HOW TO HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK

pick up your smile;it's behind your heels

picture courtesy:  servicemagicproconnection.com

Can I have a positive outlook with all these issues of life? Yes! I agree the times are difficult because you just lost your job, or you lost your husband to a terrible sickness; you are in your mid-career life, approaching forty years but no man wants your hand in marriage. The loan to see your children through college or universities has bored a big hole on your finance. Marrying that once-upon-a-time gentleman shouldn't have been an option.

 

The barrage of issues that hovers around us can drown us. The peculiarity of our challenges is domiciled with our relative needs, and if we refuse or deny taking charge of the situation, we start to droop. We droop in our thought pattern which is central to every other thing. Taking charge or staying on top of it is a decisive action which no one but you will have to take. Wait a minute! Are you looking out from the right window? By window, I mean outlook. There is a quick temptation to get negative in the heat of an adversity. I've had a couple of them many times. I did last night. You think I am a superman? Recovery time from this negative mode or mood should be kept as short as possible. That's the difference- our mental inertia. Maintaining and wearing  a positive outlook in the face of  difficult times is an asset  for successful living.

 

You probably have read some 5 keys or 7 doors to positive thinking. If they worked, that’s ok. But if you had a relapse having read or used the 5 keys for the 7 doors, I guess something must be missing. Hold on! Shouldn't there be 7 keys for 7 doors? That was for the cheerful, upbeat key you missed for the 7 doors.  This is how I've always maintained a positive outlook in difficult times:

1.      1.  Pray, pray and pray:

 

You cannot underplay the power of prayer in a time like this. A brief idle time is enough for a thought to be used as a stop-gap to transition you down the negative lane. I call it a distorting thought. When a thought makes you flounder, and you cannot ponder the right thing, it is a distorting thought; plunder it and take it captive. How? In prayer. There is an energy or inner power that is made available for you after praying about your helplessness or weakness-most importantly using God's powerful and written words. Your countenance reflects confidence.

1.       2. Change your window:

The second part of this is the real work; everybody can pray a word of prayer, but how many people can see the prayer answered the moment you rise up from the prayer mood? Deliberately you have to start seeing a change. Imagine yourself locked up in a house on Elm's Street resident with evil and horror, and the other side of the house has a window overlooking the candle lights of the Christmas carol. Which window would you rather look from? Ignoring a negative comment, or issue is difficult. Such drops our self-esteem low. Change the window by choosing wisely what you see, hear and who you surround yourself with. I hate to be the host to a pity-party. Watching a stand-up comedian is not a bad idea. This can make you stand upright across your moment of minus.

 

1.       3.Pretend It's  Gone:

 

After you've done all you can, its hard standing again. Moment ago, you wore a positive outlook, but they are all gone. Mohammed Ali, the former heavyweight boxing champion who stung like a bee said that pretend you are a champion even if you're not; soon you'd be a champion. Do the mind game- pretend the issues are gone with the wind. Bishop T.D. Jake said, “The battlefield is in the mind."Soon you will be light for a flight.

1.       4.. Play and Replay:

Another strategy I use is to sing to myself, and when the issue rears its ugly head again, I sing. You don't have to be a Steve Wonder to sing in order to make yourself happy. A merry heart is as good as medicine. Imagine how a toddler forgets about hunger when there is a playmate around, or peek-a-boo to enjoy. Time has a way of solving or resolving issues. You don't have to stay there; get up and play. Recognize your playmates and friends. But understand that playmates leave the playground when it's getting dark, but a friend weaves a hug in the dark.

Final Word

You don’t have to stay there where you are. If you look down right now, there is something you dropped behind you. Do you know what it is? Your smile. Pick up your smile, and live positive again.

Please share if you have one or two ways you have maintained a positive outlook or attitude in the midst of trouble- family, faith, finance and workplace.You never can tell whom that would be of benefit to.Thanks for sharing.

