Simon T Bailey’s Blog

“Simon, what should I do if I don’t feel the love from my company?” This question stunned me because “love” is not a word used in business circles. Nevertheless, this was the recent question from a manager who was given more responsibility but no pay increase or additional staff to carry out the task at hand…and no affirmation or even a simple “thank you” for taking on the additional responsibility.

Another dear friend of mine recently shared that her senior leader announced directly to staff members that their department would be downsized. My friend was left out of the conversation and told in passing, “Oh, by the way, put together a plan that shows how this department can be run by one person, excluding yourself.” This over-controlling, highly insensitive, fear-based leader also strongly encouraged my friend not to reach out to anyone within the corporation, warning that if she did so, she would suffer the consequences. This is leadership by intimidation.

Needless to say, situations like this cause extreme frustration and employee morale suffers greatly because people “don’t feel the love.” And when you believe that you are being dumped on, then psychologically your creative juices shut down and your passion for the brand disintegrates.

Allow me to make a sharp left-hand turn from the right lane on the highway of possibility. “Love” is a word that is shunned in the corridors of most organizations. However, according to research just released from Kevin Roberts, CEO of the giant global ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi, brands that engage people emotionally can command prices as much as 20% to 200% higher than their competitors and sell in far higher volumes. Now, just think…employees are customers, too. If employees “feel the love,” then they don’t mind giving 100% in productivity, and they in turn will emotionally engage customers who also need to feel the love. Customers and employees alike go where they are celebrated rather tolerated.

“Intimacy” is an intriguing word. Wrap your brain around its real meaning by thinking of it this way: in-to-me-see. In other words, do you see me? Do you know me? Am I more than just a Social Security number, birth date, and human asset? When you see into someone you get to know them for who they really are and understand what they need to live their brilliance. When you practice in-to-me-see then you are able to communicate the bigger picture of why a decision is made, instead of shoving it down a person’s throat.

Organizations that love their people see into them because they have an ongoing working conversation, ask for feedback, and execute accordingly. Organizations that could not care less and only see what people can do for them will experience “warm chair attrition” in the days to come. People will eventually move on because they don’t feel the love and their brilliance is blocked.

-Simon T Bailey

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I recently attended an executive retreat that included a few of the world’s most brilliant communicators. Personally, I was there to discover, explore, and confirm my intuitive beliefs about how business should be done in this post-modern era. However, I experienced serendipity when I bumped into three executives from my previous employer.

For more than two days we shared very openly and honestly about the state of the world, business, politics and life. They asked me tough questions. We debated the content of each presentation we heard, and each person’s opinion was respected. What meant the most to me was that they AFFIRMED ME. At that particular time, I just needed to know that someone believed in what I am doing. This encounter with these three individuals came at the exact moment I most needed to hear what they had to say. It was the epitome of serendipity.

The best way to explain this five-syllable word is “happy accidents” or as Joe Jaworski describes in his book Synchronicity – The Inner Path of Leadership, “Serendipity is when you go to a place, a setting, or a meeting expecting a certain outcome and discover something entirely different because you are open and are present to the moment.”

“Perceptions of Serendipity” was an article published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology. It states, “Career analysts find that 83% of midcareer professionals believe chance (serendipity) played a significant role in their ultimate career path and that they highly value staying open for unexpected opportunities.”

I invite you to be open and aware of serendipitous moments as you release your brilliance.

-Simon T Bailey

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I was recently in Round Rock, Texas, meeting with some representatives from Dell™ to discuss a potential business opportunity. (I am also a very happy Dell customer.) As my key contact was walking me around the building where all of the action happens, I couldn’t help but notice a reoccurring sign that stated, “Be the Reason!”

I asked my host, “What is that all about?” He said, “It is something the employees came up with to depict how they intend to take it to the next level.” Needless to say, it has spread like wildfire throughout the company. Personally, I think it’s simply brilliant! It’s simple, it’s sticky and it encapsulates the spirit of Dell™.

As you know, I thought about this on the plane ride home to Orlando, Florida. I wondered how many of you reading this blog right now see yourself as the reason customers do business with your organization. Are you the reason they return time and time again? Are you the reason they tell others about your product or service? Whatever your answer to these questions, just remember that being the reason is about having a cause bigger than a paycheck, bonus, or benefits.

If you are a leader, are you the reason people are willing to fall on the sword or run through a wall for you? Are you the reason everyone wants to be on your team? Are you the reason your name is mentioned in the ladies restroom (this is where all important meetings take place) as one of the best people to work for in the entire organization? Are you the reason the company never wants to see you leave because despite hearing rumors of a recession, you’ve decided not to participate?

You go for it…Be the Reason! Dell is…what about you?

-Simon T Bailey

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Pounding feet, thousands of sneakers, sweat, conversation, and a buzz in the air! This is what I witnessed while teaching a class at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for a week. During lunchtime I saw men and women walk past me, and then a few minutes later I saw the same people walk right by me again. I said to my host, “What is going on?” She said, “Those are individuals who are participating in the Blues’ ‘Dump Your Plump’ employee wellness competition.”

What is Dump Your Plump? It’s a 10-week team competition designed to help employees set and achieve a daily 30-minute exercise goal and a personal weight loss goal of up to 20 pounds. Teams whose members each document their daily exercise and meet their preset personal weight loss goal can win prizes at the end of the competition. Is that cool or what? I know there is a wellness movement afoot in America and what better way to enlist people to get proactively involved in their health than to partner with another colleague? That’s how to release brilliance.

I noticed that the real key to the program was peer support. Employees were not doing it by themselves. They had another person walking with them, talking to them, and supporting them. This reminds me of the experiment by psychologists to see how long a person could stand barefoot in a bucket of ice water. They discovered that those who lasted the longest were cheered on and supported by team members who said, “You can do it… yes you can!”
If you are ready to dump your plump then find a friend and make it happen.

