And how sad that we so often believe that the star is “out there,” just beyond our reach.  When you stop focusing on expectations and begin focusing on what you want, you can be among the stars.

Start with these three steps:

Set your sights: What do you really want?  What have you been putting off because it wasn’t practical, or too risky?  What have you been avoiding because it just seems “too out reach?”  Get clear, get focused, and get honest about what you really want.

Set your mind: Begin by becoming aware of all those negative and pessimistic messages in and around you telling you you can’t, you shouldn’t, or “you’d be better off playing it safe.”  Recognize that those messages come from fear, shame, and selfishness rather than owning your star-power and making a difference in the universe.

Set your course: Get moving.  Do something, anything, to begin working towards your star.

And remember, when you set your sights, your mind, and your course in-line with your dream, the stars are already within reach.  Where you end up is anybody’s guess!

Brett Bailey, director at Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch (http://www.meramecranch.org/), is part of a statewide program that works with at-risk youth to discover and capitalize on their strengths and inspire change in their perspective. As a Great Circle ® agency, Meramec offers experiential adventure and wilderness programs in an effective way to teach skills that are therapeutic in a real-life environment.

Meramec is one of the most extensive high adventure facilities in the Midwest. With a 28-element high ropes course, team development initiatives, zip lines, and an adventure lake, ranch programs utilize outdoor, adventure, and wilderness experiences to help participants focus on key attributes to make a positive impact in the world around them.

Bailey says camp attendees gain mastery of skills and demonstrate how efficacy can change their lives. Though many of the youth have faced extreme cases of abuse and neglect, Bailey says after they work through building a fire, lashing logs together, or conquering a 40-foot tower by climbing and rappelling, the camp is truly a catalyst for change.

“We believe no other place builds that integrity, service, and interdependence between individuals better than the outdoors,” Bailey says.  “It’s pretty neat to watch efficacy grow and translate that into concrete examples, or use the river as a metaphor for where they are in their journey of life.”

Meramec Adventure Learning Ranch offers programs ranging from a day trip to 8-14 day cottage trips designed to meet specific objectives for the group’s treatment goals. Each program works to inspire growth and efficacy while also placing participants into a state of disequilibrium. Bailey says when a person feels off balance, it is natural to reach out for something stable. Research and personal success stories have proven that working through nature’s survival challenges can inspire change in hard-wired responses. The combination of the outdoors and the idea of disequilibrium go hand-in-hand to make each group adventure a purposeful trip.

“We give youth the ability to recognize they have something unique and special to offer,” he says. “I believe that inspires a lot of purpose, which goes a long way toward developing efficacy and hope. Next, they can reconstruct perceptions of things that have happened in the past. They will say to themselves, ‘That experience wasn’t my choosing, but I can use it to make me into a better, stronger, healthier person.’”

One year ago, Bailey and his co-director, Kassey Odneal, discovered the talents of Next Element and brought Nate Regier and his team on board to develop an assessment that could track the progress and outcomes of the work at Meramec. After deep, thorough discussions of Meramec’s goals, objectives and programs, and an onsite visit, Regier certified Bailey and his team in NEOS®, an assessment program that tracks three attributes of effective functioning: openness, resourcefulness, and persistence. Next Element also offered training in self-efficacy and Process Communication® for portions of the Meramec team.

“Brett and Kassey are passionate, full of energy and have a deep commitment to their clients,” Regier says. “Our work has been primarily research-focused and we are  equipping the Meramec team to be intentional about the work they are doing around self-efficacy. The time we’ve spent with them to design a product that will measure the ranch’s progress and outcomes is very unique to their goals – it is not a cookie cutter approach.”  Bailey says Next Element has also taught them how to more effectively bridge the transfer-of-learning gap, which is essential to the work Meramec offers its young participants. He says with any adventure program, the biggest challenge is making an individual connect what they’ve learned, or the skill they’ve mastered, to a situation at home.