RECONFIGURING CORPORATE CULTURE: THE ZECHARIAH'S STK MODEL

picture courtesy:completetrainer.co.uk

I promised to discuss The Zechariah's STK Model for re-branding.A little recap might refresh our memories of last article:Reconfiguring Corporate Culture: A Fundamental of Re-branding.Last time we discussed that reconfiguring a corporate culture is vitally important for a successful re-branding.Remember what Tony Hseih, former CEO of Zappos.com, the online shoe retailer, said: Your culture is your brand.Also, we delved into how the vision of the business leader births the values to drive the vision,and that these values culminate into the culture of the company.The confusion heaps when there is a moral infection which becomes a nuisance to the company's image, and when on a large scale flings a strangle-hold on organizational success.Reworking such culture can be challenging.I promised to bring the biblical analogy of taking away the grimy, grubby garments for the rich,royal robes in the light of re-branding inside-out , or better still reconfiguring the corporate culture.The Zechariah's STK Model has three phases compressed into a value chain for the reconfiguration project- STK means Strippers' Act, Turbaning The Head and Know The Command

Strippers' Acts

"...Take away the filthy garments from him. And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."

It is rare to see any changes commence without defining the objectives and identifying possible challenges. In context of this topic, there are some strippers' acts which must be done,cascading from the business leaders to the lowest ranking employee of the company. Stripper's job you imagined, right? This is identifying, admitting and administering the iniquitous,unprincipled and unhealthy workplace culture that have cloaked the people,the practices and the processes. The significance of the priests being stripped of his own filthy garments is strategic, just like the leadership of the company are the ones qualified,more than anyone, to envision the future. Therefore, certain personal behaviors strapped with incivility should, or rather must be stripped off. Do you know why? Your greatest asset is human capital, and devaluing them is counterproductive. Esther Dyson said, " Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: you need to keep investing

in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't simply sit back and collect rent." The visionary leader must at all times carry or wear a rich robe of inspiring identity. That identity is your brand. It would be parochial to misunderstand this wearing-a-rich-robe identity as wearing some expensive designer's clothing. A rich identity is in our character, culture and value system.

Stan Gault, having retired from Rubbermaid Corporation, was given a CEO's job at Goodyear Tire to revamp the crippling performance. He immediately sent messages to employees that he was on their side.He acted so,too. He ensured his pay commensurated Goodyear's performance. He unscrewed most of the light bulbs in the large office he inherited in order to reduce costs. The news spread like wildfire across Goodyear. Employees did not realize he would be sacrificing too when Gault asked them to slash expenses. What an inspiring identity!

Turbaning The Head

"So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him."

How do you reconfigure or manage the ailing parts of a company's culture,having at the back of your mind that employees, other than high-profile celebrity are your first brand ambassadors? Your customers don't meet and greet,or encounter the celebrity you signed up for your brand, at the front desk.

Which staff inclusion style do you employ in relation to the drivers or evangelists of this new vision? Top management executives and senior managers are not enough to drive this change.It is pertinent to co-opt a few influential junior and senior supervisors who have touch with the lowest ranking employees. This works like the magic of using social media as a viral traffic tool for a B2C model.

What communication model or structure are you going to apply to disseminate this project of culture change across the company at the heels of previous futile communication flaws experienced with the rightsizing exercise last quarter?

Can we afford this project right now, and how does it affect our bottom line?

These and many more are the issues that pop up in the head of the business leader.And having his mind,heart or head clear, leveled, and upright becomes useful for brainstorming and an added plus for value stream mapping and decision making.They wrap all these into what Management people call Strategic Planning.But ask yourself this question:Can there be any planning without thinking? Strategic thinking is a competency thought leaders exhibit during critical moment.See it more like an input- a fundamental for change management.

Little wonder a clean turban was put on the priest's head first, and the clothes afterwards, in the verse above. Turbaning the head is to separate the leadership, not relational but as a representative who bears a huge burden of the people before God.Likewise the business leader is wrapped with layers of issues of the workplace.He returns communicating or sharing a new vision,often times demanding a new direction to maximize the future.There obviously is a significance with the turban.Developing a strategic concept demands strategic thinking and strategic intent.How to let this new vision rob on or clothe the whole company/corporate body depends on the strategic planning of the head.

