Understanding a Generation, Means You Understand What Molded Them During the Time in Which They Grew Up!

WHO YOU ARE IS WHAT YOU WERE WHEN!

In order to lead, coach, and influence the Traditional Generation, you have to know about who they were when!  When they were in their formative years growing up.  This time is during their most impressionable years, the time in which they developed the values by which they would rule the rest of their lives.

As a Business Coach, it is my responsibility to discover what motivates my clients.  To understand this dimension of them, means I have to have a working knowledge regarding what makes them tick.  And I made a wonderful discovery this past year.  I found out that the best source for almost any body of information is YouTube!  That’s right,that is exactly what I said, YouTube.  And I’ll prove it here in this post.  I learned that you can find powerful, condensed, brief and amazing, to the point snippets of stunning information and tutorials on YouTube, regarding almost any subject you could possibly come up with. This has revolutionized how I research almost any topic!  And besides, it’s just plain FUN!  Being profoundly kin-esthetic, I have to utilize every modality to stay engaged.  To prove my point, here’s a wonderful video during the formative years the Traditional Generation, and once you’ve watched this, for your watching pleasure, they will suggest other videos along the same topic Enjoy!

 

 

How to Understand, Work with, Train and Coach the Traditional Generation (67 yrs. old to 80 Something)

Those if the Traditional Generation are Those That Were Born Between 1900 to 1945.  Understanding and Appreciating Them Will Transform You!

Hopefully when you see what molded them into the way they are, so you’ll develop a fresh respect that will elevate how you work with them!  Looking back at my last post, you can see what the Traditional Generation values, and why.  This Generation is a perfect example of how our history and circumstances shape us.  Having experienced two world wars and the Great Depression, it just makes sense that they are disciplined in every respect, especially with money, as it was so scarce.  They experienced first hand, what “Here today and gone tomorrow” does to your perspective. It also explains their reticence to spend anything at all.  Something that as a child, drove me crazy! Instead, they genuinely place a high value on “Saving for a rainy day”, along with “Waste not want not”!  When I have the opportunity to do Business Coaching, I always recommend a company add this generation to the work mix, as they will bring a stability to the organization like none other!

WHAT THE TRADITIONAL GENERATION VALUES, WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO THEM:   

•  Value R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and manners – please and thank you are paramount

• Have a desire to leave a legacy

• Believe that one has to earn respect, even earn ones position at work by starting at the bottom, as they did, doing menial things, paying ones dues you could say, while working ones way up through the ranks and organization

• Are fiercely patriotic

• Learned the purpose of the chain-of-command during war time, taking it with them into the corporate world.  In their world, you don’t question authority!

THE BEST WAYS TO WORK WITH TRADITIONAL GENERATION ARE TO:

• Appreciate their stability, loyalty, dedication and hard work

• Utilize their expertise and knowledge by allowing them to mentor and train, especially the Millennial Generation, who are reverting to the Traditional Generation’s values, and love being trained by them.

• Assist them with technology either when they want to lean, or absolutely must learn.

• Allow them to share their experiences and history as a resource

• Be patient, make sure your have reasonable expectations

• Give them time to adapt to new ideas.  Show them the benefits of change, they won’t ask

• Respect their “values”, of “rules”, “authority”.  They want to know who’s in charge, and to whom they should report.

• Provide them with a detailed explanation of their role

• Give them work that shows they can still make a difference

• Keep your focus on their experience and legacy

• Provide them with opportunities to network and represent your company in the community

• Give them an opportunity to pace themselves, without shame, as necessary

• They are most comfortable with learning through the “lecture” mode

• Provide them aids in remembering important information and processes

• Be aware and careful of using jargon they won’t understand, or at least translate for when necessary.

Lastly, as with all generations,to influence and lead them, first look for the best in them.  Make sure you express your appreciation, and they’ll be loyal to the end!  As with everything, we need them to bring us balance, and a different perspective.  We need them, and they need us. Here’s to you Dad and Mom, Dr. William D. Barnes and Betsy Barnes, some of the very best of this generation!

Your Coaching Application:  Find someone you know of this generation and find something to appreciate and compliment them about.  Watch their response, and then write below how this information caused you to now see them differently.

Working With Others Requires We Gain Generational Intelligence!

HOW YOU SEE:  FAMILY LIFE, RELIGION, LEISURE TIME, AND YOUR WORK ARE ALL SHAPED BY THE DAY AND AGE IN WHICH YOU GREW UP!

