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Casual Articles - Resilience
7 Phrases You Can’t Say in Sales (Because They Will Undermine Your Credibility and Drop Your Closing Rate) Copyright 2004 by Doug Smart Years ago, George Carlin listed seven words you can’t say on television. Then HBO came along, said all the words, and the world of television changed forever. Now, I know that even before you read the seven no-no phrases in sales, you might be tempted to think, oh, whatever these are they will eventually become acceptable, too. There are two big problems with this reasoning. 1. Television has been around for about sixty years so it is still a youngster experiencing growing pains; sales started way back when the inventor of the wheel made a few extras to sell to friends. 2. The seven sales phrases are already being said by salespeople and they are delivering decidedly mediocre results. They live on because veteran salespeople say them and novice salespeople ape them. The cycle continues. The big challenge with these words is that they undermine the credibility of salespeople and they encourage defensive barriers to spring up in the minds of the prospective buyers. Talk about salespeople shooting themselves in the foot! These phrases either degrade what could be a great sale down to a pedestrian transaction or they scare off buyers. And worse, less experienced salespeople think they are supposed to say these phrases in order to entice buyers. Here is a word to my sales colleagues: No matter whether you are selling products, services, and/or ideas, avoid using these phrases! They will make buyers distrust you. As you read these seven, think of yourself as a buyer not a salesperson. (Did you ever stop to consider that over the course of your life you will most li
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current
"The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear". -- William Jennings BryanWhether you're generally a self-confident person, or someone continually plagued by self- doubt, you'll recognize some of these confidence killers if you:• Are overly dependent on the thoughts or opinions of others;• Avoid meeting new people because you're afraid you won't fit in, be liked, or be accepted;• Focus on unrealistic expectations ("I must do each job perfectly"; "If one person is unhappy then I have failed");• Have an 'all-or-nothing' attitude;• Pay heed to the internal and external naysayer;• Use the word SHOULD most often in relationship to your business;• Assume that if you don't get the client, they didn't like you;• Assume that you must be as talkative, outgoing, friendly, smart, old, young, educated, attractive, as someone else in order to succeed;• Avoid implementing new ideas because they may not work;• Can recount all your shortcomings each day.Bankers will tell you that businesses fail because of lack of money. I assert that lack of money can be traced, in part, to a lack of confidence. As a trainer, motivator and a coach I see first hand the affect that confidence has on an individual's or a group's success. By and large confidence grows from each small success that an individual takes towards reaching a goal. That is why I ask you to focus so much on goals and visions! When you know where you're going, you're going to gather the tools and information you need to reach your destination.Your Turn - Prepare to overcome your fear.• Make a list of your personal confidence killers. Be as concise as possible.• Now make a list of ways that preparation can help you overcome your confidence killer.• Take the steps you outlined in section 2 above and writ
The term resilience, which is of frequent use in the psychotherapy area, has recently started being used in the corporate field.
In fact, this term came up in our language as a technical term, with the following meaning:
“The power that certain materials –mainly metals- have of resuming its’ original form or shape after a strong level of pressure or compression".
Obviously, this is not the concept that we are going to use all along the present article, but the one that refers to “human resistance to stress, changes and pressures and the capability of recovery”.
Within this framework, we define Human Resilience as:
“The ability and capability of certain individuals to strengthen themselves and bounce back after several situations of strong stress and change”.
Seen this way, there is no ethical judgment about this capability or competence, it is neither right nor ethically wrong, it exists or not and, if it doesn’t, it is really convenient to develop it.
We can also talk about Resilience in companies, which we define as: “The ability to absorb large amounts of disruptive change without a significant fall in their productivity and the ability to immediately regain its’ equilibrium”.
Recent studies have demonstrated that an individual’s resilience level –that is to say, how far has this competence been developed- is which determines his/her failure level at situations of extreme change and stress. This level is widely superior to the results we may obtain, based only in education, training and experience.
Resilience has been considered and studied by several authors, from different angles. They cover as from the causes why certain people can overcome and recover from the horror of Concentration Camps, from cancer –being able to live with and cope with this illness-, as from corporate decisions, made in ambiguous and stressing environments produced by permanent changes.
