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Give Everyone an "A"

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:11:17 +0100

The book, The Art Of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, talks about a concept called "giving an A" which suggests that we simply choose the perspective of seeing everyone, including ourselves as having great potential.

People rise (or fall) to our level of expectation. Imagine what would happen if you gave an A to anyone and everyone--your spouse, children, employer, co-workers--even strangers.

It is easy to fall into the habit of judging others for not living up to what we think they are capable of or how they should act. We then end up labeling them as C's, D's or even F's. But what if we viewed them through the eyes of the potential they do have? What if we gave them an A right from the beginning and treated them accordingly? What sorts of relationships would you have, and what types of results would you get?

It's really a matter of perspective. What grad do you want to live?

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You Are Making An Impact As A Leader

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:43:08 +0100

According to www.dictionary.com, the origin of the word “impact” comes from the Latin word impingere, which means “to push against.” The online dictionary has three definitions of impact that relate directly to the concept of leadership impact:

1) “influence; effect,”

2) “the force exerted by a new idea, concept, technology, or ideology,” and

3) “the power of making a strong, immediate impression.”

Whether you see yourself as a leader or not, you are having an impact on the world. Your every breath, every movement, every word, every interaction, and every thought have an impact on something or someone else.

As leaders of our community, our homes, our businesses, and our teams at work, it is our mindset which makes the biggest impact. It starts with our mindset, because our mindset affects our behavior which affects our results. Positive results usually mean you have a positive mindset and positive behaviors. Negative results usually are a result of your negative mindset and behaviors. Often when things go awry, we want to place the blame on others. But really it starts with us.

What kinds of impacts are you making as a leader in your life?

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My Faith Has Been Restored

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:44:43 +0100

Wow! I just had a great customer service experience and I still can’t believe it. I’m still reeling! I won’t bore you with all the nitty gritty details but just suffice it to say that my belief in good customer service has been restored.

I have been worried lately that people just don’t seem to care anymore. Whether it was getting no response from a client who missed an appointment (after many repeated attempts—hopefully she is fine), or the grumbling cashier that I was determined not to let ruin my day, I actually had not one but two great experiences.

First is the cheery ticket taker at the local movie theater. After waiting patiently in the long, slow moving popcorn line and then getting mumbled and grumbled at from the cashier, I was pleasantly surprised to be cheerfully greeted by the ticket taker. She looked at the movie we were attending and told us how much we were going to enjoy it and even gave us a tip to not be confused as they jump back and forth in time at the beginning of the movie. (I just hate it when they do that in movies and I don’t catch on till way into the movie.) Thanks for the heads up! She definitely cares about what she does and makes the most out of her day.

Then there was the store manager that personally responded to the online survey that I completed in which I decided to give some constructive criticism. How else are they supposed to correct a wrong doing if they are not told about it? I totally expected it to fall into a black hole of surveys that no one really reads, let alone replies to. Within 10 minutes I received an email back apologizing for the inconvenience and offering to correct the mistake at my convenience and to contact him directly. What? They actually cared about me?

These actions may appear small but they go a long way in providing good customer service. It’s like what Seth Godin writes in his blog entitled Who cares?

“Caring, it turns out, is a competitive advantage, and one that takes effort, not money.”

And who doesn’t want a competitive advantage? So my faith in humanity is restored.

How about you? What are you doing to show you care? No matter how small the act may seem. I would love to hear what you have to say.

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Life Is A Game But What Are The Rules?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:10:05 +0100

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a workshop about transitioning hosted by Janet Fiorenzo. A fabulous group of ten women of various backgrounds, ages and stages in their lives, came together to share stories of transition and what they are experiencing. It is always amazing to me the energy that is felt when women come together for a common purpose.

Janet taught us a new tool that we can use to assist us at this time of self discovery. Deep Listening according to Janet “is a way of listening with the intention of hearing underneath the surface or conscious level. In practicing this type of listening, we ‘hear’ ourselves or another without the many filters that come for our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, self-talk and aspects of ego.”

It was very freeing to have someone be present with you and to truly listen to whatever you felt like sharing. Even though most of these women were virtually strangers and their stories of transition were all different, it was comforting to know we are not alone in our journey. After a stressful day, I walked away from the workshop feeling very calm and peaceful.

This morning, still feeling the peacefulness of the night before, I came across this wonderful video about the 10 Rules for Being Human. The message of this video from my favorite inspirational site Simple Truths shares many of the same messages we discussed last night at the workshop. I hope you take a few minutes to stop in your busy day and watch the video and think about these 10 rules that we somehow lose sight of as we move through our busy lives.

I hope you enjoy it.

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Top Leadership Qualities

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:12:05 +0100

I think it's important to note that great leaders are made, not born, so each and every one of you has the opportunity to hone your leadership skills and become the leader you want to be. Here are some of the top qualities that great leaders possess.

