day 1422: What It Takes To Get Noticed

"When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Most of us, at some point or another in our careers and our business, want to stand out from the rest of the crowd.  It could be as we launch a new product or service.  It could also be as we remake the branding of the company. Or individually, it could be when it is time for a promotion or reassignment to a new project.  But, what does it take to get noticed?  Some will say, "Just do what you do well and notice will come."  There is truth to that, but I would say that is a base requirement and that's not all of the answer.  We have to be willing to do something that moves us out of the throngs and into a place where we will be noticed.  It could be stepping forward and being the first at something.  It could be changing tactics to promote or market what we have created.  Or, it could be that we need to show extra effort, extra initiative and be the company or the person who goes beyond what is expected of us to delight who it is that counts on us. What is for sure that for whatever we desire or are working on, we need to have a plan that we can follow on how to gain notice of what it is that we are bringing forward.

Imagine the most well-known bad guy in town bringing public notice, recognition and exposure to himself? Hardly, right?  But, that's what the notorious tax collector Zacchaeus did when he climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.  What happened when he ran ahead of the crowd, found that tree and perched himself above the crowd?  He got noticed and Jesus called him by name, and then went on to dine with him that evening, in Zacchaeus' house of all places.  Jesus knows us all by name, and He is always here for us, but He is also teaching us that for Him, we should be willing to run in front of the crowd, make the effort to climb the tree, expose ourselves to see Him, and then be ready to hear our name and be invited to be with Him, where we are!  What crowd do we need to leave and get ahead of today?  What tree is there to be climbed?  Are we ready to do so this week?

Reference: Luke 19:5 (New Living Translation)

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day 676: Pattern Recognition

"Then, as accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives."

Recently I have been presented the opportunity to do some consulting with numerous businesses. These businesses span a number of different industries. The people are different, the names of the companies are different, and what they produce is different, but at the root, they are the same. What is different about companies is the outside, but on the inside the patterns of business are the same. Businesses run on patterns that they have designed and continue to use over and over to ensure that the business runs the same way as consistently as it can. Once we can see the pattern and recognize it then we can apply the learning from other companies to their pattern. It takes time to hone the skill of pattern recognition and you have to see enough patterns to ensure that you aren't seeing something for the first time. Every now and then, we can be surprised at an innovative way of going about the conducting of business, but for the most part, the patterns are set and we can learn and build from what we have seen and know. How much time are we putting into learning and knowing the pattern of our business? It's important to know and understand if we are ever to make improvements and bring best practices into our companies. I know too many people who try and apply new ideas and concepts on top of a pattern they don't really understand and then who leave a business frustrated because their ideas wouldn't take hold.

Patterns are also important in our personal and spiritual lives. No better example of a pattern maker was there than Jesus. There are a number of places in the Gospels that we learn of His patterns. Jesus had a pattern for His life that we can follow and apply to our own lives. He was a reader of the scriptures (Luke 4:16), He had a set time each day for his prayer time (Mark 1:35) and He had a place that he went to pray, as we read, in Luke 22:39, that he regularly visited. The New Living Testament says that this was the "usual" place that He went. Let's step back and see if we can recognize a pattern and apply it to our lives? If Jesus, of all people, had a pattern, then why wouldn't we follow the same one? It's a simple pattern to recognize: Read God's Word and pray and do both of these regularly and in a pattern of when and where, so to make it a habit. It's a simple but so powerful pattern to recognize and follow and of course, apply to our own lives.

Reference: Luke 22:39 (new Living Testament)

