REWARDS RECOGNITION AND CELEBRATION

Rewards-plural of reward defined as a thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. Recognition on the other hand is defined as the action or process-identification of a thing or person from previous encounters or knowledge. While Celebration is defined as action of marking one’s pleasure at an important event or occasion by engaging in enjoyable, typically social activity. An Australian, Adam Smith made history at the 77th Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club which earned him “The Green Jacket” considered to be the greatest individual award, and the most coveted prize in the world of golf. Green is the color of self-respect and well-being or balance. It could also represent learning, growth and harmony. Young 32year old Adam Scott won 2013 edition of the Masters Golf Tournament that earned him The Green Jacket… Is perhaps the greatest external motivator for driving superior performance, most pursued piece of clothing for any professional golfer. The green Jacket-means that you are part of an ultra-exclusive community for life. It can only be earned by overcoming world-class competition. Guarantees you a very special place in the history books and is a symbol of excellence, victory and immortality. In the words of Gary Ryan Blair: “A reward is an extrinsic symbol for the enforcement and celebration of intrinsic values.” He further asserts Goals are natural value generators, often because of what you learn and become en route to their achievement. But having a reward that honors and symbolizes that achievement is a powerful motivator for continued progress and performance excellence. If you want to improve your performance results, increase innovation to gain and sustain competitive advantages, create an environment that fosters excellence and ethical behavior then you must make rewards and recognition standard protocol. Whether it’s a war hero receiving a Medal of Honor, an Olympic athlete winning a Gold Medal, an author being granted a Pulitzer Prize, a martial artist earning a Black-Belt, or a young child winning a trophy for a local spelling bee-rewards and recognition promote and define excellence. Every year as someone receives some reward, or recognition I look forward to celebrating a new year 16th April, as life is a gift and worth celebrating. Go on and celebrate yourself if no one celebrates, recognizes or rewards you.

FIT AND FOCUSED

The Webster dictionary defines fit as “to conform correctly to the shape or size” while focused is defined as the state of maximum distinctness. Every person or professional who will lead-deploy greatness this New Year needs to first be fit; conform correctly to the shape or size with focus been the state of maximum distinctiveness. So what are you doing to be fit and focused for the New Year? You know when you’re bodily fit, there’s a strong possibility your hundred billion brain cells surely will be fitter. Running once a week wouldn't be a bad exercise gift to your getting fitter for your focus this year. Running helps more than your heart and lungs. Promising brain research shows a strong link between running and a "younger," more nimble brain. Vigorous cardiovascular activity pumps more oxygen-and glucose-rich blood to your noggin. Research reveals Running sparks the growth of fresh nerve cells, called neurogenesis, and new blood vessels, called angiogenesis, says J. Carson Smith, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland in College Park who studies the role exercise plays in brain function. Walking your way to a healthy heart is also another way to stay fit and focused. Walking is one of the easiest ways to stay fit. You may have a busy life, but try and introduce physical activity in your life. A moderate dose of physical exercise for 30 minutes (if you can’t manage that much, even 15 minutes is okay to begin with) a day is enough to keep you healthy. This form of aerobic fitness can lift your mood, make you physically fit, and improve the quality of your life. Every year I travel to speak, team build, coach & consult around the African continent that I sometimes find myself in a hotel that doesn't

have a gym. Most hotels have staircases so instead of the elevators I walk-up and down the staircases and also pace walk. What if I told you your suitcase can become exercise equipment-the same way you will squat, juggle, mountain climb you can do with your briefcase. Ensure you create time to keep fit and focused this year. You can, you should, and you must. To your success all round

