Dear Friends,
I say hair gel because it is about that time when we start paying more attention to how we look and worry about how others perceive us. As a result, we often hesitate, and this hesitation can change the outcome we end up creating. However, when we stay focused on our goals and what we are committed to, nothing can get in our way. Take for example my friends: Madison, Kaitlyn, Isabelle, and Claire. These girls, at the ages of 11 and 13 (and beyond their hair gel discovery days), are the co-founders of the Backyard Talent Show for St. Jude. They started this show as a way to have some fun with their friends during the summer, and in just two years their show has now raised $17,000 for the Children of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! These girls have been doing local media interviews. They’ve captured the attention of several members of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s Board of Directors, as well as the owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. They dance, sing and act their hearts out as MCs of their event. They organized over 38 participants in this year’s show. They hit the streets going door-to-door to businesses asking for their sponsorship. Given the opportunity to make a brief presentation about their event to one of the Jonas Brothers (an opportunity that came about only through sheer determination), these girls stood far more composed and eloquent in their speaking than most of the adults who were around. They’ve had to learn how to deal with “No.” They’ve had to learn to work as a team, communicate succinctly, put their differences and personal desires aside, and stay focused on what they have given their commitment to do! Remember: These are preteen and teenage girls! Imagine the courage it takes for these young ladies to stand in front of hundreds of people at their event. Imagine what it takes to remain composed during a LIVE television interview. Imagine what it takes to set aside your own selfish desires for an autograph or moment with your favorite celebrity, and instead take those few precious moments to talk about a charity that is near and dear to your heart. Imagine the courage it takes for these girls to stand up and willingly be judged and evaluated not just by their peers, but by high-powered adults that they’ve previously only seen on television and in magazines. This, my friends, is the kind of courage, dedication, focus and passion that we all need to have. Anything is possible when we commit to what we want, we give up worrying about what others will think, and we are in heartfelt action! So check it. Who is the most unstoppable person you know, and what is there for you to learn from them? I know who I’m taking notes from! Warm Regards,
Showing Appreciation to Your Team When employees leave their jobs, often they participate in exit interviews. Those exit interviews reveal that many employees decide to leave because they don’t feel valued or appreciated. As leaders of our organizations, we should be aware that even when everything is going well in our organizations—it isn’t the time to just sit back. The employees who are making everything work well need to be appreciated and acknowledged…and often. When things aren’t going as best as they could be within the organization, that’s the time when appreciation is needed even more! How do you say “thank you” to people without whom you’d be lost? Be specific, base your comments on behavior you have witnessed, and make sure you acknowledge the action soon after it occurred. Appreciation doesn’t have to take long. Suppose you overhear your employee dealing effectively with a difficult vendor on the phone. When the employee gets off the phone, ask if you can speak to them for a minute. Say something about what you saw and why you liked it. “I overheard the way you handled that vendor on the phone. I really admire your patience and the way you explained the situation to the vendor simply, but not in a condescending way. That went a long way toward enhancing the public impression of our company. Thank you!” This kind praise costs nothing, takes little time, and will absolutely make an employee’s day! Appreciation is best expressed spontaneously and personally. Don’t delegate to someone the job of expressing appreciation on your behalf. Do it yourself! Words of praise often suffice, but if you
do give a gift, “wrap” the
gift in your words of appreciation. Think about what the person does for you,
the team, and your organization. Say your thank yous face-to-face with a genuinely
warm attitude and a smile. Remember: appreciation costs nothing to give. So give
it freely, and you’ll be amazed at how far your appreciation will go! The Boring Pursuit of Perfection In addition, perfection does not leave much room for relationships to build. Relationship is all about the imperfections in people and how we get over them. No matter how much our significant other and the loved ones in our lives drive us crazy, if they did everything the right way all of the time, we’d actually get bored because our lives would not only be perfect, but predictable as well! In the end, being perfect is a very alone
and internally centered place that cannot be attained. Why
not be with “I’m
not perfect”. After all, what do you learn the most
from, what you do wrong or what you do right? Want to subscribe? Click here to send us your email address. We'll notify you when the newsletter is published each month! |
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Remodeling Show 2010 METALCON
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Pool Spa Patio Expo 2010 Upcoming Events Baltimore, Maryland Conference Dates Choosing to
be Unstoppable in an Often Stopped World Communication
at the Jobsite: Giving Up "Because I Told You So!" Las Vegas, Nevada Conference Dates Managing the
Change Orders of Life Last Month's Newsletter Did you miss last month's issue of More Than Just a Thought? Here's your chance to get caught up! July 2010 |
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Determination:
An unceasing, unstoppable drive to reach your goals… to
get what you say you want and by-when you say you want it.
I speak a lot about being unstoppable, but you’ll never
learn more about being unstoppable than from watching children.
They are undeterred by “no”, they stay focused
on what they want, and they go at it with all their hearts.
Now, that often times changes once a child discovers hair
gel. 
Appreciation
consistently ranks at the top of what employees want from
work, and at this time, when wages are slimmer and “bonuses” pretty
much non-existent, we can’t afford not to show our
appreciation. After all, appreciation costs us nothing to
give! 
Generally
speaking, it seems as though our pursuit of perfection grows
more intense each and every day. There is reality television
programs focused on self-absorbed people obsessed with their
looks. There are parents pushing their children so hard in
athletics that the parents actually physically attack coaches
that are perceived as doing a poor job! And then… there
are those children who seek to attain a perceived notion
of perfection based upon retouched magazine covers and stylized
celebrities. It is frustrating to see, because being perfect
is boring! Not that we shouldn’t care about how we
look… we need to be healthy, etc, but think about this:
What would it be like to have it all; to look right, to have
the right physical shape, to weigh the right amount, to wear
the right clothes, and to have everything you could ever
want? You’d be bored! You would have nothing to do
except sustain what you already have, and if you spend your
life sustaining what you already have, what are you learning
that is new? NOTHING!
The
Balanced Life
