I had gone to bed at midnight. It was now two in the morning. I was still awake, stressed thinking about my book, which — ironically — is about happiness. Trying to unwind, I opened my laptop and started watching clips from The Daily Show. An ad for a popular sleep aid came on that I thought was still part of the satire; while the first 20 seconds promised me that if I took it, I could go right to sleep, for the next 40 seconds a soothing voice told me that if I took the pill, I would also risk seizure, sudden heart attack, hallucinations, extreme levels of anger, swallowing my tongue, and might commit suicide. After an ad like that, I knew if I took that pill I'd be much too stressed about the possible side effects to ever fall asleep.

I realized this was no joke — it was a real ad. And I realized this is exactly how corporate trainings talk about stress at work.

In order to get companies and employees to take stress seriously, for the past 30 years, most trainers and coaches have highlighted research that shows that stress is the number one health threat in the US (World Health Organization); that 70-90% of doctor visits are due to a stress-related issue (American Stress Institute); and that stress is linked to the six leading causes of death (American Psychological Association).

But what if focusing on the negative impact of stress only makes it worse — just like thinking about the side effects of a sleeping pill would keep me up at night? And what would happen if we reframed the way we thought about stress?

To test that question, Yale researcher Alia Crum and I teamed up with senior leaders at UBS to research 380 managers to see if we could turn stress from debilitating to enhancing merely by changing mindset at work.

As a Harvard man myself, I usually make it a rule to not work with people from Yale. But Crum is well-known for her mindfulness research with Ellen Langer and has studied how our mindset changes our health. One of the first things we uncovered was that the typical corporate training on stress seemed to unintentionally raise stress.

Think about it: how did you feel after reading the statistics above on stress, health, and death? First, even if you weren't stressed, stats like these cause you to respond to stress with a "fight or flight" mentality. Stress is portrayed as a threat, so we either need to fight it or flee from it, overactivating our sympathetic nervous system. And second, if you are already feeling stressed, now you have even more reason to feel distressed as you know your stress is literally killing you. (Good luck falling asleep now.)

There is an alternative approach which we found to be much more successful.

Crum and I showed different three-minute videos to two groups of UBS managers. The first group watched a video detailing all the findings about how stress is debilitating. The second group watched a video that talked about scientific findings that stress enhances the human brain and body. The latter information is less well known, but equally true. Stress can cause the human brain to use more of its capabilities, improve memory and intelligence, increase productivity, and even speed recovery from things like knee surgery. Research indicates that stress, even at high levels, creates greater mental toughness, deeper relationships, heightened awareness, new perspectives, a sense of mastery, a greater appreciation for life, a heightened sense of meaning, and strengthened priorities.

The findings of our study were significant: when an individual thought about stress as enhancing, instead of debilitating, they embraced the reality of their current stress level and used it to their advantage. The negative parts of stress (distress) started to diminish, because the fight-or-flight response was not activated, and the individual felt more productive and energetic, as well as reporting significantly fewer physical symptoms associated with distress (such as headaches, backaches, fatigue). In addition, on a scale of 1 to 4, productivity assessment moved from 1.9 to 2.6 — a significant shift. Life satisfaction scores also increased, which in previous studies has been found to be one of the greatest predictors of productivity and happiness at work.

Encouraged by these results, Crum and I then trained 200 managers in a program called "Rethinking Stress," focusing on how to use current stress to their advantage at work. The process involved three steps: awareness of the stress, determining the meaning behind why you feel stressed, then redirecting the stress response to improve productivity behind that meaning. The effects of this second experiment were even more dramatic. Not only did distress decrease, but the stress these managers experienced actually became more enhancing, raising work effectiveness and improving health.

Our intention is not to make the case that stress is fundamentally enhancing or try to debunk the literature that stress does indeed have deteriorating effects. Rather our intention is to balance out the stress research and to point out that one's mindset regarding stress may determine which response will be produced.

Stress at work is a reality. And this study does not indicate that someone should actively seek to increase one's stress load. But, as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says, "It is what it is." Some stress is inevitable. When stress happens, thinking of it as enhancing rather than debilitating can lessen the risk to your health and materially improve your productivity and performance.

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Shawn Achor is the founder of Good Think, Inc. and the author of The Happiness Advantage. In 2006, he was Head Teaching Fellow for "Positive Psychology," the most popular course at Harvard at the time. He holds a Masters from Harvard Divinity School and has spoken in 45 countries to a wide variety of audiences, including bankers on Wall Street, students in Dubai, and CEOs in Zimbabwe

When customers call a company, they deserve the best treatment. However, many organizations continue to abuse their customers with poorly thought out phone handling. The guilty companies range for the largest to the smallest.

