Author: The Carolyle Destiny Group

Greetings, I am pleased to introduce you to my blog site, which aims to provide a comprehensive research perspective focused on essential workplace topics such as personal development, team building, management and leadership, diversity, and much more. These topics are vital in driving organizational success in the public and private sectors. Organizational Behavior (OB) is the field of study that examines human behavior in corporate settings, exploring the interface between human behavior and the organization. My blog draws insights from this discipline to help today's organizations navigate the increasingly complex nature of the modern workplace. With over 40 years of experience serving as a Gulf War Veteran and Senior Army Warrant Officer in logistics and a retired Department of the Army civilian, human have witnessed firsthand how human behavior is ever-changing, sometimes by the minute. Furthermore, embracing diversity can profoundly impact an organization, leading to greater creativity, efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity. Ultimately, these factors contribute to the happiness of stakeholders - the American people. In the 21st century, organizations must find ways to harness the creativity of their diverse workforces to remain competitive. This involves generating ideas, enhancing social skills, and appreciating other cultures and traditions. Organizations that invest in their employees and practice diversity will benefit from the most significant workforce in the world: the American Worker. Join me as we explore the fascinating world of OB together and discover valuable insights that can help you advance your career and achieve long-term success in the workplace.

How to Integrate Millennials into Your Business Environment

Millennials, the generation born between 1981 and 1997, have become the focus of many demographic studies. Because they range in age from 18-34, millennials are studied for their impact on spending habits, shopping experiences, and business and employment (Pew, 2015). They’re a huge part of the workforce but are also the generation most likely to eschew the traditional workplace in favor of starting their own businesses, investing in startups, and working from home rather than in a traditional office setting.

They’re also amazingly tech savvy and can help older companies and corporation integrate into society’s existing tech environment. Not like older generations such as the baby boomers, millennials never knew a time period without computers, cell phones or the internet, technology was always present in their lives, it’s in their DNA (Marston, 2007).

1. Integrate Flexibility
Most millennials view strict adherence to a 9-5, in-office work schedule as outdated. Just as they thrive in casual work environments, they often prefer work hours and work locations that are less rigid than in previous generations. Consider allowing millennial employees to telecommute, freelance, trade shifts, and shorten work weeks. The goal, after all, is to get the job done, and allowing these employees to exercise flexibility might produce surprisingly consistent productivity.

2. Integrate Coaching & Collaboration
Millennials typically prefer not to work in a setting where they’re micromanaged. When employers guide and direct, yet leave room for personal development and self-management, millennials respond more favorably. Like 9-5 corporations of past generations, today’s companies want to reap the greatest productivity from their employees. Encouraging creativity, input, and team building will reap mutually beneficial results and allow millennials to feel valued.

3. Integrate Their Lifestyle
While devoted to their jobs and careers, Millennials hold a firm belief in a work-life balance. They thrive in companies that offer flexibility, paid time off, personal days, family leave, and emergency leave. Involvement in family activities and lifestyle and community events is important to them. They look for companies that allow employees to foster a well-rounded life and have time for friends, family and social events.

4. Integrate Growth Practices
Millennials appreciate opportunities to advance their careers – they may even look for opportunities to buy into the companies that employ them. They prefer careers with an upward trajectory to ones that remain stagnant with little to no possibility of growth or advancement. Instead, they have a greater interest in a company they can grow with or grow into.

5. Integrate Company Culture
The millennial generation isn’t always as matter-of-fact about accepting the existing climate of their workplace as previous generations. They look for clearly defined company cultures and principles. When those principles are clearly integrated into their work environment and into the products and services they offer, this generation will thrive. Rather than a faceless, personality-less corporation, this generation of employees prefers a business with a social conscience that has an impact on its community and on society.

Successfully incorporating millennials into your business means preparing them for today and for tomorrow. When they learn to lift as they climb, your company gets the best Generation Y (Millennials) have to offer, while simultaneously preparing Generation Z for the future. At the same time, they’re learning best practices from Baby Boomers and creating a generationally diverse workforce. That constitutes a win-win for everyone.

