belief Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Dennis E. Gilbert

05
Jun 20
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Your Beliefs and My Beliefs Can Be Different

Tags : belief commonalities differences opinions values

A united workforce is a good place to start. After all, everyone is in it together. Are your beliefs different from some others? Is this OK?

What do you feel strongly about?

People believe deeply in many things:

Religion

Political views

The Universe

Parental values

Authority

Government

Urban or Rural Living

Apple or Android

Chevrolet or Ford

Tattoos or no tattoos

No matter which side you are on, you may have deep beliefs. You may believe your way is the best, it is the right way, the proper way, or even the only way.

In most of these examples it doesn’t matter for making Tasty Cakes, bottling water, or growing corn.

Sure, government, authority sources, and even something like the weather has an impact, yet largely you can have differences and still unite on something that matters to others in the group.

The strength and power of your beliefs are real. Those opposing feel just as strongly.

The passion that you have is similar to others, only perhaps, different.

Your Beliefs

You can fight about it on social media but you likely aren’t changing anyone’s mind. You can Tweet about it, make signs, and conduct protests, yet you’ll likely change very few minds.

Maybe the best thing is to focus on what you have in common.

In the workplace, it is the success of the business or organization that is a commonality.

Can you join together for that?

Is that something you can work with?

Your beliefs and my beliefs can be different.

-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.

26
May 20
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Wasteful Worrying, What Will You Choose?

Tags : belief choice confidence power worry

You want to make a change, take a chance, or understand what the future holds. Uncertainty often leads to wasteful worrying. Is that where you’re at?

Worry is about choice. A choice to contemplate over and over again. A choice to wonder or fantasize negativity about a pending outcome.

Everyone Worries

It’s easy to worry. It’s easy to remember the things that went wrong. Everything that happens when you let your guard down or fail to take some advice from someone else.

Worry drives us to do many things.

A few of them may be positive. The double check, the confirmation, or reading over the draft document one more time.

Most worry is a waste of time though. It is a waste of your energy and other precious resources.

It may bring others down. Cause a stir, even a panic.

We often worry because we feel afraid. Fear causes hesitation. Hesitation sometimes results in missed opportunities, or worse, closed doors.

Some people place worry on faith. A belief that things will work out as they should.

Others will place it on a gamble. Take a chance, or throw in the cards.

Can you do better?

Will you make a better choice for the use of your time?

Wasteful Worrying

If you have no control over the pending outcome, why worry?

If you have control over the pending outcome, can you count on your knowledge and expertise? Is there a metric, a track record, or benchmark data?

Should you be more confident?

What if you committed to worry less? What if every time you felt it coming on you made a different choice about your energy allocation?

It’s easy to worry. Nothing worthwhile comes easily.

-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.

12
May 20
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Local Experience, Does It Really Matter?

Tags : belief experience local Talent workforce

Is the best talent in your backyard, or must it come from somewhere outside of the normal reach? Does local experience matter?

In Pennsylvania, people believe they know their beer and potato chips. Popular beers come from Yuengling or Straub. Potato chips are often Middleswarth or Utz.

When you travel to Colorado or California, they’ll tell you about different beer and potato chips.

Who has the best?

It depends on who you ask.

Available Everywhere

In the 1970’s and 1980’s mail order companies started to thrive. The U.S. infrastructure supported reaching beyond local borders. A growing and thriving trucking industry and 800 numbers made a difference.

By the late 1990’s and into the early 2000’s a shift was happening. It was the infrastructure that supported the widespread use of the internet.

Our borders from county to county and state to state seemed smaller and less significant. Highways improved, automobiles got better, and more products began to fall into the category of a commodity.

What’s next?

When it comes to talent and business opportunity what’s next may be closer than it has been in 50 years.

Local Experience

What is happening in 2020 is a shift. A pivot to something different. It is not defined yet but people will shape the shift.

It will come down to who is right. Defined by people.

In Pennsylvania people are right. In Colorado or California, they’re right. The same goes for Texas, Alabama, or South Dakota. People are right.

How will things change for your workforce and talent acquisition? If you are in Mount Vernon, South Dakota how is that different from New Berlin, New York? What about San Diego, California or Boston, Massachusetts, are there differences?

If you are a job seeker, where will you look?

It seems plausible that people will do what they believe is right. Now more than ever.

Local maybe the biggest comeback of this century.

-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.

07
Apr 20
-

Leaning Forward or Falling Backward?

Tags : belief choice future inspiration

It is a difficult time, for everyone. The choices you make now will definitely make a difference. Are you leaning forward?

I’ve participated in many Zoom meetings recently. I watch a little bit of news, and read a bunch too. Ask anyone, you’ll probably hear that it is not a good time.

You still have choices though. You have the choice about whether you will act or react, follow or lead, or simply stay stuck.

Many people have suggested that it is not about how many times you fall; it is about how many times you get back up.

