5 Keys To Starting A “Positive Domino Effect Of Activity!

BUT, FIRST YOU MUST BREAK OFF THE CRIPPLING EFFECT OF PROCRASTINATION!

Are there things you know you should be doing, but they feel

overwhelming, there’s so much to it, you just can’t seem to get started?  I know how you feel. I’m finally embarking on a new project I’ve wanted to launch for a while now.  It’s not something I’m unused to doing, that I haven’t done before, it’s just packed in a different venue . . .tele-summits.  I’ve done two now and Monday night I spoke on an international Coaching Tele- summit, http://100coachingtips.com/interviews/ with world class, renowned coaches, well, from whom I’ve taken classes from.  Then I have an interview with Dr. Deb Gilroy for her Telesummit: www.growandthriveonline.com/telesummit  for coaches, therapists, and entrepreneurs in September.  And you know what’s funny, and scary, while exhilarating all at the same time? It doesn’t matter that I’ve personally coached, presented to, and trained executives.  We can’t, as business owners, or executives, rest on our laurels!  So what is the problem?  This is NEW and DIFFERENT, and whenever you enter unchartered waters, just getting started sometimes is the hardest part, but it’s all it takes to get rolling sometimes.  Is this what impedes most success?  Now, I’m thinking, geez Sue, what’s the big deal?  Well, there isn’t one, it’s just unknown!  So, let me ask you, what is it that you’ve known for a long time you need to learn, do, or embark on?  Join me, be a leader, and just do it, get started.  You know what it is.  Get up right now, go get a book to write in, or some kind of pda and make the final commitment – WRITE DOWN what you’re GOING TO DO right NOW.  Follow these steps and you’ll soon have under your belt another skill set, program, or class that will take you so much closer to your destiny.  Go ahead, JUST DO IT – don’t wait – follow this:

1. Make it a S.M.A.R.T. goal to give you clarity, direction and a mini-plan. (This acronym means to be: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time Bound.)

2. Align it with your strategic plan for the year, checking to see that it fits with your personal and work: Mission in Life, Vision, and Values.  In other words, make sure it’s not just a “Bright Shiny Object” luring you from your true call!

3. Tell two people what you’re about to do, by what date, while inviting them to check in with you to see how you’re doing. (Of course unless you have a BUSINESS COACH)

4. Take the first step.  Sign-up for that class, contact that person, write that e-mail

5. Determine when you will complete, finish or acquire it. (This is the time-bound part)

And you know what, just because I got started, I’ve also found the impetus to begin two other major projects I’ve been intending to do for some time.  Just like being disciplined in one area leads to more discipline in other areas of your life, you will find that getting started may just begin a powerfully positive domino effect.

The Value of the Traditional Generation

DON’T PUT THE TRADITIONAL GENERATION OUT TO PASTURE – INSTEAD MAKE THEM  MENTORS OF  GENERATION Y, THE MILLENNIALS!

So what is the purpose in understanding the generations when it comes to business?  Let me show you.  You see, the way the Traditional Generation grew up they are:

 

 

Practical

 Logical

Dedicated

Prefer to work in a stable environment

Would rather save than spend

Now, who wouldn’t want that on their staff?  In fact, their values guide them to sacrifice for the greater good, so if they perceive this to be your company, they’ll be loyal, faithful, dedicated, and respectful to the end.  Above all else, they want to feel they have something to offer, therefore don’t put them out to pasture, especially now.  Soon, very soon they’ll be gone, but while we have the chance, we have a whole new generation  that has emerged on the workforce scene, the Millennial or Generation Y.  This generation mirrors more of the values of the Traditional Generation and they welcome an opportunity to be mentored by them. Could you see the usefulness in this?  And remember, they’ve been through The Great Depression, bread lines, and WWII, so they have enduring patience, and understand the meaning of sacrifice, so they won’t be petty, and instead of running off with your office supplies, they’ll find ways to cut corners.  If you have someone of the Traditional Generation on your staff, you have a gold mine of not only stability, but you have one of the “keepers” of experience and character.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my career, as a Business Coach, is to be a kind of business match maker.  There is not much better, in my line of work, than to being able to find a talented, quality person and be able into a company who has a gap they fit perfectly.  While I can, and while we still have these pillars in our community, I’m on a mission to find great positions for this generation!

