behaviors Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

23
Apr 21
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Respectful Behaviors Keep People Engaged

Tags : authority behaviors respect workplace

Is your workplace filled with respectful behaviors? What are the perceptions or attitudes of designated leaders? Is it a good environment and culture?

There are rules everywhere, there is also a guideline for behaviors. Some of the rules and guidelines may be published and public. Some of them are unspoken but are a vibe that suggests the people who work here do it this way.

It becomes part of the culture. It is a sign post for visitors and guests.

Guidelines and Vibes

When you visit a friends house are you permitted to leave your shoes on? Do you eat or snack on the furniture? Are there pets and are they permitted on the furniture, on the kitchen table or countertops? What is the language and what do people wear?

When you go to work each day there is an assumed guideline. Your first day on the job, you know what you’ve been told but you really don’t have a vibe yet. You’re not completely comfortable while you observe, learn the ropes, and adapt.

One thing every employee or every guest has in common is that they all seek respect.

Respect is earned and it is a two-way street.

Respectful Behaviors

When you invite a guest into your home and strong-arm them with a culture that they are not comfortable with, they won’t be in a hurry to come back.

When you bring on new team members in the workplace there is a similar vibe. Sure, some will navigate the discomfort and adapt. They don’t mind too much if it isn’t too significant, yet everyone has their own personal threshold.

Having a designated position in your workplace may give you some authority. Your behaviors, how you treat people, and how you lead will determine if there is respect.

The simple act of respecting others first may give you the respect you seek.

The use of authority to solve a problem or push an agenda is typically not considered to be a two-way street. It is my way or the highway.

Authority is important. It is seldom an indicator of mutual respect.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Dec 20
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Persistent Behavior Changes Future Outcomes

Tags : behaviors change make training stick pivot psychology of work

Do you practice persistent behavior? It’s that programming of your mind and efforts that cause you to forget the obstacles and visualize the success. Do you do it?

Many people want to make a change, some people feel forced to make a change. How do you get beyond any obstacles and reinforce the direction you seek to travel?

Persistence may be the key.

More Than Once

How do you start to educate a 3-year-old? Persistent feedback. What about when he or she is eight, ten, or fifteen years old? Persistence feedback.

Your family bought a puppy. How will you train it? Hopefully through repetitive, positive reinforcement. What we call housebroken or house training is the simplest and most common form of learning from persistent behavior.

As people our minds shift from thoughts and analysis, repetitively, across time, to belief. For workplace professionals it often comes down to a belief in what will work, or a belief in what won’t work.

Your team engaged in some training. Will any of it stick? Did it make an impact and how long did that impact last?

Persistent Behavior

What are you programming your mind to believe?

When you decide you are not good at math, good with people, or good at strategy development you have two choices.

First, you can accept this programming and make excuses while you succumb to the belief that you don’t do these things well and it is better for someone else to take the lead.

Or, second, you can change your programming to create belief through successive and persistent behavior that will change the future outcomes.

Yes, some people are more talented in some areas as compared with others. That is true and should not be ignored. However, what will change your future is based on the effort placed on what you will do today.

Do you need more practice?

Practice Reinforces Belief

Training to develop your skills is important. Training for the individual, team, or the entire organization can make a significant difference.

It makes a difference when it changes the beliefs. Beliefs create habits. Habits are what you do each day that create outcomes.

You may have taken a shower this morning or a bath last evening. The positive effects of that won’t last long. You have to do it repetitively, across time.

Persistent behavior that focuses on small wins that build one upon the other is the best way to reinforce positive beliefs about future outcomes.

Pay close attention to what you focus on.

-DEG

This is exactly why I wrote this book:

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Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

24
Nov 20
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Workplace Instincts and Honing Your Craft

Tags : behaviors Gut feel instincts leadership

Do you trust your gut? Do you use workplace instincts to guide what you’ll do next?

People often assess what they’ll do next based on what they often call, gut feel. Is this a learned process or something more instinctual?

A bright light, and you look away. The sun heating up your skin to the point of discomfort so you seek shelter. A loud noise and you cover your ears.

