Motherwell manager Graham Alexander says a 6-1 defeat to Rangers has given his side the wake-up call they needed to kick back into gear.
The Steelmen finished October without a win and ended the month with a bruising defeat to the Premiership champions.
But since that result, Alexander's side have won 2-0 at Pittodrie against Aberdeen and were unlucky not to win by more in an impressive 2-0 victory over Hearts last Saturday.
They now sit fifth in the league and three points off third.
"I thought our performance against Aberdeen was very good," said Alexander. "But I thought we took our game up a level against Hearts. Our intensity levels were through the roof.
"When we were in their half, we created a lot of chances. It was a real dominant performance and we need to try and replicate those standards as often as possible.
"Sometimes you might not get the quality or the skill level - that can fluctuate - but the energy and tactical discipline should be a constant.
"That's what we are trying to create in training. To be fair to the players, the last two games have been a good benchmark to make sure we try and follow on from that."
Aware that there were some issues both in how his side defended and the instructions he gave them against Rangers, Alexander says positive chats have made everyone aware of their roles at Fir Park.
Motherwell will look to maintain their 100% November record when they take on Dundee at Dens Park on Saturday, looking to avenge their Premier Sports Cup exit to James McPake's side earlier this term.
"I think the Rangers result was a line in the sand for us," added the 'Well boss. "If we could use it as a positive, we had to try. We have done that. But we learned some harsh lessons.
"It wasn't the actual scoreline. It was the defensive performance in our approach. I take my share of the blame for that. We wanted it to go a different way.
"We made it clear for the players, which is the biggest thing. There were a few grey areas when we were discussing the performance with the players.
"We wanted to take those away. We wanted to make it clear for everybody. The clarity we have worked with in the last three weeks have made it clear for the players to understand what we require."
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