As a Business Coach I Want to Provide a Fresh Perspective of the Baby Boom Generation to Decrease Any Frustration From Misconseptions

In order to be effective leaders and collaborators with the boomer generation, we have to discern what made them who they distinctively are, in comparison with the other generations!

The Baby Boomer Generation 1946-1964 (18 yrs.)78 million strong

(The “Me” Generation)  Optimistic and Competitive, “The: “Question Authority” Generation  – we were to change the world (According to our parents that is!)

PEOPLE  who shaped the culture of this generation:

John F Kennedy                   Martin Luther King       Star Trek

Richard Milhous Nixon    The Beetles                        Elvis

Barbara Streisand                Partridge Family             Janis Joplin

The Rolling Stones              Captain Kangaroo          Dr. Spock (children)

Father Knows Best              “Deep Throat”                  Gloria Steinem

PLACES that shaped the culture of this generation:

The Watergate Hotel           Hanoi Hilton                   Chappaquiddick

Woodstock                              Kent State                         The Suburbs

Planned Parenthood            Boonie Pty’s                     Hitchhiking

CENTRAL EVENTS that shaped their future views on almost everything:

Civil Rights Marches           Watergate Hotel            Sexual Revolution

Creation of the PILL            Concerts                           Burning the flag

Man on the Moon                 Cuban War Crisis         Oil Embargo

Creation television               Space Travel                    Rebellion toward govt.

Vietnam                                    The draft                           The Cold War

Laugh-In                                  Love-Ins                            Sit-Ins

THE CREATION OF:

The Television                        The Pill                           Bell Bottoms

Halter Tops                              Mood Rings                  Beads and Strobe

Lights                                         Marijuana, LSD, Heroin

Dripping Candles                   Long Hair/No bra

Again, 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!  And, when we look closely at what made the ideals, views, and outlooks of the generations, what made them they the way they are today, we can see why the Traditional Generation places such a high value on the Government and obeying authority, it’s what won two world wars, and carried them through the Great Depression!  Why they are such penny pinchers who live by the slogan:  “Waste not want not!”  In the same say you can also see that when the Vietnamese War arrived why the Boomers rose up against it.  Now I didn’t say this was right or wrong, I’m just saying it is understandable that we didn’t just go along with what we felt was a gross misjudgement on the part of our government!  We didn’t just accept and obey, we questioned EVERYTHING, swinging the opposite direction from the beliefs and values of our parents.  It makes sense, when we look at the history that shaped us, why we Boomers are a driven generation, consumed by our work.  In fact, most of us don’t even plan on retiring.  This was because our parents said we could do anything, be anything, and by golly we were going to fulfill their expectations and more.  We weren’t going to have to live like our parents, with an outhouse, war, and depression, we were instead going for the gusto, the real deal!  Can you see what molded our thinking and our drive from the above scenarios? As a Business Coach I encounter the values clash in the workplace almost daily.  The Traditionalists value earning their place on the leadership team, while accepting the input of their manage as the gospel without question.  Boomers however, want to process decisions, to  meet and plan the “right” option.  Because we grew up with 78 million peers, we had to learn to work together and on teams, so we do the same in the work environment.  Yet to stand out from among this large crowd, created a kind of competitiveness and drive that keeps us going, and going, and going.  Can you see the way our differences emerged? I find this fascinating!  And there is so much more I will review and reveal in the next post, to put parts of the generational puzzle together!  We’ll get into the best way to market to each generation, and even how to lead them while demystifying some of the wrong assumptions we tend to work off of, and hopefully you’ll find useful information to make your efforts to collaborate and work with the different generations a peasant experience.

