Changing Your Culture Through The Power of Encouragement

You should never be selfish in encouraging others. We were meant to be encouragers. Many people are so self-centered that they never go outside of themselves to help others. You can blame it on being shy. You can blame it on not knowing others. You can blame it on being tough-minded. Stop blaming and start doing.

There are people everywhere who need encouraged. Encouraging others sets you free to move beyond your own problems and focus on results. I often want to say to CEOs,  "Push yourself away from your desk, walk through the organization and just begin to encourage others." I know productivity will rise and the implementation of strategies will move forward. Why? When a leader chooses to encourage, the whole organization notices.

Now, will everyone follow suit? No. Some people love being negative and self-centered. But the more you encourage the more others will feel empowered to do the same thing. If you encourage consistently as a leader you will change the culture of your organization. There are ways to encourage that will help the process. Here are a few ways to encourage to change your culture:

1. Saying life-giving words directly to a person

2. Sending a card to build up someone else

3. Making a short phone call to someone that needs encouragement

4. Giving a small gift as a token of care and appreciation

5. Saying a big THANK YOU to your workers or those on your team

6. Email someone to build them up

The list could go on. To feel encouraged YOU must encourage. So get up! Do something for someone else! Give someone a call just to let them know that you are thinking about them. The power of encouragement goes beyond words. When you learn to encourage it becomes contagious. Little by little you will change your culture. One more thing...to change your culture through the power of encouragement you must engage in encouraging others every day. So what is your strategy? Don't sit there and think about it...do something for someone else.

Be Encouraged,

Rick

It Starts With You

There is an old saying that I have heard for years.  It goes like this:  "what goes around comes around". I am not big on quotes but this one has proven itself over the years. As a matter of fact this quote might be referencing a biblical reference found in Ecclesiastes 11:1. The idea is that the investments you make good or bad eventually come back to you.

Encouragement is an investment in people. If you want to receive encouragement you must learn the benefit of encouraging others. Encouragement goes beyond a circle of friends. Encouraging words can be spoken to someone you don't even know. You may not see the return right away but eventually those whom you have touched with words of encouragement will find some success.

There are steps to becoming an encourager. They are:

1. Stop complaining

2. Start listening to people

3. Do something for someone other than yourself

4. Speak words to people that will build them up and not tear them down

5. Look for someone everyday to encourage

6. Move beyond YOUR fear

7. Drop sarcasm...it's stupid

8. Point out good things

9. Pay attention to how YOU treat people

10. Start encouraging someone today

When you encourage it allows a person to be empowered. It also empowers you to be free of being self-centered. I was always told if you are are down in the dumps find someone else to encourage. It will pull you out of despair. Now, don't just sit there...move beyond yourself and encourage someone...even if you don't want to. You just might feel a whole lot better about you.

Be Encouraged,

Rick

The Power of Encouragement

Everywhere I look I see people who need to be encouraged. It seems to be a sign of the times. People are stressed to the max because of all sorts of things. I meet with people from rich to poor...from those who have a walk of faith in whatever religion, to those who have no belief at all. The one thing everyone has in common is the need for encouragement.

So, what is encouragement? Why should I ask that question? It seems that people have forgotten what it means. So let me define encouragement as...A LIFE-GIVING WORD. It seems that we have forgotten what a life-giving word can do. By the way, sarcasm is NOT encouraging. It is self-centered and egotistical. Argue with me all you want but I have never known sarcasm to do a whole lot of good.

I am not a "mamby-pamby" kind of guy. I don't sit around feeling sorry for myself or expecting anything from people. I do believe in the power of words. I do believe that the power of words can give a person motivation to excel. If you choose to ignore the power of a good word then that is on you.

Back to talking about encouragement. There are so many good people who need a good word just to help them move to a new level in life. Those words come from the power of encouragement. Corporations can move from mediocrity to greatness by learning the power of serving and encouraging. People can move to a new level of living by learning to encourage.

How do you encourage? Start by using words. Try using words that will build up and not tear down. Example..".you are gifted...let's journey together to unlock your full potential"...instead of "you really suck at that". It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that most people will excel if you walk with them. We are so full of ourselves at times that we cannot see the need for encouragement. We have become so engaged with our own need to excel that we have forgotten that that the real gift is the ability to give for the sake of others. Giving begins with encouraging.

Be Encouraged,

Rick