However, some of these views sometimes face specific aspects in a partial way, strongly focusing on certain characteristics, which can result in a limitation to see totality. This is why several really deep studies, due to their analytical cut, center in a certain aspect, losing global view.
We will, therefore, try to hereby offer a systemic view to permit us visualize the parts, without losing the global view.
II. BUILDING BLOCKS
Resilience has four strong Pillars, or Building Blocks:
1) The existence of future objectives:
So as to face crisis, adversity, permanent change, stress caused by certain situations, we must have objectives and results to be obtained.
Those who are not able to view any future goal will let themselves be defeated.
Nietzche, in a famous phrase, said: “those who have something to live FOR are capable of standing almost any HOW”.
It is often said that human beings need certain degree of balance in their lives, but this is not completely true. Human beings need to face challenges for the sake of their survival, development and maturity; and the tension that is produced -between what they have achieved and what has yet to be achieved or the gap between what something is and what it should really be- is what allows them to develop their potential.
At the corporate level, this base also includes the possibility to develop the capability to visualize objectives to be achieved, however complex and ambiguous the market can be. Once this competence has been completely developed, dangerous situations start to be considered as true opportunities.
2) Facing Reality:
This second building block consists of accepting the reality of my situation and that of my company. This does not mean we are simply speaking of an optimistic condition; optimism is always necessary, as long as it does not produce a reality distortion.
In individuals, as well as in companies, there must be a clear difference between Present, Past and Future, which are connected but, at the same time, clearly different.
Past Present Future
The existence of future objectives makes the process of facing and accepting reality easier -no matter how difficult and complex reality may seem; on the contrary, the man –the team, the company- that is not able to view any future goal will be defeated by the present time problems.
When the future disconnects itself from the present, and possible objectives are not viewed, there is a tendency to regression, to look backwards to the past as a way to contribute to pacify the present and all its’ fears, making it seem less real. But, abandoning the present may also mean losing the meaning of life.
Past FuturePresent
People who have this condition, that is to say, a certain resilience level, are realistic; they possess a clear vision of their present and especially of those parts of reality that are really important in order to live.
I understand and accept my situation today. This also happens in companies, where efforts are doubled to keep searching for niches that will enable a successful progress, instead of giving up and not fighting for survival.
3) Searching for sense:
This third column is based on the value system.
It consists of the ability to see reality and, from there, find a sense in terrible things, not considering yourself a victim: “Why is this happening to me?”, “What’s happening to my company?”, “Why is this happening?”
People who have developed the competence of resilience “create -through suffering, stress and change- positive elements that can have a meaning for themselves and the others.”
The same happens with resilient companies: they do not think “Why me?” but “Why not me, too?” and they start building values that make recovery possible.
Being able to find a meaning for things –“values”- does not mean that these values will last for ever; this circumstance carries the need of establishing a feedback process that really sustains and strengthens the permanence of the established values.
4) The ability to perform things with elements at hand:
This last column is the one that establishes the relationship between today (reality) and tomorrow (objectives) and, in serious situations of important change and/or deep crises, it enables the existence of a degree of invention capability and flexibility to improvise solutions for one or several changes, using the tools that are available at the moment. Consequently, it permits the development of the process that makes the way from “Today’s reality” to the future that shows us the new objectives of “Tomorrow” and its’ performance with the tools we already have.
III. SYSTEM THINKING AND RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Considering the process of RESILIENCE within system thinking allows us to understand not only how this process merges into the Company’s Strategy, but also which are the steps that its’ implementation will require.
This process, developed both at personal as well as corporate level, has a constant flow between TODAY’s reality and TOMORROW’s objectives, and it enables -by means of permanent feedback- the maintenance of values and its’ adjustment, in order to successfully cover the gap between the actual reality and the expected objective.
This process is constantly being adjusted through analysis and understanding of the environment that will state the speed of the adjustment to the change.
The process starts with:
A) Where we want to be -Tomorrow-: Which are the objectives we want to achieve. As Covey says, “We must start, having an objective in mind". It is essential to develop the capability to visualize the existing opportunities in an uncertain future, despite the ambiguous present.