“The cool thing about Next Element is that they are geared to individual and team development,” he says. “They are focused on changing and inspiring growth in each individual, and that’s our focus as well. In some ways we are a different animal as there are not too many programs in the Midwest that do therapeutic expeditions for this type of at-risk youth. Next Element has experience working with all those things, both in the adventure realm and therapeutic realm. That was a big selling point for us.”

Building relationships and changing perspective which can inspire is what Meramec is all about. Bailey says he witnesses incredible success stories of the youth who’ve come through Meramec programs. At the end of each journey in the woods with a fire, primitive hut and edible plants and amazing youth, he gains more perspective each time.

“If we can inspire and facilitate a change in our kids’ perspectives through the growth of efficacy, then instead of viewing a mountain as too high or too big, they will see they have the ability to get over it,” he says.

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By Rhonda McCurry, Contract Writer

An article in the November 28 issue of Time Magazine reported that 2 million people gave notice and left their jobs in September, the highest number of resignations since November 2008.  In this report, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 44% of those who quit their job in the last year did so believing they would find a better opportunity elsewhere.

In April 2009 we published a white paper titled “Prepare for the future: Invest in your people”, (http://next-element.com/whitepapers/prepare-for-the-future-invest-in-your-people/) outlining the current statistics on job satisfaction and engagement, and emphasized the danger of taking employees for granted during a time when they have fewer alternatives. In the months following we published a series of papers sharing perspectives and strategies to value, engage, and motivate your best people so that when things turned around, you would have a loyal and prepared workforce.

We are happy that the economy is showing signs of recovery, and we are happy that employees are taking the risk to find workplaces that value and respect them. Through thick and thin, you can count on Next Element to offer resources for maximizing your best people, helping those who are struggling, and making the tough decisions along the way.

- NGR

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FEATURED CLIENT

Our featured client this month is Kidron Bethel Village, a retirement village in North Newton KS.  Read how they increased communication effectiveness by 20 – 40% in six key areas.  The article can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

PCM NUGGET

“PCM leaves no-one indifferent because it is so pertinent, complete, and predictive” – Jerome Lefeuvre, Kahler Communication France

From California to Michigan, Vermont to Florida, and right here in the Midwest our experience has been the same as in France. PCM is transformative. We will continue to expand the reach and impact of PCM, innovate, and explore the depths of what this tool can do.

CONTEST

The first person to reply to this question correctly, “What three words could change your life?” will win a $25 gift card of their choice. (This prize has already been awarded)

GOT PROCESS POLL

And the winner is…How can I adapt my communication style and stay authentic?  Authenticity isn’t just about “sticking to your guns.”  Being yourself is about being all you are, accessing all your potential and qualities to be effective with others. Read more by clicking here.

UPCOMING SEMINARS

• Process Facilitation Seminar – Nov 14 – 16, Newton KS
• NEOS Certification – Nov 15 – 16, Newton KS
• Advanced PCM® Conflict Resolution Seminar – Nov 17 – 18, Newton KS
• PCM® Trainer Certification – Nov 28 – Dec 2, Newton KS
• To register, or find out more about any of these seminars, click here.

Here is a blushworthy quote from an attendee of a Process Communication Model Seminar hosted by the greater Wichita area Young Presidents’ Organization…

“I say modern life is conceived through communication. Have you ever moved an object without touching it? That is influence. That is what Nate & Jeff did.“  – Mark Hamade,  Chief Operating Officer at PKM Steel, Salina Steel, MSS Transport

If you haven’t purchased the PocketPCM from your local apps store yet, what are you waiting for?  This handy-dandy, at-your-fingertips communication tool may be just the thing you could use for one of those “awkward moments” at those upcoming holiday parties!

In case you missed it Nate’s article, “Problem Employees: Invest in them or invite them out,” was recently published by the Wichita Eagle.  Click here to read the complete article.

We are so excited to hit this critical mark! Many advisors have told us that most start ups don’t make it this far, and if they do – once they hit that three-year mark, success is much more attainable.

