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Letter From The Editor

The New Year is well on its way, and if you are left wondering why your life didn’t take on some magical metamorphosis when the clock stuck midnight on January 1st, you aren’t alone. The first weeks of January can be a downer because we live in hope that the New Year means new and exciting changes in our life, when in reality, the New Year is just that a new year… nothing else. So do you want to light up your 2008? Take control of your life NOW with these simple suggestions:

Take care of yourself first.

How many of you made a New Year’s resolution to get back to the gym, but you have yet to even step near one? Without really committing to your well being and being in action, the status quo is all you can ever expect to have.

Get your business and life plans finished—now!

Mark off the time on your calendar right this minute. If your plan is already in place, good for you! Double-check to see if all your “by-whens” are in place to make it happen and use the plan religiously. Don’t allow it to gather dust! This is your chance to give your world—your business and family—the shape and focus you want, despite the circumstances around you. Your plan can serve as a reference point—an anchor for any rough waters that may be ahead and a platform for catapulting your dreams, your company, and your family forward!

Give up trying to control those things that you can’t.

Remember that the only thing you can control is you. As far as the rest of the world and the circumstances that swirl around you, the only thing you can control is who you choose to be in the face of whatever comes your way.

Commit to Be.

With your plan in hand, ask yourself: who do I have to be as a leader to have my life be the way I want it and to also contribute/make a difference in those places I can?

These measures are the magic you are looking for; they are the keys to having an outrageous, action packed, and awesome New Year! So, write your plan, build a team to hold you accountable for following the plan, and give up that you have to know “how” it will all play out. Be focused and committed to having the life you say you want to have, and take good care of you in the process. With these suggestions, there is no way you can lose in 2008!

Best Regards,

Clay S. Nelson

The Gift of Listening

“You never listen to me!” “You didn’t hear what I said.”

Do you ever hear complaints like this from people in your life? What is the speaker really saying? You were standing there. You heard every word that was said. What’s the complaint then? Well, it’s not about hearing someone… it’s about getting the communication!

Real listening is one of the greatest gifts that you can give—to another and to yourself. So let’s take a look at what it’s like to listen effectively and get the communication. Effective listening is a way of being that goes beyond merely hearing words. It is a way of being that includes listening for the whole message—like who the speaker is being in the conversation.

Listening in this way requires you to actively listen…to really be a listener. Great listeners have certain characteristics:

• Great listeners are present to what the speaker has to say. This means not planning what their response is while they are listening.
• Great listeners focus on the person speaking. They listen with their ears and also with their eyes and other senses. They are aware of the non-verbal communication contained in the message. True listeners listen to the whole person, to the person’s heart, and not just to their words.
• Great listeners encourage the speaker to continue on his/her train of thought. The speaker feels respected.
• Great listeners listen, not from their own viewpoint, but from the viewpoint of the speaker. In a powerful speaking and listening process, the two are united and supported by each other. The speaker is heard and respected, and the listener is honored by being shared with.

Yes, listening effectively provides value for both the speaker and the listener! Being listened to makes it easier to consider another position or point of view. Speakers can spot the inconsistencies in their thinking process when they hear an effective listener “play it back to them” without criticism. As a listener, this practice in understanding another’s view can help you be more aware of the flaws in your own thinking.

As a great listener, not all you will listen to is of earth-shattering importance… sometimes a speaker just needs to be heard and acknowledged. For example, simply being listened to powerfully can free them up to consider another position they may have been resisting. When you listen to someone, you truly can inspire creation, expansion, and growth. It’s as if an idea inside them has been watered and exposed to the sun by being listened to by you.

Listening is a powerful gift. Who can you give the gift of listening to today?

“Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be
with another which both attracts and heals.” —J. Isham

Tis the Season… For Spreading Germs

The cold and flu season is tough not only on the people who come down with a bug, but also on the companies that employ them, as well as those that work with them. The “tough” is two-fold.

1. When workers are out sick, especially in a small business, other employees have to take up the slack. The company simply can’t afford to have that person’s job duties go idle for a day, let alone several.
2. When workers come to work sick, especially in a small office, their germs are going to spread. So as you can see, it is a bit of a Catch 22.

Small businesses can’t afford to have workers gone, but if they come to work sick, they are risking infecting the rest of the office. If others in the business get sick, the problem just multiplies! So to help keep your team healthy during the cold and flu season.

1. Keep your staff present to the need for good hygiene – post signs and even mention it during your staff meetings. Remind people to wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizers, and use their own personal coffee cup.
2. If a worker shows up sick to work, you have to gage how sick they are. If they are feverish, sick to their stomach, and generally flu-ish, common sense dictates that they should be sent home.
3. If a worker has a common-cold whose symptoms are controlled with over the counter medications and they are present to the need to be especially cautious about germ spreading, let them stay. If we allowed a common cold to keep everyone home for its duration, we’d have people gone all the time!

Being sick is no fun for anyone, and missing days of work often compounds the issue. But when a member of your team is sick and only mentally half at work, what good does their being there really do? So, whenever possible encourage your team to give their bodies the rest they need when the cold and flu strike. Doing so will allow them to get over their illness, and return to work 100%, sooner rather than later!

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