pump them up, get them motivated, and presumably work more productively. Instead, too often I get,

“It just doesn’t matter.”

It cuts to the core of why so many working in our companies have given up, going through the day on autopilot, punching out as the sun sets and moaning, “Give me my check. I’m going home.” A survey of American workers asked, “How many of you do not put any more effort into your job than is required to hold on to it?”

Answer - 50%

Another question, “How many of you are not working to your full potential?”

Answer - 75%

“It just doesn’t matter.”

So many working today feel anxiety about job security with layoffs, downsizing (right-sizing as it’s now termed) and businesses going out of business. “Are we next?” We have an increasing sense of helplessness and anger, even feelings of guilt, knowing we could do more, should do more, but have no apparent reason. We are feeling more and more disconnected from the human beings around us, at work, home and in our communities.

We work and work, yet, too often, the perception turns into fact that it doesn’t matter what we say or think or care to contribute about how to make things better, more efficient, more profitable -- no one pays any attention and, certainly, no one does anything about it.

Nothing will ever change.

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt like what you’re doing doesn’t really matter? No one wants to pitch in, take a stand, do something to make a difference?

We all have. You are not alone.

It’s a very difficult existence in which to live and work. It’s discouraging. We go home and kick the cat or yell at the kids. It’s frustrating. Depressing. Our well-intentioned contributions go unnoticed and, worse than ignored, they are dismissed as irrelevant by the simple phrase, “You don’t understand. It’s not that simple.”

If this describes just a fraction of how you feel, then now is the time to start a revolution. This book will give you the tools to make it happen. A personal and professional revolution that will truly make a difference in your life, the lives of your co-workers, your family and kids. There is no better time than right now -- today.

“Lots of people are accepting what everybody else tells them. There have to be people who try to look into the future and say, ‘Okay, I know everyone is operating on these premises now. But we’ve got to go another way’.”

With these words, Rudolf Giuliani took over as mayor of New York City--at that time, a sess-pool of drugs, welfare and rampant crime. Tourists feared walking down Broadway, hookers and homeless owned Times Square. Rudolf could have said, “It doesn’t matter. Nothing will change.” But instead he said, “We’ve got to go another way.”

You may or may not wish to attempt this, yet, you feel you have no choice. You are either going to start a personal and professional revolution of positive change or slowly die brain-dead over the next 30 years. I don’t want to see that happen. You have too much to give to your coworkers, your families and to yourself. There are future generations, even now, imploring you not to give up, but to find a way to make this positive change happen.

Back in Chicago, back at Comisky Park, in that stuffy, crowded conference room, this is how I answered Moses to his defiant pronouncement, “You’re just wasting your breath.”

“I’m not wasting my breath because YOU can make a difference in the exact same job that you’re doing. TOMORROW can be better than TODAY if you take the skills I am about to teach you, practice them, learn them and teach them to your coworkers. If everyone in this room said I was wasting my breath, except one person who said he’d try, then I have not wasted my breath. One person with hope and skill and the desire to make a change for the better is more powerful than a hundred complacent people who don’t give a damn. It’s now YOUR choice. Will it be YOU who makes the difference or YOU who will be left behind?”

The room went flat with a deafening silence. Moses was quiet, but his eyes were glued to mine. He didn’t blink, balk or flinch at my challenge. He was ready. I could see it. He was ready to take my message to heart and start a revolution of positive change. What I didn’t know was how ready he was. A mere 24 hours later, he sidled up to me at the beginning of class, a sly smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.

“I thought about what you said. I can already feel my attitude changing. I feel differently about my boss, about my work and myself. I’m looking forward to today.” He took his seat in the back. Same backwards hat, same limp ponytail, but a new expression on his face -- serene intentness. His pen was out, workbook open, he was ready to learn how to start a revolution.

Moses was about to lead his people, one more time, through history.

The principles outlined in this book will give you the tools and skills necessary to start a revolution. By reading them, you are also giving the first sign you have the desire, the heart and passion to make it happen. You will need to practice these principles, one at a time. Make them a part of your day, your thinking, and the way you go about your daily tasks.

You can start a revolution at work, bringing positive change, beginning with your own professional habits and attitudes.

You can start a revolution within in your department as a shop worker, receptionist, shipping clerk--any position within your company.

You can start a revolution as a manager or supervisor, guiding the people you are responsible for into a better, more productive working environment.

You can start a revolution with your kids.

You can start a revolution within your church, as pastor or parishioner.

You can start a revolution in your volunteer board meetings.

You can start a revolution within your community agencies, profit or not-for-profit.

You can start a revolution without anyone’s approval or permission.

You can start a revolution of positive change by cultivating a winner from within, beginning with yourself and extending outward through your circle of influence at work, family and neighborhood. Negative circumstances don’t have to stop you. We could say, “I can’t afford it. I don’t have time. No one will listen to me.” Or we can adhere to the words of Maya Angelou:

“I can be changed by what happens to me. I refuse to be reduced by it.”

