Finding Inspiration in Speech

I took a moment the other day to attend the Bankcorp Toastmasters meeting on my lunch hour.  I was fortunate enough to be a member during my employment at Bank of Hawaii and felt excited and almost a little nervous to attend.

Nervous you say?  Things always change and think that there's a little uncertainty that always questions whether the good things are still there, those aspects you enjoyed, made you excited to be part of something bigger than your own self.

An hour later, with many smiles shared and even a few good laughs, I slowly made my way back to work with a hightened sense of energy pulsing through me. What I couldn't help feeling as I left the building on the beautiful afternoon was summed up in one word:

My hour was spent surrounded by a group of individuals who remain motivated to build something bigger and better out of not only themselves but also each other.  The passion they conducted their roles with overflowed to each and every audience member.  They share personal insights that speaks to the volume of trust within the small room.

And on top of that, their topics included ways of building the membership, the club, the business and even their own personal and family lives.  It's amazing how small activities that force you to reflect, challenge and push yourself to explore new horizons actually fosters this grass roots effort to boost the entire organization to a higher platform!

Often in my speeches I refer to an element of PASSION - everyone has some, the trick is to understand your passion and find an outlet where you can share it.  When you speak from the heart, you share your passion with others in a way that connects emotionally, not just mentally.  From here you have built the foundation for a great relationship with those other people.  Imagine if you infuse this into your daily activities, particularly the work place.  The BA that is passionate about helping others, understanding issues and overcoming obstacles, can be so positively energetic that business owners clamor for the BA's assistance.

How are you sharing your passion and building positive connections with others?

Changing Habits

Chanaging Habits

It's not What you do, it's HOW you do it...

     How do you teach Innovation?  How do you help the manager assigned the most challenging position of his career, as articulated here by Doss (Forbes, 2013)?  Innovators in business must address both sides of the coin - change culture while providing results to keep the business not only afloat, but ahead of its competitors.

   The trick - don't teach something, get them to CHANGE.  If you change habits, these are longer lasting tools that can help them solve any problem, regardless if it's an innovative change or the daily work log.  And don't just let them change at work - encourage them to change at home so that innovative approaches are constantly looked for and not just a 'hat' they have to wear when they come to work.

Consider the following:

• Currently: Presume what people want
• Try: Asking for Feedback
• Currently: Say why we can't do something
• Try: Asking "How Might We....?"
• Currently: Decide "no" without asking first
• Try: Hearing them out before judging
• Currently: Do it because it's always been done that way
• Try: Asking Why?
• Currently: Quickly (and often harshly) criticize and idea that was shared
• Try: Thanking people for sharing ideas regardless of outcome
• Currently: Work in stovepipes
• Try: Radical collaboration - get people completely outside the project for their insights
• Currently: Avoid Risks
• Try: Valuing Rewards - rather than focusing on risks
• Currently: Too busy for Training
• Try: Making time to improve - even if a few minutes a day
• Currently: Direct/Assign Change
• Try: Participating - this may be more motivating to others than you realize

Habits to do:

• Reward yourself for doing something different - even if it's just a self-pat on the back, celebrate!


• Excite - yourself and other.  Things are always easier when people are motivated, even if a mundane task, make it out to be the change of the century.  Motivated and happy workers are hard workers!


• Try, Try, Try - do not let one 'no' take hold.  While eventually one items should come to fruition, the more you try, the more others see you and you then encourage them to try - this is greater organizational change than teaching people to try testing items first.

A few thoughts but if you make them habits, you become an approachable person with a mind to not solve problems, but to provide solutions as you consider that there might always be an option - this makes you a valued team member in any organization!

It's Not What You Do, it's HOW You Do It

Attitude is everything!

In a few days, I've heard people tell me that they love my attitude, even one person "admired my positive attitude and upbeat optimism."  That only puts more spring into my step!  When you enjoy what you do it makes it easy to move forward, to press on in the face of opposition and overcome those barriers, innate or forced.

I just finished Tim Brown's Change by Design and how they use Design Thinking to change organization's approaches to create truly successful products, marketing campaigns, business strategies and even the organization themselves.  Have an open mind to consider What's Possible...being interested to TRY...being EXCITED to be part of a new idea - these ideas seemed to resonate as you read the stories of how IDEO looked at 'problems' and turned them into 'opportunities.'  After reading it, I considered my attitude and what are those elements that are critical to successful organizational change.

1. Understanding: With the Bank, we're focused on bottom lines, on the numbers, the revenue, the customer profitability - but what about the WHY?  There are people here for 30+ years - what makes their work so fascinating that they want to continue to do it day after day?  Listen to their stories - get their empathy and understand what appeals to them.  Find that idea and share it with them.

2. Motivate: Now you know their secrets - get them EXCITED!  They already like the concept, so continue to do anything that makes it seems exciting!  Take operations - day-to-day job, and now you're going to improve a process by making small changes.  The person still does the same job everyday, same results, but now they save themselves 10 minutes a day.  When you share this is 50 minutes a week, over 3 hours a month and then almost a full WEEK of work by the end of the first year - think how much other stuff you can do!  Now their skills are excited and ready and willing to be applied to the project.

3. Continue to Drive: We've all seen the exciting presentation, everyone all 'amped up' afterwards, but then not even a week later, things are back to how they were, no changes.  Your job as lead cheerleader is also to continue to drive to completion.  Don't let it languish, highlight those milestones and keep everyone moving!  And the biggest thing - don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!  Ask what you can do to help!  This only motivates others when they see you, busy as you are, wanting to help them!

4. Celebrate: Everything can be celebrated!  But it's that coming back and touching those points that people remember.  And celebrate in front of others!  You should always praise in public (remember the introverts and not over do it!), but more importantly do it often!  Not just when the project finishes but throughout the process.  Using people's names and celebrating their efforts is what's remembered that you'll have a loyal following for your next innovative effort!

Do you have other ways you keep that positive attitude and drive forward changes in your innovations?  Would love to hear the stories!