-Simon T Bailey

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Listen to a recording from my “Release Your Business Brilliance” teleseminar via the audio player below (recorded LIVE on Monday, February 18, 2008).

You can download an MP3 of the call here. Right Click the link and select “Save Target As” to begin the download. Note that the MP3 file is 22MB in size.

You can order Release Your Brilliance anywhere books are sold or online via the links at www.ReleaseYourBrilliance.com.

Feel free to post a comment and let us know what you thought of this teleseminar. You can also forward this post to a friend or co-worker so that they too can listen.

Our next teleseminar will be scheduled soon!

To order the “Meditate on Your Brilliance Ebook Set” that was mentioned during the teleseminar, click here.

“This powerful little book will teach you and others in your workplace how to combine meditation and positive affirmations to achieve exceptional individual and organizational results. It includes 52 professional- and performance-oriented affirmations, one for each week of the year, designed to help you develop high-impact habits.”

Be Brilliant!

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I was teaching a frontline leadership class at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan a few days ago and I made the statement that employees not pulling their weight must be coached up or coached out. A lady raised her hand and said that she worked for a manager who used to tell his team, “Catch the vision or catch the bus.”

I love this statement. It’s strong and to the point. Are you catching the vision of where your leader wants to go, or are you one foot away from the bus stop? You know how to catch the bus: You go to the bus station and purchase a ticket, or you wait at the bus stop and pay when you get on the bus.

How do you catch the vision? Your actions and productivity speak loud and clear, and indicate whether you believe the vision or think it merely a passing fad. Your communication and collaboration across the business enterprise show whether you are committed to the vision or just providing lip service. When individuals do not buy into the leader’s vision, there is division. What will you do today to make sure that catching the bus is never an option for you? Let me give you a hint… allow the vision to live in your head, heart, and hands.

-Simon T Bailey
www.SimonTBaileyBlog.com  
www.SimonTBailey.com
www.ReleaseYourBrilliance.com  

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It’s pretty amazing to watch a book take on a life of its own. Since “Release Your Brilliance” released last month through Harper Collins I’ve been receiving emails and phone calls from friends all around the country telling me how they are seeing the book on the front of store shelves, in airport bookstores, etc.

It’s truly humbling to see your book sitting right next to great authors such as Patrick Lencioni, Montel Williams, Jeffrey Gitomer, and Bill Clinton.

Below is a photo a friend emailed me from the Miami International Airport bookstore.

Here’s a fun idea… if you see “Release Your Brilliance” on a shelf somewhere, snap a photo with your phone or camera and send it to Daniel at Daniel@SimonTBailey.com.  Include your name and where you saw the book and we’ll post a future blog post with your photo and info. Also love to hear your thoughts and feedback about the book itself.

Be Brilliant!
-Simon T Bailey

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I was recently interviewed by Peter Clayton with Total Picture radio. A really great interview that allowed me to share a great deal of information. Click the link below to listen to the interview online and/or download the MP3 of the interview.

http://www.totalpicture.com/content/view/536/154/

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I recently attended an executive retreat sponsored by EFI Inc., based in Vero Beach, Florida. (Visit www.efi-inc.com for more information on one of the foremost authorities on Executive Education.) Michael Treacy, Professor of Management at MIT Sloan School, was one of the speakers at the retreat. He asked a thought-provoking question: “Why should customers do business with you?”

Answers to his question produced even more thought-provoking questions: Is it the fact that you keep your word? Or do you always deliver a consistent and timely product/service? What makes you and the company you work for attractive to customers? Are you the benchmark in your industry? Is your company innovative or just maintaining the status quo? If you were told that your job, product, or service would be outsourced and that you had three months to find another gig, what would you do? Are you an employee or a supplier that the company would fight to keep?

I see two issues emerging from these questions. First, the knowledge worker of the 21st century will have to answer this question on a daily basis: “What am I doing in my current role to remain viable, cutting-edge, and valuable?” The second issue is that employers will have to turn up the volume on “LOVE” for talent. Otherwise, employees will vote with their heart and feet. Leaders create the experience for employees and employees create the experience for customers. That’s reason enough for customers to do business with you.

-Simon T Bailey

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Scientists were experimenting with laboratory rats to measure their motivation to live under different circumstances. They dropped a rat into a jar of water that had been placed in total darkness, and they timed how long the animal would continue swimming before it gave up and allowed itself to drown. It lasted for three minutes. They dropped another rat into the same kind of jar, but instead of placing it in total darkness, they allowed a ray of light to shine into the jar. This time the rat swam for 36 hours. The scientists discovered that as long as the rat continued to see the light, it continued to have hope.

As you ponder the future, consider what motivates you to see the light of unlimited possibility. Are you motivated to endure and achieve your intended goal in the midst of adverse conditions? True motivation comes from the inner core of your being, and no one can motivate you like you. Your greatest potential, brilliance, and strength are released when you are at your wit’s end and your back is against the wall. Throwing in the towel is not an option. Wishing you could be whisked away in a private jet to Monte Carlo or to ski in the Swiss Alps are nice daydreams, but that’s the easy way out.

Motivate yourself to be on time and make a daily contribution to your place of business.
Motivate yourself to be solution-oriented.

Motivate yourself to deliver results and stop whining about who is the boss’s favorite or who goes to lunch with the boss.

So what if the boss doesn’t notice you or give you a pat on the back? It’s not the end of the world. Right now as you read this blog in your office, cubicle, or home, give yourself a standing ovation. Why? You deserve it. It’s long overdue. Laugh out loud. Smile, because every day above ground is a good day. Motivate thyself.

-Simon T Bailey

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