Living the Rewards
wer
the po of
GRIT
, an Hefner nselor By Jonath Financial Cou REALiving
“Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge
In 1991, Track and Field magazine declared Olympic medalist Carl Lewis “the greatest athlete ever to set foot on track or field.” Indeed Lewis’ achievements at that time were impressive and would continue to be so long after his retirement. He was already a recordsetting high school and college athlete, and became a household name during the 1984 Olympics in which he won four gold medals. Spurred on, in part, by the colorful rivalry between him and Canadian opponent Ben Johnson, Lewis would go on to win six more Olympic gold medals. He would continue to break track and field records well into his thirties, long after most track athletes hang up their running shoes. Scientists often study the lives of high-achieving individuals like Lewis in an attempt to understand the boundaries of human achievement and accomplishment. However, for every gifted individual like Lewis who achieves great things, there are equally or comparably gifted individuals who never come near the same level of achievement. Conversely, there are moderately talented individuals who attain goals far beyond what any would have expected of them. What accounts for this difference in performance and how do the high achievers unleash abilities in a way that less successful individuals do not? Researchers Angela Duckworth and Christopher Peterson offer an explanation for this disparity based on their study of perseverance or what they call ‘grit.’ In their study, Duckworth and Peterson surveyed high achieving individuals from the fields of medicine, academia, journalism, banking and law. Factoring in the influence that age, intelligence, and opportunity can have on achievement, they attempted to boil high achievement down into its most core components. Here are their findings:
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IQ tends to influence achievement but just being smart doesn’t guarantee high achievement. High achievers combine the IQ that they have with perseverance in order to be successful. Individuals with moderate or average levels of talent may out-achieve more gifted peers by avoiding distraction and remaining focused on their goals. Self-control is not particularly a predictor of achievement but finishing a task at hand is. High achievers establish personal long-term objectives and do not swerve from them even when they face opposition. Grit tends to grow with age as we learn that sticking with something make success more likely. Level of education only mildly influences grit – those with Associates degrees tend to have higher grit than those with BAs.
In general, Duckworth and Peterson found that those who accomplish significant things in life are those who choose goals in keeping with their gifts and passions, pursue their goals faithfully until accomplished, and do not allow themselves to be distracted. What some high achievers may lack in IQ or opportunity they can often make up through perseverance and determination, often surpassing their more intelligent or more educated peers. This was one element of Carl Lewis’ success – despite setbacks, disappointments, competition, age, and criticism; he never wavered from pursuing his dream to be a world champion. Achievement is ultimately not just about talent but also about effort, tenacity, focus, and never-give-up grit. Incontrovertibly, it is up to each and every one of us to dig within, and find the grit needed to realize our dreams. Through this, we can become the REAL people we want to be.
REALiving.com Summer 2012
Be Inspired... by the BEST. by Holly Hakes, MS
Meet:
Dr. Steve Kristo
co-owner & orthondontist of Kristo Orthodontics
In the Chippewa Valley, many people are familiar with Dr. Steve Kristo. Long before I ever brought my children to Dr. Kristo for orthodontic care, I was familiar with him for his charitable contributions. Those contributions, and his support of youth in our communities, lead me to believe that Dr. Kristo was a person who “walked the walk,” and conducted himself in a fashion consistent with that of his passion and values. I was curious about him as both a business and community leader. In considering individuals to be featured in this article, and who would serve as a source of inspiration to our “striving-for-the-best” readers, I was interested in learning more about Dr. Kristo. Kristo Orthondontics was started in 1959 by Steve’s father, the original Dr. Kristo! Steve has two older brothers, and they were all involved in helping with the family business. Steve was the person who set his sights on following in his father’s footsteps, and aspired to join in the family business. Steve graduated from dental school in 1986 and orthodontic school in 1988. Two days after graduation from orthodontic school, Dr. Steve Kristo started at Kristo Orthodontics.
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REALiving.com Summer 2012
motivate your team?
