My Thoughts Exactly, January 2011

By Gary Tilkin

CEO and Founder of Gary Tilkin Consultants, Inc.

My Thoughts Exactly Overview:

As this New Year of 2011 begins, we have to look forward to the opportunities that we have OR can create. Regardless of the business you represent, improvements are accomplished “In And Through The Voluntary Cooperation Of Your Team Members”. We as managers, executives, and business owners CAN’T DO IT BY OURSELVES.  Therefore, this article is about why changing our associate’s business behavior is so difficult, yet possible. It also focuses on how we can change our own business behavior if we choose to do so.

Our Mind Is Just A “House” Of Experiences:

Consider your mind a “House” that has no windows and one door.  The one door opens inward and only allows experiences, thoughts and memories to enter. Once these items enter, they cannot get out. Some of these experiences we can control and other happen randomly without our consent.  Regardless, they shape our future, lives, reactions, and how we deal with even the most mundane situations.

Why We React The Way I Do:

For now, let me ask you to buy-in to the “House” concept; later you can choose to discredit it if you like. For sake of an example, here are two real life experience of mine. When I was in fourth grade I had the tip of my index finger on my left hand chopped off. I can’t remember what happened five minutes before the event or after. I have no problem talking or even joking about the experience. However, if I even get a paper cut at age 53, my entire body starts to shake uncontrollably. Another example is when I was 20 years old I bought something from a local store. It was very expensive and broke, but I did not have the receipt. Everyone I asked told me the store would not EVER take it back without a receipt. I took it back anyway and got a full refund. To this day, I have no hesitation to return any item to any store.

These completely different experiences effect my actions and reactions. One experience I had very little control over while other was a conscience decision.  So how does this effect “Business Behavior”.

Effecting Business Behavior:

When a member of your team or yourself did a task or approached a situation, you started a pattern. That information went into your personal “House”. Over time you re-enforced the experience by doing it again and becoming comfortable with the steps or sequence. Now what if those familiar steps were stopping you from living your true potential? What if that sequence was limiting your success? Let’s say you short cut a professional sales presentation or yell instead of having a normal business conversation. Now we have an issue that is much more complex and is not easy to fix, especially if you attempt to go into it alone. So what is solution?

Accept The Assistance From Your Management/Coaching Team:

“A manager’s job is to get their people act and react properly.  Therefore the manager will need to be crystal clear on what proper looks, smells and tastes like.”

As a manager, you must realize that the improper business behavior is not done to make you upset, mad, or as a method to do the wrong thing. The business behavior was learned; put in the associates “House”; re-enforced; and made familiar through repetition.  Our job as a manager is to put positive business behaviors in the associates “House” to neutralize  the negative.  Just realize that it is not a one for one split. Instead, it is a one for one hundred split.  This means you have to put one hundred times the good stuff in to over whelm one bad behavior.  Also, you simply can’t stop putting the good stuff in. Remember, the “House” bad stuff is really deep and the good stuff simply puts a blanket over it. If the good stuff stops coming in the “House” the bad stuff starts to surface again. Now you know why people don’t immediately change just because they want too or you ask them too.

Managers Make The Difference:

As a manager we now have a different perspective and approach towards correcting Business Behavior. Now, we know that we can change behaviors if we stay the course, stay focused, stay calm and look for opportunities to have one-on-one conversations with our team. It is a matter of constant re-enforcement of the right stuff in the “House”. It is also immediately debriefing behavior to compliment correct behavior and address incorrect behavior. These one-on-one meetings with our team member are called the Film/Debrief and are the cornerstone of managers changing behaviors. Just like what a football coach would do after the game by reviewing the film. Now if you run your organization, how quickly do you think you could change your entire teams’ business behaviors, if you had each of your managers “Crystal Clear” on what right was and how to Enforce Right consistently as a team. Just “Think of the possibilities.”

Want More Information On This Topic:

If you want more information on the topic or to have your team personally developed by Gary Tilkin, please contact him through e-mail (gary.tilkin@garytilkin.com) or phone (1.205.540.7371). Until we meet again, remember to “Always Be A Professional For Life”.