We are in a new economy and the old way of managing people does not work. In the past, you could glide by with an abundance of employees and minimal people skills and still be considered a “good” manager. Today, staffs are smaller but the workload has increased. Instead of upper management understanding the dilemma and lowering quotas, they expect supervisors to not only meet the existing benchmarks but to go beyond and achieve more with usually half the personnel!

Of course I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I recognize that you, as manager or supervisor in this new economy, have experienced higher stress levels and lower employee morale. In the past four years I have conducted over a thousand seminars across the country and have had the pleasure of working with 150,000 managers and supervisors in every kind of workplace; large and small corporations, small business, governments and other non-profit organizations. What they have made clear to me is that, what got you by a few years ago doesn’t help you now. Our personnel do not want to hear the old tired and stale techniques that we, so many times in the past, have relied on to build harmony and productivity in the workplace. Also, most of them resent doing the work of former employees that were let go during the recession. This mentality breeds pessimism and overall negativity. It is left up to you to fix these problems. I know that this situation seems daunting but take heart.

THERE IS HOPE!

There is a way to increase productivity in the staff, meet your goals and satisfy your boss without the backlash that most managers fear. According to behavioral scientists and the research done over the past 20 years, experts agree that we can dramatically increase production from our employees by the way we interact and influence them, in other words our people skills. These skills include a multitude of techniques developed by experts to help you interact with your staff in a way that produces the desired effect. For most managers the goal is to build productivity, increase morale and promote harmony in the organization. By earning a quality technique(s) you increase your skill in that area, whether it be delegation, leadership or say communication. The more techniques you know, the more skilled you are.

Through my experience, I have identified the top five skill sets that you, as a leader, can’t live without in this new economy. Better yet, by mastering these skills you can significantly increase productivity with the workforce you have, reduce your stress and actually enjoy coming to work again. Here they are…

1. 1.Behavior Management Skills

The number one skill needed in our workforce today is the ability to manage our staff’s behavior. Most managers and supervisors do not know where behavior comes from; therefore, they don’t know how to alter it. In order to handle the emotions of our employees as well as ourselves, manage change in the workplace and eliminate unwanted negative behavior, you need to be skilled in the science of human behavior.

A manager attending one of my seminars asked me, “It’s a psychology thing, right?” to which I proclaimed “Absolutely!” Psychology is the study of human thought, it’s about why we do the things that we do. Don’t tell me you haven’t looked to at least one of your employees and wondered what was going on between their ears.

By learning behavior techniques you will be able to understand why your people act the way they do, and how to get them to behave the way you need them to act.

1. 2.Communication Skills

There can never be enough said about communication skills; this skill set encompasses a large area of real estate when it comes to interacting with our staff. The fact is, “you cannot, not communicate.” In everything that you do, you are communicating to your employees. Only 7% of your communication is the words you say. Everything that you do to interact with your personnel starts here, in communication. Sure, HR will tell you what you can’t say, but who’s telling you what to say and in what medium to say it. By mastering communication skills you will be greatly enhancing your ability to manage your staff.

1. 3.Delegation Skills

Delegation is more than just distributing work. Most managers & supervisors do not see the opportunity for development that has been presented to them. They see delegation as a way to get tasks off their plate. The problem is that about 30% of delegated task actually end up back on the manager’s desk! Managers & supervisors also have a very difficult time ensuring that the work is done right.

By learning true delegation skills and applying them, you get the monkey of your back. You learn how to present the task to your people in a way that is done on time and done right. You also learn the true meaning of delegation, which is to develop your team.

1. 4.Motivation Skills

Motivation skills are usually a very good skill set to own, however in today’s economy it’s much harder to accomplish. There is something called “fake motivation.” You know what it is? It’s the motivation that most leaders try to use on their people. Your staff sees right through it and they know you are trying to motivate them, but you come off sounding insincere.

Real motivation is accomplished by using real techniques of influence and communication to motivate your employees to perform at the level you need to execute. Many managers complain how their people are not motivated; however, they simply don’t take the time to learn real techniques to solve the problem.

