Author: elainesuess

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Are Your Players Hitting Home Runs?

Devin Mesoraco is a baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds. He spends his time behind the plate catching a leather-covered piece of rubber. Sometimes it comes at him moving just a tad more than 100 mph.  I have some insight into catching a ball hurling through space. I was on both sides of the pitcher/catcher equation in fast pitch softball in college. I can assure you, I neither caught nor threw at that velocity!

As a catcher, and at that speed, you have to be ready for anything.

Even though the catcher gives the signals and expects the pitch to match the signal, that doesn’t always happen.  So, you have to align your expectations and understand what’s possible outside of them.

Batter Up!

The unexpected also peaks its head in when Devin steps up to the batter’s box. Read more

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Going To Work, Mr. Rogers Style

We spend more time with people at work than we do with our own families, and yet, what do we know about them? This is an important question, because the answer and action that follows can pay off big time.

I was listening to an NPR TED radio podcast while out walking last week. Filmmaker and storyteller Andrew Stanton (Toy Story and others) talked about the ingredients of a great story, and shared a quote that he had heard Fred Rogers kept in his wallet as a reminder:  “Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love, once you’ve heard their story.”  

If Mr. Rogers needed to be reminded of this, maybe we do too.  Read more

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The Tension of the And

In November, I presented to a group of 300 leaders – teaching them about Positivity, why it matters in a business setting, and about the Appreciative approach to change.

There was a videographer there named Steve, and during our first break, he came up to me and asked if he could give me some feedback. I said “yes,” and braced myself. He’s videotaping me. What did I expect? Did I need to fix my collar? Did we need to move the mic? Was I speaking or moving too quickly? I was prepared to make any changes necessary. 

Then Steve said something Read more

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One Process – For Happiness And Success

My dad is nearing his 80th birthday, and he spends his days quite differently now than he did during his many working years at General Motors as a “financial guy.” Dad

Still, I jokingly ask him what meetings he has, and what processes he’s using. The process thing has been an ongoing joke between us, as we both know that processes make good work habits, but there aren’t too many processes he’s refining these days.

In my own days at GM, I remember uttering the phrase to an agency employee named Steve, saying that “processes make work fun… and without them, work is not fun.”  I was trying to communicate that the current way was not working.

What About You?

What if you could go through a process every day that would make you a better leader, improve your communication, physically see people differently, increase your creativity and make you more productive? Read more

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Finding The Positive Core

Ah, Thanksgiving! A time when many people in the United States take a moment to reflect on what they are most thankful for.

As we consider what we are most thankful for in the world around us, it makes sense to extend this discovery process to the people we lead and work with on a daily basis.

When we find employees who do not exhibit or behave with a spirit of thanksgiving, it’s our job to help them find their own best selves, or bring back their spark.

I’ll suggest three strategies to help you do this:

  1. Consider why your employees are at your organization. It’s rarely just because it’s the only job that can be found, or that yours is the only place that will pay them. Find out why they chose your organization. Read more
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