Increasing Expectation Positively!

By Richard Gorham

At your next staff meeting lead your team through the following discussion and exercise.

This exercise is focused on getting people to perceive things positively. The exercise goes like this:

Make the point to your team that they have the power to perceive virtually all things either from a positive or negative perspective.

Lead a discussion asking for attendees to offer up negative circumstances resulting from a well-known tragedy.

As an example let's consider the tragedy involving the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Creating this "list of negatives" will come easily for the participants given the nature of the disaster. For example: The loss of life, the potential effects for radiation on the ground, the devastating blow to the space program, the children and families effected by the loss of loved ones, etc.

In the interest of time and keeping your entire team fully engaged, make the list no longer than 8-10 items.

Next, ask the group to come up with a list of positive outcomes from this experience.

(Hint: This will actually be more difficult for the group because it is hard to voice optimism when talking about personal tragedy. However, you can offer up a few of your own ideas to get people started thinking from a different point of view.)

For instance some positive outcomes are:

- The space program will learn from this disaster and become even more safe for future flights - thus saving countless lives.

- The nation came together from the crisis, which is good for the solidarity of our country.

- The family members will remember their deceased as American Heroes and throughout history their family will take pride in his/her commitment to space exploration.

- The focus on the tragedy from the national media will inspire a new generation of space enthusiasts. Perhaps a child will become the greatest space explorer of all time as a result.

Now, challenge your team to come up with 5 additional positive outcomes. You will be surprised now by their creativity and renewed vision for what is possible.

Lastly, go through the exact same exercise. This time however, choose the following topic appropriate to your own business. Here's the challenge:

"Revising our production goals UP by an additional 15%."

After going through the negatives first (limit the list to only 5 items), then go through the positives, and allow your team to have a lengthy discussion on HOW this 15% production increase will be achieved. In effect, let them create a mini action plan.

Once the group has agreed on how to increase the production by 15% you can ever-so-gently inform them that "the goals did NOT just go up by 15%, only 10%! BUT, now that we have a plan for achieving 15%, don't you think we should use it?"

Have fun with this exercise! It shows people you are a leader with vision and that you understand the power of perception and belief.

Hopefully, it will also show your team that you have a good sense of humor and that you can relate to their concerns. This exercise makes for a terrific opportunity to "CONNECT" with your employees.

Show your team that it's ok to have fun while increasing expectations.

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com

About the Author: Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today's aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.

Positive Mental Attitude - Getting the Most from Life by Developing Hope Filled Thoughts

By Ron Stephens

I remember when I first began to understand the importance of attitude and how it determined my progress in life. I entered the work force at the young age of eighteen. I grew up in a blue collar family and my first job was working in an auto body shop painting cars. Funny thing is I hated the job but I stayed with it for six long years! The only reason I can think of that I stayed there that long was I had the attitude that this is all I can expect from life. I didn't have the means or desire for a college education. I was not born into a wealthy or even middle class status (no money, no family business, no vocational guidance from my parents) and my attitude was take whatever job you can get. I did not understand the power of developing hope filled thoughts.

I'm not sure exactly why or when I had an attitude change but I did. It drastically changed the course of my life. Somewhere in my early twenties I began to think about, and then desire a new job. It was a job that I just knew I would really enjoy. I began to think and dream about what it would be like to have a job that I actually enjoyed. The thought of being able to go to bed Sunday night without a knot in my stomach because I dreaded going back to work on Monday to a job I hated, became a powerful driving force inside of me and my attitude began to change. I began to believe that it might be possible for me to have some of the things that I wanted from life. Things that before, I didn't think were possible for me.

I began to pursue that new job with that new company. It took me nearly two years but I finally got hired. I remember before I began to seriously pursue this new opportunity that I told my best friend at the time, "I'd like to go to work for that company." I will never forget his response. "You can't get a job with them unless you know someone there or you have a family member that already works there," he replied. And he said it with such power and conviction that I immediately doubted myself and nearly gave up on my dream right then! But after a few minutes I began to get angry on the inside. Logic took over my thought process and I realized that he could not possibly be right because it just would not be fair or even make sense that everyone in a company of several thousand employees all knew someone or was related to someone else in the company in order to get hired.

Without saying much else about it, I just made a mental note of that conversation and referred back to it in my mind many times over the next two years. I set out to prove him (and my own doubts) wrong and I eventually got hired by that company. And honestly it was not him that I was necessarily wanting to prove wrong as much as I was determined to have a different attitude than I had all the years before. That was a big turning point for me. What it did for my confidence and my attitude was more valuable than the job or the pay increase themselves. The fact that I had accomplished something that I really did not think was possible for me two years earlier (neither did my friends and family) boosted my self esteem and gave birth to a new attitude.

I don't work at that job any more. Since then I have voluntarily made several career changes and each one has been a step up financially and professionally from the one before. I've learned to hold onto a positive expectation about life and the possibilities available to me. Here is a huge key that has helped me and I believe is necessary to anyone who wants to move forward in life: I have worked on my attitude ever since those early years. To this day I very purposefully study and learn about personal growth and positive attitude. I feed my mind through books and audio teaching put together by men and women whom I've learned to trust and respect. I'm in my mid fifties now and let me tell you this: life keeps getting better and better. Life is good! The possibilities are literally endless! But if you don't think that is true, and you believe that the best in life is reserved for a blessed few who are better educated, or more deserving or whatever...then your attitude is holding you back my friend. I encourage you to make your own quality decision if you have not already. Become a life long student and commit to a life of hope and positive expectation.

About the Author: Ron Stephens has been successful in business and ministry for over 23 years. For more information and access to many of the resources he recommends to help move you forward in your own life and to view his website go to: http://www.ron-stephens.com/links.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ron_Stephens