Are these instincts or learned responses?

Behind closed doors the boss is critical of someone’s work. In the meeting the next day the boss seemingly ignores that same person. One week later the boss won’t make eye contact with you.

Paranoia, or some really insightful observations? What do your instincts suggest? What’s in your gut?

Everything that we do in the workplace is likely a learned behavior. It may stem from childhood, the place you worked at before this one or something that you’ve picked up about the organizational culture.

What should you do with all of this data? Are you overreacting?

Workplace Instincts

Workplace instincts help you every day. They help you to analyze the scope of the conversation. They cause you to filter your expressions, use more kindness, or suppress an anger rage.

Your next contribution, the ideas presented in the brainstorming meeting, or the gratitude expressed for a job well done will be based on what you’ve learned.

Observation is data collection, analyzing the data and making adjustments should become part of future behavior.

There may be a fine line between what is truly instinctual and what is a learned behavior.

Honing your craft is always smart course of action.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Jun 20
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Typical Workplace Behaviors Tell Us About Culture

Tags : behaviors culture customer service role models

McDonald’s has a typical hamburger. Not a great deal different from Burger King, Wendy’s, or Carl’s Jr. Similar things tell us about what is typical. Are there typical workplace behaviors?

You bet.

In some communities the typical workplace behavior is far different from others. Pay scales may be different, opportunities are different, and the talent pool, well, it’s different.

In all cases we identify what is typical. We look at the norms, the behaviors and the values and beliefs. Once spotted, we label them, typical.

Typical for Culture?

Many organizational cultures talk about competition, efficiency, and quality. Some embrace sports teams, political currents, or even religious pathways. It may not be typical, but it is typical for those organizations.

Setting aside any legal aspects, the people are at free-will to determine what culture looks like. Management always has expectations, are they good role models?

Certainly, there are always outliers. There are the extremes. Extreme complacency, revolt, or even fast-trackers. Yet, the masses seem to make up the true definition.

Hard chargers often don’t like average. Those on the victim side of the scale don’t really high-performers. Every culture has a definition though.

How would you define yours?

Typical Workplace Behaviors

When you know who your organization really is, then it is much easier to define the customer. It is better for focus, commitment, and overcoming adversity.

Being on the same page, and, all in it together, takes on a more intense meaning in practice.

You should ask yourself, “What am I role modeling?”

Your brand depends on it.

So do your customers.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

29
Aug 19
-

Good Examples Are More Powerful Than Bad

Tags : attitude behaviors fear good examples learning moments

Our workplaces are full of learning moments. Often the moment centers around breakdowns, missed attempts, and other failures. Are good examples more powerful?

Logically, the bad example exploitation seems counterproductive, yet many people do it to themselves and others. As a result, a pattern of focusing on negativity sneaks up on people and teams.

Learning Moments

We can have 99 good experiences, things done right, customers happy, and goals met or exceeded. If on the 100th experience something goes wrong it seems to sour all that went right.

It is because our focus is wrong. We stop the presses, hit the panic button, or go on a witch hunt, but only for what is wrong, not right.

Learning moments are not only developed from bad examples, they can and should be developed from good examples.

Fear is an amazingly powerful emotion. It can make people spring into action. It can get the job done. Fear is also a short run game. Employees won’t be sticking around if they live in fear every day.

The same is true for disappointment, ridicule, and criticism. And for the record, no, criticism is not a good idea. Constructive feedback and performance improvement feedback, will help teams grow.

Good Examples

You can show a safety video where someone loses an eye, or you can show a safety video where a broken tool is stuck in the safety glasses preventing the loss of an eye.

You can bring the sales or customer service representative into your office and play back the call that they screwed up on, or you can have a meeting with the team and play back calls that delighted the customer experience.

Authority is important and valuable. It helps break the tie when people are sitting on the fence, it should seldom be used as an attitude of ruling a kingdom.

Yes, you may be the boss. No, you shouldn’t attempt to lead with an authoritarian approach.

This is especially true for learning moments. In learning moments good examples can be much more powerful than bad.

