High Five Tools > adapted from Gary Chapman

The High Five tools are based upon Gary Chapman's writings on how people preferred to be recognized and appreciated. I have adapted his concept for the workplace although he might have already done so. I need to research that.

The basic premise is that people want to be recognized and appreciated in five ways. Most people have a dominant preference. For some people it might change when looking at the their "professional self" rather than their "personal self." Some folks are, or at least claim to be, very different personally than they are professionally. The key here is that: studies show people are motivated when their environment is motivating. This means if we recognize their contributions, they are more likely to continue the same behavior.

Below are the High Five tools:

1. Words of affirmation
2. Acts of service
3. Tokens
4. Physical touch
5. Quality time and conversation

Several of these actually can be combined. Below are examples of actions you can take in the workplace to show recognition and appreciation. Be aware that you must adhere to the Platinum Rule which is: treat others how THEY want to be treated. Find out what your employees' or coworkers' primary High Five is.

• Write a brief email to the recipient that is specific and complimentary. This is both #1 and #3 because the recipient could print it out if they wanted to. You can take this to the next level and write a longer email and then it becomes #5 because the recipient will know it took you a little while to compose it.
• Make a conscious effort to remove obstacles that prevent them from achieving a goal, professionally or personally. This is primarily #2. It could also become #5 because the recipient will know it took you time and effort to remove those obstacles. An example would be: your employee has been sharing with you, or the office, that they are trying to lose weight. If you work in a large complex or facility, you might arrange a closer parking space to the company gym.
• Shake their hand, look them in the eyes and say "Thank you. You did an excellent job on [specific and complimentary accomplishment]." This is #1 and #4 combined.
• "Pop in" to their office for a few minutes. This is #5. See if they can chat for a few minutes. Talk and listen to them about anything not related to work that is still appropriate (sports, weather, kids). The recipient will just be happy that you spent your valuable time talking to them about them. If you want to take it to the next level, you can use this time to give words of affirmation. Then you have combined #1 and #5.

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Creating the Individual Development Plan Renting Audio Books

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As part of my IDP I'm thinking about renting audio books. I spend two hours a day in the car. I am already listening to the 7 Habits but it only comes abridged.

http://www.simplyaudiobooks.com/

Technical Trinity (copyright)

The purpose of this tool is to be able to identify the origin of forms, presentations, manuals, etc. You created it and everyone should know! Also if an updated form is needed we know the correct person to contact. The Technical Trinity© consists of the following:

Revision Date
Initials of Creator/Reviser
Page Number
If the document is only one page make sure to use an ending sign (example below)
If the document is more than one page add a page number to each page AND also indicate how many pages the document has in total. EX: Page X of Y

Always place the Technical Trinity© at the bottom of the documents or presentations you create in a small font.

Created 6/2008 by Lara Loucks, CPLP

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Communities of practice (COPs)

Communities of practice fascinate me. How can we best utilize these?

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The Journalistic Six: Questions to Ask When Being Interviewed

1. Who would I be reporting to?
2. What does it take to be successful in the position?
3. When will the company be making a decision and will they notify the folks who are not chosen?
4. Where is the job headquartered and will there be traveling?
5. Why is the position available?
6. How does this position support the strategic objectives of the organization?

The Journalistic Six: Preparing for an Interview

1. Who is the interview with? Is it a panel?
2. What are the requirements of the position?
3. When is the interview and did you receive it in writing?
4. Where is the interview exactly and did you receive it in writing?
5. Why are you the best candidate for the position? Why should they choose you over someone else?
6. How can you align your skills with what the COMPANY wants?

The Journalistic Six

1. Who?
2. What?
3. When?
4. Where?
5. Why?
6. How?

The 12 To-Do's for Interviews

These apply to 80% of the situations. If you are interviewing with a Google, Apple, or Oprah these might not apply.

1. Know the Journalistic Six surrounding the interview.


2. Prepare for a "behaviorial interview." Be ready to give specific examples of situations you've been in and how you handled them. These may vary depending upon the job you're applying for. Here are some common ones.


3. Wear the right thing. If it is an interview for an internal promotion, wear any pins that you may have received from the organization.
   
4. Bring:
   a) folio, or equivalent, that has three copies of your resume in it;
   b) a pen (preferably one from the company you're interviewing with);
   c) a room temperature bottle of water with you (cold may give you "squeaky voice").
   
5. Arrive early.
   
6. Ask the receptionist to direct you to the bathroom once onsite then use it.
   
7. Smile at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Check for spinach.
   
8. Shake hands confidently without being aggressive. No dead-fish. Smile and say, "Thank you for allowing me to interview today."
   
9. Let them do most of the talking. If they start off with "tell me about yourself" reply with "Please tell me more about the position so that I know what you're looking for."
   
10. Ask if you can take notes; if they say yes---make sure you take some.
    
11. Ask for a business card, with a mailing address, of the people you interviewed with.
    
12. Send a hand-written thank you note to each person you interviewed with.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I am trying to memorize them.

1. Be proactive.
2. Begin with the end in mind.
3. Can't remember
4. Think Win/Win.
5. can't remember
6. Synergize.
7. Sharpen the saw.

Research > IDP

• Who is Joseph Addison?
• Note: Anwar Sadat called it "strength" a capacity for change.
• Who is Amiel?
• Learn more about Warren Bennis.
• Reading Telling Ain't Training.
• What are the Four Agreements?
• What are the lessons learned from the Lady in White > O mag?
• Who is Phillip Brooks?
• Read more on Victor Frankl.

