Your Best Self

Curiosity, honesty, openness, willingness, and focus are the five tenets of change according to Mike Bayer in his best selling book "Best Self". More popularly known as "Coach Mike" he's part of Dr. Phil McGraw's core team and is a regular contributor on the show.

In this edition of Leadership Learnings we speak with Anna Piper , Delivery Manager for Signant Health , as she shares how focus and personal connections are core to motivating people.

Ferdie: This book is chockful of learnings like self and anti-self, the five tenets of change, and the seven spheres. Of the many principles discussed which topic stood out the most?

Anna: That there are two types of people in this world: those who are there for the paycheck and those who are passionate about what they do. This resonated well with me because there is no interview process to discover which one. We mostly end up hiring the former but I profoundly believe that there is a way to unlock the latter.

Ferdie: Interesting thought you bring up there. Are you talking about motivation? And if you are, we would love to know how you go about it.

Anna: Exactly! For me the foundation of motivating others is to get to know them on a deeper level, on a personal level. As Coach Mike's book alludes to "knowing thy self" in order to develop one's self I believe that learning about others leads to caring for others.

Weekly on Wednesdays is when our team turns our cameras on during meetings. Everyone may not look forward to it but they know it's coming, so they are, at least, prepared. As we go around the table, talking about our tasks, I take special notice of people's mannerisms and facial expressions.

Taking these cues I draw them to engage. By telling a story or sharing family photos, not only do I get to know them but their teammates do, too. This builds community and soon thereafter even the quiet ones become not so.

Ferdie: You brought up another great topic, managing in a virtual world. I still remember March 2020 and the ensuing two years of remote work. How have you changed your management style since then?

Anna: There really wasn't a manual for managing global and remote teams and I learned like everyone else, by trying different techniques. And what I found effective was to detect the energy in people through personal connections.

Being a person with lots of energy I learned that it could overwhelm certain types of people because it's hard to sense the level of excitement or disappointment in people on a flat screen. The emotion just does not come out.

But with enough practice and a lot of investment, you would notice emotional reactions, verbal "tells", and social norms that do not readily manifest because the visual cues aren't present.

Another thing that comes out when you pay close attention are the global nuances. Managing teammates in North America differ wildly to our friends in Europe or Asia.

Ferdie: There is a body of thought that suggests that you cannot motivate people, that you have to find people who know how to self-motivate, instead. What are your thoughts on this?

Anna: I still try. Words are a powerful tool for motivation, as I'm sure you already know. A smile, too! By acknowledging someone's work you give them energy. It does not need to be a full on congratulatory paragraph. A simple "You're doing a great job!" is enough to reinforce that you care for that individual.

Also, try encouraging people to be their "best self". Human beings are interesting because it is inherent in our nature to want to look good in front of others. Be it in church or social media we dress nicely and interact professionally so as to convey to others that we are good.

In our team setting we make sure that we look after each other, that when someone is taking a day off that others are available to cover.

Ferdie: Let's go back to the five tenets of change according to Coach Mike. How have you been able to apply this to change your life?

Anna: Many years ago I endured a devastating life experience that I would not wish on my worst enemy. But just like it takes more than five presses to extract oil from an olive it is adversity that brings the best out of people.

Where some give up I chose to focus, I refused to be defeated and be defined by this experience. I accepted my fate and was open and honest with myself. This and my overwhelming faith has allowed me to come out stronger and better. I learned that I could survive and thrive!

There you have it! Knowing thy self, detecting other's energy, and enduring adversity are core principles that Anna and all aspiring managers must embody to achieve great leadership.