1. 5.Building Self Esteem

2 out of 3 people suffer from low self-esteem. That means two thirds of your staff suffers from low self-esteem. Why is this important to you? According to the experts, if your esteem is high, your productivity is high. That means that two thirds of your staff are not executing tasks at the levels that they normally could achieve.

Building self-esteem in your employees is not as easy as complimenting them. People with low self-esteem have thoughts that are 85% negative toward themselves. A pat on the back will not change their inner voice. You must learn tried and proven self-esteem techniques to accomplish your objective which is to increase their self-esteem and as a result, increase productivity.

Become a Student of People

It is vital that today’s managers and supervisors be students of human influence. By learning how to relate with those that you lead, you can increase their output exponentially. Continuing your education in the field of human behavior use to be a luxury that only CEO’s and upper management could afford to learn; however, in today’s market it has become a necessity for every manager or supervisor to be skilled in the art of interacting with people. These five skills about are necessary to succeed as a leader in today’s economy. Face it; you have to become more, if you are going to work with less.

Jeff Compton

Jeff Compton is an Author and Professional Speaker. Jeff has conducted 1000 seminars in the past 4 years to over 150,000 managers & supervisors. Jeff teaches leaders how to successfully interact with their employees that promotes harmony in the workplace but better yet increases productivity. When managers and supervisors need answers they go to Jeff Compton. Jeff is truly America’s Management Go-To-Guy. You can reach Jeff at www.jcompton.com

© 2012 Jeff Compton International | Third Dimension Group, Inc.
PO box 1845 Calhoun, GA 30703 | 678-612-2484   www.jcompton.com

This is the scenario that we find ourselves in today. In the past two years the paradigms of business has totally shifted. The changes can be seen in everything we do from the way we interact with our co-workers to the way we sell our products.

The implications behind “Being a Force in 2012” is that it is time to stop reeling from the change that has be occurring and start taking charge of where we are and where we are going. Though it is said that we hate change, man’s capacity to adapt and even prosper in the midst of change is remarkable.

Jeff Compton is a behavior specialist. His tried and true techniques are designed to alter behavior and habitual patterns so that you can take advantage of the change that is happening around you. Jeff’s programs fall into multiple categories that deal with interacting with others as well as with ourselves.

From motivation to leadership the way we interact determines if we thrive or fail. Jeff’s programs are about interaction. Communication, Leadership, Supervising People, Emotional Intelligence & Motivation are all forms of interaction and Jeff Compton has proven that he in a driving force in behavior interaction. By bringing in Jeff your organization comes one step closer to Becoming a Force In 2012!

The greatest advantage that I received was to take in enormous amounts of knowledge and understanding about my faith. I was literally in church all the time. I began a career in the ministry, following in my father’s footsteps, in my twenties. By the time I was 25 years old I had the equivalent of a Doctorate degree in religious studies.

In 2004 there was a great shift in my “ministry” to that of helping others become more successful professionally and personally in their lives, as well as spiritually. In the past seven years I have devoted myself to learning the principles of success just as I did earlier when I learned the principles of my faith.

I have found that success and religion are very much alike. The principles that build your faith are the same principles that you use to become successful in life. No matter what faith you adhere to, all beliefs systems are effective because of four main components. These four components are not only at the foundation of every religion but are the driving force that perpetuates the belief systems of the world.

Not until recently did I see the similarities between success and religion. Most people separate the two. As a matter of fact, there are a quite a few faiths that proclaim that you cannot be successful in this life and be successful in the spirit at the same time.

Religion is a very powerful force in the world. People will go to war, starve themselves and die for their beliefs. Countries rise and fall all the time in the name of their religion. We have always had, and we will always have religion. Wouldn’t be nice to be able to say the same about success? It would be great if we could proclaim “I have always had and will always have SUCCESS.”

It can be done; others have achieved perpetual success in the past. If you study those who have been consistently successful, all of them have one thing in common. Either success was their religion or they treated success like it was a religion. In other words, they used the same four principles that are at the heart of every belief system to accomplish never-ending success.