Your Coaching Challenge:  Talk with someone from the Traditional Generation: (born between 1920 and 1945) and ask them questions about growing up, and what they had to live with, or without.  Then do the same with a Boomer, all the while discerning the differences in their approaches to things and why.  Then write about your experience below for us to learn from as well!  And enjoy the process!

Business Leaders, Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile For Better Exposure!

Great, Short Tip For Better Optimization!

Just did this tip myself! LinkedIn is by far one of the foremost social media marketing sites for professionals.  Not only does every fortune 500 company have an executive participating, but the average income of users is $100,000.  It is “THE” social media business site to use!  More to come.

IF YOU WERE GOING TO BE A CONTESTANT ON “THE APPRENTICE” HOW WOULD YOU PREPARE YOURSELF AHEAD OF TIME?

What would you need to know to be an effective, knowledgeable, and most important, successful contestant on The Apprentice?

“The Apprentice” was on, and as my husband and I watched, I kept thinking, UNBELIEVABLE, don’t these people know what the Donald (Donald Trump) likes? Don’t they realize, from past episodes, what will sink them in the board room faster than a singer singing off key on American Idol? Then I began to think “I wonder what other people would do to prepare to get on the show, the biggest, longest, most intense job interview on the planet?” So, here’s my list of ways I’d prepare for this leadership position:

I’d watch as many past episodes of “The Apprentice” as possible, making lists and analyzing:

• What the Donald likes/dislikes

• What he respects/disrespects

• What his taste is in every obvious way. (For example, on this evening’s episode the two teams were tasked with building out and creating a modern office space. The Donald didn’t like the results of either one.)

• How much influence his son/daughter have regarding his decisions

• I would analyze why each person was fired

• I would discern the characteristics of the people that succeeded and why

• I would take into account the behavioral style of those who were fired as well as those who succeeded.

• I would go over the projects they performed with a fine tooth comb and carefully study them

• I might even call some of the old contestants for their input and advice on things, listening carefully

• Because I know I would be the Project Manager at some point, I would research the job description of PM’s, to learn what makes them successful, along with leadership and management skills. This is something that makes or breaks each person when they become the PM on “The Apprentice”.

• I would read everything I could find regarding Donald Trump, to understand every aspect about him, his staff, and his businesses, especially about his company mission, vision and values.

I see a lot of similarities between the above and when preparing to prospective a client /company, or even when looking for a job. Due diligence will not only prepare and equip you; it will help you to develop a secure confident demeanor through thorough preparation.

So, in your opinion, did I miss anything? What would you do differently? And one last thing, I have no intention of ever being on “The Apprentice”; it’s just fun to put myself in these shoes.

YOUR COACHING CONNECTION: Watch one episode of “The Apprentice” analyzing everything, looking for anything I missed.  Then post a comment here, to set me straight.  Or, tell me how you would prepare for a major interview.

The Worst Sports Call of all Time Was Made by Jim Joyce as the World Watched the Reruns Over and Over Again

How would you like that to be your legacy? It was the perfect game, but the young pitcher was robbed of the rare and esteemed title of “perfect game”. Had the call been made the way it should have, Armando Galarraga would have been the 21st pitcher to have thrown a perfect game. What remains of this story is a tale of two men who handled sportsmanship honorably.

