Driving home from Seder the other day, I was listening to an NPR program about Zoos and Zoological Enrichment – the art some finding something exciting for the zoo creatures to do while they are in their enclosure.
You know what? That is no different than humans. My single friends are out living the wild life. All my married friends are living in zoological enclosures called “Married with Kids”. Those who love “Married with Kids Enclosures” have developed Enrichment programs for themselves – coaching youth sports, teaching religious classes, attending workout programs, etc. Talk shows are all about spicing up your life.
As an inside sales rep, I have an enclosure too. There are several other enclosed creatures around me. We too, seek the wildlife, but love the safety of our enclosure. Although all of us do it for the money, we crave Zoological Enrichment to keep our work life fun and exciting. I prefer the programs that allow everyone to win not just a few. Enrichment programs where only three team members can win usually have only the top 6 participating.
Before are some of my favorite Enrichment programs:
HIT YOUR MANAGER WITH WATER BALLOONS
With the heat at 85 degrees outside this is always a fun one. Meet your team goal for the day/week and you get to throw water balloons at your manager. Our winter version of this was to shoot a hockey foam ball at a net with our manager playing goalie.
BERMUDA SHORTS FRIDAY
Ok so I don’t have the legs for this one, but proper knee highs help.
STASH WEDNESDAY
OK, Ash Wednesday comes around once a year, but the several weeks leading up to it can be quite motivating.
AFTERNOON ICE CREAM
Meet your goal by noon and the manager will bring in ice ops or Ice cream sandwiches.
BRUINS DAY
With the Boston Bruins in the payoff and headed for the Stanley Cup (you heard it hear first) wear your favorite sports team. Another favorite is wearing your old High School colors.
The point is to make it light and fun. Keep cash out of it. It’s enrichment, not payment. Some of the best enrichment programs start as an innocent comment that catches on and motivates the team. So quit pacing back and forth in your cage and have a little fun.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
THe Art of Aiming for the Bottom
In a down economy, it is very easy to move from being Excellent to being “Good enough”. What is a “GOAL”? Do you set your goal as the bottom of the barrel or do you set your goal as the best of the best? Or are you setting minimum goals for yourself?
Over the last couple of months, I was in a BIGGEST LOSER COMPETITION. The winner was the person with the “highest percentage weight lost”. I knew that I was one of the heaviest contestants, so I would have to lose more weight than the lightest contestant. How should I set my goal?
One goal could be – WHAT IS THE MINIMUM WEIGHT LOST I WOULD ALLOW? This is setting the goal at the bottom of the barrel. I could drive all my energy to reach for a goal that is easily attainable – the “guarantied outcome”. However, this sets you up for the minimum effort. In a twelve week competition, this could be 12 pounds. A pound week is – “at least I am losing weight every week.” I see a lot of winners who have achieved nothing. To me, joining a competition is the chance to do something extraordinary.
A second goal could have been- WHAT IS THE MOST WEIGHT I COULD LOSE? This is the goal that is just out of reach. This is the goal that would even surprise you. In my case, I have not been below 200 pounds since college – and that is back in the 80’s. Now that would be a long haul. Setting to high of a goal can lead to frustration and quitting in the middle of the game.
The third goal is setting your goal to rise and fall with the tide – BEAT THE COMPETITON! If the competition is hard, I need to step up my game and work hard. If the competition is easy, then I can slack off. In a down economy this is very common. Most sales people are looking over their shoulder to see how the other sales people in the company are doing. As long as you are in the middle of the pack, you feel safe from being fired. In a down economy, most organizations start to slack off because they come up with more and more reasons why the “Sales Pack” isn’t doing well. The goals stop being a matter of Excellence and start being – “just as long as I’m not at the bottom of the barrel”. This is very dangerous because eventually the company doesn’t make enough money to pay the fixed cost.
My recommendation is to set all three goals. Manage your expectation. By working three different goals you can keep motivated and ease frustration. People want to help people who set strong goals. People want to celebrate with people who achieve minor goals on their ways to higher goals.
I ended up taking third place in the biggest loser competition. But I was a winner, I finally broke the 200 pound barrier on the last day. I could have quit after achieving my first goal. I could have quit after it was clear I wasn’t going to win the competition. But to be able to tell people I haven’t been this trim since Hall and Oates made it records makes me a winner.
Over the last couple of months, I was in a BIGGEST LOSER COMPETITION. The winner was the person with the “highest percentage weight lost”. I knew that I was one of the heaviest contestants, so I would have to lose more weight than the lightest contestant. How should I set my goal?
One goal could be – WHAT IS THE MINIMUM WEIGHT LOST I WOULD ALLOW? This is setting the goal at the bottom of the barrel. I could drive all my energy to reach for a goal that is easily attainable – the “guarantied outcome”. However, this sets you up for the minimum effort. In a twelve week competition, this could be 12 pounds. A pound week is – “at least I am losing weight every week.” I see a lot of winners who have achieved nothing. To me, joining a competition is the chance to do something extraordinary.
A second goal could have been- WHAT IS THE MOST WEIGHT I COULD LOSE? This is the goal that is just out of reach. This is the goal that would even surprise you. In my case, I have not been below 200 pounds since college – and that is back in the 80’s. Now that would be a long haul. Setting to high of a goal can lead to frustration and quitting in the middle of the game.
The third goal is setting your goal to rise and fall with the tide – BEAT THE COMPETITON! If the competition is hard, I need to step up my game and work hard. If the competition is easy, then I can slack off. In a down economy this is very common. Most sales people are looking over their shoulder to see how the other sales people in the company are doing. As long as you are in the middle of the pack, you feel safe from being fired. In a down economy, most organizations start to slack off because they come up with more and more reasons why the “Sales Pack” isn’t doing well. The goals stop being a matter of Excellence and start being – “just as long as I’m not at the bottom of the barrel”. This is very dangerous because eventually the company doesn’t make enough money to pay the fixed cost.
My recommendation is to set all three goals. Manage your expectation. By working three different goals you can keep motivated and ease frustration. People want to help people who set strong goals. People want to celebrate with people who achieve minor goals on their ways to higher goals.
I ended up taking third place in the biggest loser competition. But I was a winner, I finally broke the 200 pound barrier on the last day. I could have quit after achieving my first goal. I could have quit after it was clear I wasn’t going to win the competition. But to be able to tell people I haven’t been this trim since Hall and Oates made it records makes me a winner.
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