You could easily sit down and let your mind consume you with worrisome thoughts (at least I could!). Worrying can cause things to become unorganized and chaotic, because your focus is on what can’t be changed, not what can be changed. Having your home, office, and more importantly you organized, can help stop the worry.
Worry Banwiitshh tion! niza
Orga
Giving you too many ideas and suggestions at one time will, in a word, overwhelm you. I don’t want that! Here are a few ideas to start with: Family Planning Time - For me, this day of the week is on Sunday. I carve out a chunk of time for the whole family to sit down together to discuss upcoming events for the week. This is especially important for our children so they understand what’s on the “menu” for the week with regard to the activities/events/ plans. When they know what’s going on, not only are they able to help, but it helps them stay organized and focused which helps me stay organized. Are there any special school events this week? Does everyone have their piano lesson material together? Softball practice is every night this week - where are their gloves?? This planning time allows for open discussion about what each parent’s work plans are, allowing for schedule changes and eliminating surprises!
Find Your Groove - Create a daily routine. This applies for home as well as work. There’s a sense of cohesion about a daily routine which brings about organization, and ultimately, no worries. With any kind of routine, you will know when you’ve missed a step, or something appears “off”. We all have good intentions, and when we don’t follow through, it feels unsettling. Find what works for you, and get your groove on! Get it Off The Brain - Write it down! I have to admit, I have many random pieces of paper with notes or reminders of people to call, things to do, or projects to finish. The longer a “to-do item” stays in my brain “stewing”, the more anxious and worried I become completing it (and everything else). My release is that I quickly write it down, imparting a feeling of security in knowing I have a piece of paper I can return to. When I’ve completed a task from my list, I joyfully cross it off, and there’s complete satisfaction in that! Toning/Organize Your Day - This is probably one of the most integral pieces to successfully banishing daily worries: allowing oneself a chunk of alone time each day. The objective of this time is to think through what you want to accomplish for the day, and how you’ll do it. For me, I’m more successful and at my BEST when I can start my day before anyone in the house is awake. This time alone allows me to think clearly about, and be fully engaged in, the day ahead. Use this list, do one thing different by trying one in your life, and see what happens. Does it help reduce worry? Did it bring some calm to what might otherwise be chaos? Let me know how it goes (BEST@REALiving.com), and next time, I’ll give you four more ideas. Summer 2012 REALiving.com
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How do you lead when times are Difficult? by Cynthia M. Smith, MBA
When times are good, leading is exciting. Resources like time and money are plentiful, and opportunities seem to be everywhere. However, when times turn more difficult, and conditions become more challenging, the excitement and positive energy you and your employees once felt may weaken, replaced with worries and fears. This presents a major challenge for leaders who need to keep their employees motivated and productive. As a leader, you can help your employees by showing them how to liberate themselves from fear itself. In reality fear is everywhere. It is a barrier to the ultimate realization of your true potential and power. However, you can learn to face it head on, and deal with it in a constructive manner. The first step to liberating yourself from fear is to be present in the moment. The mind loves to think about our past experiences, and projects those experiences into the future. That can cause trepidation when you have to make a decision similar to one you have made in the past. By being cognizant of your previous decisions, and by making a concerted effort to avoid the mistakes you made in the first attempt, you can conquer your fear through success. Learning from past mistakes, and applying said lessons to the present is a great way to overcome the fear of failure.
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REALiving.com Summer 2012
Now, very honestly, let’s think about what you are really afraid of. Let’s say for example, that you are afraid of public speaking. Are you afraid you will mess up your words? Are you afraid others will judge you and be critical? Subsequently, let’s look at what the possible outcomes would be. What would it mean if you messed up your words? Honestly, probably not much. It would not define who you are, or your worthiness as a person. Inquiring into the root of your fear, you will discover that, by and large, it is quite insubstantial. One of the best ways to overcome fear is to confront the fear head on. When you do the thing you are afraid of doing, you will see that it was never as “bad” as you once thought. In fact, you will feel much more empowered, because the fear has lost some of its power over you. The more you do the thing you fear, the easier it gets. That is not to say that you will never feel the emotion of fear, you will, but let yourself feel the emotion, release it, and move forward. Trust yourself enough to know you can, and will, move through whatever you are afraid of. While fear limits our potential, facing our fears allows us to expand and connect with our real best self. So why not try facing one of your fears and see what happens…I bet it will be good!
