Ease up on yourselves. Have some compassion for yourself as well as for others. There’s no such thing as perfection, and life is not a race.”
~Doug Marlette
Question: How do you prevent yourself from taking things too seriously?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
Never confuse movement with action.”
~Ernest Hemingway
Question: How do you interpret this quote?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him.”
~General Douglas MacArthur
Question: How do you describe the difference between a leader and a manager?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
Read everything.”
~Jim Rogers
Question: What is the best book you’ve ever read? How has it changed you?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
Like people and let them know it.”
~Robert Capa
Question: How do you connect with others?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
~Mohandas Gandhi
Question: How do you ensure you are not a dirty drop in the collection industry ocean?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
Each of us has been blessed with unique gifts and talents, and when we use those gifts and talents it can feel as if we are operating in a “zone.” A special, magical place where everything clicks and we feel unstoppable. Our confidence and happiness levels are sky high, and we actually enjoy the work we do. Sadly, many people spend too little time in their zone.
Getting in our zone requires that we focus on our strengths and find situations that suit us and avoid those that don’t. To do that requires an upfront understanding of how each of us is individually wired.
One valuable tool that I have come to rely on is the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. The assessment pulls from more than 40 years of research and has helped millions of people gain a clearer understanding of their strengths.
My first experience with the assessment was in 2009, and since then it has become a core component of my coaching and development work with clients and employees. The assessment measures 34 themes and produces a “top five” report to help each person more fully understand their uniqueness. Armed with this new knowledge, people can focus on what they do best, instead of becoming frustrated by trying to be someone that they were never designed to be.
After becoming familiar with my top five strengths, I approached my work in an entirely different way. I stopped taking on projects that were better suited for someone else, and I began to delegate tasks that took me out of my zone. Doing so affords me more time to focus on the things that I enjoy and excel at.
This week your challenge is to uncover your strengths by completing the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. In order to complete the assessment, you will need an access code which can be obtained by purchasing a copy of the StrengthsFinder 2.0 book at your favorite local bookstore or through online sites like Amazon. The investment is minimal (you can find new books starting for as little as $10 online), and I fully believe you will find that the return on investment exceeds your expectations.
Once you have completed the assessment, spend some time reviewing your top five themes and reflect on how much time you spend in your zone.
For extra credit, complete this challenge as a team/department/company. Then, share results, discuss how to leverage strengths, and make a plan to ensure more people spend more time in their zone.
Question: What are your top five themes? Do you believe the assessment accurately describes you? How can you spend more time in your zone?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.
© 2012 collector mentor All rights reserved
If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
~Yogi Berra, baseball legend
Question: What techniques do you use to ensure you’re headed in the right direction?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
I’m not a fan of hoarding stuff, but there are some things that I just can’t bring myself to throw away. For instance, in my desk, I keep a blue folder. It’s a special folder. A prized possession of sorts. The contents of that folder are very valuable. In fact, I sometimes wonder why I don’t have it in a safety deposit box. In just a moment, I’ll tell you what’s in that folder, but before I do, I want to share with you an article that I read this past weekend.
While surfing insideARM.com, I stumbled upon Brooks Mitchell’s article, Peer-to-Peer Recognition Really Works in Call Centers. In his article, Mitchell shares the story of a 200-seat call center and the peer-to-peer recognition taking place there. He notes:
Given an opportunity and a conduit, these barely minimum-wage, front-line customer service agents, when given the opportunity to recognize the people they worked with, put forth an average of 117 ‘thank-you notes’ per year.”
117 each.
That’s remarkable.
We’ve all seen bosses honor employees with certificates of appreciate, plaques of achievement, and the like. I’ve received that type of recognition, and I’ve supplied that type of recognition. While certificates and plaques are often much deserved and much appreciated, they don’t always have the same feel or hold as much meaning as the recognition we receive from our peers.
And, I should know. I have a blue folder stuffed full of thank-you cards and emails that I’ve received from my colleagues over the years — some dating back more than a decade!
Chances are you, too, have a few such notes and emails stored away. Why? Because deep down that peer-to-peer recognition touched us. We knew it was sincere, and we were proud to be recognized for our efforts. It inspired us. It motivated us. It made us smile then, and it still makes us smile today.
This week your challenge is to recognize the achievements of your peers or thank them for lending a helping hand. You could choose to Say Thanks (in writing), send them a personal email, or tell them face-to-face.
To foster teamwork through recognizing the achievements of others, you might consider implementing a team initiative using collector mentor’s Awesome High-Fives flyer. The concept is simple: print a couple hundred of these flyers on neon colored paper, distribute them to the team, and let the fun begin. To up the ante, why not challenge yourself with delivering one high-five a day for the next 117 days?
Question: What is the most meaningful peer recognition that you have ever received? What made is so special?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
To download companion worksheets to use with The collector mentor Challenge, please visit www.collectormentor.com/thechallenge.
© 2012 collector mentor All rights reserved
Shh. Listen to the sounds that surround you.”
~Pete Seeger, musician
Question: How do you practice effective listening skills?
Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