Creating Your Own Individual Development Plan (IDP)

It will be a few months before I start any formal schooling such as an MBA program. In the meantime, I have decided to create my own IDP. Here is the beginning of my analysis.

1. What courses/workshops/seminars do I want to take? What is my budget for these? Note: Art of Storytelling Workshop through the public library.
2. Which books/periodicals/e-zines do I want to read? Note: big fan of the 100 Best Business Books.
3. How do I want to make networking a part of my IDP? Who in my field is worth following?
4. Should I plan for some ride-alongs or shadowing? Who do I want to be like?
5. What outreach efforts should I make? What groups should I join who are devoted my topics?

What I would really like it to find some online books discussions. There are a few on LinkedIn. Maybe I can just find different reviews of the books I am interested in?

These five questions I think are a good place to start.

Going to Graduate School

Today I started my graduate school application. I am applying for a modest MBA. At this point I plan attending Florida International University's Professional MBA program in Pembroke Pines starting in Jan 2011. There are several reasons for my decision and this doesn't mean I won't change my mind about the school.

1. FIU gave straight answers on their website regarding the Journalistic Six (WWWWWH). Specifically, I was able to ascertain about how much it was going to cost.
2. I am able to attend on full Saturdays instead of evenings or a combination of weekend days. It would not make sense for me to try and attend classes in the evenings because of my body clock. I fall asleep around 8:30 PM.
3. Pembroke Pines is close to my house.
4. FIU is where I obtained my undergrad.
5. It doesn't require me to take the GMAT (at least for today).

The reason I want to go to graduate school is so that I can teach at the college level and a Master's, at minimum, is required to do so.

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10 Steps to Successful Sales: Book Discussion

Rating scale 1-4 where 1= Poor; 2=Fair; 3=Good; 4=Excellent

Value Rating: 4
Purchasing this book was more than purchasing a book. It is a great example of value-added sales.

What I mean by this is that you get more than a book when you purchase this. It gives you a URL for free downloads. I was able to download PDF versions of all the worksheets that are in the book. I have since given the SMART Goals worksheets to several employees. The worksheets are easy to use. The obstacles section of the SMART Goals worksheets were by far the most helpful.

I was extremely impressed with the fact that I actually was sent a survey to ask for my opinion on the book itself. In return, I was given an extremely valuable, content-packed PDF that I am not going to tell you because I want you to explore this book yourself.

More to follow regarding the book's:

• appendices
• content
• formatting
• glossary
• index
• layout
• organization
• recommended reading lists
• supportive stories
• table of contents
• takeaways
• usability
• visuals

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It's called "Neon"

Neon is the oomph that comes from the heart. It’s that energy that can only be felt when you interact with someone. People's Neon often shows up in our training classes---usually when they love the learning. When a person is in touch with their Neon, they are ambitious and they persevere. They let people know that they see more to life than what is in front of them. They don’t always have an exact vision; they seek what they don’t know even exists yet. All inventors have Neon.

A person can lose their Neon; especially if they are bored to death or harbor negative things in their mind or become sloths or surround themselves with negativity/toxicity or a number of other gazillion things on my “list of losing Neon.”

I haven’t figured yet how to bring out a person's Neon. I believe that everyone has Neon. The challenge is that most of the people I know either have Neon or they don’t. I’ve have seen people lose their Neon but not actually seen someone Get It. Neon is one of my newer concepts so it's not finely tuned yet. I am coaching someone right now. He lost his Neon and we are trying to get it back.

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"Lip" Service or True Service? Advocate of Volunteering

When was the last time you volunteered your service(s)? I mean, really gave away your valuable time with nothing in return?

My dad, passionate about genealogy, volunteers about 8 hours weeky at his local library. He teaches folks in the library lab how to do genealogy research on the computer, among other things. I think he ends up teaching the folks how to use a computer in general.

Most of the time I claim I started my career working for a computer training company. While this is true chronologically, I didn't really discover my passion for training until I volunteered.

One of my goals when I graduated college was to teach prison inmates how to read. As The Universe Is, I walked in to a public library and immediately saw the sign asking for volunteers: Project L.E.A.D.-----Literacy for Every Adult in Dade. http://www.mdpls.org/services/outreach/lead.asp

This was exactly what I was looking for. I called the Project LEAD number. The nice lady registered me for their Laubach Literacy Tutor course. I went to the course and became a "certified Laubach literacy tutor." I was assigned a student. The student didn't show. I was assigned another student. The second one didn't show. It took several tries before I was connected with a student who showed---Mary. I taught her reading skills four years.

Project LEAD asked me to help out as a volunteer tutor trainer. The nice lady registered me for their Laubach Literacy Tutor Trainer course. I went to the course and became a "certified literacy tutor trainer." I delivered a small piece of a literacy tutor certification and I was hooked. There is no feeling equal to the exhilaration of seeing a group of people's lightbulbs go off all the same time. It is brighter than the sun. The real beauty? You can look at it and---not be blinded.

Soon, I asked to be transferred from the sales department to the training department at my job.

Today I am a successful trainer because I found my passion through volunteerism. I am so grateful to the Universe that my actions are aligned with my purpose.

"My object in living is to unite
My advocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight."
---Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time

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