WELLNESS WITHIN WORKPLACE Wellness is defined as a way of life: a balanced lifestyle you design to achieve your highest potential for well being. Wellness could also mean the integration of body, mind, and soul; an awareness that the choices we make in one area affect all others. Several decades ago working conditions in England during the 19th century were abysmal. Men, women, and children laboured in dangerous factories during the day and went home to dirty tenement slums at night. Many of the factory owners cared little for the well-being of their employees. But during that time, the owners of the Cadbury chocolate company were different. Quakers by conviction and business entrepreneurs by giftedness, they focused on improving the working conditions of their 200 workers. With wellness defined as a way of life: a balanced lifestyle, experiencing it in full was important to “The Cadburys” so they built a state-of-the-art factory with heated dressing rooms, a kitchen, and recreational areas. And to care for the employees’ spiritual needs, the workday started with Bible study. According to Health Day news America; workplace wellness programs are an effective way to reduce major risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure amongst others. Each year, heart disease costs Am

erica about $304.6 billion, Companies spend 25 to 30% of their annual medical costs on employees with significant health risks, mainly because of their increased likelihood of experiencing heart disease and stroke, But the financial burden also falls on workers, in the form of higher premiums, co-pays and deductibles, reduction or elimination of coverage and trade-offs between insurance benefits and wage or salary increases. "Research shows that companies can save anywhere from $3 to $15 for every $1 spent on health and wellness within 12 to 18 months of implementing a workplace wellness program,” asserts Mercedes Carnethon, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Though we may not own a company, we do have regular contact with a variety of people. It is important to be ethical in our dealings. George Cadbury will go down in history as an employer who realized that looking after employees and treating them with respect produces a well-motivated team

WELLBEING AT WORK

Well-being is a dynamic state, in which the individual is able to develop potential, work productively and creatively, build strong and positive relationships with others, and contribute to their community. A sad soul can kill quicker than a germ asserts John Steinbeck. People who are happiest at work are 47% more productive than their least happy colleagues, and those who are happiest at work take only 1.5 days off sick a year. So can one develop the ability to change one’s mind-set and be happy at work and home?   Dr Martin Seligman, the Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that one can. His ‘happiness formula’ assists individuals to learn how to obtain an optimistic outlook inside and outside the office. He defines a happy life as one filled with positive feelings and activities, and believes that the degree to which you experience these feelings matches your level of enduring happiness. Within the workplace there are numerous benefits to having an optimistic mind-set and choosing to be a happy individual. According to Dr. Seligman’s studies, optimistic individuals, unlike pessimists, tend to believe that defeat is just a temporary setback and that its causes are confined to that particular case. When optimistic individuals are confronted by a bad situation they perceive it as a challenge and try harder. It is this very attitude that places optimists a few steps ahead of pessimists. Seligman indicates that optimists recover faster and are able to act again sooner, due to the way they explain a failure to themselves. Anyone may experience failure or even rejection in the workplace; however Dr Seligman claims that you can still be happy regardless of this. He indicates that optimists have a beneficial outlook as it allows them to be proactive and productive in the face of failure, and to lead, inspire and encourage others, thereby preserving their happiness. According to Jessica Pryce-Jones, CEO of the iOpener Institute, there are five factors that make up the structure of happiness at work: • Contribution – is about the effort you make and your perception of it • Conviction – is about the motivation you have whatever your circumstances • Culture – is about how well you feel you fit at work • Commitment – is about the extent to which you are engaged with your work • Confidence – is about the sense of belief you have in yourself and your job  