The reality is, most companies do not want the calls. Their desire is for the customer to check the website first, to engage in live chat or communicate via social media. Most customers have tried one of those options and as a last resort pick up the phone. So when the experience is daunting or down right rude, customers get even more frustrated.

It is time to do a review of what customers go through when calling your company. I recommend a small team, including a director level person, to check your roadblocks and make the needed changes.

Here’s where to get started –

1. Act as if you are the customer. Listen closely and experience the call
process. I know you have done this before – do it again.

2. Get rid of the instructions that inform the customer, "Listen carefully
as our menu has changed." Most of your customers do not call you
often enough to have the menu memorized. We don’t know or care
that it has changed. Just give us the choices, the fewer the better.
Also, give us the one chosen most frequently upfront, like press 1 not 6.
For example, physician’s office are the worst offender of this one –
"to make an appointment press 5". I don’t think pharmacies call more
often than patients yet that option is always stated before the patient
focused ones.

3. Stop telling the customer, "Your call is very important to us, the next
available representative will be with you soon." Say it once. The more
you repeat the same script the more it angers the customer and they
will not believe you. Change up the recording – some script, some music,
some information about products and services. And please don’t tell the
customer to go to the website, it is very likely they’ve tried it already and
may even be on it while having to listen to the recording, angrily.

4. Listen to the customer representative scripts. Is it time to let the team
be more respectful and engaging? Customers are exhausted with the
programmed scripts. They do not create a real conversation. The
customer called to speak to a real live person – not one with a script
and limited options. Remember the customer thinks their situation is
unique, so listen well and engage them.

Customers will love you when you hire smarter, train better and coach often.
Your team will love working for you and in an empowered environment.
You will get loyalty from customers and employees. Your phone handling
is part of the customer experience. If the customer has to call you, give them
what they deserve – easy access to real people with real answers.

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Lisa Ford is a speaker with over 20 years of experience presenting to businesses, associations and government. She speaks throughout the United States and internationally on topics of customer service, leadership, team issues and change.  Her recent book is Exceptional Customer Service - Exceed Customer Expectations to Build Loyalty and Boost Profits. 

Unreasonable risk-takers are individuals who tend to over-emphasize the resources they have available or can acquire to accomplish their objectives. Or, they’re people who under-emphasize the barriers that are likely to get in their way.

There’s been a lot of emphasis in the past decade or so on risk-taking as a positive trait of high achieving individuals. Most corporate environments don’t encourage risk-taking. Neither do government bureaucracies. So “unreasonable risk-taking” might not seem like much of a problem, except that we’re talking about increasing power and influence with others. That demands that you take risks, provide leadership, and create visions for others. So risk-taking comes with the territory of adaptability.

This is just a note of caution to take reasonable risks. Psychologist David McClelland and others who have researched high achievers say the most successful individuals take moderate risks which have a 30 percent to 70 percent chance of being accomplished. Taking a risk on something that has less than a 30 percent chance of success is considered reckless behavior rather than reasonable risk taking. This is especially true if you’re risking the resources of other people in the process.

Accomplishing something, which has over 70 percent chance of success, is essentially not taking a risk in the first place. Assessing risk involves both looking at what positive factors are in the plan, as well as the negative factors that stand to get in the way. There’s usually no way to do an ironclad assessment of a plan. Oftentimes the factor that weights the balance in one direction or the other is the person taking the risk. How much follow-through do you have? How much energy are you going to bring to the enterprise? If the going gets tough, can you count on yourself to keep going?

A great majority of businesses begun by individuals in this country fail within the first 5 years. Starting a new business is always a risk, but a good business plan upfront will help assess the chances for success. According to Michael Gerber, who runs a nationwide training company for fledgling entrepreneurs, the number one reason for the failure of startup businesses is under-estimation of the resources it takes to keep a business going. Under-estimate of the capital required, under-estimate of the time it takes, and under-estimate of the expertise it takes to run your own business. Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of people hang out their sign, print their business cards and wait for their first customer or client.

And the good news is that tens of thousands of those businesses do succeed. Because they’ve taken a reasonable risk.

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Dr. Tony Alessandra is a behavioral and communication expert, and author of 17 books including The Platinum Rule, Collaborative Selling and The Art of Managing People. Today he is a leading business motivational speaker on communication, customer loyalty and sales.