References:

How Companies Can Change Their Culture to Attract (and Retain) Millennials (Feb, 2018)
Retrieved from https://www.business.com/articles/how-are-companies-changing-their-culture-to-attract-and-retain-millennials/

Marston, Cam (2007) Motivating the “What’s in it for me?” Workforce: manage across the generational divide and increase profits. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &Son

Millennial Employee Engagement & Loyalty Statistics: The Ultimate Collection (Feb, 2018)
Retrieved from https://blog.accessperks.com/millennial-employee-engagement-loyalty-statistics-the-ultimate-collection

Millennials surpass Gen Xers as the largest generation in U.S. labor force (2015)
Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/11/millennials-surpass-gen-xers-as-the-largest-generation-in-u-s-labor-force/

We Can Work It Out: Integrating Millennials Into the Workplace
Retrieved from https://www.rims.org/Session%20Handouts/RIMS%2016/CAD005
/CAD005_Liberty%20Mutual_Millenials_Final%20Tues.pdf

5 ways to attract millennials to your company (Jan, 2018)
Retrieved from https://blog.aiesec.org/5-ways-attract-millennials-company/

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Follow one cause until success (Stay focused)

As I scrolled through social media recently, a particular post caught my eye. It was simple: someone had posted the word “focus.” But what attracted my attention was how the author turned the word into an acronym, assigning each letter a term that imbued it with meaning.

The word “focus” was broken down into core ideas: F = Follow; O = One; C= Cause; U= Until; S= Success.   This simple yet powerful message—meant to be interpreted and perhaps utilized by all those who share the post—sparked my interest. It conveyed that anything and everything should require your full attention. This may mean 5 minutes or a lifetime; regardless, all energies require your full attention until your efforts result in success.

While considering these ideas, I faced a simple truth: in this world, there are many distractions. From people to technology, detours are everywhere—the key is to remain focused. Too frequently, we focus on external factors as the cause or reason for why we do not accomplish our goals and fulfill our life’s vision. In my book Enemy in the Bush, I talk at length about my own internal demons, psychological barriers, and mental roadblocks that restrain me. Ultimately, what helped me conquer the “Enemy in the Bush” at every juncture was learning to live a life that is rooted in the 5 Life Principles. These principles aided me as I navigated through enormous obstacles: landmines of fear, personal roadblocks, and perceived mental limitation. This was an incredibly difficult task, especially when considering my impoverished background. Simply put, I always thought that it wasn’t God’s will for me to be prosperous in this life. But in the military, they taught us a core idea—that “we can be all that we can be.” So, I did just that.

I remember my first deployment to Germany, as I got ready to participate in a war-game exercise with myself and 800 other soldiers.  I remember arriving at the bivouac area. Before I could take in the beautiful Bavarian countryside, the commander loudly announced, “You’ve got three hours to set up the camp prior to nightfall.” So, everyone started working together to achieve that goal. Together, we set up the command operations post, command sleeping quarters, troop sleeping quarters, individual work areas, food serving areas, shower and sanitation areas, and reliable communication guaranteed to transmit voice and data. Everyone—no matter if they were a senior or a private—had to work until the job was done. Even though the temperature outside was only thirty degrees, we were sweating profusely. That is how hard we were working. That is how focused we were on accomplishing the mission. Regardless if the temperature outside was freezing or blisteringly hot, we were going to MAKE IT HAPPEN! We were FOCUSED and DETERMINED TO FINISH THE JOB! Now, that’s what I call ONE CAUSE, ONE FOCUS, ONE DESTINATION.

As I started this company, I applied these values of determination. Our focus from the start was clear: to help people align themselves with their dreams, goals, and destinies. That focus expanded to include other companies and organizations. At its core, the Carolyle Destiny Group believes in starting with the young professional and helping them align themselves in accordance with their designed destiny. The outcome of this alignment will result in the synchronization of their vision, mission, and purpose of existence. We believe that each individual can determine their own destiny. You are the architect of the direction you face, the pathway you choose, and the destination you arrive at in life—our cause is to help you get there. I always return to this quote by Jim Rohn, which states, “Destination is not determined by hope, it’s not determined by wish. Destination is determined by direction.”

This applies in the workplace; we believe that people and organization can work in synchronization. Instead of the employee being the antagonist, the employee can be the protagonist working together with the company’s vision, mission, values, goals and culture. The employee becomes a valuable asset and a vital investment of the company. This is our focus; this is our mantra; this is our destiny.

Always remember to follow one cause until success. If you find that you are on the wrong pathway, change directions—now. You only have one life to live, so do it with focus. Do it with purpose and passion.

As you embark on your journey, remember these few tips:

My focus was directed to the words One Cause. To me, this did not indicate many directions, but one focal point to experience one outcome. This advocated for one purpose, allowing you to realize your success or achievements in whatever destiny you desire. I believe that you can design your own destiny, and then you must face that direction you designed. You must pool all of your resources together toward one destination. Sometimes, in order to get to that destination, you have to take small steps by setting miniature goals. Alternatively, you can take chunks and leaps toward your finish line; but you must always have your eyes on the prize that you have designed.

