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NEW ARTICLE: 5 Things All Leaders Must Do At The Start Of The Day

The article: 5 THINGS ALL LEADERS MUST DO AT THE START OF THE DAY is the next article by David G. Guerra. In this article David discusses what he sees as the 5 things all leaders must do just before and at the start of the business day. While a leader must wear many hats there are some that are non-negotiable. These five things are not the only thing a leader must do everyday but it is a foundation to being a great leader of which showing up is most certainly at the top of any list.

Read this brief 1200 word article and if you are so inclined there is an option to download the article in PDF format.

click here to read: 5 THINGS ALL LEADERS MUST DO AT THE START OF THE DAY

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Efficiency In The Workplace – Motivation Killers (aka Toxic People) by David G. Guerra, MBA

Lately, I have been looking at how to improve efficiency in the workplace. I have looked at it from different angles as to what makes it work and what holds it back. One thing that holds efficiency down is “motivation killers“. Every business has one. Every company, every agency, every organization, for profit or nonprofit, has at least one. Sadly, some have two or more. I guess that just depends on the company size. Who are these motivation killers?

Well, they are those Negative Nellies, the Debbie Downers, the Two Sad Toms, and the Killjoy Club. You know who they are. They are there and they are easy to spot. It does not matter what name you call them, you know who they are. They are, as I wrote, so easy to spot. It is crazy but yet why are they allowed to fester?

Why are these toxic individuals allowed to grow? Why are they allowed to thrive in the organization? Why do they get the advantage over those that are highly motivated, those that want to be there, those that want to do the next thing, those that want to take it up a notch? Why are those toxic individuals not stopped in their tracks? Why are they not held accountable? These are valid questions to valid situations that exist in the workplace.
The Negative Nellies and the Debbie Downers get the run of the place. They get the run of the place and why does management continue to allow such behavior? Could it be because no one wants to stir the pot? Make no waves? Meanwhile the toxic people continue to roam the corporate countryside, the positive employees have to be restrained for fear of stirring the toxic sludge? Why?

Why is that allowed?

As a leader you cannot flat out fire those Debbie Downers, even though many of us would like to, we just cannot do it. You know your organization’s hiring and firing policy and you have to follow it to the letter. However, there are things you can do and the number one thing you as a leader need to do with those “motivation killers” is to work with them. I know it is easier said than done but you have to work with them. You lay it out and say ‘hey, look the company’s going in this direction and we need you there with us. Take that energy that you are spewing and turn it around. Guide us, help us, and help us take the entire organization, take the newbies, take the old-timers, take the veterans and take the organization in a whole new different direction.

Of course, sometimes it is not that easy. So, what do you do? You document, you document, you document. You write it all down. You get to work with this individual, you talk to that individual and yet they continue to “fail to follow direction”. You as the leader, as the manager, as the department head, as the one at top of the ladder have to work with them. You have to motivate them. However, when they fail to follow those directions, well then you can begin to do something about those “motivation killers“.

Trust me, when they realize their pocketbooks are going to be affected things change. Hitting people where it hurts is a great motivator. I hate to be the one that has to take it to that extreme but sometimes you have to do what you have to do because you cannot be trying to go full speed ahead if you are just dragging your anchor. Ask the United States Navy if they can go full steam ahead full speed ahead and drag their anchors on the ocean floor? The answer is NO. They cannot go full speed until they raise that anchor. Until they raise the anchor (the “motivation killer“). Get rid of that negativity and when others see you doing this they see you trying to work with those “motivation killers”, guess what? They are going to be on-board as well. Their attitudes and motivation are going to change. This going to start changing for the positive and who knows maybe they will even start to hold those Negative Nellies, the Debbie Downers, Too Sad Toms and they’ll start holding them accountable and they’ll start holding each other accountable. It may be a long path or it could be a short walk. Sometimes all they need is just a little motivation like and you hear “Oh, I didn’t know I was doing something wrong.” Either way they are with you and they’re with the change in attitude. They are changing, they want to do better and when they can do it they will do it.

When they don’t, well you and I both know it might just be time for those “motivation killers” to find some other place to take their toxicity and that’s the bottom line because, we don’t have time for that nonsense. After all, this is the 21st century and we are moving forward.

 

As always, if you questions please feel free to reach out and contact me.

David G. Guerra, MBA
Author of “The Walking Leader” and “Great To Follow”
twitter: @DaveGuerra
instagram: dave_guerra

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My 5 Predictions for 2018 by David Guerra

As with every new year come the inevitable predictions for what people believe will happen in that new year. So why not me? I have a voice, a platform, and a soap box. I have as much right as the next guy to be wrong.  I also have the same right as the next guy to correct in making my predictions for 2018.

Here are my top 5 Predictions for 2018.

