CMI Blog

Repetition creates automation. Getting better at anything requires deliberate practice.

Imagine your life in the future. Is it a world of robots, self-driving cars and day trips to Mars? What if the future isn't just a distant upgrade? But a tech-powered invitation to live our lives differently, right now.

Imagine if you could speak over 100 languages at once? What if words weren't a barrier to being understood? By anyone? Anywhere? Instant translation changes everything.

The power of unleashing many minds and all our working as one. The creative collision of different cultures and new ideas - creates connections across the globe.

When being understood means you feel seen and included.

Imagine if you could work your way… forever. A shared experience whether you’re 5, 50 or 5000 kilometers from the rest of your team. You are tapping into a new, cultural operating system that accepts how we can connect with the world.

Hybrid working is inclusive work. The idea that you must go to a place to get anything done is ancient history.

But great things also happen in-person. Imagine if you had control of every environment? Every movement is part of something connected — from screen to screen, home to office and everywhere in between.

Collaboration tools like WebEx have changed everything.

So, find your space in a system. Escape noise and distractions to listen and be heard. To think, and to breathe. Because wellbeing is as important as productivity.

To find the future of work with smart questions and even smarter technology, the future is now.

What did Uber look at? They looked at a process that sucked.

Learn more about Phil M Jones >

Uber disrupted an industry massively, yes? And they really made a dent.

Here's what they didn't invent. They didn't invent traveling by motorcar. They didn't invent traveling in the back of the motorcar.

They didn't even invent traveling in the back of the motorcar with somebody else driving who was paid to do so.

All of that stuff existed.

What did they look at? They looked at a process that sucked.

Does anybody remember ordering a Minicab? Let's see if the process, my experience, is anything like yours.

So, you need to get to the airport tomorrow morning. You need to be there for 9am. So, what you do is you call today to book the Minicab. It will take you about an hour to get there, so you ask it to be with you at 8 am.

Reasonable conversation happens, Minicab is booked. 8:02 am the next morning, where's the Minicab? It's not there, right? So, you're making a phone call through and what do they say?

What do they say, “It’s on its way!”

What did they say next? 8:17, it clearly wasn't around the corner, was it? Finally arrives. You get into the car after putting your own bag in the trunk.

You get into the car and the driver says, “What? Where are you going?”

I'm like, “I told you this yesterday!”

But you politely tell them anyway, right?

And then they say, “Which route do you want to take to get there?”

And you're like, “That's your job!

But anyhow, you still navigate them to be able to get there. Finally, you get to the destination, correct? Running a little later than anticipated.

They say, “That's $37.42.”

So, you hand them your credit card and they say, “Cash only.”

So, you rummage around in your bag finding the only cash you could find. You hand them a $50 bill and they say, “No change!”

So, Uber show up - create a process that is slightly more efficient for the consumer than that - and what did the Minicab companies do?

They say, “It's not fair. Just, not fair!”

And how well did that work out for them? Didn't work out too good did it?

They stomped their feet, they tried to push through legislation. They said every version of, “It's not fair.”

Yet still, who won? The consumer won. Not Uber. The consumer decides what level of service they're looking for. Not the company. The consumer decides.

And Uber won because they put the consumer first.

“We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Learn More About Heather R Younger >

My daughter had a tough middle school year. She agonized over how she felt left out of circles and discussions and events. I would often coach her to look past it all and realize that many of her classmates were going through similar things.

Her situation felt different. She told me that she felt like her classmates looked past and through her to talk to and include other people. She was really hurt, and so was her self-esteem. I supported her and told her to hang on a little longer since she would be graduating. Then, one weekend, she looked at one of her social media pages and noticed that one of those classmates had a birthday party that included mostly everyone from her class but excluded a few.

She was not invited. And although this was not a new occurrence, it still hurt.

I get it!

Everyone has the right to invite whomever they want to their parties. However, social media changes the impact in many ways because people can celebrate and exclude others in a more public way.

I can’t help but think about how Inclusion plays a similar role in the workplace.

Are there people inside your organization who feel passed over and looked through? Are there high-performing employees who have great things to say but don’t get a chance to say them?

How inclusive are you?

Do you make sure that unpopular voices have a seat at the table? Are they in the room but not really recognized as an important voice? Do you look through certain people to cater to those who look a certain way or speak a certain way?