day 550: Talent Within Us

We can get so focused on the talent that is outside of our companies that we fail to recognize the talent that is already working with and around us. Typically, those who have the job of filling open positions are so focused on the external recruiting side of the equation that it becomes unbalanced and there is not as much focus on the internal talent and how they should be developed and groomed to take jobs in the future. Anyone who feels like they were ever passed over for a promotion while they watched someone else be hired from the outside into the role has experienced this first hand. Without a doubt there are many times when new blood and new thinking is required into an organization and the only way to get that is to hire from the outside. However, there is a balance and when organizations consistently fail to recognize the talent that is within then there will be a follow on pattern of attrition that can become unhealthy. There is also an emotional impact on individuals when they are not seen or felt to have been developed and brought along. As with any of us, when we feel like our talents are unappreciated or taken for granted we can begin to believe there is something wrong with us and we can fall into our own pattern of not pushing to our full potential or performance. This is the worst outcome of all. It is human nature that we miss or ignore the talent within. Jesus said to his disciples; "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among relatives and his own family." Are there people within your organization who with a little more recognition and sponsoring could be the talent that is being overlooked? Could you be the one who provides that extra spotlight and attention for them that allows them to grow and develop and be recognized as extraordinary talent already within the company? It's a worthy question and exercise and one that will not only be of value to your organization but more importantly, to a person who's life will be touched in a positive way and for us to be the one who provides that touch can be part of what we are supposed to do.

Reference: Mark 6:4 (New Living Testament)

day 531: Recognizing What You Already Have

Consultants, which are everywhere it seems, are many times a function of the principle that we just don't believe we have good enough ideas or expertise inside of our organizations and that we must go outside of the company to get what we need. It's the grass is greener on the other side thing. So, consultants are brought in to tell us what to do and give us their big ideas. How many times though have we sat around during or after the consultants' presentations and say to ourselves sarcastically, "yeah, like tell me something I don't already know!". What is clear about this, so many times, is that the ideas and the expertise is already in the house, we just haven't figured out how to unlock those or we have put constraints on allowing people the freedom to express their opinions or implement their ideas. But, if someone comes from the outside, they don't carry any baggage and they don't feel any inhibitions to bringing forward their ideas, even though those ideas may not be anything new. We as believers know an account of a man who was not listened to in his own hometown. I often think of the people who were in Nazareth who missed out on being able to be up close and personal with Jesus because they just couldn't see past the familiarity of who he was. The same may be happening within your own company today. Are there people who have the answers and the ideas but we are looking past them because we are familiar or we don't listen to them because we don't like the way they say it, or we have heard it before? Today would be a great day to stop and see if you can recognize what you already have inside your organization and see if there aren't already people within your company who aren't yet being listened to, or need to be heard. Maybe one of the areas we are to lead is in being the person who can unlock those people and give them their voice!

Reference: Mark 6:1-6 (New Living Testament)

day 467: Bowling Shirts

A company I am the Board of just celebrated an important milestone. The CEO decided to commemorate the event by taking the entire team out for a night of bowling and give everyone a personalized bowling shirt. Another company where I am on the board gave everyone a personalized etched rock with the company logo and date to capture the launch of the company. These items become reminders and symbols of events, achievements and significant dates or happenings. They are great ways to keep top of mind and front and center those things that we want remembered and memorialized within an organization. I think we tend to forget these things as the larger a company gets and before long we talk ourselves into thinking that no one really cares about these symbols, and they are expensive to do for a lots of people anyway. I would challenge this thinking and as a leader, a manager or a supervisor, try and come up with ways to memorialize and commemorate whenever and wherever you can. The Old Testament is full of accounts where wells and altars were built after a battle won or something significant that happened. No one account is better known than what God did in Genesis 9:16; "When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth." God memorialized his promise for us by giving us each a rainbow that when we see it we can remember what He has said and done. God gave us a bowling shirt, if you will. Today if you have the opportunity to recognize, reward, commemorate or memorialize, don't miss the opportunity. People will remember.

Reference: Genesis 9:16 (New Living Testament)

day 456: Where Is The Love?

