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The Power of A Checklist: Turn Action into Habit

Jason Barger

Many times the habits we think we are anchoring are not truly being anchored. The brilliant Atul Gawande in his book The Checklist Manifesto showed us all that we cannot assume that even the small “routine” actions are getting accomplished when we live in a quick, complex and uncertain world. His passionate and persuasive message about the power of checklists cites case after case where simple reminders about the steps in a process allowed successful…

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Anyone’s Game: What March Madness Teaches Teams About Winning

Jason Barger

  Who doesn’t love a solid underdog story? You know the one. The little-known nobody taking on the big, bad somebody. It just feels right to root for them, doesn’t it? That’s why March Madness is my favorite time of year. Every one of the 68 teams in the tournament has a shot. These teams have hope. They believe their one shining moment WILL happen. And it absolutely could. I like to think about the…

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More Than A Motto: How Jimmy John’s Fosters A ‘Freaky Fast’ Culture

Jason Barger

“Let’s test them,” I said with excitement in my voice. “After all, they say they are freaky fast.” The challenge was on. I was standing at the creative business retreat center, sparkspace, and staring at their founder and my good friend Mark Henson. Our meeting was about to begin, but first things first: We needed something to eat. sparkspace kept a tally of delivery times from recent Jimmy John’s orders on its dry erase board. They…

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‘Tidying Up’ Our Teams: Making Space to Move Forward

Jason Barger

There are three times as many individual storage units in the U.S. as McDonald’s restaurants. We have a lot of physical stuff that we’re storing. That’s made even more apparent by the recent enthusiasm for “tidying up,” or taking stock of our things and disposing of items we no longer need, made popular by Japanese organizational consultant and author Marie Kondo. We also store plenty of digital stuff on thumb drives and in the cloud….

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Get Physical: Why Your Work Environment Matters

Jason Barger

Mindfulness researcher Ellen Langer reminds us in her book Counterclockwise that “Our physical environment primes our feelings and behavior, although we are typically oblivious to its influence. Primes often tell us what is expected of us, and too often we mindlessly comply.” “Primes” is a term that comes from psychologists Anthony Greenwald and Mazarin Banaji, who use that word to refer to the cues that activate particular associations and influence in our behavior. All day…

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Apply The Rule of 7 to Your Culture

Jason Barger

You may know the old marketing adage about The Rule of 7. The concept is that someone has to hear a message seven times before they will take action and buy whatever you’re selling. I’m guessing it actually is more than seven times in today’s distracted world, but for now, let’s just go with seven. I invite you to think about this concept beyond just selling a product or service. I want you to think…

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Put Your Actions ‘Above the Line’

Jason Barger

As far as I can discern, the phrases “above the line” and “below the line” were first coined at Procter & Gamble in 1954 when accountants and marketers tried to make sense of the return on investment (ROI) of all their different advertising efforts. They needed terminology to help them decipher what the purpose and targets of their efforts were. Since then, countless consultants and teams have utilized the phrases in a number of different…

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Like System of Strength, ‘Find A Way’ to ‘Keep Moving’

Jason Barger

When you walk into a System of Strength gym in Columbus, Ohio, you’ll see phrases such as “Keep Moving” and “Find A Way” displayed everywhere. The cinder block, exposed lighting and mirror-covered walls create a hip, industrial environment for those looking to sweat. Hip-hop music blares throughout the studio as those committed to the System compete against themselves in boot camp-style classes. The room is full, and there’s an energy steeped in positivity, passion and perseverance….

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Create Long-Term Vision and Short-Term Plans

Jason Barger

Some of you have heard me say I’m not sure I believe in long-range plans anymore. Let me explain. What I don’t believe in is the arduous process that so many teams and companies have entered into, especially at this time of year. They create binders that chart every “i” they are going to dot and every “t” they are going to cross in the next ten years. So many places have entered into this process…

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Things We Know Vs. Things We Do

Jason Barger

I hear the dreaded question: “How have you been doing with your flossing?” The deep swallow I take while the practitioner probes my open mouth and inspects my gums reveals the real answer to her question. I’m guessing many of you are with me on this one. There are things we know we’re supposed to do, but we don’t always follow through. I know I’m supposed to floss, but I don’t always do what I…

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