The below is an excerpt from an email I received last week. Isn't it amazing how what we learn in our efforts to become better leaders can rub off on the little ones we have so much influence over! Way to go Michelle!
"I just completed listening to your CD series on Contagious Leadership last night. I have been listening to it in my car and thought you’d get a kick out of the impact it made on my 7 year old daughter.My daughter listened intently to the section where you described that "employees don’t work for you they work for themselves", she took it to heart. Now when I pick her to bring her to the office instead of saying “are your workers still there?” she says “is your team still there?” It took her a few times but the most exciting part was she corrected herself, I didn’t mention it after she listened to it. She’s well on her way to being a great leader!"
Keep in mind how much you impact the lives of those around you. For you own copy of Contagious Leadership, go to whttp://www.monicawofford.com/Products.html.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Thought of Delegation... can be scary!
In light of Halloween approaching, let's talk about something that can be a little scary sometimes - Delegation. When I spoke yesterday to the wonderful West Orange Chamber of Commerce, this topic, along with the dreaded micro-management issue came up. No one likes to be micro-managed and few seem to enjoy or feel good about delegation. Perhaps a few tips on delegating more effectively will help to alleviate the fear of it all...
In the November issue of Entrpreneur magazine, on page 152, Romanus Wolter, writes Trust Your Team. Now, from my perspective these folks aren't yours they work with you and we don't own any of them. They are the team members that you have the privilege of leading, however, once we get past that, Mr. Wolter shares some great tips to delegating to these valuable team members.
1. Complete vital tasks during your peak performance periods.
2. Prioritize and define your success action steps.
3. Conduct a delegation "test run".
4. Be sure those you hire fit your personality and needs. (this is a biggee and something that we specialize in)
5. Allow the people you hire to be entrepreneurial.
For more check out the entire article at your local bookstore or on www.entrepreneur.com.
Enjoy!
M
In the November issue of Entrpreneur magazine, on page 152, Romanus Wolter, writes Trust Your Team. Now, from my perspective these folks aren't yours they work with you and we don't own any of them. They are the team members that you have the privilege of leading, however, once we get past that, Mr. Wolter shares some great tips to delegating to these valuable team members.
1. Complete vital tasks during your peak performance periods.
2. Prioritize and define your success action steps.
3. Conduct a delegation "test run".
4. Be sure those you hire fit your personality and needs. (this is a biggee and something that we specialize in)
5. Allow the people you hire to be entrepreneurial.
For more check out the entire article at your local bookstore or on www.entrepreneur.com.
Enjoy!
M
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Who are People Hiring?
In November's Fortune Small Business www.fsb.com ...
Check out the article on page 20 about who is hiring whom? The article goes on to mention that employers are hiring folks that they ike. The data comes from "a recent survey by NFI Research and what they found is that managers of small businesss are more likely to make hiring and promotion decisions based on personality than on significant factors such as, oh, skill level."
The data speaks loudly and says that the folloiwng percentages are what you are relying on when hiring or promoting folks:
64.8% Personality/likability
58.6% Skills
53.9% Track Record
18.8% Knowledge of your organization
14.1% Diversity
If that is the case perhaps it is time we help managers by educating them more on what to look for in the way of personality/likability. Better yet, perhaps we provide a tool to HR or hiring departments to determine a candidates true likeability and personality rather than just what they show you in an interview. This is exactly what we do at Monica Wofford International. Call us for a preview! 1-866-382-0121 and in the meantime, think carefully about who you are hiring.
Check out the article on page 20 about who is hiring whom? The article goes on to mention that employers are hiring folks that they ike. The data comes from "a recent survey by NFI Research and what they found is that managers of small businesss are more likely to make hiring and promotion decisions based on personality than on significant factors such as, oh, skill level."
The data speaks loudly and says that the folloiwng percentages are what you are relying on when hiring or promoting folks:
64.8% Personality/likability
58.6% Skills
53.9% Track Record
18.8% Knowledge of your organization
14.1% Diversity
If that is the case perhaps it is time we help managers by educating them more on what to look for in the way of personality/likability. Better yet, perhaps we provide a tool to HR or hiring departments to determine a candidates true likeability and personality rather than just what they show you in an interview. This is exactly what we do at Monica Wofford International. Call us for a preview! 1-866-382-0121 and in the meantime, think carefully about who you are hiring.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Refreshing movie that makes you think!
If you have not yet seen "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams, run out to see it at the big screen as soon as you can. Not only does it make you think about the need for some changes in our political system, it made me think about some changes that many businesses might want to make.
What if we just operated at full disclosure with our clients so that they didn't have to guess? What if we took a refreshing approach with all of our actions - would that eliminate the need for harsh return policies because so many took advantage of the system? Would that eliminate the tolerance for poor service that so many people put up with? Would that eliminate the power that so many organizations believe they can exert over their customers? Maybe, maybe not.
Mr. Tom Dobbs in Man of the Year makes you look at politics differently in a mere two hours. what would it take for us to view Customer Service, Leadership in our organizations, or Success in our lives differently? Is it time we shake up some of the old models?
What if we just operated at full disclosure with our clients so that they didn't have to guess? What if we took a refreshing approach with all of our actions - would that eliminate the need for harsh return policies because so many took advantage of the system? Would that eliminate the tolerance for poor service that so many people put up with? Would that eliminate the power that so many organizations believe they can exert over their customers? Maybe, maybe not.
Mr. Tom Dobbs in Man of the Year makes you look at politics differently in a mere two hours. what would it take for us to view Customer Service, Leadership in our organizations, or Success in our lives differently? Is it time we shake up some of the old models?
Saturday, October 14, 2006
New Stage of Business - YOU
Just read... Waiting For Your Cat to Bark by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg
Great read and powerful information. If you are looking for a way to achieve success in your business or a way to make your service level positively Contagious - pick it up. One of the things that stood out for me on pages 36-37 were the questions that at one time seemed impossible, but are now reality:
- What if your customers knew your business secrets; your cost of goods, profits, manufacturing methods, finances, etc.,or with easily accessible guidance could estimate them with a high degree of accuracy?
- What if your customers, instead of PR, determined the reputation of your product?
- What if a few cranky customer could kill your product by badmouthing it?
- What if your company were an open book for all of your customers to look into?
There are many more questions that the authors go on to ask, yet the scary part is that each of them, including the ones listed above, are all in fact reality. Your customers do have the ability to know each of these things and they do determine the reputation of your company.
You can either act with transparency and full disclosure with your customers or wait until they find out what your company might be holding back. Be refreshing, just be open and remember who determines the your bottom line.
Great read and powerful information. If you are looking for a way to achieve success in your business or a way to make your service level positively Contagious - pick it up. One of the things that stood out for me on pages 36-37 were the questions that at one time seemed impossible, but are now reality:
- What if your customers knew your business secrets; your cost of goods, profits, manufacturing methods, finances, etc.,or with easily accessible guidance could estimate them with a high degree of accuracy?
- What if your customers, instead of PR, determined the reputation of your product?
- What if a few cranky customer could kill your product by badmouthing it?
- What if your company were an open book for all of your customers to look into?
There are many more questions that the authors go on to ask, yet the scary part is that each of them, including the ones listed above, are all in fact reality. Your customers do have the ability to know each of these things and they do determine the reputation of your company.
You can either act with transparency and full disclosure with your customers or wait until they find out what your company might be holding back. Be refreshing, just be open and remember who determines the your bottom line.
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