Let me ask you, have you ever made a really bad, I mean a really bad mistake? I have, and it not only cost me a considerably large job, but possibly a friendship. Like Jim Joyce, at first I began to justify my poor judgment, explaining why I had done what I had done. But when the impact of what my actions cost this person hit me, I was devastated. I saw the terrible position I put this person in, and like Jim Joyce, it was then that I took full responsibility, apologized, and then broke down in tears. Thank God, for me, it wasn’t in front of the whole world. OK, so maybe you don’t cry, but Joyce sure did. Executives and leaders make bad calls all the time. Unfortunately, in the beginning, it’s how they learn what not to do. Then those who are authentic executives learn from their leadership mistakes and failure. The problem occurs when we don’t, and I’ve seen way too much of that as well. Not owning up to or taking responsibility for your mistakes destroys companies, and careers. So, how do you know if that’s you? Ask those around you if you:

• Make excuses

• Blame Shift

• Turn it around and make others wrong

People who aren’t willing to own their own bad calls will continue to encounter the same issues and problems over and over again. But when you take responsibility, you have an opportunity to learn and grow, and hopefully never make the poor judgment call ever again.

Finally, I want to commend Galarraga, who showed the upmost poise and composure, when a history title was unjustly torn away from him. And Jim Joyce, I believe you showed the world, especially our children, true courage and maturity by taking ownership, apologizing, and showing genuine remorse, as seen in your personal apology to Galarraga: “ I’m sorry, I am so sorry, I make a mistake, I feel really bad for you. I don’t know what to say.”  and for that I commend you!     (quote taken from The New York Times http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/03/galarragas-thoughts-the-morning-after/)

What’s Under the Covers of Your Business pt. II

Find out what your staff, spouse, and closest friends are seeing about your business that is, and is not working. Trust me, they’ll know more about running a business than you can ever imagine. Now there are a couple of ways of going under the covers to discover what’s there. You can do one-on-one interviews. This is what I conduct in larger organizations, and works well when you have the funds to bring someone in. In mid. to small businesses, surveys work . Call it: “What This Business Needs” Analysis. Now, if they know you can detect whose writing is whose, here’s a suggestion: Give them a completion date to turn it in by. Then, provide a self addressed, stamped envelope to be mailed to a person who will type up the answers. If your company is large enough, have them turn the completed analysis in to your administrative assistant. Again remember:

• Don’t take it personally!

• Don’t make excuses to yourself or others as to why things are the way they are.

• No blame-shifting, take full responsibility for the results.  You’re the leader.

• Don’t let it defeat you, it is what it is. After you’ve taken stock, it’s may be time to rebuild/re-launch a new standard of operating, according to what you’ve found.

Here are some questions you can use for your questionnaire:

1. What do you see isn’t working around here?

2.  If you could change anything, what would it be?

3. Why aren’t we growing?

4. Why don’t we have more clients/customers, or sales?

5. What can we change, or do, to make your job easier for you to give your best?

6. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most and 1 the least:

a. How happy are you in your position?

b. I have received adequate training to be successful

c. I have been provided all the equipment and supplies to do my job well.

d.Toxic conversation is discouraged in my area

e. I have respect for my direct manager?

f. I understand the Mission, Vision, and Values of my company

g. We as employees strive to live by our Mission, Vision, and Values?

h. I feel my work is appreciated

i. I have incentives to continue to do a better job?

j. I am provided continuing education to enhance my work and skill-set

k.The culture of the office is healthy

Remember, this is just a start. If you’d like more information on when this product is launched, let me know. I’m sure I’ll be running some great specials to test it, as well as to promote it. Here’s to your business success not being by ACCIDENT!

What are the Necessary Elements You Need, as a Leader, to Attract, Motivate, and Keep the Most Talented Employees?

The Gallop organization discovered that the employees who rated the questions below more positively , had a company with much higher levels of productivity, greater profit, higher retention and more satisfied customer service.

To build a productive, collaborative, positive climate, the questions below will guide your actions toward retention. Find a way to keep your pulse on how your employees are “really” doing, will take some tact, and even some investigation. Those on their way out won’t as readily or honestly share how they’re doing. They won’t want to tip you off. Be creative, but not sneaky in your effort to learn the answers to these questions.

