pivot Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Dennis E. Gilbert

05
Nov 20
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Focus Forward Because You Guide What’s Next

Tags : big decisions career changes focus pivot

Are you uncertain about what happens next? Your best choice is to focus forward.

Often people or entire groups are hesitant to make a change or perhaps they’re anxious about keeping things the same. Most of our human nature links us to favoring consistency. Many people find comfort in things that are consistent and unchanged.

What happens when you don’t know what happens next?

Next is Scary

Usually, you strive to find the answer, you analyze or over-analyze the possible outcomes. It may be easier to place emphasis on your fears instead of on the possibility of something better emerging.

To put it all another way, there is comfort in knowing for certain what the playing field looks like next. What the rules will be, and how you can interact to survive and thrive.

It happens when you get a new boss. It happens when you get a promotion or move to a different employer. When the company changes ownership, merges, or gets acquired by another.

Perhaps not surprising it even happens when there is only a threat of these changes.

In the presence of such a threat, there often becomes the unknown about what will happen if things don’t change? Will they remain the same, get better, or perhaps all of the rules will change since the threat was a close call?

What should you do?

Focus Forward

When you focus forward, you’ll rely on your core values. You’ll put your best efforts behind your belief systems and use your knowledge and experiences to make good choices about what happens next.

The vision should be forward focused, not dwelling on where you’ve been but on what you’ll need to do in the future.

When you focus on the possibility, and not the opposite, everything changes. With an optimistic focus, your actions and behaviors will solidify your future direction.

No one said what’s next will be easy. Even if things seem like they will stay the same.

It’s doing the hard work that makes a difference.

You’ll create the best version of what’s next when you show up prepared to do so.

-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.

04
Nov 20
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Focus Matters and Changes the Outcomes

Tags : change long-term outcomes pivot results

What are you focused on today? Do you believe that focus matters? Will it change the outcomes?

When your work is very scattered it is hard to know where things start, stop, and how to measure progress. Time and effort are always wasted in the act of engagement, disengagement, and reengagement.

Focus Matters

When there is a problem or a crisis on the job, it becomes an all hands-on deck situation. Everyone jumps in to fight the metaphorical fire. They’re focused and it makes a difference.

Focus is often connected with a timeline. It is notable in many of life’s events. On graduation day, everyone is focused on the ceremony, the totality of the grind that brought graduates to the moment. It is also true for major surgery, a wedding, and an election.

When all the stakeholders are rounded up and focused, everything else stops until the event is over.

The long-term outcomes may be more significant. What will the graduate do now? Will the heart surgery prolong life and what will that look like? Weddings are in the spirit of a lifetime and election results last for years.

Resulting Outcomes

The focus is often short-lived when compared with the outcomes. The culmination of the process leading up to the event and what follows are the outcomes of a lasting endeavor.

Never taking the moments necessary to focus, without interruption, in order to create what happens next is often the problem of a failed action.

The real-life firefighter doesn’t put down the hose to browse his or her cell phone, have a snack, or chit-chat about neighborhood drama.

Perhaps what everyone needs is a little more focus and a little less procrastination or interruptions.

Focus is efficient and effective. It matters.

-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.

16
Oct 20
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Job Changes Always Mean Opportunity

Tags : attitude career job performance pivot psychology of work

There is always change. No matter what the calendar illustrates as the current year, there are changes. Job changes are commonplace. Are they for the better?

Everyone’s job changes. Things shift, requirements transform, and the needs of the customer often get more demanding.

That means your job will change.

Habits are hard to break. Good or bad. Chances are great that what you’ll do today is connected to a habit.

A habit is something that you are familiar with. It is often a pattern, a collection of recurring choices which lead to pathways that lead to outcomes.

People have a morning habit, a dinner habit, and even a weekend habit. Get some coffee, have some left-overs, visit the recycle center.

Regardless of how loose or how fitting, you find your life is connected to a lot of habits.

Job Changes

Do you love your job? Do you get inspired by your work? Are you hoping for more opportunity, tougher challenges, and a chance to really show what you’ve got?