Keeping The Command

"...And if you will keep My command, then you shall also judge My house"

It's not enough to strip the whole company off unproductive and unhealthy business process or culture, or turbaning the leadership of the company with the right strategic intent and well-thought strategic planning; sticking to the established rules to guide and govern business processes and employees' behaviors with respect to customer's relationship management becomes a top line conditioner for the commercial success of the re-branding or the reconfiguration project.

Every industry has its policy, or better put,rules that guides and regulates its business processes or system.Wholesomely abiding by these rules stands out a company; benefits of this is evident when the chips are down because integrity is the guide to ride with in the tide of life. I am talking about compliance to business rules.Business Rule,according to BusinessRulesGroup.org, a non-commercial peer group of IT professional states, "From the business perspective,a business rule is guidance that there is an obligation concerning conduct, action,practice or procedure within a particular activity or sphere.It involves the behavior of people in the business system."

Business rule acts like an interface between people and business process.I learnt that business rule should also accommodate penalty and pay-off.Over time a relationship is established which culminates into guiding behaviors,creating norms and configuring the corporate culture.Take for example,on a shop-floor where the scrap level is alarming;productivity is dwindling by the quarter,and the Director of Manufacturing is bothered grievously; hence his preoccupation.

He constitutes a team to manage the crisis.He appoints the team leader,a manager who has over the years demonstrated undoubtedly a passion,commitment and compliance to the established Total Quality Management system of the company. The team swings to action, studies and monitors the Front-End Production Processes( right from the supplier's activity to the finished product).After three months,the report was submitted to the Director of Manufacturing.The following were areas of discovery: substandard raw materials by supplier,poor housekeeping,extremely low Overall Equipment Effectiveness, to mention a few.The team's recommendation was to re-engineer the production processes.Business on the shop-floor is no more the same;new rules, new activity.The Quality Assurance manager must ensure total quality compliance of production team to the new standard specifications.This new drive objectively is not to cow employees' work ethics, but to reshape how everyone works -Procurement, laboratory, the Production,and the Marketing and Sales departments. These ethics will form the new culture.Three months down the line afterwards, they have produced a superior product exceeding customers' expectations.The competitors are yet to recover from this market share swipe.If you keep thy command,you shall also judge my house;Keeping abreast of up-to-date Industry info or knowledge is a leverage for equipping your company for compliance,and subsequently organizational success.It is similar to concept of product leadership

Final Word

Personal branding or corporate re-branding is incomplete as long as we are replete with hindering culture cloak. Undressing the unprofitable,grimy, grubby garments of corporate depravity is sore,yet strategic for repositioning the individual or the industry for success.Wearing a rich royal robe or identity of principled,healthy workplace culture, and ensuring strict compliance of employees to business rules and policies equip for better competitive advantage and industry leadership.Is this not how a brand is plucked from the fire?

Inspired by The Vision of The High Priest
The Bible.
Zechariah 3:1-7
( New Spirit-Filled Life Bible-NKJV).

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RECONFIGURING CORPORATE CULTURE :A FUNDAMENTAL OF REBRANDING

picture credit:
Cathy Martin(www.intellectualcapitalconsulting.blogspot.com)

It was a great interest to me when I discovered Reebok, a German sportswear company’s name was coined from the Afrikaans spelling of Rhebok, an African antelope. However intriguing that was to me , the name was seemingly not helping their bottom line until ZigTech-an innovative performance-enhancing shoe technology that transfers energy to the front of the foot from the heel- was introduced. Small wonder sales climbed 4% in North America by this rebranding effort. Rebranding a company cannot be ruled out from the timeline of an organization, and the objectivity of the process varies with the business needs of the different companies.
From launching a strategic product line under a new subsidiary or an SBU, introducing a major innovative business system within your industry, or laundering a tarnished company’s image , the business benefit if unachieved makes the rebranding wasteful. Achieving the same borders arguably on the culture of the company. The failure of this is not far-fetched from certain bad behavioural patterns that forms a segment of a corporate culture which affects its commercial success. Reconfiguring such corporate culture becomes vitally important as an integral part for a successful, proactive rebranding. It is fundamental.

