Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #280

CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING

LIKE A WAMPANOAG

As we know, the Mayflower Pilgrims celebrated their “first” Thanksgiving with their indigenous neighbors — the Wampanoag — who lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

This tribe was part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area.

Welcome to the neighborhood. It has been documented that modern day Wampanoag live on the lands their forbears have occupied (called Aquinnah on the island of Martha’s Vineyard) for at least twelve thousand years.

Leaders of the Algonquin and the other dominant native group in the area, the      Iroquois people, were called “sachems.” Each village had its own sachem and tribal council. That leadership is represented in some of the Indian names we know from the traditional Thanksgiving story; Squanto, Samoset and Massasoit.

Political power flowed upward from the people. Any individual, man or woman, could participate, but among the Algonquin, more political power was held by men. Among the Iroquois, women held the deciding vote in the final selection of who would represent the group. Both men and women enforced the laws of the village and helped solve problems.

The details of their democratic system were so impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation that then developed the “Albany Plan of Union.” This document later served as a model for the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States.

But I digress. So let’s “talk turkey” (so to speak), and get back to considering some TGIM Takeaways for this year’s Thanksgiving celebrations.

Guess what? The Wampanoag have a tradition and way of giving thanks that began much, much earlier than the harvest home festival the Pilgrims and Wampanoag shared in the 1620s.

Read what tribal elder Gladys Widdiss has to say about the Wampanoag and Wampanoag thanksgiving:

“Every day (is) a day of thanksgiving to the Wampanoag . . .(We) give thanks to the dawn of the new day, at the end of the day, to the sun, to the moon, for rain for helping crops grow. . . There (is) always something to be thankful for. .. Giving thanks comes naturally for the Wampanoag.”

Gladys Widdiss goes on to further explain the importance of this thanksgiving:

“With Native Americans you do not separate the spiritual from the rest of your life. You’re very involved with who you are, where you came from, and where you are going. We have special holidays or festivals, but every day is a day of thanksgiving.”

In addition to daily thanks there have always been set times for celebration that coincided with changes of season and harvests times.

• Wampanoag New Year comes at the spring planting time.
• Summer is celebrated with Strawberry Thanksgiving, at the time when the first wild berry ripens.
• Green Bean Harvest and Green Corn Harvest come at mid-summer.
• Cranberry Harvest celebrates the ripening of the last wild berry.
• A ceremony is held around the time of Winter solstice as well.
• Harvest celebrations are held after the work has been completed.

Wampanoag celebrations have always also included singing, dancing, and the sharing of food throughout the community.

These celebrations of thanksgiving, held at these different seasons of the year, are times of reflection and thanks for sustenance provided to all people in the Tribe. They continue today.

The sweep of history tells us: The tradition of giving thanks for a good harvest or a variety of other reasons is an ancient one, both for the Wampanoag, as well as for most people who are not Native American.

There’s even a new historical account, Making Haste From Babylon, that maintains the first Pilgrim thanksgiving took place a year before the event that serves as a basis of our contemporary holiday.

Author Nick Bunker identifies it as a prayer of thanks that the Pilgrims said on their first arrival in the New World and he suggests that that prayer has its origins in a Jewish ritual rooted in biblical traditions.

It’s called birkat ha-Gomel. It’s performed after crossing a wide expanse of dangerous territory such as a desert or ocean and it commonly involves a festive meal!

TGIM Takeaway: No matter the cultural source, the universal tenets of Thanksgiving celebration are still relevant – maybe even more so when times are tougher.

Thanksgiving Day is not a religious holiday. Although in the USA most of us reference its Puritan origins, it is a national holiday. But while crowds will gather for a parade or to experience a football game in a stadium, the spirit of the day is realized as most of us gather together on a more personal scale around a harvest home table and Give Thanks.

What are you thankful for? The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag were (and are) grateful for the many things that give life meaning and joy … the things that matter no matter what our economic or social circumstances … the things that bind us together as –

A human family. I trust this Thursday you will find some of the culture-crossing Thanksgiving spirit — no matter how difficult current circumstances seem. I certainly don’t imagine most of you will busy yourself with e-mail.  So I’ll take this TGIM opportunity to –

Thank YOU, one and all: I hope this message finds you far from want … that life is always plentiful for you … and that once again on Thanksgiving Day you will use the occasion to resolve to be thankful every day of the year.