Below are five considerations if you are striving to be a more inclusive leader:

1. LISTEN AND ACT

Who do you listen to? Do you consider the narrow view of just a few, or make sure you include people with varied backgrounds? Do you act upon the most common voices, or are you courageous enough to act upon the uncommon feedback?

Inclusive leaders both look for and listen to diverse perspectives and take certain actions to show that those perspectives are valued.

If you want to be a more inclusive leader, listen to everyone and commit to taking action on much of what you hear.

2. EXPAND YOUR CIRCLE

Who is in your inner circle? Leaders who take the time to ensure that their circle is only homogeneous in values and purpose and not based upon the same physical characteristics or background are simply more inclusive.

Some years ago, I had a diverse coaching client who recalled a time when her boss held a firm party and excluded her. She found out about it, because others in the office were talking about it and brought gifts back they received at the party. She felt like an outsider and did not understand why it happened. Her boss never gave her an explanation.

Was this type of behavior typical for this leader? Most likely, yes! We are often more comfortable with people who share our same lived experiences. But, unfortunately, when we surround ourselves with people like us, we create more blind spots and minimize our chances of creating more innovative teams.

Inclusive leaders go out of their way to include people who might challenge their thinking and bring innovative ideas to the table.

If you want to be a more inclusive leader, review and expand your inner circle.

3. COLLABORATE OFTEN

To collaborate means to admit that you alone don’t have the answers. Instead, the best solutions spring from the back and forth at the collaboration table.

If you want to be a more inclusive leader, dare to invite many different types of people to the table because that is when the fun begins!

4. AUDIT HIRING AND PROMOTION PRACTICES

Affinity bias is real. It is when we are inclined to include those around us who are like us. When hiring and promoting team members, this type of bias can be a barrier to real Inclusion. Audit your hiring and promotion practices and consistently ask yourself whether you are letting bias get in the way of including others who aren’t like you.

5. MONITOR THE LANGUAGE BEING USED

To be an inclusive leader, we must consider the language we use around those inside or outside our circle. To include also means to make someone feel welcome or like they are important. If we are or someone in our circle is using words that exclude, then we have a problem. Take the time to evaluate and research the right things to say and how to refer to certain situations and people in your space. So often, we or those around us initiate microaggressions against those in marginalized groups and harm them by our words.

Inclusive leaders monitor for this and tweak and adjust along the way.

________________________________

Someone once told me that “diversity is being invited to the party, and Inclusion is asking them to dance.”
So, let’s all commit to being the kind of leaders who ask many people to dance!

“You’re either the number one reason why people
are staying, or you’re the number one reason why they are leaving.” - Clint Pulver

So often, organizations wonder why their turnover rate is high. But the truth of the matter is, as a leader, you’re either the number one reason your people stay, or you’re
the number one reason why your people are leaving.

Roughly 60% of the employees interviewed by Clint’s Undercover Millennial research program were currently looking for new employment. How do you get your employees to love their job and want to stay and grow with your company?

The diagnosis is with you – the leader.

Employees are not quitting companies—they’re quitting bosses.

The answer to employee turnover is easier than you think and is why Clint Pulver’s keynote and book, “I Love It Here,” are resonating with so many companies and audiences – the diagnosis begins with your leadership.

From the thousands of millennials and younger workers interviewed with the Undercover Millennial program - what they loved or didn’t love about their job - the most prominent answer for being satisfied was that they, “loved their boss.” Although there are many leadership styles Clint has identified from his program, the Mentor-Manager is the top proven way for leaders to engage with their employees.

The top 5 attributes of this style of leadership are:

• One-on-one coaching, focusing on personal growth
• Shifting the focus to the employee and their personal and professional goals
• Helping the employee establish their path, values and purpose—both within the company and outside of it
• Putting focus on the people within the ship, instead of just where the ship is headed.
• Standing next to others and walking the path with them.

“Great mentors have the ability to communicate a person’s
potential and worth to the point that the person begins to see it in themselves.”

With this in mind, never underestimate the power of a Mentor
Manager, and your ability to move people—both physically and mentally.

Learn more about why Clint’s message is inspiring and moving people to action, young and old. His years of research, proven application and incredible strategies for engaging employees are at the core of his bestselling book, “I Love It Here,” his Mentor-Management keynote message and his drum experience. You don’t want to miss it! 

