NE CORNER

In a recent conversation with a local businessman, he shared with me his most vivid and inspiring memory of our company start-up nearly two years ago.  In the local newspaper story about Next Element in 2008, we were quoted to have said that we were refusing to participate in the recession. This has stuck with him and given him energy ever since.

Nearly two years later nothing has changed in our philosophy.  Although we work our tails off and have had our share of setbacks, we continue to focus on the positive, expect amazing results with our clients, and refuse to let fear and worry get us down.  We look forward to sharing this enthusiasm for new possibilities with you in the coming year. – NR

PCM NUGGET

Close Channels, Build Trust. Can it be that simple? Yes and No. You have nothing to lose, try it out. Click here to read more

THE VALUE OF ROUTINES

I have three children, ages 7, 11, and 13.  Summer in our family is a crazy, fun mix of vacations, sleepovers, late nights, and community activities.  It’s also the hardest time for me to stay healthy.  I am out of rhythm and out of touch with the routines that keep me healthy - regular sleep, exercise, diet, and “me -time.”  As much as I love summer, I also look forward to the routine and structure of the school year to get me back on track.

Summertime at Next Element has also been quite a ride.  We’ve been busier than ever, we’ve ramped up our investment in new product development, and we’ve increased our efforts in sales and networking.  As we become busier, we have made an intentional effort to examine and refine our routines so that the things we value most, stewardship of our relationships with each other and our clients, stays at the core of our daily life.  I invite you to read Michele’s blog about how we re-examined our routine of meeting minutes to stay on track.  As fall approaches, we encourage each of you to find or get back into the routines that support what’s most important to you. - NR

GET THE WRONG PEOPLE OFF THE BUS

Building more effective and efficient work teams is not just about getting the right people “on the bus.”  It’s also about getting the wrong people off the bus.  Don’t misunderstand, we really do believe in people’s ability to change, we see people change every day.  And, we know that many organizations and cultures tolerate unhealthy behavior far too long.  If you’re serious about increasing the effectiveness of your people, are you ready to:

• Motivate and hold accountable those who have potential?
• Stop tolerating those who have no interest in changing?
• Facilitate a speedy departure for those who actively sabotage your best efforts?

If so, we can help, it’s what we do.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Jamie is blogging on Dan Pink’s book, “Drive.” Jeff is blogging on Chip and Dan Heath’s book, “Switch, How to Change When Change is Hard.” Both books are full of terrific learning points around what really drives people and how they can change for the better. Check them out, post your own comments, and get in on the conversation!

ASTD SUNFLOWER CHAPTER

Nate has been working with a group of local business people to revive the Sunflower Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). If you’re interested in joining this group, please plan to attend their Kick-Off event on August 16th, 4:30Lj:30 pm at the Fox & Hound, 1421 North Waterfront Parkway, Wichita.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Advanced PCM® Conflict Resolution Seminar - August 11 - 12, in Frankenmuth, Michigan

Process Facilitation Seminar - August 29 - 31, Topanga California

Process Facilitation Seminar - Frankenmuth, Michigan (exact dates TBD)

Process Facilitation Seminar - November 8 - 10, Newton, Kansas (This seminar is almost full. If you have expressed interest and have not finalized your registration, please contact us today!)

18th National Quality Education Conference, Chicago, Illinois - November 7 - 9; Joe & Judy Pauley will be the Keynote Speakers on the 8th. (pdf is available on our website calendar) Also at 4:00 pm on the 8th, they will offer a session on bullying that will be open to educators in the Chicago area.

Facilitating Self-Efficacy - November 11 - 12, Newton, Kansas

Process Facilitation Seminar - November 15 - 17, Topanga, California

PCM® Trainer Certification - November 15 - 19, Newton, Kansas

(There’s talk of adding more seminars this fall, please check back on our website calendar often!)

FREE STUFF

Executive Communication Assessment - yes, it’s really free.  Click here to learn more.