Ever notice that at work there is not really a constant flow or outpouring of gratitude, recognition, congratulations, or encouragement? Work is a series of ups and downs and highs and lows. One day we are on top of the world because everything is going great and the boss loves what we are doing and we can feel the love being sent our way. And then there is the next day where nothing goes right and the boss is a little aloof or the positive reinforcement feels like it has drifted and we find ourselves questioning where we stand or what she/he thinks of us now. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and we can find ourselves saying to ourselves, "Where is the love?" I'm not sure that any boss is so good that they can be consistently sending the love out so that each and every person on their team is receiving it at the right time and in just the right way. So what we do is we try and find trend lines and we manage and skate on that trend line and we do so with our emotions and feelings of value fluctuating. If we are bosses of others, then we should try and change that with our people and be sure that we are doing better to straighten out the line and provide consistency. If we are on the receiving end of the feedback then we need to be sure that we are not putting too much of our personal self-esteem and self-worth on the feedback and comments of our boss or our peers. We have to be sure that we don't need the high of the rollercoaster ride to fulfill us. There is only one place where we can find consistent and truly unconditional love and that is within our relationship with Christ. Paul tells us that nothing can separate the love that He sends to us each and every day. It does not matter what our performance may be as God doesn't grade on a curve and He doesn't compare us to others. See Romans 8:38-39; "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord". Today, do a little internal checking or yourself and see if the need for the affirmation and recognition of the boss and others at work has become too important. If so, it is time to pull back and realize that you are asking, "Where is the love", from a place that will always let you down at some point. Rather, focus back on where the love can never be separated, disrupted or removed. That is the love we all really need.

Reference: Romans 8:38-39

day 373: You Get What You Act For...

Within a company or a work team there is a distribution of attitudes regarding work and rewards. When I write rewards I mean not only financial rewards but also the rewards that are many times more important, like recognition and responsibility. This distribution of attitudes ranges from those who work hard, keep their head down, ask and need little to nothing in the way of recognition or attention, to those who test the bottom threshold of their performance and then expect the company to reward and recognize them above others. This latter group is the hard group to deal with as they not only are hard to manage but their attitude can drag down others and unfortunately, influence others who will fall into their way of thinking and acting. I once had a peer who was like this and while the rest of us were giving it our all and more, he would not pull his weight but he was the first one to be asking for a raise or promotion. Fortunately, our manager was smart enough to see through this employee's M.O. and it finally caught up with my peer. No one was sorry to see him go, but everyone felt sorry for him as he had such potential but he just used his energy to cover is tracks too much instead of just working like the rest of us. It's very easy to understand how rewards should be doled out. God tells us how He does it in Jeremiah 17:10; "I give people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." If this is good enough for God, then the same can hold for us as we think through how we should work and what we should expect. If our actions deserve reward, then we will get them. If our actions are not worth of reward, then we shouldn't expect to receive anything. If we fall into the trap of expecting something we didn't earn, then we will find ourselves unhappy, frustrated and always searching for something that isn't there and isn't really yours.

Reference: Jeremiah 17:10 (New Living Testament)

day 302: Not Who You Think...

In business we have become conditioned to think that it is with the people at the top that the best things happen. The press and the media always profile the CEO and Board Members but rarely are the rank and file or front line employees profiled, talked about or given the spotlight. I appreciate the CEOs who go out of their way to make sure that it is their employees who get the credit when the credit is due. But too many people try and take the credit and we when we see that happening there is a resentment than can build up and an attitude within the company that no matter who does what that the person at the top of the organization chart will take the credit. When this infiltrates the culture it is nearly impossible to remove it going forward. What is also scary is that this can sneak up on companies and because leaders don't see it, they may never know it is there, but the employees do. Any of us who are in leadership positions or who are even thought of as leaders on the team of our peers, need to be very sensitive and cognizant of not allowing ourselves to fall into the trap of taking credit. Amazing things are happening to all kinds of people in the company and sometimes even the most fascinating and exciting things can happen to those in the most unlikely positions. It is this time of year when we study the Christmas story. It is made clear to us that the most lowly of the least desired jobs were the first to be told of the birth of Jesus and see him in the manger. The shepherds who were just out doing their jobs in the middle of the night were chosen to be the ones to go and find Jesus. How come the angels were not sent to Kings, CEOs, and people in important positions? Because, God was telling us once again that He is there for us all and He can't see organization charts, hierarchies, or amounts on W-2s. The angels revealed themselves and the birth of Jesus to the right people, because as we read in Luke Chapter 2, they were frightened and amazed. I only wish I could have heard their first hand account of that night. I suspect that any King or CEO listening to their stories wished they had been able to have been there. This week as you work, remember it is not who we think who has the most amazing things happen to them. Take a moment to recognize those who may feel like they get left out or forgotten. One word of encouragement and thanks this week could make a difference and they may well see your faith and belief coming through your words and actions.