Spring 2012 Vol. 1 Issue 1
Inside:
Your best when... BALANCED. Holly Hakes: REALiving going REAL big! Super Power: Have you tried it?
Dave Barnard: Be
Inspired
by the BEST.
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Champions
April 2012
of people
The POWER of POSITIVE Feedback
As a champion of people, your number one responsibility is to coach your employees to execu te a winning game plan. Really, you are not that different than an NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB head coach ! Well, perhaps a little less famous, but still, your goals are the same - execu te championship-level performance.
What role does positive feedb ack have in that? In professional sports you can see a lot of “feedback” is given; however, even in the world of highly paid professional sports, timely, positive reinforcement is power ful. You’ve seen it - the “high five,” the “fist-pump” and the other non-ve rbal communication between coach es and athletes that say “nicely done.” These athletes have hundreds of thousands of dollars available in incentive payment, and yet, you’ll hear them talk as retired player s about the memory and value of that positive word, non-verbal, or gesture . As the champion, you have the opportunity to provide this positiv e feedback to your team, but why should you? You are probably all familiar with the work of B.F. Skinne r, the world famous behaviorist, who taught the world that the performance of a human being can be shaped. Conduct can be reinforced either positively (e.g. praise after a behavior is perform ed) or negatively (e.g. something removed or avoided after a behav ior is performed). Introducing something positive, to reinforce performance that fits into your championship game plan, is not only smart management, its fun! Try the very simple first. After you see something that you know is great, immediately go talk to that person, either face-to-face or via phone, and deliver a person al commendation of their perform ance. Be sure to tell them specifically what you liked about it, how you feel about it as their supervisor,
and thank them for the hard work they are putting into meeting and exceeding job expectations! That will do three things: 1) specifically reinforce the behavior you want to build, 2) personalize and cultiva te the relationship between the two of you, and 3) illustrate a value of gratitude for continued excelle nce the employee exhibits in the future. There are hundreds of other ways to positively reward employees. 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, by Bob Nelson, lists, well, 1001 ways you can do it! This book lists reinforcemen ts that are free, like the idea illustrat ed above. There are also suggestions for low cost reinforcement, compensation strategies to build performance, formal award programs, team building activiti es, and even the most simple of homemade suggestions (choco late chip cookies anyone?). As a champion of people, your number one responsibility is to coach your employees to execu te a winning game plan. It is your JOB to build and develop their skills, and enhance their performance. When an employee fails to achiev e, while it may be easy to blame the employee for that, really, you have to point the finger at yourself and ask tough questions about your performance as a champion. Did you provide feedback meant to shape the employees behavior? Were you timely with your feedb ack? Were you clear and specific? Did the employee understand you? How do you know that? It’s easy to look back and analyz e what went wrong, but it’s much harder to see what helps things go right. Positive feedback is a powerful component of the metho ds that result in things going right. Incorporate it into your every day coaching strategy, and watch your team execute the game plan like champions!
Positive feedback ideas from “1001 Ways to Reward Employees,” by Bob Nelson : •
Call an employee into your office just to thank him or her; don’t discuss any other issue.
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Post a thank you note on the employee’s office door.
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Buy lunch for the person and three co-workers of his/her choice.
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Find out the persons hobby and give an appropriate gift.
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When you hear a positive remark about an individual, repeat it to that person as soon as possible.
“Good thoughts not delivered mean squat.” ~ Kenneth Blanchard, Author and management consultant
COMING NEXT MONTH: Did the employee understand you? How do you know? Provided by your EAP provider, REALiving, LLC, a division of Aurora Community Services. www.EAP.AuroraServices.com
heart to heart: A transformation from worry to wisdom.