When you find a reason to commit to doing your best work your interest level changes. You develop more energy and appreciate the feeling of a job well done. It can happen with your chores at home or your daily grind at the workplace.

It is about what you do. It’s your habit.

This is true because when someone tries to change your flow, you’re probably not happy.

People often say, “I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up.”

Maybe they are doing it. Maybe you are doing it. Right now.

Every job change, every pivot, shift, or revamp is your opportunity.

When you commit to engagement, you’ll develop more satisfaction. When change is an opportunity, you’ll find reasons to embrace it.

It’s easy to love what you 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.

06
Oct 20
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Changing Methods Means You’ve Learned

Tags : approaches methods pivot stuck success

Has something you’re doing changed? Do you believe that changing methods is a good idea or should you stick to doing exactly what works?

Same old, same old.

It’s a popular phrase and one that is often thrown about the workplace to indicate that people are bored and the energy is stale.

Persistence matters for success. Giving up easily or constantly swapping to a new path may not only be exhausting, it may mean that you lack focus.

On the other hand, sticking to the horse buggy may not only mean a traffic jam for everyone else, but it may also mean that you’re stuck.

Things that have been around for hundreds of years have changed. They may serve a similar purpose but they are probably not exactly the same.

Food, shelter, transportation, they are always changing, and these are just a few of the essentials.

You must change.

Changing Methods

Do you want to repeat the same mistakes over and over? Of course not, so you change it up. Does it interest you to read more, listen more, and watch more so that you learn more? Hopefully, it does.

Everything you do, for work, for pleasure, and for survival and success is based on a repetitive pattern of learning and growth. Staying the same really won’t take you very far. It feels safe and comfortable, but at the same time, it means you’re stuck.

Your job or occupation has changed, maybe noticeably or perhaps ever so slightly.

The business or organization that you work for has changed. The job roles have shifted, and future success will depend upon a fluid approach of learning and changing.

The moment you decide you’re done learning is the same moment you’ll start to decline.

Have an open mind. Change your methods.

-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.

15
Sep 20
-

Learning Opportunities Really Change The Outcomes

Tags : change learning opportunities pivot

Is attending the seminar a punishment or an opportunity? Education at all levels makes a difference. Do you see learning opportunities or do you see time wasters?

It’s sort of comical how several people can observe the same subject matter and see completely different things.

Values, beliefs, and trendy positions lead some people to appear to believe in something that they may know little or nothing about.

In the workplace, groups form, subgroups form, and there are workplace politics. Politics about who belongs and who doesn’t. Politics about who works, contributes and puts in their time, and of course, who doesn’t.

Many organizations are on a quest to enhance their culture. They want to build stronger more intact teams. They want to improve their communication efforts and get everyone on the same page.

How will they do it?

Learning Opportunities

The best organizations seek to learn more. If time matters, and it always does, the faster you can improve efficiencies, effectiveness, and productivity the better.

The best people in the best organizations make an investment in learning.

A seminar or workshop is not a punishment. It is an opportunity.

If you can learn something new, refresh on something you’ve heard before, or turn a habit slipped into a reinvigorated quest to get better, you’ve gained.

I’ve observed people who fight and argue to stay out of the workshop. At the same time, I’ve observed people who fight and argue that they want in the workshop.

The perspective is different.

Workplace cultures are different.

Learning is something you become part of, you’re pulled, not pushed.

Changing the outcomes means you’re changing the approach. A new twist, a fluid approach, or something different. It’s more than doing the same thing differently, it is doing different things.

Different things change outcomes.

It’s a learning opportunity.

-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
Sep 20
-

Mindset Predicts the End of the Story

Tags : mindset pivot strong starts visualize winning

What does the end result have to do with what your mindset predicts?

Everything.

Many star athletes claim that they visualize their success. Fast starts, being ahead at the middle, and strong finishes.

In business, many people and organizations visualize what comes next. Most of the success stories probably don’t start by visualizing hardship or failure.