What are these cornerstones that will lead to everlasting success? It’s nothing that you haven’t heard before. Children in Sunday school could tell you what they are. It’s that we usually don’t apply them to the area of achievement. Here they are:

Number One… Faith in something unbelievable. The act of believing in something you can’t see in front of you but you know one day it will appear; believing in something that others can’t believe in or even conceive to be true. It is easier to believe in a God we cannot see than to believe we can achieve any goal in life. The reason is, we have faith in our God and we do not have faith in our ability to succeed. Never-ending successful people may or may not have faith in their God but it is very evident that they have faith in their abilities to accomplish the impossible.

At the turn of the 20^th century it was impossible to think that electricity could be in every home, lighting every room with light bulbs. Thomas Edison, the founder of General Electric, believed in the unbelievable.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, two of this generation’s most consistently successful titans, believe in the far fetch idea that anyone and everyone could own and operated a “personal” computer. This idea was considered laughable to those that lived in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Number Two… You reap what you sow. Known as Karma in some religions. What comes around goes around is evident in every belief system in the world. The power to give to others is a force that cannot be denied. The physiological aspects of charitable acts have an enormous effect on the giver as well as the recipient.  The rules that govern influence are triggered in generosity. Whether it is doing a good deed or giving of your wealth, the return is always measured as more than the gift itself.

Most consistently successful people will tell you that their philanthropic work is the most rewarding part of their success. They are consistently giving of their time, money or knowledge to others. The aforementioned Bill Gates, one of the richest in the world has dedicated the rest of his life to giving way his wealth to others less fortunate. His friend Warren Buffett, the third richest man in the world, has pledged that more than 99% of his wealth will go to philanthropy during his lifetime or at his death, his wealth during the last recession increased by 10 billion.

If you give money to others it will be given back to you, the same is true for knowledge as well as of your time.

Number Three… Knowledge in the ideologies of your faith. Every Sunday in a church in the Bible Belt area of the United States there are people who sit in pews and listen to knowledgeable men and woman expound on the articles of their Faith. Many have daily devotions and readings from the Bible. They are consistently feeding themselves with information on their religion. Some can quote long passages of scripture. I use to take pride in my ability to quote chapters from the Bible. It is considered a taboo to miss church.

Other Faiths have similar traditions and behaviors. Jewish and Islamic worshipers devote much time to learning the Torah and Koran respectively.  We, as believers in our God, adhere to the belief that our constant listening and learning of the doctrines of our religion is how we stay faithful to our God. I have heard on more than one occasion from the pulpit that you are what you eat, and if you will constantly feed yourself the word of God you will never waver or stray from the truth.

Truly successful people will tell you that they stay consistently successful because they are always learning.  They will tell you that they believe in mentors, coaches and others to gather insights into their respective fields of success. Knowledge is power and the right knowledge is the most powerful way to rise above others and stay consistently successful.

One of the most successful speakers in the world today is Tony Robbins. Tony admits that most of his success has come from “modeling” other successful people. “Modeling” is the act of learning how other accomplished success and using that knowledge to propel your own success. Tony has been so successful for so many years using this principle that others pay him millions of dollars a year just to learn from him.

Look back at your life. If you could do it all over again with the knowledge you have now, how different would your life be? Would you be more successful?

Number Four… Consistently observing to article of your beliefs. Those that are true to their religion are not the “holiday” observers, who fill the pews of churches, synagogues and mosques on the just the holy days but are the ones who without fail observe the principals of their faith on a daily basis.

Successful worshippers are those that never give up. No matter what the obstacle they keep sojourning on. They keep the faith; they continue the good fight against their own natures and weaknesses. They believe that they are on a journey that has hills and valleys and some days will be good and others bad, but there is never a day that they give up.

Successful people are the same way. Asked every self-made millionaire why they are successful and they will tell you that they never gave up. 95% of all New Year resolutions fail by February 1^st! We give up because we hit a road block or the journey becomes too difficult. The before mentioned Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb. He had plenty of opportunities to quit but he kept the faith.

90% of all millionaires have been though at least one bankruptcy. They didn’t quit or give up. Donald Trump lost everything four times, Abraham Lincoln twice filed bankruptcy.