1. Examine your goals, and make sure that you are moving you towards your purpose and maximizing your potential.

2. Decide on one cause to place focus on.

3. Focus on your strengths, keep improving, and step out of your comfort zone.

4. To address your weaknesses, delegate to others that compliment those weaknesses. Focus on your strengths only.

“Focus on where you want to be, not where you were, or where you are.” – pictureQuotes.com

Derrick Darden, PhD

The Carolyle Destiny Group

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My Story Behind Personal Growth/Development

                                        

Day and night, I saw the harms of drugs and gang violence. We could see the anguish on my mother’s face every day. Eventually, she succumbed to depression. We never could understand why we were staying at my grandmother’s house so much. In my book “The Enemy in the Bush”, there’s a picture of us sad-faced kids at my grandmother’s house. We had no idea what was going on in our mother’s life. But as we grew older, we did.

Mom always wanted to be a teacher when she migrated to the North. I remember her telling me when I was a child. But the reality of life stole her dreams, goals, and aspirations and she never realized her true potential. Instead, she became the head of the house, separated from my father, who was fighting his demon of alcoholism. My mother raised a total of 10 kids. When I reached the age of 11, my three older brothers moved out of the house. Seven of us, ranging from 4 through 11, remained at home. Seven children living in a three-bedroom apartment in an impoverished neighborhood. This was my reality.

As a boy, I saw my mother struggle and sacrifice just to put food on the table. Sometimes, I would hear her argue with God about the hardships she faced. Her many prayers went up to heaven to ask God to help us make it through another day. As a child, I had few of the comforts enjoyed by others who lived in the suburbs. We had lots of love, but little in the way of material things. 

My mother died without realizing her dream to be a teacher. She died with her dream still inside of her.  I made her dream a reality by becoming an adjunct professor for 10 years. Despite lacking the resources, we needed to meet our basic needs of her family, we survived. But my mother never realized her true potential and purpose in this life. I often wondered when I was older why my mother hadn’t pursued her dream. Perhaps fear and self-doubt held her back. I remember how my siblings and I made a pact never to follow our mother’s path. When I questioned the WHY behind our decision, I knew it boiled down to the struggles, hardships, and pain we saw her go through. Seven of us made this covenant, but only two of us had successful careers and made positive lifestyle changes. My sister Mary became a successful certified social worker/ supervisor working in hospitals and is moving towards private practice. I finished a successful military career as a senior ranking officer and continued as a DoD civilian working complex mission-oriented jobs for our government. I also became an adjunct professor, author, and contributing academic author. Now I’m a certified John Maxwell coach, trainer, and speaker.   

If you examine our lives, we knew where we were and had our eyes on where we wanted to go. We had a definite plan to get there. Living in impoverished conditions gave us the motivation to never lack for anything again. We wanted to be able to sustain ourselves. We were intentional about reaching our goals and never looked back. We were purpose driven. We had a direction, a destiny to reach. When we looked back, we celebrated how much we had grown.

Psychologist Charles Garfield has worked with many successful people including astronauts, world-class athletes, scientists, business leaders, and other high achievers. He believes that the success of any endeavor starts with having a mission. You must have specific goals accompanied by a strong desire. “A dream becomes a goal,” said Garfield. “The goal becomes the achievement.” I repeat this saying often. Achievers reach their dreams by being intentional in their actions, which means working with purpose and making every action count. It’s about focusing on doing the right thing, moment by moment, day by day, and then following through consistently. Successful people aren’t scattered and haphazard. As Zig Ziglar said, be an aiming specific, not a wandering generality.

Never stop improving. Never stop growing yourself. 

How intentional are you? As you proceed through your day, do you have a plan and a purpose for everything you do? Do you know where you’re going and why you’re doing what you’re doing, or simply drifting down the stream of life?

In the theme song from the motion picture Mahogany, Diana Ross brings this message home:

“Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showin’ you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?”

             By Dr. D

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Growth thrives in conducive surroundings

At some point, a person feels the need to evolve, to enter a new dimension of life.  Perhaps, to advance a skill, a new career, or develop their relationships with others. This requires growth to happen.  But for growth to happen, the person’s environment must change.

We all know how growth happens in plants. It starts with a seed that must be implanted into fertile soil full of nutrients to form roots. It also needs sunlight, air, and water, which, through the process of photosynthesis, helps the growing seed produce its own food source. In the right conditions, the seed begins to grow into a plant, and that plant grows to its full potential. If one of these elements are absent, the seed may never take root or achieve full growth. If you plant a seed in an environment where one of these elements is absent, growth is inhibited, and the seed’s full potential is never realized. The seed remains dormant.