We’ll begin with Chapter One, “Set Your Foundation.” These steps will set the tone and direction for all your actions to follow. . .

Chapter Two is “Establish Your Goal.” What is it you wish to accomplish? . . .

Chapter Three is “Build A Coalition.” How to draw others into your revolution of positive change . . .

Chapter Four is “Deal With Change.” The responses you’ll receive to this type of change . . .

Chapter Five is “Increase Commitment” to build commit-ment so that others will take the revolution to heart . . .

Chapter Six, “Stay Focused and Organized,” will give you suggestions on how to stay focused on the important tasks and not be distracted by minor issues and irritants . . .

Chapter 7, “Pass the Baton,” will teach you how to teach others, how to pass the message on so the revolution continues to grow and expand . . .

Chapter 8, “Celebrate and Unite,” is the celebration--the importance to you and others of reward and commemoration of your successes.

Resources at the end will analytically move you step-by-step through the process in linear form for those who like to see the big picture of how to accomplish your revolution in order.

We will move through each step in a systematic fashion so that you can apply the principles immediately after reading them. Each chapter will end with a summary of the action steps needed to accomplish that specific principle.

I would encourage you to read the entire book to the end so you see the whole picture of what you are moving through and towards. Get a feel for the process and its component action steps. Once you have read the book through, highlighting or underlining those parts that are most relevant to what you can do RIGHT NOW, go back to chapter one and re-read the principle. Do that principle for the next week. Review your progress and then reread chapter two. Do that principle for the next week, review your progress and continue on. Do this chapter by chapter and, at the end of eight weeks, you will be amazed at your own increased influence and power. You’ll be amazed at how your credibility and stature has risen among those you are in contact with, including management. You’ll surprise yourself at how things really CAN change if you apply the eight steps to start a revolution.

If you are a supervisor, manager, CEO or owner of a company, these principles will give you the road map to building an effective and productive team of people who WANT to be part of a positive revolution. I’ve seen, heard about, and have participated in team building seminars that, in the end, are superficial and ineffectual. They are based on “U-rah-rah” feel good techniques including half-hearted expressions that “everyone is a part of this family” and “everyone needs to be involved,” when the truth is you don’t really mean it, especially with those with whom you have no desire to associate. After a month of trying a few of these techniques, halfhearted team meetings and handwritten posters extolling the virtue of “Everyone Counts,” it goes back to an environment of not caring, not listening, uninvolved complacency. The problem is, every time you attempt some form of change and it’s unsuccessful, it becomes that much harder when something real and meaningful comes along.

These principles will help you create commitment on the part of those you are supervising. Applying these principles can transform a company culture -- one person at a time. When first attempting these principles, you may receive the same type of response as in the past: “We’ve heard it before. Blah, blah, blah. Things will be back to normal shortly.”

That is when you need to be consistent and persistent. Keep this book handy. Reread the portions where you need encouragement. Some will never believe you. But many will see that you are sincere, will follow your example, and contribute their own talents and influences to cultivating a winner from within.

Can you really make a difference? Can one individual show a better way for others to follow?

“The little difference in your life can make all the difference in your life.”

Yes, you can. But it requires a positive change on your part. You will think new thoughts and speak different words.
You will say “Yes . . . and “ rather than “Yes . . . but.”
You will say “What if . . .” rather than telling someone “Here is what you need to do.”
You will say “What would it take to . . .” rather than “Don’t screw up again.”
You will give before you take.
You will produce before you consume.
You will Revive, no longer living just to Survive.

This won’t happen overnight, but you will see results within days. Your personal and professional revolution will be like tending the branches of a new vineyard. In the first year, the grape harvest is only 20% of what the second and third year produce. That’s a phenomenal increase, more than you can imagine! But only if you tend to the branches today. If left to themselves, they will fall to the ground and rot. No fruit. No harvest.

This book will show you how to tend your vineyard, coax the grapes to grow and flourish, create something new and exciting, something you can be proud of and pass on to future generations. Produce something your kids can use and find beneficial in their own lives, and your grandkids and generations to follow.

This is that revolution.

The positive change may be needed in your personal life. You need different results than what you’ve been getting. Make a change . . this book will show you how.

Maybe it’s your professional life, at your work. You’re struggling to get your employees or coworkers involved and work to their full potential. This book will show you how to increase commitment and involvement.

You may be a line worker, accountant, customer service representative, salesman or warehouseman. You have a desire to make a difference, but you don’t know how. You don’t have the title or position of authority, so how do you make changes, make something happen . . .start a revolution to make things better? This book will show you the way.

You might be leading a church or a board of directors for a volunteer agency. How can you create and expect revolutionary change when there isn’t any obligation on their part to follow you? How can you motivate people to give their all and raise the level of their accomplishment? This book will guide you to the answers you need.

Your prayer will parallel the prayer of Jabez, an Old Testament warrior who cried to the God of Israel:

“Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory. That your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil that I may not cause pain.”

This is your chance, possibly your one opportunity.

This is your time to cultivate a winner from within.

Take the first step.

Turn the page.

Start a revolution.