By Linda Feinholz, “Your High Payoff Catalyst”
I got the most marvelous surprise today. It was totally unexpected, and stopped me dead in my metaphorical tracks.
I’d been listening to one of my coaching clients describe how scattered she’d become. She’s a small business owner, planning on doubling her sales and finding a new facility and redesigning the packaging for her signature products.
I helped her take back control of her time and attention and prioritize her marketing so she’ll put her time into the Highest Payoff prospects first. The tension dropped off her shoulders and there was a smile in her voice.
She said “I knew you’d make this easy!”
I LOVE being acknowledged and I know you do too. This one was a real gift. It meant that she was experiencing the bold claim I make in my newsletters, on my web site, in my programs, with all my clients: small simple easy steps can have a huge impact.
The gift she gave me was in telling me that what I give my heart and soul to was appreciated. And I wasn’t even expecting it.
Why do I tell you all of this? Because I’m just the same as you and everyone you come into contact with on a daily basis. That includes your family, friends, and colleagues, the folks serving you in restaurants, delivering your mail, working on a portion of the product being made for your customer and even your clients.
Just like me, and just like you, the people around you are doing their best, trying to succeed at the things they’ve taken on. We each become so focused on our own ‘doing’ that we often don’t know if our efforts are seen, are on target, are even valued.
When my coaching client acknowledged me, I was reminded by my own reaction just how strong a result the simplest gesture can create – Acknowledgments can be the very best surprise!
I’m all about making things simple and easy to use and that includes acknowledging people and teaching other how to as well. I figure that if I teach it and encourage you to use it and you teach it to others, the world will be filled with people being acknowledged and acknowledging all the time. Now that’s a world I want to live in!
So here are the simple steps to becoming a High Payoff Acknowledger.
Step 1 – SET Your Intention
Before my client said a word to me, I was in my head, sorting through the information I was going to use with her, checking what she was paying attention to and how well it was getting her to her goal. When she spontaneously shared that comment with me I instantly relaxed, lightened up, and felt sparkles. I’ve timed it – It took her less than 3 seconds to change the energy in my world. Wouldn’t you like to create that same result over and over in your world?
Step 2 – DECIDE On Your Target
Take a beginner’s approach to this – start with the people it’s easy to thank. For some of us that’s people we work with everyday. For others it’s the strangers we encounter from time to time. I will say that it can get addictive – you may find yourself acknowledging everyone everywhere. You might even be using a whole “45 seconds” every day!
Step 3 – Make it SIMPLE – Find One Thing To Acknowledge
This is your opportunity to deliver one single quick message. This isn’t the time to deliver a performance evaluation or give constructive feedback. This is about gifting the person in front of you with a moment of joy at being appreciated.
Step 4 – Make It Systematic – Create A New HABIT
One of my clients has taken on the habit of ending every meeting acknowledging the person she met with. 3 seconds per meeting. A small business consulting client sends out 5 written thank you’s on high quality statationary every day. 10 minutes at the end of each day. One of my MasterMind buddies uses Friday afternoons to review his calendar and send emails to people he worked with during the past week. 16 minutes a week. And worth every moment.
Step 5 – SET Your Reminder
I’ve found the letter “A” is a great visual reminder for me. Try it on – Write it in your calendar. It will trigger you to use acknowledgments during your business day. Put it on a post-it on your cell phone and it will remind you throughout your life. Put it in your computer meeting reminder and it will spark your imagination throughout your weeks.
Let me know how you do with it, and the results you create.