We have never questioned our ability to make it. And, since we chose not to participate in the recession, success has always been our only option.

We often get asked what is the secret to making it this far. It’s no secret. The keys to our success are integral to what we intend our clients to experience when working with us.  In no particular order of importance, here’s what we practice:

ACCEPT. First, we ACCEPT every one of our owners for who they are.  We all work differently, train differently, do social media differently, and the list goes on. The bottom line is that we ACCEPT all of our differences as wonderful and useful. And further, we do not judge those differences or put anyone in a box who thinks, acts or goes about business differently.

VALUE. Second, we VALUE everyone’s opinions. We may not agree and we not may follow each other’s advice every time. Still, we value and respect each person’s opinions.  We also invite all to share their opinions in staff meetings, emails, chats, or client feedback sessions. Opinions will always have a place.

HERE. Third, we want every one to be HERE. This may be via phone, Skype, e-mail, instant message or in-person. Wherever we are, we honor everyone’s presence and we want that presence.

HAPPEN. Fourth, we want to make it HAPPEN for Next Element. We want to make decisions as fast as our infrastructure will allow us. Then, once we have reached a goal or accomplished a task, we push on faster. Making things HAPPEN is not only important, it is a mandate for us all.

IDEAS. Fifth, we invite and entertain all IDEAS. We may not pursue all IDEAS. We may not use all IDEAS. Our intent though, is to have an open door policy on sharing all IDEAS – any time, any place, no matter how far out they are.

LIKE. Sixth, we LIKE each other for who we are. We are all different in how we live our lives. We are different in our approaches to faith, parenting, fashion, and work environments. We LIKE each other without condition. There are no strings attached at Next Element.

These six keys are something that we at Next Element follow and strive to put into practice every day. We also teach this to our clients and invite them to put this into practice.

These six keys, ACCEPT, VALUE, HERE, HAPPEN, IDEAS and LIKE are an integral part of why we are successful today and will be successful in the future.

Our first official staff meeting in our new office in 2008. (Nate was the photographer)

Your title is like a window of opportunity to connect, motivate, listen to understand, and model healthy conflict, which carries a responsibility beyond having the final say.

• Featured Client: Ranlyn Hill, Benevolent Vision
• Challenge Winner: Marja Brandon, Brandon Consulting Group
• PCM Nugget: First Break All the Rules
• Invest or Invite Out
• Nate is now a Certifying Process Education Model Trainer!
• Upcoming Events
• See You Soon: At SHRM Conference, ExpoSure and AEE International Conference
• Hot Wings Update: Joe’s on Sullivan in Atlanta

Do Happier People Work Harder?
By Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer
Published: September 3, 2011

Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School, and Steven Kramer, an independent researcher, are the authors of “The Progress Principle.”

LABOR DAY is meant to be a celebration of work. Yet, on this Labor Day, few have reason to rejoice. Even those who have jobs.  The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has been polling over 1,000 adults every day since January 2008, shows that Americans now feel worse about their jobs — and work environments — than ever before. People of all ages, and across income levels, are unhappy with their supervisors, apathetic about their organizations and detached from what they do. And there’s no reason to think things will soon improve.

Employee engagement may seem like a frill in a downturn economy. But it can make a big difference in a company’s survival. In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance. Gallup estimates the cost of America’s disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. When people don’t care about their jobs or their employers, they don’t show up consistently, they produce less, or their work quality suffers.

Over the past decade, we researched the micro-level causes behind this macro-level problem. To gain real-time perspective into everyday work lives, we collected  nearly 12,000 electronic diary entries from 238 professionals in seven different companies. Our study charted each person’s psychological state each day, and asked respondents to describe one event that stood out during that day. Our analysis revealed their inner work lives — the usually hidden perceptions, emotions and motivations that people experience as they react to and make sense of events in their workdays.

