From an early age we have all had the need to know why…

Why do I need to share my toys…why shouldn’t I hit my sibling…why do I need to eat my vegetables…why do I need to go to bed so early…why do I need to make my bed…the list goes on.

As we have grown and matured the need to know why remains, although the questions have gotten more complex.

Why am I short/tall, thin/fat, male/female…why do some people succeed while others fail…why do we exist…

Even though some questions cannot be answered in our lifetime we still have an innate need to know why…what is our purpose?

Science tells us that knowing and connecting with “why,” or our purpose, is directly tied to motivation. There is a part of our brain, the limbic part, that is our “why” center. It is also the part of the brain that influences 75% of decisions and behaviors. Another way of looking at this is that things that align with our sense of purpose highly affect our motivations.

Dan Pink, author of Drive, has done extensive research into what ultimately motivates humans and has found that there are two categories of motivators: Extrinsic (external— outside forces or those that are imposed on us by others) and intrinsic(internal—those that come from within us).

The following YouTube explains Dan Pink’s research in simple terms:

In a nutshell, extrinsic motivators work well when we are doing less cognitive work, like manual labor or repetitive work, but intrinsic motivators work better when we are doing more cognitive work, like solving problems, innovating, designing, collaborating, leading, etc. 

Dan Pink suggests that the three types of intrinsic motivators are:

• Autonomy—the ability to self-direct our activities
• Mastery—becoming better at our work and hobbies
• Purpose—doing things that align with our values and what we believe is important.

Unfortunately, too many people are in jobs that do not align with their sense of purpose. Sure these jobs pay the bills, but the people are not inspired in the morning on our way to work, nor feeling fulfilled at the end of the day on their way home.

Great leaders understand that as a result the average American worker is only 40-70% engaged in their work and that 30-60% more engagement can be achieved by hiring workers whose sense of purpose aligns with that of the organization. Then once on board, they understand the importance of helping workers become their natural best while trusting them to further the organizational purpose (vision) without micro-management.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

What does brushing your teeth do for you?

Without asking a follow-up question, “how often do you brush your teeth?,” it’s hard to provide a proper answer. 

If your response to the follow-up question is “once every few months” then I would suggest brushing your teeth does very little, no matter of how intensely you brush, except maybe remove some of what has accumulated and a hint of fresher breath.

If your response to the second question is “twice daily, 365 days a year” then I would suggest brushing your teeth does a lot, not only keeping your teeth clean and providing fresher breath year-round, but also promoting better tooth and gum health, minimizing cavities, and significantly increasing the life of your teeth.

Doing something once, or sporadically, regardless of the intensity, is rarely as effective as doing something less intensely, but regularly, repeatedly, and consistently.

Simon Sinek does a good job of highlighting this reality in the following short video:

So simple and profound, yet such a struggle for most people.

From what I have learned from research, consistency is just not a part of our human nature—at least not for most people. Some personalities, those high in compliance, find consistency much easier, but the rest of us find it a struggle. Why?

It seems that other desires compete for limited resources, which include: time, money, energy, etc. For example, the rush of endorphins from eating sweets competes with our desire to lose or maintain our weight, going out with friends late into the evening competes with our need for sleep, hitting the snooze button competes with our morning exercise routine…and so on. Sound familiar?

Research also shows that while consistency is hard to achieve it is easier to sustain and more effective than the start/stop lives we typically live. 

The condensed version of the research suggests that will power is a depleting resource in our brains. Every time we start a new routine it takes will power to overcome inertia and the other competing interests and desires. Habits, on the other hand, do not utilize will power. 

That is why good habits are so powerful and why lifestyle changes produce better results than intense diets, exercise programs, or binge anything.

The auto industry seems to thrive on intensity: getting each month off to a fast start, pushing for a strong finish, contests, incentives, spiffs, hype-filled sales meetings, meetings only to deal with issues, etc. all only elicit temporary bursts of effort.