At the age of 72 years old, Lim Tow Yong was declared bankrupt. The company he founded in the 1960s, Emporium Group Holdings which he built up to a sales revenue of $300 million has been crippled by the recession of the mid-80s and severe competition. His company chalked up debts of over $100 million.

Most people at the age of 72 would either be dead or half-dead. Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he picked himself up decided to START ALL OVER AGAIN at the age of 72. He began going back into the retail business by setting up joint ventures with partners in Sabah, Labuan and Brunei.

Ten years later, at the age of 82, he sold his 17 stores and supermarkets for $4.2 million making him a millionaire all over again.

The four principles mentioned here is part of the everyday life of the faithful; those that dedicate their lives to promoting their religion in this generation and the generations to come. These four cornerstones that have sustained the faiths of ancient religions for centuries can and will allow you to have, if applied with the same fervor, consistent success in your life.

Jeff Compton

Jeff Compton is a published author and professional speaker who focuses on how to help people get the most out of life and excel in their careers. Currently, he has five titles to his credit including the bestseller “I Think Therefore I CAN!® Change Your Behavior, Break Your Habits & Achieve Your Goals” along with a number of CDs and other resources.

Did you know neurons that fire together, wire together?  This is why our paths continue in much the same fashion every day; we do the same things day in and day out.  We continue to do these things until something forces us to shift and change our belief systems and encourage the neurons to fire differently.

Some examples of this would be why a smoker keeps smoking or a drinker keeps drinking.

There are far more examples than the above though:  It is why our hamstrings stay tight and why we do not achieve the success we came here to achieve.

Each one of us is hardwired from a young age. You do have the power to change the brain and therefore your current reality.

Step 1

Meditate.  Meditation can activate change.  It helps to open the frontal lobe of the brain, which is considered one way to change your belief patterns and has been called the gateway to the subconscious mind.

Step 2

Set a clear intention.  Clearly state to yourself what it is you want in your life; this can be an emotional, physical or spiritual issue.  Spend a few minutes each day revisiting your intention.

Step 3

Make it visual.  The subconscious mind does not know the difference between fact or fantasy.  This is huge for you!  You can help rewire your brain using visualization skills. Create a vision board which consists of gluing pictures to paper.  Spend a few minutes each day enjoying/visualizing what you would like in your life.

Step 4

Awaken.  Each time you go to do something you know is because of the brain’s programming, stop!  Awaken yourself to the fact you are doing this thing because of your hard-wiring.  Make a conscious decision to change the behavior.  In the case of something physical, tell your body how much you love it!  It sounds quirky; however it is a very powerful option for change.  For example, you have extremely tight hamstrings.  Begin to stretch them and as you do, have a conversation with them.  “Relax, hamstrings, relax.  It is safe for you to let go and move forward.”

We have the power to shift and change our brains hard-wiring.  Be aware it does take time to do; however, the benefits far outlast the work involved in doing it.

Tammy Lawrence-Cymbalisty

One of the most fulfilling things a person can do is take some kind of action that causes them to improve in a certain area of their life.  Think about this from your own perspective for a second.  Remember a time when you accomplished something that proved you had become better?

For me, when I first began my entrepreneurial career, one of my goals was to be a professional speaker.  Despite how nervous I would get before a talk (mostly due to a total lack of experience), I got out and started speaking.  I was mediocre at best.  But I kept trying, learning, studying and practicing.  When the opportunity came to speak to a huge group of new university students, I delivered my most confident and inspiring talk to date.  I still remember the rush of excitement at the end of the talk when a bunch of the students lined up to speak to me and ask me questions at the end.  I knew I had taken a step in the right direction.  The real win: I was improving and it was an awesome feeling!

For the past 3 years, I have spent most of my time developing my business and implementing as many self improvement ideas as humanly possible.  What I realized along the way was that I was not merely improving, but I was actually reprogramming my mind to get rid of old habits and beliefs and instill new, more empowering ones.

So here are 7 techniques that will help you reprogram your mind to create a new and improved you:

Study the work of a role model.

