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

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.

Dan Stutterheim, President of Kasa Companies celebrates his recent PCM Trainer Certification with Nate Regier, Trainer, on top of the Newton Train Station.

“I am president of Kasa Companies.  We offer other manufacturers solutions in automation, paint finishing, metal fabrication, and large turnkey project management.  A typical project for us is to work with a manufacturer to discover and define their problems.  Then, together we create and implement a solution.  This could mean that we design and manage a large capital project or build a new plant.  Our clients include global Fortune 500 Manufacturers as well as small, local customers.

I believe in PCM and have experienced its effectiveness. I am grateful to Next Element for the creative way they trained and educated my team.  They’re dang good!  Why become a trainer?  Becoming a PCM trainer allows me to better support my employees as they grow in their knowledge and use of the tools.  Also, we realized that by their nature, capital projects create stress.  PCM tools have allowed us to predict distress behaviors in ourselves and our customers and respond in ways that foster productivity and clear thinking.  Long term, I’d like to train our manufacturing customers in PCM.”

Dan Stutterheim
President
418 E. Ave. B
Salina, KS 67401
785-825-7181
dans@kasacontrols.com

www.kasacontrols.com

The basic premise is that for real change to happen, people have to experience it, not just have information about it.  They suggest that the more information a person has, the more that person [or organization] is unable to change.  This may be a clue into why many organizations seem unable to change until they are bankrupt.

So, could it be possible that the enemy of change is OVER-ANALYZING and THINKING?  I do not believe that it is necessary to throw these two processes out completely.  However,  we must learn to know when to let go and just go for it!

How many of us have had an experience that we wanted to elaborate on, only to analyze and think ourselves out it?  I bet we all have.  The number 1 point I hope to make with this blog post is for you to trust what you see and feel, and then go for it – trust your gut!

Point number 2:  In order to sell a product, you must create an experience.  People can resonate with an experience, and when they do, they’ll want to re-create it.  Re-creation is selling.  The more positive experience a person has, that is based on what they saw and felt, the more likely they are to buy the product that created that experience, and the more likely they are to become a long-term customer.

See and feel it!!

At this moment, we know that Hiccup has discovered something special within himself.  For most of the movie, the scrawny, misfit son of a Viking warrior has repeated the phrase, “I can’t kill a dragon,” as if he is a victim of his own weakness and character flaws.  As How to Train your Dragon unfolds, however, we experience a moving story of choice, courage, and the true meaning of compassion. What can the unlikely hero in this movie teach us?

Lesson 1: When drama is the norm, insanity rules

A village five generations old, yet every building is new. Why?  Because the dragons keep destroying the village, and the stubborn inhabitants keep rebuilding it.  In the dance of drama, people assume the roles of Persecutor, Rescuer, and Victim. The Persecutor righteously attacks or blames others for his own problems.  The Rescuer martyrs herself overdoing for others without empowering them; and the Victim accepts the abuse day after day as if it’s his destiny.  All three roles play off each other, and recruit others to join the dance.  Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.  That’s the nature of Drama – lots of damage while nothing changes.

Lesson 2: Even good people (and dragons) do bad things

The Process Communication Model (PCM®) suggests that when people are not getting their inborn psychological needs met in healthy ways, they will attempt to get those same needs met in negative ways – which is called distress.  Whether it’s a Viking father fearful that his son won’t make him proud as a dragon-slayer, or a toothless dragon who just wants a friend, we all can do some pretty damaging things out of desperation.  How to train your dragon is a story of looking past the negative behaviors to the essential human needs beneath.

Lesson 3: Energy spent trying to control negative behavior is wasted

The entire identity and culture of the Viking clan is tied-up in defending against, and defeating the dragons.  From elaborate books on the arsenals and ordinance of each dragon species, to dragon-slaying basic training, every waking hour is spent focusing on how to deal with negative attention behaviors.  While his classmates are embroiled in gladiator-style trial and error, Hiccup discovers that attending to the authentic needs behind the negative behaviors of dragons increases his effectiveness and efficiency beyond what anyone else has imagined.  Trying to control negative attention is fruitless.

Lesson 4: Cultures of Openness, Resourcefulness, and Persistence produce unlikely heroes

Hiccup makes the choice to respond openly, resourcefully, and persistently to the dragons. By opening himself up to the Night Fury, he creates a safe space for both to learn from each other, and gains the trust and protection of this feared dragon.  He resourcefully applies his skills in new ways to make progress – for example, he uses his blacksmithing skills to craft a tail-fin prosthesis for his new friend.  Rather than doing for the dragon, he assists the dragon in empowering itself.  And, he persistently sticks with his new friend, Toothless, as they both learn how to fly with new appendages.

Lesson 5: Leveraging diversity can produce incredible results

For me, the final scene of this movie was the most poignant.  As Hiccup awakes from the epic final battle, we realize he has lost his left leg.  Then, we see that his blacksmith mentor has crafted him a cutting-edge prosthesis, already retrofitted to operate the system he originally built to help his dragon-friend fly.  As the movie ends, these two imperfect beings are working together to compensate for their weaknesses and leverage their strengths.  As others in the village come around, we see that they have made friends with, and learned to utilize the tremendous skills of the dragons to do good instead of harm.  The Vikings have always been creative and dogged in their determination.  The dragons have always been powerful.  Finding ways to make these gifts mutually beneficial instead of mutually destructive was one of the most powerful lessons of the movie.

Lesson 6: Choosing compassion instead of drama takes courage and perseverance

Throughout the movie, Hiccup is ridiculed by his family and clan for being weak, stupid, and misguided.  Yet he persists, realizing that while anyone can feel justified by doing the same thing they’ve always done, it takes much more courage to chose a new path.  By dropping his knife at the moment he could have killed the most feared dragon of them all to become a hero in the Viking world, Hiccup chooses instead to find the connection between these two supposed enemies.  By doing so, he changes the course of history for his village.

Choosing compassion instead of drama takes courage, and can reap benefits beyond your imagination.  Make the effort today to learn new ways of relating to others, new ways of leveraging the diversity around you, and be a Hiccup in your world.