HAPPINESS AT WORK

Happiness is defined in the English dictionary as a state of well-being and contentment, or a pleasurable or satisfying experience, while work on the other hand is defined as activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something or the labor, task, or duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood. There are huge benefits to be derived from happy employees which begins with contentment, or a pleasurable or satisfying experience around activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something. It is therefore vital for a leader to understand how to make sure employees enjoy their work so much that it almost seems effortless. Benefits include increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, increased collaboration and increased innovation and lead to increased sales, something vitally important in our tough economic climate. Professor David Ulrich believes that those leaders who understand how to achieve sustained engagement will have employees who are seven times more likely to report high satisfaction at work and twice as likely to be satisfied with their pay. He calls such leaders, ‘meaning makers’. In essence, meaning makers are concerned with ‘emotion’ and not just ‘motion’. Motion focuses on behaviors and actions; emotion focuses on passion and meaning. Motion is what we do; emotion is why we do it. Motion gets things done while the leader is present; emotion sustains behavior in the leader’s absence. Leaders in motion differ from leaders who connect with emotion. Ulrich’s research has proved that leaders who are meaning makers also increase employee productivity, organization capability, and investor confidence. Leaders who only master the leadership basics can set strategy, execute for results, manage people, develop future people, and have personal credibility. However if these basics are not woven around a sense of meaning or well-being, they are stale. Leaders can bring passion to strategy, execution, talent, human capital and personal proficiency when they bring meaning into these tasks. More importantly though, making meaning makes money. Over a 10 year period “best companies to work for” have a 6,8% stock appreciation versus 1% of the average firm. Additionally, only 13% of disengaged employees would recommend their company’s products or services, compared with 78% of engaged employees.

CONQUERING THE WORLD

The English dictionary defines Conquering as to gain victory over; master; win in war which was what Owens, born as the seventh child in a family of eleven in a small part of Alabama, most of his growing up was in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents Henry and Emma were often concerned for his welfare when he was young, as he was always taking ill. Athletes have taken great strides all throughout this century but few can compare to those of Jesse Owens. He rose above sickness and became one of the world’s greatest Olympians. This was a tough man who knew what he wanted to accomplish and set out to do just that. He was known to attribute all of his future Olympic successes to this trainer/ coach. The transformational coach Charles Riley and he changed Jesse's life and our history for all time. Jesse Owens first athletic splash was in 1935 when he set world records in the long jump, 220 yard dash and 220 yard low hurdles. No other athlete in history has made such an indelible mark. In 1936 Jesse Owens arrived at the summer Olympics in Berlin with hatred all around him in Hitler's Germany, fought hard and won a total of four gold medals. While Germany could only watch and grumble. One can almost see Hitler's face watching a black man - who he’d depicted as anything but human in German propaganda - beat his pure blooded Germans. Everyone was thrilled at Jesse's successes but the fourth race was not even supposed to be his. There were two Jewish men named Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller who were meant to run that race. Some speculated they were pulled out not because they couldn't do it or because Jesse was better per se but only because Hitler didn't want to be beaten by Jews. It may have worked out for the best; because Jesse Owens winning the relay event set another world record-his last event at the Olympics and went with pride and success. Even the Germans were impressed and asked for his autograph, which he signed gracefully and aplomb.

FINISH STRONG!

The English Dictionary defines the word Finish as to bring something to an end or to completion, as we all know “strong” on the other hand means exerting great bodily force; vigorously. You “Finish Strong” when you bring something to an end or to completion vigorously. Finishing Strong is more than a statement it is an attitude we all need in life, an attitude of believing you can do something and having the courage coached with determination to see it through. In my book “Monday Morning Motivation, Your Work Week Starter” I shared the story of John Stephen Akwari who went to represent Tanzania in the 1968 Olympics games which held in Mexico City. He took part in the marathon but unfortunately, he got injured during the race and had his legs bandaged. However, he crippled on the bloodied and bandaged leg in his attempt to finish the race. About two hours after his colleagues crossed the line and almost all the spectators had left the stadium, he was spotted crippling his way towards the finishing line and indeed, he finished the race. This singular decision to not just start but finish the Olympic marathon race exemplifies finishing strong good enough to attract the media to the ‘Tanzanian Olympics Ambassador.’ When asked why he decided to finish the race despite his injury, he answered “my country did not send me here to start a race

; Tanzania sent me to Mexico to finish this race” which I just did. Irvin Berlin asserts; “Life is 10percent what you make it and 90percent how you take it.” The dedication, decision and determination delivered by John Stephen Akwari aided his staying power and finish-ability which was strength. Succeeding today, this season and beyond requires starting which in itself is a function of a decision sparked by a desire. In the words of Napoleon Hill; “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” Go ahead and bring something started today to completion vigorously you undoubtedly will finish strong in time.