Thankfully,

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths.  At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.” Historian and author J. Robert Moskin said that.

P.P.S.  I also want to thank you for your generous acceptance of these TGIM e-mail messages. Thanks for forwarding the ones you like best to folks you think will enjoy them or benefit from them. We’re pleased to make their acquaintance.

And thanks for your feedback, both critical and favorable. Eric and I appreciate your views and the effort you make to convey them. We learn from what you have to say and hope that we can continue to be a conduit for sharing that wisdom and understanding.

You can find the latest Empowerment Group International goings on at the new-look website by clicking HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #279

BRAINSTORMING: WHAT IT REALLY IS

AND HOW TO DO IT RIGHT

“Let’s brainstorm that idea.” It seems as if everyone says this these days.

But what most people think of as brainstorming isn’t.

At least it’s not what Alex Osborn, the father of brainstorming (also the “O in the legendary BBD&O – the advertising agency cited as the prototype for the cable TV hit show Mad Men), envisioned.

While it seems he used brainstorming effectively for years inside BBD&O, it gained widespread use when Osborn shared it with the world in his book Your Creative Power, published in 1948.

The 21^st Century version of brainstorming seems to be to gather a bunch of people in a room … toss out a problem … then go at it, debating, criticizing and compromising until either the loudest or most senior person prevails.

Or no one does. Clearly that kind of combative atmosphere won’t inspire many innovative ideas.

That’s why Osborn proposed a kinder, gentler system with just a few –

Brainstorming Basics

#1: No one is permitted to criticize an idea.

#2: The “wilder” the idea, the better.

#3: A large number of ideas is the goal. The quality of any one idea is not of immediate concern.

#4: Whenever possible, each brainstormer should advance from the idea of another brainstormer, building on it or combining it with his or her own ideas.

Following these rules, Osborn believed, allows one person’s idea to stimulate the thinking of the other brainstormers so they can come up with –

More ideas. The more connections that are made, the better the chance of hitting a solution.

Sounds pretty wild, right? But Osborn also stressed that brainstorming isn’t a “call everyone together at the last minute” thing.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Good, spontaneous ideas take preparation. Say you decide to brainstorm for solutions to a problem you feel can’t be resolved alone. Here’s what to do:

● Be sure the problem is precisely spelled out. If the problem is too broad, the ideas generated will not be specific enough to produce a solution.

● Determine who will participate in the session. Ten to twelve people is the suggested size. Ideally the group should be balanced with people who have first-hand knowledge of the most intimate details and generalists with a broader understanding of what’s involved.

● Ensure that brainstormers come properly prepared. Along with the carefully phrased challenge, supply participants with material relevant to the topic.

● Instruct brainstormers to open their minds and free up their imaginations as they review the material. Even before the meeting they should jot down what comes to mind. Before the session these notes should be handed in for the guidance of the facilitator who will oversee the brainstorming.

Once the brainstormers are convened, the facilitator’s questions set the direction and keep things rolling.

Example: “We want sales to grow 20 percent a year for the next three years. You all reviewed the sales history. What would you focus on?”

As ideas are put forward and further brainstorming is encouraged, a full-time idea collector writes down each idea for all to see.

Low tech works. A plain vanilla flip chart can be sufficient. When a page gets filled up, peel it off, tape it to the wall and keep recording on the next sheet.

Watch this: The facilitator and the recorder don’t offer ideas.

According to Osborn, the leader’s job is to make sure that no one dominates the group and to encourage additional solutions, perhaps stimulating idea flow by resurrecting suggestions forgotten-and-unaired, gleaned from the pre-meeting notes.

The recorder’s primary function is to capture the freely flowing ideas quickly and accurately.

A few more guidelines and considerations to hone the process to razor sharpness:

● Make sure everyone understands and is satisfied with the central question before you open up for ideas.

● Begin by going around the table or room, giving everyone a chance to voice their ideas or to pass. After a few rounds, drop the order and open the floor.

● More ideas are better. Encourage radical ideas and piggybacking.

● Suspend judgment of all ideas.

