14 New Year's Quotes to Inspire—and More!

Take a few minutes to read these exquisite quotes - all beautifully said.  Notice nature in all of the photos - where we find peace.

14 New Year's Quotes to Inspire—and More!

Happy, happy New Year.

The Power Behind Meditation

Buddha was asked, "What have you gained from meditation?" He replied, "Nothing!" However, Buddha said, let me tell you what I lost: Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Insecurity, Fear of Old, Age And Death."  I will add that meditation has brought me peace, serenity, present moment awareness and less and less judgmental thoughts.  Meditation is part of how I live my life. The more people embrace the practice, the less conflict will show up in the world.

When Messages Aren't Conveyed

I take a Zumba class at a local gym on Saturday mornings.  Love the class because the instructor is latin and the music is latin as well and we leave the class sweaty and smiling. The instructor at this class has been out an average of once a month but there has always been a substitute teacher to take her place. This Saturday was a PR issue for this gym - you know how the saying goes - see or experience a negative situation and the message gets spread to eight people who pass it on to eight people, etc.  Well that is what happened on Saturday. The instructor was there early, music playing, all set up, etc. Another instructor shows up and announces that the class is now hers (told by management  who also had her name on the class roster).  Management had failed to share this with the original instructor......not only an embarrasing moment for both instructors, but a big disruption for the members as we got to witness this go down.  Several ladies went out into the gym to commiserate with the original instructors for about 10 minutes, the new instructor is feeling and hearing the comments, disappointmented expressed by members, some members walked out and complained to the front desk.

This whole situation could have been avoided if the manager did her job and contacted the instructor to share that she was no longer needed, before Saturday.  I understand that this is not the first time this sort of thing has happened there. I don't know management of programs or how she is treated by the corporation but this could have been managed better.

Whatever message was being sent did not align with the intent of the gym, quite the contrary, what showed up was a lack of respect, professionalism, poor communication and whatever else. I sent an email to corporate explaining my perspective as a trained coach who works inside of companies and with leaders on communication.  I am very disappointed in how this was handled and I am hoping someone in higher level managment will see the need to maybe change some procedures around what is expected in communicating to others what needs to be said.  Certainly a coaching opportunity.

Why do so many business people and companies not value communication as key to success?  The "I assume they will understand" or "I really don't care what they think" way of thinking will not serve anyone moving forward.  Eventually it will bite you on the behind especially if the negativity is spread by others to others most likely in the companies "bottom line".

Lessons Learned From a Highly Successful Serial Entrepreneur

FAU a local college in Boca Raton offers monthly lecture series from successful business people with the audience typically made up of the business school's MBA program students.  Local business people are also invited and I attend when there is a speaker who I feel I want to hear their story.  Last night was an example of one of the better lectures I sat in on.  The speaker is a local success story in creating successful companies, selling them at the "right time", dealing with some challenges, learning from those and is very involved with the college.

He shared the following traits and qualities that helps make him a success when he starts a new company:

• Is naturally restless - can't sit behind a desk for too long. (Richard Branson doesn't use a desk)
• Short attention span
• Dreams up opportunities by simply engaging peopel in conversations and finding solutions to problems people deal which in his case is in the technology space
• Sees the importance of helping the less fortunate (Bill Gates is the same way); knows there is a higher purpose for his role in life. He used the words "hope and opportunity"
• Is a risk taker
• Deals with change and sees change as a necessary part of growth and new opportunities
• Likes being part of start ups and helping create a solid business foundation and when company starts growing, he knows it's time to move on
• Suggested first hire be an accountant - CPA and then a sales/marketing person
• Treat people like you want to be treated
• Be fair but disciplined to make decisions that will benefit the growth and success of the company
• Communicate, communicate, communicate with stakeholders, staff, business partners
• Surround yourself with good people who compliment you
• Understand the lessons you learn from successes and failures
• Recruit and hire people who you can Trust (a biggie) and who will fit into the company culture
• Build for stability first and then put risk policy in place
• Lead by example
• Get rid of people who don't fit the culture; you want a posititve team
• Manage stress and aspire to life balance as an individual and for the company 
• All leaders need breaks - so take vacations
• Surround yourself with business people who compliment your strengths

Many of these traits show up in articles, white papers and blogs on a regular basis describing successful leaders. Not everyone starting a new company will have these traits.  If you are the person with a great idea but do not have the energy or traits shown above, you probably want to align yourself with someone you know and trust who does, who can be your partner in your new venture.  If you partner with someone, the main thing is to get really clear on expectations and roles of each other.  

Things Happen When They are Ready to Happen

Have you ever felt frustrated with your current situation, where you feel stuck or concerned because you have to slow down and not be as busy as you usually are?  It happens to us all and it's a great opportunity to just BE with the process, maybe "simmer" in the learning or lessons you are getting.  This may sound a bit whimsical but sometimes it what you need.  I just finished working with six different organziations over the past six months that kept me really busy.  The month of October has been very slow business wise.  At first, the gremlins appeared whispering to me "oh, oh you don't have anything to do" and "what are you going to do now?"  I kept focused on new opportunities, relaxing a bit more than I have and knowing that opportunities appear when they are ready. And, they have. All of a sudden, all kinds of new opportunities are showing up, things I love doing.  And, over the past six months, I was able to create and experience new business that others can use and I am very proud of myself for how I showed up and helped others be better at communicating, etc.  So......here's to being OK when things seem slow and you don't know what's going to show up next - something will if you believe it and put it out there and the "it" will be just what you want and need.  Try to be OK with this. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Who You Are: A Message To All Women

Lower Your Health Costs While Boosting Performance

One of my hats is in the corporate wellness arena.  (www.nostressworkplace.com) The attached article talks about the importance of leaders seeing the value in proactively doing something about employee's health and well-being.

Lower Your Health Costs While Boosting Performance

The Co-Active Model - v1 - VO KB

Listening and Personalities Differences

I am a fan of DISC personality assessment results although not necessarily the 34 pages of result information you get back -I like it simple and to the point .  As a trained CTI coach, we listen to our clients at various levels. Not just words but emotions, body language, what's not being said, etc. So this whole process is easier for me but is not for most people.  Each of us has a different style of communicating, processing information, temperament, etc. Here are a few clues on what to listen for when  communicating with a particular personality type (DISC)

High Dominant  (results)                High InFluencer (creative ideas)     High Steady (process)
 - next steps                                 - emotions                                       - how to serve others
 - power                                        - what's popular                             - how to please others
 - competency                               - opportunities for fun                      - other's ideas are important first

High Compliance (facts)
 - details
 - logic
 -research

What do you notice about the different styles?  What's important to understand here?  Which of these do you relate to?  Setting intentions before you go into a meeting will be helpful so the boss hears you and you hear him/her.  You may have to set some boundaries on how you will BE when you meet, especially if you are an opposite to the boss' personality. Keep your eyes and ears open to figure out who people are in your circle of influence whether that's work, home, play.  Read some books on personality differences, take a personality assessment and be observant and possibly write down in a journal what you are discovering about this.  Could open up a new world for you where you understand others a bit better, become a better listener and communicator.

Engaging People to Communicate

My passion shows up when I am working with a group of mid-level managers,helping them get better at communicating with each other and learning to be more communicative to the people they supervise. I always start out with a fun, simple exercise "getting to know you" where people share something about themselves. Then it's important to create a safe space.where they feel comfortable enough to talk about what really matters. All voices are important and need to be heard, without judgment.  Talking about the good, the bad and the ugly is very important as when you clear the air of what's really going on, you have the opportunity of moving forward. One way of doing this is asking everyone to share what's each person is good at and what each person could be better at.

Because safety is created and everyone agrees to no judging and no repercussions, typically they will share with honesty. From this, new ways of Being with each other has the possibility of changing behaviors - step by step.  Committing to action and accountability has to occur as well so everyone gets to voice what has to happen going forward and share what they commit to.  When someone requests that others call them on behavior that doesn't serve them is a huge first step to changing behavior. This is easy for some people and very hard for others.  If you can take baby steps to more open dialog, trust and respect will return.

Trust, Respect and Credibility have to be present in leading people. If any one is missing, there will be a negative impact on the team. Trust, Respect and Credibililty shows up more often when communication is clear and transparent and there is a willingness to accept that on one is perfect, mistakes get made but we move on.  Also, never forget the importance of showing appreciation to others - we don't do this enough in our society and it simplly makes people feel really good about themselves.

Managing Change as a Leader

Please check out the attached article I authored and edited by my associate, Becky Walzak. The focus is on the importance of leaders understanding their style of leading through change and understanding how others handle change. We are all very different and we handle change through our own filters. Knowledge is power so the more we understand how people are, the more successful we will become with leading others. This article is published in the Sept. issue of Progress in Lending magazine.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME913/TME913LeadershipFeature.pdf

We Teach People How To Treat Us

Ever get frustrated with how people respond to you, react to you or how they treat you?  Well, over time we teach people how to treat us. If we allow someone to intimiate us, discount what we say, interrupt us, ignore us, shut us down, etc. we have allowed that behavior to show up. If someone continues these annoying/frustrating behaviors, we are doing ourselves a huge disservice by not standing up for yourself and decide that "I need to react differently; respond differently; create a boundary around how I need to BE; or set an intention of who I need to BE when we meet or when we have these types of conversations."

I bring this up constantly to indiviudals and teams I work with who are frustrated with how some people speak to them.  One type of response that is very effective is starting a sentence with "I feel __________ when you say that. " Keep it simple and to the point and then let them respond.  If you don't make them wrong; they don't feel they have to defend themselves and you probably will change the dynamics between the two of you. Try it and see what happens.

It might be helpful to put the words "we teach others how to treat us" on paper and display at your desk; carry with you in your purse or wallet and get in the habit of remembering it and reviewing periodically.

Business and Personal Relationships Can't Be Mixed

How good are you at being able to separate friendships from business decisions?  This shows up a lot in life and I hear about it from friends, witness it in business relationships and learned to be really good at keeping them separate.

If you blend the two, a good exercise is to get really clear on what's expected in the business roles of each person.  Example: "when difficult decisions need to be made, we need to ______ (this has to be something that both parties agree to)." Having regular conversations about anything important is key to the success of combining friendship and business relationship. Transparency is really, really important in the conversations.

If you struggle with trying to decide whether to do business with a friend, it's important to step back and examine if this is a good idea before you enter into a dialog or agreement.  I have some friends who hired a realtor friend to market their high-end home. The realtor's market is in a lower valued price point but they llike her, didn't want to hurt her feelings so they hired her.  They are struggling a bit in finding buyers in their market.  If they did it over again, they admit, they wouldn't have used her.  You have to be able to make smart decisions sometimes and think about the conversation you need to have about what you need to do to be successful.  You can always tell the person that this is not personal, that you like and respect them but for the sake of trying to get a transaction done, you feel like you have to use this other company/person because their reputation is they know how to market the area, are known for successes in getting homes sold quickly.
It's all about conversation, being honest, respectful and using tact when you speak. Allowing the other person to give their comments is important and can't be discounted but you also need to set some boundaries around what you have to do and stay committed to your plan if you feel it's the best avenue to take.

It takes guts, practice and thought to keep the two separate.  For the sake of the friendship especially, you have to be good at speaking your truth. Sometimes you may lose a friend over the situation but if the person is a true friend, they too will step back and possibly understand why you are doing what you do.  In the case of the realtor, an option could have been going with a different realtor but sharing with the friend/realtor that you recommend her to your friends and associates as you know she knows her market. And, more importantly that you value your friendship and have always made it a practice to keep the two relationships separate.

January 2014 - Mortgage Industry

Most recent article co-authored by Becky Walzak and me in August issue of Progress in Lending.  The article is all about the CFPB influencing the mortgage industry in January 2014.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME813/TME813DoomsdayStory.pdf

Work Environment: It’s More Than Just the Furniture

Fan of Daniel Pink - great article and video. Work Environment: It’s More Than Just the Furniture

Tele-Sales

·         I read this in a blog and had to share as it's very true....."As a sales professional using the phone as your main method of communication, you perform a function that very few people in world could do well, or would even want to try. And that’s persuading someone to take action and make a decision based almost solely on the words and ideas that come from your mouth. It’s quite an awesome feat when you think about it. It takes a talented individual to be able to do that well. You are that person. Feel proud of what you do, and always strive to get better."

      This may change because the advancement of technology which has made it more convenient to communicate electronically vs. picking up a phone. Text messaging is an example of opportunity for sales people reaching out to younger generations through apps, smart phones, pads, etc.

      But, getting back to "tele-sales", you have to prepare a calling process before you can expect most people to respond to you by way of the phone.  Remember, people believe more in their ideas rather than yours. You have to create a natural sounding opening statement that addresses "what's in it for me" to take the time to take your call and answer your questions and connect with them. Create a list of questions to ask so you can understand who you could be selling to. What's important to them, who are they, why would they want your services or product.  You need to get them emotionally involved especially if they are currently experiencing problems with the current way they do things. Have your benefits list handy and create questions from it, but don't jump in immediately to tell them all about your company.

      Don't start too quickly talking about what you offer - the worst habit many tele-sales people have.  How do you know they are your future client?  How do you know what they need, want, etc.?  You need to connect with them first, ask lots of questions, take notes while you LISTEN to their answers so you can come back with the wonderful benefits you can offer them.  Don't ramble and be really prepared on your responses. Building trust and credibility and showing you care are key to success in engaging someone on the phone.

     Overcoming objections (resistence) is typically a symptom of the real problem of either not hearing what they said during your conversation or you didn't ask the right questions.  You may have to use statements such as "let's talk about that" or let's look at this another way". And, it won't serve you to memorize a list of objections (canned comments) - the receiver will pick up on this immediately as it will come across as phony.  You need to get really comfortable with talking about resistence. Practice with co-workers or team mates.

      When you are through presenting the benefits, good idea to summarize what was said and ask if they agree. Then you can close (which takes practice) and is a must do step. You need to ask for the business. Get good at this, be natural, practice with team mates or co-workers. Next -steps is important when you are nearly done - what are you going to do next?  Send them something, set up an appointment to meet, set up a web demo, etc.  Practice good follow up and make sure you do it. 

     And remember learn how to Listen.  This can't be emphasized enough. It really is all about the other person and not you. Good luck on your success of teleselling.

Managing Stress

Please read the attached article I wrote for a mortgage magazine I co-author articles for that are published monthly.  This one is my contribution and Becky edits for me. I edit her pieces.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME713/TME713Stress.pdf

Customer Service

I conducted a workshop yesterday within an organization who deal with the public. They are trying to get better at serving the clients (service industry).  We spent most of our time together talking about internal customer service - how people relate and communicate with each other inside the organization.  You have to get this right first before you can serve others outside the organization.  There has to be a culture of trust, respect, compassion, kindness before it shows up to the public.  Leaders and management have to create a great culture with their teams before they can be successful serving others.  You will see it in the faces of the employees and in the atmosphere of the office space. I had people do an exercise where they had to list what they give to others in the organization and list what they receive from others. They got up and shared and it was touching.  Most organizations don't do this enough and it's shows up in high staff turnover, poor morale, lack of motivation, lack of caring, sterile environments, etc. Think about this.  What is one small thing I can do starting tomorrow that will help people Be better as humans, as employees, serving others?

#TChat Preview: Open Leadership with Dan Pontefract

Relationship Selling

The Traditional Sales Model doesn't work anymore and is associated with "high pressure selling". The traditional sales model consists of spending about 10% of the sales person's time telling the potential buyer what the offer is, 20% of the time qualifying the buyer, 30% of the time presenting the features of the product or service and 40% of the time focusing on closing long and hard. As an example, when you purchase a car in a showroom, the sales person will typically start talking about the feature of the car the buyer is looking at, maybe establish some rapport with the potential buyer, sometimes steers them to a different model, points out all the feature of the car and then if they buyer is interested in purchasing the car the paperwork and negotiating begins. This is when the sales person goes to the finance manager to get guidance is striking a "deal" - sometimes this is a back and forth negotiation that takes a bit of time, of course getting approved for credit is part of this process.  All this is the "closing long and hard" stage of selling. Has this ever happened to you?  Personally, I am a fan of car brokers if you know a good one, I do.

Relationship Sales is very different.  Building Trust (and rapport)  is 40% of  this type of selling.  Remember the quote - "people like to do business with people they like and they trust" a very true statement. Asking probing questions and listening is 30% of this type of selling,  From the fact finding stage, making a presentation (selling the benefits of what services or products the sales person offers) is about 20%. This is based on what was said and what was heard.  Reassuring, overcoming objections and closing is 10% of the process.  Very different than the tradtional model as it's all about the buyer.

Which style would you prefer?  There are some reading this blog who have no problem with working with a traditional sales person and in fact might enjoy the bantering and bargaining that accompanies that style. But most people would rather feel comfortable that they are being heard and the sales person is listening to what they want or need. There is a bad reputation associated with sales around the traditional style and many people feel that most sales people are annoying.  If more sales people and the companies they work for apply relationship selling in their processes, this old reputatioin would be gone. Which do you prefer?

Customer Service Tips for Meet & Greets | Dale Carnegie | Dale Carnegie Blog - Corporate Training, Leadership Training, and Sales Training from Dale Carnegie Training®

As a coach, I am hired to work with team to be better at customer service.  Sometimes our intentions and our messages are not aligned and they show up in negative situations.  Be aware of how your clients are treated.

Customer Service Tips for Meet & Greets | Dale Carnegie | Dale Carnegie Blog - Corporate Training, Leadership Training, and Sales Training from Dale Carnegie Training®

In the Garden of Thoughts Movie

A smiling minute for a Thursday - to watch:  In the Garden of Thoughts Movie: This inspiring video will lift your spirit, soothe your soul, and help you feel calm amidst the chaos.

Reinventing Old Classics From a Fresh Perspective

I just downloaded John Fogerty's newest album, "Wrote A Song For Everyone".  As you know, John is the founder of Credence Clearwater Revival from the 70's, one of the best bands of that era.  This new album is compliation of select songs that are sung with well-known country singers and John.  The best...... Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kid Rock to name a few.  The best with a new spin.  The same thing was done last year by Lionel Richie on his  album - "Tuskegee" with the likes of Jimmy Buffett, Little Big Town, Jennifer Nettles, Shania Twain, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Chesney.

But a brillient idea - bringing back classics to re-enjoy and get a new following in the process.  I wonder who will be next?  There are many who could do this.  I guess I will have to just wait and see....

The Power of Attitude Movie

Wise words to think about.....

The Power of Attitude Movie

FBI Sketch Artist Movie

FBI Sketch Artist Movie: How do you see your own beauty? The scary fact is that most women are very hard on themselves and their looks... Worse than that is almost 100% of woman on the planet don’t think they are beautiful at all! In this powerful social experiment, an FBI trained forensics artist sketches women to reveal a hidden truth ALL women should know...

Brotherly Love

Happy Mother's Day - all mothers will feel as I did when I watched this. It's just cool.

Brotherly Love

Another One Bites The Dust

Remember that song - "Another One Bites The Dust"?  I find myself saying this when I see another fairly new restaurant fold after only being open maybe a year or two, especially here in South Florida.  Case in point - two Mexican themed establishments in Deerfield Beach near the pier and all sorts of tourist activity. One was a burrito place which was a big space in a building that houses a parking garage so parking wasn't the challenge.  I never stepped a foot in there even though I love Mexican food.  I never saw more than one or two people in the place - I wonder why? Sleek, modern looking decor and even seating out front.  Something was wrong - marketing? quality of the food?  customer service?  Another one was a spinoff of highly successful Canyon Cafe in Sunrise - "AgaveA which was between Whales Rib and a tatoo parlor. The space has been home to about four eating establishments over the past five or six years. Why don't they make it?  Small space with a nice outdoor patio where music is typically played no matter which establishment was open. There is very limited parking but again in a place where tons of people are walking around. Maybe there challenge was it was too gourmet for the area, too pricey although we ate there and loved it. They even served the prickly pear margaritas Canyon Cafe is known for. Still, no crowds ever. So this past weekend, everything gone.

When people open up a restaurant they need to do their homework.  They need to look at every side of why their establishment will do well - location, size of space, how good is the chef, who is their ideal clientele, pricing, menu, customor service, all of it. I am also fond of even bringing in a Feng Shui master to clear the space of negative energy left from the previous tenants who haven't doe well. I think people get so passionate about what they want to offer to customers and want to find a place to cook and do well that they tend to discount really knowing the market, what people want, what they will pay, having a good cook, hiring people who connect with people, etc.  Owning a restaurant is a tough deal - you are literally married to the establishment so it's not for the faint of heart. I am also a fan of interviewing people in the area of where you want to set up a restaurant to find out what's gone on in the past and what people would like to see. Maybe someday people will see the value of  hiring a coach to help them figure out exactly what they want and what that will look like. Just a thought.

First Thing Every Morning

Inspiring watch.....First Thing Every Morning

The Power of Clear Communication

I worked with a group of people inside of a company where two departments shared the same space but   were very siloed. Literally the right hand did not know what the left hand did. How common is this situation.....unfortunately very common. In the busyness of getting work done, people tend to discount the importance and value of getting to know others in the company or what they do and how they all may be able to help each other in some way.

There was an assumption that one department was really not part of the company but in fact, contractors who were working there to provide the service and they were well staffed and not interested in helping out the other department which was short-staffed, overwhelmed in what they were suppose to accomplish and who had no idea who people were who visited regularly or what their roles were.

We went through exercises (everyone in the room) of having each department explain what they did and what they thought the other department did (roles and duties). People were surprised what they learned from each other and clarity allowed for a deeper understanding of each department. They shared common goals and aspiration and values. At the end in their "next steps" they collaborated on agreeing to some needed changes they both wanted to implement such as tours of each department, cross-trainings between departments; better communicating when help was needed by someone and removing the stigmatism that the one department wasn't a contractor but in fact employees of the same company. Management from both departments were going to sit down and create a committee to meet regularly to create an environment of collaboration, clarity and more communication.

If this approach had been implemented many years back, personnel changes probably would have been minimailized, a sense of "we are all in this together" would have been the theme and open communication would have been prevalent. All good lessons learned by many and why I love what I do.

Selling Yourself, Your Company and Your Ideas

I am reading the book, "Good in a Room" by Stephanie Palmer. Stephanie has a Hollywood life including being a former producer. She approaches sales from a Hollywood  perspective and I like it. Why do I like it? Think about the competitiveness of her world and the few and far between opportunities there are for people. You really need to know your audience and see the value putting the spotlight on the other person.

One chapter of the book focuses on the "elevator pitch" - how to answer someone who asks you "what do you do" or if you are presenting to people who don't know you and what to say. She is not a fan of elevator speeches and feels (like I do) that most people get them wrong. Many sound so canned and insincere or people tend to ramble on. She says never to pitch an idea when you don't have time to continue the conversation. If you jump in too quickly with a stranger, you probably are wasting your time as they don't have a relationship with you. Someone who doesn't know you or your company is not necessarily an opportunity at that moment in time. Building rapport is so much for effective and genuine. Asking questions to find out about the other person is helpful if there is time and then there could be an opportunity to share what you do or what you stand for. Every buyer and every situation is different so your pitch should reflect these differences. Sometimes just stepping back and breathing can be helpful before you reply to the "what do you do" question. Why not think outside the box and be different and say something completely out of context -I am going to try this next time. I think I 'll say "I go to networking events like this to meet people" or "I really enjoy connecting with other people" or "I go to meetings like this so I can get a glass of wine", and see how they react?  A funny moment may work in your favor and it probably will help the other person see from a different perspective. Who knows......it's worth trying something different.

Culture Due Diligence

If Cultural Due Diligence is overlooked it can be very costly for a company.  The following warning signs are examples of the affect of discounting the value of the people involved.

• Increased employee turnover causing diminished sense of employee loyalty

• Loss of existing company culture causing turnover problems

• Long drawn out transition period before integration plan or process takes place, therefore employees go elsewhere or are so caught up in the fear of the unknown that they are paralyzed

• Decrease in productivity because of the current need for damage control by management

• Decrease in productivity because of inconsistent communication on current focus and goals going forward – failure to keep employees informed

• Employees don’t have a voice in what’s next or in the integration solutions

• Employees are impacted by what’s happening – change to work routine, assignment and the reporting structure

Coaching decreases the threat of any of the above situations becoming a reality. Experienced and trained coaches listen and hear the voice of the company. As experienced coaches, we have been trained and have the appropriate coaching tools to dispel the fears and start working on what is being created going forward.  

Creating a Culture of Excellent Customer Service

I recently facilitated a workshop in an organization for a group of managers and their staff on "Creating a Culture of Customer Service." I met with the managers first to get to know them and find out how they managed people, how they communicated with their staff, what their style of leadership was (collaborative or command and control), what their challenges were, etc. They were going to be in the workshop and it was important to understand who they were and what was going on with them before I met with the larger group.
For an ice breaker, I had everyone introduce themselves and share one word describing customer service.  The organization's values showed up again and again. I asked if these values were displayed on the walls anywhere in the office? They weren't but the leader and managers said it was important that they be added and they were going to do that. There was a long list of fabulous one word descriptions and a few words describing what was going on now that they could work on to improve the cultural environment.

When focusing on customer service, a company has to understand the importance of internal customer service first before they can offer excellent customer service to the people they serve. Values are an important part of a company culture in how people are treated, communicated with, and valued. If a company understands this, customer service outward focused will become second nature to a company - they simply live it everyday. A good example of who exemplfies excellent customer service is Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Zappos - with their staff and with their customers.

An exercise to use with staff is to allow people to get to know each other on a personal level. I ask questions about who they are, what they like about working where they work, what they like about the people they work with, what could change, etc. It's also very important to talk about the various styles of communicating: generational differences, men vs. women, diversity of cultures, introverts and extroverts, personality differences.  It all matters and is important to be aware of all of these dynamics as is messages and intentions.

At the end of the session, people really enjoyed the experience. They got to know their fellow employees a bit better, even learned something new about others and themselves.  To reinforce the learning, management committted to getting together and continuing the focus to keep the momentum going, including creating a fun Friday where they posted pictures, shared stories and celebrated each other. Our work will continue so customer service is just embedded in the culture and people know when they come to this organization, the staff care and they feeled served. It take effort, dedication and commitment to work on this. It's great working with an organization that cares about the people they serve and each other.

212: The Extra Degree

It only takes a little extra effort to be different.

212: The Extra Degree

Inspiration 365 Day a Year Movie

Sit back, listen to the music and read these quotes.  Self reflection time.

Inspiration 365 Day a Year Movie

The Power of Acknowledgment Movie - by Mary Robinson Reynolds based on story by Helice Bridges 'Who I Am Makes a Difference'

A must view video on Acknowledgement. Imagine if we all did this - how people would feel?

The Power of Acknowledgment Movie - by Mary Robinson Reynolds based on story by Helice Bridges 'Who I Am Makes a Difference'

What is the secret of team building? | ASK DEEPAK!

I am a fan of Deepak Chopra and here he shares the three key ingredients of what's important to Be a Team.

Managing Work and Life

An associate and I facilitated a workshop last week for several business people on Work/Life Balance. The concept for balancing work and life is very hard for many business people, especially women. At times, we tend to put ourselves last behind everything else in life - family, home, friends, our work, church, etc.

We started off the session asking everyone to share one word describing what work/life balance looks likes for them now. Most people in attendance described it as non-exisent, hard to manage, challenged with it, need more of it, etc. The exercises we conducted required people to break into dyads and for each person to think about their lives and look at all aspects using the "wheel of life" worksheet and scoring themselves in each area on whether they were humming along in sync or were driving on flat tires. Each person was given a few minutes to share with their partner what their life looked like in various aspects of their lives explaining how why they scored each area of their life the way they did, positively or negatively. They then picked one or two areas they could shift a little in what's currently going on to change behavior but not be overwhelmed in the process by picking too many. An example of this was one lady sharing she really missed going to the gym and decided she had to incorporate this back into her life for health reasons. We had each person ask the following questions:  how can they implement these changes; what are the challenges around these changes; what they will commit to and most importantly, why it's important to make this change.

The next exercise we conducted was around saying "Yes" and saying "No" which again is hard for women.  We tend to overcommit and feel badly about it after we commit or we are concerned that we may disappoint someone if we say no. A good exercise is asking yourself what will I say Yes to, but to do this I have to say No to .....  An example of this is "I am going to say Yes to going to the gym three days a week (M,W, F) and I have to say No to sleeping in until 7:00 a.m. on those days."  In order to make commitments around change, it's very beneficial to have an accountability partner who will check in with you and hold you to your promises and even better if you can do the same for them.  Most of the people in the dyads decided that their partner in the exercise would be their accountability partner going forward.

It takes 21-days of repetitive practice for a habit to change. So it's important to make sure you put down dates around the accountability check-ins so you don't allow old habits to creep back in. Writing down the change you are bringing into your life can be helpful as well and posting it somewhere where you can look at it daily. Sharing with family members what you are trying to accomplish can be beneficial if you know they will support you.

Taking baby steps in bringing more balance into our lives makes the changes easier to embed. Once you feel you have more control over your well-being, then you can add other areas of your life that need to change in doable commitments. Life is like a river, ever flowing. There will be ebbs and tides but if we learn to recognize when something is starting to affect us negatively we can take action to manage it better.

Walk The Talk Movie

Walk The Talk Movie: Having values is important, but it is even more important, and challenging, to live the values you embrace and "Walk the Talk". From family and faith, to sports and politics, to our jobs and our communities we all need to learn to "Walk the Talk". Let this great little movie be a reminder to us all...

You Have To Work For Someone You Have Respect For

I just returned from a business trip to California where I rejoined a former boss in his new technoly based company. I have not given up my coaching which is a passion but I am integrating in this new position of Director of Business Development as I have deep respect for this man I have chosen to go to work for. This will be our third time working together in the third start up phase of growing a business that I know will succeed and be impactful in the valuation industry of mortgages. A focus of mine will be to add value by acquiring business from the mortgage lenders who are tired of poor communication, lack of response and want to have more control over the vaulation process.

It's really important that if you have to work or chose to work for someone, that you like them, respect them, trust them and believe in what they are doing.  Why is this important?  In order to be happy, productive, motivated and energized, you have to like what you are doing and know you are being led by someone who cares and who you can trust. More important than all the systems and processes of the world. Healthy companies are just as much or more important as smart companies. Smart companies have good systems and processes in place for strategy, marketing, technology, product, services, logistics, etc. Healthy companies are companies that care about the people in the organization, have open lines of communication, allow collaboration, ideas to be shared, and are led by leaders who hold their ego in check and are leading by example and passion and who create an environment for people to contribute and thrive.

Far too many companies focus on getting the job done, "too hell" with everthing else, "you have a job, you are working and earning a living and that should be enough." Very sad but true. If there was a gathering of people in a room (no matter what the industry) and I asked the audience how many people can honestly say that the leaders in their organizations care about what they do and communicate what's going on, very few would raise their hands. This is changing slowly but surely, espeically with younger generation leaders who see the value in collaboration and open communication. Every year companies around the country are recognized for "being the best place to work", look for them in your area.

From my coach training and interacting with people on a regular basis, I know I could never work for a dysfunctional company again. It's not worth the stress and frustration to do so. I am excited that I have a new  opportunity to be in a healthy environment and contributing and continuing to coach leadership and management teams to understand that people drive the engine.

Thought Leadership

Sharing the most recent article Becky Walzak and I co-authored in this month's edition of Progress in Lending magazine.  The topic - Thought Leadership with the emphasis on the need for more thought leaders in the mortgage space.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME213/TME213ThoughtLeadership.pdf

The Five Pillars of Good Health - Dr. Andrew Weil

These Five Pillars are what we all should embrace and live. Our corporate wellness program is focused on these as well.

The Five Pillars of Good Health - Dr. Andrew Weil

How Do You Motivate Inside Sales People?

How do you keep your inside sales staff motivated?  This question showed up for me this week when I read an email from a sales manager praising a top performer and then telling everyone else they needed to quit talking about personal stuff and follow his example and get out there and make calls.

How would this motivate you if you read this email?  Would you jump right on the phone and make some calls feeling like I am supported in my sales efforts and am motivated to be successful?  Some people are naturally motivated/driven and will do whatever it takes to be successful. But many potential good people need to be guided and discover what motivates them and managed maybe a little differently.

As a coach with a sales background, I say get some outside help if you are as their manager, burned out, frustrated with performance, feel that there is nothing to motivate people or you just want to throw your hands up.  I have been trained to listen and ask questions so if I was hired by the above mentioned company's situation, I would ask to go in and sit with each person and listen to them on the phones, ask some questions about who each person is, ask them what motivates them, ask them what is really hard about their jobs and ask for some suggestions to bring them more success. Probably a great opportunity for a brief but concise survey to get a feel for what is going on in their culuture. Management and leadership need to be OK with this for it to be effective and be open to possibly making some changes. I would also have a one on one with the manager to find out who he/she is and what drives them, what do they do to be successful, what their biggest frustrations are, etc.  I would then find out from the top producers what drives them and have them describe how they are successful. Why not possibly use them to give ideas and suggestions but in the process allowing others to share their ideas as well.  Bottom line, there may be some who don't fit the environment and may have to leave the company. If the company has a "warm body filling the position" mentality and has no desire to help people be successful, things aren't going to change.  A possible suggestion is leadership getting really clear on what they expect and describe the best types of personalities who can succeed there and put that in the job descriptions. Given the high pressure environment, it would be most benefical to have some quality training or coaching on an ongoing basis to help bring success to the company.

Unfortunately, the above example of ineffectiveness in call centers or inside sales departments is more the norm in business operations than not.  Companies can be very SMART in how they are structured but not very HEALTHY in how they view the people driving the business.  Change is hard but change is also good.

Fifth Third Bank and NextJob Complete Reemployment Pilot; Bank Signs Multi-Year Contract to Help Distressed Borrowers Find Jobs: Business Wire

I have done some job coaching for NextJob, a very heart centered company employing coaches to work with people being displaced from job loss.  Great value is given the participants through one-on-one coaching including helping them with resume writing and finding opportunities. Now they have successfully help a large bank in the mortgage community with borrowers who are challenged to make their mortgage payments. I want to refer them some business in this space as this has nothing but a win win solution for everyone. Check out the article.

Fifth Third Bank and NextJob Complete Reemployment Pilot; Bank Signs Multi-Year Contract to Help Distressed Borrowers Find Jobs: Business Wire

Bill Flint Servant Leadership: Servant Leaders And Encouragement

Since I am a huge fan of Servant Leadership, I want to share this well written blog from an expert:

Bill Flint Servant Leadership: Servant Leaders And Encouragement: Do you know anyone who doesn’t like to be encouraged? Who doesn’t like to be told they are appreciated, doing a good job, or are important...

Managers Need Communication

I had the pleasure of working with a group of middle managers this past week inside of an organization. The organization has a new CEO who is making some positive, needed changes. Some old ways are falling by the wayside and as we all know, some people embrace change better than others.

It's good to know this when implementing change. Understanding the various personalities surrounding you as a leader; different generations, people from different cultures; men vs. women, etc. This mix shows up everywhere in our business and personal lives. The more we are aware of this, the easier it is to NOT get frustrated by the way people behave and act. We each have a history, belief systems, stories, life experiences, educational differences which affect how we show up as adults in life and business. It's therefore very important to allow clear communication to filter throughout the company or organization when you are in the midst of changing something. Managers especially need to be kep in the loop so they can distill down to the staff at every level. Managers keep the "stew" from boiling over or burning up. Remember this.

The sooner you can stop the fear and anxiety that can fester due to uncertainty, the better you will fare. People just want to be kept informed, even if the information being shared is minimal in scope. And, guess what, open communication allows Trust to be present and respect to live.

Gratitude HD - Moving Art Movie

Gratitude HD - Moving Art Movie: I just watched an inspiring video about gratitude that I just had to share with you today. It really made me think about all of the wonderful things we have to be grateful for.

CFPB Means Business

Below you will find the link to the latest article co-authored by Becky Walzak and me, in Progress in Lending magazine. The mortgage lending community has gotten by too often thinking "it's not going to impact me". Well, guess what, the CFPB is going into different companies in the mortgage space, big and small so it's good to be proactive in getting ready for their visits and audits. They mean business.

http://www.progressinlending.com/TME113/TME113FeelingLucky.pdf

I never wanted to be a co-active coach : Coaches Training Institute : Transforum

From a fellow CPCC - the power we have ingrained in us as coaches is life-changing.  I never wanted to be a co-active coach : Coaches Training Institute : Transforum

Reinventing Ones-Self, “Am I Relevant?”

Because I am an early Baby Boomer and having started a new career path about nine years ago into coaching, I am noticing that there are people in this same age bracket who are bumping up to “what’s going to happen to my life after I retire”?  I attended a networking event last week and struck up a conversation with an older gentleman who was retiring from being a senior partner in an accounting firm.  I asked him what he was going to miss about his profession and he responded that he wasn’t going to miss the 70-hour work weeks, but he was also feeling “I’ve lost my importance”.  That really struck me with sadness especially since he felt his significance was based on what he did for a living.  We talked some more about getting involved with non-profits and he had thought about doing that in some capacity.  I always ask people if getting involved with non-profits is something they have considered doing when they are a bit blocked, feeling stuck or lost.  Helping others opens up new opportunities for growth and self-discovery and it can be very gratifying to help someone else less fortunate.

I believe there is huge opportunity in the coaching community for working with Baby Boomers who are either reinventing themselves, thinking about retirement, and more importantly not thinking “How Am I Valued?”  There is a self-worth piece that needs to be explored around this profound question.  A significant portion of the population, (especially amongst Baby Boomers) value what they do for a living and how they contribute to the well-being of their families as more important than understanding who they are as an individual which would enhance the former beliefs.

If people are willing and interested in exploring what their values are, what their strengths are, what their passion is, what they can not NOT do in their lives; a whole new chapter could open up for them. The challenge is around engaging people to be open to this exploration.  Maybe it’s through story telling, asking open, simple but profound questions during a conversation.  We humans respond to acknowledgment, being heard and listened to, compassion and appreciation.  When a bond of trust is developed in the relationship, new areas can open up for exploration on the meaning of life and who we are as individual humans.  What gifts we bring to mankind and why we are here.

Trained coaches are guides for exploration, without judging.  We push you to step out of the comfort box, embrace who you are becoming, get curious about what makes you tick and we create a safe space for the exploration, knowing you have all the answers. The hardest part of this process is embracing the vulnerability that shows up.  Learning that it’s OK to not to be in charge or in control all of the time can be a real challenge to people.  But, once they cross over that threshold, they can feel how liberating it can be to just let it all go and be with who they are.  THEN the real work begins. 

Importance of Having a Circle of Influence

To be successful in life and business you need to have a circle of influential people in your life who are aligned with who you are and your values. Their talents and personalities will compliment you and you them. What made me think of sharing this is I am in the process of creating this with some fabulous, smart women in my circle. We are calling ourselves "Leading Ladies". The three of us have known each other professionally for about three years and I have introduced the other two to each other. One is a business consultant/tax expert, one is a financial advisor and I am the executive/business coach. We meet weekly to get our momentum going, creating our plans, and getting clear on each of our expectations of this relationship. We will be adding a few more influential women to our mix within the month. We need a female attorney and someone in the insurance industry.  The purpose of our group is to use each other as referral sources, helping each of us create success.

We are getting really clear in what each of us brings to the table and how we compliment each other. We have specific goals for 2013 and by creating this group, plan on utilizing our expertise and connections to help each other reach our goals. It's interesting that each of us is very different in how we lead our lives but we have deep respect for each other.

I bring the soft skills to the relationship through deep listening, asking though provoking powerful questions, acknowledging people, getting curious about what is being said, holding people accountable and  providing exercises to get some clarity on challenges we may face. One team member is really good with creating wealth and the other is a strategic thinker who knows how to grow a business quickly.

If you are trying to grow your business or freshen your perspectives by creating new ideas or change your business model, think seriously about creating a relationship with others who are in your circle of influence to help each other with this. It works especially if you get really clear of what everyone's expectations are. January 2013 is the perfect time to think about this valuable proposition. Who knows what coud become of this type of team.  You can't do it by yourself.  I am excited to see what evolves with "Leading Ladies".