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Hello Everyone
In the midst of the holiday season and as 2008
is only weeks away, it seems important to reflect upon
the past year. What went well? What were things you
wanted to accomplish, but weren't able to complete?
Perhaps part of this conversation is about what it
means to become successful - the fifth attribute of a
difference maker.
So far in this series we have looked at:
- Being a door opener
- Believing in others when they don't believe in
themselves
- Speaking up when they don't believe in
themselves
- Treating people as thought they are significant and
of value
Today we will see how to help people become
successful
Steve
A Difference Maker Helps Others Become Successful
When I was six years old, I remember
my mother talking to me about the importance of
dressing nicely wherever I went. "You must look neat
at all times," she would say. "People will be looking at
you because you are blind and because you are
Japanese. They will judge you on both counts. So you
must look sharp and be sharp. Maybe some day you
could grow up and become a school teacher."
Both Mom and Dad were committed
to making sure that my brother, Mike, and I would grow
up and become a success in life. They were
committed to doing whatever it took to see this
happen.
In my case it meant enrolling me in a residential
school for the blind 400 miles away from the time I
was 4½ years old until I graduated from high school.
For nine months out of the year I was far from home
and family. We missed each other, but their vision to
make sure I had the best possible chance to succeed
overrode their desire to keep me home.
As students at the school for the blind
we knew we were different; we were not in a school
with "normal" (sighted) kids. Therefore our definition
of success became very clear - work hard, get through
school, marry a sighted person, get a job and have
two children. Our norms were driven by the popular
TV shows of the day: "Father Knows Best," "The
Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "Leave it to Beaver,"
and "The Donna Reed Show." How times have
changed!
Today a good portion of our work is
devoted to helping organizations examine how they
can get the different generations to work together in
order to reach organizational success. We help
participants identify different key values that drive how
each generation approaches their jobs. That is, how
they view work and how they view success. We have
learned that the group known as Boomers (born
between 1945 and 1964) grew up with a strong drive
to succeed, a value passed on to them from their
parents, the Veterans (1922 - 1944). In contrast, as
stated in our previous newsletter, we determined that
Generations X and Y are more interested in becoming
people of value or significance.
So what does it mean for someone to
become successful? Webster defines success
as "the achievement of something desired, intended,
or attempted; the gaining of fame or prosperity; or one
who succeeds." In contrast, I like to define it
as "moving steadily toward your goal day by day." It's
an ongoing process that allows for different definitions
of success. In my own life I have sometimes strived to
be famous and rich, sometimes had specific desired
or intended outcomes, and have learned to
understand the complexity of attempting to achieve
different objectives.
Underneath the spoken or written
definitions of success are some unspoken
expectations of what it means to be successful. You
are good at what you do. You feel good about
yourself. You need to stand out from others in your
group. You acquire some form of status or prestige in
what you do and who you are. There are some people
who equate becoming successful with being "perfect."
This can be overwhelming and virtually impossible to
achieve.
Women, people of color and people
with disabilities have some other factors to contend
with on their road to success. They are always being
under the microscope; their every action is constantly
being observed and often scrutinized.
An African American may hear "my,
you are so articulate" but underneath this comment is
a bias that perhaps African Americans can't be
articulate and thus are a surprise when they reach a
pinnacle in their careers as leaders or speakers.
People with disabilities are often told
how "inspirational" they are, again a surprise when
they far exceed our expectations of them. In both
cases, these comments are intended as a
complement, but the impact is that people don't
believe that they can do what they do.
It may be difficult for some to think
that women, people of color and people with
disabilities want to advance. The belief may be that
they should be thankful and satisfied they even have a
job. Many are satisfied with just that, but what about
the ones who want to advance? An effective
intervention by progressive managers is to develop a
solid mentoring process so individuals who have the
desire can develop themselves for promotional
opportunities. Do they need a different kind of
assistance for advancement? Probably yes, and
maybe no. It really depends on the climate of the
organization, the individual's knowledge and
awareness of how systems work, and the recognition
that statistically we see very few people of difference at
the top of our organizations.
While we are becoming more
successful in getting different people into the
marketplace, the next challenge is to create the
possibility that these different people also can lead
our places of work successfully. Some of the barriers
to personal and organizational success they face
include:
- Low self esteem which can surface when constant
feedback that "you are not suited for leadership
positions" becomes internalized. The individual
begins to believe that what managers and peers say
about them is true without knowing that they could
develop the competencies to perform the job.
- Family and friends who want the best but don't
think it's possible
- Lack of commitment to appreciate differences.
Fear of the unknown may be one of the possible
explanations why people will not attempt to appreciate
differences. Issues of competency and power surface
and the individuals who are afraid of difference are
really afraid of their own ineptness to embrace
difference as an asset.
- No process in place for professional development
and mentoring
In order to overcome these barriers,
some of the methods to helping individuals and
organizations become successful include planning
and preparation, discipline, focus and aligning
personal goals with organizational direction.
While playing with the Los Angeles
Lakers, Magic Johnson understood how to align his
goals with the organizations success. He realized that
in order for his team to make it to the championship,
the Lakers needed additional talent. They had
reached a salary cap and were not able to get the
player/s they needed. He approached the front office
and offered to give some of his salary back to the
organization so they could obtain the help that was
needed to reach their goal. Magic Johnson also had
the ability to help individual players increase their
skills and receive individual recognition. This boosted
the morale for the entire team.
Has the definition of success
expanded for you? What do you need to do in order to
achieve personal and organizational success?
News Briefs
During the last quarter of each year I
devote a lot of time to setting up strategies for the
upcoming year. For 2008 we are already in motion to
offer some new seminars.
- Engaging in the difficult conversations. We will
help participants determine what the difficulty is and
come up with actions steps that will be productive
personally and organizationally
- Managing religious difference in the workplace.
Here we will help participants learn to respect each
others religious differences as it relates to workplace
productivity.
In both of these instances, we are
not claiming to be subject matter experts, but rather
will assist people through an interactive process to
engage in conversation. Emphasis will be placed on
developing skills in facilitation, conflict management
and inter-cultural competence.
We also look forward to our
continuing work in generational differences including
a major research project and seminars.
It is an exciting time in the life of
Hanamura Consulting and we want to wish you a very
special holiday season.
So until next time remember to stay the course and
be a difference maker.
Reprint Permission
Should you wish to reprint or distribute this article, you
may do so as long as the contact information and
copyright that appear at the bottom of the newsletter is
included.
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Steve Hanamura
With over 30 years of experience, Steve Hanamura is
a nationally known speaker, consultant and trainer. He
is widely sought after in the areas of leadership
development, building effective teams, leading
diversity initiatives and managing generational
differences. With a national client list spanning
Fortune 500 companies to regional not-for-profit
institutions, Steve is highly regarded for his unique
perspectives and distinct training techniques.
As president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc. he is
committed to making a difference in the lives of
individuals and organizations. His goal is to assist
organizations to work together to build constructive
relationships by understanding how we must draw
from the past and work in the present so we can plan
and build for the future.
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