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

At Starbucks, they are ingenious in the way they gather this kind of information. They conduct “skip level” interviews. This alone elicits a natural accountability, as they do it often enough that those who work at Starbucks, and both my children have been “shifts” at Starbucks, know their actions will be disclosed to the powers that be, hence some of why you have positive, friendly employees that are known as partners, and truly treated as such.

The Indomitable Spirit of the Leader

Where do you acquire your inspiration? Do you take your challenges and frustrations and amalgamate them into laser like focus, and a clear, unstoppable vision? For me, keeping my eye on role models with the kind of extreme challenge I live with regularly, is one way. I have a heroic esteem that after contemplating on their stories, cascades into a belief that says to me regularly, if they can do it, with their issues and problems, there is nothing that I will allow to stop me! So, when I’m coaching a business owner who’s struggling with the normal issues that every business owner I know does, I say often, “This is why you’re the business owner, not your employees.” It’s not a normal person that could handle an employee that embezzles money, with a customer wrongfully suing them, a computer that crashes and one of their big clients stolen by their competitor. Oh, and did I mention, this all happened within a month’s time? This may be extreme, but you have to be an extreme person yourself to weather instances of the above scenario on a regular basis. You see, the definition of business owner/leader is “One who has continuous challenges in the workplace that evoke a symphony of emotions”. How you deal with it all is what makes the difference, and you have to learn and acquire a defying like strength that will keep you going, in spite of all the leadership challenges and circumstances. Those that make it, stick it out, and are successful, learn to have an indomitable spirit, and an unstoppable attitude. Finding heroes to emulate is only one way to stay the course. What is it that you do that keeps you in the game?

Tip of the week: Read autobiographies of great men and women, or short stories such as in the book “Unstoppable” by Cynthia Kersey. And by all means read, or listen to “Failing Forward” by Dr. John C. Maxwell. Understanding that failure is not forever, and doesn’t translate into you’re a failure, is a huge lesson we all need to learn.

Which Social Medial Tool Should You as a Leader Use, if Any?

Is social media a viable networking/marketing outlet?  To find out the answer to that question, as well as how not  to waste your valuable time on social media that isn’t effective, check out this recent report by “The State of Social Media Marketing“ .  They just put out a phenomenal report disclosing strategies and predictions for 2010.   Is Facebook, or Twitter a better investment of your marketing time?  You might be surprised.  The writers of this report surveyed 5,140 marketing and business professionals who are using social media to gain their statistics.  You will learn how often people are posting on the three most popular sites, Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn , all of which I use regularly (click on these, their my sites.)  As well, you’ll learn which is more popular, Twitter or Facebook.  If you’re into synergizing and making wise use of your most precious commodity, time, then take a good look at this report.  For me, one of the most important facts was the usage of  corporate accounts.  To be known in your field as an influential mover and shaker, you must participate.  My question to you is, are you using “free” media, and if not, why not?  It may be that you’ve not seen the value; however, knowledge can break through your preconceived ideas, if you let it, and bring a new found wisdom which can open up to you a whole new world.

If, through proper investigation, you learn you’re missing the boat, but you’re not sure where to begin, with so many options already available on the market, a report like this can give you some clear cut, statistical direction.   Now, I hear from people all the time who dislike, almost hate, the idea of Facebook.  I should know, I was one of them, but I am now a happy convert.  Not only have I reconnected with a lot of truly wonderful people, I have made business connections that will last a lifetime.  We won’t even talk about keeping an eye on what your children are doing, or the wonderful pictures of grandchildren you can regularly obtain.   Just know that if you’re not exploring this issue, you may be missing out on one of the most revolutionary marketing endeavors to come along in your lifetime.  So, check it out.  Here’s some of the valuable information that I hope will persuade you, although if you’re reading this, it’s highly likely you’re already taking advantage of it.  Happy social networking!  Share this with someone who doesn’t read blogs, or uses social media.  For more on the report, check out the social media examiner article: http://bit.ly/5jCnMV

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