Encouragement and Happiness

Encouraging the heart is about happiness.  Have you ever wondered what really makes a person happy?  I am in the people business.  I meet and talk with people from poor to rich.  As I meet with people and watch their lives I have noticed some issues that really bring happiness.  One issue in particular is validation. Validation is not about receiving something.  It is about the giving of yourself that will bring natural rewards.

Happiness begins with validation.  You can bring validation to someone else.  This is a leadership principle discussed in a great book called Encouraging The Heart.  You can purchase this book at Amazon.com.  Just click on the Amazon link and it will take you to Amazon's site.  You can read about this book.  One of the issues this book discusses when encouraging an organization is validation.  Validation is making someone else feel good.  It is recognizing the gifts and graces of another person and building that person up by validating or recognizing that person on a regular basis.  This principle is necessary if you want to build a strong team.

Again the book is called Encouraging The Heart.  This principle works great in relationship-building.  If you are in the people business than you know how important it is to recognize others.  Establishing great friendships is one key to success.  Another good book to read on this topic is Encouraging Hands Encouraging Hearts.  This book is about building friendships that bring happiness.

My wife and I have five kids and 10 grand kids. Wow!! Where did time go?  Anyway two of our kids, Eddie and Jamie,  have learned the secret of validation through relationship-building.  Both are successful in business.  Both have learned that working hard and validating relationships brings returns.  The larger your field of validation goes the larger the returns in friendship and business.  Both Eddie and Jamie are learning that.  They are both building businesses through validating others in relationships.  They are both hard workers.  They both bring validation to their customers and co-workers.  In their own respect, they are mastering relationships through validation.  Validation builds results and rewards in friendships and in business.

Happiness does come through validating others.  It is not self-focused but focuses on others.  Real happiness is about encouraging someone else.  It is about giving yourself to others.  I worked for a man who sent birthday cards and anniversary cards to all of his clients.   He built healthy relationships through validating others.  When he died, hundreds of people came to pay their last respects.  The funeral home director said "this must be a great man for so many people to come and pay their last respects."  His greatness came through validating others.  He was happy in business and life because he validated others   And get this...he validated others even when they brought no return to him or his business.

If you want happiness, learn how to validate others.  Learn the secret of encouraging the hearts of others.  If you want to build your organization then validate others in your organization.  Validation builds loyalty and brings personal rewards.  So step out of yourself and validate someone else.  When you do you will change your world one person at a time.

Be Encouraged,
Rick

Building Strategies Through Encouragement

Have you ever heard the old saying "failure to plan is a plan to fail?"  I have heard it over and over.  I believe it and have repeated it to those that work on my team.  So, why is it so hard at times to build strategies when you know that success hinges on those strategies?  Simple, people get discouraged.

Every leader has the responsibility to recognize what I would call "negative impact" people or situations.  Negative impact people or situations are what military people call critical terrain.  Before our armed forces try to conquer, they build strategies based on overtaking critical terrain.  It is the terrain that is necessary to take in order to gain a foothold in battle and win the war.  This is done when the leader encourages his or her team to push pass barricades and move to a new place.

Encouragement is necessary when it comes to building strategies because it brings necessary elements of empowerment to the table.  There really needs to be an encourager at the helm so that when critical terrain is encountered, fear and discouragement can be overcome.  Now there are certain things to understand about encouragement and building strategies that will ensure success.  Here is a list of 10 ideas that will help when encouraging to build strategies:

1. The leader must be an encourager by showing up.
2. The leader must believe in his or her own heart that their words of encouragement can make a difference.
3. The leader must encourage his team to be proactive.
4. The leader must encourage his team to face fears.
5. The leader must learn who the critical terrain people are on his team.
6. The leader must learn what the critical terrain situations are that hinder his team.
7. The leader must put right people in right places to focus on which strategies can be built to lead and  
    overcome.
8. The leader must use words of affirmation and inspiration.
9. The leader must discourage negativity while looking at hard facts.
10. The leader must constantly encourage every member of the team to step up and use the gifts they
      have to build a viable strategy to overcome.

Constant encouragement is necessary to build strategies to overcome.  So find your key people. Encourage them by recognizing their gifts.  Empower your key people to make a difference.  Empower your key players to be "out-of-the-box" thinkers.  Start small with simple tasks to build confidence.  Before you know it, your team will be building strategies that will bring victory.  So find someone to encourage.  When you do, you will change your world one person at a time.

Be Encouraged,
Rick