Get Momentum members around the world are study such Momentum Themes as: “Connection: Building Meaningful Relationships.”
Click here to see an overview…
Please accept this video invitation to join together and meet for a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate as you start your day. See you soon!
For the “up to date” schedule of #CoffeeChat events worldwide, check out this page…
Your routine…does it work for you?
When it comes to achieving measurable goals, this means we tend to do what we’ve always done, how we’ve always done it, in the same order as always. That is “routine.” This also goes for our habits when working in teams. You’ve probably been working with your team long enough to feel like you know what to expect from them. You’ve developed habitual patterns in the way you interact together; you know their routine. And probably, the feeling is mutual: They know yours.
Maybe it’s time to shake up those impressions.
To be a better leading manager and/or a more successful entrepreneur, it’s important to take risks and introduce needed improvements. This often means identifying what’s working and what needs improvement. Sometimes discovering those specifics is as simple as asking three questions:
1. What habits have gotten you where you are today?
2. What habits may be holding you back from reaching your next desired accomplishments?
3. Is it time to ask for feedback?
Taking a close look at your habits provides wonderful insight into what has worked so far. It allows you to make conscious changes. My friend and mentor, Marshall Goldsmith, wrote a book whose title says it all: What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
What habits are you currently using that might be keeping you from reaching your next level of accomplishments? Here are a few places to start:
Do you start meetings on time?
Do you listen to comments fully without interrupting?
Do you ask clarifying questions?
Do you look at the person talking or keep your eyes on your digital device?
Do you offer acknowledgement for a job well done or for new ideas?
What routine have you gotten into that serve you well? What habits need to be changed to help you move forward? Next, ask yourself what you’re doing that is getting in the way of achieving your goals.
I know a successful boutique owner/local entrepreneur who recently realized she was using the first hour of her day to try and catch up on email and touch all her social media profiles. As a five-day experiment one week, she focused instead for that one hour in the morning only on reaching out to new vendors to support the business. This one simple change allowed her to move her next product launch date up by three full weeks.
One way to discover what is and isn’t working well when it comes to your habits is to ask for feedback from those around you. Asking for feedback won’t signal that something is wrong. Rather, it shows you are open to new ideas and approaches. Asking for feedback can also fast-track your efforts. Feedback can maximize your focus, energy and time so that you get more of the right things done. Time and again, I’ve seen how entrepreneurs who were doing fairly well managed to supersize their productivity and get even more out of their day and efforts simply by being receptive to a bit of feedback.
To know if your habits are working or not, clearly define the results you want. When you fully understand what you want to accomplish, you can reflect on how your actions over the past few hours, days or weeks can get you closer to your goal.
The best you will ever do is what you say you’ll do. Then, use everything you can to make it possible.
— Jason W. Womack (@JasonWomack) May 25, 2014
Jodi interviewed Debbie Godfrey, a good friend and parenting expert to discuss 3 Communication Tools to help you to communicate better by:
(1) overcoming power struggles
(2) rebuilding trust and
(3) cleaning up toxic environments full of hurt and meanness.
Whether you’re struggling with children (or people acting like children), watch their 15 minute video interview to get the tools you need to improve the quality of relationships today.
(click on the image above to start the video)
Notes:
1. POWER STRUGGLES come from people feeling out of control and without power. Consider Debbie’s contradictory advice. Ask yourself:
“How do I give this person MORE power right now?“
By creating an area that the person has control over, you’ll build your relationship and their self-esteem.
Note: Rules without Relationships = Rebellion
2. Create GEMs every day! How do you build trust and build up the relationship along the way?
G.E.M. = Genuine Encounter Moments.
This means you give 100% of your focused attention to the person for the duration of the conversation. Make eye contact. Sit with the person. Approximately 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Once a day, everyday. At least 1 GEM per person per day. This means you’re not on the phone, texting, emailing or any other activity during your GEM. Prioritize communicating with children. Invest in the relationship. Build the trust, credibility, listening skills and rapport along the way. Keep your word!
If you say you’ll talk in 10 minutes, (set an alarm - that’s my tip!) and be on time for them.
3. Beware: the Goal of Revenge. When people are hurt and want to hurt you back. When kids say, “You’re mean. I don’t like you. I hate you.” They’re hurt and trying to make you feel the same way. This person is discouraged. The only way he’s getting needs met is to make you feel the same kind of pain. *Postpone discipline and corrective measures.* It’s time to connect and rebuild the trust in the relationship. Give 100% attention, see the world through their eyes.
Note: Mind Trust Agreement
Deal with the person you’re having an issue with directly. Don’t gossip. Don’t talk behind their back. Commit to the Agreement to build the integrity of the relationship.
Debbie hosts free Positive Parenting calls. Check out her website to get notifications for upcoming calls: www.PostiveParenting.com
For more information about joining Get Momentum, click here to see the benefits of becoming a member.