 

When I discovered GENERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE, I knew I had stumbled upon a tool as profound and enlightening as the day I discovered Behavioral Styles.  An understanding of this information has transformed not only how I view people, but has had a profound impact on how I work with and coach clients.  Learning about Generational Cohorts is similar to learning a new language.  This skill-set takes practice to learn and implement.  My intent, over the next few weeks, is to spark your intrigue, so you will hopefully want to learn more.  As a Business Coach, this is one of the issues creating conflict in the workplace, now learn why!

Along with genetics, behavioral styles, modality, birth order, our generational makeup is at the forefront of how we see the world, view our circumstances, and live out what we value most.  We were molded, to a large degree, by the events and conditions we experienced during the formative years of our lives.

A Generational Cohort is Made Up Those Who Share in:

1. A Similar History

2. Beliefs, Values

3. Like-minded  Attitudes, and Culture

The number one mistake most people make is to think that the other generations must view things, understand things, and think things, like …well like we do.  Different doesn’t mean wrong, just different!

Let’s first look at  the TRADITIONAL GENERATION, and some of what makes them who they are first!

A FEW PEOPLE  who shaped the culture of this generation:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt    John Wayne                           Bob Hope

Joe DiMaggio                               Duke Ellington                      Babe Ruth

Dr. Spock (not Star Trek)       Marilyn Monroe                     Katherine Hepburn

 

A FEW PLACES that shaped the culture of this generation:

Pearl Harbor                              Normandy                            Iwo Jima

Hiroshima/Nagasaki             Bay of Pigs                            Midway

Dance  Clubs                             Where you lived, N or S

 

SOME CENTRAL EVENTS that shaped their future views on almost everything:

WWI  & WWII                                The “A” Bomb                       Prohibition

The Great Depression               The Roaring 20′s                  Tent Revivals

                                                              The New Deal

 

Look back on the above information about the Traditional Generation, answering these questions in the reply post below regarding.

1. Why are they fiercely loyal regarding our country and their family?

2. How do you think they view authority?  Why was it important to obey without questioning?

3. Why were these slogans part of their make-up?  ”Waste not, want not” and “A penny earned, is a penny saved.” and part of their very makeup?

4. Looking over their lives above (with this limited information) can you see what they would value at work?  Explain your answer.

These are the cliff notes of a full-day workshop Sue delivers  as a speaker or trainer.  Although the information is limited, I hope you receive the gist of this post.  It won’t be long before this generation won’t be with us in the work place.  While they’re still with us, what could we do to value them, and accommodate their specific needs?  Something to seriously consider and implement!

ARE YOU PREPARING YOUR GOALS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN 2012?

ENTREPRENEURS CAN LEARN PREPAREDNESS SKILLS AND UNSHAKEABLE CONFIDENCE FROM MICHAEL JORDAN

Michael Jordan was being interviewed regarding how he would respond if he were faced with 0:01 second left on the clock at Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and his team is down by only one point.  He’s holding the ball at the free throw line, giving him two shots.  If he makes it, his team wins their first ever championship, but if he misses, they lose. The questions the interviewer, Susan Guzzetta, posed to him that day were the same ones I want to ask of you if this were your situation:

• How would you feel?

• Would you be nervous?

• Would you be distracted by all the opposing fans screaming, stomping and waving their hands, purposefully attempting to move you off your game by breaking your concentration?

“Michael”, she said “How do you handle an uncomfortable situations like this, whether it’s in basketball, business or life?”  And what he said, as business owners/entrepreneurs, we can take to heart and implement ourselves!   He said, “That’s easy, that situation wouldn’t bother me because I would have already disciplined myself to make sure I had already prepared for success in that or any other situation!”

Are you?  Are you disciplining and preparing yourself for success in every area of your life?  Are you hoping and wishing that this is the year that will be different, but haven’t made the plans necessary to see it come into fruition?  Or are you taking the steering wheel of life, and making plans, setting goals, and practicing the preeminent skills necessary for you to BE prepared to be a SUCCESS in 2012:

• Set GOALS in every aspect of your life and business, specifically high impact goals which will most affect the change or transition of your life/business

• Chunk them down to be bite sized

• Make a plan to accomplish them with a

• Create a date by which each goal be accomplished

Remember, without a strategy, you’re just wishing, just as you’ve done every year!  This is the year to take a wish and make it a believable PLAN of ACTION whether you’re a boomer, Gen X’er or Millennial business person!  Every generation needs an ACTION PLAN.  Then once you have this, don’t stop there, go one step further and hire a coach to hold you accountable, and to support and cheer you along the way.  Do each of these steps and I can guarantee, with this you will gain unstoppable confidence and will reach your goals in 2012.