B) How we will know we have reached that desired future: It is necessary to establish a feedback system strongly connected to our value system, which will allow us to measure the success obtained in the way towards the achievement of objectives, as well as to reinforce the Value System.
C) Where we are today: One of the main stages is to have an accurate knowledge of our reality. This will enable us to know our Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats.
D) The Process: "The ability to perform things with elements at hand ": We should plan the way that will enable us to establish an Implementation and Follow-up Model by means of a correct performance, in order to achieve the Proposed Objectives, having only the available Tools.
E) The Scenario -Environment-: It is always changing, ambiguous and complex, which obliges us to analyze it constantly, in order to make the necessary adjustments.
IV. REQUIRED ABILITIES
The process of development of the competence of resilience means having and developing certain main abilities or characteristics to its’ entire potential. These abilities, which appear at the personal level, as well as at the corporate one, mean that the individual/company is:
1. Positive: Resilient individuals (or companies) have the ability to efficiently identify opportunities in turbulent environments and simultaneously have the confidence to believe they can be successful.
2. Concentrated: Resilient individuals (or companies) have a clear vision of what they want to reach and use this objective as their personal star that will guide them whenever -at some stage of the process- they feel disoriented or uncertain.
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current
This second step in sales is about the immortal on-liner: “the offer you can not refuse.”There are two or more views on sales. The individual view in which the professional sales representative is able to persuade the next deal. The other view is one in which corporations manage the sales process. Both sales activities have in common that the way in which this process is managed defines the success of the sales.Large corporations that depend heavily on sales will try to select the best sales representatives. Yet this is (apparently) not enough. To be successful in sales requires a sophisticated method. And the offer you can not refuse is an important second step.There are many reasons why you cannot refuse the offer. One is that you are not really aware that the offer is part of the deal. For example when you buy your internet package at home the offer includes a “FREE” virus scan. The only thing the buying customer needs to do is cancel this part of the deal after three month after which he will be charged. The virus scan is no longer free. If you let go you are stuck with something you didn’t ask for.Other offers you cannot refuse include all those little presents that will pull you over (the barrier). By accepting such a small and handy gift -- you would never have bought yourself, but comes in very neat -- you have emotionally unveiled yourself for the next step. This is for the real bonus you have to pay for. And you will.Many additional examples fit in this step, including all those where you offer a discount if the prospect … acts soon, preferably right now.But the essence of this step and of the other two steps of the general sales process is that organizing is all. It is the method that does it. Therefore you have to be prepared so that you can show the potential customer the way.© 2007 Hans Bool
II. BUILDING BLOCKS
Resilience has four strong Pillars, or Building Blocks:
1) The existence of future objectives:
So as to face crisis, adversity, permanent change, stress caused by certain situations, we must have objectives and results to be obtained.
Those who are not able to view any future goal will let themselves be defeated.
Nietzche, in a famous phrase, said: “those who have something to live FOR are capable of standing almost any HOW”.
It is often said that human beings need certain degree of balance in their lives, but this is not completely true. Human beings need to face challenges for the sake of their survival, development and maturity; and the tension that is produced -between what they have achieved and what has yet to be achieved or the gap between what something is and what it should really be- is what allows them to develop their potential.
At the corporate level, this base also includes the possibility to develop the capability to visualize objectives to be achieved, however complex and ambiguous the market can be. Once this competence has been completely developed, dangerous situations start to be considered as true opportunities.
2) Facing Reality:
This second building block consists of accepting the reality of my situation and that of my company. This does not mean we are simply speaking of an optimistic condition; optimism is always necessary, as long as it does not produce a reality distortion.
In individuals, as well as in companies, there must be a clear difference between Present, Past and Future, which are connected but, at the same time, clearly different.
Past Present Future
The existence of future objectives makes the process of facing and accepting reality easier -no matter how difficult and complex reality may seem; on the contrary, the man –the team, the company- that is not able to view any future goal will be defeated by the present time problems.
When the future disconnects itself from the present, and possible objectives are not viewed, there is a tendency to regression, to look backwards to the past as a way to contribute to pacify the present and all its’ fears, making it seem less real. But, abandoning the present may also mean losing the meaning of life.