Fairness - Great leaders are able to put their own feelings aside and look at what is best for their team as a whole.
Knowledge - Leaders should attempt to get as many details about a situation as possible before making their decision.
Decisive - Great leaders always proclaim their decision and then stand by it 100%, even if they are secretly indecisive.
Good communication skills - Good leaders keep their team members apprised of all decisions that affect the team.
Honesty - For the good of their team, good leaders share as much information as they possibly can.
Trustworthy - Consistently tell the truth, keep the communication lines open and keep your team's best interest in mind.

Of course, these are just a few of the many characteristics that make up a good leader. What other qualities do you find yourself expressing when you successfully lead a group?

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Finally, Someone Who Loves What They Do!

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:11:38 +0100

It was so uplifting when I came across this article about someone who actually loves what they do. And she's a woman in technology no less! A rarity indeed.

In today’s economy, you don’t always hear about people that enjoy what they do. More often than not we hear about people who are unemployed, frustrated in their current situation or struggling to getting it all done.

That’s why I wanted to share this article by Lis Hubert. She lists the top 5 reasons why she loves being a woman in technology. As she states, I too hope it brightens your perspective.

I would love to hear what you think by commenting below.

Photo credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=3062

I Choose Me

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:28:59 +0100

The business world is changing. It is no longer enough to keep your head down, do a good job and expect the rewards and recognition to come your way.

Marketing guru and author, Seth Godin, recently stated in this article from Business Insider.com, “If you're the average person out there doing average work, there's going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it's assigned to you, or "never mind the race to the top, you'll be racing to the bottom."

However, if you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more, Godin says.

We are all unique and have gifts to share with the world. But many of us have not taken the time to really think about and define how we are different, how we stand out.

I challenge you to explore who you are at your core. What experiences and skills do you have that make you uniquely you. What is it that you stand for? Write it down—put it on your LinkedIn profile or Facebook page. Really claim it and then…live it.

Don’t sit back and wait for others to choose you and recognize you. Choose yourself and take control of your own career.

Let me know how you are claiming your own brilliance by clicking on the title of this blog post and commenting below.

Photo credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1499

Email Introductions: Lesson 101

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:18:40 +0100

I am a big supporter of networking and connecting people that I believe will mutually benefit from knowing each other. So when I ran across this blog post from Entrepreneurs Unpluggd, I just had to share these basic tips for doing introductions via email.

I love sharing simple tips and tricks that help build relationships, improve communication skills and streamline daily activities. This step by step outline with examples makes it so easy that there is no excuse for any more horribly bungled email introductions! It is a quick read so please take a minute, you will be glad you did.

Connecting people and facilitating networking opportunities comes naturally for some of us but for those that it doesn’t, please follow this straight forward approach. It will make your life easier.

Happy networking!

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Be The Bridge

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:49:26 +0100

Managers are the key to successful organizations. Becoming a great manager and leader is a process. Steven Covey talks about the Whole-Person Paradigm in Leadership: Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results. He states that great leaders see people as whole--body, heart, mind and spirit--and work to unleash their full creative potential.

Employees are the most critical asset a company has. A manager is the conduit between the individual employee, their goals and desires and the goals of the business. Managers are the BRIDGE.

The six fundamental steps that enables a leader to take their team to the next level are:

Building the foundation. Defining and communicating the mission, vision and values of the organization. It is critical that everyone is on the same page and understands the end goal.
Relationships. Really knowing the individuals on your team and what motivates and drives each of them is critical to being successful. Effective communication needs to be tailored to each person. Listening and hearing them is essential.
Inspiration. Truly valuing and rewarding each employee is the key to inspiring them to do great things. Recognition is often overlooked and can be as simple as saying "Thank You".
Development--you must provide the right tools and resources and develop individuals based on their needs. Don't assume everyone is at the same skill level and learns in the same manner. Really listen to your employee's goals and desires and gife them the opportunity to grow.
Guidance. As a manager, your role is to provide the ultimate goal and then let the individuals figure out the best way to get there. You are there to guide them along the way but not micro-manage them. There is more than one way to get things done.
Empower. Let the creative juices flow and you may be surprised at how effective solutions may be. Let go of being in control and become an empowerment leader.

A collaborative environment where people feel they are truly valued and listened to is much more effective than a strict, competitive environment where one person is pitted against the other.

It's all about people. What are you doing to build a strong team? I look forward to reading your comments.

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3 Secrets of Impactful Leadership

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:26:44 +0100

As you are leading and impacting others, are you getting the results you want? If yes, do you know what you are doing to get those results so you can keep getting them again and again? And if no, do you know what you are doing that is disempowering others, so that you can change your approach to achieve your desired results and empower others in the process?

So, what does it take to be an impactful leader? Being a leader is not about your title, the power of your position or how many followers you have. It comes down to three critical steps.

1. Know where you are coming from - Know what you believe in and what your values are so that you can make decisions and lead your team in the direction that supports your vision.

2. Adopt a leadership mindset that positively affects your behaviors, your outcomes and therefore your impact. When you have a leadership mindset, you take responsibility for your team and your results.

3. Empower your team members to be their best. Identify the strengths and talents of your team so you can empower them to achieve the desired goal.

These simple tips will help you to be an impactful leader while getting the results you want. What kind of an impact are you making as a leader? I would love to hear your comments.

Photo credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1152