Calling someone to your office about the mistake they made earlier in the day may create fear and anger. Celebrating the behaviors that exhibit cultural values and beliefs may be just as powerful.

Certainly, corrective action is often necessary, but good examples lead to more good examples.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
May 19
-

10 Reasons Why Your Culture is Unique

Tags : behaviors community culture habits organizational

Workplace, organizational, and corporate, it goes by many names. Your culture is always something special. The culture of your workplace is unique. Would you agree?

Your Community

In your workplace you have standards and norms, you have policies and rules, and you have all of the concepts that define who you are and what you are about.

It is your World. It is the place where people who join, and stay, follow the cultural norms. Certainly, there are rule breakers, exceptions, and those who make a choice not to stay. Largely however, it is a space of community. Everyone fits somehow.

Your Culture

Every culture is unique and here are ten reasons why:

Behaviors. Those that are observable by others. Not opinions but factual observations.
Standards. The standards of work flow and work process become group norms. They are connected to values.
Values. What are the published values? What do people feel and see?
Philosophy. You have a mission. In most cases this is published for everyone to see, including customers and vendors.
Rules. There are always rules of the game. These apply to everyone.
Climate. How individuals and groups interact. What is the protocol and the patterns of behavior.
Competencies. Skill requirements, the unique ways of doing things that no one else may do exactly the same.
Habits. Inclusive of how the group thinks and acts. Repetitive acts are often habits.
Meanings. Your language. How you speak. What are the acronyms and other lingo associated with you? You may hear it everyday, yet outsiders don’t know what it means.
Symbols. Could include everything from your logo, to a statue, or the architecture of your building. Even dress code, or the lack of one could apply.

If you think the company down the street, across the hall, or three floors above you has the same culture, you are probably incorrect.

Culture may change but not until the people do.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

16
Aug 18
-

Different Personalities Require Emotional Labor

Tags : behaviors change different personalities emotional labor

Working with different personalities can feel like a strain. It is true of all workplaces. Sometimes it is a peer, sometimes a boss, and as a supervisor it can be working with a direct report. Do you struggle with one or more different personalities?

Important Factors

First, and perhaps most importantly, you are not alone. If you feel like there are not any different personalities across the team, you may be the one who is different.

Another important factor to keep in mind is that you likely won’t change the behavior of others. What you can change is your reactions to behaviors that cause you to personally struggle.

We often call the emotional moans, groans, and strains of difficultly in the workplace, emotional labor. It is the work that you don’t want to do, but you must do, or it is the work that requires you to reach outside of your comfort zone.

Chances are good that in one form or another, you own some of the difficulty with navigating various personalities in your workplace.

How So?

For example, some people feel taken advantage of with performing the tasks and duties that are others responsibility. When you look at the evolution of how that happened it is often because the person became a crutch for someone else.

Certainly, teamwork and pitching in are valuable and appropriate, but nearly always there will be someone who will consciously or subconsciously begin to expect you’ll pick up the pieces in the future.

You can ask the other person to change. Good luck. A better alternative is to change the way you react to daily scenarios with this person.

Free yourself from being the crutch and things will change. Of course, with that said, the person who has been relying on you as a crutch will likely have some complaints that you will have to resolve.

Different Personalities

Many experts identify between about six to ten different personality categories in the workplace. What becomes more interesting is that there often is a blending of two or more of these traits with any individual.

Prepare yourself, you’ll have to put in some additional emotional labor. You’ll need to be accountable to yourself to make changes that aren’t comfortable. Short term pain for long-term gain.

If you don’t make changes, the constant drain can bring you and others down. Don’t be the victim.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

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Tag Archives: behaviors

Apr 21

-

Guidelines and Vibes

Respectful Behaviors

Dec 20

-

More Than Once

Persistent Behavior

Practice Reinforces Belief

Nov 20

-

Workplace Instincts

Jun 20

-

Typical for Culture?

Typical Workplace Behaviors

Aug 19

-

Learning Moments

Good Examples

May 19

-

Your Community

Your Culture

Aug 18

-

Important Factors

How So?

Different Personalities

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