Innovation will move unemcumbered throughout an organization if the concept is imbedded in the culture. The culture has to suppport the business and vision and be people-positive.

Innovation encourages risks. It supports failure. It rewards creativity. It is an ongoing process that everyone is encouraged to participate in. It doesn't just come from the R & D group or just from the CEO.

Southwest Airlines is a great example of a company with a clear vision, who understands their business - mass transportation, and a culture that engages employees and loyal customers to be a part of the innovative process.

I am always fascinated by successful organizations whose CEO sets an example for self improvement, change and innovation. They are not just focused on their business 70 hours a week. They seek a deeper knowledge of the world which translates into more risk taking, innovative thoughts and personal satisfaction.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the CEO of Deutsche Bank spent a week of his vacation recently studying Spanish six hours a day. It was an intense immersion course. He already speaks English, French and Italian as well as his native German.

Another Fortune 500 CEO each year takes his family to upstate New York to the Chautauqua Institute to study and participate in the arts and other forms of learning. You never know where your next idea may come from....and often it results in innovation.

What about your organization?  How is innovation a part of your company culture? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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Howard Putnam is a speaker on leadership, innovation, transformation, culture and customer service, and ethics.  He is the former CEO of the highly successful Southwest Airlines and the first CEO to take a major airline, Braniff International, into, through and out of Chapter 11, getting it flying again in less than two years.

The Huffington Post and TED are counting down "18 of 2011's most impactful talks" and combining them with new blog posts written by the people who delivered them. I was so honored and overwhelmed when I found out that my TEDxHouston talk was chosen for the countdown.

In my essay I describe 2010 as the year of the talk and 2011 as the year of "walking the talk." Having a video on vulnerability go viral made this year the most vulnerable year of my life. Ironic, I know.

 

From the essay:

"This past year has been an experience that I can only describe as equal parts terrifying and exciting. There's been unbelievable support, long overdue debate and discourse about these silenced topics, and -- the thing that makes me the most excited -- the development of new communities committed to cultivating more conversations about the emotional landscape of our lives. For better and for worse, there have also been some tough lessons on finding balance, asking for help, and seeking out constructive, respectful debate and feedback without letting in too much of the downright mean-spiritedness that’s rampant in our culture."

I want all of you to know that our community has been a constant source of support for me. I'm so grateful for what we've created.

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Dr. Brené Brown is a researcher, writer, and a unique speaker whose reputation is built on her ability to explore vulnerable topics with tremendous honesty, warmth, and humor. She is a leading expert on Authenticity, Vulnerability and Courage; and the author of The Gifts of Imperfection: Letting Go of Who We Think We Should Be and Embracing Who We Are.

As you gear up for 2012, you may be thinking that you or one of your team members could benefit from collaboration with top-level professionals.

However, just because someone needs help or would benefit from collaboration with top-level professionals doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is ready for the experience.

I recall a "Master-Mind Alliance" of colleagues that I was in years ago. We had one member who was successful in business, likable, and intelligent — but who clearly didn’t fit the profile of the group. He repeatedly took up time in meetings pontificating on topics that most of the group had long since settled or mastered. His questions and recommendations were not suited for the forum in which he was participating.

The problem we had was compounded by the fact that we liked him. A nice guy with a good mind — but he simply didn’t belong in this group. Ultimately, we had to ask him to leave. Predictably, hard feelings ensued.

Situations like this are avoidable, but only by careful discipline in the recruitment and selection process. And here’s the key: It is vital to the welfare of a group that each member truly belongs in the group.

But how can you tell if a member really belongs?

First, have a clear, written profile of the "Ideal Candidate." Know what one looks like, and be specific about all elements that matter. For example:

• Level of personal and professional success
• Compatibility with the other group members
• Openness to coaching and corrective feedback
• Professional and emotional maturity
• Reputation among peers and in the marketplace
• Expertise in the field
• Financial strength and savvy

Now, select the criteria that matter to you and create your own list. But be totally honest about who you’re looking for — one misfit can diminish the quality of the experience for all participants.

Publish your criteria as appropriate, and don’t let candidates know they’re being considered until you’re almost certain to invite them in.

Be careful not to invite more than two new members into the group in one business cycle. There needs to be time for the group to readjust itself to the reality of having a new member, and for the member to understand the practices and protocols that make the group worth joining.