That is why great leaders promote consistency, by instilling daily disciplines, rather than relying on periodic intensity.

So what can you do to become more consistent and reap the benefits of consistency? The intentionality model has the answer:

For more insights go to https://healthydealer.com/intentionality_model/

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

You can observe what people [really] believe…by their actions.

You can also observe what people are truly committed to…by the results they produce!

I am surprised how many people make grand statements in meetings, in front of their boss and/or peers, but then don’t follow through. Hollow words may allow people to escape awkward moments but they also become the hallmark of ineffective teams. 

The same is true when it comes to customer service. Too many [sales] people, service advisers, and other public facing people make statements and direct, or indirect, commitments in order to win business or smooth over difficult situations. Yet, too often these words lack commitment. Why? It’s simple. Because they sell from a perspective of “commission” rather than from “conviction” and are not held accountable for following through. 

It’s just not right and it’s no wonder that trust in business is so low. Not surprising is how and why organizations who follow through on their commitments stand out in such stark contrast. 

It’s time for people to take radical responsibility for their words and commitments. In fact, it would be better not to make a commitment and yet take appropriate action than make a commitment and not follow through.

Want to be a great leader? Take radical responsibility for your words and commitments, by doing the following:

• State your intent in simple terms
• Don’t make statements that you cannot or will not fulfill
• Put forward your best effort moment by moment and day by day
• Humbly ask for feedback and accountability
• Evaluate results at regular checkpoints
• Adjust your behavior as necessary if the results at any point indicate that your current plan will not achieve the stated intent.

Here is a video that provides more insight into this HERBISM.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.

After two years of weekly HERBISMs, we come full circle with this week’s reminder to begin with the end in mind.

I was reminded of the importance of clarity of the end-goal while doing a project this weekend with my grandson. Partly to keep us busy, but also for bonding and to give our grandson exposure to building things with his hands, it was suggested [by his grandmother] that we build something in the garage. With Christmas coming it was decided that a nice gift for his sisters would be doll beds.

I seized the opportunity to expand the teaching moment to include a little design work by creating a blueprint of the doll beds before actually going out into the garage.

There are three kinds of people:

• The Impromtu-Doers who have an idea, grab materials, and start building. This can often take longer, involve a number of missteps and do-overs, and result in a lower quality product. 
• The Plan-Doers who think through the project, design it on paper (or a computer), compile a list of materials, and build according to the plan. Even though time is spent in design the project overall usually goes quicker, involves fewer missteps, and results in a higher quality product. 
• The Buyers who would rather go to the store and buy a finished product.

I’m a Plan-Doer. Always have been. It’s not only in my genes, but I had many opportunities to learn and do while growing up.

So my grandson and I collaborated and then drew up plans for a couple doll beds that could be used individually or stacked to create a bunk bed. We gathered the materials (I have lots in my garage), cut the pieces as specified, and assembled the beds according the plan. Overall the project took a couple hours and turned out quite decently.

Being a Plan-Doer is especially important when working with others. Not only does it get everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but it ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Small projects can benefit from the planning-execution model, but becomes exponentially more helpful the larger the project. Whether it’s building doll beds, developing a golf course, or taking a trip to the moon the same planning-execution model can be applied for greater success.

Begin With The End In Mind is habit #2, from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, right after Be Proactive.

In HERBISM #2 it was stated that the core role of a leader is to get a team from HERE to THERE, where THERE is the desired End.

Whether you call it the End, the THERE, or the Destination the key is that you have clarity of where you are trying to go.

As stated above, clarity of where you are trying to go not only gets everybody on the same page during the planning stage, but ensures that execution is both effective and efficient. Effective because everybody knows exactly what the end result is supposed to look like, and efficient because parts of the project can be delegated to different people working independently, and brought together in the end.

Great Leaders are either inherently Plan-Doers, or humbly accept the fact that this is an area of weakness and find a Plan-Doer to partner with.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.