ARE YOU READY TO MAKE THE SHIFT FROM 2010 IN A HUGE WAY WHILE IGNITING A FIRE IN YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS FOR THE NEW YEAR?

HOW YOU CAN TENACIOUSLY LEAVE 2010 BEHIND, AND POWERFULLY MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR LIFE AND YOUR BUSINESS:

I love this time of year with the Christmas colors, and festive cheer! It’s also my favorite season because it marks the end of the year, the end an era and season of your business. It’s time to leave behind any negative, non-productive events and feelings that happened this past year. Once this is complete, then it’s is time to revive, refresh and renew your mission, vision and goals with initiatives that will elevate your game for 2011. But first, let me ask you, how do you put the past year behind you? How do you cleanse your mental palette of anything that happened this year that you need to retire in an enormously significant way?  A way that will tell your brain, all that’s negative and didn’t work in this year is OVER, DONE, COMPLETE AND NOW BEHIND ME!

SUCH AS:

• Failures personally and/or with your business

• Anything where there was “LACK”

• Financial decline or tragedy
  

• Mistakes – mine and others with my business
  

• Poorly performed performance initiatives

• Wrong decisions

• Conflict and hostile interactions with people

• Negative emotions from any of the incidents above

Or, anything else you need to close the door on, or eliminate from your mind once and for all. All those draining emotions that would anchor you to the past prohibiting you from progressing into 2011 with exectation. I find that most people stuff these things, sweeping them under a rug,and ignoring them as if nothing happened, therefor allowing them to fester and raise their ugly heads in the form of lies and behavior that will hold you back. YOU DON’T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THIS! I’m a big believer in creating rituals and traditions that link key strategies (in this case, burying the negative past) to fresh performance improvement strategies that will catapult you into your destiny. Simply put, it’s time to end any torment of the past year with these suggestions below:

YOUR COACHING MOMENT:

PART I ON A PIECE OF FLIP CHART OR REGULAR PAPER you, and/or a group from your company, can brainstorm, writing down any:

1. Unmet goals from 2010

2. Disappointments

3. Failures, or at least the feelings there of

4. Lost or broken dreams and visions

5. A poor attitude or outlook

6. Negativity

7. Conflict with people

8. Unmet expectations

9. Feeling let down by anyone

10. Any bad business habits you’ve been wanting to change, i.e. being late, making excuses

Once you’ve done this, then on a separate sheet of paper write the personal, leadership and business lessons you’ve learned from these incidents, brainstorming how you can approach life and work differently in 2011 as a result.

PART II ELIMINATE THIS PAPER along with all the emotions!

Do something significant that will shift your brain dramatically into a NEW BEGINNING for you and your business; a fresh NEW DAY AND YEAR that you can enter with anticipatory excitement and belief.

FOR EXAMPLE:

• Burn it

• Bury it

• Tear it up and throw it in a dumpster

Doing this simple little things will truly build your confidence in moving forward in the new year!  Then in a few days or weeks, it will be time to prepare a significant strategic goals for the NEW YEAR, giving you a fresh new perspective for your life and business. Pt. II in the next post will be more strategies for appropriately finishing the year with a sense of it being complete!

Do you have other suggestions and ideas that go along with this post, please make a comment, we would love to learn from you as well!

The Antidote to being Discouraged is a Grateful Heart!

Leadership Requires an Attitude of Thankfulness

HAVE YOU:

· Been discouraged?

· Experienced a difficult year?

· Felt you were going backwards instead of forwards?

· Been wondering how you were going to make it?

I have just the remedy. Be thankful! That’s right, express it out loud, write it on paper, sing it in your home, whatever you have to do, the antidote to being dismayed and discouraged is a grateful heart. This is why I love Thanksgiving. I’ve been there myself, felt so discouraged I didn’t know how I was going to pull out, how to change my attitude. But I have found that being thankful is the remedy for many emotional and attitude ailments. Try it. You can’t be complaining and thankful at the same time. You can’t be depressed and be thankful simultaneous; nor can you spew bitterness and at the same time proclaim genuine gratefulness from the heart. It’s not a magic potion. It takes persistence and an unstoppable tenacity that makes you begin to believe that if you can pull out of the pit of darkness you were in, surely you can obtain the confidence to do almost anything you set your mind to. As a leader you can’t wait for circumstances to morph and change. You must be the catalyst that creates the appropriate culture for each circumstance. Real leaders take the lead whether they feel like it or not! They choose their attitude, they act on faith, always moving forward, and without anyone ever knowing the internal fight that’s waging. As a leader, you rule your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to rule you. The greatest remedy for fighting the good fight of faith is truly having a thankful heart. Therefore today, I thank God our forefathers didn’t give up, weren’t daunted by circumstances, and chose to have an eternal perspective through all the circumstances that brought them to America. Here’s to your Thanksgiving!