Past FuturePresent
People who have this condition, that is to say, a certain resilience level, are realistic; they possess a clear vision of their present and especially of those parts of reality that are really important in order to live.
I understand and accept my situation today. This also happens in companies, where efforts are doubled to keep searching for niches that will enable a successful progress, instead of giving up and not fighting for survival.
3) Searching for sense:
This third column is based on the value system.
It consists of the ability to see reality and, from there, find a sense in terrible things, not considering yourself a victim: “Why is this happening to me?”, “What’s happening to my company?”, “Why is this happening?”
People who have developed the competence of resilience “create -through suffering, stress and change- positive elements that can have a meaning for themselves and the others.”
The same happens with resilient companies: they do not think “Why me?” but “Why not me, too?” and they start building values that make recovery possible.
Being able to find a meaning for things –“values”- does not mean that these values will last for ever; this circumstance carries the need of establishing a feedback process that really sustains and strengthens the permanence of the established values.
4) The ability to perform things with elements at hand:
This last column is the one that establishes the relationship between today (reality) and tomorrow (objectives) and, in serious situations of important change and/or deep crises, it enables the existence of a degree of invention capability and flexibility to improvise solutions for one or several changes, using the tools that are available at the moment. Consequently, it permits the development of the process that makes the way from “Today’s reality” to the future that shows us the new objectives of “Tomorrow” and its’ performance with the tools we already have.
III. SYSTEM THINKING AND RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Considering the process of RESILIENCE within system thinking allows us to understand not only how this process merges into the Company’s Strategy, but also which are the steps that its’ implementation will require.
This process, developed both at personal as well as corporate level, has a constant flow between TODAY’s reality and TOMORROW’s objectives, and it enables -by means of permanent feedback- the maintenance of values and its’ adjustment, in order to successfully cover the gap between the actual reality and the expected objective.
This process is constantly being adjusted through analysis and understanding of the environment that will state the speed of the adjustment to the change.
The process starts with:
A) Where we want to be -Tomorrow-: Which are the objectives we want to achieve. As Covey says, “We must start, having an objective in mind". It is essential to develop the capability to visualize the existing opportunities in an uncertain future, despite the ambiguous present.
B) How we will know we have reached that desired future: It is necessary to establish a feedback system strongly connected to our value system, which will allow us to measure the success obtained in the way towards the achievement of objectives, as well as to reinforce the Value System.
C) Where we are today: One of the main stages is to have an accurate knowledge of our reality. This will enable us to know our Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats.
D) The Process: "The ability to perform things with elements at hand ": We should plan the way that will enable us to establish an Implementation and Follow-up Model by means of a correct performance, in order to achieve the Proposed Objectives, having only the available Tools.
E) The Scenario -Environment-: It is always changing, ambiguous and complex, which obliges us to analyze it constantly, in order to make the necessary adjustments.
IV. REQUIRED ABILITIES
The process of development of the competence of resilience means having and developing certain main abilities or characteristics to its’ entire potential. These abilities, which appear at the personal level, as well as at the corporate one, mean that the individual/company is:
1. Positive: Resilient individuals (or companies) have the ability to efficiently identify opportunities in turbulent environments and simultaneously have the confidence to believe they can be successful.
2. Concentrated: Resilient individuals (or companies) have a clear vision of what they want to reach and use this objective as their personal star that will guide them whenever -at some stage of the process- they feel disoriented or uncertain.
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current
About This Article The following question comes from a real estate postcard questionnaire I sent to more than 3,000 real estate agents and brokers. I compiled hundreds of responses to create a list of the most commonly asked questions. This is one of those questions.Question: How do I differentiate my real estate postcards from what all of the other agents are mailing in my area?Answer: You're wise not to imitate other agents in your area. The only time you should duplicate a marketing strategy that's already used in your market is when you can do it better -- like ten times better. But as a new agent, it would be difficult to compete by stacking up recent sales.So why not go where they're not going? Why not come up with a great idea that nobody else is doing in your market, and then build a postcard campaign around it.Let's brainstorm...What's going on in your area? Is it a buyer's market or seller's market? What's happening in the news? What are people in your town talking about? How can you capitalize on that? Are you comfortable speaking in front of groups? If so, you could build a seminar program and promote it with postcards.Do you know any mortgage people in the area? Why not ask them to partner up with you for mutual gain? What if you made the seminar a regular thing, like "First Friday." What if you built a website just for the seminar ... really giving it a life of its own, with testimonials, photos of previous sessions, maps to the location, the works.Maybe you could get local media coverage? Free donuts? Business cards by the door? Take-home information kits with your bio as the last page? A sign-up form with email address so you can send them market updates?Keep brainstorming! This is how great ideas are born. And when you've got a great idea, you can turn it int
People who have this condition, that is to say, a certain resilience level, are realistic; they possess a clear vision of their present and especially of those parts of reality that are really important in order to live.