While what many would label as a positive mindset doesn’t solve all the problems, or overcome every hurdle, it may be the difference between winning and losing.

In any competitive environment, it often feels like a race. A race to be first, a race to endure, and a race of the strongest finishers. Even a race against time, because short bursts aren’t always sustainable.

Visualizing what things look like at the start, the mid-point, and the finish will matter. It will also matter when the measurement is taken. The half-way point, the third leg, or when the clock expires.

Sometimes the biggest challenges are those that you create.

Mindset Predicts

A fumble in the first quarter may be undesirable, but there is still time. When you need a score and fumble with only seconds remaining, all hope may be lost.

Hope is part of mindset. It is why many games are won or lost before the players even take the field.

Winners are sometimes spotted in the first quarter, momentum grows, and a defeat for the opponent is realized.

Perhaps you can’t win on mindset alone, yet it can be the beginning of any defeat.

Story told.

What are you telling yourself?

-DEG

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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.

23
Jul 20
-

Workplace Proof, Do You Believe It?

Tags : change evidence pivot strategy workplace proof

If someone told you that sales are going to explode beyond your wildest imagination in the next quarter would you believe it? Workplace proof often requires evidence. Does it also require imagination?

Change is a constant. Sometimes it is more accelerated and sometimes it is more gradual.

Do you believe in the change when you hear about it, or do you need to see it to believe it?

Buy-in is critical for navigating a changing environment. Change is driven by forces. Internal or external those forces will drive change.

As we are about to enter late summer and fall 2020, everyone likely recognizes we are in a presidential election year. Political opinions are everywhere on social media, on television, and perhaps even in your postal system mailbox.

What do you believe? You are influenced by those around you, your friends, and your family? What are your own individual beliefs?

It may be hard to pinpoint exactly what drives your personal beliefs. However, there are little triggers and reminders of what is important to you.

They may give you all of the proof that you need.

Workplace Proof

In the workplace, it isn’t that much different for how you’ll decide what you feel about the next change. You’re influenced in multiple ways about what will happen next. Whether you like it, believe in it, or think it is total garbage.

Role models will provide some of that influence. That influence will be entwined with your level of trust and respect for those modeling new behaviors or strategic plans.

You’ll also observe what others are doing and saying. You may have tendencies towards either leading or following, and much of that may depend on your comfort level, past experiences, and of course, your values and beliefs.

For most people, change requires proof.

Is your job changing? Are economic conditions pushing you towards a change? Do you need your team to pivot to a new direction?

To be committed to what happens next you may first have to decide what you believe?

That belief starts with what you consider to be proof.

-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
Jun 20
-

Workplace Shift and the Forces of Change

Tags : change connections pivot shift workplace

Change isn’t always about a choice. Chances are great you’ve experienced a workplace shift. How you choose to navigate the forces of change will have something to do with the outcome.

For hundreds of years or more, humans have been expanding their communities.

Communities once invested in rail service to bring desirable change to the people of a town. It formed a connection.

They built pathways, roads, and bridges. If not a bridge, then a raft, a canoe, or a boat. They have successfully linked people through transportation and technology.

Change is always happening around us. Sometimes change is a choice, in other cases the only choice is how you’ll choose to react to change.

Workplace change has both external and internal forces.

Change Forces

Externally we can be forced to change by technology, government regulations, and the conditions of the economy. Even popular values, social needs, and a pandemic.

Inside the walls of the organization change may happen because of leadership directives, workforce demographics, and performance failures.

It doesn’t take much to spark a workplace shift.

Workplace Shift

A choice that everyone has is connected to how he or she will respond to the shift.

When you think of the shift that is happening now in your workplace is there an opportunity to connect? Can you connect the people with the process or establish a more meaningful connection with the customer?

More often than not, when a connection is formed everyone benefits.

Change is an opportunity for enhancing the right connections. It may not make sense by rail, by boat, or by plane, but it still may make sense.

Force can launch a shift, and the opportunity created by the shift can also launch a force.

