About ten years ago Cliff Arnall, a British scientist, reportedly created a calculation to determine “the most depressing day of the year.” The equation includes seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since last failed attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.

Since then, it has generally been determined that the last Monday in January qualifies as the worst/most depressing day of the year. Over time it has come to be known as Blue Monday.

Not all scientists are impressed with the calculation, and yes, there is a Wikipedia entry to give you all of the history and background.

Whether you think it science or shenanigans – I think it is silly.

I share this not because I agree with the science, or to give you a license to feel badly, walk around moping or looking like we just ate a lemon today.

Rather I offer it as a challenge to you and your team (if you are a leader).

This is our chance to make Blue Monday something far better. When you look at the factors in the equations, you could see where all of them could impact someone’s mental state – but none of them have to.

Here is my challenge to you.

Make it a great day. Make it a day where your heart and mind and spirit soar.

If the weather is gray and foggy, so what? Are you going to let water droplets influence your day?

If you have already backslid on your New Year’s Resolution, that trend can be reversed… starting today.

If you have more bills than you wish you did, don’t spend any money today.

But beyond the formula, you can take actions that will insure (yes, I mean insure) that you will have a better day, and certainly not have your worst day of the year.

Here is a short list to get you started.

• When you see someone smile, smile back.
• When you are in your car, let the person merge.
• When you think someone is being mean, look for a different explanation (or consider benign intent – learn what I mean here).
• When you feel blue, think yellow (or any color that makes you happy).
• Read a book you love.
• Watch something that makes you laugh.
• Call someone you miss, “just because.”
• Thank a co-worker for something you appreciate in their work.
• Serve your Customers with cheer, knowing you can positively influence their day by your interaction.

While I could type all day, you get the picture.

What am I really saying?

Make a choice.

Make a choice to create a great day today.

Make a choice to make January 26 (or whatever day you are reading this) your best day of the year so far.

It is off to a good start.

Use today as a test case for yourself. After all, if you can make it a great day on the “most depressing day of the year”, you can do it anytime.

A final note for leaders (and parents) . . .

As a leader of others, the choices you make will impact others and their attitude and mental state more than you realize. When you make the conscious choice to do things like I have suggested, you are dropping a pebble in the pond – your actions will change your day, and your example will influence others. Yes, you could share this message with your team either by forwarding this to them (which I would love) or talking about it; but if you live it, it will have even more impact.

My point? When you do these things, more people will benefit than yourself, so go for it!

And if you are looking to build your leadership skills in many other ways, consider joining us for a Bud to Boss or Remarkable Leadership Workshop.

I’ve certainly opened with a big question, and it is a question I want you to think about as you read, and hopefully far into the future.

Specifically, I want you to think about the beliefs and expectations you hold about those you lead. But before I get back to you personally, let me give you some background.

The Research

For many years research has been done in the realm of education related to The Pygmalion Effect, which says in effect that the positive expectations and beliefs of teachers about their students leads them to behave in ways (consciously or not) that promotes the confidence, effectiveness and results of the students. Research has been done as well to translate this into the workplace, looking at the beliefs of leaders and how it impacts the results of team members.

The research, while hard to always complete in a completely scientific way, shows that there is a real and significant correlation. For us as leaders that means that our belief in our team impacts their performance. (It works both ways – lower expectations/belief leads to lower performance – this is called the Golem effect).

People do their work, but our expectations and belief in them influences the quantity and quality of their work. As a leader we can’t ignore this fact.

A Historical Example

Dwight Eisenhower lead the Allied troops in the Normandy Invasion, the largest and most complex military operation ever. His leadership helped the Allies win World War II, and as an encore, he was President of the United States for 8 years. Several years after his retirement from public office he wrote:

“In our Army it was thought that every private had at least a Second Lieutenant’s gold bars somewhere in him and he was helped and encouraged to earn them . . . I am inclined by nature to be optimistic about the capacity of a person to rise higher than he or she thought possible once interest and ambition are aroused.”