Don’t select people based on their need for you. Select them based on the value they’re likely to bring to the group.

One final bit of advice: People who are still "in progress" (at an earlier stage) and aren’t quite ready to join should be referred to a coach, advisor or training experience until they are ready to raise the value of the group by joining it.

That’s my opinion … and I’m sticking to it!

This topic and more are included in the Vistage Connect™ CEO peer advisory sessions. Learn more.

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Jim Cathcart is the bestselling author of 16 books and a "hall of fame" professional speaker. He has worked with 2,700 clients worldwide over his 35 years as a trainer and consultant. Jim is the founder of Cathcart.com and a frequent coach to many of his colleagues and clients.

Are you the kind of person–the kind of leader–who seeks to move beyond your own (very important) personal development and have an impact on the world around you?

Then I invite you to watch this video and–if it strikes a chord in you–share it with as many people as you can:

 

What do you think? Are you in? Are you an educator, or do you know educators who’d benefit from receiving this book?

There are a lot of Extreme Leader Educators out there. If you know one, please tell us by sharing their story.

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Steve Farber, author of Greater Than Yourself: The Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership, the president of Extreme Leadership, is a leadership consultant and speaker, and the author of the national bestseller The Radical Leap, and The Radical Edge, and the newly released The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do.

If your company is going to stay in business, it has to change, and that can be scary.

For many people, change is more threatening than challenging. They see it as the destroyer of what is familiar and comfortable rather than the creator of what is new and exciting. Most people, and organizations, would rather be comfortable than excellent.

But these days, if you don't change, you stagnate and die. We must implant change in the corporate culture.

As a businessman myself, and as an adviser to executives, I've encountered many examples of constructive change brilliantly executed.

Let me share with you some of the things I've learned:

* People will change only if the alternative is worse than change.

Sometimes it's hard for people to internalize the need for change. A Naval aviator once made an interesting observation to me that illustrates the point.

He said many pilots have died because they stayed with their disabled aircraft too long. They preferred the familiarity of the cockpit to the unfamiliarity of the parachute, even though the cockpit had become a death trap.

Many businesses have died because their people preferred the familiar but deadly old ways to the risky but rewarding new ways. We must teach them that to stand pat is to perish.

* People hunger for stability amid change.

The steady, reliable people in any organization are often fearful of change. We must keep them in mind. We must assure them that change doesn't mean an end to their world; it means a continuation, but with improvements.

Here are some things we can do:

• Explain the reasons for the change. When people understand the logic behind change, it becomes more rational and more comfortable.
• Show how our plans keep risks to a minimum.
• Emphasize the things that will remain the same.
• Let them know what to expect, step by step.
• Let them know that top management is fully behind the change. Our confidence in the value of the changes will be reassuring to them.
• Commend them and recognize them for the constructive changes they make.

* For change to be successful, it must be planned.

We must be in control of the changes instead of at their mercy. Successful changes are based on values.

As Levi Strauss CEO Robert Haas told Harvard Business Review, "Values provide a common language for aligning a company's leadership and its people."

Levi Strauss summarized its values in a document it calls its "Aspirations Statement." Everyone in the company is familiar with it and is guided by it. Whenever a Levi Strauss team analyzes a new idea, among the first questions asked is "Is it aspirational?"

When Honeywell decided to change its orientation from national to global, it adopted a set of values that included integrity, quality, performance, mutual respect and diversity.

These values enabled it to steady its course through the sea of change.

* Planned change involves a three-step process: softening, reshaping and restabilizing.

The softening stage is the most uncomfortable for employees. After years of doing things the same old way, they have been hardened into rigid habits. Now they have to unlearn them.

When you want to soften something, you usually apply heat. During the softening stage, we apply heat by attaching a stigma to the old behaviors we want to discontinue. We stop rewarding them.

This is the time when you're likely to encounter the greatest resistance to change. Even your management people may dig in their heels. After all, you're changing the system under which they rose to their present jobs.

Here's where you need skillful communication: You must make clear the reasons for change and the consequences of not changing. The gain and the pain must be made clear to managers and employees alike.

John F. Welch Jr., the CEO who led General Electric through a highly successful change in corporate culture, identifies four types of management individuals with whom we must deal during the "softening" stage. Here's how he classifies them:

1. People who deliver on commitments and share the new values. These are the people you want to retain and reward.

2. People who don't meet commitments and don't share the new values. These are the people who must go.

3. People who sometimes fail to meet their commitments, but who share the values. For such people, a change of environment may produce a change in behavior. Give them a second chance.