CULTURE AS A BRAND
Tony Hseih, former CEO of Zappos.com and author of Delivering Happiness said it better, “ Your culture is your brand.” If your culture is wrong, your brand in time maybe a disaster. Suffice then to put the word –Culture - in proper perspective. Is tradition another word for culture? Culture is the strategic amalgamation of behavioural patterns of enclaved individuals established or constituted to govern and guide relationships within and infrequently outside the group. Simply put, culture is the way of life, so is tradition, too.In business, it is a vehicular tool or valve that conveys or opens the values that are intrinsically wired into the vision(s) of a company. This influences how businesses or services are delivered and invariably determine the frequency of patronage the company gets, and the bottom-line ,indeed.Customers are concerned about your service delivery. That is what they see; that’s your brand. When you hear Zappos, delivering happiness ignites in your mind.

THE BOND: CULTURE,VALUES AND VISION
There is a symbiotic relationship between values and vision. The in-depth comprehension and the ingestion of a vision into or by a leader often times births the inherent values that drive the vision. The values culminate into the culture which varies from company to company.It is an aberration when visionary leaders do not possess or exhibit values that are part of the core values of the company. Haven’t you seen ‘integrity’ as a core value of a company, but the MD/CEO chews his words like bubble gum? Imagine a company collecting money from customers to supply a requested quantity of product at an agreed deadlines, and three months afterwards , no supply was made. And the MD/CEO doesn’t care about such business practices or the processes. It is obvious his personal demons has formed and calcified, or runs independently parallel to the corporate culture.It’s ridiculous most vision and mission statements are just vail, unweighty, mere and empty sentences in a 21st century era.When such are unchecked, it cascades to the lowest employee of the company. I can bet,not far from long, internal frauds would spring from one or two departments . Don’t forget these employees are also ambassadors who drive or sell your brand. Hence, business leaders should be mindful of their organizational culture.Oh yes!You want to know why?

CULTURE RECONFIGURATION NEED
Aside the contextual reason of this article ( rebranding ), profitability should be the ultimate. Your profit, sometimes is derived from your image . Some call it brand worth or equity .At a time Coca- Cola as a brand was worth about $80 billion while the company was $8 billion. Rebranding is not a cheap business endeavour ; counting the cost is very critical. I am yet to discover a company a company that rebranded but doesn’t care a hoot about its business benefits. Lets assume company XYZ has been notorious for several huge internal frauds, and complaints have always been lodged to the Consumer’s Protection Right Agency about the crude , shady ways of XYZ doing business with the customers, and the Standard Organization of Nigeria pushing the Federal Government just got the Industry Best Practices bill signed into law.Hence, it is mandatory business in all industries are conducted using best practices. For XYZ to stay in business for a long while in order not to lose her market share of 43% to competitors, reconfiguring the organizational culture becomes the essential bridge to the future, and to launder her tarnished public image; rebranding would be helpful , if it’s affordable. However, it can get very challenging reworking a deadly corporate culture as part of the rebranding project.

THE CHALLENGE OF CULTURAL CHANGE
Beside the underlining issues interwoven with transition, human psychology, corporate communication model ,among others, there are some little foxes that spoil the vine. You wonder who the foxes are ? Ask John Maxwell. “Everything rises and falls on leadership. The success in changing the organizational culture ,or better put , reconfiguring it is magnified when there is experiential evidences of top-management inclusion. “Be the change you want to see ”, Mahatma Gandhi said. Change Management as crucial it is for a company would not be sustainable if started bottom-up. I don’t think I’d loiter GlaxoSmithKline premises with the used wrapper of my menthol gum when the Managing Director keeps his own in his hand until he gets to the nearby waste bin. Or seeing the Vice President , Finance of my bank stops to open the door for a customer. That’d make me bury my prideful, lousy attitude towards customers. I would have had a rethink about the scenario and the unlearning process starts.
The culture critical path goes thus: rethink - new habit – relapse – new habit – attitude – new behaviour - new culture. You may choose to call it over flogging the dead horse; the success of this cultural change path is hastened or consolidated when an old, ill-mannered top executive turns a sincere new leaf, take for example vis-à-vis upholding integrity.

