In this issue:
-
Quote of the month
-
Thoughts for Leaders -
“Moving Forward”
-
This month’s featured 'Business'
Top Ten -
“The Top 10 Strategies for Positioning of Success”
-
This month’s featured 'Personal'
Top Ten -
"The Top 10 Attributes of Resilient People"
-
Products and services
-
The Leadership Circle ™ -
The
Breakthrough 360 ° Profile That Connects Patterns of Action with
Habits of Thought
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Quote of the Month
The true test of character is not how much
we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do.
~ Jon Holt
Thoughts for Leaders
“Moving Forward”
As I write this month's column, I noticed that the number of issues of
Leadership Matters stands at 77! I've been doing this
newsletter for almost 6 1/2 years. About 9 months ago, I
sent out a request to readers to give me feedback on the newsletter,
what you wanted to see, whether it was valuable, etc. Out of
almost 500 subscribers, I received just a handful of responses - they
indicated that the newsletter was good and I should continue.
Since that time, my business has gotten extremely busy, I have taken on
a co-director role in the leadership coaching program at Georgetown
University and have found it hard to keep up with the newsletter and the
monthly complimentary teleclasses. I talked with my own coach
about my dilemma. Should I continue as is or stop, or something in
between. At that time, I chose to cut back teleclasses to every
other month, and in July, for the first time, I had to cancel a
scheduled class to accommodate a business appointment. That sent
me a clear message that I could not continue to do everything.
So, readers, this will be the last issue of
Leadership Matters as you know it. I will maintain the
subscriber list, send some short articles, musings or quotes from time
to time and do some complimentary teleclasses, using this newsletter
format to announce them. You don't need to do anything if you want
to continue to be on the subscriber list. If you wish to
unsubscribe, instructions are at the bottom of the newsletter.
I thank you
all for being loyal readers and I will continue to value all of your
feedback. As they say, this isn't goodbye, just a change in how I
say hello! Stay tuned for occasional tips, because
"Leadership Matters".

Complimentary Teleclass
No teleclass this month.
Featured Top Ten Business
Each month I
publish one of the "Top Ten Business" lists compiled by Coachville. This
month’s topic is
“The Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success”
Many businesses of today are often driven to compete strictly on
price, quality, and features of their products and services. Companies
who prosper over the long term don't simply offer the best deals, the
best quality, or the most impressive bells and whistles. If you want to
win big in today's cutting edge world of business, you have to begin by
thinking differently and by challenging the status quo. Whether you are
a new or an established business owner, these ten powerful strategies,
taken from the Personal Environments Learning Club of CoachVille will
position your company for big success.
1. Adopt the Philosophy of "Givers Gain."
In 2003, the members of Business Network International (BNI) passed
over 2 million referrals to each other. Founded by CEO Ivan Misner, BNI
is a business and professional networking organization that offers
members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and most importantly,
referrals. Misner founded BNI based on the philosophy of Givers Gain,
which is the belief that in order to get business, it is important to
first give business. One of the critical factors in achieving success
rests in the ability to develop reciprocal relationships where two
parties naturally refer business to each other on a consistent basis.
It's not what you know but who you know has never been so true as it is
in today's competitive world of business.
2. Focus on Soft Innovations
In today's competitive marketplace, the old equation of spending
more on advertising to increase profits it not working as it once did.
In his latest book, Free Prize Inside, author Seth Godin, makes a strong
case for using soft innovations as a way to get noticed in this crowded
and noisy world. Soft innovations are the small yet insightful ideas
that can take your product or service from good to remarkable. They are
often hidden, and they usually solve a problem that is peripheral
to what your product is ostensibly about. At first glance, you think the
soft innovation does not mean much, but once you have it in place, it
becomes an essential part of your product or service. Examples of soft
innovations include Starbucks Cards, Dinosaur-shaped pasta for kids, and
Amazon.com cutting its ad spend and offering free shipping with the
money saved.
3. Re-Groove!
How do you operate when the heat is on? How do you respond to
chaos? When new skills or new behaviors are needed, how do you
respond? Knowing what to do and how to do it is one thing but
being able to respond effectively and to keep your cool under pressure
and on a consistent basis is a very different ballgame. As leaders in
today's world, it is crucial to learn how to work differently and how to
be able to shift and bend to meet expectations which here one day and
gone the next. The half-life of a great idea or a new product or service
has never been shorter, and it is up to you as a business owner to
become masterful with reshaping strategies, adding new perks to old
products, and to stay on top of your game in the face of dramatically
changing circumstances. You may find that your strength of achievement
was required to get your company up and running but that same strength
is now squelching the creativity of your team. Its time to Re-Groove!
Its time to unlock the incredible potential that is inside of you that
is required to get the job done under present day demands. If you are
dedicated to re-grooving (getting past the old worn out grooves of your
past conditioning and the rut that we often get into,) it is essential
to work with a coach or trainer who can coach you through the new
behaviors quickly and in real time. By learning to re-groove, you will
be able to create incredible opportunities for your company and for
yourself with lightning speed.
4. Make Your Brand a "State of Mind."
Are you winning when it comes to style, a smart and accessible mix
of products and services, and first rate customer service? If so, Bravo!
However, this is just a part of the equation of what it takes to truly
succeed. In order to create a brand that is truly memorable, it is
crucial for you to live an inspired life and to make your brand a state
of mind for your customers. This state of mind could be a feeling of
trust and confidence, a sense of well being, or a state of knowing that
you are buying from a company who has your best interests at heart. This
state of mind cannot develop behind the confines of the walls of your
business. It grows and develops when you are in the middle of your
potential buyers in restaurants, traveling, checking out the
competition, playing sports, tinkering with a hobby, having fun and lots
of it! If you are living fully and in relationship with others, you will
be re-energized every day and you will give your customers a vision of
what an inspired life actually looks like, because you are living one!
Your brand will become much more than your trimmings...it will become
the connection that others feel when they think of you as a valued
person in their lives.
5. Become Masterful at Mobilizing Resources.
The ability to galvanize resources, both human and monetary, and to
build effective and efficient projects with them is a critical component
of success in today's marketplace. We are quick to look first at the
monetary costs of a project and quickly get cold feet, when the reality
is that we have valuable resources hidden in our personal and
professional lives which may not cost a dime. Social capital is one
resource that is one of the most valuable assets available to business
owners of today. The term social capital emphasizes that very specific
benefits are made available from the trust, reciprocity, information,
and cooperation associated with social networks. The value of social
capital is that people can draw on the wisdom of each other to solve
common problems, especially as it relates to money, time, and resources.
6. Buck Conventional Wisdom.
In 1971, Rollin King and Herb Kelleher decided to start an airline
that you might say was different and a little bit quirky. They began
with one simple notion: If you get your passengers to their destinations
on time, at the lowest fare possible, and make sure they have a
fantastic time doing it, people will choose you over a competing
airline. This is the story of Southwest Airlines, who chose to move
beyond the status quo by offering services and a sense of style that
bucked conventional wisdom. With their focus on fun, games, and "Love
Southwest Style, this top ranked airline has made its mark with its
strong focus on stellar customer service and conveniences such as
allowing customers to proceed to their departure gate without stopping
at the ticket counter, skycap, and a self-service kiosk. Most
importantly, Southwest has honed in on searching for important personal
qualities in those they hire-- the perfect blend of energy, humor, team
spirit, and self-confidence to match its famously offbeat culture.
Southwest was once dismissed as a maverick, as their strategies seemed
strange to the traditional airline powerhouses. These same powerhouses
are now looking in awe at what this maverick has built. The strategy of
originality worked. It had the sticking power required for huge success.
7. Become a Talent Farm.
When recruiting new employees, what are you looking for? Raw talent?
Raw communication skills? Intellect? Athletic ability?
Commitment? Skills? Flexbility? What about all of this and
more If you are a company who wants to operate at the leading edge,
where change is the greatest and success is the goal, you will want to
recruit the most talented group of people you can find those people who
are self- starters and who are living boldly in the world. By developing
a talent farm culture, you can instill a mindset of excellence from the
top to the bottom of your organization. This culture encompasses a
deeply held belief that having high caliber people is crucial to your
success. With this talent farm approach to recruiting, your company will
also be required to continually recruit top talent. Successful
businesses and organizations have a strong sense of what they are
looking for, and they are always on the look for new talent and ways to
retain them for a lifetime.
8. Embrace Your Core Values.
What is it in life that you most value? Do you value beauty,
leadership, creativity, stability, or family? You can choose to
orient your life around your wants and needs or the list of things you
feel you should be doing, but if you embrace your core values and build
your life around them, you will find experience inspiration and joy at a
level you never thought was possible. Whole Foods Market is one of the
fastest growing supermarkets of today, because its commitment to fresh,
nutritious products is a value that keeps customers coming back for more
and keeps employees happy, hard working, and committed. When you focus
your business on doing what feels right and what fulfills you, you will
have no regrets, because you have been true to the very core of your
being.
9. Become a "White Hot Center" of Influence.
A white hot center of influence is an organization or group that you
most want your company to be aligned with and in a relationship which is
reciprocal. One connection into a visible and strong center of influence
can position your company to attract a stream of qualified
opportunities. (Example: You are an interior designer, and you want to
be in the middle of Southern Accent or Better Homes and Gardens
Magazine.) In order to attract a white hot center of influence, you have
to become what you want to attract. Be well educated, highly skilled,
experienced, trained and innovative in your product development. Fill
your network with other business owners who are up to big things in the
world and who are experts in their respective fields. Attract talented
people into your company, and tap each and every talent and skill
available. As you begin to raise your bar in all areas of your business
and enhance your network, you will eventually become a white hot center
that will attract others by the thousands.
10. Just Begin.
Start where you are, and begin today to create success in your life.
Drop the excuses, reasons or people to blame, dis-empowering attitudes
and behaviors and get on with the business of living the life you know
you were born to live. Do what you know you want to do, and do it with
passion. Begin today to create the tomorrow you want. As Peter Drucker
said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."
About the submitter:
This piece was originally submitted by Bea Fields and Kimberly
George, Business Coaches, who can be reached at
bea@coachville.com and
kim@coachville.com, or visited
on the web at CoachVille.com.
©
Copyright 2001, CoachVille, LLC. May be
distributed if full attribution is given and copyright notice is
included.
Top Ten Personal
"The Top 10 Attributes
of Resilient People"
Resilience is one of the most important emotional intelligence
competencies you can have in today's fast-changing world. It means
being able to bounce back after setbacks, failures, disappointments
and losses. It means not giving up, and continuing to face the
future with optimism and courage despite events. You can bolster
your resilience by understanding what makes people resilient and
then working with a coach to improve your skills in these areas.
People who are the most resilient:
1. Can self-reflect and gain wisdom from their experiences. They
know who they are without embellishment or fantasy.
2. Face reality head-on, labeling their setbacks, losses and
disappointments for what they are.
3. Know their feelings, label them correctly, and express them
routinely to others.
4. Know their time zone: past, present and future.
5. Commit to the agony of grieving when necessary for as long as it
takes.
6. Find meaning and purpose in their struggles.
7. Have high EQ.
Think creatively and flexibly under stress. Expand rather than shut
down when faced with a challenge.
8. Keep reserves of energy built up through regular periods of rest
and renewal.
9. Have people upon whom they can depend, who know and love them as
they are.
10. Know when they need help and get it.
About the submitter:
This piece was originally submitted by Susan Dunn, M.A., Clinical
Psychology, who can be reached at
sdunn@susandunn.cc, or
visited on the web. Susan Dunn, M.A., Clinical Psychology wants you
to know: Susan Dunn is a personal and professional development coach
who likes to help people evolve through transitions. Email her for
free ezine. Distance learning courses available. The original
source is: The School of Hard Knocks.
©
Copyright 2001, CoachVille, LLC.
May be distributed if full attribution is given and copyright notice
is included.
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Georgetown University. This year, I joined 20 other faculty
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Approach to Coaching Excellence. This book focuses on coaching
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Coaching Certificate Program, one of the premier coach training programs
in the world and the only one with this particular focus.
The book is edited by Christine Wahl, the creator and director of
the Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certificate Program, as
well as a Certified Professional Effectiveness Coach (NVW) and a Master
Certified Coach (ICF) as well as two faculty members. Clarice L. Scriber
is the founder of Clarity Consulting, Inc., and a former internal coach
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Bloomfield Associates, LLC.
The book will be available in July and will sell for $45. Amazon
has a pre-order available with a 5% discount. Proceeds from
the sale of the book will be donated to a charity that makes a
difference in the world, used to fund scholarships to the Georgetown
University Leadership Coaching Program and for faculty development.
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Leadership
Matters is a complimentary newsletter from Mathews Associates. Each
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