Struggling to Get Found Online? Get the Answers You Are Missing

My guest blogger and teleseminar guest for Sept. 7th will be sharing just how important internet marketing is for the future of your business.  She’s made a lot of people wealthy doing what she’ll be sharing with us, so you’re not going to want to miss any of what she has to share below, and during the teleseminar.  Sue

If you’ve been struggling to get your business found online then you don’t want to miss the presentation. (Click here for information on this teleseminar!)

Angela Moore , president of Six Degrees SEO shares the secrets to getting in front of your customers when they are searching for you. If you are tired of wasting money on marketing and advertising methods that don’t work anymore, find out what works now to draw your prospects to you and bring your business more business.

Gone are the days of the print directories and using expensive ads that you can’t track. When was the last time you used the yellow pages for anything other than a booster chair or doorstop? TV ads are so expensive, most small business owners can’t afford them and you have no guarantee that you will be seen by your prospects.  Radio ads are about the same, how do you know you are reaching your customers, how do you track your ROI? To top it all off, you pay for these ads for a short period of time and then they are gone.

Internet marketing has a much longer shelf life. Find out how you can take your current marketing budget and double or triple your efforts, track you ROI, and have longer staying power. The longer you wait to start your Internet marketing the more catch up you will have to do. Can you imagine where you would be now had you implemented an Internet Marketing strategy a few years ago. Don’t make the mistake in thinking that the time has passed. Only 26% of small businesses are really marketing on the Internet so you have a huge opportunity to claim your place on the Internet and get found. Remember the longer the delay the longer it will take to get found as you will end up with more and more competition. Join our presentation to see what you can do today to get started.  (Click here for information on the teleseminar, and to sign-up.)

Over 20 Values an Executive Coach Provides

The Key Benefits of Enlisting a Business Coach 

The other day I was meeting with a woman who asked me, “Sue I know what a Life Coach does, but I don’t know the purpose of an Executive/Business Coach?”  Well, it’s not counseling, and it’s not consulting, although I shift into this mode frequently.  The best way I can describe it is for you to think of a coach of an Olympic Athlete.  Now, that elicits exactly what we do, but for a business leader.  We are your greatest supporter, your cheerleader, and a bit of a velvet brick.  Our purpose is to ensure you become successful:

• To challenge, develop, and assist you in improving your leadership skills.
• Uncover and develop your unique leadership style.
• Provide essential feedback regarding gaps in your skills and abilities. Discovering feedback in a safe, private environment.
• Reveal so you can abort any self-sabotaging ways which would jeopardize your leadership and your job.
• Expedite the improvement of your time management and organizational skills.
• Help you to develop greater abilities in making appropriate, time bound decisions.
• Establish concrete goals for change and progress.
• Someone to hold you ACCOUNTABLE to do the things you know you need to do, to become the leader you aspire to be.
• A uniquely rich development opportunity to truly discover all you were meant to be.
• Have a non-partisan, non judgmental, objective third party who is an impartial sounding board.
• Assistance to execute key business initiatives.
• Help in balancing work and life priorities.
• Cultivate exceptional ability to influence those you lead.
• Development of your unique personal mission, vision, and values.
• Reduce turnover while building loyalty and retention.
• Successfully navigate the white waters of conflict.
• Enhance and fine-tune your decision making skills, learning to appropriately evaluate business risks, while navigating any politically entrenched environment.
• Inspire peak performance in employees by employing fresh leadership insights.

Contact Sue right now, with the e-mail below, to set up a complimentary Discovery Session to explore if Executive Coaching is right for you right now.  Sue will be doing the same, discerning if you’re a good fit, as a client, for her.  If all is compatible, we then co-create a plan that works specifically for you, and your specific needs. Contact Sue at AccidentalLeader@comcast.net for more information, and to set up our Discovery Session.

Stop Being Frustrated with What You’ve Not Achieved!