HOT WING UPDATE

Ok, they weren’t so much “hot” as Honey BBQ, but these four members of the Newton Flyers Track Club had a great time this week in Virginia Beach, Virginia, at the Amateur Athletic Union Track Nationals.  In the photo at the 21st Street Grill from left to right are: Kade Remsberg, Maggie Remsberg, DesiRay Kernal and Taylor Antonowich.  NE Partner, Jamie, and her husband Tad are coaches for the Club.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We hope to see you at one of the following tradeshows where we’ll be exhibiting, stop by our booth and say “howdy” - you may even score a totally cool NE give-away.
Data Center Inc, Overland Park, Kansas - September 13 - 14
SHRM Conference, Overland Park, Kansas - September 15 - 16
ExpoSure, Wichita, Kansas - September 23

“I’ve always been the opposite of a paranoid. I operate as if everyone is part of a plot to enhance my well-being.” - Stan Dale, Founder of the Human Awareness Institute

Goals. Going beyond a dollar figure, goals such as building a social/emotional healthy organization, or giving back to society through work, these are some of the ways purpose is brought into organizational goals.

Words.  Listening to how someone is using words can be very telling.  One example used in the book is from Robert B. Reich, former U.S. labor secretary.  He called it the “pronoun test.”  When he visits a workplace, he asks the employees  some questions about their company.  He listens for the pronouns they use.  Do the workers refer to the company as “they” or “we?”  “They” and “we” companies are very different places, he says.  The “we” company is one that employees are most likely to experience autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Policies.  Pink says, “between the words businesses use and the goals they seek sit the policies they implement to turn the former into the latter.” However, this can be a slippery slope of good intentions with ill consequences. Unfortunately implementing policies may do little to improve or change behavior in the work place.  At NE, it is our belief that sometimes policies are written to avoid conflict.  Healthy conflict can be a source of discovering creative ways to bring purpose into the work place.  With policies, employees may meet the minimal standards to avoid punishment – without ever discovering a sense of purpose in their work.

Pink gave the following example as a method for enlisting the power of autonomy in a purpose-centered policy.  Physicians in high-profile settings, like the Mayo Clinic, were allowed to spend 20% of their time with purpose, spending one day a week on the aspect of their job that was the most meaningful to them.  The conclusion of the study found that those doctors were half as likely to experience job burn-out.

In closing, Pink says,”A healthy society – and healthy business organizations – begins with purpose and considers profit as a way to move toward that end, or a happy by-product of its attainment.“  “The science shows that the secret to high performance… is our deep-seated desire to direct our own lives, to extend and expand our abilities, and to live a life of purpose.”

My perception and experience as a business owner sees this chapter as very validating for where we are and where we are going as NE.  From day one we wanted to create a business model that complimented who we are, and focused on authentically practicing what we train and facilitate for others.

Because people are what run business, and Next Element is in the people-business, more often than not, we discover workplace inefficiencies stemming from relationship and communication problems. One of our goals is to advance the success of the businesses in our community.  When you succeed, our whole community succeeds.

Here’s the only catch. We will travel up to 3 hours from Wichita to do the assessment. If it’s further than that? We can discuss options that address travel and lodging costs.

Here is one example of how it works: Two car wash companies offered a promotional deal.  The first company’s offer was to give you a stamp when you bought a car wash. Get eight stamps, get a free car wash.  The second company’s offer was a free car wash after ten stamps. The difference…the second company gave the customer two stamps to begin with.

Both offers are the same. Buy eight car washes and get one free.  However with the second company the consumers’ perceptions, feelings and beliefs led them to think they were 20 percent on their way to their goal.  A few months after this promotion, the second company had a 34 percent market share versus 19 percent for the first company.

This story is intended to illustrate that the further along you are to your goal the more you will work towards your goal.  When we are overwhelmed with a task, it is often because we have had no success on that task. However when we have some success, it is easier for us to build on that success, and keep going.

The authors recommend lowering the bar first, and then raise it after you have had some accomplishments.  When you set the bar high from the beginning, you may become overwhelmed.  This contributes to individuals, and even teams, to give up before they even get started.

When I was in high school I was a high jumper, I cleared 6′6″, which is not great and not too bad for a 6′2″ country kid.  When we would begin a high jump contest, often times the good jumpers would not jump at the lower heights.  I always did, because I wanted to stay warm and loose.  It is clear to me now why I won so many contests, I was experiencing small success that then led to winning the competition.

Bill Parcels said that his goal was never to win a Super Bowl, rather, it was to have a great practice today.  Because the success of that practice will lead to players believing that they can win a Super Bowl.