I understand and accept my situation today. This also happens in companies, where efforts are doubled to keep searching for niches that will enable a successful progress, instead of giving up and not fighting for survival.
3) Searching for sense:
This third column is based on the value system.
It consists of the ability to see reality and, from there, find a sense in terrible things, not considering yourself a victim: “Why is this happening to me?”, “What’s happening to my company?”, “Why is this happening?”
People who have developed the competence of resilience “create -through suffering, stress and change- positive elements that can have a meaning for themselves and the others.”
The same happens with resilient companies: they do not think “Why me?” but “Why not me, too?” and they start building values that make recovery possible.
Being able to find a meaning for things –“values”- does not mean that these values will last for ever; this circumstance carries the need of establishing a feedback process that really sustains and strengthens the permanence of the established values.
4) The ability to perform things with elements at hand:
This last column is the one that establishes the relationship between today (reality) and tomorrow (objectives) and, in serious situations of important change and/or deep crises, it enables the existence of a degree of invention capability and flexibility to improvise solutions for one or several changes, using the tools that are available at the moment. Consequently, it permits the development of the process that makes the way from “Today’s reality” to the future that shows us the new objectives of “Tomorrow” and its’ performance with the tools we already have.
III. SYSTEM THINKING AND RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Considering the process of RESILIENCE within system thinking allows us to understand not only how this process merges into the Company’s Strategy, but also which are the steps that its’ implementation will require.
This process, developed both at personal as well as corporate level, has a constant flow between TODAY’s reality and TOMORROW’s objectives, and it enables -by means of permanent feedback- the maintenance of values and its’ adjustment, in order to successfully cover the gap between the actual reality and the expected objective.
This process is constantly being adjusted through analysis and understanding of the environment that will state the speed of the adjustment to the change.
The process starts with:
A) Where we want to be -Tomorrow-: Which are the objectives we want to achieve. As Covey says, “We must start, having an objective in mind". It is essential to develop the capability to visualize the existing opportunities in an uncertain future, despite the ambiguous present.
B) How we will know we have reached that desired future: It is necessary to establish a feedback system strongly connected to our value system, which will allow us to measure the success obtained in the way towards the achievement of objectives, as well as to reinforce the Value System.
C) Where we are today: One of the main stages is to have an accurate knowledge of our reality. This will enable us to know our Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats.
D) The Process: "The ability to perform things with elements at hand ": We should plan the way that will enable us to establish an Implementation and Follow-up Model by means of a correct performance, in order to achieve the Proposed Objectives, having only the available Tools.
E) The Scenario -Environment-: It is always changing, ambiguous and complex, which obliges us to analyze it constantly, in order to make the necessary adjustments.
IV. REQUIRED ABILITIES
The process of development of the competence of resilience means having and developing certain main abilities or characteristics to its’ entire potential. These abilities, which appear at the personal level, as well as at the corporate one, mean that the individual/company is:
1. Positive: Resilient individuals (or companies) have the ability to efficiently identify opportunities in turbulent environments and simultaneously have the confidence to believe they can be successful.
2. Concentrated: Resilient individuals (or companies) have a clear vision of what they want to reach and use this objective as their personal star that will guide them whenever -at some stage of the process- they feel disoriented or uncertain.
