Yes I Can: Encouragement for Leaders

Dr. Chuck: Welcome to Spoonful of Courage, I’m with Bruce Pulver. He’s an author, a speaker and, by the way, he’s done an exceptional TED talk, and Bruce helps us change the way we think about the words that we use. In fact, his book is Above The Chatter, Our Words Matter. Bruce, it’s great to have you on the show.

Bruce Pulver: Thanks, Chuck, it’s great to be here. Enjoy our conversation, looking forward to a few minutes of just breaking down some words and talking about how they can empower us.

Dr. Chuck: Yup, and so one of your favorite, I guess, groups to talk to are those who are leaders in business or healthcare or whatever type of, whatever game their leadership is, sales. And you’ve got a word for leaders, share us that word.

Bruce Pulver: Yeah, so this is so important to me. It’s the embarking on any engagement, a new one, you know, a green pasture, maybe a big struggle. I mean, maybe like the economy or the business struggles right now. We’ve got to figure a new way, we’re trying to reflect on our experience and say, “hey, you know, we can’t do it the way we used to” and a lot of times that could create, like limiting, limiting mindset, like, “what you mean? We’ve always done it that way”. So, I like a three word phrase. It’s leaders, but, man, you can also take this to your kids, you can take this to a team, you can take this to, you know, an athletic performance, music performance, and it’s three words, and it’s the phrase: “yes, I can.” If you start any endeavor, any initiative, any kickoff meeting with, “hey, I know this is a challenge. I know we’ve never done this before, but let’s start with, ‘yes, I can,'” and you write, “yes, I can” vertically, and to me, very quickly, it became, “You Expect Success In Challenging Activities Now.” So, think about entering a new market, “yes, I can. We can do this. We’ve got what it takes.” Another phrase I use is: “you are e-n-u-f,” you are enough. Born that way, got everything you need, it’s just a matter of assembling the parts, bringing in others, etc. But “you are enough”, and saying, “yes, I can,” could teach a three-year old, you know, to climb the monkey bars, and it can help a CEO lead a company into a new market by starting with a mindset that you believe you can.

Dr. Chuck: But when they fall from the monkey bars to help one another, enough to get up again and keep trying.

Bruce Pulver: That’s right.

Dr. Chuck: I was always the kid that fell off the monkey bars, Bruce. You weren’t the guy that would push the people off the monkey bars, were you?

Bruce Pulver: No, no, I might have been pushed by my older brother, but, you know, that’s all another story, a whole other segment.

Dr. Chuck: Gotcha, so for leaders, I like those two words, “yes, I can,” and, “enough,” right?

Bruce Pulver: Yes, yes, because we are enough, because we all have, what I call, another word I love in leadership, and sometimes some of the faith-based talks that I give, is that we all have “gifts.” Unique gifts, and we should celebrate them, because gifts are “God Installed Features To Share,” real simple, we all have them. So, as you bring this leadership team together, and it may not have a faith aspect, it may not be able to based on sort of the environment you’re working. But if you realize that everyone that’s in this room and wrapped around this table has a gift to bring towards the solution, and you say, “yes, I can,” you are off to the races. It may not happen immediately, it may not be easier to fix, but with the mindset of “we’ve got this.” ” Yes, I can,” has led me in my sales performance, has led me in teamwork that I’ve done for us to get better outcome closer to, not perfection, because that’s unattainable in my opinion, but closer to the best excellence that we can perform.