● Record precisely what is said. Clarify only after everyone is out of ideas.

● Don’t stop until ideas become sparse. Allow for late-coming ideas.

● Eliminate duplicates and ideas that aren’t relevant to the topic.

● When the pace of the ideas finally slows, the brainstorming session should end.

And you’ve got? A brainstorm starts with a clear question and ends with a raw list of ideas. That’s what it does well — give you a raw list of ideas.

Some will be good.

And some won’t.

But if you try to analyze or evaluate ideas in the brainstorming session, it can ruin the session.

So wait.

The penultimate step: Have the recorder compile all the information on the flip-chart sheets and make it available for a later meeting. At that gathering people – preferably those not from the brainstorming session – should sort through the ideas, discussing, analyzing and criticizing them and choosing the best ones.

The ultimate step: Take action on the steps you endorse. And acknowledge the contribution of all whose effort took you in that direction.

Wishing you a “perfect storm” of more and better ideas, now and in 2011.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.” Alex Osborne (1888 -1966) said that.

P.P.S. Here’s a not-so-wild idea: Share the single best source of sales and selling best practices and thought-starters with everyone on your team. Get each of them copies Mastering the World of Selling – the Ultimate Training Resource from the Biggest Names in Sales. Then gather for a weekly “brainstorming” session of sorts, concentrating each meeting on just one of the insightful chapters penned by the 88+ World Class Professionals represented in the book. Big Bonus: Order HERE and tap the power of the added-value sales-training audios, e-books, podcasts, interviews and special reports available to TGIM readers.

You can also find the latest Empowerment Group International goings on at the new-look website by clicking HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.

Geoff Steck’s

THANK GOODNESS IT’S MONDAY

TGIM #278

HOW TO OVERCOME

FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

By failing to follow instructions employees (and consumers) flush millions of dollars down the drain every year.

Case in point: A new herbicide was failing in the marketplace. Some farmers were complaining that it did not control weeds. Other famers complained that it worked too well, killing crop plants along with weeds.

The chemical company that made the herbicide could find nothing wrong with its product.  Officials knew it worked perfectly well under test conditions.

So what was the problem? Well, today’s TGIM headline gives you the big clue: The farmers were –

Not following instructions. Sure, they were plainly printed on the herbicide containers. The problem was that simple.

But the solution?

Not so simple.

Farmers … and consumers of all types … and employees … and family members everywhere sometimes seem incapable of understanding and executing thought-out, tested, and laid-out procedures.

What can be done?

Here are three very human reasons why people fail to follow instructions and some proven-in-the-real-world Action Ideas to set things back on course:

#1: Often instructions are not understood. That puts the responsibility on the instruction giver to understand why they’re not understood and to facilitate the understanding. (Understand?)

Consider this: Did you get a big, starting-at-square-one instruction manual with your latest computer purchase?

Of course not. There’s an assumption that everyone has some fundamental knowledge of what’s involved in getting started. And, as manufacturers determined long ago when they did a pack monster-sized instruction manual with each shipment, people found them dull and dry and didn’t bother to read them anyway.

So, In this evolved digital age, things are designed to be mastered intuitively and more information is available in the ether for those who wish to seek it out.

But not everything is planned that way. And for a wide range of reasons – age, cultural references, level of education — people differ in ability to comprehend the little information that is at hand. Plus, they are more or less experienced and/or intuitive.

So we just have to suck it up? No, but rather than wring our hands and moan that nothing can be done in advance, we must use what we do know to everyone’s advantage.

For example, sometimes language skills are at the heart of the problem.

True story: A shop foreman finds a worker taking a cigarette break near a container clearly marked “Flammable Liquid.” Undoubtedly the smoker did not know the meaning of flammable.

Alarmed, the foreman told the man to extinguish his cigarette immediately. The fellow promptly lit another and handed it over, evidently thinking “extinguish” meant “light” and that the boss intended to join him for a smoke.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: To the best of your ability, put yourself in the mindset of the folks you are instructing. Allow that your experience is not theirs. Phrase instructions simply. Check for understanding.

Still another reason instructions are often misunderstood is that they are vague or incomplete.

Case in point: A shipping supervisor was told to make sure that some heavy electronic equipment was “good and secure” in containers destined for Australia.