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current
There are three words which often bother me. " I remember when….." When my peers and friends use them, I always feel like telling them to switch gears and think about today and tomorrow, not yesterday. They seldom comply. Now, having been invited to write about how the ad agency business has changed since I was in it on a day-to-day basis, I suppose I have to "remember when."If you remember when Channel 10 did a live, (LIVE!) daily, (DAILY!) Network (NETWORK!) show, you're probably as old as I am.If you remember when ad agencies relied heavily on Type Shops for fast, efficient service, you are probably in your forties.If you remember when word processing people were called typists and when they used a thing called carbon paper, you are probably in your fifties. (Side effects from typewriters and carbon paper were messy erasures and blue-stained fingers.)And if you think FedEx, cable TV, B101, All News All The Time, Video Conferencing, and Satellites have always been there, I'm jealous for not being your age.In the ad business, the only thing that's certain is that what's certain today will not be certain tomorrow.Which brings me to the agency business and some significant changes that have taken place in my career-lifetime.Whereas client/agency relationships changed focus from print to broadcast over many years, the changes now move with lightening speed. For example, when UHF television came along, it was big news because viewers in this market could see six stations instead of three. Now, who can keep track of all the video available with cable and internet access for movies and on and on. How will agencies have to adjust? Who knows? We do know that the media challenges that face agencies are already causing several significant changes.First, some are not fighting the media wars. Many are farming out their m
This process is constantly being adjusted through analysis and understanding of the environment that will state the speed of the adjustment to the change.
The process starts with:
A) Where we want to be -Tomorrow-: Which are the objectives we want to achieve. As Covey says, “We must start, having an objective in mind". It is essential to develop the capability to visualize the existing opportunities in an uncertain future, despite the ambiguous present.
B) How we will know we have reached that desired future: It is necessary to establish a feedback system strongly connected to our value system, which will allow us to measure the success obtained in the way towards the achievement of objectives, as well as to reinforce the Value System.
C) Where we are today: One of the main stages is to have an accurate knowledge of our reality. This will enable us to know our Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats.
D) The Process: "The ability to perform things with elements at hand ": We should plan the way that will enable us to establish an Implementation and Follow-up Model by means of a correct performance, in order to achieve the Proposed Objectives, having only the available Tools.
E) The Scenario -Environment-: It is always changing, ambiguous and complex, which obliges us to analyze it constantly, in order to make the necessary adjustments.
IV. REQUIRED ABILITIES
The process of development of the competence of resilience means having and developing certain main abilities or characteristics to its’ entire potential. These abilities, which appear at the personal level, as well as at the corporate one, mean that the individual/company is:
1. Positive: Resilient individuals (or companies) have the ability to efficiently identify opportunities in turbulent environments and simultaneously have the confidence to believe they can be successful.
2. Concentrated: Resilient individuals (or companies) have a clear vision of what they want to reach and use this objective as their personal star that will guide them whenever -at some stage of the process- they feel disoriented or uncertain.
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current
It is clear that good Corporate Governance is in the best interests of shareholders of public companies, but how can it benefit shareholders of private companies and other business owners?Will a good system of corporate governance increase the bottom line?One of the elements of a good system of corporate governance is ensuring that the role, and the boards' expectations, of management are understood.SeparationSeparation of the board and management is often lacking when it comes to small medium sized enterprises. Often senior company managers are also members of the board, hence the board may be deprived of one of its most critical roles, the ability to review and direct.It is this element of corporate governance, through use of independent directors, that can help a business improve both its corporate governance and profitability.InfluenceThe influence that a board has on an organisation is dependent both on the skills and knowledge of the directors and the role that the board chooses to take.Inevitably a board of well chosen directors will add to a company's focus and create additional business opportunities.Three rolesGenerally there are three generic roles which boards tend to take:The Watchdog - total supervisory role The Trustee - evaluation of business and guidance The Pilot - actively directs the businessAs there is no "one size fits all" solution to corporate governance business owners need to consider their current situation before embarking on structural change in the name of Corporate Governance.Independent directorsThe appointment of independent directors to a board will often involve a shift in thinking for many small businesses operators but it is important to explore some of the benefits which independent directors may bring to a business.
3. Flexible: Resilient individuals (or companies) act effectively and with a wide margin in the use of both internal and external resources, developing their creativity and establishing strategies to respond to changes.