Reference: Luke Chapter 2 (New Living Testament)

day 194: Needed Praise and Recognition

It has become abundantly clear to me that we all need recognition and praise from others. It seems so trite and silly at times and it seems so self-serving that it seems wrong to admit that we do need some praise and recognition to keep going. But, it is true and somewhere in the human experience it is built into us. At work there are systems that are established in the management process to try and bring that recognition and praise to people. Most of the time the systems that are built come across contrived or become over time rote and impersonal. The systems and processes are okay, but nothing replaces a good old-fashioned "thank you and well done" that is delivered in front of someones peers. The more spontaneous and tied to an event this can be done, the better. That type of recognition and praise goes a long, long way. In dealing with a personnel issue recently, I was reflecting on whether or not it was right or wrong that a very senior person in the organization seemed so needy for recognition and praise. I found myself saying to others, "this person is too experienced and in too big of a job to still be needing this level of recognition". I still think there are degrees of anything that make the difference between what is acceptable and not, but at the root of it, my sentiment that this person shouldn't still be looking for praise and recognition is probably wrong. We all need it and if it is not given, then the absence of recognition can be harmful for someone. I was reading a book this week by the author, Byron Ricks. The book is called, "Searching for Dad". He talks about the need for sons to receive praise and recognition from their fathers. He says this; "Even Jesus longed for his Father's praise. The Bible says, 'After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of heavens said, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'" If God can give praise to Jesus then we can give praise and recognition to others. We can start today by looking around the office and trying to find the person who doesn't receive the recognition they should and then go give them some. Write a hand-written note to that person. Send a letter or email to their boss or their bosses' boss telling them how great this person is and asking for them to receive the recognition due. Or, just take a group of people on your team with you and walk over to this person's cubicle, workstation or office, and ask for a minute to just say thank you as a group. Whatever it takes to deliver recognition and praise today. You will be glad you did.

Reference: Luke 3:21-22 (New Living Testament)

day 146: Recognition and Perks

When we think about the affirmations that we get at work we can feel pretty good about them. Most great companies will have some form of recognition program where the top people, as measured by performance and/or results, will get singled out, applauded and then given some form of extrinsic recognition. I have seen trophies, certificates, pictures, parking spots, cash and even get-away trips. I just spoke with a person a few weeks ago whose company singled him out for the top honor and he was rewarded with a surprise trip to Russia. That's pretty cool by any standard. We read a lot in the press today about irresponsible companies who give these trips and they come off as "boondoggles" or "extravagant". That is not for me to judge, but I do know that recognition in front of one's peers works and an incentive for better performance is created. So, I see nothing wrong with recognition, that is unless we start to "need" it. Yes, if we are seeking out the recognition of others as the goal and the end-game then the motivation is wrong and if we are making the recognition the primary motivation then we run the high risk of allowing ourselves to become obsessed with the "pats on the backs", etc. What is wrong with this you say? On the surface it can't really do much harm can it? Probably not, but down deep inside we are beginning to want to lay up our treasures in the wrong places and we are searching for the recognition by other people versus from God. Jesus speaks about this when he talks about the spiritual leaders of his day who were all about what others had to say about them and how they were treated and recognized. He says, "Everything they do is for show...and how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and the most prominent seats in the synagogue". He is talking against their need for recognition and the need for the perks that come with an office. In business we are also used to perks. There was a time when I had access to the corporate jet. No more. Recently the commercial airline that used to give me so much recognition reduced my status down to the same as the casual traveler. When I found this out it bothered me so much that I was obsessed with it for days on end. It felt like something had been stripped from me. The truth is that I don't fly enough anymore on that airline to have earned the perk status. But still, I was obsessed with the loss of recognition. This is not the way that God wants us to operate and work. We can't let these artificial accolades take us over. He wants us to fix our eyes, heart and mind on Him and to live and work the purpose of bringing Him glory and let all the rest fall away from us. As you think through the areas in your work life where you seek recognition or perks, give a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if you have let it go too far? What would happen and how would you feel if the recognition or perk went away tomorrow? How you answer is how important those things have become to you.

Reference: Matthew 23:5,6 (New Living Testament)