That principle works the same in your life and mine. For growth to happen, your environment must be conducive to growth. It must have the right nutrients to stimulate growth. If you want to change your current situation or circumstances, you must change your present environment. To quote, John Maxwell, “Growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow is going to get better.”

In my two decades in the military. The stage was already set for growth opportunities, even though, I did not know at the time.  Every new assignment I went to, something was always wrong. Logistical processes were not in place, customers were unhappy for not getting their supplies on time. And the morale of the troops was down which, compounded the unhappy-customers problem. Sometimes I complained to my peers that I always got the most challenging assignments.  It was then that I recognized another of John’s principles: you must get out of your comfort zone to grow. When I finished the assignment, the logistical processes were far better than the previous ones, the morale within my area of responsibility was extremely high, and my customers were giving my operation rave reviews.

At first, I didn’t understand why I got the hard and challenging jobs. Later, I realized that the military, gave me the growth environment needed to recognize and grow to my potential.  As the saying goes, with each promotion comes more responsibility. I must have impressed my senior officers because they expected my performance to be top level. My performance in my military career led me to exponential growth, higher compensation, and bonuses. 

What does a growth environment look like for you?   

Remember, in order for a seed to grow, it needs the right soil, sunlight, air and water.   

Is your present environment helping you, and not holding you back?  Assess where you are right now!

  1. Are you in a place where others are ahead of you, or are you the go-to person? Are you the smartest one in the room? Then what and who is pouring into you? You are not getting the necessary nutrients for growth. If you are pouring everything you have into others, who is pouring into you?
  2. Are you challenged on a constant basis, if not find the right environment to grow in.

Lastly, leaders must create a growth environment within their organization or areas of influence.  Used these tips to build an organization with growth potential. 

  1. Set the bar high on proficiency, efficiency, and innovation.
  2. Give employees challenging work, nothing beneath them. And if they do not know how to do it, train them the right way first, then expect them to maintain the standard.
  3. Cultivate an affirming atmosphere. Nurture and nourish your people for growth.
  4. Model growth in front of them. Lead from the front, not the rear. I always say: “The most valuable gift I can give to others is a good example.” There is nothing more confusing than a person who gives good advice but sets a bad example. To quote (again) John Maxwell: “A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice.”

Remember, growth is the only guarantee that tomorrow will get better. If you don’t know whether your present environment is a growth environment, do an assessment and make changes.

The bottom line is that a growth environment aids in growth. It doesn’t hold you back.

Lastly, if you are a leader, you are responsible for helping others grow and creating an atmosphere of growth. Grow leaders, don’t just tell them what to do.

What are your comments?

See you at the top!

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The Best Time to Make decisions

Decisions often have precarious timing. The time to make decisions is not when you’re climbing up a mountain of problems and situations that you’re faced with. That is what I call disparity or calamity; in these situations, you’re trapped in the valley of darkness. This is not a time to make decisions. Instead, this is the time to dig your heels in and rely on that reserve that’s already stored in you, allowing you to fight the battle that’s right in front of you. Let’s face it: at this point, you’re just craving relief and attempting to bring clarity to the situation. You are trying to get out from under this gorilla or this elephant. In these difficult situations, don’t try to make major changes in the hope of finding comfort. To quote Myles Monroe, “Never make a permanent decision in a temporary problem.”

When the calamity is over and you reach a moment of calm where you can think more clearly, then congratulations—you’ve reached the time to make those decisions. Why? It’s simple:

  1. You can now see the situation more clearly.
  2. You are not under the storm clouds of calamity, fear, and disparity.
  3. You’re now more likely to figure out how to be more successful from adventure to adventure, avoiding the valley of darkness.  

Why enter the valley experience if you can avoid it? On the other hand, if you find yourself in the trenches, the solution is clear: pull out those reserves that rest within you. Show this experience what you’ve got.

I used to run cross country in high school, and just before you reach the halfway point, your body wants to run out of energy. In that moment, those runners that started out quick and didn’t pace themselves either drop back or drop out. I remember telling myself at the point, “Derrick, you are in this race for the long haul.” So, I made up my mind to pull out the reserves and finish at my same pace. If you’re in the midst of life’s struggles and fighting uphill, then do yourself a favor. Pull out the reserves, stay the course, and don’t make huge decisions in the middle of the stream. Finish that uphill battle and reach the top of that mountain.

Avoid making important choices when things aren’t going well. This is the time to truly see what you’re made of in order to reach a point of clarity. Once your vision is clear and the storm clouds have dissipated, you have finally found solid ground. This is the time to make those decisions and changes in your life, business, or team. With patience, you will steadily climb from mountaintop to mountaintop.

Derrick Darden, PhD

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