Find someone who is already living and producing results at a level you admire and aspire towards.  They could be an author, speaker, actor, blogger, professor, etc.  The key is to study these people.  Read books or articles they have written a number of times.  Study their mannerisms when they speak or perform.  Notice the way they carry themselves publicly.

Ultimately, the goal here is to understand how they think so that you can emulate the same kind of thinking in your life.  I’m not saying you should try to be like the person, because we are all unique and we need to celebrate our uniqueness.  Rather, I am suggesting that you figure out the intangibles that made this person so admirable to begin with and incorporate those intangibles into your own behavior.

Learn to trust the sound of your own voice.

There are more than enough self improvement books that talk about the power of affirmations.  I am not here to argue the validity or the science behind affirmations.  What I will say is that from my own personal experiences, when you repeat a set of instructions to yourself over and over again, you eventually start to believe your own voice.

Here is a quick process you can follow to create your own digital affirmations that you can use in your own reprogramming process.

• Write out a description of your ideal outcomes in all the various areas of your life.  This can include business, financial, relationship, health, etc…
• Record your voice reading these statements with as much feeling and belief as possible.
• Use software like Garageband to overlay some relaxing or new age style music faintly in the background.
• Export as an mp3 file and listen to it on low volumes as you work, exercise, sleep or during any activity where you feel it works for you.

For the analytic people out there, you cannot measure the benefit of this exercise directly but I will say from personal experience that it has been a technique I have used to help achieve a number of my more difficult, longer-term goals.

Hang out with an influencer.

I think most people buy into the idea that we become a product of our environment.  What better way to reprogram yourself for improvement than spending time with someone who inspires you.  When I first got started in business, I was struggling to pay the bills and find enough clients to keep me going.  Even when I did find clients, I did a terrible job billing for my time and I was not recognizing my own value as a service provider.

I was lucky enough to meet another business owner who had built a number of successful companies and had already been through all of the tough business lessons that I had yet to be exposed to.  Over time we became friends and I was able to absorb an incredible amount of information about business, mindset, dealing with clients, social skills, etc. – all of the things that made him so talented at business.

The challenge here is that you can’t just walk up to someone and ask them to be your friend.  It is tough enough to find a decent influencer, but when you do, you have to make sure that you take interest in them and express your desire to learn from them.  At the same time, show them that you value their time and bring something of your own to the table.  If they feel they can also learn from you and your life experiences, they will be far more willing to hang out with you.

Wage a war against the crybaby in your head.

Have you ever had an idea that totally captivated your imagination and inspired you to think about a life far beyond the one you are living today?  If so, were you also among the majority of people who had that cynical, crybaby, negative voice pop up and immediately tell you all the reasons why this new idea could never come true?

Instead of falling victim to this defeating voice, try turning the tables.  Picture that voice as a vicious enemy trying to steal your life, power and happiness away from you.  Challenge the voice.  Question its authenticity.  Question its reasoning.  Get pissed off if you have to.  Make it powerless against your will.

Realize that you have the choice to replace that voice with a more encouraging, faithful and friendly one.  A voice that will consider your goal as not just a possibility, but a probability.  A voice that does not look externally for validation before taking action, but rather uses self belief as its driving force.  A voice that realizes that any person who has ever achieved greatness had to do so against similar odds and that all things are possible to those who commit to their vision.

Use new relationships to develop a new persona.

When you meet someone for the first time, they have absolutely no idea what you are like to hang out with.  If you have been shy and timid your whole life, the best time to come out of that shell is when you meet someone new.  If you are at a networking event and someone walks up to introduce themselves, your old self may have quietly shook their hand and looked down in embarrassment.  Why not use the opportunity to develop a new persona?

Instead of being shy and timid, greet the person with a big smile.  Look them in the eye and project your voice with confidence as you say your name.  Have an interesting question prepared that immediately gets the person engaged.  Instead of asking what they do for a living (the standard), ask them what their favorite restaurant is or ask them about a hobby they are passionate about.  Let their enthusiasm to share their passion enhance your confidence level and energize your own enthusiasm.

If you practice this often enough, you will eventually become that new person and you no longer have to practice.  It will be who you ARE!