It seems that opportunity in change is still about choice.

-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.

01
Jun 20
-

Precious Workplace Resources and Using Them

Tags : change choices decisions pivot

Marketing is a struggle spot for many businesses. So is making great choices about talent. What are your most precious workplace resources? Are you using them effectively?

Technology and automation are both king and queen in many operations. Business strive to scale. They strive to attain the most efficiency and balance it with low cost.

Time is always a factor. How much, how fast, and how great is the quality? It’s true for both goods, and for services.

Focus is a factor when it comes to resources. Focus on nothing and you’ll likely get nothing.

Businesses and people sometimes focus too broad, or the opposite, too narrow.

The broad approach is often labeled, spray and pray. You throw a bunch of stuff out there and you see what sticks. It’s often the concept of spam.

Too narrow, and opportunities are missed. Product value is weakened or doesn’t fit like it potentially could. Services don’t provide enough depth.

Precious Workplace Resources

In the workplace it is often easy for people to appear busy. Busy is not proof of productivity, efficiency, or effectiveness. It may be proof that motion is occurring, but motion in most instances is not the point.

You can walk or run on a treadmill, yet you aren’t going any place. The argument may be that your improving fitness, and that may be true, but you haven’t changed your location.

It’s true for rocking in a rocking chair, it’s true for writing a book and never publishing it. Unless your goal is that act of doing, you’re not going anywhere.

Effectively using your most precious workplace resources has several important aspects. You should figure out where you’re going, monitor progress, and pivot your plan as appropriate along the way.

Both change and utilization are about decisions and choices. Those opportunities start with awareness.

If you think a lot of motion in the rocking chair will get you across town.

You’re mistaken.

-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.

13
May 20
-

Real World Stories Are What We’re Looking For

Tags : change pivot real world stories

The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a fairy tale. So is Rumpelstiltskin. When you’re trying to evoke positive change, it is best to start with real world stories.

Most change starts with a story. A story about the past, a story about hardship, adversity, or overwhelming success. The most powerful stories often contain all three.

Rocky Balboa is a story. So is The Pursuit of Happiness (2006). Many consider both to be motivational, heart touching, and potentially life changing.

Are they true? Perhaps not completely, yet they are founded in real-life, believable scenarios.

People are called to action, or they are not, based on the story.

Stories and Change

Change fails. Sometimes despite all the energy thrown at it, it fails.

People remember failed change. In many cases they avoided it, fought it, and refused to cooperate with it so strongly that eventually, it failed.

Humans tend to follow patterns. When something works, they stick with it.

Makes sense, right?

In matters of change, resistance is sometimes a learned behavior. Fight what scares you, fight what you don’t like or understand, and fight long enough, you’ll win. It becomes a pattern.

The fight against it probably starts with a story. The wrong kind of story. An unbelievable story or one that absolutely presents itself as a fairy tale.

A fairy tale might be fun. An escape from reality, the Sci-Fi movie, or a murder mystery. Drama stories might capture your heart, cause a tear, and have a happy ending.

Most are based more on fiction rather than fact. The change they may spark is imaginary. It’s not real world.

Real World Stories

Workplace or organizational change isn’t launched with fairy tales. They aren’t about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or Jack and the Beanstalk.

If you’re going to successfully launch a change, start with real world stories. They are believable and that is what makes them successful.

People want transparency and they want authenticity. They are attracted to those stories because they are real. They’re believable.

Belief is one of the most powerful engines in our psyche.

Is your change believable?

Belief starts with a good story.

-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: pivot

Nov 20

-

Next is Scary

Focus Forward

Nov 20

-

Focus Matters

Resulting Outcomes

Oct 20

-

Job Changes

Oct 20

-

Changing Methods

Sep 20

-

Learning Opportunities

Sep 20

-

Mindset Predicts

Jul 20

-

Workplace Proof

Jun 20

-

Change Forces

Workplace Shift

Jun 20

-

Precious Workplace Resources

May 20

-

Stories and Change

Real World Stories

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