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Natural Motivation (Surround yourself with the right people)

Written by: Gerry Maguire

Article Overview: The decisions we make will be a result of the information that we have and our perception of the world. Both this information and this perception will be due to the people that have been a part of our lives. However, a lot of us like to consider ourselves as independent beings that make our own decisions. I do not see these two trains of thoughts as being mutually exclusive. By that I mean we do have the power to make independent decisions but that decision will be the outcome of the impact that other people have had on our life. The overall message is to surround yourself with people who will help provide you with the inform

Natural Motivation (Surround yourself with the right people)

I read an interesting article recently by Brian Traecy that suggested that every decision in life is impacted by the people that are or have been in our life. In a way that is easy to accept and agree with in that the decisions we make will be a result of the information that we have and our perception of the world. Both this information and this perception will be due to the people that have been a part of our lives. However, a lot of us like to consider ourselves as independent beings that make our own decisions. I do not see these two trains of thoughts as being mutually exclusive. By that I mean we do have the power to make independent decisions but that decision will be the outcome of the impact that other people have had on our life.

This concept again has parallels between success in business and success in personal lives. The people that we surround ourselves with will impact the decisions that we make therefore it makes sense to surround ourselves with people that will help us make good decisions. Three examples of when we can make that decision is as a parent, in our own lives and in business

1. As a dad with fairly young children I have the ability not only to make those decisions for myself but also for my kids (or a least I like to think I do). Liz, my wife, and I encourage friendships with other children who we deem will have a positive impact on the lives of our own kids. Liz and my definition of “positive impact” will be different to yours but for us we are looking for other children that are confident, treat others with respect and show a bit of “fire in the belly”. They are things that we value and we hope that our three kids will value.

2. The people who I enjoy spending time with fall into two categories. There are those that share values with me and there are those who I admire for what they have done with their life. My best mates are the ones who both inspire and share the same values. These are the people that motivate me. The ones that help me make the decisions that are consistent with my values and the ones that inspire me to make the most of what I have to offer.

3. In business the people we choose as partners or employers or employees or as board members is the decision that will have a huge impact on the financial success of the business. It is important to have the right product of right service supported by great marketing initiatives servicing a sustainable customer base. However, all this may not be enough to develop an enduring profitable business without the right people.
The rest of this article will focus on four attributes to look for when identifying board members, business partners or coaches. The four are:

1. No fixed point of view
People who do have a fixed point of view may miss opportunities that are not consistent with the way that they view the world. They will look for information that supports that particular point of view and reject information that contradicts the point of view. These are not good attributes for a person that you want to help guide and grow your business.

2. Willing to question
The person who questions the basis of your ideas will be more valuable than the person who has blind faith in your skills and abilities. Look for people who will broaden your view of the world. They may help identify opportunities or risks that otherwise would be missed.

3. Willing to both analyse and listen to intuition
This is the area where science meets art. Analytical skills are always valuable. This is the science. A board member, partner or coach who listens to, and communicates their own intuition can be equally as valuable. This is the art. A good friend of mine talks about checking in with the feeling in a certain body part before making major decisions. A more universal tool to assess your own intuition is to ask does it feel “light” or “heavy”. “Light” and “heavy” can be interchanged with “right” and “wrong” respectively. Discussing and exploring that feeling or intuition may help make even better decision than relying on scientific analysis alone.

4. A prosperity prospective rather than a scarcity prospective
This is talking about choosing board members, partners and coaches that will look for ways to make things happen rather than those that reinforce how hard it is and suggest it could never happen. If you hear anyone say something like “that is just the ways things are” avoid them from a business point of view.

The overall message is to surround yourself with people who will help provide you with the information, motivation and the support to achieve your goals.

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Article Tags: dad, fire in the belly, friendships, independent beings, independent decisions, mates, parallels, perception, personal lives, share values, spending time, three kids, two trains



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