THE RECONFIGURATION PROCESSES
Reconfiguring a corporate culture or otherwise , rebranding it inside –out. I would liken it to the biblical analogy of taking away the grimy, grubby garments and being clothed with rich, royal robes. To buttress this, I coined a concept which is Zechariah’s STK Model.
The Zechariah’s STK Model was born out of a profound understanding of the fourth vision – out of eight – of Zechariah, one of the postexilic jewish prophets in the Bible. See the book of Zechariah, chapter three ( The Vision of The High Priest ) of New Spirit –filled Life Bible (NKJV). The Model is applicable when there are evidences of dysfunctional character traits, moral infection and invariably unhealthy workplace culture which are potential drawback to the achievement of corporate goals. Dr. Jack Hayford wrote in the Bible commentary,” The essence of this vision is the cleansing of the priests and the land.” The priests are the visionary leadership while the land is the entire workplace. The Model is in three phases and has been summarized as STK: Strippers’ Act, Turbaning The Head, and Keeping The Command.

Watch out for the next installment of Reconfiguring Corporate Culture:A fundamental of Rebranding as we post The Zechariah's STK Model for Rebranding.Meanwhile,please engage this article.
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The Twisted Puppet Motion

THE TWISTED PUPPET MOTION
Have you seen a puppet move with no strings attached? Of course not! Upon the stage of life, the puppet motioned sweatlessly with so much fervor and energy. It got much more than an applause- a standing ovation. Few seconds from this joyful moment, the puppet's motion got twisted and the frenzy fizzled out.
What happened?
The puppet master was carried away by the accolades and encomiums; he moved his gaze away from the puppet.
Who is the master of your life?
The one you surrender or give your life to becomes the master of it. That is the one you look to for favours.By favour, I mean undeserved benevolence or benefit. Does the puppet really deserve the applause? Don't get it twisted; this story is about the master, the subject and the object.The subject is the puppet while the object is the benefit or favour.
Seeking cheap favours from men- your family, friends , father (spiitual) and founder of the company you work with or for, as the case may be can leave you twisted.Before I buttress how, don't get this twisted.Nothing is wrong with getting favours from folks. I enjoy favours. Hmmn, how yummy!
Faithfulness in scheduled tasks or unassigned, unsolicited assistance brings favours. It becomes cheap by the instruments employed- the mindset of the seeker ( end in mind ), the medium employed ( manipulation ) and the man's perception of the seeker ( the giver - impression).
The Mindset of The Seeker:
Haven't you heard Joyce Meyer say, 'Where the mind goes, the man follows' or read your Bible in Proverbs that out of the abundance of the heart,the mouth speaks. It is ridiculous as much as pathetic to live life expecting people to always do you favours without having to do something significant.It is worse still, believing or measuring significance in your mind as having a mouthful of tales to tell someone, more than often, higher authority about another man's helpless activities,or wrecking havoc on a national scale for global recognition.
.Imagine the younger brother of the biblical prodigal son reporting to their father about his brother's escapades just for mere cheap favoritism. This mindset has pervaded the corporate world, and it is fast becoming a workplace habit for upward mobility. It'd be discovered later that you're the voice in the masquerade's cloak, and. When it does your family,friends or team will lose trust in you.
Would you rather lose future benefit of good relationship for greater assignments for immediate gains? Think twice! Don't get your life twisted. You're headed into the drain, and you don't even see it because of previous gains you made from crooked habits.
It is pathetic to believe that making paradise or heaven is in you selling out your life as an instrument,or better put, a mere explosive envelope or bomb-bag. This mindset is very cheap vis-a-vis the worth and value tag on your life by the Creator of that life,and in relation to the sovereignty of the State you belong to or happen to be a part of.