There is plenty in this quotation to digest and think about (I have been doing so for about a week, and that led to me writing this article), but for our purposes, let’s talk about two pieces . . .

“Every private had at least a Second Lieutenant’s gold bars somewhere in him . . .”

Do you see Eisenhower’s belief in the Pygmalion Effect here? If you don’t know the “distance” from private to Second Lieutenant – it is a good leap (here are the ranks as shown on the US Army’s site). In the private sector, that would be like saying every front line employee has at least the potential to be a successful mid-level manager somewhere in them.

Do you see that in your people?

And secondly . . .

“ . . . and he was helped and encouraged to earn them”

Eisenhower did more than tacitly believe in people’s potential, he nurtured it, encouraged, and helped it come to life.

Is it any wonder the he was a successful leader in multiple situations?

For You as a Leader

All of this so far is a preamble for you to think about and hopefully act on these ideas. I’ll close with four application questions – three questions I encourage you to think about, write about, and perhaps even discuss with a trusted colleague.

– What do I believe about my team?

– Do my beliefs support me in becoming the leader and coach I want to be?

– If not, what could I do to change my perspective and beliefs?

And lastly –

– What actions will I take based on my answers?

The first three questions are important for you to consider. The fourth one though in the end matters most. Putting your beliefs into action, is what will ultimately make a difference.

Apparently today is Show and Tell Day at Work.

Who knew?

When I read this fact, it got me thinking . . .

I went back to Mrs. Fredrick’s kindergarten classroom on a warm spring day. I was called to the front. It was my turn to share! No, I don’t remember exactly what I showed off, but I remember feeling great to have the chance to share it. And I have many other memories of “show and tell” in general, and I’m guessing you do too. I’m not an elementary aged educator, but I can guess that some of the reasons “show and tell” is a mainstay classroom activity is that it:

• Builds self esteem
• Allows kids to practice speaking in front of groups
• Provides a chance for self-discovery (by thinking about what to bring and share)
• Helps build personal pride

Read that list again and leave your thoughts of elementary school behind. Maybe show and tell day at work isn’t such a bad idea after all!

I don’t think we need to have a specific workplace exercise that looks like “Show and Tell”, but I do think there are workplace lessons here worthy of our consideration. Let’s start with some universal truths.

Show and Tell Truths Revealed

• The act of sharing our work makes a difference in and of itself. Knowing it will be shared changes our approach to the work, whether we are consciously aware of it or not.
• Sharing provides a sense of pride. A feeling of pride is valuable to all human beings at all ages. When we can feel a sense of pride, good things happen emotionally and in this case with our work.
• Sharing provides meaning. More than perhaps anything else, we want a sense of meaning in the work that we do. Sharing it with others helps us see that meaning and helps others see it too.
• Sharing creates enthusiasm! Step into any classroom during show and tell, and you will see it. Notice anyone talking about something they are proud of and you will see their enthusiasm grow. And who doesn’t want more enthusiasm in the workplace?
• Sharing creates positive peer pressure. It isn’t just kids who are impacted by the thoughts of others. And while we often think of peer pressure as a negative thing, it isn’t always. When we are all sharing, all of us want to do better to be seen in a positive light by our peers (and boss). A rising tide lifts all boats.
• Sharing stokes innovation. When you know what others are working on, you will get new ideas. When the sharing provides a chance for dialogue, new ideas will be spurred. Let people share what they are working on and what they are trying!
• Sharing promotes momentum. When meaning and pride and enthusiasm are in place, momentum grows. And with momentum in the right direction it is hard to stop improvements and growth.
• Sharing builds culture and team spirit. Who doesn’t want more of all of the things on this list? When we provide opportunities for people to share, we provide the nutrients for growing a positive culture and climate, and a more engaged team.

Some Leadership Applications

As I’ve already said, I am not suggesting a team exercise that looks exactly like the Show and Tell of your youth. (“Bobby, it’s your turn, what did you bring to share with the class today?…”), but don’t lose my message in that detail. Rather, here are just a few ideas that you can apply to begin to create these powerful outcomes for yourself and your team.