Five Ways to Get back into, or Stay in SDM, Success Driven Mode

Having lived with chronic physical issues, I live in the world of being frustrated with how little I’ve accomplished each day.  Even today, here I am sitting at the computer with my adorable co-dependent kitty draped over my shoulder wishing I had gotten more done.   We live in the desert where we have the most wonderful monsoon weather, which simultaneously creates a monsoon in my back.  (A monsoon is very stormy, violent weather)  Yesterday, I began the day filled with visions of all I wanted to achieve, yet as the day progressed, so did my challenges.  Now, you may not have a physical challenge, maybe you still have children at home, while attempting to work, or parents you’re taking care of, been there done that too!  Or, you may have some other issue hindering your output.  This said, I am truly a blessed business woman, and I’m sure you are as well, if you look hard enough to find those things to be thankful for.   So, how do I keep directionally moving forward toward my dream, when my body goes south?  Here are five ways to quit being frustrated, and coach and manage yourself to keep moving forward to be the leader you were meant to be! This is how to make a demand on yourself to stay in SDM -  Success Driven Mode:

YOUR COACHING MOMENT with Sue, The “Accidental Leader“:

1. Set your goals for the day the night before. Then be sure you’ve gone back and chosen the 20% that will give you the 80% ROI for your time and effort. PUT THESE ITEMS ON YOUR LIST TO DO FIRST.
2. Be sure to start your day off spiritually.  I spend time with the Lord in prayer and meditation on His Word.  The more I need to get done, the more I know I need this focus and centering in my life, and in my business.
3. Stick to your goals for the day – relentlessly!  Only substitute if it is the kind of emergency only you can do, that can’t be done by someone else, some other time.   Delegate otherwise, or delete altogether!
4. Be grateful at the end of the day for the small things you’ve accomplished.  Write them down.  I guarantee this will chase the grumpies away.  And while you’re at it, don’t compare yourself to the high performers, instead look at someone worse off than yourself, then take the time to be thankful that you have the strength, skills, and especially physical ability to do your dream job in this country.
5. Lastly, DON’T QUIT!  Just don’t quit.  Some day all this effort will amalgamate into something stellar, but you can’t quit.  Remember, quitters never win and winners never quit.

How You Can Take Your Business From Ordinary to Extraordinary?

You Can Create Your Dream!

You can take your business from ordinary to extraordinary by living an extraordinary life! It all begins with you, and the decisions you make. It starts with one small decision built upon another, and by managing your options. What you do today will reap a reward tomorrow. Make the right things habitual, and watch your life evolve exponentially. So how do you begin? Extraordinary business owners start their day doing those things which are:

• Necessary not necessarily interesting

• Difficult but obligatory, like eating the worst tasting vegetables

• Exasperating but essential – Just do it!

Do this and you’re called “RESPONSIBLE” a “LEADER”. Responsibility, as well as leadership, means you’ve learned the buck stops with you. Even if you have a new, fun or exciting opportunity emerge during the day, it’s no excuse for not doing “First things first!” as Steven Covey would say! In fact, another quality of an extraordinary business owner is that you don’t make excuses, it’s not a part of your vocabulary, or your life. As well, you create processes and systems for anything you possibly can.  Then, if things aren’t working, you can be assured you’re not working your systems. You may not be providing the leadership needed to make a demand on yourself. That’s right, you have to lead yourself! To be extraordinary, you must follow-through and take initiative to do the 20% of items that will bring you 80% return financially.  Once you do, your confidence will soar, your belief level will climb, and success will be imminent.

YOUR COACHING MOMENT:

Let me ask you:

• What’s stopping you?

• Where can you up your game, put business systems in place?

• What do you need to clamp down on – in your day, with your time?

• Are you making a list every night – to be sure you’re doing the 20% items that bring you the 80% return?

• Are you managing your time, or is the tyranny of the urgent dictating your day?

• What can you turn into a system for greater effectiveness?

I heard a saying that has stuck with me to this day:

If it’s going to be, it’s up to me! – Now, once you’ve been that responsible leader, business owner, be sure to have FUN! You only have one life, so enjoy the journey, not just the dream. It’s why you’re paying the high price of your time in the first place!

What are you doing that is taking you on the path to having an EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS? I’d love to hear, and showcase your story.

A Doodad, Or A Feeling? What Sells Your Product Or Service? pt.2

Would You Like to Have Clients/Prospects be Drawn to You With Magnetic, Or Pull Marketing?

Yesterday we went over, in detail, the difference between trying to sell prospects on your product/service by telling them about your value and benefits as opposed to giving them lists of the features.  It takes a little more time to think and prepare what you say, but like any skill, the more you change your mind-set and give the benefits and values, the more clients/customers will be automatically drawn to you!

