Juggling Elephants Blog

Okay, cheesy title, but it's true. A study at the University of Massachusetts revealed that individuals are 5 times more likely to lie in email communication versus a face to face conversation. As you can expect, the less physiological or emotional connection one had to the person to whom they were communicating, the more likely they were to lie.

We are huge proponents of building trust with anyone in your life of whom you have expectations. One cornerstone of building that trust is being honest. As the study, shows, that can best be accomplished by talking with someone in real time, in front of them. They may be suspicious of your typed words, but they will have a hard time dispelling the sincerity in your voice and non-verbal language. You will also have the same chance to evaluate their level of honesty.

Even if you can't always have tough discussions face to face, try to choose the next best option. If you were thinking about emailing, call them instead. If a call was your plan and you will be able to see them face to face soon, save it for the real time meeting. Any steps you take to increase the trust people have for you will lead your circus to a better performance.

Labels: communication, email, trust

Do you ever feel like you wake up, do some stuff and then go to bed? When was the last time you really felt passionate about what you were doing in the day? Consider some of the reasons why you may not be feeling energized about your daily schedule:

• Sometimes the juggling elephants routine (trying to do too much) can take the excitement out of what ou are accomplishing because you are so overwhelmed


• It may be that you haven't stepped back in a while and reminded yourself about the importance of what you are doing. Ask yourself the question, "Why am I doing what I am doing?"


• Are you focusing on the right stuff? Are you leaving out the activities that excite you because you are so caught up in the "thick of thin things?"

Consider the quote by Henri-Frederic Amiel: Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark. You are the latent force and there is great promise just waiting for you to light the fire. Add passion in your daily activities and get cooking!

Labels: focus, passion, priorities

There was an interesting study done by Timothy Golden of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In a study of over 11,000 employees, he and his team found that employees are less satisfied if their boss is a "teleworker" instead of someone more frequently physically present with them. More specifically, the research showed that employees:

• Get less feedback



• Feel less empowered



• Are less satisifed with their jobs

Even if you are a manager that is onsite with your people most of the time, it is vital to remember that they need your feedback, need to know they are trusted to make decisions and that what they do is important. You may even want to make time in your lineup on a daily or weekly basis to reflect on how you are doing on meeting the needs of those who depend on you. Be specific to each employee (or even family member) and add tasks in your lineup as needed to address any deficiencies.

After all, the last thing you want is to step into the ring and find that all your performers have left!

Labels: leadership, management, trust

To accomplish those things that matter most to you and whatever organization(s) you belong to it is vital that you work effectively with the other "performers" in your circus. A key factor in building a team and getting them to contribute (whether your team is a company or a family) is to build a culture of trust. Trust is one of those things that takes a great deal of work and time to build but can be destroyed in seconds.

Stephen M.R. Covey and Greg link have just written a new book on how to build trust and create prosperity, energy and joy in a low trust world. Consider what you can do to improve and create trust in your relationships. Also consider what you may be doing that is eroding the trust that you have worked hard to develop. Make a change and win!

Labels: teamwork, trust

While perusing the news a few days ago, I saw an article about Iowa's place in the political landscape. The author of the article (not me) made the comment that Iowa was important because it was first not first because it was important. Again, I am not about to wade into a conversation about the validity or lack of basis for his comment, but it did cause me to think about how many people approach the acts in their circus.

What if, before you took on your first task, you thought to yourself, "Am I tackling this because it is important or because it is first? Too often we take on something because it is first in our mind, first in our lineup or first in someone else's priorities. It may be the first thing that seems easy on our list or the first item that won't cause us to have to do something outside our comfort zone. Sometimes "first" and "important" may be synomous, but many times they are miles apart.

My hunch is that if we all spent more of our time on the important, we'd get more of the things done that would make our circus more successful.

Labels: planning, time management, willpower

The holidays are a great reminder of the importance of family and our relationship rings. For some, it is a chance to reconnect with their children or spend time with young people. It is easy to get back into focusing on one's personal and professional rings and forget the importance of spending quality and quantity time with children. Some find it easier to throw them a video game or put them in front of a movie instead.

What can you do this year to have an impact in the life of a child? It was Forest E. Witcraft who so "A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child." Making a difference in a child's life takes work. It takes time and energy. Energy that is sometimes difficult to muster after a long hard day. But your efforts or lack thereof can truly be life changing.

Labels: family, relationships

Before you simply start tackling the bazillion emails in your inbox or trying to get your thoughts around 2012, why not take a short intermission and begin developing a plan to get more standing ovations in 2012? To get started, download our 3 Ring Worksheet and do two things:

• In the rings at the top, write your purpose statement or desired outcomes for each ring in 2012. Don't list specific tasks or acts, think more about outcomes or your overarching purpose.


• List the key projects (acts) under each ring that need to be completed this year for you to best accomplish your purpose or achieve your desired outcomes.

Having done these two things, you can start 2012 as a better Ringmaster of your circus!

Labels: goals, intermission, planning, priorities