#1 PERSONAL GROWTH

 
All throughout my life I have heard people say, “Ad nauseam”, how they are doing things for themselves and for the better yet never actually work on it. When they see that others have caught them not delivering on those words they wait a while (usually until the heat (of being caught) dies down) and then come back swinging with the same old and very tired line.
 
I believe that 2018 will be the defining moment for many to step up to a new plane of thinking, believing, living and behaving. They will finally realize that by just saying the words nothing magical will happen. The only magic is the magic they make for themselves.
 
Making magic always has been and always will be through hard work. The kind of hard work that comes from thinking you are doing hard work only to realize you could do more. It is like believing you are giving 100% but come to find out you have another 10% to give. There is no such thing as giving 110%! There is the realization that you are shortchanging everyone by only giving 90% but claiming something more.
 
This is a long shot but I do believe that in 2018 people will start to measure their life on what they are DOING and not on their past.

#2 VIRTUAL REALITY / AUGMENTED REALITY

A new world awaits all of us. Imagine putting on a headset and instantly you are standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. You are looking up then you look to your left and next to you is an old long lost flame. Someone you had no seen in years. You say hello and that long lost love looks at you and smiles. You catch up on your respective lives since breaking up so long ago. You do so feeling safe the two of you are not in Paris, physically you are at home, and your old flame is at home a couple of thousand miles away.

Next you are instantly transported to the great pyramid of Cheops. Now you are standing next to your significant other who also happens to be in the very next room and virtually you go off exploring one of the seven wonders of the world.

While we are not there yet, in 2018 Virtual Reality and/or Augmented Reality technology will take significant leaps and bound to make the previous two paragraphs a near reality. In 2017, the price of VR headsets dropped to a level that now any kid that mows a couple of lawns can afford her own journey to the foot of the Eiffel Tower or a train ride from England to France in the “Chunnel” (look it up). By Christmas time, we will start to see software packages that promise to take us on the tour of the Gobi Desert or we will swim through the reefs of the South Pacific Ocean. While we might not be completely convinced we are there but you just wait and see.

Oh, yes rest assured we are living in the future. A future where the line between science fiction and science fact become blurred with each passing day.

3. PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

In 2018, people will focus more on making and participating in experiences. Fun, Travel, Adventure will rule the day in 2018. This will not be limited to millennials and the younger generations but everyone Gen X, Gen Y, Baby Boomers. These experiences will not be limited to traveling halfway across the planet but down the street, the next town over and so on.

Additionally, the experiences will not just be solo adventures but as a collective. Friends, Strangers and Family members. Shared experiences creates a common bond. Soon strangers are friends. Family bonds are strengthen and friends become family. Yes, it works that way.

The change from hearing about it to doing will take a huge surge in 2018 and I do expect it to carry over to 2019 and beyond.

4. TECHNOLOGY: PREDICTIVE AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE)

We already have Siri, Alexa, Google Home. Soon Microsoft will join the voice based artificial intelligence battlefield. Battlefield? In 2018, you smart phone, tablet, and voice device will become more intuitive and predictive. Imagine your smart phone telling you thinks like, “I see you are the grocery store, it has been two weeks since you purchased red wine, it might be time for a new bottle of Lambrusco” or recommending it is time for an oil change and presenting you the top three deals in your geographic area. That sounds pretty simple but as AI technology continues to advance so will the predictive capabilities of the system.

What I see is AI technology not only reminding us of upcoming anniversaries and birthdays but working with us to tell us the conditions exist that our automobile is facing a unique stress as gas mileage is low and then telling us that our diet is seriously low in potassium and a leg cramp is coming. Then things will only get better. However, at what cost?

For true PREDICTIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE to work we have to give something up. We have to give up a bit more of our unique privacy. We have to allow the “machines” to go deeper into our lives. Are we prepared to give up more than we already have to have the unique “customized” experience that the future promises to bring?

5. People Will Evolve: (Because Change Said So)

No matter how difficult it is for people to want to change, they will change. Whether they like it or not, people will change. They have to change and 2018 will be no exception. However, what will be different this year, I see people will want to actively and purposefully seek out change. Why the active need to change?

We are well into the 21st Century and times are changing. Whether for better or worse, these times they are changing and attitudes are changing. When it comes to changing attitudes, the only way to do so is to get up and do it. As the world changes, it is those that refuse to change that will get left behind. Being left behind is not a good thing especially when

As we move faster and further into the 21st Century the only thing that will remain the same is change. 2018 and beyond will be nothing but change, for everyone. Now is the time to get to work because if you do come along for the great ride that 2018 is already promising to give all of use. I cannot wait to see what happens at the end of the year and witness, firsthand, how far or how close we get to the future.

 

As always, if you questions please feel free to reach out and contact me.

by David G. Guerra, MBA
Author of “The Walking Leader” and “Great To Follow”
twitter: @DaveGuerra
instagram: dave_guerra