The results were sobering. In one-third of the 12,000 diary entries, the diarist was unhappy, unmotivated or both. In fact, workers often expressed frustration, disdain or disgust. Our research shows that inner work life has a profound impact on workers’ creativity, productivity, commitment and collegiality. Employees are far more likely to have new ideas on days when they feel happier. Conventional wisdom suggests that pressure enhances performance; our real-time data, however, shows that workers perform better when they are happily engaged in what they do.

Managers can help ensure that people are happily engaged at work. Doing so isn’t expensive. Workers’ well-being depends, in large part, on managers’ ability and willingness to facilitate workers’ accomplishments — by removing obstacles, providing help and acknowledging strong effort. A clear pattern emerged when we analyzed the 64,000 specific workday events reported in the diaries: of all the events that engage people at work, the single most important — by far — is simply making progress in meaningful work.

As long as workers experience their labor as meaningful, progress is often followed by joy and excitement about the work. “This time it looks good! I feel more positive about this project and my work than I’ve felt in a long time,” one programmer wrote after she’d completed a small but difficult task. This kind of rich inner work life improves performance, which further supports inner work life — a positive spiral.

Unfortunately, many companies now keep head count and resources to a minimum and this makes progress a struggle for employees. Most managers don’t understand the negative consequences of this struggle. When we asked 669 managers from companies around the world to rank five employee motivators in terms of importance, they ranked “supporting progress” dead last. Fully 95 percent of these managers failed to recognize that progress in meaningful work is the primary motivator, well ahead of traditional incentives like raises and bonuses.

This failure reflects a common experience inside organizations. Of the seven companies we studied, just one had managers who consistently supplied the catalysts — worker autonomy, sufficient resources and learning from problems — that enabled progress. Not coincidentally, that company was the only one to achieve a technological breakthrough in the months we studied it.

Working adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else. Work should ennoble, not kill, the human spirit. Promoting workers’ well-being isn’t just ethical; it makes economic sense. Fostering positive inner lives sometimes requires leaders to better articulate meaning in the work for everyone across the organization. Sometimes, all that’s required is that managers address daily hassles and help with technical problems. If those who lead organizations — from C.E.O.’s to small-team leaders — believe their mission is, in part, to support workers’ everyday progress, we could end the disengagement crisis and, in the process, lift our work force’s well-being and our economy’s productivity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/opinion/sunday/do-happier-people-work-harder.html?_r=1

Join us for the 39th Annual International AEE Conference

Nov. 3 – 6, 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Exhibitor and Sponsorship information

Greetings,

We’d like to thank all of our long-time sponsors and partners in the experiential education community who are supporting and attending the 39^th Annual AEE International Conference November 3-6 in Jacksonville, Florida. We’d love it if you could attend and wanted to let you know that there are only a couple days left to get the Early Bird Registration rate – the rate expires this Friday 9/9!!! You can get the early bird rate AND the membership discount if you become a member prior to registering.

The conference is expected to be another great opportunity for everyone in the experiential education community to come together for professional development, networking, learning, sharing, and building bridges across disciplines and fields of study. Find out more about the conference, the schedule, the workshops, and more at: http://www.aee.org/conferences/intl

If you’re considering either registering for the conference, exhibiting to show your support of the experiential education community, or placing an ad in the conference brochure, here are some links that will get you started.

• Sign up to become an AEE member and get an extra month of membership free (renewals also get a free month)! Sign up to get the member registration rate for the conference!
• Register for the International Conference by the early bird deadline, September 9th (only 4 days away!!!) to get the early-bird rate
• Promote your organization with a booth in the exhibition hall (comes with two complimentary conference registrations)
• Purchase an ad in the conference program to promote AEE and to promote your organization, business, or non-profit. Ads due by 9/30.
• Supply auction items for the silent and live auctions at the conference by contacting membership@aee.org
• Other options to support the conference are available, too – see the conference pages

There’s only a week left to register at the early-bird rate so sign up today! And make sure you’re a member to get the most savings.

Have a great week, and again, thank you to all our partners and sponsors for their exceptional support of the experiential education community.

Paul Limoges
AEE CEO

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