Features for a service such as Executive Coaching, the features I provide are:

• Certified Executive Coach, and Certified Mastermind Executive Coach along with CPLP certification (interesting yet?  Of course not!)
• 32 years experience including coaching the top 3 executives of a billion dollar public works engineering project for three years (maybe)
• Coaching can be done virtually

Here’s the translation from the above into VALUES and BENEFITS:

• Have the peace of mind and confidence that you’re dealing with an experienced professional who has dealt with every kind of situation imaginable. Sue will provide you with options to get you unstuck, and skills to assist you in reaching your full potential while helping you leap-frog to top levels of your industry.
• Establish and reach your goals in a third to half the amount of time it would take you to do it on your own, because you have accountability to fulfill the  plans that you have develop and agree to.  You’re at the helm.
• Envision sitting in your pj’s or your most comfortable attire, at your favorite spot, during the best time of day for you, while receiving encouragement, and assistance by your own personal trusted mentor, who genuinely cares about you and your success.  I’ll partner with you each step of the way, assisting you in reaching your personal mission and why you were put here in this life, at this time in history!  I’ll help you work on leaving YOUR individual MARK in this world!

People want to know, and will buy according to what products and services can do for them, NOT because of the features they have. It makes all the difference in marketing plan and its effectiveness as to whether you’re selling FEATURES as opposed to offering the VALUES and BENEFITS.
EXAMPLE:  Charles Revson (not a typo), then CEO of Revlon Company, was once asked to describe what his company sold.  Listen carefully to what he said, and then compare it to the above information.  He said, “In the factory we make cosmetics, but in the stores we sell hope.” He didn’t sell them on the products, but what the products will ultimately bring them, and who doesn’t want HOPE!

So, next time you’re asked what you do, don’t give them the features and attributes. Wow them with the benefits and value you bring to the table.  You don’t have to sell, just share the “right” information and watch them buy.  People don’t like to be sold, but they do like to buy! Let them see in their minds-eye how you can help them fulfill their hopes and dreams, and they’re yours, your customer/client.

Your Intentional Coaching Moment:

1.    Make a list of all the features of your products and services.
2.    Next, using the questions above, translate these features into benefits and values.
3.    Now go share this information with three people and ask for their feedback!

A Doodad, Or A Feeling? Knowing what Sells Your Product Or Service? pt.1

People Hate To Be Sold, But Love To Buy.  Word It Well, And You Will Draw Them To You With Magnetic, Or Pull Marketing!

When introducing yourself or your products and services, are you talking about all the features,  the bright and shiny aspects?  Or, are you doing what is called “magnetic“, or “pull” marketing, which draws them to you by asking questions that provide the mental image of the values and benefits of your service or product?  Will you intrigue them by highlighting the advantages or take-aways they will receive?  Or, are you droning on about all the little doodads they, quite honestly, could care less about?

When you’re writing about your products and/or services on your website, in a brochure, or on your business cards, ask yourself these questions:

1.    What do they want to know?
2.    What benefit will this bring them?
3.    Why would they want to use this/me?
4.    How will my product/service make them feel?

And then by all means, make absolutely sure you are:

• filling a gap
• meeting a need
• fulfilling their dream
• making them feel good when they use the product or service!

Ah, now we’re talking!  This is what they really want to know.  What they don’t want is to hear you drone on about the features. What are features?  Features tell or describe the details of your product, and what you do: “b o r i n g“.  You’ve got to spice it up.

For instance, if you’re selling ceiling fans, the features would include:

1. Five blades with light dimmers
2. In three colors
3. Four customizable lights which you can switch to whatever style you like
4. Three speeds, in any color you like

Now, at some point they will need the feature information, but this isn’t what will compel them to buy. Giving them the VALUE, will compel them to buy.  For example, some of the fan’s values are:

• Would you like to walk into your room and have it be five degrees cooler in the heat of summer, while keeping it warmer during the winter?
• Imagine capturing the ambiance of your room, as you sit by your fire, dimming the lights while you enjoy a glass of wine, or a cup of hot chocolate?

More in pt. 2 to help you write about the benefit and value of your products and/or services.  All of this is to assist you in being seen as a forerunner in your industry.  I know, you didn’t become a leader or business owner to have to worry about marketing.  But unless you hire this aspect out, you’ll have to spend a good 50% of your time marketing and promoting, or you won’t have clients!  Write this information in strategic places well, and you’ll expedite the process, and be able to spend more time doing what you got into business to do in the first place!

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