The Four Letter Word That Equals Success
The Four Letter Word That Equals Success
Four letter words have gotten a bad reputation. I’m sure you can think of a handful of them right now. There’s one four letter word, however, that equals communication, camaraderie, and results. It has the capability to be extremely powerful, yet it often struggles to reach its full potential. It often causes friction, friendship, and frustration, all at the same time. What is this powerful four letter word? TEAM.
You’ve probably seen or heard the acronym for T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Achieves More). Why then is it so hard to create effective, high performance teams? Because teams are made up of individuals, and individuals are imperfect.
I’m often asked how to improve teamwork, resolve conflicts, and improve communication among team members. There is a pretty straightforward formula that is simple in theory, yet extremely difficult in practice:
ACCOUNTABILITY + COMMUNICATION + PERSONAL LEADERSHIP = SUCCESS
The moment we start owning our actions and behavior, communicate effectively, and demonstrate personal leadership, we can accomplish anything, individually or as a team. Let’s take a look at each piece of the equation.
Accountability
While this has become a business buzz word, it simply means taking ownership, knowing that you can’t control anyone else’s behavior but your own. Playing the victim does nothing but frustrate yourself and others. If you focus on what you can control, YOU, it is much more productive.
Communication
We all communicate in our own unique style. Most people don’t try to intentionally miscommunicate, yet poor communication is the number one culprit of dysfunctional teams. Listen to understand, ask questions, adapt to others’ communication style, and most importantly, assume people have the best intentions.
Personal Leadership
Act with character and integrity, regardless of what other people do, and you’ll be a lot happier and more productive. Most of us know when we’re doing or saying something that is less than praise worthy. Would your mother be proud of your behavior? If not, it’s time to re-evaluate.
Teamwork is not just a skill. It is making conscious choices of our behavior and our attitude. It requires patient, persistence, and practice. Not all four letter words are bad. Some can equal phenomenal success!
#WednesdayWisdom from @mrdavehollis. I'm really excited to check out his new book #BuiltThroughCourage.
The main difference between those who courageously act and those who stay stuck amounts to how we view fear. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being afraid and working through the discomfort. Courage means you allow challenge and adversity to be a catalyst to help you grow strong enough to face whatever life throws at you.
What types of courage come easily for you? Which ones are more difficult? And what blocks you from behaving courageously in the circumstances you face? 💪 #wednesdaywisdom #courage #resilience #fearasfuel #reframefear #mindset #personaldevelopment
YOU GOT THIS.
As research for my book "Mind Over Moment: Harness the Power of Resilience", I spent a lot of time learning what helps develop and maintain resilience and have boiled it down to three main areas: Your mindset, skillset, and your ability to reset.
But just like anything else, knowing what builds resilience isn’t enough. You have to actively practice these skills. In this month's blog, I'm showing you how. Link in my bio! 👆 #resilience #mindset #mindfulness #mindovermoment #blog #skillset #reset #habits #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment #youareasurvivor💪
Happiness is a skill.
If you aren’t feeling very happy, satisfied, or content, look for blips of happiness. If you’re feeling angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed, look for blips of relief and realize that this too shall pass. No one is always happy or never happy. Happiness, just like sadness, and just about every other emotion happens in little blips. We get to choose which blips we focus on. #mindfulmonday #mindfulness #reslience #happiness #optimism #deliciousmoments #emotionalgrowth #personaldevelopment #mindset
What if you could break free from reactivity with a reset—a chance once and for all to define the life you want and create a path to get there, all while building resilience along the way? You can.
It’s time to delve into your automatic thought patterns, belief systems and daily habits to identify which ones are serving you. Resilience is built by deliberately cultivating productive beliefs, behaviors, and habits to intentionally break out of reactivity and live purposefully. If you have found yourself stuck in reactivity either before this pandemic or during it, remember to reset, practice #MindOverMoment, and purposefully build the life you deserve. It’s about what you do starting now that matters. #resilience #mindfulness #authorsofinstagram #booklaunchanniversary #breakout #liveonpurpose #habits #personalgrowth #reset #grow
Can a dog help you build resilience? 🐶
I have always been a dog lover, and as the mom of two fur babies of my own (I call them my therapy dogs), I thought the answer to this question was a no-brainer. It turns out that yes, dogs can improve our resilience and well-being IF we, the dog owners, raise them correctly.
Here are 5 ways Fido can improve your well-being:
1️⃣ Exercise
Dogs like walks, and it turns out that walks are good for people too.
2️⃣ Mindfulness
Dogs are naturally curious, sniffing and exploring their environment, 100% present in whatever they are doing. And when your dog licks your face to wake you up, puts his/her head on your lap, or nudges you to pet him/her, you are snapped back to the present moment.
3️⃣ Social Connection
Dogs are the best icebreakers. "Oh, your dog is so cute! What type of dog is it?" Aside from being a great pick up line, dogs create social connection.
4️⃣ Training
I love my dogs (an unhealthy amount), but they are horribly trained. Both dogs have trained me instead of the other way around. If you have a dog that is well-behaved, calm, and enjoyable to be around, they are likely to positively impact your well-being.
5️⃣ Purpose
Dogs give us a sense of purpose and an incredible opportunity to practice empathy. Our pups need us to feed them, walk them, spend time with them, and give them love.
Look for a longer post about how dogs can help us build resilience later this week on LinkedIn. Share a pic of your pup with me in the comments! 👇👇 #resilience #reset #mindfulness #mindovermoment #dogs #dogsofinstagram #dogmom #pets #therapydogs
Don’t neglect what brings you joy.
Sometimes it is easier said than done when you’re in the middle of it, but choosing optimism means you are deliberate about the way you interpret the adversity in your life.
Every situation, especially the difficult ones, provides an opportunity to challenge our self-defeating, negative thoughts. And this isn’t just fluff. Scientific research has proven that when you look at life through a lens of positivity, you are more likely to enjoy better mental and physical health. #mindfulmonday #mindfulness #resilience #optimism #choosejoy #protectyourpeace #mindovermoment #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters
Anne Grady is a Speaker, Author, and #TruthBomb Dropper.
Anne shares practical strategies that can be applied both personally and professionally to improve relationships, navigate change, and triumph over adversity. And she’ll make you laugh while she does it. Anne is a two time TEDx speaker, and her work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc. magazines, CNN, ESPN, and FOX Business. She is the best selling author of 52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work and Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph.
As usual, you got me to click on the teaser and read the post. Love starting my work week off with your posts. A coffee mug with the above graphic would totally ROCK my morning java!
Ha! Glad you like the post. Make it a kick-ass week!
As always, your posts pick me and get me started for the week. And this week’s ending graphic, with the determined and successful baby, is perfect.
Have a great week, Jane!
You always bring a smile to my face on Monday mornings and , wow, it’s Tuesday morning – even better! I enjoyed your talk at the EWTG last week, as did my guests. Keep up the good work. You are truly an inspiration!
I just adore you!
Love this! Our team had a great discussion about these topics last week so great timing and love the photo too.
Thanks, Janet! Have a great week!