The Medium:
There is a means that has been developed over time for getting the substance. This quickly prompts me to remember Sentence Construction and Analysis; a sentence,more than often is divided into subject, verb and object.In context, the subject is the seeker of the cheap favour,and the object is the cheap favours.The verb is the act employed to obtain from the master who gives out either by his or her own will, or otherwise. The otherwise is the means which is manipulation.
Man-Pull-A-Nation.I can't be serious! I briskly checked up the word Manipulation to buttress the discourse.
'Manipule' or the latin word,'manipulus' are the root words for manipulation meaning "handful'
Numerous instruments are used to carry out the manipulation agenda,among a few are the handful of lying,intimidation,deceit,seduction,
guilt aura .
The cheap favour seeker bubbles with joy and pride whenever he or she has a handful, or better still, a mouthful of tales to report to an authority.Reporting this comes usually with a facade before the master as being pious,honest and concerned. The subject ( favour seeker ) uses this facade for the assessment of the master ( favour giver ); he concludes the emotional status of the perceived victim,among his interests,idiocies,idealogy,dislikes and idiosyncracies.You'd be smarter than I to say,"Give to Caesar what's Caesar's."
Marriages or better generalized,beautiful relationships have been troubled and twisted by friends,family members or neighbour with evil intents who come with mouthful of terrible,untrue tales of your wife,fiance or partner.You'd be a puppet easily twisted,if you blindly jump or dive in for such manipulation. In the corporate world, this is also prevalent; supervisors, line managers and management executive should be wise about handling such people because it portends great ills or damper to productivity. More of managing such mindset will be dealt with later on Man's Perception of the Seeker.
How about a higher authority pulling the strings of a less privileged person all in the guise of philantropy. This is widespread in nation's polity across the African continent, and some countries in the Middle East; national leaders recruits a fragment of people living below the breadline, often from the minority group of that country, offer them a messianic exit from their present mess,introduce them to an alternative education option, an instrument to brainwash their victims,and this often hinges intrinsically on hate and violence,aligning with the master's visions.However such masters underplay their callous characterization, the end ceaselessly justifties the means. Time will unknot the twist, and the strings will lead to the puppet
master.

The Man's Perception of the seeker
There is an impression in the master's mind the favour seeker leaves when he shows up again. However smart the seeker paints a facade of uprightness, the giver of the favour, after a while, catches a glimpse of the content of seeker's heart.Do you know how? Talk is not enough to justify the impression; the cheap favour seeker will always eventually register his demand eventually. That confirms the impression.
Though the favour seeker may verbally or non-verbally pledge his loyalty to the master by his consistent commitment, the master will not give up a 100% trust to him because there is a measure of fear in this relationship. Fear that questions or querry the truthfulness of information delivery and the sincerity of purpose and commitment.
Remember the master gives out either by his or her own will, or by being manipulated.Often times, the master doesn't have any bad impression of the subject ( the cheap favour seeker ) if the favour was obtained through manipulation. The impression bec omes created in the mind of the master when after giving the favour willfully to the seeker,a discovery is made that reveals the seeker's manipulations.I met a guy on a street close to Ikorodu Road in Lagos some years back.He wanted me to give him some money to assist him with his transportation back home.I gave him about five times more what he requested.I was touched seeing the smile planted on his face.I think within a week I met the guy twice telling me the same story.This time I abused him; I couldn't hold back the anger.The discovery that this guy was a liar made me refuse giving him anything else. Giving him something the second time turns the manipulator vertex to me which he might not get to know immediately. My second or subsequent givings might be to get something from him. I am the master and the manipulator now.When I'm done with the guy, I discard him.
Regardless of what the master gets from the subject( favour seeker),the impression remains with the master about how cheap the seeker is.The bad news is the seeker who thought he got some favours, has been used as a puppet,and might not realize his life journey has been twisted until he's discarded like waste water.
Managing such impressions is pertinent to the productivity of your business.It won't be a bad idea if you let the tale bearer know he will have to tell his story in the presence of the accused person. This is to prevent a psychology of misjudgement around you,and to discourage further manipulations,or mouthful of tales.Hence,no puppet or no puppet's motion gets twisted.

We all are created for relationships.Connecting genuinely with others is an emotional intelligence which has a potential of reunion outside the workplace.Connecting to manipulate others in the workplace or elsewhere is not an upward mobility skill or strategy.Always remember the golden rule: Do unto others what you would want done to you.