MM275

I saw the picture, on the right, last week and it made me think how different we are as humans and how I disagree with the statement, but understand the sentiment. Humans are all made of the same physical ‘stuff’ but our environment is the thing that needs to be different for us all.

One thing inspires some, whereas, the same thing can demotivate others. This can make life quite complicated, especially if you are trying to motivate and inspire large groups of people.

I remember delivering a keynote for a company and, before I got up to do my stuff, the FD was sharing the statistics for the previous year. This company had done well so the last slide was about the reward they were getting and it was a 4-day cruise to some amazing looking destination. I thought that was fantastic, but listening to some of the responses around the room and looking at the physical responses, it wasn’t great for everyone.

It transpired that some people would have preferred extra time at home with their families, some would have liked to have the cash, to spend on something they wanted, and others preferred a quiet thank you.

Creating an environment so everyone gets what they want can be tough, but there are some simple things we can do that will satisfy most people and they don’t take too much effort. Here are a few things (not an exhaustive list) that cost nothing to implement:

  • Be a nice person – not soft, just nice. Do not mistake kindness for weakness.
  • Respect others – we all see things from different perspectives.
  • Have a degree of humility – after all you are a human too.
  • Care about the impact you are having on others – is it the impact you want to have?
  • Look in the mirror, before looking out of the window, when things are not going to plan.
  • Have fun and enjoy the moment – life is too short not to maximise it, wherever possible.
  • Understand what drives others and support them – talk and ask questions, be interested.

If you were to measure how you are at each of the above statements (1 being poor and 10 being fantastics) how would you score yourself?

Now go and ask the people around you, how would they score you?

We are all made up a different way and our environment will have a massive impact on our lives. If life is good then keep doing what you are doing, but keep your eye on the changes ahead. If life is not so good then change what you are doing, make choices to improve things and take a different course.

This is not as easy as I make it sound, take time to plan, reflect and then act.

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