Acquire a competitive edge.

I don’t know about you, but when I am put in a position where I’m competing against one or more people, my motivation shoots up to a whole new level.  I have talked to many others who experience the same.

When you compete against someone, in any area of life, you setup two incredibly powerful forces.

The first is the desire to be triumphant.  Imagine the excitement someone must feel when they win a gold medal in the Olympics.  They have achieved a personal dream and they get a flood of recognition from friends, family, media, fans and ultimately their entire country.  What person would not love this kind of validation of success?  The same kind of triumph can be experienced (maybe not at the same level of intensity) when you win a competition that you have been involved in, no matter how small it may be.

The second (and more powerful) force that gets created in competition is the desire to avoid defeat.  Most humans instinctively associate any form of loss with pain and in most cases, will do anything necessary to avoid that pain.  If you enter some kind of competition that will help drive you towards your goals, this pain avoidance force may be the deciding factor in your success.

Use competitive scenarios to drive you forward but remember to detach from the outcome.  If you happen to lose your competition, don’t get down in the dumps.  Focus on what positives came out of it (usually a drastic increase in results) and continue moving towards your goals.

Get up early and invest this extra time in yourself.

Our minds are the most calm and open to influence when we first wake up.  As the day goes on, we get busier and the number of demands and requests increase.  Most of us in today’s society are extremely busy trying to balance work, family, social life and so on.  It is very easy to get to the end of a day and still have a pile of items on your to do list that did not get completed.

Early morning is an ideal time to create some personal time for your own development.  Unless you are in a job that forces you out of bed at 5am, you probably have no obligations at that time of day.  Instead of sleeping until the last possible minute, try getting up an hour or even two hours earlier than you have been.

Use this time to appreciate the stillness of the world.  Get into a headspace of clarity and focus on what you are trying to create for your life.  Study empowering books and self development training programs.  Write out your goals.  In essence, do whatever you can to condition your mind so that you are creating the ideal life for yourself.

By the time the rest of the world is waking up, you will have already invested more time in yourself than most people will for a month.  The energy you get from doing this can carry you through the rest of your day and you will be in a much more productive frame of mind.

Justin Popovic

Influence: How And Why People Agree To Things

by Robert Cialdini

Influence: How and Why People Agree To Things by Robert Cialdini teaches us the basics of how people are influenced. It breaks influence into six key factors:

1. Reciprocation

2. Consistency and Commitment

3. Social Proof

4. Authority

5. Liking (the person who is trying to influence us)

6. Scarcity

Each of the above points is detailed in a chapter. Academic studies and examples are given in a very engaging fashion. Some of the studies are for the birds. For example, mother turkeys, who are known to be caring parents (as far as birds go), tend to respond only to the “cheep-cheep” sound of their chicks.

Hearing the cheep-cheep, the mother turkey coddles and cares for the young turkey chick. It is a short-cut response that nature has given turkeys to know how to behave. It tends to work well in nature. But, tricky scientists recorded the cheep-cheep sound and placed the recording into a stuffed Polecat, the natural enemy of the turkey, and found that the mother turkeys adopted the stuffed polecat. Coddled it and cared for it.

That was quite amazing, as the usual response of a mother turkey to a stuffed Polecat without the cheep-cheep recording is an outright assault on the Polecat. This reflexive behavior tends to work most of the time, but sometimes is inappropriate. The mother turkey is responding in what Cialdini refers to as a “click, whir” method. Once some reactor sets off a signal (click), the mother turkey plays its own internal tape (whir) which signifies the appropriate response.

Only, sometimes, the response is not appropriate. And, some predators have learned the mimic strategy to trick their prey. Now, this may be useful if your goal is to be adopted by a turkey (or maybe its something that could protect you from a wild turkey attack!), you say, but how does this apply to me?

The answer is that people themselves have “click, whir” behavior. Because people wish to avoid the work of making decisions, they have internal tapes they run which tell them how to respond under various conditions. Most of the time our internal tapes are appropriate. But, sometimes, they are not. And some human predators have learned to exploit our “click, whir” behavior. Often, these predators come in the form of salespeople.