Years ago, I realized I had “too much” coming in. Emails, phone calls, meetings, client events, magazine subscriptions, books, audio books, podcasts…Oh my goodness it was just too much! I remember making a list once of everything I thought I needed to be looking at/listening to/getting/learning each month. Once, it equaled 97 hours of “work” in a single month. That was when things changed…
I recently invited people in the Get Momentum and the The Jason Womack Company communities to unsubscribe from our messages
I know that sometimes people sign up for things, and then later on they realize/recognize that they no longer looked at that information, the no longer needed it, or they no longer liked it. Don’t worry, I’ll always be here, offering SOMEthing you’ll be able to use. So, visit from time to time!
Do you ever get frustrated with the people you work with? In your mind, you’ve explained the situation perfectly clear but they just don’t understand. Review how the 3 different communication and learning styles impact your workflow and test another style to see if it creates better results with your team. (Read about Get Momentum below if you want to learn even more about effective communication this month.)
If you’d like to listen to a podcast I recorded, click here, and scroll ALL the way to the bottom of the page, to podcast number 001: “Know your working styles.”
Know your working styles
By understanding HOW people learn, it’s easier to get them the information they need, in the form they need it in. When you study the “cues” of these 3 learning styles, you’ll be able to improve your workflow process and productivity. Make little adjustments in how you get information to potential clients, how you work with your team, and even how you relate to your family, and you’ll notice the big results.
We ALL use ALL 3 learning/working styles, but we have strengths and preferences. By identifying the preferences that make it EASIER for your team to engage, you’ll get more done, faster. The more I learn about this, the more I customize my message for clients based on the subtle hints they give.
The 3 main working/learning styles are:
1. Kinesthetic
2. Auditory
3. Visual
1. “I GET IT”
I knew I was a kinesthetic learner as soon as I started to research this aptitude. When I work, I move. When I’m in meetings, I move. I tap my pen, I bounce my knee. When I’m on a conference call, I walk. Another term for this is “Sensory.” If I assess a client to be kinesthetic (sensory) too, I’ll FedEx them a package with lots of materials to touch. That way, it’s REAL to them. It’s tangible.
Download the Learning and Communication Styles PDF. Review, print, and take notes that you can use immediately.
2. “OH, I HEAR YOU”
Think about what happens when you’re on the phone or in a meeting with someone, and they tell you something you think you should remember later on. If you have strong auditory skills, you’ll hear something once and it will go in and stay. On the other hand, if you know that just listening to something isn’t enough to remember it later on, you may be a bit weaker in that skill.
If you’re an Audio Learner, you may prefer to listen to this information in my podcast. Here’s a link to my very first podcast, which happens to be on this very topic of Learning Styles. It’s a 7-minute audio file. We’re celebrating the 150th episode of Your Best Just Got Better podcast episodes this week. Subscribe to the FREE podcast and listen to business and professional skills topics I discuss regularly.
3. “AH, I SEE WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT”
Ok, and finally, the visual strength. People who I work with who are strong visual learners are the ones that “see it before it’s able to be seen.” One of my favorite cues is when people on the phone say, “Oh, I see what you mean.” And it’s true, they’re seeing it in their mind’s eye. Make sure to follow up with these people with something visual like a mind map, a picture of the white board notes, even a 1-page PowerPoint slide. SOMETHING they can visual see.
If you’re a Visual Learner, I’ve attached a 1-page summary on Learning Styles below. You’re also welcome to share it with your team. I recommend you print it out and keep it out on your desk for 5 days (as a 5 Day Experiment <— there’s a video). Make an effort to look for the cues, as you’re on the phone, when responding to emails, and sitting in meetings. Remember to customize your message to the style of the person you’re communicating with so you do it more effectively AND efficiently.
Do yourself a favor and support yourself with more information from the learning style that fits you best. “Reading a book” can now take many shapes like listening to it via audio books, attending a conference/workshop with the author, watching their videos online, reading their books and PDFs on an e-reader, or even holding the actual paper copy and turning the pages (kinesthetic, old-school, I know!).
If you found this research on Learning Styles valuable, register for the Get Momentum coaching program and learn the critical success factors of communication, leadership and time-management. Every month, you’ll improve your management skills and aptitude on one specific theme as you develop yourself as an effective executive and productive leader. In fact, the May, 2014 theme is “Effective Communication.” Learn to manage meetings more effectively, plan more efficiently, communicate more clearly, and get more done. You’ll learn alongside a virtual community of the world’s most successful people who are focused on professional development and personal improvement, just like you. Each month, you’ll study one “Module of Momentum.” For 2-3 hours a month via online seminars, videos, PDF reports and bonus articles, you’ll learn how to improve your mindset, skill set and tool kit of productively getting the right things done. For more information, visit www.getmomentum.com If you are a “lifelong learner,” click here…
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