Clear enough? No.

During shipment the containers were severely jostled in high seas and some of the equipment broke loose, dashed against the container walls and was damaged. The shipping supervisor did not know that “secure” meant extensive cross bracing. But his boss should have stated that specifically.

Speaking of language skills: The Germans have a word for it: Idiotensicher.

We say: “Idiot Proof.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Make your instructions idiot-proof by striving to anticipate everything that could go wrong. Be specific when giving instructions if you have a specific action in mind.

Further idiot-proof your instructions. Engage in “Show & Tell.” Ask the instructed to tell you – in their own words – what you said. Have them show you they get it by making a dry run of the procedure with just your oversight, not your hands-on involvement. When they can do it step-by-step without your participation then you know they’re good to go.

#2: People don’t see the importance of the instructions. Sometimes people understand instructions perfectly, but intentionally violate them because they don’t see why they matter to them individually.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Sell self interest. Good instructions include good personal reasons for them to be followed. Unless they can see why your way is better for them, most people will do things their own way, not yours. But you can’t count on ESP. You must tell and sell them on how they will benefit.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: The instruction “Clean it thoroughly first,” is not as likely to be followed as the slightly better instruction “Clean it thoroughly first, because if you don’t the paint will blister and peel.” But the best instruction in terms of self-interest is “Clean it thoroughly first, because if you don’t the paint will blister and peel and you will have to do it over on your own time.”

#3: People resist instruction because they resent authority. The farmers who bought the herbicide were not following the instructions for a very interesting reason. Interviewed by an “independent” organization, they said, referring to the manufacturers –

“What do they know?” They resented being told how to run their farms by what they envisioned were white-coat scientists in far-off laboratories.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: The less “authoritative” the instruction, the more likely it is to be followed. Stress peer success. Most employees, for example, would rather follow the lead of their successful coworkers then obey commands from on high.

Outstanding in the field. The chemical company was advised to change the wording of their instructions. The new directions read, “Most farmers get the best results if they use X amount. Below Y amount, they find weeds aren’t controlled. More than Z amount and their crops are damaged.” When farmers were held up as the authorities, their problems with authority vanished.

TGIM Takeaway: Plain and simple from the outset is the key to effectively giving instructions. Assume very little. As you instruct, watch and assess the level of comprehension. Silence is not golden. Be sure you have conclusive evidence that everyone “gets it” before you step aside.

Concentrate your biggest instructive effort at the outset to send people off in the correct direction, fully prepared. Your early investment and deliberate, earnest, and early focus will pay off time after time in time, money and effort-saving compliance.

Bonus outcome: Everyone feels good as they reap the reward of more easily reaching a successful conclusion.

Hope these instructions on giving instructions were instructive.

Feel free to instruct me otherwise.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “You can expect what you inspect.” W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993), said that. In his heyday Dr. Deming was perhaps best known for concepts such as Quality Circles and his influence in refocusing Japanese industry . And although the expect/inspect observation emphasized the importance of measuring and testing input, process and output in a production setting, it applies to instructing people and boosting their performance, as well.  Concentrate on the input/instruction phase and the next steps will go more predictably and produce the desired outcome with less expense and effort.

P.P.S. I expect you might want to inspect all the sage sales instruction available to TGIM fans in Mastering the World of Selling – the Ultimate Training Resource from the Biggest Names in Sales. To add this most worthwhile compilation of 21^st Century thinking from 88+ World Class Professionals to your resource library and start immediately reaping the benefit of all the bonus sales-training audios, e-books, podcasts, interviews and special reports available to TGIM readers, follow this instruction: CLICK HERE.

You can also find the latest Empowerment Group International goings on at the new-look website by clicking HERE.

GEOFF STECK leads Alexander Publishing & Marketing, a company he formed in 1986. The core AP&M mission: To create and publish leadership, sales mastery, self-improvement and workplace skill-building resources and tools. The focus: Areas such as business communication, staff support, customer care and frontline management. Geoff also puts his corporate and entrepreneurial experience, independent perspective, and skills as a catalyst to work for other firms (ranging from multinational corporations to more modest operations), not-for-profits, and individuals who have conceived or developed programs or initiatives but are frustrated in getting them implemented.