3 Ways to Keep “Pattern Spills” from Hurting Your Business

Guest post by: Sylvia Lafair
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The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

Einstein once defined insanity as "doing the same things over and over and expecting different results".

Think about your business. What do you keep repeating hoping it will turn out better this time? Do you ever feel "duped" by a colleague or even a customer? Do you keep knocking your head against the wall saying "I can't believe this happened again?"

Ever wonder why you keep doing the same things over and over and over and ...well you get the idea? Recent advances in biology help us understand the neurological basis for why such potent pattern repetition occurs. There are really good explanations that involve that thing called your brain that site inside your head.

Hebb was a scientis whose law states, "neurons that fire together wire together". In simple language, that means when you keep repeating the same old, same old sooner or later it becomes automatic.

What does that mean to you? A lot!!

To keep old behavior patterns from thwarting your success and gain more freedom to reach your highest potential there arethree things you can do:

1. Bring patterns to the visible world: become aware of what pushes your buttons. Once you identify the people and situations that make you "see red", you can do something about them. Go off autopilot. Take the pattern aware quiz at www.sylvialafair.com

2. Find a friend: get a talking partner so you can discuss the annoyances that keep you stuck in Groundhog Day. Make sure it is not someone who is a pleaser and will just side with you and blame the rest of the world. Then talk it through and start to connect the dots with what happened to you as a kid. I promise, the dots are there to connect.

3. Get your communication right: learn to ask questions first. Patterned behavior makes us all want to defend, explain, and justify. STOP and ask yourself, "what can I say or do to make positive change happen here". Then, listen to your inner voice. It is your GPS and will give you the best route to your successful destination.

In "Don't Bring It to Work", you will find detailed explanations of the 13 most common patterns int he work setting. You will begin to see yourself, your employees, your customers, and even your mother-in-law!

Once you can tame these patterns you are in charge of not having them spill into relationships, into the way you make decisions, into your creative energy. What is happening in the Gulf of Mexico is a prime example of being unprepared with no clean up plans in place. Pattern spills can be wiped up quickly and effectively when you know what to do. Be an emotional environmentalist. It's about you, it's about me, it's about time!.

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Koch Industries' Environmental Crimes

Pattern Break: Problems, Patterns and Change

Create New Success Habits!

Paper Towel vs. Sponge

Self-Coaching Tip: Enjoy Doing Your Taxes

Marketing strategies: Procrastination and the Fear of Failure

Self-Coaching Tip: Find the Guidance in Your Procrastination

Dealing with Your Bad Boss (Tip #50)

Let Go of Your Need to Be Right

Should You Talk About the Economy In Your Marketing?

Sales Coaching Action Plan

What is a Prospect Looking for Online

Taking Down Walls

When You Feel Hurt By Your Partner

The Danger of Life Patterns

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Free PDF Download
The real meaning of leadership - By Sylvia Lafair

About the Author: Sylvia Lafair

RSS for Sylvia's articles - Visit Sylvia's website
Developing leaders and transforming teams is my speciality. As a clinical psychologist I know that we bring the behaviors we learned in our original organization, the family, into our present work organization. The key to leadership is understanding how individuals form a system and how that system impacts the bottom line. I have worked globally and find that the core of relationships is much the same whether in California, China,or Chile. My book "Don't Bring It to Work (Jossey Bass) offers tools and strategies for developing collaborative work cultures and important core techniques for entrepreneurs to have motivated and fast moving teams. I am a speaker at national conferences, radio, and television. You can follow my blogs at http://www.sylvialafair.com/blog/ . You may contact Sylvia Lafair, PhD, author of "Don't Bring It to Work" directly at, sylvia@ceoptions.com or 570-636-3858 for any questions or feedback you may have.
Click here to visit Sylvia's website.

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