Thought Patterns and Employee Engagement Ep 79

Chris Dimock, Co-Founder of Elation, had tried conventional wisdom in running his business and was getting average results. He says, “I was running a normal company.” He thought there must be a better way. After talking with another local business person, he had a humbling experience because he realized that the results were related more with HOW he thought than some kind of simple behavior change.

Chris Dimock CoFounder Elation

A Harvard MBA said that going through this Elation process and toward more self-accountability was one of the most frightening and humbling experiences he’d ever had. (Are you ready to do this?)

Leaders/managers, you don’t have to make things up. You can say, I don’t know and get input from all parties.

Humility plus curiosity plus trying different self-improvement. Willing to be more self-aware and realize that you can change results by changing how you think.

Awareness – we don’t often spend the time reflecting on why we did or did not get the results we wanted. Do we understand how our biases are effecting our outcomes?

(What is the story you tell yourself about employees and their ability/willingness to be self-sufficient?)

First thought. Second thought. Give pause after that first thought and see what if your second thought is better for the situation. One person, who typically had a short temper, would take a physical step back and 3 deep breaths and this cut down on problems.

Notes taken during the editing of this episode:

Appreciative Inquiry –

Listening to learn as opposed to listening to respond is somewhat a part of this. Genuine intention of learning about the other person and why they’re making the decisions they’re making.

A Harvard MBA said that going through this Elation process and toward more self-accountability was one of the most frightening and humbling experiences he’d ever had. (Are you ready to do this?)

Leaders/managers, you don’t have to make things up. You can say, I don’t know and get input from all parties.

References

Master Lube owned by Bill Simmons 

Firms of Endearment by Raj Sisodia (Also Everybody Matters) and the Conscious Capitalism movement.

Communities Change – MIT Team looking at community change efforts.

Jon Kabat-Zinn https://www.mindfulnesscds.com/

Jon Kabat-Zinn on Twitter

Dr. Carol Dweck and Mindset

Twitter @mindsetworks

Matthew Lieberman book on Amazon (not an affiliate link)

@social_brains on Twitter 

Book recommendations from Chris Dimock

Mindset:  The New Psychology of Success    Carol Dweck, Ph.D.

Foundational work on how important our mindset is.  Includes the research on fixed and growth mindset.

Your Brain at Work            David Rock

Outlines ways we can use our brain chemistry to achieve success.

Emotional Life of Your Brain            Richard Davidson, PhD

Each of us has an Emotional Style based on six domains:  Resilience, Outlook, Social Intuition, Self-Awareness, Sensitivity to Context, and Attention

Immunity to Change          Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey

The authors show how individual and organizational beliefs and mindsets combine to create a natural and powerful resistance to change.  It is possible to recognize and unlock these immunities to change in order to move forward.

Quiet Leadership                 David Rock, PhD

Outlines six steps to transforming performance at work by helping people to think better.

You Are Not Your Brain     Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D.

The authors propse a four-step method of addressing unhealthy thinking, changing habits and taking control of one’s life.

The Advantage    Patrick Lencioni

Why organizational health trumps everything else in business

Drive      Daniel H. Pink

What is the real aspects of motivation?

Make Yourself Indispensable           Mark Samuel

This book covers the power of personal responsibility and the accountability loop.

Mindsight             Daniel J. Siegel, MD

This groundbreaking book, from one of the global innovators in the integration of brain science with psychotherapy, offers an extraordinary guide to the practice of “mindsight,” the potent skill that is the basis for both emotional and social intelligence.

The Willpower Instinct      Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.

Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal’s wildly popular course The Science of Willpower, The Willpower Instinct is the first book to explain the new science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity.