July 16, 2015
July 6, 2015
Customer Focused Selling
There was a time where sales efforts focused on getting as much product or service sold as possible. We worked with sales quotas based on monthly, quarterly, and annual numbers. If you approached a used car lot, you might have dreaded it because you knew the salesperson would be selling hard, and perhaps it’s not…
June 19, 2015
Guidelines for Efficient Planning
Time is money, the saying goes, and lots of it gets lost in disorganization and disruption. We also deal with a constant barrage of technology, people, and tasks that can contribute to that disorganization. Many people find that they flit from one task to another, trying to get everything done. Here are some guidelines for…
May 22, 2015
Tug Of War
Ah…remember the fun of pulling as hard as you could? Then, as you leapt forward, you realized that you were being pulled back. Alarmed you would yell: “Pull!!!“ and everyone leaned back and grimaced while pulling with all their might. Everyone would struggle as hard as they could; veins popping out of their necks, teeth…
May 8, 2015
Business Card Etiquette
It is important to understand when it is appropriate to be handing out your business cards, and the manner in which to do so. When it comes to giving out your business cards, keep the following tips in mind. Don’t leave home without your cards. However, don’t hand out your business card to everyone you…
April 15, 2015
Defining Self-Leadership
Self-leadership is about choosing who we are, what we do, and who we become. It doesn’t advocate for a selfish approach to get what we want at any costs. It also recognizes that things do not always come to us easily but that our environment is created through us making choices and creating opportunities and…
April 6, 2015
Defining Risk and Risk Management
What is Risk?
The ISO 31000 risk management standard defines risk as, “the effect of uncertainty on objectives.” Risks are typically related to one of four areas: The organization’s long-term strategy (three years, five years, and beyond) The way that an organization manages change (for example, during mergers and restructuring) The day-to-day operations of…
March 9, 2015
Understanding Assertiveness
When leading a workshop, you want to stay in control so participants aren’t walking all over you. However, you also don’t want to scare participants away. You want to have an assertive attitude. Assertiveness is a word we tend to use not always understanding what it means. Assertiveness is not about getting your own way…
March 4, 2015
Why Routines?
Routines simplify; clarify; and create order, symmetry, and familiarity in chaos and high stress. Routines are the foundation of success. Be dull in your everyday routine so you can be wildly creative where it counts. During high stress, routines are like ports in a storm. Top performers in every area of every industry have lives…
February 24, 2015
Impressions Count!
When it comes to business, impressions count! If you want people to believe in your products or services, you have to put some thought into dressing well in order to project the image that you want. Once you have established a relationship you can ease up a bit, but you should always look professional and…
January 30, 2015
Mastering the Interview
The interview experience can be a stressful situation, even for those who have been through the process many times before. Preparing yourself for unexpected and knowing what type of questions are appropriate can help to avoid a position of being put on the spot.
Out of Bounds
Uncomfortable topics can come up in an interview.…
January 20, 2015
Defining Communication
What is communication? It is more than just sending and receiving messages; it is about understanding those messages. There are lots of things that can get in the way of understanding a message, such as: Noise Language Culture Disinterest Experience Education Emotion Vocabulary Mood Here are two tips for removing those barriers. Empathy: Make a…
January 5, 2015
The Five P’s and Social Media
Lots of companies say – and even believe – that they have a social media strategy. They encourage employees to create profiles and to promote or share news about what the company is doing, and they set up profiles on every site they can find. But, if you think back to what we understand about…
December 22, 2014
Meeting Styles
You can connect people to your meetings by varying your meeting styles as appropriate. Rather than having a meeting where everyone comes in, sits down, and settles into their chair for a meeting that can drag on, kick up the energy and interest in your meetings by offering something different.
How Much Time?
…
December 15, 2014
Types of Difficult People
Difficult people get themselves sorted into categories, just so we can develop a strategy for dealing with them. If you pick up almost any book on the subject, you will find descriptions of these people and some suggested ways of dealing with them. Below you will find information on the difficult people that we encounter…
December 1, 2014
Creating an Accountable Organization
It is important to consider the accountability within our organization. If you think about companies that you do business with, do they demonstrate accountability? What kinds of results do they get?
Key Characteristics
In order for an organization to be accountable, there must be a few key things in place: The organization as a…
November 28, 2014
Key Behaviors and Attitudes for Supervising Others
There’s an old saying that attitude is everything. One thing is for sure: attitude is a huge factor in your success at anything, including leadership.
Building the Right Environment
We can talk about ourselves in terms of leadership and set up a plan, but as the saying goes, “The proof is in the pudding.”…
November 21, 2014
Leadership Styles
There are several very strong models for leadership which have been developed after many years of study, and with the help of many companies and their leaders. All of these models share some things in common that we can certainly learn from in our own quest to become the best leaders that we can be.…
November 12, 2014
Self-Attitude and Assertiveness
Self-concept, self-attitude and self-esteem can all impact the way that we send and receive messages. Individuals with low self-esteem and a negative self-image tend to operate in a passive style. Other people might think that they are superior to everyone else, resulting in an aggressive style. This creates all kinds of interesting conversations!