Learn more about Clint Pulver

Thinking before you act reminds you to remain calm, even in challenging situations.

Diana demonstrates why curiosity is your greatest asset to drive constant innovation and help your company thrive

Watch video for Ty Sander's keynote where he shares more on storytelling with 3 ways to bring the audience into the story.

"Decide what differentiates you? What do you want your client to know or believe about you?"

Last week I was in Kentucky speaking to Realtors for Berkshire Hathaway. I was sharing The Power of Storytelling and the first question they asked was how do you tell a story that differentiates you but comes across the right way?

In other words, how do you sell yourself without bragging?

This is a crucial story as an influencer for each of us to master - so let me give you the formula.

Step 1. Decide what differentiates you? What do you want your client to know or believe about you?
Examples - You have integrity. You possess unique market knowledge. etc…
Keep in mind that you can’t differentiate yourself by putting down the competition. Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.

Step 2. Determine where you learned or developed this quality or skill. Who taught it to you? Where did you learn this lesson? Or who/what is a great example of this?
Don’t be the hero of your own story. Determine where this quality came from and build the story around that person or experience - making them the hero.

Step 3. Apply that to yourself.
Use a simple line such as: "And as we work together you can count on me to operate with integrity because that is how my parents raised me. "

I was coaching a financial advisor named Walker. As he went through this formula he developed a story that sounded like this:

A few months into my first job out of college our employer took us to an extreme team building experience. It was amazing. We were divided into platoons (teams) and each platoon was led by a former Navy Seal. Our leader was a mountain of a man that looked the part of a Navy Seal. The first thing he said to us was this: "If we are going to win, we are going to win as a team. Which means everyone here needs to commit to this - You are going to do the right thing even when nobody is watching. You have to make decisions for the team and not just for yourself. If we can commit to this, there is no stopping us."
I share that with you because this concept resonated with me and it is a commitment I have tried to live by as I do business. So, as we work together I want you to know that you can count on me doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. I am in it so we both win.

This simple formula allows you to build a specific story that we can each use in the influence process. It will allow us to sell ourselves without bragging and win business through The Power of Storytelling.

Fewer than 6% of people worked from home in 2019. Today 25% work from home.

People’s approach to work is changing. As leaders, we have a generational opportunity to embark on The Grand Workplace Redesign. Disruption comes an opportunity for leaders to rethink our workplace, workforce, and workflow.

Watch Insight's webinar with Upwork's VP of Client Strategy and New York Times bestselling author, Tim Sanders, as he highlights how to view disruption as an opportunity to redesign our workplace and stay ahead of changes, strengthen our teams, and accelerate growth.

Workplace
According to the American Community Survey, fewer than 6% of people worked from home in 2019. Today 25% work from home (via Upwork’s Future Workforce Report).

There are six categories of workplace design. Which of these can you rethink to optimize productivity, talent access, and worker morale?

1. Remote first
2. Remote for now
3. Remote friendly
4. Hybrid by role
5. Hybrid by day mix
6. On-site first

Read original article here to learn more on how to apply this revolutionary thinking to your company.

"Organizations that want to bear great fruit include the voices of all employees and enlist them in the change that they're looking to do." 

Learn More About Heather R Younger >

Let’s talk about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging - and in the context of your “Why?” Understanding why you are embarking on the journey is just as important as understanding any of the steps after that.

What I want to talk to you about today is using the voice of your employees to really gauge the proper direction of your organization. What often happens in organizations is that the leaders talk amongst themselves and maybe to the level right below. But, organizations that want to bear great fruit include the voices of all employees and enlist them in the change that they're looking to do.

1. DO A CULTURAL AUDIT OR DEI SURVEY
So, have you done a cultural audit or a Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Belonging survey recently? You want to do that because you want to be able to listen in aggregate and gather the themes that are important to the employees of your organization and use that as a way to drive everything forward. Then, you can move forward to create a strategic plan.

2. CREATE A STRATEGIC PLAN
Right now, you don't know what you don't know. And so, if you're consistently committing to using the voices of your employees as a barometer for whether you are in the right place or not - also as an information hub, to make you smarter on this journey - you are going to garner a lot more success in the process.

Remember, creating a diverse and inclusive culture is a journey.

Focus on the next best step understanding that you are on the road to success. And, you want to be focused on improvement, not perfection.