ARE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY MAKER, OR AN OPPORTUNITY WAITER

The secret to maintaining or building momentum in your business during a lull, is to create fresh, exposure!

I’ve learned to never underestimate the simple power of giving of yourself freely, weather by speaking, training, or working behind the scenes. As a business owner, I give of my time strategically, and sparingly. Although, when I first started out in business and needed exposure, or when I’m in a lull, as many experience during the holidays, I would drum up opportunities to present. One such event occurred on a Saturday where I gave a presentation to a small network marketing group on understanding and building one’s business utilizing “Behavioral Styles” DISC to market, sell, and build one’s business and team. Little did I know this would open up “the” and I mean “THE” opportunity of a lifetime. After this small 18 person training was over, a local business consultant approached me proclaiming he need my assistance on a project where there was considerable conflict among the executives. He brought me in to use DISC to resolve the conflict and build cohesion. I ended up not only providing conflict resolution with these executives, but team building, communication and listening strategies throughout the whole organization. It wasn’t until I was done, having worked with them for three years, that I discovered that this wasn’t just a billion dollar public works engineering project, but the largest engineering project to hit the Phoenix Metropolitan area for the next 50 years. And how did all this happen? It all came about because I said yes to a training where I was pretty sure no one would be able to hire me. This truly was one of the best experiences of my career. I gained invaluable experience, saw monumental results, and all the while built my brand and resume. The moral of this true story is; don’t despise small beginnings, in other words, you may be a part of a:

• • Small networking group

• • Training or speaking to a network marketing group

• • Boy Scout event

• • Or even donating time to a non-profit organization in need

It may just be the opportunity for you that, will create critical mass in your business and launch your career to a whole new level!

YOUR COACHING MOMENT: During this holiday season, where you may be experiencing a lull in business, ask yourself:

1. How can I gain exposure?
2. What do I need to do to “make things happen” where you touch lives with your expertise and at the same time gain exposure ?

Ask yourself how you can BE an OPPORTUNITY CREATOR:

• • Where can I speak or train where they may know my target market,

• • What group needs a leader, support person, or board member?

• • Who could I collaborate with that compliments my skills and abilities?

• • What non-profit needs assistance that allows me to shine while I serve?

Oh, and on another note, you can take it to a whole other level and bring others with you. Now you’ve got an opportunity to create a party!  Doing projects together, just plain rocks.  Ultimately, be sure to provide valuable, relevant information and/or superior service that’s notable enough for others to talk about.

STAY TUNED: A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT IS COMING SOON! Read more

WHAT DO ALL SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE HAVE IN COMMON?

Have You Had a Setback, a Failure?  Have You Been Knocked Down, Laid Low?  Then You Need This!

As a business owner, if you try something new, there are only two possible outcomes, you FAIL or you SUCCEED.  The difference with successful people is that they keep on trying.  Let me ask you, are you success oriented? DO YOU EXPECT TO BE A SUCCESS?

There was a study of 500 of the most successful people, and they discovered in researching them that they had at least one major thing in common;  They always expected that one day, regardless of what was currently happening, they would succeed.  In other words, when they experienced failure, they saw it as a step toward success, or one more lesson learned on the road to success. Brian Tracy says that successful people are action oriented.  And, “It’s not failure that holds you back,”  Tracy says, “it’s the fear of failure.”  This video takes you to a page filled with inspiration and motivation.  Keep watching until it connects, refreshes, and renews in you as a leader, with the will to win, and the motivation to succeed.  It’s what I do when I need a boost.  And if it works in renewing my confidence, I know it will for you.  Here’s to your success!

10 Target Rich Easy Steps to Take Back Control of Your Leadership Competency

You Can Grow Your Leadership Skills so That You Are the Leader Others Want to Join to Reach a Powerful Vision!

1. Volunteer to serve on the  board of a non-profit that makes a big difference in your community.
2. Take a class to learn a new skill, or upgrade existing skills.
3. Read a book on leadership, team building, people-skills, or conflict resolution to elevate you knowledge base.
4. Volunteer in an organization that could really use your help supporting their efforts by serving the mission and people of the organization.  Follow!
5. Find a mentor – someone better than you in an area of need.  Ask for help.  Hum, the key is can you ask for help?
6. Set 30, 60 and 90 day personal development goals.
7. Find someone to hold you accountable to the above goals you created.  Someone that will make the consequences you agree to stick if you don’t reach them.  Want to be dedicated, absolutely sold out to reach these goals?  Then make the consequences really hurt.
8. Pay it forward to someone each day for a week.
9. Take a 360 degree, DISC Profile in order to unveil your strengths and uncover your weaknesses.  (Contact me for more information.)
10. Go to the mountain to meditate/pray about what you’re learning about yourself in steps 1-9.  No mountain, just go somewhere in solitude where you can sense the presence of God!

The Mini Book Shelf to Help You With Step #3

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

7 Habits of Highly Successful People

How To Win Friends and Influence People

Developing the Leaders Around You

Difficult Conversations

The Power of Positive Thinking

Building Leaders: How Successful Companies Develop the Next Generation

High Flyers: The Development of the Next Generation of Leaders

Results Based Leadership

The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders

To see more, look at Amazon’s Top 10 Leadership Development Books: http://www.amazon.com/Top-quot-LEADERSHIP-DEVELOPMENT-Books/lm/R1N7SS8IDJM9KD

The Most Overlooked, Necessary Skill to Advance to Level 2 Leadership

The Leadership Skill of Being Approachable and Personable

At a company party, when we were in our early 20′s, the head of my husband’s large firm walked toward us. We revered this man as our industry leader, and looked forward to chatting with him. As he approached us, my husband said “Hi Mark, how are you?” “I’m not good at small talk” he replied, as he walked right past us. I watched my husband go that night from being 6’2″ to being 6 inches tall. I’ll never forget how that made us feel. It’s no wonder this company eventually imploded. I think this was the event that eventually sent me on my quest to understand what “great leadership” is, and isn’t. In fact, most of the great books I’ve read on leadership/management will tell you that great leaders MUST master the art of small talk! It’s small talk that says you’re taking a genuine interest in the other person. By asking questions to understand who they are, and what they’re about, you validate them as people worth taking a moment for. If you want to grow in your leadership skills and influence, then learn to relate with the every individual, by taking the time to learn about them, their interests, their hometown, family or hobbies. Napoleon Bonaparte not only knew the names of most of the men in his ranks, he learned the battles they fought in along with small facts about their family so that when he encountered them he could inquire about how they were doing. It takes on going practice, but it will be more rewarding to you in the end, if you’ll come down from your ivory tower, or out of your cave, and touch people right where they’re at. It’s the first step to moving out of level one of leadership, and I believe is the deal maker, or the deal breaker when it comes to your leadership.

YOUR COACHING ACTION PLAN:Next time you go to a restaurant, practice doing small talk with your waitress. You’ll be surprised how little it takes, and how much you can learn. Then walk through the office doing the same. This is called “walk by leadership”, and will elevate your approachability, especially if you are the business owner or corporate manager.

Leadership pt. 3 What Not to Do That I Did

Do You Have This Fatal Flaw of Leadership

One fatal flaw in leaders that will sabotage their leadership influence and kill their efforts, ultimately causing their organization to implode, is being an “INSECURE LEADER”. Unfortunately, I can again speak with great authority and experience on this subject. Although I have always exuded a confident boldness, which gives the illusion of “being secure”, without training or experience I fell into all of the typical actions and responses insecure leaders exude. Worst of all, because of my insecurity, I “needed” people to prop me up with compliments, approval, and value; along with people showing up for attendance at my meetings to support my efforts. (Now this was over 25 years ago.)  Before I knew it, I was co-dependent on the very ones I was to serve, equip, motivate, support and lead. Ok, ok, so I was only a volunteer over Women’s Ministries, Director of Camps, Supervisor of Sunday School, Director of VBS, Mission Trips Leadership and ran a Summer Master’s Commission program, they were still leadership roles, and the beginning of my love/hate relationship with leadership! In fact, I could write a book about this topic alone, the INSECURITY of LEADERS. For your sake though, I’ll give you the signs and symptoms of an insecure leader, all of which determine the stage of leadership one is on, this one being the “Title Stage”. More than that, I would love to tell you just what I’ve done that has given me freedom from this deadly flaw. If you’d like to know more, please contact me for more information. It’s my absolute favorite topic, training, and a pre-requisite for completing my Executive Coach Training Course. But let me explain more about the “Title Stage”

Title Stage

(This person has no real influence or skill, just a leadership position) They may be a new leader or manager, or one who has had little or no training or understanding regarding the mission and scope of leadership.

At this stage of development they have been appointed and given a title. The titled leader often uses a military, autocratic style of leadership that worked for the traditional generation, and during a war. And yet, if this is the only basis for someone’s authority and influence then they:

• Tend to be dictatorial, autocratic, demanding and controlling in their style

• Most of their actions and reactions are due to being insecure.

• When problems arise they are quick to blame shift without finding out all the facts, for fear that blame for the problem may be placed on them.

• Will make assumptions, again without the facts.

• Are defensive.

• Can’t take responsibility and have difficulty apologizing.

• Get their identity and security from the “title” and being “in charge”.

• Tend to lead by rules, protocol, flow charts and tradition.

• May have been appointed to a position regardless of their skills, talents or leadership influence.

• Expect people to “just do it” because, well “I said so”.

• Will have low moral throughout the organization.

• Will discover that people won’t engage and participate beyond their stated job description. They aren’t motivated by their work, and will only do the bare minimum.

• Use intimidation, threats and manipulation to direct people.

• Want everything to revolve around them, and what they want and need.

• Have people that feel disrespected, unimportant and frustrated.

• Have people who are not empowered to take charge themselves, and receive no rewards for any extra initiative. Instead they may intimidate the one trying to lead.

• Don’t allow their people to question anything, or ask the deeper questions to discover the real problems, issues, or hindrances of the organization.

• Believe that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. This results in unmotivated people who are discouraged.

• Micromanage due to their lack of trust.

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.“  Max DePree

YOUR COACHING ASSIGNMENT:

Take this list above and put a 1, 2, or 3 next to the sentences, 1 meaning least like and 3 meaning most like, and evaluate where you are today.  Want to really “GET REAL“, make copies of it, and have those closest to you rate the sentences about you!  Then be alert to the next posting, I’ll talk about what you need to do to go to the next level OF “LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE”.

STILL WANT TRANSFORMATION: Contact me to learn about my fall coaching programs AccidentalLeader@comast.net to acquire the accountability to become the person you know you can be!

Leaders Can Be Masters of Casting Vision-Especially When They Do It Through A Story

Leadership means casting vision.  It is creating a vivid picture of a possible future that is exciting to be a part of.  It is eliciting belief in your staff that creates a confidence in you, the leader, that you know where they are going, and can, with their help, take them there.  Whether you’re solving a problem, or creating a new reality, it’s making the world a better place because of the piece you and your company plays in it.  So how do you get this across?   A lot of leaders/managers use power point, but could you get your points across better by weaving them into a compelling story?  Personally, I believe people remember stories more than they remember graphs and charts.  In this video you’ll see a gifted story teller, Robert McKee give an example of the benefit of using stories.  And you don’t have to be casting vision to do this.  It could be used for expressing everyday objectives in a fresh new way.

">/0.jpg" alt="YouTube Preview Image" />

You be the judge, and try it some time when you’re wanting to emphasize a key point that you need your staff to remember.  And just like any skill, it takes time to develop it until it is truly effective.  Don’t give up after one try, there is a learning curve!

LEADERS, QUIT SABOTAGING YOURSELF AND GET RID YOUR BLIND SPOTS NOW!