Cialdini discusses how to say “No” to each of these six influence factors by being aware of how influence works and reading your internal gut feeling.

This book is excellent reading for anyone who wants to learn how to influence others. Job hunters, managers, and marketers will benefit from reading this book. Although we do not suggest you try to use this knowledge in a devious way, knowing how to approach asking for a request is useful. Investors can benefit also.

For example, “social proof” states that we often look to others to determine what is correct behavior in a situation. We most look to others to deem what is correct in times of uncertainty. This can lead to “pluralistic ignorance.” Everyone is assuming that the other guy knows what he is doing and we follow. Manias and gross overvaluation of publicly-traded stocks come to mind.

In an attempt to avoid the hard work of thinking, we follow the herd off the cliff, blindly assuming where everyone else is going must be safe. As stated in Influence 95% of people are followers and only 5% of people are leaders.

Often, we are most likely to follow “experts.” This is the authority factor above. We tend to believe and follow anyone who we assume is an expert. However, following experts can also lead to problems.

Influence points out that about 10% of medication administered by hospitals may be in error. This is a serious problem and can obviously lead to death.

Why is it that hospitals have such a problem with errors in medication? Despite the training and knowledge of R.N.’s, they tend to unquestioningly follow the instructions of the doctors. Even if the instructions don’t make sense.

Cialdini tells the story of a man who complained of an earache. He had an ear infection and the doctor prescribed eardrops for him. On the prescription, the doctor wrote, “Place drops in R ear.” As the doctor was in a hurry, he abbreviated “Right” with R.

Sure enough, the trained nurse obediently followed the instructions and placed the required number of drops in the patient’s anus. Neither the patient nor the nurse questioned the instructions, as they came from an authority.

Read Cialdini’s Influence: How And Why People Agree To Things. Even if you never feel the need to be adopted by a mother turkey, maybe it will keep eardrops out of your anus, help keep you from buying things you later regret, and help you understand how influence works. We highly recommend this book.

Is positive thinking and wishful thinking the same? The answer is no. Positive thinking denotes an optimistic and healthy outlook on whatever life brings your way. This is good to have. Wishful thinking, on the other hand, is the process used by many, including myself; to gently pacify our minds as we wait for “someday” to come and give us our hopes and dreams. THIS IS NOT GOOD.

Wishful thinking robs us of our goals. I know this first hand. Many times I have implored the art of wishful thinking.  Using it like a heady drug to sooth my mind while I sit and do nothing to achieve my goals in life. As long as “someday” was coming, there was no need to do anything today. The regrets I have concerning my past always contained one common denominator, the element of wishful thinking.

Many of you have goals. There are things we all want to achieve in life. Motivational speakers are famous for saying that all you have to do is think positive thoughts and your goals will be achieved. They use the words positive thinking, but many of us have been caught in the trap of actually using wishful thinking instead. The fact is, no amount of positive or wishful thinking will achieve your goals. Achievement comes from action.

Action is the antithesis of wishful thinking. The act of writing down a goal and an “action plan” to achieve that goal is only the first step to success. The second step you take is the most important.  That is putting your plan into action! However, most skip the second step altogether, instead they rest on their laurels of having a good plan and goal, thus hoping the universe will deliver their dreams to them. This, by the way, is nothing more than wishful thinking. Action trumps wishful thinking! Taking massive action will give you massive results, but taking no action will give you NO RESULTS. It is one thing to be a dreamer, but an entirely different thing to be a daydreamer.

It is important to have positive thoughts but that alone will not achieve your goals. Rismond Exantus knew to think positive but he also took action. He said he survived initially by diving under a desk when the rubble started to fall around him. Trapped in such a small space, he had to lie on his back the entire time and survived by drinking cola, beer and cookies. “I would eat anything I found.”

The purpose of wishful thinking is to create regrets. The purpose of taking action is to create results. Next time you are sitting there cooing over your goals, ask yourself this question. “What have I done today to get me closer to achieving my goals?” If your answer is nothing… then that’s wishful thinking.

Jeff Compton, The REAL DEAL Speaker™