• Give people a chance to share their progress with others on the team. This is the best scenario for a staff meeting – when people are sharing progress and results with others.
• Give people a chance to share their progress and results with others in the organization. You don’t need to make all of the presentations to management, do you?
• Let people attend meetings for you. Send a representative to a more senior meeting, giving them a chance to share your team’s update in your absence.
• Let people share team results. People can share the results of a team, show and tell doesn’t have to be just about “me.”
• Listen to people when they want your time. One thing people want is the chance to share with you. Show and tell doesn’t have to be a presentation in front of a group. It might just require five minutes of your time – and attention.

There are more reasons and applications, but I’ve hopefully given you a chance to reflect on some pleasant memories and enough solid ideas to help you move forward effectively.

How will you implement Show and Tell today?

Resistance.

When I ask groups to tell me what first comes to their minds when they think about change, resistance is always on that list. And their thoughts about it aren’t positive – in fact, I used the word “fear” in the title purposefully. Resistance is typically seen as a negative occurrence and as something to avoid, deny or downplay as much as possible.

The truth is that resistance isn’t to be feared and isn’t a “bad” thing at all. Resistance helps us make sure that all the perspectives have been seen (is it really healthy for everyone to agree 100% with every change you propose?), and proves that people care (resistance takes effort and wouldn’t you rather have resistance than apathy?)

Resistance is real, natural and not really so bad at all.

These are reasons enough not to fear resistance, but here I want to share an even bigger reason, beyond the powerful ones I have already highlighted.

Resistance is “proof” that you are thinking about the future in big and bold ways. (Tweet That!)

Here are three facets of this fact worth considering and rereading whenever you are experiencing resistance . . .

All BIG ideas are resisted. You don’t have to be much of a history buff to know this is true. Every big invention had naysayers. Every major advancement had nonbelievers. And those inventions, advancements and ideas all had a champion, a leader, a creator who saw something, shared something and persevered through the resistance to create something of great value. Almost by definition, no new idea exists without resistance. So if you are facing resistance, congratulations! You are challenging people’s comfort zones in ways they hadn’t yet considered. You might be on the road to something BIG!

All BIG ideas are inherently risky. While there are few guarantees in life anyway, when proposing, suggesting or advancing a new innovation or idea, there is definitely risk. After all, it might not work. If we knew it would work, it would likely have already been tried (and succeeded). While people have different levels of risk tolerance, everyone has concerns about risk. “What if this happens, what if that happens, how do you know it will work?” These are resistance questions born of risk aversion. So your innovation or idea has risks (and people are happy to explain them to you)? Great! You might be on to road to something BIG!

Not everyone will (initially) see what you see. Your perspective allows you to see something others don’t see. It is your job to help them see it – to communicate your vision and direction, to help others see the benefits and possibilities you see. Until they see it, they will be concerned and worried and therefore resistant. It doesn’t mean you are wrong and they are right. It is a message to you to help them see what you see. If people can’t see what you see your vision may (as yet) be too big for them. It is a clue for you to expand their vision and help them see what you see. You might be on the road to something BIG!

So where does that leave us as leaders?

• If you are experiencing resistance, be encouraged, not disheartened – hopefully the facts above help you see that.
• You have a responsibility to hear the resistance and understand it (after all, there may be truth and value in the perspectives you hear inside the resistance). This will help you improve your vision and your plan and increase the likelihood and speed that you garner the support of those resistors.
• Being open and listening doesn’t mean you must give in. If you are truly on the road to something BIG, you must persist using the resistance rather than giving in to it.

As a leader, you must have your eye on the future. And you haven’t been placed in a leadership role to maintain the status quo, but to create a bigger, better, more beneficial future. So remember that resistance is naturally occurring when change is suggested. And if you don’t ever experience any resistance, you aren’t doing the job that has been entrusted to you.

Finally remember that resistance is “proof” that you are thinking about the future in big and bold ways – and that is part of your job.