Here are a few important tips for navigating this difficult time:

News Sparingly. Watch, read, or listen to the news sparingly. Don’t completely avoid it, and don’t binge watch it. Get updates and get out of it.
Plan. Plan for what will happen next, and I’m not talking about doom and gloom. There will be another side to this pandemic. Where and how will you position yourself?
Appreciate. If you have some down time, use it wisely. Stop the music for a few minutes and just take life in. Consider what is precious, dear, and most meaningful about life. Cherish what you have and take a deep breath.

When you limit the negativity entering your mind you will find that you think clearer, have less anxiety, and can focus on what is in front you.

Leaning Forward

The very near future may look a little rough. However, what you focus on now will define what happens next.

Everyone has a choice to believe. It will guide what happens next for you.

I’m leaning forward, ready to accelerate.

What about you?

Make the choice for leaning forward.

-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.

03
Jan 20
-

Decision Commitment and Deciding What to Do

Tags : accountability belief commitment decision

Sometimes the best thing to happen next is to decide that you are going to decide. Decision commitment can be a stumbling block. Are you ready to leap over the obstacles?

Often it is not about a lack of options, it is about a lack of commitment to decisions.

If you’re in sales, you’ll want the customer to decide. Your goal is to close the deal. You’re in the business of helping other people decide.

Selling It

Isn’t everyone in sales? Can you sell to yourself?

Sometimes we have to sell it to ourselves. We have to take the big leap. Create the contract and stay committed.

In my consulting practice, the biggest obstacle I often see for clients is their inability to decide. They want something different, bigger, or better. They can see it, but their next decision means commitment and they may not be ready for it.

Decision Commitment

It feels so final. You contemplate over and over about the pros and cons? Will it work or will it crash and burn in disaster?

At every entry point you have a chance to decide that you will decide.

Here is the thing. It doesn’t have to be final. Your choice can be fluid. You can ebb and flow, make adjustments, take a break, or start again. If the number is too steep, adjust. The timeline is too fast (or slow), adjust it.

Procrastination and a lack of making a decision is often a crusher of momentum and certainly productivity. You know time is money. The inability to make a choice may be costing much more than the risk you’re contemplating.

Trust Yourself

A decision often starts with trusting yourself.

Is that something you can feel confident about? Do you trust yourself?

Your next decision may be a big one. The heat of the moment may not be the best time to decide, and sometimes a decision to do nothing is still a good decision.

You must decide.

-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.

02
Jan 20
2

Finding Possibilities Is Easier Than You Think

Tags : belief Limitations opportunities possibilities

What are the possibilities in front of you? Are there some, or are there none? Finding possibilities is often connected with where or how you look.

People often get stuck because of the limits that they place on the possibilities.

I’m not attending the evening networking event. No one is ever there to really connect with anyway.

We should do a video tutorial for our new product, but I’m not sure anyone will watch it.

I should send a resume to that new business in the industrial park, yet, I doubt they’ll consider me because of my lack of experience.

The amount of risk you are willing to take or the effort that you are willing to endure will show fewer or more possibilities.

The truth often is that people avoid things that they believe will cause too much effort or grief. The desire to make a change or do different things is limited by what the individual (or group) views as the return on investment.

Finding Possibilities

If you start a new exercise program, then you also must realize that you should change some of your eating habits too. The biggest reality is that none of this change will happen quickly. As a result, many never start.

People often don’t want to be on the hook. They don’t want the added responsibility on the job. They don’t want to workout three or four times per week. And diet, well, some chips and a soda often seem easier and more attractive than celery sticks.

For your career or business, the possibilities are likely endless. Except when you decide that being on the hook for the commitment is going to cost you.

Finding new possibilities depends on the price you are willing to pay.

-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.

02
Oct 19
-

Promoting Workplace Change Starts With You

Tags : belief change customer relationships strategy

It probably won’t take long to get agreement that everything around us is changing. Promoting workplace change is often a forced situation. It often feels more like push and not pull.

What is necessary to get change started?

If I said that climate change is real, would you believe me?

If I said that climate change is not real, would you believe me?

What if I said George W. Bush, was the best President? Barack Obama? Donald Trump?

You may find argument for any one of these scenarios. Largely it is based on our individual beliefs.

Believe It or Not

Our beliefs are often responsible for what moves us, what sparks efforts to change, and what keeps us going when there are bumps in the road. If you want change, you have to establish belief.

Around the workplace there is often and expressed need for more sales, higher quality, and better customer relationships.

Some of that starts with having the right products, establishing a better brand, and making sure you can logistically serve your customer.

All of these things may require occasional, or as some may see it, constant change.

Will your employee teams change?

It probably depends on what they believe.

Do they believe that better quality is achievable? Are they convinced that you are providing the best products or services at the right price? Do they find reason to value and build better customer relationships?

Are your employee teams driven by data and facts, or are they driven by commands sent down from the C-Suite?