I was breaking out with acne like a teenager. For over a year and a half I caked on foundation on my face, trying to hide the ghastly blemishes. Finally, I thought I’d try a moisturizing cream that was on sale, and within a week I noticed I wasn’t breaking out, NOT ONE BIT. After a year and a half of misery, what had made the difference? I discovered that make-up with oil in it caused my face to erupt and look like the Grand Canyon landed on my face. With one small, simple change, I felt physically, and emotionally better. I’m convinced this dilemma would have been solved considerably sooner had I consulted a professional in cosmetology, and had a needs assessment done on my skin. These same fatal flaws happen to professionals in every field, especially those in the role of a leader. As a leader you can easily succumb to believing you’re more important than you actually are, or that you’re more successful than is true. Like my simple little issue, so easily detected by a cosmetologist, the right business consultant, or executive coach can bring a trained eye to detect the small changes needed that will make a world of difference in your personal and professional success. They will provide the needed microscopic, outsider view-in to assess what’s working, while detecting what’s not. The value to this process is that they are someone who isn’t jaded by office politics, without bias toward one person or another, and therefore can see clearly, without any blind spots, what leaders are easily blind to. Couple this needs assessment with a program of coaching to hold you accountable for the needed adjustments or changes, and I believe you can more than double your effectiveness in the future. My question to you is, if you are a business owner, why wait until things are out of control? Like a yearly physical is needed to catch health problems before they exacerbate, every business needs to probe for their weaknesses and blind spots so they aren’t blindsided in the future. Let me ask you, do you feel like something is holding you back; that you or your company aren’t reaching their full potential; that you’ve hit a wall and don’t know what to do or where to go next?  If you’re silently any of this fits, and you genuinely see how a process like this could assist you in avoiding impending issues and problems, why wait? Build your leadership confidence to move forward in your business in 2010.  Contact me today and receive your free introductory leadership/company consultation to assess if you’re a good fit for us, and if we’re a good fit for you. If you’re not, we’ll refer you to someone who will meet your needs. Our strong affiliation with consultants and coaches throughout the country is why we can assure you the best, most appropriate person and service to meet your needs. Just contact us at: dynamicdev@comcast.net today, and we look forward to your continued success.

Every Leader is Faced With Overwhelming Challenges pt. II

I pay close attention to the hardships, challenges, failures and the struggles great leaders have weathered when I read their biographies.  One quality I’ve noticed that sets the acclaimed  ones apart is that they saw what others thought would be impossible, through the lens of possibility, and then proceeded to do something about it.  A true leader sees life as it could be, instead of as it is now.  Many weren’t prepared for the price they’d have to pay.  And for some, the price was too much, and no book was ever written.  For those emerging leaders who will triumph, the cost will be a small price to pay, in light of the end goal.  So today, this is for all those that didn’t quit, as well as for those trying not to. It’s for those that just kept going in spite of circumstances, one day at a time, sometimes one minute at a time.  It is my hope you come away from reading this and say to yourself, “I can do it!” “They did, and so can I.”

• Henry Ford had to ignore the foremost inventor of all times, Thomas Edison, who thought it was veritably worthless to create a motor car.

• What if Thomas Edison had become discouraged, burned out, frustrated, demoralized on his 532nd, or his 729th of the 956 tries to make the light bulb?  What would our world be like at night today?

• He had a dream, rubber that would be unaffected by temperature.  After many years of failed experiments and financial ruin, he was imprisoned for debt.  He had problems with his family, was ridiculed by his friends, and was bitterly discouraged at times.  But in February of 1839 Charles discovered that he needed to add sulfur to his rubber to create the Goodyear Tire.

• Henry Ford went bankrupt in his first three years in the automobile business.

• They went to Atari and offered the invention they had created with some of their parts; they just needed funds and a paycheck and Atari could have it.  Atari said no, so did Hewlett-Packard.  So Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak did it themselves and created Apple – the personal computer.

• Discharged from being a junior naval officer due to cancer, which reoccurred four more times. Yet while being informed he only had two weeks to live, he never gave up on his dream to be an admiral.  He encountered a small problem after he was well enough to try again. The navy would not reinstate him due to their regulations.  But he learned all he needed was an “Act of Congress” to allow him back. Therefore, he went after it with the determination of a bulldog, nothing daunting him.  Irwin W. Rosenberg, who later became Rear Admiral of the Seventh Fleet, was reinstated by President Truman.  What would you have done?

• In the May 19th 2009 Blog called “Brainstorm” by Psychology Today, they describe “Donald Trump’s comeback as being one of the most dramatic of all time.”,  going on to describe the Donald when he was 1 billion dollars in debt, and then how he turned it around.  This modern day story (they say) “is one of the most dramatic of all time.”  Written by Jay Dixit, the Senior Editor, it exemplifies the challenges and need for courage, stamina, and downright tenacity in the world of business today.  Care for Donald Trump or not, it’s a story to take note of, while putting some fire in your belly.

I hope this will engender confidence and HOPE during this holiday season  – Sue

« Previous Page — Next Page »