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ELEPHANT ALERT!

In the 1999 movie, The Sixth Sense, a main character says, “I see dead people.”  Indeed, he has the remarkable ability to see and communicate with spirits who don’t know they’re dead.

Do you have such extra-sensory perceptions? Can you tell if people are showing up for work in a lifeless state? These people are often uninspired, engaged only when it’s time to CYA, and seem to have given up on the idea that life is about more than just “getting by.”

Here’s the elephant in the office: Sadly, some workplaces perpetuate this zombie-like environment. When some people come to life – with ideas, hope, and determination – they quickly receive the message: “Don’t bother. Get back to work and leave the thinking to us.”

Ineffective managers try to control and limit creativity because they see it as distracting and a threat to their own ideas. They don’t want counter-points to their arguments. Thus, they create dead people around them.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

You are not in the business of creating psychological thrillers. You are in the business of delivering better results – and enjoying the journey in doing so. Today, distinguish yourself as a leader by demonstrating your own mystical powers: bring dead people back to life.

Three steps to bringing people to life:

  1. Find and acknowledge the moments when these individuals are alive.
  2. Be a model for them; refuse to be a “victim” to the circumstances around you.
  3. Honor them; ask them for their ideas; identify what motivates them. And listen for greater understanding.

Not surprisingly, the more you bring people to life around you, the more you come alive.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

BUILD THRIVING, SEAMLESS ORGANIZATIONS

BUILD THRIVING, SEAMLESS ORGANIZATIONS

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