4. Organized: Resilient individuals (or companies) use a structured (organized) approach to handle ambiguity and thus plan and coordinate effectively the implementation of strategies.
5. Proactive: Resilient individuals (or companies) carry out actions when they face uncertainty; they adapt themselves to risks, they measure them and adjust to them, instead of looking for comfort.
6. Adaptable: The development of resilience in persons and companies is not a process of stable and linear growth. Each individual and company have their own speed for change, which is -in any of both cases- the result of their capacity to adapt themselves to new situations with minimum dysfunctional behavior.
The rhythm within which one can recover and adapt to the new scenario after the confusion created by uncertainty will be stated by the development level of the competence of resilience; this is the most important factor to increase change speed. The greater the development of the competence of resilience is, the faster the adjustment to new scenarios/situations and the recovery from uncertainty will take place.
V. THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
However, if this process is not faced as a whole, if we do not observe its’ development carefully, if we do not put into practice a permanent feedback model or do not see the reality that surrounds us -which produces new changes from a critical point of view-, we could cause retreats that will affect the development of our resilience potentials.
We can draw this retreat possibility, the existence of peaks or valleys, using the so called Rollercoaster of Change. There we see the change cycle, which is developed throughout several stages of depression or euphoria, actives or passives, which -if correctly accompanied- end up in acceptance and commitment:
THE ROLLERCOASTER OF CHANGE
When faced, the change process, the situation ambiguity, uncertainty and stress, usually produce a shock, which ends up in immediate paralysis.
When resilience capacity has not been developed, denial takes place immediately after; the current situation, is not accepted, it is denied as if it were not a part of my reality.
The first step to a positive affirmation is accepting that the situation exists and that I am involved in it; this state initially causes an anger effect and then a victim feeling –“Why me?”, “What should I do?, Fall into depression?”.
As we advance in maturity and growth, we reach rationalization: we are not victims but are not part of reality either, or we do not seek to advance to the fulfillment of the objectives that will allow us to overcome the situation.
This is one of the most dangerous stages, as through rationalization we can end up in a quasi-autism condition, which will move us away from reality.
Finally, we reach the end; resilience potentials have been developed and individuals (or companies) reach acceptance and consequent commitment to face reality and move to the stage of fulfilling objectives.
It is only by means of an adequate coaching and a feedback model that will allow us see the real situation, that we will be able to complete the cycle effectively and prevent the fall or retreat to the previous stage.
RESILIENCE - THE HOLISTIC VISION
HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE PROCESS OF RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT IN YOUR COMPANY
A successful implementation is not necessarily a highly complex process, but it requires its’ several parts to be correctly installed, always having the holistic vision in mind.
In order to develop it correctly, so that its’ employees and the company -as a whole- can start a growth of their resilience potentials -at the individual level as well as the corporate one- the following steps should be considered:
ORGANIZATIONAL DIAGNOSIS
1) Conducting a previous meeting in order to show the whole process, its’ main stages, critical success factors, feedback system and persons to be involved.
2) Performing an adequate Organizational Diagnosis, which will make the assessment of the current reality possible.
3) Establishing and/or reaffirming the value system.
4) Defining the business’ future objectives.
5) Determining roles and responsibilities of those involved in the process’ implementation.
6) Designing the implementation and follow-up model and the corresponding tools.
IMPLEMENTATION
1) Training participants in the development of the REQUIRED ABILITIES and in the implementation of the tools which have been tailor-made for the Organization’s needs.
2) Verifying the obtaining of feedback by assessing results and advance.
3) Analyzing alternatives and suggesting new ways, according to obtained results, keeping a permanent look on the surrounding Environment.
4) Supporting the adjustment to the new situation, when required.
5) Implementing a model of permanent support.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
* Carnegie, Dale.
* Conner, Daryl R.
* Coutu, Diane L.
* Covey, Stephen R.
* Frankl, Victor
* Gundry, L. - La Mantia, L.
* Haines, Stephen G.
* Melillo, Aldo - Su?rez Ojeda, Elbio N?stor
*Images could not be included in this format. If you would like to have the full version, please contact us at: ocastello@castello-net.com.
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