Promoting Workplace Change

If you want the academic to believe you, you’re probably going to have to show her the research that proves it.

For the plumber, you’ll need proof that the sealant holds.

The architect may need a scaled model.

When you want to change something in your workplace it may require a little bit more than just commanding it. You may have to be compelling and create belief.

Nobody wanted to try Life Cereal until Mikey liked it.

-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.

24
Sep 19
-

Workplace Critic And Your Safety Zone

Tags : belief confidence critic performance

Have you ever felt like your next move, any move, is going to be subject to the workplace critic? Does the workplace critic help improve things or drag down the performance of the team?

Critics sometimes believe they are helping the cause. They are quick to point out the inconsistencies, the shortcomings, and the reason things are not perfect.

Their argument is often that feedback improves performance. Their delivery may need some refinement.

Improving Performance

Understanding what customers want may improve performance. Nagging on another teammate about the relevancy of his or her contribution in the staff meeting, perhaps not so much.

It seems that there are always critics eager to tell someone what they have not done or not done that made their performance less. Shouldn’t we be trying to help others make their performance more?

Do we always need a critic or is it counter intuitive to a better future?

Policy and rule breakers need to be brought into check. Chronically late for work or meetings, should be fixed. Missing most deadlines, even the most reasonable ones, probably needs fixed.

Being the meeting after the meeting critic, well, not so much.

Workplace Critic

People need feedback. People have blind spots.

Are people still people? Yes, and many of them are working hard to make a difference. Harsh critics do not help.

Some of the best people quit or give-up in the face of harsh criticism.

What is the best way to deal with the critic?

Instead of retreating to your safety zone, hone your path, take away what you can, and keep giving everything you do, your best.

-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.

27
Aug 19
-

Cultural Words May Matter More

Tags : belief culture values words workplace

When you say, “soda,” someone else may say, “pop.” Do cultural words matter in your workplace?

When someone says, “Things don’t add up.” We assume that to be a universal truth. The saying, “Two plus two isn’t equaling four,” makes us believe something is off.

It is hard to dispute math.

Words Matter

Words always matter. They matter much more than most people realize. A simple change in our sentences, a word here, or a word there, often make a difference.

In workplace cultures belief is powerfully connected to words.

We have exceptional customer service.

We ship fast.

Patience is one of our core values.

Of course, the truth in each statement is subjective. Belief in these statements will matter for sales, operations, and brand.

Belief is part of your culture. The words used to describe how things happen, what will happen, and when, create images that form the culture.

Do you believe it?

Cultural Words

Everyone should get the same result when they add ten and five together. If you don’t believe it, check it on a calculator.

A twelve-inch ruler is a universal truth. It’s one foot.

When you suggest your workplace culture is diverse, committed, and engaged it is not a universal truth. It is a belief.

A great culture doesn’t come to life because of the technology, infrastructure, or a fancy conference room. You may have 80,000 square feet, but not much of that tells us the truth about your culture.

Words help create the image. After that, it is up to everyone in the community to believe, or not.

-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.

22
Aug 19
-

Wrong People Are Often Right

Tags : belief decisions people right wrong

People worry about the risk of being wrong. Taking a chance, exploring an opportunity, what is the real cost? Wrong people are often also the same people who get it right.

What is the risk for you? Is it your image, your reputation, or the thought that you might be fired?

Statistics on Right

It is Little League World Series time in Pennsylvania. A time each year when thousands of people descend upon the small city of, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

How many pitches will be thrown? How many strike outs, bases loaded, and catches dropped? What about base hits, home runs, and runs batted in?

Baseball is often much like our workplace life. The more chances we take the more chances we’ll have some success.

The statistical aspect of chances taken are what probably matters the most. One risk, one correct choice, seems easy. Looking deeper beyond the statistics you may ask, “How risky was that?”

Wrong People

It happens at the start of every brainstorming meeting. “No idea is a bad idea,” someone will proclaim. Yet, participants in the meeting will still wonder about the consequences before they speak.

Taking the risk of being wrong is the first step to taking a risk of being right.

Wrong people are not wrong all of the time. The trick is being right, at the right time.

Perfect scores, perfect seasons, and businesses and organizations on the move don’t happen without a few mistakes. The people who can live with being wrong are the same people who thrive on being right.

-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.

Tag Archives: belief

Jun 20

-

Your Beliefs

May 20

-

Everyone Worries

Wasteful Worrying

May 20

-

Available Everywhere

Local Experience

Apr 20

-

Leaning Forward

Jan 20

-

Selling It

Decision Commitment

Trust Yourself

Jan 20

Finding Possibilities

Oct 19

-

Believe It or Not

Promoting Workplace Change

Sep 19

-

Improving Performance

Workplace Critic

Aug 19

-

Words Matter

Cultural Words

Aug 19

-

Statistics on Right

Wrong People

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