4. People who meet commitments but don't share the values. In Welch's words, this may be "the autocrat,the big shot, the tyrant" -people who try to force performance instead of inspire it. The results they get aren't worth the price. They'll have to change or go.

The reshaping phase calls for a positive approach. We're now less concerned with rooting out old ways and more concerned with implanting new ways. Managers and employees must be convinced that the new way is the right way.

Your staff and employees now must learn a whole new attitude toward their work. Managers must see themselves as facilitators, not dictators. Employees must see themselves as value adders, not order-takers or machine operators. This calls for a well-thought-out educational program.

Finally comes the restabilizing stage. During this period, you want the new behaviors to become a natural part of the everyday routine in the work place.

Pilot projects can help managers and employees feel comfortable and natural with the new ways during this stage. Let them try out the new methods in "practice runs" to see how they work.

Another way to replace the discomfort of change with the comfort of familiarity is to provide suitable role models. Find people who are familiar with the new ways and let them model them for the rest of your managers and employees. When your people witness the success of the new methods, they'll feel more comfortable about following them.

The system of compensation and rewards should be based on the new behaviors we want to encourage. If we're asking people to value teamwork above individual effort, then the system must be set up to reward team efforts.

My friend Joe Jacobs, founder and CEO of Jacobs Engineering, used this principle to great advantage during the '80s. Jacobs Engineering's individual offices each operated as separate profit centers. When Joe took on a project that required the pooling of resources from several offices, he had difficulty getting the teamwork he needed.

Executives from each office looked at the project from the standpoint of its effect on the profits of their respective offices. Joe solved this by tying each executive's compensation to the performance of the company as a whole. When he did that, he got genuine teamwork.

Throughout the change process, everyone from line workers to senior management must be convinced that the company is behind the change. CEOs themselves must take responsibility for encouraging the new behavior. They must model it as they deal with people on as many levels as possible in the organization.

It may take years to effect fundamental change, and you should never consider the job finished. Instead, you should look for ways to institutionalize change. When your people are oriented to change and educated in effective ways to bring about change, you're geared up for the future.

Have you successfully implemented change in your organization? What worked for your company?

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Dr. Nido Qubein is an international speaker and accomplished author on sales, communication, and leadership. He is president of High Point University and chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company.

Customers are impatient, picky, demanding and savvy. They are also THE reason a business exists – to serve and sell the customer.

To make 2012 a profitable year, here are the 5 Bs of what customers want:

1. Be Fast. Customers are impatient and want things faster than ever before. Think about your customer experience. Look at email response time, on hold time, IVR systems, live chat capabilities. Make it an experience that works for the savvy customer.

2. Be Good. Have team members who can answer customer’s questions. Make certain they have more answers than the customer has questions. Empowered employees make for happier, loyal customers. Get rid of scripts.

3. Be Complete. Do what you say you will do. Do it right the first time. Do it when you say you will do it. It is that simple. Customers want to talk to one person and tell their story one time.

4. Be Responsive. This is especially important as customers interact with companies more via their computer. Your social media presence is worthless if you are not responsive. Emails should be answered at least within 4 hours. Whether face to face or on the phone, connect and care. That is the essence of customer service.

5. Be Personable. Give customers a reason to do business with you. Make the experience memorable. Show you know them and value their business.

You may have a great product but it can not stand alone in this crowded, competitive marketplace. In this coming year, stand out by being what your customers want.

Is there anything else you would add to the list? We'd love to hear from you!

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Lisa Ford is a speaker with over 20 years of experience presenting to businesses, associations and government. She speaks throughout the United States and internationally on topics of customer service, leadership, team issues and change.  Her recent book is Exceptional Customer Service - Exceed Customer Expectations to Build Loyalty and Boost Profits. 

Recently, Peter Vidmar, the highest scoring American gymnast in Olympic history, was interviewed on "Brainstormin’ with Billy the Brain" on KKZZ Radio.

Using his Olympic preparation and experiences, Peter explained the principles of Risk, Originality and Virtuosity (ROV), and how we can apply them for success in business and life.

Listen to the Podcast interview with Peter Vidmar: How Risk, Originality and Virtuosity Impact Our Success

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Peter Vidmar, Olympic Gymnastics Champion, is a speaker on personal achievement, risk taking, and innovation. He is also the author of Risk, Originality, and Virtuosity: The Keys to a Perfect 10.