Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com March 14, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Self-motivation key to productivity "S marter Faster Better: The Secrets to Being Produc- tive in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg (Random House, $28). Tomorrow (n.) — a place that stores 99 per- cent of all human motivation, productivity and achievement. Duhigg believes that we can live tomorrow today by making choices "biased toward action." His research found that pro- ductivity was linked to eight concepts — the most impor- tant of which is motivation. It's the hub to which the other seven are connected. Research shows that moti- vation isn't part of innate per- sonality. In work and life, it's "how" one goes about accom- plishing things. It's "learning how to make yourself do things you thought you couldn't do." Since the mid-20th century, psychologists have studied the internal locus of control. The more self-determined you are the stronger your internal locus of control. As I read, I thought of Eden, my 7-year old grandchild. When she downloads a new iPad app, she figures out how it works; no instructions needed. As she grows up, she'll be exposed to all sorts of rules and instruc- tions that tell her how things must be done. These may constrain her ability and willing- ness to think and choose for herself. How many of us have succumbed to following the system, and feel that it controls our choices? Self-determination and tak- ing initiative go hand-in-hand. Self-motivators make things happen, rather than let them happen. Before starting a task, they ask themselves "why?" It frames their choice of "how" into something meaningful — the control they have with respect to actions needed to achieve the outcome. With control comes emotional satisfaction and wellness. Their actions affect those around them. If others see that they, too, can control choices, innovation and change prosper. If others are system-zombies, they see self-motivators as boat-rockers. Chap- ters contain real-life stories of how those with a bias toward action affect the actions of others within the context of the other seven concepts. Key takeaway: "Every time you come to the limit of what is demanded of you, you are faced with the same problem — to be your- self!" — Henry Miller "Tropic of Capricorn." • • • "The Storyteller's Secret — From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch on and Others Don't" by Car- mine Gallo (St. Martin's Press, $27.99). Simple, brief and clear make Gallo's "organize-and-tell in 3s" point. When peo- ple think and listen, they inherently look for patterns to cue understanding, and "three" quickly establishes an easy-to-fol- low, memorable pattern. There are three components to effective presentations: the headline, narrative and a call to action. "The headline is one sentence that's going to grab your listener's attention and put the narrative into con- text." When Steve Jobs intro- duced the iPod, he told the audience all they needed to know about what was com- ing — "1,000 songs in your pocket." Richard Branson offers this advice on head- lines: Use a Twitter-like format (i.e. 140-character limit). Relative to the narrative, Gallo viewed numerous TED Talks to see what really moved the audience. The speakers consistently used stories that connected to the headline through- out their presentations rather than statistical evidence and jargon. Why? People often see their own experiences in the stories of others. Even when they can't, they see "stories as flight simulators for real-world scenarios." In either case, stories deepen their understanding of the why, what and how of the message. Incorporating personal stories shows your authenticity. By inserting your experiences into the narra- tive, listeners see someone who believes in the mes- sage. Where there's belief, there's trust and under- standing, which translates into seeing their roles in what needs to be done. The message: ABCD — Always Be Connecting Dots. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak OTHER VOICES State must reform budgeting process By Robert Santy G ov. Malloy's budget proposal this year begins to get at one of the fundamen- tal problems with Connecticut's bud- get process. As the system exists today, the budget begins when agency leaders submit their proposals to the governor's office from the perspectives determined by the mission of their particular agency. The process is compartmentalized further when the gover- nor's budget is sent to the legislature and reviewed by equally segmented committees. The result is a budget compromise built on the desires of a group of constituen- cies rather than based on what is in the best interest of the state as a whole. With current budget-deficit projections of as much as $2 bil- lion in the next two-year budget cycle, now is the time to re-think how we do things. The approach that makes the most sense is based on anticipated revenue. Since everyone agrees further tax increases would be bad for the state, we need to begin the budget process by accurately determining how much money the state has to spend. Once we know that number we can begin to set spending priori- ties. This common-sense approach is not what we have done in the past. Until now, agen- cy leaders and legis- latures have put for- ward separate lists of desired spending, and governors and lawmakers have then tried to determine how to fund that list. The crisis of the moment requires us to look at things differ- ently, not only for this budget year, but for the years ahead. Limiting spending based on anticipated revenue forces state govern- ment to set priorities. This approach worked in Washington state. Facing a $2.1 billion deficit in 2003, Washington began budgeting based on desired outcomes rather than the old habit of adjusting previous budgets for inflation. Choices were made based on the results vot- ers expected from their state government. We can do the same. As the legislature struggles to close the current budget gap of as much as $266 million, Connecticut should convene a working group to begin shaping the next two-year budget. This group should be assigned the task of setting the top 10 priorities of state government. Once those priorities are established we should determine how best to apply existing revenues to fund those priori- ties. Anything out- side Connecticut's top 10 government priorities should be funded only on a pay-as-you-go basis. This work could be the foundation of the next budget, but more importantly it could lay the groundwork for a sustainable budget process in the years ahead. n Robert Santy is president and CEO of the Connecticut Economic Resource Council Inc. Robert Santy ▶ ▶ Self-determination and taking initiative go hand-in-hand. Self-motivators make things happen, rather than let them happen. ▶ ▶ Since everyone agrees further tax increases would be bad for the state, we need to begin the budget process by accurately determining how much money the state has to spend. Send Us Your Letters The Hartford Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and guest commentaries for our opinion pages. Electronic submissions are preferred and welcome at: editor@HartfordBusiness.com. Or you may fax submissions to Editor, Hartford Business Journal, at (860) 570-2493.

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